Chapter 10: Hawk Moth Revealed
It almost felt like going back and forth for Cat Noir. First he left his home to go and fight The Joker, than he had to return home so that he could convince everybody that Adrien, his true identity, was OK and then he left again to join Ladybug and Batman back at the Riddler's safehouse. And now here he was again, going back to his home to take down Hawk Moth and The Joker. For some reason, the two villains were at the Agreste Mansion. That had him worried. Were they now going to target his father? Gabriel Agreste would make a valuable hostage.
Those thoughts ran through his head as he lead Batman to his mansion with Ladybug by his side. The two teens traversed through the air with their weapons as Batman ran after them and glided from building to building. The night would've been quiet had it not been for the sound of sirens through the air. Captain Roger was taking his men to the mansion so that when the three heroes took down the purple-clad villains, they could arrest them and take them away. The police cars cruised through the streets as they followed the costumed crime fighters to the Agreste Mansion. They just hoped Gabriel wouldn't mind having visitors tonight.
Cat Noir landed, Ladybug and Batman following him seconds afterwards, and the three sprinted across another building. The mansion was in sight, they'd be there in no time at all.
"There it is, just a few more blocks!" Cat Noir cried out.
"I hope we're not too late and the two villains haven't hurt anyone..." Ladybug murmured to herself.
"The Joker loves to kill. If there's anybody at home now, they're gonna be dead if we're not there in time." Batman muttered.
"Including Adrien...oh no!" Ladybug gasped in horror, "Adrien and Mr. Agreste! If that clown has done anything to them, I'm never gonna forgive myself!"
Batman raised an eyebrow at her, not seeing a side like this until now. Not even when they were in the Riddler's safe house she panicked like this. But it also seemed somewhat familiar, especially when her voice hit that particular note...
Chat Noir couldn't help but feel a mixture of pleasure and concern. He recently came to realise that Ladybug seemed quite interested in his alter ego, and that ended up deeply pleasing him. But at the same time he had to really reassure her that nothing was going to happen to Adrien, though he was deeply worried about his father's well-being. Sure, he was a cold, distant guy, but he still loved his father and hated the thought of the Joker and Hawk Moth getting their hands on him. Still, returning to the present, he rested his hands on Ladybug's shoulders.
"M'Lady, calm down. Look, you and I both know Adrien's house has tight security, and I'm pretty sure they learnt to keep them updated at times like this since that Simon guy attacked." he pointed out, easing the tension in his lady's body, though she still looked uncertain.
"Are you sure?" she asked worriedly, not sounding her usual confident self.
"I'm sure. Just trust my word in this, okay?" he softly asked, placing her hand on his heart in exaggeration. Ladybug felt a little more warmed up by her feline accomplice's comfort and nodded, exhaling a little to release more tension in her firm.
"I trust you Chat" she confirmed, smiling a little.
As they neared the mansion, Batman brought up a question that had been playing on his mind since the address was brought up.
"Who exactly is Gabriel Agreste? I know quite a few rich men around the world, but I've never come across someone like him." he explained, leaving Ladybug and Chat Noir near gobsmacked.
This was the Batman, and he hadn't had a clue at who was one of France's most wealthiest men? That was almost near impossible, given he had tabs on nearly everything! Feeling the need to explain, Ladybug went first.
"He's the head of his own fashion company. Honestly, his company does make some really cool clothes. Nearly all of Paris buys the clothes he makes." she confirmed in a bright tone, having greatly admired the handiwork Gabriel had put in his fashion line.
Chat Noir tried to hide the bitterness in his voice as he explained his view in Gabriel.
"Yeah, a rich guy, but from what I know of, he's a bit distant from his son, who he has as his company's ideal model. The guy rarely let him out of the house for almost fourteen years of his life. He only recently let him go to school." he explained, resisting the rising tone of his voice.
"And you say that his mansion has high security?" Batman added.
"Oh yes. I was there when he put it up, as was Cat Noir." Ladybug said brightly, "He managed to keep a crowd of controlled people at bay for a while with his security features."
"Then how come people seem to keep breaking in so easily?" Batman mused, turning the facts over in his head, "First the Riddler's men and now Hawk Moth and The Joker have got in. It's almost as if he WANTS people to break in like this."
That made the insect and feline-themed heroes fall silent and think for a moment. That raised a good few points to think about. Cat Noir himself had been wondering about how the Riddler's men had gotten into his mansion so easily. It couldn't be because his father had forgotten to turn it on, he NEVER forgot to turn the security features on at night. Could it be something else entirely?
"With that in mind, could it be that...Gabriel's working with the villains?" the blonde teen mused aloud.
No, it couldn't be! Don't even think about it! His father was many things, but he was no villain! How could he dare even make such a conclusion? Ladybug seemed similarly unconvinced.
"That's preposterous kitty, why the heck would Gabriel work for Hawk Moth? He almost got killed once because of him!" she blurted, thinking back to how Simon Says had almost caused the fashion designer to jump off a roof.
"I know, I know, stupid conclusion." Cat Noir said sheepishly, "I guess maybe the Riddler's men sabotaged the security so they could get in and thus, made it easy for Hawk Moth and Joker to get in?"
"It's possible. We may find out when we confront them." Batman murmured, "Let's go, Mr. Agreste and his son's lives maybe at stake."
"Right behind you, Bats. C'mon, Chat." Ladybug replied as she followed after Batman, only for Chat Noir to go further ahead of them.
"We can't go in through the front, there's a built in camera in one of the gate's pillar connections. They could see us coming right away." he pointed out, making Batman drawing out his grappling pistol.
"In that case, how about a higher way in?" he offered as he took aim and fired the grappling gun at the roof ledge, beginning his ascent to the roof. Ladybug complied with outstretching her yoyo and swung it up after his grappling hook, while Chat Noir followed with the extension of his baton, launching himself through the air to reach the roof of his home, all the while still thinking about his father's current state...
In his lair, Hawk Moth tapped his chin in thought as he kept looking out through the window and into the night sky. Joker chuckled as he leaned against the dark wall behind the silver masked man.
"Are you in love with the moonlight or something, birdman?" he asked with that ever present grin on his face.
"The Riddler should've been here by now, that's what I'm worried about." Hawk Moth replied sharply as he twirled his cane in his hands. Joker laughed a little and then he patted Hawk Moth's shoulder.
"Oh c'mon, we were better off without him. Who would want to be with a man child anyway!?" he exclaimed, making Hawk Moth resist the urge of calling him a hypocrite.
That was then, though the room began to flash red, a small beeping sound accompanying it. Hawk Moth looked utterly nervous at this point while the Joker looked unfazed as usual.
"My my, is this a disco room now?" he asked in wonder.
"No you fool, that's the mansion's private alarm. Which means..." Hawk Moth trailed off in shock as his circular window closed and gotten up its own styled TV, showing him footage of a hidden camera that shown Batman, Ladybug and Chat Noir on the roof.
"WHAT?!" the masked man cried out in alarm, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"Well, well, well! Looks like we have visitors!" The Joker chuckled, "Why not invite them in for tea and biscuits or whatever it is you Frenchies do when you get guests. Do you offer them baguettes instead?"
"This is impossible!" Hawk Moth exclaimed, ignoring the Joker's ill attempt at humour, "How can these costumed cretins possibly know where we are?! My lair is hidden where nobody can possibly find it! How have they worked it out?!"
"Well maybe somebody shouldn't have left his address in the Riddler's pocket!" The Joker retorted.
Hawk Moth sighed in annoyance. In hindsight, he had to admit that maybe giving the Riddler his address wasn't such a good idea after all. He should've just made him memorize it rather than give him some paper that contains such vital information. No doubt Batman must've nabbed the puzzlemaster and found the paper in his pocket. How else could they have found out? The purple-suited villain slammed his cane down on the floor, startling the butterflies.
"Why did I let you convince me to let the Riddler in on this plan? Everything's going wrong, EVERYTHING! And now my second biggest secret has been revealed!" he ranted.
"Second biggest secret? What's number one than Hawk-y?" the Joker purred inquisitively.
"If I told you, it wouldn't BE a secret now would it?!" Hawk Moth bellowed, "Stop making jokes and prepare yourself Joker! We're going to receive some very unwanted guests very shortly..."
"Ha, you and I are already prepared, fine and dandy!" the Joker yelled madly as he straightened the lapels of his purple coat, which he then opened up to have a bizarre amount of weapons, from knives, to bombs, to guns, poison contained in bottles, and many other odd things.
Brushing off the odd moment, Hawk Moth instead outstretched his hands, causing all of the butterflies in the room to start flying around him...to the point where his window fully opened and more ended up flying in. For once the Joker gotten a little nervous, not liking what was happening.
"Uh, what are you doing? It's like a tornado of butterflies in here!" The villainous clown yelled, trying to get his voice above the noise of flapping wings.
"You'll see soon enough, clown." came the deep reply of Hawk Moth as every butterfly that surrounded him began to glow a very dark purple...
Back on the rooftop, Chat Noir opened up the door that would lead into the mansion's highest floor. He was being as quiet as he could, trying to keep his stomach from tightening as he continued to grow nervous about the whereabouts of his father, not liking how awfully quiet the mansion was. Batman broken the silence as he followed in after Ladybug.
"There doesn't seem to be anyone at home." he noted quietly as he and the two teenagers reached the bottom step.
"Or that's what they're trying to make us think." Chat whispered back as he kept a tight grip on his bo-staff, ready to strike at any moment.
That was when Ladybug felt a shiver run through her, from her feet to her head. She often felt like this if she could sense a powerful form of magic nearby, thanks to a bit of Master Fu's training. She tapped the two darker vigilante's shoulders and gestured at the floor while putting a finger to her lips. She could hear something...like huge flapping wings...
"What is it?" Batman whispered, only for Ladybug to wave her hand at him.
"Just keep going. I think we're gonna have company." she replied in a very serious tone, readying her yoyo as she felt her back neck hair stand on end. Something big was coming, no doubt.
"What kind of company?" Cat Noir whispered back.
"Company with very big wings from the sounds of things..." Ladybug mused.
That made sense. Hawk Moth could control butterflies what with his Miraculous being the Moth Broach and his akumas were always corrupted butterflies so chances are, he was probably weaponizing them for something. Batman seemed to have the same idea.
"Keep close, we could be meeting a lot of flying insects all of a sudden." the Gotham Knight said cautiously.
The three heroes filed in through the open door and walked up a flight of stairs to the highest floor of the mansion. The sound of beating wings was getting louder and louder as they approached the door at the top of the stairs. Whatever Hawk Moth was doing, it was happening in this room. They had found his lair at last.
"So this must be the room where his magic happens..." Ladybug guessed as they approached the door, "No wonder we could never find the guy. We'd never think to look for him here!"
"I bet even Gabriel has no idea he's up here." Cat Noir whispered, "He's in for a shock when he finds out."
Batman reached forward and grabbed the door handle. To his surprise, it wasn't locked. The handle turned and he opened the door, letting himself into the room. But then he saw why the door wasn't locked. It was very clear that Hawk Moth and the Joker had been expecting the heroes. Looming before him stood what looked like a cloud of purple butterflies. They had formed a humanoid shape with large wings sprouting up from its back. It was quite a sight and seeing this made Batman think of his old enemy, Killer Moth. The resemblance was striking from the purple colour scheme to the humanoid shape with wings. Hawk Moth stood in the centre of the room, cackling like a crazed lunatic as the huge butterfly-human thing advanced on the heroes. They all stepped back, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Hawk Moth himself was coated in something rather similar to that of what Green Lantern would use to make energy construct armour, only here it had a more gaseous and glow like look to it. His chest section was that of a very dark purple, giving it an almost perfect armoured replica of his suit, with a black mark running from shoulder to shoulder and it took a dip downwards near the middle, while his forearms and lower legs were coveted by the same similar armour. His cane was replaced by a magic construct of a cutlass sword, obviously formed by the akumas as well. Next to him stood the Joker, laughing loudly as he leaned against his shoulder while more of the winged creatures stood beside them. There was four of the creatures in total, and each was hulking and frightening in their own way.
"So, you finally found me. And it took you all this time as well!" Hawk Moth crowed coolly as he gripped his magic sword, before looking at his creations "I saw you were coming, so I thought I'd prepare some servants to deal with you three." he chuckled.
Just seeing the man in person was enough to make Ladybug and Cat Noir grit their teeth and scowl at him. They looked as if they were about ready to beat him to death.
"Hawk Moth. At long last, we meet in the flesh..." Ladybug growled, "You have A LOT to answer for you monster! All the people you've akumatized, the destruction that they've caused in your name, teaming up with The Riddler and causing an innocent person to die! And all just to get our Miraculouses no less!"
"I'd burn this insipid city to the ground if it meant getting your Miraculous Ladybug!" Hawk Moth retorted, "And now you and Cat Noir are here at last so I can pry those gems from your rotting corpses!"
"Let's face it kiddos, coming to us wasn't the best idea you ever had was it?" The Joker sneered, "Now Hawk-y boy can get those Miraculouses for himself without needing any bone-heads to do it for him! In a way, you've hand-delivered those gems right to him!"
"Not quite. You two still need to take them first." Batman noted, his voice as dark as the room they were in.
"We'll take Hawk Moth Batman. You get The Joker." Cat Noir declared, brandishing his staff and getting ready to attack.
"Be careful you two, and don't let him get your Miraculouses." Batman warned, clenching his fists.
"His akuma slaves couldn't get them from us so the main man himself won't get them either!" Ladybug declared, "We're ready for this! It's time to end all of Paris's terror for good!"
"Can we cut the whole dramatics? It's getting boring!" the Joker said bluntly, getting a nod off Hawk Moth.
"The mansion is yours, Joker." he said with a smug smile.
The Joker grinned madly and pulled out a pistol and a small grenade, surprising the heroes as a pair of purple butterfly wings shot out from his back, showing Hawk Moth weaponized him too. Laughing loudly, the Joker tossed the grenade towards the trio, all of whom dived out of the way to avoid the incoming projectile, which exploded as soon as it touched the ground.
Batman growled and leapt at the flying Joker, looping an arm around his torso as he came at him, both of them crashing through the doorway and down the stairs that led to the room. The Akuma-Men let out a hideous growl as they all flew out after the two battling nemesis's, ignoring Ladybug and Chat Noir as they gotten back to their feet, readying their own magical weapons as a pair of butterfly wings ripped out from Hawk Moth's back, aiming his sword at them both.
"Ready to dance to death?" he hissed smoothly.
Chat couldn't resist any longer. Given that this creep was hiding in his house all this time just made his usually calm blood boil in rage, and now was the time to lash that anger out on something. Baring his teeth, he pounced at Hawk Moth, swiping his bo-staff out at him, only for Hawk Moth to deflect the incoming swipes with a counter of his own blade, which surprisingly didn't cut through Chat's staff.
Ladybug used this to her opportunity. Shooting her yoyo out, she connected it to the oval window opposite and pulled herself forward, delivering a hard punch towards Hawk Moth, who turned his head and was jabbed in the shoulder by the red fist of the bluenette, who landed against the window frame, allowing Chat to strike back against the cruel man, managing to whack him in the gut twice and went to hit him in the head, only for Hawk Moth to grab it with his left hand. At that moment Ladybug tried to pounce on him from behind, only for the masked man to suddenly take to the air and delivered roundhouse kick to her face, knocking her out of the air and sending her crashing to the floor, denting it a little. He then swung Chat Noir around a bit before flinging him upwards and delivering a downward hammer first to his chest, sending Chat plummeting into Ladybug, causing both him and her to crash through the floor and to fall down into the luxurious dining room of the Agreste home. Groaning from the sudden beating Hawk Moth gave them, the pair gotten back to their feet as the man himself tore through the hole and floated above them with a malicious grin on his face.
"I think I understand the old saying "If you want something done right, do it yourself"..." he purred, touching down on the ground as his opponents stood back up, "Because it's so much better when you do do it yourself! All my time wasted on those pathetic akuma minions when I could've just done this myself!"
He cackled as he raised his sword, aiming to swing it down and cleave the heroine and hero duo in two. Ladybug cried out, watching the blade rise into the air as Hawk Moth aimed. She jumped to the side with Cat Noir jumping to the opposite side, leaving their nemesis to swing down and slam the sword into the floor. Ladybug ran around behind Hawk Moth and swung her yo-yo, hitting him in the back of the head and causing him to turn around in anger. Now distracted, he was unaware of Cat Noir running up behind him and extending his staff. He swiped it through the air, slamming it behind Hawk Moth's heels and tripping the akuma-making villain up. The masked man landed down heavily onto his back, surprised that the feline hero had even gotten the drop on him like this.
Ladybug jumped onto his torso and swept her eyes over him, searching for his Miraculous. But she didn't have time to spot it for the purple man recovered and slammed his fist into the girl's side, knocking her down on the floor. Ladybug winced and ran a hand over her ribs to see if any were broken. She hadn't sustained any damage, much to her delight. She stood up again as Hawk Moth got to his feet and raised his sword. Ladybug spun her yo-yo around, looking for the right place to launch it on her opponent. His thighs were exposed so she could use them to her advantage. Hawk Moth lunged at her, missing as Ladybug jumped onto the dining table. She drew her arm back and swung it forwards, launching her yo-yo at Hawk Moth's thigh. She hit it at full force, sending a spasm of pain through the butterfly themed villain's leg. He winced, fighting to stay standing despite his leg hurting. Ladybug smirked as she then sprang off the table and drop kicked her arch-enemy directly in the face, her foot landing squarely between the eyes. The kick sent Hawk Moth staggering backwards, nearly falling over onto his back again. He grunted in annoyance and adopted another battle-ready stance.
"OK, so you're not as pathetic as I thought. Maybe you will be a challenge after all..." he murmured.
"I hope you're enjoying yourself butterfly brains because you won't be when we take away your Miraculous and let the cops deal with you!" Ladybug retorted, readying herself for another yo-yo strike.
Hawk Moth growled at the insult before shooting his left arm out, two butterfly shaped blasts going towards her. Chat Noir gotten in front of his lady and swatted them both down into nothingness, allowing Ladybug to leap over Chat and wrap her yoyo around the villain's extended forearm, before yanking him across the room and into the large staircase that sat in the lobby, bashing a bit of it apart. As Hawk Moth recovered, a horrific laugh echoed throughout the room. Following this was Batman getting tossed through one of the walls opposite Hawk Moth, crashing into his side but quickly rolling to his feet. He leapt to the right to dodge incoming gunfire coming from the Joker, who flew in with the Akuma-Men, laughing like there was no tomorrow.
"This is the most fun I've had in my life!" Joker exclaimed as he watched two of the Akuma-Men sweep down towards Batman, who raised his forearms and locked his hands around one of the creature's wrists, before swinging his body back and forth and launched himself upwards, spun himself around and landed on the monster's back.
He took hold of the monster by the chin and shoved it to the left to make this creature fly towards one of the Akuma-Men, before twisting it's arm upwards and made it form a blade, slashing it across the other's stomach, wounding it a bit, then he made the one he was controlling to kick away at another incoming monster, sending it crashing into a higher part of the stairwell and then flew towards the Joker, who just cackled as he drew out a grenade, tossing it towards his incoming opponent.
Gritting his teeth, Batman forced the Akuma-Man he was flying to make a sharp twist in the air, only for the grenade to go off, tearing away at the monster's front and sent Batman flying to the floor. The injured Akuma-Men hissed angrily as their healing powers kicked in, glaring at the Joker, who shrugged.
"Oh c'mon, I'll do anything to get him in a coffin! Let's get him!" he laughed. Snarling, all of the Akuma-Men flew after Batman, who quickly drew out two smoke bombs and threw them to floor roughly, setting them off.
The Akuma-Men found themselves quickly engulfed by the smoke, roaring in annoyance as they were blinded by the grey mist that emitted from the bombs. Now they were distracted, Batman had a chance to take a shot at the Joker. He was more important than the Akuma-Men, especially since Ladybug and Cat Noir were dealing with Hawk Moth. Once they got his Miraculous, the Akuma-Men would just disappear but The Joker wouldn't go away like that. So he drew out a Batarang and threw it at the evil clown.
The Joker laughed and stepped aside, leaving the weapon to zoom past him and ricochet off of a wall. It returned to Batman's hand and the vigilante stampeded towards the maniacal criminal. He swiped his arm, making The Joker thing he was going to throw his Batarang again. The Joker flinched instinctively to dodge but instead, found himself getting punched in the face as Batman reached him. The cackling killer stumbled to the side, his head swimming a little from the punch. He shook it off and cackled menacingly.
"That was sneaky of you Bats, I like sneaky! But I'm full of surprises myself!" he crowed.
"Like you always are." Batman muttered, throwing the Batarang at him again.
The Joker dodged out of the way, but not quite quick enough. The Batarang lightly nicked him across the tip of his nose, making him wince in pain as a small cut opened up on it. Now the clown was distracted, Batman lunged at him and delivered a series of punches to his face and torso. The Joker grunted with every punch, feeling like he was being hammered by a steel rod, and Batman threw an uppercut that nearly took the Clown Prince of Crime's head off. The Joker stumbled backwards, massaging his head slightly. His trademark smile was still spread out across his white, crazed features as he looked his enemy right in the eye. Batman leaned forward, looking like he was about to charge. He ran towards his opponent but The Joker spun around like a ballet dancer and delivered a powerful kick to the costumed crimefighter's face, knocking him aside and onto the floor.
"Oooh, bet you didn't get a "kick" outta that eh Bat-brains?! Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha!" the Joker taunted.
Batman grunted as he pounced at the Joker, who laughed like there was no tomorrow as he took to the air and stomped on Batman's back, sending him crashing to the floor on his front. As the smoke nearby cleared, the Joker whistled them.
"Hey boys! Get a whack outta this!" he yelled as he drew out a cream spray and a frying pan, one of his favourite tools of handy work.
Batman jumped back to his feet and turned to the clown's direction, only to fall victim to a spray of cream going over his eyes. Crying out in alarm, the vigilante tried to wipe it off, only to receive a blow to the gut from the frying pan, then gotten whacked in the chin by it, then right n the face, then in the left cheek, and was finished with a hard kick up the the chin, sending him crashing through the kitchen doors, skidding to a halt against the sink cupboard behind him. Grunting, he wiped the cream off and watched on in silent fury as the Joker giggled like a fairy in the middle of the air.
"HA HA HA HA HA! The old ones are the best! Go get him, boys!" the Joker ordered in a laughing fit, sending the four creatures flying after Batman, the lead Akuma-Man opening what seemed to be its mouth, which glowed in a violet purple, which made Batman tense up as he realised what was coming.
"Ah shit!" he exclaimed as he dove to the left to avoid the incoming violet blast of magic, which tore through the cupboard he was in front of moments earlier.
Drawing out one of his explosive batarangs, the Dark Knight looked hesitant for a moment, not sure if what he was about to do was right. Then he sighed and blinked.
"They're just monsters." he said to himself in acknowledgement, before tossing it forward into the jaws of the incoming Akuma-Man, diving for cover behind the kitchen cooking table. What followed was a loud explosion that sent out a loud shockwave of purple energy, knocking the other Akuma-Men and the Joker to the ground.
Jumping to his feet, Batman looked to see the mess he had made, but was in for a surprise: instead of seeing a huge amount of dead butterflies, what he saw instead was a huge bunch of white butterflies fluttering freely in the air, flapping about as they headed through one of the broken holes of the wall nearby. Well, at least no flying insects were killed, that was something. With that done, he resumed his work, getting out his taser knuckles as he leapt at the next Akuma-Man.
Back with Ladybug and Chat Noir, they were just managing to fight Hawk Moth into a corner as they used their yoyo and bo-staff as spinning shields against his butterfly energy blasts. However, when he felt he was close enough against the wall, Hawk Moth smirked as his wings suddenly came to life, acting like a vicious claw as they tore out a large chunk of the wall behind him, before twisting on his toes and tossed the chunk of debris out at his two young enemies.
"GAH!" Ladybug shrieked as the huge chunk of debris came hurling towards her and her partner.
Instead of moving, she instead held her spinning yo-yo in front of her while Cat Noir leapt aside. She remembered doing this when a falling bus came close to crushing her and Cat Noir during Stormy Weather's attack. She closed her eyes as the wall chunk slammed into her. Her spinning yo-yo cleaved right through it, digging a hole in the middle and causing the chunk to break in two, not even so much as scratching her. It was like being a giant saw blade slicing through whatever came your way. Ladybug sighed with relief, pleased to see her tactic worked. But Hawk Moth had decided to take advantage of such a distraction.
His wings reached over and as the butterfly villain came towards his opponent, he swung them down, slamming Ladybug in the back and squashing her against the floor like a giant red and black fly being swatted by a giant fly swatter. The bluenette cried out as she was hit and Cat Noir scampered towards Hawk Moth to help his lady. But Hawk Moth spun around and walloped him with his wings, throwing him across the room and into one of the Akuma-Men. Now he was out of the way, Hawk Moth grabbed Ladybug and hoisted the French teen up off the floor. His armour increased his strength so the girl weighed nothing in his hands. Ladybug squirmed, trying to get free. She could feel her heart pounding with worry as she was forced to gaze into her arch-enemy's eyes.
"At long last...I've got you..." Hawk Moth purred, "Now time for me to get what is mine and to expose your worthless secret to the world!"
He flexed his fingers eagerly as he raised one hand and reached for Ladybug's earrings. Ladybug leaned away but she knew it would be no good. Hawk Moth would take the earrings and she would be powerless.
"N-no! You won't take my Miraculous!" the heroine screeched in defiance just as Hawk Moth's fingers neared her right ear.
She then cringed and closed her eyes as she pulled one of her legs back.
"I swore I'd never do this..." she muttered to herself, before shooting her leg forward, feeling it making a hard connection to something all too rather squishy, with a loud crack echoing throughout the wrecked mansion.
Hawk Moth's eyes nearly bulged out of his mask and he dropped to the ground, clutching that all too precious spot of any human being. Landing on her feet, Ladybug adjusted her earrings as Chat Noir joined her side while Hawk Moth tried his hardest not to squeal like a girl.
"Nice shot, M'Lady!" Chat Noir beamed as he shot his fist out, connecting it with her own, though she looked a little uneasy.
"Thanks Chat, but I'm never doing that again." she said with a tinge of guilt in her voice.
That was when Hawk Moth let out a squeak as he gotten back to his feet, glaring at her.
"I'll make sure you won't breathe any longer after this night!" he declared as he ran towards the two like a bull, going to swipe her head off with his magic blade, only for the two to sidestep, with Ladybug wrapping her yoyo around his ankle and tossed him out through the lobby's tall doors, which crashed to the floor into multiple little chunks. Chat Noir whistled nervously as he realised this would cost a lot to repair unless Ladybug worked her magic on the place. Together, he and his lady darted out to the driveway of the Agreste Mansion as the Joker was flung through the air behind them by Batman.
Outside, Hawk Moth brushed some dust off his armour as he flew a few feet above the ground, facing Ladybug and Chat Noir directly.
"There won't be anywhere for you to run to, Hawk Moth. The planet's international news is all over Paris, they'll be swarming this residence before you know it!" Ladybug yelled as she readied her yoyo, only for the masked villain to chuckle creepily.
"It doesn't really matter. I can strike out against you myself from this point, no need to brainwash anymore of these peasants you protect." he crowed, earning a growl from the teens.
"Why here, Hawk Moth!? Why set up your hideout in the Agreste Mansion!? Why endanger its residence!?" Chat Noir demanded very angrily, not really holding back his personal feelings regarding all this.
Hawk Moth looked a little unsure for a moment, actually wondering why at the mansion of all places. Then he chuckled as he answered the feline hero.
"My dear boy, it's as closest to home for me to set up residence. I mean, it's all going to make a lot of sense to me when this is all over. Maybe one day you'll understand when you find out the truth."
"What truth?" Cat Noir growled angrily.
"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Ladybug demanded venomously.
"Maybe he's gonna reveal his Number 1 secret at last!" The Joker snickered unhelpfully in the background.
Chat Noir rolled his eyes, already fed up with the Joker's laughing around. Instead he glared at Hawk Moth as he aimed his bo-staff at him.
"I don't give a shit about who you really are! As far as I'm concerned, you're a sad, pathetic man who's got nothing better to do than ruin people's lives! That's all who you are, and after tonight, you'll be locked away for good!" he snarled, really letting the heat get to his heart considering his home was now wrecked and his father was nowhere in sight. Could you blame him for being so darn angry at this point? Then again, Ladybug looked really surprised at how angry Chat was. He was rarely like this so she was left wondering why he was getting so upset about all of it.
Hawk Moth looked as if that struck a nerve, before he scowled down at the young blonde hero.
"You know NOTHING about me, boy! Utterly nothing! And you'll vanish into the nothingness from whence you came!" he snarled as his eyes suddenly glowed violet in a rage of sorts.
Before Ladybug and Chat Noir knew it, they were blinded by a huge blast of purple energy that was released from Hawk Moth's body, sending them flying back onto the front steps of the Agreste Mansion, with Hawk Moth taking to the air once more.
Back inside the house, Batman was still getting caught up in a few brawls with the three remaining Akuma-Men, whom the Joker cheered on with glee as he saw them surround his arch enemy.
"Come on Akuma-Men! Give him a left, then a right! Then bite his ear once you rip that cowl open!" The Joker cackled crazily.
Batman tried to ignore the mad cacklings of his clown-themed nemesis as he opened up the distance between himself and the three Akuma-Men in one well-timed leap that carried him almost across the entire length of the room. He landed, thinking fast as he tried to plan out his next attack. He couldn't go on forever, already feeling the strain as his body pleaded for him to rest. He had to finish this fight quickly. And how could he do that?
The vigilante spotted Hawk Moth, just hovering above the ground outside the mansion as he slashed at his opponents. If he could help them to take Hawk Moth down and get his Miraculous away from him, the Akuma-Men would disappear and that'd just leave The Joker to deal with. Hawk Moth would be useless and defeated. Yes, he now had his plan. In order to keep the Akuma-Men distracted, Batman drew out several Batarangs and threw them in rapid succession, hitting all three of them at once and making them back away in pain. The Joker saw this and gritted his teeth angrily.
"Hey, you useless clouds of butterflies, it's only a puny Batarang! You can handle that easily!" the clown ranted.
Now Batman had a chance, he turned on his heels and charged outside towards Hawk Moth. By the time the Akuma-Men recovered from the attack, they saw that Batman was already leaping towards their master and began running after him. Hawk Moth wasn't even aware that Batman was heading towards him as he prepared to attack Ladybug and Cat Noir again. He raised his sword just as Batman landed on his back and grabbed onto him. The French villain cried out in alarm as he felt a sudden weight increase pull on his back from nowhere. Batman held on tightly as he pulled out just the thing he needed...his canister of explosive gel. The tool had never let him down in the past and was certainly not going to fail him now. Hawk Moth growled savagely as he swung himself from side to side, trying to throw Batman off. The Gotham Vigilante clung on for dear life, trying his hardest not to drop the explosive gel. He managed to hold onto the canister and he closed his fingers around the trigger. He sprayed some gel onto the back of Hawk Moth's head and also on his back just in the centre. He leapt off, leaving Hawk Moth to turn around and cleave through empty air with his sword. Ladybug and Cat Noir wondered what was going to happen next now Batman had just sprayed gel on him. If he thought staining Hawk Moth's armour would work, he was nuts!
Batman smirked triumphantly as he activated the gel's explosive power. Before everyone knew it, Hawk Moth's armour glowed a bright purple as the explosive did its job, as if it sensed the incoming attack. The explosion was strong enough to send the purple clad man rocketing down to the ground and crashed onto his front in a heap, his armour of Akuma energy heavily broken and exposing his chest, his wings behind fading away to dust. The French villain coughed and groaned as he went to try and pick himself up, feeling his mask was damaged too, exposing tuffs of silver and blonde looking air. Just as it flash purple and began to hide the tuffs, Hawk Moth felt a hard boot slam into his back, shoving him back down onto the ground. A thud of metal followed, making him look to see the rear end of Chat Noir's bo-staff planted in front of him.
The feline styled hero smirked as he proceeded to shove the man onto his back, before crouching down next to him. The Akuma-Men frozen still, almost unsure of what to do. The Joker giggled quietly in delight as he watched on from what was left of the staircase, taking note of the newly arrived news helicopter.
"Oooh hooo, this is it!" He excitedly said to himself.
Ladybug honestly wasn't sure of what to do. Part of her felt a tiny bit jealous Chat gotten that close to their nemesis, but at the same time she could only wonder why he was so angry during the whole fight. Would she get her answers here and now?
"You've lost, Hawk Moth. You've brought enough pain and misery to this city, but it pisses me off that you used this house as your base of operations. So let's give the city the face of the monster under that mask." Chat said in a smug tone as he clicked his claws together and gripped hold of the brooch around Hawk Moth's neck.
At this point, Ladybug and Batman reached his side, wanting to see who this foul perpetrator was behind the silver mask. Closing his hands around the brooch, Chat pulled it off as swiftly as he could.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hawk Moth cried out, angered that his Miraculous was now in the hands of his enemy.
He reached out for the broach but Cat Noir stepped back as the purple-suited man was engulfed in a purple glow. He was transforming back to normal and as his power faded, the Akuma-Men nearby disappeared into a cloud of butterflies, the insects all restored to normal with not a hint of dark energy on them anywhere. Their white bodies seemed to glow in the moonlight as they flapped away. The Joker didn't even look bothered as his henchmen were reduced to normal.
"Heh, I always preferred my hit-men to look like men anyway!" he sighed snidely.
Ladybug and Batman watched as Hawk Moth's body continued to glow. It was almost as if fate was taunting them by pointlessly prolonging his big reveal. But then the glow began to soften and the man's body could be made out. Cat Noir leaned in closer, trying to see who it was as the glow began to disappear. Hawk Moth was no longer lying on the ground before him. Instead, there was a silver-haired man in glasses and wearing a white business suit with red trousers. But the sickening thing about this man was that he was no ordinary man or just some random citizen. Cat Noir gasped in horror for he actually recognized who it was. But even now, faced with the terrible reality he now bore witness to, he could hardly believe what he was seeing. Lying there in Hawk Moth's place...was Gabriel Agreste! He looked up angrily at the trio, looking like he was about ready to murder them on the spot. There was a chorus of gasps from the three heroes as they took this in but Cat Noir's was the most audible of the three.
"DAD?!" he blurted.
He was so horrified that he hadn't even realized he just hinted at his true identity. Finding out that his dad was really Hawk Moth the whole time felt like a knife in his heart. Ladybug and Batman were both taken-aback by this. Batman hadn't expected Hawk Moth to actually be some business man but the fact Cat Noir had referred to him as "dad" made him raise an eyebrow. Ladybug took note of this too, gobsmacked at the fact Hawk Moth was really Gabriel Agreste the whole time but even more so at the fact Cat Noir called him "dad".
"Dad...you called him dad! But Gabriel Agreste only has one son!" Ladybug cried, "Cat Noir...are you really...Adrien Agreste?!" she shrieked in disbelief.
Chat Noir didn't respond, almost as if he didn't hear his lady's exclamation of shock. Instead he locked eyes with the elderly man kneeling opposite him, disbelief, shock, sadness and betrayal in his big green eyes. Batman was admittedly quite curious about the identity of the feline styled hero, having seen images of him all across Paris in his modelling clothes. Ladybug was just looking back and forth between the father and son looking almost dumbstruck. It couldn't be...Adrien was Chat this whole time!? How come she couldn't tell about this!? It now made sense why he had been taking Hawk Moth hiding out in the Agreste Mansion so personally, because he lived there. He always had done.
Chat almost couldn't find the strength to speak. He felt as if his heart was torn out of his chest and crushed into nothing but a squishy puddle of blood. Loads of things were running through his head at this point. His father always absent, looking at his ring and Ladybug's earpieces, having the Miraculous book in his secret vault...it all made sense now! How could he not have realised it earlier!? It was so friggin obvious!
Gabriel, ignoring the fact that the news helicopter high above them just captured this shocking reveal (though thankfully not hearing anything), just merely grunted as he stood up, his finger's twisting towards his palms like claws as he stared back at Chat Noir.
"Give that back, Adrien." he coldly ordered, not really being surprised that his son was one of his enemies all along. Chat just stared at him, almost like he was a young child in his toddler years, so confused and upset at what was unfolding around him.
"W-Why? Dad...you were Hawk Moth this whole time...why!?" he demanded, tears starting to rise in his green orbs.
"Never you mind boy, just give me the broach back!" Gabriel snapped.
"TELL ME WHY DAD!" Cat Noir bellowed, his voice cracking and sounding nothing like his own.
He had never sounded so broken and traumatised in his whole life. Ladybug even recoiled, surprised to hear this side of Cat Noir. It sounded like he'd transformed into somebody else in that one single moment. Gabriel himself hesitated, surprised to hear his superhero son sounding so angry. His cold eyes narrowed scornfully at his son.
"Your mother Adrien. I want her back!" he said hoarsely, "That's all I've ever wanted! My wife's disappearance tore me apart from the inside out! With my Miraculous and the powers of Ladybug and Cat Noir, I can achieve that goal!"
"And this excuses what you've done as Hawk Moth dad?!" Cat Noir exploded, tears running down his masked features, "All the people you've corrupted, all the terror you've brought to the city?! YOU EVEN AKUMATIZED A DAMN KID FOR GOD'S SAKE! HOW IN ANYWAY DOES WANTING MY MOM BACK MAKE WHAT YOU'VE DONE ACCEPTABLE?! WOULD SHE HAVE WANTED THIS DAD?!" he ranted, making Gabriel shrink back.
"Wow, I didn't think Kitty Galore here could blow his top so badly!" The Joker sneered, "Daddy issues really do hit the young ones right where it hurts doesn't it?! AH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"
Batman glared at the Joker, who giggled hysterically.
"Honestly, am I glad I don't have a clue at who I am anymore because I wouldn't be able to put up with such drama and broken hearts! I'd become a real drama queen if I had a heart in me, HA HA HA HA! Well I must say, it's been a fantastic night my children, but it's time to set course for the big new world. Bon voyage, Bats!" he snickered as he drew out a smoke bomb of his own.
Batman turned away from the arguing Agrestes and went towards the Joker, who pulled the pin from the grenade and tossed it to the floor, already making a dash for it before the smoke was released.
"Sayonara everyone!" The Joker's voiced echoed as he disappeared in the cloud of smoke that billowed out of the grenade.
Batman stepped back, covering his mouth and making sure he didn't breathe any of it in. He didn't want to take the chance that it might be Joker Gas. Ladybug and Cat Noir didn't seem to have noticed that The Joker had left, their attention still fixed on Gabriel Agreste. The man had staggered to his feet and his face had cracked into a crazed smile that didn't look right on his usually cold and serious face. He looked like somebody completely different.
"So what are you going to do now Adrien?" he asked, his voice sounding on the edge of hysteria, "Arrest me? Let the cops take me away and lock me up forever? You wouldn't dare lock up your own father you miserable child! You wouldn't be able to live with yourself!"
He paused as he began to giggle, the hysteria getting worse as he carried on.
"And besides, I've got money! All I have to do is bribe the guards and I can walk free in no time at all! You'll never be rid of me!" Gabriel blabbered, "So go on, arrest me! You'll never be able to live with the fact that Hawk Moth was your father the whole time, NEVER!"
"No...you're not my father." Cat Noir growled, his voice sounding distant as if he wasn't in the same place as the silver-haired man before him, "You're nothing to me Gabriel..."
A tiny flash of hurt crossed the man's silver blue eyes upon hearing this, almost a hint of humanity creeping back into him...only for him glare at his son.
"So be it, boy..." he said quietly, before drawing out a smoke bomb of his own. Chat Noir went to pounce on him, only for the older Agreste to slam it onto the ground, making it explode into a huge cloud of smoke.
Ladybug gasped at this and ran towards her partner, who was shoved to the ground by his father and the butterfly brooch was snatched from his black gloved hands. Chat Noir yelled angrily as he swiped his claws through the smoke, trying to get hold of his father as the smoke thickened.
"Rargh! C'mon out! You coward, fight back!" he yelled angrily as tears fell from his eyes.
But swipe as much as he wanted to, all he was doing was clawing at empty air. His supervillain father had disappeared, long gone before the smoke even started to clear up. Cat Noir wasn't even aware that he was alone as the smoke cleared, still clawing away at the air as if hoping he'd find his father somewhere. Ladybug just watched him with sadness in her blue eyes, feeling the pain and anger her partner was going through. The boy had a hard enough life as it was and now this. It was impossible not to feel for the feline-themed hero. She also felt disgusted with herself for even admiring Gabriel and his fashion designs. Well she was never going to buy another magazine with his evil face on it! Ladybug approached Cat Noir as the tearful, rage-filled teen still continued to claw at the air. The smoke had gone, showing very clearly that Gabriel was gone but Cat Noir didn't seem to notice.
"Cat? Cat! Calm down, please, he's gone!" Ladybug cried out, "You're just wasting your strength and energy! Please stop!"
Cat Noir seemed to hear his love for he stopped clawing at the air and let his tired arms hang down beside him, panting heavily. His shoulders heaved up and down as total despair took over him. He was no longer angry...just sad. He collapsed onto his knees and sobbed like there was no tomorrow. Batman stood by, feeling sorry for the boy but unsure of how to approach him. He wasn't the best with children and he didn't want to make Cat Noir feel worse. Ladybug knew what to do though. She knelt down beside her partner and embraced him, laying her head against his shoulder.
"It's OK...I'm here kitty." she softly whispered, "Let it all out. You'll feel much better afterwards."
Chat sniffled and tightened his eyes shut, his ears flattening against his curly blonde hair as he put an arm around his lady, his tears continuously falling like a waterfall as he felt all of his strength leave him, unable to hold it together anymore as he broken down into a sobbing fit. All along it was just a lie. Everything about his father being a busy body, it was nothing but a sickening, filthy lie. First his mother was gone and now this...he truly had no family left in the world.
Batman glanced up from the sad sight and took notice of the news helicopter above. While he knew very well it couldn't get any of the sounds that occurred on the ground, the whole of France and possibly the whole world was watching this from that helicopter's camera. Sometimes he was glad when stuff like this happened, with criminals being unmasked and exposed to the world, to be named and shamed. But now he was feeling very uncertain, given that the villain's child was in pieces, caught all on camera. He could only hope that the news wouldn't speculate why Chat was crying.
Sirens and flashing lights began to fill the whole part of the street, making Batman become more alert. Chat Noir shouldn't put up with the questions the police will be asking him and Ladybug, he needed sometime alone. He darted over to the two teens and gotten Ladybug by the shoulder.
"We have to go." he said in a firm tone, not wanting to sound harsh given the circumstances. The bluenette was about to retort, only to take notice of the incoming police cars, making her sigh and nod sadly as she began to help Chat up.
"Adrien...we need to go." she said softly, making him let out another sob as he staggered to his feet, his legs like jelly from the whole revelation.
Helping him up, Ladybug turned to Batman as he began to lead them off into the darkness away from the wrecked mansion.
"Where're we going?" she asked as the Dark Knight neared the fence.
"I know a place where we can talk. But you mustn't tell anyone else about it." he responded, earning a nod from her.
"Sure Batman, we'll keep our mouths closed on the matter." Ladybug promised, "We're all about keeping secrets. I mean Cat Noir kept his identity from me for a long time." she added, glancing down at her partner.
Cat Noir still seemed to be very far away. It was as if he was no longer in the real world, but in some parallel world trying to figure out how to get back to it. Ladybug wasn't even sure if he'd heard Batman a moment ago.
"So where are we going?" the spotty heroine asked curiously.
"You'll see when we get there." Batman said bluntly, not wanting to disclose his location when it was possible anybody could hear him, "Come on, we need to get out of the public spotlight for a bit."
Ladybug nodded agreeably as Batman leapt over the fence and headed off away from the Agreste Mansion. Ladybug and Cat Noir followed, though Cat Noir progressed slower than usual, a clear sign that the revelation behind Hawk Moth's identity was effecting his physical state as well as his mental state. As the trio left, the police approached the mansion and began to comb through the wreckage for any signs of its occupants. They would find the place very deserted, and the only people who could answer their questions were very far away at this point...as were the villains responsible for the carnage that had been left behind...
Yeah, what a surprise. Hawk Moth is Gabriel Agreste. It's dead obvious in the show so we decided to have the reveal happen here. And boy Cat Noir felt like he got a punch to the gut...:(
So where are our heroes going now? And what will happen now Hawk Moth and The Joker are still on the loose? This battle is far from over...and it's going to affect more than just France at this point...