Chapter 14: Disastrous
The whole situation Marinette, Adrien and Batman found themselves in was completely turned upside down and the odds had doubled infinitely times higher. For Batman it was his worst nightmare coming true, while Marinette and Adrien were left fear struck for they couldn't believe the powers of their Miraculouses were now combined and were to be used for devastating purposes.
From where he was floating, Joker smoothed his hands over his bare torso, smirking in delight as he examined himself.
"Oh yes, yes, now this is called taking it to the next level! Gotta say, I could give Superman a run for his money! If he had any since he doesn't get paid, HAHAHAHA!"
He flexed his muscles, feeling the power within him surging through his veins. Every move he made just seemed to make him feel powerful, even if he moved so much as a centimetre. He had no idea being a god would feel this incredible. Now to test his power...
"What shall I do first..." The Joker purred, his sadistic grin still present as he mulled over his options, "First, I should see what this mode has in store, THEN decide what to do!"
He waved his hands, the golden aura around him glowing brighter as some kind of energy ball began to form in between his palms. Batman gasped. He had been around his friends in the Justice League and other teams long enough to know exactly what to expect when something like that happened. He leapt towards The Joker, keen to stop him before he could launch his attack. But he was too slow. The clown-turned-god unleashed the energy blast and laughed maniacally as he watched it tear through the entire kitchen as if it was made of cardboard.
Marinette and Adrien had already moved out of the way and couldn't even watch as a huge section of the room was completely obliterated. If it was possible to see what was happening, they would've seen every single atom just disappear into nothing. But the attack was so bright that had the teens not closed their eyes, they would've been blinded.
Batman had been hit full on by the light and while he wasn't hurt, he fell backwards and winced as his eyes stung for a moment. He wasn't used to so much light, not while he was so nocturnal in nature. The Joker admired his handiwork as his attack concluded and saw the charred remains of what he'd just done. He whistled, impressed with himself.
"So...I can basically nuke everything in sight! This is my idea of fun!" he boomed gleefully, "Who knew those Miraculous packed so much punch?!"
He then flung his arm out and out from his sash came a yo-yo, only it was a lot darker, and four spikes stuck out from all around it. Humming with interest, Joker twirled in the air and shot it outwards at the wall opposite him. His grin broadened with glee as he watched it slice through the walls like a knife through butter.
An excited giggle escaped his throat as the string connected to the yo-yo glowed a menacing mixture of yellow and green. What followed was a shivering hiss of materials melting into puddles of acid as the wall disintegrated into the liquid like it was melting ice. Sniffing the air, Joker grinned.
"Ohhh hoo hoo, very steamy! Can't wait to see this whole playhouse sink into the ground! Just my type of fun!" the godlike clown exclaimed as he summoned the spikey yoyo to his side.
His frightening eyes trailed over to Batman as the vigilante began to regain his sight.
"Don't worry, Bats, this changes nothing between you and me, no no! The fire is gonna be bigger this time and I'll make sure what's left of Arkham will be your grand seat! It would be a lovely view to see all of Gotham sink to the ground after all!"
He then swooped towards him and grabbed his nemesis by the throat. Even though he had no particular reason to, he was still floating above the floor. He hoisted Batman up to his height, his hand tightly closed around the Gotham vigilante's throat. Batman choked and grabbed hold of the Miraculous god's wrists, desperate to make him let go. He could feel his air supply depleting as he was strangled. The Joker's glowing eyes fixed on him, the light feeling like flames on his face.
"Joker...stop..." Batman croaked feebly.
The pathetic plea seemed to humour the clown for he just laughed in response.
"Stop?! STOP?! I have power beyond what anybody can imagine Bats and you want me to STOP?!" he exclaimed, his voice reverberating around what was left of the room, "You continue to make me laugh Batsy, you really do! It'll make my killing joke a real gutbuster when I finish you off!"
He then let go of Batman and in the split second his hand released the Dark Knight's throat, he threw a punch that could shatter concrete directly into Batman's chin. If his armour wasn't so tough and his body wasn't so well defined, Batman imagined his skull would've been shattered. He didn't even cry out as he was sent into the ceiling and slammed into it heavily. The impact knocked the wind out of him as he fell back to earth. The Joker caught him and threw him into what remained of a broken wall nearby. As Batman hit it, Marinette cried out in anguish for her friend.
"BATMAN!" she wailed.
The godly jester turned around and the grin on his face seemed to widen as he reminded himself that Marinette and Adrien were still here. Rubbing his hands together, he levitated towards them.
"You know, I really ought to thank you two miscreants." he sneered, "You're the reason I'm this magnificent powerhouse right now so allow me to show my gratitude to you both...BY SLICING YOU UP LIKE SALAMI! AH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"
He drew out his demonized version of Ladybug's trademark weapon and prepared to swing it at the helpless teens. Adrien grasped Marinette and cringed as he braced himself for impact. He and his girlfriend would've been dead if not for Batman intervening at the right time. The vigilante had picked himself up and thrown a Batarang at the yo-yo. It merely shattered to pieces against the weapon but it had the desired effect. The Joker turned around to look at his nemesis, who was standing with great effort and using all his strength to stand.
"Leave them alone! It's me you want Joker. They're not a part of this!" Batman rasped.
The Joker just snorted as he turned to face his opponent, the yo-yo spinning around in his hands.
"Well YOU dragged them into it Batman so technically, yes, they ARE part of this!" he sneered, "But if you want to die first then be my guest! At least the kiddies get a good show to watch before their turn comes!"
Batman clenched his fists, thankful that his suit was helping him withstand against the powerful blows of his godly nemesis. He knew now, though, that he was fighting the likes of Black Adam on his own, and those types of people wouldn't hold back. But Joker was unpredictable, so he'd have to play it carefully.
"Bring it then, Joker. It's you and me now. Isn't that what you always wanted?" Batman spoke, a slight hint of mockery in his ever so grim voice.
Joker gave off a childish clap, almost rather lazily as his smile shrank to resemble a more calmer looking one.
"So here it ends, Batsy. It's been a great ride, one I've enjoyed a lot!"
With that exclamation, Joker rocketed forwards like a bullet. Batman swiftly dropped a smoke bomb and dove to the side, only for Joker to snag him by the ankle, chuckling coldly.
"You think I'm falling for that trick, Bats? So predictable!"
Following this, he tossed Batman through the kitchen window, sending him flying into the mess room. Rolling to his feet, Batman ducked an incoming swipe from the yo-yo, suppressing a flinch as he saw it slice through the surrounding walls of the room.
Joker stormed after the vigilante, shattering a section of the wall and sending a big lump of debris after his way. Narrowly rolling under the incoming concrete ball, Batman bumped his fists together and his gloved fingers crackled with electricity. He swiftly delivered an uppercut to Joker, delivering a big blast of electricity with each blow he landed on the godly clown, beating him towards the hole he made behind him.
The grin never left Joker's face, and with each punch made his eyes widen bigger, a frightful joy in them. He caught both hands of his enemy, stopping his onslaught for a moment.
"Gotta say Bats, they really tickle! But it's not that fun if you ask me!"
Batman cried out as his hands suddenly felt like they were burning on top of a fiery log, with steams of heat rising from the Joker's hands as they heated up his hands. Reacting quickly, Batman brought his legs up and hit Joker hard in the stomach, freeing him from his grip for a brief moment. Ignoring the stinging of his hands, Batman brought out his grappling gun and fired it past Joker. Once it made it's intended impact in the other room, Batman zipped forward and delivered a hard hook to Joker's cheek as he went past him.
The Dark Knight swiftly unconnected his grappling hook from the wall and exited the room, firing it away to the gantry ahead of him as he could feel Joker hot on his tail.
"Ohh, cat and mouse!? I love how the tables have turned!" Joker laughed as he blasted after his nemesis.
Back in the kitchen, Adrian helped Marinette to her feet, gently smoothing her cheeks to deliver warm comfort. His eyes sunk with sadness as he saw the horrendous state of her ears. Such a beautiful girl like her shouldn't receive such sickening treatment, yet he knew the likes of Joker enjoyed this sort of cruelty.
"Marinette? You okay? Mari?" He asked worriedly with his eyes full of worry, seeing she was still in slight pain.
"I couldn't be worse off." the bluenette sighed, "Losing my earrings was one thing but now The Joker's become a god with our Miraculouses, the very thing that Hawk Moth desired! It's like our worst nightmare outdone by this nightmare happening right now!"
She threw her arms around Adrien and began to sob, more out of fear than sadness.
"Let's face it Adrien, it's the end of the world for us all!" Marinette sobbed, "And it's all our fault! We shouldn't have been so stupid when we came here looking for the two! We should've waited for Batman to come! Now thanks to us, The Joker will obliterate everything!"
She cried even harder, making Adrien feel like crying with her. The French teen already had low self esteem due to being a klutz in everyday life and now this was just breaking the camel's back for her. In her case, this was her greatest blunder, and now it was costing everybody their lives. Marinette couldn't contain her sorrow, not anymore. She could only wail as The Joker and Batman kept up their crusade together.
The two teens weren't even noticing as Batman sprayed explosive gel onto a piece of debris and threw it directly at the omnipotent clown. The Joker allowed the debris chunk to hit his face, knowing it wouldn't hurt him, and he didn't even flinch as Batman detonated the gel and created an explosion around his face. Laughing, he wiped away the cloud of smoke.
"Ooooh, nice shot Bats! I think you NEARLY hurt me!" he taunted.
But the Miraculous god soon realised that Batman had disappeared. His glowing eyes scanned the room as he searched for his nemesis. Where could he have gone? Knowing him, he was hiding in whatever nook or cranny he could get himself into. Smirking arrogantly, The Joker summoned some dark energy to his hands and play them on the floor.
"Let's see what happens when I use kitty boy's little trick!" he loudly announced, more to hear his own voice than to warn anybody.
As his hands came into contact, the floor beneath him began to decay and crack. It didn't stop there though. The plague that he had created spread around the entire room, making the floor, walls and ceiling give way and fall apart like a house set up for demolition. Batman had been hiding in one of the vents and he let out a blood-curdling scream as he plummeted down, the vent system rusting and breaking apart. The Joker just laughed uncontrollably as everything crumbled beneath his feet. He watched Batman fall down to the lower floor before descending after him, keen to get in on the fun.
As soon as he disappeared, Adrien looked up to see what had happened. There was only half a kitchen left. The room ahead had completely gone. He had no idea how much more had been destroyed too. All he knew was that he and Marinette were not safe here, not when this asylum could fall apart right on top of them. He lifted the crying girl's head up so she could meet his gaze.
"Come on Mari, we have to get outta here before this place falls to pieces!" he cried.
"But what about Batman?!" Marinette shrieked.
Adrien paused for a moment before his emerald eyes caught sight of his father's dead body, which was still in its Hawk Moth form. A thought hit Adrien hard and without even having second thoughts, he ran to his father's dead body and grabbed it by the arms, dragging him away from the incoming rot of the floor, heading towards the second exit of the room. He shivered at the cold feeling the hands were in, even though Gabriel wasn't dead for long.
"Adrien, wh-what are you doing?" Marinette gasped in confusion as she followed after him.
"I've got a plan, but you've gotta keep up!" He called after her as he kicked the door open with one of his feet.
Hurrying inside, they closed the door and jammed it shut behind them, putting safe distance between it and them before the rot would catch up.
For a moment, Adrian gazed down at the masked, limp face of his father, who's empty eyes gazed into the grey ceiling above him, the blood running from his forehead still wet and long. Adrian felt a shiver go through him as it dawned upon him that his possible only blood relative left was now gone from the world. His father might've been cruel in a lot of ways...but he still brought him into the world, and he was once a kind person, long before his mother vanished...
Sniffling, Adrian used two of his fingers to close Gabriel's eyes for the last time, knowing that any dead person needed them closed. Marinette watched on with a sympathetic look, knowing that whatever emotion Adrian was feeling right now was one of the most painful a human being could ever endure.
Mourning had to be brief, however, as the door began to freak and buckle as the rot began to devour it. Adrian sighed as he pulled the Butterfly broach from his father's neck, the body of Gabriel turning back to normal, with his whole face now pale.
Out from the brooch came Nooroo, who was sniffling and rubbing his head in pain. The poor Kwami endured a lot of suffering in the hands of Adrian's father, but feeling the bullet slam into his owner's head certainly hurt the Kwami a lot more.
"I-It's my fault...I shouldn't have helped him...it's all led to this, the end of the world! It's all over!" he wailed as he covered his eyes.
Cupping him gently in her hands, Marinette spoke softly to him.
"Nooroo, is it? Listen, this isn't your fault" the bluenette assured, though the purple Kwami continued to sob.
"B-But it is!" he retorted, dropping his gaze low. That's when Adrian stepped in.
"Not if you can help save the day, Nooroo." he said with a newfound confidence in his voice, surprising both Marinette and the Kwami.
"But...Adrian, we can't! Joker is a god now! I don't think the Justice League can stop him now!" the teenage girl exclaimed, not a sign of hope in her.
"Look, all we have to do is to get those Miraculouses off of him, and Nooroo can help us do that." Adrian replied, flicking as he heard the door handle drop to the floor.
"How'd you mean?" His lover replied, a frown on her soft face. Adrian glanced at the Butterfly Brooch before looking at Nooroo.
"Look, I know my dad put you through a lot, and I might be a jerk for saying this...but can you transform me into Hawk Moth?" he asked in a hopeful tone.
The moth-esque kwami's eyes seemed to sparkle and his wings began to flap excitedly. He fluttered up out of Marinette's hands, grinning from ear-to-ear. It seemed that he thought Adrien was anything but a jerk. He even appeared to have WANTED to hear Adrien say those words for years.
"Adrien, I'm all too happy to grant your wish!" Nooroo exclaimed, "I've wanted nothing more than to be your kwami after seeing the goodness in your heart whenever you and your father interacted. I knew that you were the one I'd happily choose over Gabriel and now that dream has come true!"
The blonde boy's face lit up. It made Marinette feel good inside to see Adrien looking so happy for the first time in a while. She could now understand what Adrien's plan was.
"Looks like Joker made a mistake NOT taking the broach too!" she jeered.
"Exactly. Now we have somewhat of a fighting chance." Adrien explained, "So what's my calling card?" he asked, glancing at Nooroo.
"Place the broach on your chest and yell "Light wings, rise"." Nooroo explained, "That'll transform you into Papillion and you'll be able to use my power for good at last."
Adrien couldn't help but smile at the name. Papillion, the French word for butterfly. It was all so very appropriate. He placed the broach on his chest, attaching it to his shirt.
"When I become Papillion, I'll use my power to make you a superhero again so you can fight too Marinette." Adrien said, glancing at his love with a warm smile.
"I'll laugh if you turn me into a purple version of Ladybug." the teen schoolgirl snickered.
With no time left to waste, Adrien closed his eyes and held out his arms.
"Nooroo..." he began slowly, "Light wings, rise!"
Straight away in response, Nooroo dived into the brooch, which glowed a light lavender, which began to sparkle around Adrian while a cloud of a slightly lighter purple enveloped him. In a few seconds, as the cloud went from head to toe, it faded away to reveal someone other than Adrian or Chat Noir.
Standing before her in all his glory was Papillon. His hair wasn't crazed like Chat Noir's, it was combed like Adrian's, only a lot neater. His eyes were completely lavender, save for his pupils. His eye mask was black and shaped like that of a butterfly, while from his neck to his chest was a triangular purple shape, with his forearms to his fingertips coated in purple, with smooth matching accents streaming downwards and connecting at his waist. The Butterfly Broach was somewhat sown into fabric and covered by a sleek glass dome. A pair of butterfly wings were sticking out of his back, both a dark shade of purple while lavender tracks traced back to their middle. He smiled warmly at Marinette, feeling his injuries were now long gone by the magic of the Kwami.
"So that's what it feels like to use a Miraculous other than mine for a change..." Papillion murmured, admiring himself in awe.
Marinette just stared at the transformed boy, breath-taken by the new superhero standing before her with her eyes all a twinkle.
"Wow...you look good in purple!" she blurted, blushing a little. It hadn't been her first thought on what she was going to say but she had meant those words.
"Heh, thanks." Papillion said, "Now let's see what my butterflies can turn you into."
Several butterflies began to dance around the purple-clad Miraculous wielder, seeming to come from nowhere like they did for Hawk Moth. Unlike his father before him though, this butterfly dance looked more calm, elegant and somewhat peaceful in nature. It was as if Papillion was in touch with nature itself. He watched with awe as the butterflies came and he held out his hand, inviting one of them to land. One of the winged insects accepted the invitation and landed on his palm. Papillion covered it with his other hand and watched with amazement as a lilac glow began to form around the butterfly in his hand. He uncovered it, revealing the insect's new colours. It was bright purple with pink accents on the wings. Now the transformation was done, Papillion allowed the butterfly to fly away. Marinette held her arms out, inviting the insect to come to her. It flew into her chest, disappearing from sight and filling Marinette with an incredible sensation that made it feel as if any and all injuries from earlier had disappeared. She gasped with amazement as her body was bathed in pink and purple light that began to expand around her...
Meanwhile, Batman found himself sprawling on the grass outside of Arkham, groaning in pain as he was covered with dirt, grass and water. It had begun to rain and he was instantly soaked by the downpour. The weather change seemed to have come from nowhere, almost as if The Joker had commanded it to do so though he couldn't be certain. The vigilante picked himself up, amazed he could even stand again. His suit was heavily cracked and his cape was nothing more than tattered rags. Some of the pouches on his belt had holes in them and the contents had fallen out, giving him less gadgets than before. He couldn't win this fight, not when The Joker was so invincible right now. He had only one hope...
Pressing the side of his cowl, he frantically began to speak into the com system built into it.
"Alfred, this is Batman, send a call for the Justice League. I need their help now!"
His response was the worst response he could get, a crackle of static. He swore angrily. His com was damaged, meaning he couldn't call for help. But he did have another solution. One of his arm gauntlets wasn't too damaged so he flipped open the computer screen built into it and tapped a few buttons on it. His Batwing jet had a com system that he could use to call for help so he would bring it to him. He could also use it to fight The Joker, keep him busy until help arrived.
"I hope it won't be too late..." he murmured as he sent the command to the jet.
A huge boom rumbled through the asylum as The Joker suddenly exploded his way through the roof, cackling menacingly as lightning flashed and thunder clapped as if in response to his exit. The omnipotent serial killer barely noticed the rain as it splashed down on him and he corkscrewed through the air towards Batman. Straining heavily, Batman forced himself to dodge as his opponent slammed down onto the grass, kicking up chunks of dirt and soil with the impact he created. The force of the blow caused Batman to stumble and roll over onto his back but he didn't stay down for long. He looked up to see The Joker stand up and flex his biceps. His great chest heaved up and down as he let fly another crazed laugh.
"Heh, always quite liked the rain. I'll miss it when there's nothing but a wasteland left!" he chuckled coldly as he gazed up at the sky, not blinking as several raindrops hit his eyes.
He continued to stare into the sky before glancing down at his spiked yo-yo. A rotten grin crossed his features as he looked at Batman.
"Y'know, Ladybird's yo-yo can stretch out a limitless distance. What if I were to um, y'know, shoot this out to the Watchtower? I know some of your super friends can't breathe in space!" he giggled as he pictures the image in his head.
Batman heaved as he steadied himself, beginning to storm towards Joker.
"Don't. You. Dare" he warned, a vicious tone to his grim voice. Joker just giggled in response at his enemy's threat.
"Oh Batsy Batsy, don't you see now? The joke's on you. Soon enough there'll be no heroes, no good will. Just madness and destruction. So beautiful. And that scares you, doesn't it? Batsy getting scared now? Don't worry, I'll save you to last when it's all over."
The second Joker flicked his wrist, Batman reacted quickly, this time behaving out of instinct. He barrelled right into Joker and wrapped his arms around his torso, gripping a cryogenic grenade in one of his hands. He swiftly smashed it against Joker's back and dropped to the ground to avoid getting covered by the ice, which enveloped Joker and he dropped to the grass like a stone.
Batman tried to act fast, bringing up his right gauntlet as he began to find in it's built in com to connect to the Batwing, but his ears picked up the shattering of ice, then the wind from his gut was knocked right out of him as he lost his footing and smashed into the gated fence of Arkham behind him, denting the railings hard.
Deflated and tired, the vigilante collapsed to the ground, just barely holding himself up with his hands. Glancing upwards, he saw Joker hovering towards him, his grin not shrinking in the slightest as he readied his yo-yo.
"As I said, when I killed poor little Jason: the Joke's on you, Batman!" he cackled as he plopped down beside his enemy, hooking his arm around his neck "Don't worry, I'll keep you company. You'll probably enjoy it in the end..." he assured in a slightly softer tone, but took in such joy at seeing how tired his nemesis looked.
"Ungh...you know me...Joker..." Batman grunted, using whatever strength he had left just to so much as speak to his arch-enemy, "I'm not...the humorous type..."
"I know, but who knows? Maybe I can finish this chaos with you laughing your way to the grave!" the empowered maniac snickered.
He began to spin his yo-yo around, clearly intending to launch another attack. Batman imagined he was going to start wrecking more of the Asylum and then maybe plough through Gotham. And then he'd probably go with his earlier threat and destroy the Watchtower. And yet all hope of defeating him seemed to reside on his jet getting here so he could use it to fight back and contact the Justice League. But Batman began to doubt that his plan would work. There was probably not even going to be anything left by the time The Joker was done.
Laughing insanely, The Joker aimed his yo-yo at Arkham Asylum, intending to destroy what was left of the place.
"This dingy little prison needed a make-over anyway!" he chortled.
But as he prepared to launch his onslaught, a swift blast of purple seemed to come out of nowhere and hit him, cutting him off with his assault and making him cry out. It was the first time that an attack had actually managed to hurt him. He barely even staggered but he had felt the blow. He growled in annoyance, angered that this had happened.
"Alright, who's the wise guy who thinks he can trade blows with me?!" he demanded.
"Try looking up jester!" sneered a familiar voice that neither Joker, nor Batman, had expected to hear.
Both turned their gazes upward to see Papillon glaring down at Joker, his wings flapping steadily with his arms crossed over his chest. Joker's grin faltered a bit. Not out of fear, but out of confusion, while Batman's face was full of wonder.
"Adrian?" He asked distantly, no one in particular.
"This ends today, Joker! No one else is going to die because of you!" Papillon said sternly, his eyes not twitching in the slightest.
"Hang on...you sound familiar...the pretty boy? Then if you're here...where's the French lady?" The Joker pondered.
"You're asking the wrong person!" Joker was then sent barrelling across the grass and slammed into the wall opposite him, covered in soil and grass patches, yet no sign of injury...aside from a slight bruise to his back.
Shaking the dizziness away, Joker's eyes widened slightly in shock as his attacker appeared.
Standing before him was neither Ladybug nor Marinette. Standing before him as she recalled her weapon, there stood a bluenette girl clad in a magical dark purple bodysuit, with a black midriff from below her chest to her waist, while her gloves and boots were a slightly darker red. Two handles stuck out from her back, while a purple shield with black spirals was beside her left forearm. Her face was partially covered by a cowl of sorts, leaving her hair and mouth bare, but her nose was covered like that of how Batman's was.
Madame Beetle gazed upon Joker with a hard look as Papillon came to her side.
"Looks like Bats isn't the only one with a surprise in every inch of his body." The Joker muttered, "So how did you suddenly get super-powers again?!"
"You really shouldn't have left Hawk Moth's body with us." Madame Beetle sneered.
Batman took this in, understanding what had happened. The Joker had left Hawk Moth's body behind, meaning that the teens could take his Miraculous and use it against him. Now it seemed that they had a fighting chance. But he knew that their chances for victory were slim. The Butterfly Miraculous wouldn't have the power to match The Joker's combined power of the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses. At best, it just meant The Joker had an opponent that would be less squishy. They would still need the Justice League. Unless...
"So it seems I made a slight error in my quest to raze the place." The Joker sighed, "And it wasn't very funny...but maybe I can make your defeats VERY satisfying and gut-busting! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
He held his hands together and fired a huge blast of energy at the two teens. Madame Beetle reacted quickly and held her shield in front of herself and Papillion. The blast was powerful enough to throw them back but the shield was tough enough to protect them from it. After the attack was over, Madame Beetle drew out a pair of swords that resembled the horn of a stag beetle and came charging towards the empowered jester, a determined look in her eyes. The Joker seemed to find this amusing as he guffawed whilst leaping towards his opponent. The two clashed with one another, the French girl swiping out with her swords and The Joker swinging his arms out. His godly state made him impervious to dismemberment so the swords couldn't slice him up but that didn't make him immune to pain. Madame Beetle's attack had left his arms stinging and he took a moment to wince, giving Madame Beetle time to slash upwards with her twin swords. The Joker grunted and reacted with a powerful punch to the face on her. He sent the beetle-themed heroine spiraling away but she managed to recover before she could hit the ground, stopping just above it. Gritting her teeth, she flew back towards her opponent.
Meanwhile, Papillion had flown down towards Batman and was helping him up. He could see how much pain the Gotham vigilante was in and he knew what he would have to do.
"Keep it together Batman, I'll get you healed up." he said softly.
"Ungh...it was clever of you...to think to use Hawk Moth's Miraculous." Batman commented, "But...you and I both know...it's not enough."
"I know, that's why me and Marinette plan to distract him so at least one of us can get the Miraculouses away from the Joker." Papillion explained, "If we can get at least one of them away, he'll power down."
"Good plan...and I could potentially...help with that." Batman grunted, "I've...called the Batwing to come. I could have it fly down into him...might stun him...long enough for us...to de-power The Joker."
"Let's get you healed up first." Papillion said.
Papillon placed his hands on Batman's shoulders and spread over a wash of purple across the vigilante's body, which shivered instinctively before relaxing as he felt every tear of skin and every deep bruise fade into nothingness, the gentle healing work of the Miraculous delivering newfound strength to him. A faint smile crossed Batman's lips as he stood tall, regarding Papillon with a thankful nod. He had seen many miracles in his life, something that life with the Justice League guaranteed. But even now, he couldn't help but be impressed.
"I'll thank you later, Adrian. You and Marinette keep him busy. Go now." he said firmly.
Swiftly nodding in response, Papillon took to the sky and shot towards Joker, whom Madame Beetle walloped with her shield. Papillon twirled in a circle and formed a tornado around his body. It shot outwards and consumed Joker, sending him spinning upwards and going high in the air.
"Whoooooooooaaaaaaaaa! I guess you're trying to make me take a turn for the worst!" he cried out as he was spun away. He felt like a leaf in a breeze inside the tornado.
He came to a stop high above Arkham Asylum before the tornado ended. He regained his composure and lowered his head. He looked as if he was about to charge. Madame Beetle flew towards him, her shield held in front to protect her from the expected charge. But the curious thing was, The Joker didn't move. He instead drew out his spiked yo-yo and laughed at the girl as if he'd played some kind of trick on her.
"Psyche!" he taunted, swinging the yo-yo around in a circle and bringing it whooshing towards his opponent directly from the side.
He had baited the beetle-costumed heroine, making her think he was going to charge so now she was expecting him to do so. Because of this, Madame Beetle was too late to protect herself as the yo-yo struck her full on in the side, making her cry out as she was sent careening into the ground below. Angered, Papillion flew up towards his opponent with his staff held high and a stream of butterflies following him. Laughing manically, The Joker swung the yo-yo around again and began flicking it out several times. At first, Papillion held back instinctively, thinking The Joker was trying to hit him. But to his amazement, the clown-turned-god missed him several times. That was odd. Why as The Joker missing? Then he realized. His eyes widened with dismay as he saw The Joker was not in fact trying to aim at him.
The yo-yo was swatting at the butterflies, knocking them all away and causing them to drop like flies. Papillion didn't understand at first. Why hit the butterflies? But he soon realized that the answer was obvious. If he had no butterflies, he had less attack options to use against The Joker. The clown god had worked that out too and was making sure he had less weapons to use against him. The Joker was giggling inanely as if even this petty act was somehow wildly amusing for him.
"Good thing they called the exterminator earlier! They weren't kidding when they said they had a "pest problem"!" he jeered, swatting more butterflies dead with his yo-yo.
That was when he let out a squeak as Madame Beetle tossed her shield up into a narrow spot of the human body, causing Joker to spin downwards with his grin faltering as he clutched his groin.
"Not funny! Not funny!" he squealed loudly as hit the ground like a rock in water. Madame Beetle recalled her shield to her side and smirked in triumph, having wanted to do that to the clown at some point.
Groaning, Joker stumbled out of the crater he made, his grin twitching upwards as he pulled himself up, facing Madame Beetle.
"So you wanna play dirty, huh? Alright, sweet cheeks, bring it!" he dares, not noticing Papillon hovering above him while Batman was stealthily coming up to him from behind with three grenade like objects in his hands.
Madame Beetle smirked in response.
"I've got a better idea. You like games, do you Joker? How about hide and seek?" she dared in return as she gave a nod to Papillon, who winked in response as he took aim with his staff.
Batman gotten the signal as well with the nod. At the same time, Papillon fired a cloud pf thick purple smoke at Joker, while Batman tossed out the grenades, which exploded a few inches away from the feet of his nemesis, shrouding him in a mixture of grey and purple smoke. A slight frown crossed Joker's face as he heard a flapping noise. Expecting to see Papillon behind him, Joker was instead blasted full in face with a swarm of butterflies, stunning him for a bit. He hadn't managed to kill them all so Papillion still had plenty to use. Growling savagely, The Joker turned around, his glowing eyes scanning the area around him for any sign of his opponents. Where were they? They were out of their minds if they thought they could stop him with a bunch of smoke and butterflies! His red lips formed a straight line across his face as he searched. He then felt something leap onto his back and grab at his ears, trying to take the earrings off. Batman had leaped on him and he was scrabbling madly, trying to grab the earrings so he could remove them. The Joker grabbed Batman by the wrists and wrenched his hands away. He swung the vigilante over onto his back as hard as he could, knocking the wind straight out of him.
Madame Beetle was the next to attack, throwing her swords at his face and slicing him as they hit, momentarily distracting him long enough for the girl to grab his hand and try to remove the ring. She held on tight as he flailed his arm around, trying to make her let go. The omnipotent jokester was secretly impressed with how well Madame Beetle was holding on. She was like a vice on his hand! But even she couldn't' hold on forever. Smirking, he grabbed hold of her legs with his other hand and hoisted her off the ground. He pulled on her legs, making the girl cry out as she was stretched. Even then, she refused to let go. The Joker could break her legs for all she cared, Madame Beetle wouldn't give up until she got the ring off his finger. Papillion fluttered into help, his wings beating quickly as he picked up speed. The Joker heard him coming and reacted quickly. He spun around just as Papillion raised his staff, aiming for his head, and he held up the beetle themed heroine in front of his face. Papillion couldn't stop himself as his staff swung down and sharply connected with his accomplice's back. Madame Beetle cried out. Even with the shield on her back, the attack was still powerful enough to hurt. Weakened by the blow, her grip loosened so The Joker finally wrenched his hand free and uppercut Madame Beetle into Papillion. The two insect-themed heroes were sent sprawling on the grass, which was soaked by the rain. They came to a stop, bits of dirt and grass plastered to their costumes and faces and water dripping off of them.
The Joker flexed his muscles, clearly delighted and feeling very triumphant. He roared with laughter as lightening flashed, turning him into a terrifying silhouette standing before the teens as he bore over them.
"You've been VERY entertaining, if slightly irksome at the same time, but entertaining nonetheless!" he boomed, "So just for that, I'll make your deaths as hilarious as possible! I might even let you both go out laughing! AH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"
He drew his yo-yo out and walloped the two, sending them hurling into the air a far distance as they were sent spinning over the gates and onto the tarmac outside. Batman watched as The Joker ploughed through the gate to continue pummelling them. He was about to do something, something that could keep him distracted long enough to let Beetle and Papillion get back up, but he was interrupted by the most timely arrival possible. He heard the rumble of jet engines in the sky and at first, thought it had been thunder. But as he looked up, he saw that it wasn't. The Batwing, sleek, flat and as dark as night itself, had finally arrived. The jet had a wide wing span and looked more like a stealth bomber than any normal plane. Batman allowed himself the pleasure of a smile. Now he could put his plan into action. It would be a shame to sacrifice the Batwing, but at the very least, it would slow The Joker down long enough to depower him.
"They might be armed with rubber bullets, but it'll have to do." he noted to himself as the Batwing soared over his head, and then it began its powerful assault.
Madame Beetle saw the incoming rain of bullets, so she grabbed Papillon and blocked Joker's incoming punches, thankful that her weapon was going to be strong enough to withstand the incoming storm.
Before Joker could deliver a mocking taunt, he was sent staggering forward as fierce bullets of rubber slammed into his back. Though they were made of rubber, the bullet's speed certainly hardened them enough to make sure they'd leave a strong impact.
He chuckled, however, as he stared down the Batwing, shielding his face from the near infinite amount of rubber bullets.
"Brought another toy, hey Bats!? This takes it to the next level!" He giggled as he shot his right hand forward and swung his spikey yoyo in a circular manner in front of himself, shredding the bullets before they could send him stumbling back even more.
Noticing the bullets stopped pelting their shield, Papillon and Madame Beetle peeked over the shield and took notice of what Joker was doing. Seeing he was distracted, Papillon took hold of Madame Beetle's hand, giving her a stern look "This is it! Stay close to me! We go for the ring first!" he instructed. His lover nodded in response, not needing anything else to be said to get the task done.
Both crept towards the Joker from behind, slightly shielding their eyes from the colourful effect the spinning of the yoyo was giving off. Taking notice of Joker's left hand beside his leg, Papillon saw the opportunity to get his former Miraculous back as he saw it glinting from Joker's finger.
Gesturing at Madame Beetle to keep back, Papillon floated forward with his wings flapping as quietly as he could, keeping himself at a levelled height so as not to be hit by a stray rubber bullet. He had a feeling the Batwing was going too run out soon, and he couldn't risk that, for Joker would destroy the aircraft the second it stops firing.
Gripping his staff tightly, Papillon gritted his teeth as he roughly jabbed it into the back of Joker, startling the godlike clown, who instinctively sent his left hand backwards. Not wasting a second longer, Papillon grabbed his wrist and slid the ring off Joker's finger, clamping his hand tightly around it as a certain dark Kwami zipped out of the ring.
"Whew...that was some crazy stuff happening there!" Plagg slurred, his mind in a spin and his eyes unfocused as he tried to regain his senses.
As soon as the ring had been removed, The Joker immediately felt the effects as his glorious god like presence began to disappear. He cried out his disproval as he felt the power dissipate, the energy leaving his body as if being sucked out and swirling around him as the transformation from god to clown began. Batman watched with satisfaction, pleased that he wouldn't have to sacrifice the Batwing by crashing it into him after all. He left the jet on standby as he saw the swirl of energy and light pick up speed, spinning around him as fast as possible, before finally drifting away into the air and disappearing from sight. It was like watching a magic trick, albeit a pleasant one. The Joker was now on the ground, on his knees and panting as he felt himself over. He was no longer a god. He was back to normal and it filled him with rage that this had happened. He had more power than he'd ever had in his life...and it had just been taken away by Batman and two annoying teenagers!
He gripped his hair, looking like he was about to start tearing it out in rage, and he screamed a blood-curdling scream of anguish over his defeat.
"CURSE YOU THREE! YOU RUINED THE JOKE! YOU RUINED MY PUNCHLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!" he wailed.
Madame Beetle giggled as she strutted up to him, sheathing her swords, "I'm afraid the joke's on you, Joker. Didn't think you took defeats so personally though!"
She snickered, leaving Joker alarmed at her usage of words. Not even the many Robins he encountered ever used that saying on him. Boy it felt like a sting to them backside.
Madame Beetle then bent down to Joker and roughly pulled the Ladybug earrings from the clown's ears, causing spurts of blood to shoot from his lobes. He yelped in alarm, covering his ears in frustration.
"Not a nice feeling, is it?" she taunted as Tikki swooped out of the earrings, a disgusted look on her face.
"Horrible! That was so horrible! I hope to never be bound to such a sickening soul ever again!" she spat, glaring down at Joker menacingly. Well, she tried to do it menacingly but instead, she just looked adorably angry. It was hard for a kwami to look threatening.
Joker let out a nervous giggle, not exactly liking his predicament as Papillon and Batman helped Madame Beetle surround him. He couldn't have found himself in a worse situation.
"Gee whiz, such sour faces!" The Joker said queasily, "Heh, heh...well uh...looking on the bright side, at least we had some laughs right?"
Batman responded by seizing The Joker by his collar and hoisting him up off the ground. The Clown Prince of Crime looked terrified, something that didn't happen every often as Batman jammed his face into his enemy's.
"I don't hear anybody laughing..." Batman hissed.
He then head-butted The Joker, knocking him out instantly, and he threw his body down onto the soaking wet grass. The rain splattered down over him, even on his closed eyes. They ran down his face, looking like tears. Tears of defeat no doubt. With the chaos finally over, Batman breathed the sigh of relief he had hoped he would be alive to do. How close Gotham had come to disaster! Too close in fact! He was just thankful the news wouldn't report on it, or at least know the full details as there had been no news choppers flying around. Batman did find himself wondering how he would explain all this to Commissioner Gordon for a moment.
He turned to Papillion and Madame Beetle, who smiled back at him cheerfully.
"I don't know how I can thank you two." Batman said softly, "You two performed admirably today. You acted with the kind of courage and determination that wouldn't seem out of place with the Teen Titans. And you helped me save Gotham City. You two are a credit to more than just your country."
Papillon smiled shyly at this, really touched by the rare kind words Batman would give anyone.
"Heh, oh shucks! Well, we couldn't have done it without you."
"Yeah, you did your bit too, Batman. If it weren't for you bringing that Batwing of yours in, well, we wouldn't be standing here right now." Madame Beetle noted with a bright smile.
Papillon's smile faded slightly as he glanced back at what was left of Arkham Asylum. The majority of it was still standing, with a few large holes in the roof that the Justice League could see to. But the kitchen was completely gone, disintegrated into nothingness...taking his father's body with it. There was nothing left of Gabriel Agreste, only the Butterfly Broach that had made him Hawk Moth.
Batman took notice of the French boy's sunken look, so he approached him steadily.
"I know he did a lot of sickening things, especially to your friends...but he was still your father" he noted, only for Papillon to let out the biggest sigh he ever could, keeping his eyes tightly closed.
"He stopped being my father a long time ago, Batman...I don't know how to explain this to everyone when I get home" he said bitterly as the whole events of the last few days began to sink into his heart.
Batman could nod sullenly. He understood the boy's grief. He imagined he would feel the same if his own father had turned out to be some criminal or supervillain too. He wasn't exactly sure on what to say to try and ease Papillion's sorrow. Madame Beetle seemed to have her own idea. She approached her boyfriend and embraced him tightly.
"It's sad that you no longer have a father Adrien. But at least you redeemed him in some way." she said softly, "In a way, it was thanks to him that we were able to stop The Joker. He had the Butterfly Broach and you was able to use it to give us a fighting chance. So one could say that on a technical note...he kinda saved us all. I'm not saying that excuses what he did of course, because it doesn't. But at the very least, it leaves something a little positive to remember him for."
Papillion looked down at the Butterfly Broach on his chest, running a hand down it as he took in what his lady had said. A tool used for evil by his father, and he had just used it for good, the way a Miraculous should have been used. And he now had it. In a sense, he sort of thanked Gabriel for providing it for him. And now he could continue improving his father's legacy by using it the way it should have from the very beginning...for good. He looked up at Madame Beetle, a touched smile on his face.
"I think you said just the right words m'lady. Thank you." he replied.
"Don't mention it Adrien." Madame Beetle replied, her hands slowly moving up to the young boy's face.
She cupped his cheeks into her hands and blushed as she planted her lips against his own, giving him a soothing, warm feeling that enlightened him very deeply on the inside, making him close his eyes in bliss as he took her in his arms. How ironic; their first spark of love occurred in the rain outside school, with an umbrella, now they were kissing in the rain, letting all of the world and nature to see it come full circle.
Batman watched the tender scene before him with something close to pleasure. He'd had many romances in his life and while many of them hadn't lasted, he still had an appreciation for romance. It also made him think of the close bond between Dick and Starfire. Young love was always precious no matter what. He was glad that there was something positive to come out of today.
And yet he couldn't help but wonder if he and the French teens would see each other again someday. The life of a superhero was never over and there was always a chance some big event would call for their help in the future...
So The Joker is defeated and all is finally well. But is it over? Almost.
Join us for the conclusion as this story wraps up in an epilogue chapter next time...^^