I'm back! This one took a little longer than expected to write and rework, but it was worth it. Fun fact, when this originally came out, it was around my birthday and Thanksgiving 2021 and a little after Conquering Fears, which was my most popular fic at the time, thanks for all the support y'all. This one's just a tad longer, but still worth it. Enjoy!

Chapter Seven

Attack of Titans

"It's been a bit quiet, hasn't it?" Cat Noir commented as he stretched out on the fluffy picnic blanket. Ladybug nodded, glancing at her partner as she popped another chouquette in her mouth. The two had decided to take a midnight picnic date on top of Montparnasse Tower, partly because it was a beautiful night and partly to plan their next moves.

"Too quiet," Ladybug agreed. "Ever since Tyranno Moth came out to fight the other day, there hasn't been anything. No akumas, no amoks. Not even the lowest level offenders. And no Dragonus, either. That's what worries me more."

Cat Noir nodded. "Yeah. I mean, he just disappears for a few days and suddenly shows up again? And just tells his team to back off? I don't know if it's just me, but I've always gotten the impression that he loves fighting. Something's definitely up."

Ladybug traced random swirling patterns into the blanket as she thought. Dragonus always seems to be one step ahead of us and Tyranno Moth. Which probably means Tyranno Moth getting his hands on the Dark T-rex Miraculous and the Dark Scorpion must've thrown him off his game.

"Guh, I can't think of anything," she groaned. "The last time everything was this quiet, those two unleashed another Heroes' Day attack."

"At least those days are behind us, Bugaboo," Cat Noir replied. "Their bridge has been burned by now, I bet." He sat up, unscrewing a soda bottle and took a long sip. "But during these uncertain times, there are other things we can think about, m'lady. Like, for example, adding more people to the team."

"Adrien, I've thought about it," Ladybug replied. Cat Noir raised an eyebrow; Ladybug almost never used his real name when they were transformed. "If we spread out too many at once, Tyranno Moth could find them and Dragonus certainly would find them. We already took a big enough risk giving the Fox and Turtle out to Alya and Nino. What if Dragonus decides to steal our Miraculous and give them to Tyranno Moth as a peace offering?"

"'Peace offering' and 'Dragonus' seem to be mutually exclusive terms, Marinette," Cat Noir said, making air quotes around his words. "If anything, it would be Tyranno Moth giving the Miraculous to Dragonus as a peace offering. And that's my other point. Tyranno Moth knows the others' identities. He has to, considering what happened during the Miracle Queen incident. If he decides to blackmail them with their powers, and they already have their powers, they could reject him, maybe even fight him off."

Ladybug sighed. She'd forgotten how convincing her partner could be. "Fine. On one condition. Until Tyranno Moth is gone, we're only using Alya, Nino, and the ones he doesn't know the identities of. So Purple Tigress, Pigella, Minotaurox, Polymouse, and Vesperia."

"Gonna have to tell her that," Cat Noir muttered. "But that's good. Especially since Dragonus might decide to pull a blitz run on us and outnumber us. Although, since the Darks are a team of six, shouldn't we have seven team members? Y'know, cuz six is afraid of seven?"

"Don't say it," Ladybug replied. Cat Noir gave her his classic Cheshire grin.

"Seven eight nine," he finished. Ladybug rolled her eyes and pulled her partner in for a kiss, tickling him under the chin for good measure. "Please quit with the jokes," Ladybug said, batting her eyelashes.

Cat Noir chuckled. "If your response was any indication, I'll keep making them. That was purr-fect, Bugaboo."

The two kissed again and cuddled together as a lone chilling breeze swept across the top of the tower. Cat Noir pulled the blanket around both of their shoulders as Ladybug nuzzled him a little. "You know, kitty," she began softly. "At first, part of me wasn't sure I could go through with revealing ourselves. Now, I don't know how I lived without it."

"Me neither, Marinette," Cat Noir replied softly as he rubbed her upper back. "Me neither."

"We should be heading home soon," Ladybug said.

Cat Noir nodded. "We should. But that can wait a few minutes… an hour… all night," he replied. Ladybug glanced up at him, her eyes dancing playfully. "Well, I can barely get to school on time on a full eight hours of sleep, so just a few minutes, kitty cat," she teased, flicking his bell.

"Your wish is my command, m'lady," Cat Noir teased back, tracing her shoulder blades with his claws. "Your wish is my command."

Ten minutes later, the two packed up their things, kissed each other goodnight, and swung off to their respective homes, each feeling a little warmer despite the rapidly chilling night.

The next day, as Ms. Mendeleiev was scrawling notes on the chalkboard, Marinette was telling Alya about her talk with Adrien last night. The redhead nodded dutifully as Marinette told her story and filled her in on what the plans were.

"Good plan, girl. I suppose Nino and I aren't allowed to know the others' identities?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

Marinette shook her head. "Nothing personal, just taking some precautions in case Tyranno Moth akumatizes either you two or any of them. I'm also not revealing my identity to them, either."

Alya laughed a little. "So Nino and I are lucky, then. Don't worry, Nino and I have been practicing some stuff we learned from the kwamis that can repel akumas. Something they heard from Guardians, it seems."

Marinette blinked a little. "They never mentioned that to me," she said, her surprise plain in her voice. Alya shrugged. "Did you ask?"

Ms. Mendeleiev cleared her voice. "If your side conversations have nothing to do with today's lesson, kindly refrain from speaking," she said sternly. The class quieted down, leaving the teacher free to start her lesson.

"As you have previously learned, atoms have two different types of chemical bonds, known as ionic and covalent. In regular chemistry, the first type is usually stronger; however, in biology, the second of the two is stronger, due to the sharing of the valence electrons, or the electrons in the outermost shells," she said, pointing at the model of the atom she had drawn. "But that's not important right now."

"Through these bonds," Ms. Mendeleiev continued, "atoms form molecules and compounds, which form everything in the universe, from the earth to the air. The thing I find most interesting of all is how atoms - these tiny, tiny bits in the fabric of the universe - can combine to make such complex structures, like life."

Ms. Mendeleiev went on like that for the entire lesson, the class taking notes and asking a question or two to make sure they had written their notes correctly. When the bell rang for the final hour of the day, the class picked up their things and made their way out the door.

Adrien and Nino found themselves at their respective girlfriends' sides as the four of them wandered up to the art room.

"You told her the plan?" Adrien asked Marinette. Marinette nodded. "And you told Nino?"

"Yeah, he did," Nino replied. "And I could get used to having more people on the team. I'm ready to kick Dragonus and Tyranno Moth out of Paris, then give your dad a taste of his own medicine."

Adrien chuckled a little. "Still not over that, huh?"

"Of course not, dude!" Nino exclaimed. "Your old man didn't let you have a party! He got me akumatized! Of course I'm not over that!"

Alya chuckled a little. "What if it turns out Adrien's dad is Tyranno Moth?" she asked. Nino grinned a little. "If he was, and I'm not saying it sounds pretty likely, I'd tell him how much he sucks and then throw him off the roof."

"Sorry to disappoint, Nino, but that's not gonna happen," Marinette replied, her tone hushed. "I already looked into that. Adrien's dad isn't Hawk Moth. He got akumatized, remember?"

"Hawk Moth is probably smarter than that," Nino replied. "I mean, he created an entire army, right? Wayzz told me that shouldn't have been possible. All I'm saying is that if he can create an army, he can probably akumatize himself."

Alya shrugged, but Marinette and Adrien glanced at each other as the true meaning of Nino's words sunk in. Their exchange was silent, but it could have been screaming. He can't be. Father wouldn't do anything like that, Adrien seemed to stammer with his eyes. Marinette laid a calming hand on his shaking ones. We'll figure this out later, kitty. I promise.

"Huh, well, there's a new one," Andrew muttered as his ring glowed faintly. He and the others were in the library, waiting the hour out before they could start their tests on combining. "Looks like the bug and cat are distressing over a possibility for our favorite thief's identity."

"Yeah, you still haven't told me Tyranno Moth's identity yet," Lila said as she thumbed through a book.

Ryan snorted. "Well, considering the stunt you pulled to get Conformity akumatized, I'm not sure he's really in the mood to trust you right now."

"And considering the stunt you pulled two years ago with the baby pool and the shaving cream, I shouldn't have given you Newwt and the Dark Salamander," Andrew snarked back. "I made my decision a while ago. Until I deem it necessary - or safe - to tell you guys any more secret identities, I'm not saying anything."

"You told them Ladybug and Cat Noir's," Lila muttered. Jack scoffed. "And we all know your feud with Ladybug. And before you say it, I know you've moved on from Adrien, but grudges don't go away. Especially with you girls."

Lila threw him a glare. "That's hurtful, but you aren't completely wrong."

Dylan scribbled a few words on a piece of notebook paper, then crumpled the paper. "This hour can't be any longer," he groaned, throwing the paper at the waste basket and missing.

Alex nodded as he worked on his homework. "I would feel bad for our parents, though," he commented. "They're doing a press conference about opening the new factory in about twenty minutes, if I remember right. And you know how the media is."

"Spazzini," Lila sneered. "Nothing good comes out of the news anymore. All it is now is mudslinging and conspiracy theories that serve some politician's purpose."

Ryan mimed raising a glass. "Cheers to that. Luckily, our parents are better than the news people. In fact, I'm willing to bet my allowance that at least one of the reporters gets akumatized out of this. I'm that confident."

"And if one doesn't?" Dylan asked. Ryan shrugged. "Then no one gets any money. Simple as that. What, do you think I'd take money from you if our parents were akumatized?"

At last, the dismissal bell rang. The six teens left the library and split up, the five boys filing into the Hendrol limousine while Lila made her way home. The journey was silent as the five boys contemplated what they were getting into. Ten minutes later, the limo pulled into the Hendrol mansion's garage, letting the five boys climb out. Paul threw the five a quick smile. "You guys head on in. I have to get back to the plant to pick up your parents. Behave yourselves!" he said as he climbed back in and pulled out.

When they were sure Paul was far enough away, the boys activated their doppelgangers and handed them their backpacks. When the five clones had entered the house, the boys transformed and powered up into their flight modes, launching themselves into the air.

"Are we sure this is gonna work?" Skinker asked, his voice crackling through the comms. Dragonus sighed, the sound a rush of static. "Hopefully, it does. Because I don't want to think about it if it doesn't."

Alphaux flew up to Dragonus's side. "We're basing this whole thing on your blueprints and a monstrosity Magnus created. I'm a little worried, to be honest."

"Don't be," Crocdown replied. "It's going to be us in control, right? We've done well so far, this should be a piece of cake."

Iapallidus twirled in the air. "Someone's optimistic today," he remarked. "Finally gonna get over your height complex?"

"Oh, shut up," Crocdown retorted. "I can still kick your snaky butt through a wall, you know."

A moment later, the Darks arrived at the warehouse lair. Maladea was already waiting for them on the roof, sitting on the skylight with her legs crossed, kicking her foot around. "What took you so long?" she teased as the boys deactivated their flight modes. "I'm assuming you're going to want to do this out here. Probably would wreck the base if you tried to combine inside."

"Yeah, I planned to do it out here," Dragonus replied. "This new form is gonna be big… bigger than the giants Tyranno Moth has ever made." He turned to the other boys. "You just need to imagine your beast modes changing into the specific limb you were assigned. The nanobots will do the rest. After the physical merge comes a mental one. Our minds will meld, giving this combined form an identity based on a part of each of us. If you want to back out, that's fine. Going once, going twice…"

The other four boys glanced at each other, then nodded. "We're in this for the long game, boss," Alphaux said. Dragonus smiled under his helmet. "I'm glad to have friends like y'all. Now… Darks, unite!"

In an instant, the five boys transformed to their mechanical beast modes, the nanomachines bubbling over them. Dragonus's dragon shell roared mightily, prompting responses from the other four; Alphaux's wolf mode howled, Crocdown's shell growled, Iapallidus's cobra form hissed, and Skinker's salamander shell grunted.

Maladea watched in amazement as the five beasts began to contort in ways she'd never have dreamed off. The wolf and crocodile laid flat on their stomachs as they turned more mechanical and boxy. Then their bodies rose up, the beast heads forming feet for the giant body and their bodies forming legs, the beast legs and tails tucking away behind the new leg forms.

The cobra's body folded in half at the midpoint between the head and tail, the head itself folding out on a hinge as the end of the tail connected at the neck. The head of the cobra then folded down, now on the edge of the shoulder. A pale red mechanical hand extended from the folding point.

The salamander's head folded down so it pointed out, its legs retracting into the body, the tail folding back on the wrist. A yellow-splotched black hand extended from the stump where the tail had been.

The dragon roared as its front legs retracted into the body and its lower legs pointed straight down, the feet flipping back behind the ankles. The neck retracted into the body, then the dragon head folded down to the chest. The dragon wings doubled in size, as did the tail.

Maladea watched, in almost impossible amazement, as the five pieces of this new body drifted together. The wolf and crocodile parts formed the left and right legs, respectively. The dragon part of the behemoth seemed to graft to the legs as it connected, as did the cobra component forming the right arm and the salamander turning into the left.

Finally, a golden robotic head with a helmet taking elements of all five beasts emerged from the top of the body, its eyes glowing red. The combiner's fists clenched as it raised them to the sky, triumphant at its first formation… and promptly fell apart, the fusion of Dark Miraculous holder and mechanical parts crumbling, leaving five dazed Darks all groaning on the roof.

Maladea blinked in surprise as she helped Dragonus up. "What happened?" she asked.

Dragonus groaned and shook the dizziness from his eyes. "I don't know. The physical part of the combination worked, but the mental unity just… crumbled, and I guess that made the whole thing fall apart. I'm not sure what made it go wrong. You guys were focusing on combining, right?" he asked, turning to the other boys.

"Yeah…" Alphaux said apprehensively. The other three nodded. Dragonus sighed. "I want to try and get this right. We're gonna do it again. Is that cool?"

The other four boys nodded, but Maladea could tell there was something they had - they all had - on their minds. Some kind of… distrust? She wasn't really sure. Either way, she'd mention it if the combination failed repeatedly. Maybe it would grant them all some clarity.

Everett Hendrol liked to think of himself as a fairly patient man. He had to be, considering he was CEO of one of the biggest motor corporations in the United States and quite possibly the world. But the press conference, which had been droning on for only an hour, was wearing away at him. He glanced at the other four members of the Hendrol Motors Board of Directors present with him, and he could easily tell they felt the same. Especially since the reporter - some Clara Contard - was bringing up parts of Hendrol Motors history that he had taken great pains to either resolve or remove.

"For the last time, Ms. Contard," Everett began. "The claims of monopolization were cleared in court, and the direct ruling was there had not been any monopolization. You must be thinking of an entertainment corporation. And no, I have no intention of starting any monopolies, anywhere. If there are any more questions relating to this, I can direct you to Mrs. Phoard, who will explain everything in extensive detail."

Clara Contard narrowed her eyes. "Despite that, sir, a few representatives from car companies are concerned with your newest factory's introduction to Paris. They believe that your presence will double and drown them out when your car productions inevitably come to market. Do you have any plans to sell any of your car models in France?"

Thomas Dahno leaned into his microphone. "The current plant is only equipped to produce high quality motors and engines to sell to car companies and other transport services," he said. "If we were to introduce our car brands into France, we would announce it to the public, and if sales do well, we would add another for full production."

"So that's a yes?" Clara asked. Luckily for the increasingly annoyed Americans, the time for the conference was used up and the security detail appeared to escort the news people out of the building.

"Ugh, I thought it would never end," James Parkerson sighed. His wife nodded. "They were getting far too nosy for my liking," Lizzie added.

"That's the news for you, Lizzie," Clarissa replied as she opened a can of sparkling water. "Always on our cases. And that case over monopolization? I had that cleared years ago! The nerve of that woman!"

Everett turned away from his colleagues, looking out of the window overlooking the main production area of the plant, which was dead with quiet. "The Parisians aren't quite ready for us, it seems. Especially not while they have that mayor of theirs," he said.

Clarissa nodded. "Wasn't it his wife who Kathleen slammed in her magazine? If half of what I've heard about him is true, the questions could have easily been planted."

"It was, and it could be," Everett replied, clenching his fists. "If bringing up that… humiliation was his doing, a question he planted…" His anger rising, Everett Hendrol wasn't aware he walked into Tyranno Moth's trap.

"So, a man whose reputation has been challenged, yesss," Tyranno Moth said as the window of his lair opened. "Everett Hendrol. You haven't changed much since university, have you? But, my old friend, with that fiery temperament of yours, you can help me change the structure of reality." A butterfly fluttered into his palm, allowing Tyranno Moth to corrupt it with dark energy. "Fly away, my little akuma, and give this angered American and his colleagues a new way to vent their frustrations!"

"If that's true, not only is that illegal, it's just plain… wrong," Clarissa said, her own temper beginning to flare. Thomas and the Parkersons nodded.

"Especially if it interferes with our schedule. I know we're further ahead than we planned, but such a blow could ruin the entire opening, hiring and operations," Thomas added, passing a clipboard to the others. When the clipboard reached Everett's hands, the akuma infused into the plastic and paper, connecting all five members of the board to Tyranno Moth.

"Motor Master, Lawrider, Wreckloose, Heat Hunter, Skidmark, I am Tyranno Moth," the villain said, addressing Everett, Clarissa, Thomas, Lizzie and James with their new names. "I rather doubt that it was Mayor Bourgeois's choice to add such horrible questions to the interview, but I can give you the abilities to find the one who authorized that interrogation. I'm giving you the power of vehicular assimilation and unique abilities and weapons for each of you as the Road Rippers. All I ask in return are Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses. Do we have a deal?" he asked.

"Deal," Everett growled, answering for the group. The five were encased in the purple smoke of Tyranno Moth's power. Once it receded, they were clad in black with a unique accent color for each. Motor Master's head was silver, a boxlike helmet covering the top of his head. Purple lines ran down the length of his body, purple armor over the black suit. His chestplate was like a box, the clipboard - now transformed into an orb with handles - resting snugly inside.

The other four were similarly designed; black skintight suits lined with a specific color - maroon for Lawrider, yellow for Wreckloose, dark blue for Heatseacher, and neon green for Skidmark - and battle armor in each specific color. Their helmets were all different; Lawrider's helmet let her maroon hair fall flat against her back, the top of the helmet sprouting little horns. Wreckloose's helmet had two yellow bolts sticking out of the sides as it completely covered his head. Heat Hunter's and Skidmark's were almost identical, wrapping around the sides of their heads with a single curved horn poking out of the front, save for Heat Hunter's dark blue hair done in a high braid which curled around her neck.

"Let's go find the pothole who planted those questions," Motor Master growled. The other four Road Rippers nodded, then the five supervillains burst out of the conference room and crashed through the front doors of the building. Lawrider pointed a metallic clawed finger at the news crews that hadn't quite left yet.

Motor Master grinned. "Let's deal with them first, boys and girls. Attack!" he ordered. The news crews screamed and dove for cover as the five supervillains leapt towards them.

Twin maroon nunchaku manifested in Lawrider's hands. Grinning, she lashed out at a news van, the weapons crushing the vehicle in a single swipe. "Perfect," she said, reaching her hand out towards the ruined van. Her hand glowed with a maroon light, the same light seemingly leaping from her hand to the van. In a maroon flash, the van was replaced by a sleek supercar. "How's it coming, Wreckloose?" she called.

Wreckloose laughed maniacally as a yellow chainsaw blade extended from his wrist and sliced through another van. "Exactly as planned, Lawrider!" he yelled back, his hand glowing with yellow light as he reformatted the pieces into an F1 racer. "I've always wanted to drive one of these!"

Heat Hunter and Skidmark fought back to back, the former firing dark blue homing missiles out of launchers in her arms, the latter throwing disks of neon green energy generated on his back. The last two news vans were demolished, giving the couple the chance to remake the trashed cars into a pair of SUVs. "We've finished here, Motor Master," Skidmark reported. "Hurry up and let's figure out who ruined us."

Motor Master ignored his subordinate, manifesting a purple broadsword and advancing on the reporters. "Was it you who came up with the questions?" he rumbled.

Clara shook her head vigorously. "No! We held a poll online! The citizens submitted the questions!" she cried. Motor Master set his jaw, then turned to his colleagues. "Saddle up. We have a town to wreck."

"What if Nino's right?" Adrien asked, chills running down his back despite the sun shining on him and the relatively warm day. He and Marinette were sitting on a bench in the Place de Vosges, a bag of snacks and pastries from the bakery between them.

Marinette sighed a little. "We'll figure it out, Adrien. We'll figure everything out, I promise. But until that point, if your dad starts acting weird or wants to look at your ring, get out of there. Believe me, I hope just as much as you that we're wrong and Nino's theory was just him being snarky. But…"

"It certainly explains a lot," Adrien said somberly. He slowly picked a macaroon out of the bag and chewed it thoughtfully. "The only question I can think of is why? Why would he do it?"

"I don't know, kitty," Marinette replied, resting a hand on his shoulder. The two sat in silence for a moment, attempting to enjoy the quiet of the afternoon. Then their phones buzzed.

"New supervillains menacing Paris!" the unusually shrill and somewhat terrified voice of Nadja Chamack yelled through the speakers of the two teenagers' phones. "A gang of five car-based villains are rampaging through the city, destroying everything and attacking everyone in their path!"

"Looks like Tyranno Moth is at it again," Marinette sighed. Adrien nodded. "Alya and Nino are probably already on their way there. Do you want to get the rest of the team?" he asked.

Marinette nodded quickly. "Yeah. You go ahead, don't let the villains get any further than they already have. I'll let you know when I have the team."

"Purr-fect, m'lady," Adrien said with a smirk before running off to transform. Marinette smiled a little herself before running off to hide. "Tikki, Spots On!" A moment later, Ladybug raced across the rooftops.

It didn't take long to find the others. Rose, Juleka and Ivan were working on pre-practice warm-ups for Kitty Section while Luka was out finishing deliveries, with Mylene watching them play.

"Awesome sounds, everyone!" Ladybug said as she swung in. "I need all four of you this time. Tyranno Moth's created five extremely destructive villains, and Cat Noir and I are going to need all the help we can get that won't jeopardize too many secret identities. Are you up for this?"

The four teenagers glanced at each other and nodded. Ladybug smiled softly as she opened her yoyo and handed out the four Miraculouses. One moment later, five superheroes leapt off of the Liberty, heading towards several clouds of smoke rising in the distance.

"You guys go on ahead, I have one more person to pick up!" Ladybug yelled. Pigella nodded. "We'll see you there, Ladybug!" she cried as the four leapt over a set of chimneys. Ladybug smiled a little as she changed course, swinging towards the Grand Paris, where Amber was already waiting on the balcony.

"Ready for this fight, Vesperia?" Ladybug asked, holding out the comb.

"Always," Amber answered as she accepted the Bee Miraculous and transformed. Without a moment of hesitation, the two leapt off into the distance.

Ladybug opened her yoyo and dialed Cat Noir's number. "I'm on my way with Vesperia, Cat Noir. How's the fight going?" she asked. She heard Cat Noir panting through the phone and frowned. That was a bad sign.

"Not great!" Cat Noir replied. "Rena and Carapace were already taking a pounding when I arrived, and the backup from the others has only leveled the playing field a little! Tyranno Moth's been very generous to them, m'lady! Be quick!"

"We're almost there. Just hold out a little longer, kitty!" Ladybug replied quickly before shutting her phone.

Vesperia chuckled mirthlessly. "This is probably going to be fun," she said, completely deadpan. Ladybug nodded grimly. And she knew it would only be a matter of time before the Darks showed up and made everything even more complicated.

"Oh no," Ladybug gasped when she and Vesperia arrived on the battlefield that was the Champs-Elysees. Cat Noir and the others, despite outnumbering the villains, were taking a pounding, getting knocked around and generally at a disadvantage. By contrast, the supervillains seemed to be doing well, using the cars Ladybug had guessed they had remade to serve their purposes to run down the heroes and overwhelm them.

Ladybug watched as one of the villains, a black and maroon woman, leapt out of her supercar and swung a nunchaku at Purple Tigress and Pigella. The two heroines dodged, leading to the villainess skidding to a halt on the ground. The villainess growled and thrust out her glowing maroon hand. Her car glowed the same color as it split and transformed into what looked like armor components, which connected to the maroon plate armor on her body.

Ladybug's jaw set when she glanced around the battle, watching similar scenes play out with Minotaurox and Polymouse fighting a racer and Rena Rouge and Carapace fighting a pair of SUV armored villains, working out a plan. Then she spotted Cat Noir fighting a massive villain in black and purple, his staff against a gargantuan broadsword. Her mind made up, she stood and turned to Vesperia.

"Help Rena Rouge and Carapace fight the SUV couple. I'll help Cat Noir. Try and see if anyone found the akumatized object while you're at it," Ladybug ordered. Vesperia nodded before drawing her top and leaping into the fray.

Cat Noir jumped to the side, avoiding another strike from Motor Master. The villain growled, and just as he was about to strike again, Ladybug's yoyo wrapped around the broadsword. Motor Master's growl turned into a smirk. "So you came. I was wondering if you were leaving us to play with your pets," he said, untangling his blade from the yoyo string with his fingers.

"They're my team, and I'll never leave them by themselves," Ladybug shot back as she leapt to Cat Noir's side. "What's the story here?"

"My guess is the group is Andrew's dad and his friends' parents," Cat Noir replied as he parried another sword strike. "The big one - Motor Master - said they wanted to avenge the honor of Hendrol Motors, so it wasn't too hard to guess." Ladybug smiled a little. "Any idea on where the akuma is?" she asked.

"A little. He's been very protective of his chest, which I guess either means his armor is where the akuma is or there's a compartment that's holding the object," he said, swinging his staff at Motor Master's chest to prove his point. In what looked like an almost instinctive movement, Motor Master deflected the attack with his broadsword, then moved to the side, cleaving into an abandoned bus.

"You're close, cat, but not quite there," Motor Master said with a grin as his hand glowed purple, the bus beginning to reformat into a purple cabover semi truck. Motor Master's grin widened as the truck split into new armor pieces for himself; the cab becoming a chestplate, the back half with the smokestacks splitting to become shoulder pads, the back hitch becoming greaves and the back wheels coming to rest on his boots. "You want it so badly, come and get it," the villain challenged, an ugly sneer on his face in place of his grin as he brought his sword crashing down.

The two heroes dived out of the way of his attack, rolling to their feet and spinning their weapons. Ladybug lashed out with her yoyo and wrapped the string around Motor Master's free wrist, only for him to forcefully pull Ladybug to him and punch her into a wall. Cat Noir leapt behind him, his staff about to come crashing down on Motor Master's head. Again, Motor Master deflected the cat hero's attack with his sword. Cat Noir flipped over Motor Master and landed beside Ladybug and quickly helped her up.

"Why is this guy so strong?" she muttered. She glanced over Motor Master's shoulder, seeing how the other heroes were struggling against their opponents. Then she saw the other weapons the villains had. A plan began to form in her head. Hopefully the villains weren't as smart as they were strong.

"I've got an idea," Ladybug whispered to Cat Noir. "We'll lead Motor Master to the other villains. Hopefully getting caught in someone else's crossfire will confuse him enough for us to get the drop on him. But first we need to make him mad. Try and Cataclysm his sword."

Cat Noir nodded. "Got it. Cataclysm!"

The black energy pulsed in his palm as he rushed out towards Motor Master. The villain lunged with his sword, giving Cat Noir the perfect opportunity to run his destruction-laced hand along the sword. The purple blade crumbled to rust in Motor Master's hand, the destruction almost spreading to his armor before he quickly dropped the blade.

Motor Master growled as Cat Noir raced away and Ladybug leapt over him to join her partner. He quickly formed another broadsword before revving up his wheels and chasing after the heroes, his rage blinding him to their plan.

"Rena, Carapace, Vesperia, step back!" Ladybug yelled as she and Cat Noir raced between the three heroes and the villains. They instinctively jumped away from the two villains as Heat Hunter and Skidmark unleashed their weapons a second too late to hit the heroes, but exactly at the right time to slam into Motor Master, sending their commander flying and smashing him into a wall.

"Motor Master!" Heat Hunter yelled, rushing to the purple villain's side. Skidmark growled, summoning more energy rings and throwing them at the heroes. Ladybug and Cat Noir jumped to one side, Rena Rouge and Carapace to another, and Vesperia leapt into the air, lashing out and wrapping her top around Skidmark's arm. The black and green villain sneered, summoned another ring and used it as a saw, slicing through the string that bound his arm.

"Uh, Ladybug?! I thought Miraculous tools were unbreakable!" Vesperia yelled.

Ladybug grunted lightly. "Tyranno Moth gave them something that can cut through our weapons. You go recharge and get your top back, we can handle them!" she replied. Ladybug watched as Vesperia nodded and leapt off, then muttered to herself. "I hope."

"Hope is a luxury you won't have access to ever again, Ladybug," Motor Master growled as he staggered back to the fight, Heat Hunter at his side. Ladybug gaped in disbelief; aside from a few minor dents and scratches in his armor, Motor Master looked fine. She defiantly spun her yoyo, the other three heroes by her side readying their weapons.

Then both sides heard two words being yelled out, one in a girl's voice and the other in a boy's. "Clout!" Purple Tigress cried, slamming her fist into Lawrider and sending her rocketing into the sky.

"Brawn!" Minotaurox bellowed, smashing his hammer into Wreckloose and slamming him towards the other villains. Wreckloose crashed into Heat Hunter, sending them both sprawling. Lawrider was luckier, getting caught by Skidmark before she hit the ground.

"Good work, you two!" Ladybug called over to Purple Tigress and Minotaurox. Purple Tigress smirked. "Those two didn't know what hit them," she replied, wrapping an arm around Pigella's shoulder.

Minotaurox nodded, cracking his knuckles. "They came too close to hurting our partners. They deserved that."

A dark laugh from Motor Master caught the heroes' attention. "Fools!" he snarled. "You just brought us back together."

Lawrider shook some of the pain from her head. "You know, boss, they do outnumber us almost two to one," she said.

"That doesn't matter," Motor Master snapped back before turning towards the heroes. Then a wicked smirk spread across his face. "You know, there are a lot of heroes. Maybe if there were fewer of us, we'd have a better chance." The other four villains seemed to understand his cryptic words, certainly more than the heroes did.

"What are you talking about?" Ladybug demanded. Motor Master smirked. "If there's one thing you should know about us, it's that we Road Rippers never back down. Now, we just get bigger. Road Rippers, unite!"

Motor Master's chestplate opened, revealing the blackened handled orb in his chest. The akumatized object glowed black, enveloping the five villains in shadow. The heroes stepped away from the inky mass in shock as they heard whirring and clanking sounds coming from within the cloud. The shadowy cloud started to change from a blob into a distinctly humanoid shape, though much larger than any opponent the heroes of Paris had ever fought.

The shadowy cloud receded, revealing the behemoth formed from the five Road Rippers. From the way the body was built - symmetrical SUV styled feet and legs, a left arm styled after a supercar, a right arm after a race car, the torso distinctly trucklike, all in black and each villain's unique color - it wasn't difficult to tell which member of the Road Rippers formed what on the titanic villain. The akumatized object still glowed behind Motor Master's window pectorals, now forming the colossus's chest. A sword the size of the giant was slung across its back. The combined villains' new giant face was ashen gray, a black, horned helmet on its head. And when it opened its eyes, they were flaming red.

"Welcome to the end of the road," the giant boomed, his voice definitively masculine. "Courtesy of Drivereign!"

Ladybug squeaked in a somewhat undignified manner when Drivereign drew his sword. "Minotaurox, Purple Tigress, you might want to go recharge," she said quickly. The two heroes nodded quickly before rushing off to change back.

"Everyone else… scatter!" she yelled as the sword came crashing down into the pavement.

"Why can't we stay together?!" Dragonus yelled angrily as the Darks' combination fell apart for the twentieth time. Maladea rested a hand on his shoulder. "You'll get it next time," she said reassuringly.

Dragonus shrugged her hand off. "You said that seventeen times already, and we haven't gotten anywhere beyond falling apart. What's wrong with us?!"

The other four Darks glanced at each other, and Maladea noticed their looks seemed… uneasy, like they knew something and they didn't want to share it.

"Did you ever stop to consider why the combination didn't work?" she asked. Dragonus sighed. "I always felt there was something wrong in the mental unification, but we kept falling apart before I could figure out what it was." He stood silent for a moment, then turned to the other boys.

"Were - were you guys pulling back?" he asked, the sting of betrayal in his voice.

"Weren't you?" Crocdown retorted. Alphaux sighed. "Look, boss… Andrew. I can't speak for the group, but I know for myself that I wasn't fully on board with this combination plan. It just felt… wrong. I know you have good intentions with this plan of yours, really, I do. But when you start taking a page out of Magnus's playbook-"

"I'm not like him!" Dragonus yelled, his temper flaring. "You know what he did! You all know what he did! He hurt people senselessly! He hurt Melissa! What I'm doing is going to save people! It's going to save millions, if not billions, of people! Why is it so hard to get on board with that?"

"Is that what you have to do to tell yourself you're right?" Skinker asked quietly. Dragonus stopped cold, the realization sinking in. Then he sat down and cradled his helmeted head in his hands.

"...maybe," he muttered under his breath, just barely audible. "Maybe."

"Maybe that was a little harsh, bro," Iapallidus said, picking his guitar strings.

Dragonus shook his head. "No, he's right… and you're right, Jack, I did start to pull back from the combination." He stood and turned away from the group. "I will admit, there is a part of me that thinks I'm going too far. And I am trying to convince myself otherwise. But I can't lie to myself - or you guys - forever. We can abort the combination plan. I won't force you guys to do anything you aren't comfortable with, especially if my ways are causing us to break apart."

The other four boys seemed to smile behind their helmets as they stood. "We're still with you, man," Skinker reassured. Iapallidus nodded. "Brothers in arms, all for one and one for all, am I right? Just don't force any combinations without a unifying mindset."

Crocdown slid beside Dragonus and clapped him on the shoulder. "No hard feelings, right? I mean, it was just one plan out of a hundred you've probably got in that head of yours." Alphaux smirked as he elbowed his friend. "If you let me take a look at the schematics, maybe we can all work out the kinks in the thing so it doesn't require a mental merger, because that giant body? That felt awesome. I loved being bigger."

Maladea smiled a little as she watched the scene, the five friends - brothers, really, in a way - reconciling and coming to terms with their plans. Then her smile faded when she got a notification on the heads-up display of her helmet, replaced by a look of concern. "Uh, guys? You might want to check this out," she said, projecting her helmet's feed into a wall with a small projector just above her visor.

The report was silent, but the Darks seemed to get the main point. Five new supervillains had burst from the new Hendrol Motors motor plant and were destroying everything in their path, demanding that the Parisians pay for their slanderous crimes. Maladea noticed the expressions of her male teammates out of the corner of her eye as they recognized the villains. Shock, terror, dread… she could feel it radiating from them as they sank to their knees and took off their helmets.

"Boss… what do we do?" Iapallidus asked. "They're our parents, we can't go all out on them." For once, Dragonus - who Maladea knew was usually calm and collected in situations like these - didn't have a plan, only staring into the concrete beneath him.

"No… not this again. Not after that domin…" his words fading into incoherent mumbling and panicked breathing. Maladea had never seen him like that.

It was Skinker who provided a response. Maladea saw his upper lip curl into a snarl, the sound forming in his throat. His tone terrified her. "Tyranno Moth declared war on us. We strike back. Hard. No mercy." He turned to the others. "Suddenly merging doesn't sound so bad."

Dragonus glanced at his friends, a grim look in his eyes. "Are you guys sure about this? We'd probably still be strong enough, even without combining," he said. The others nodded.

"I'm in," Alphaux replied. Crocdown cracked his knuckles. "It's worth a shot."

The twins hefted their weapons. "Ready as I'll ever be," Iapallidus replied. Skinker nodded. "Tyranno Moth is gonna be sorry he ever did that to our parents."

Maladea smirked. "Try not to reveal your identities, though. I'll be ready, in case we need to break the big guy up."

Dragonus smirked darkly. "Well, in that case… Darks, form up!" he commanded, transforming into dragon form. The other boys transformed to their beast modes, then activated the combining process, mutating their beastial shells into limbs and a torso. The five components grafted to each other at their respective joints, and finally the head emerged from the recesses of the body. Maladea finally noticed how it seemed to blend elements of all five beasts in the helmet; dragon horns, wolf ears, crocodile teeth around the mouth, a cobra's hood, salamander fins sticking out of the sides of the hood.

"Uh, guys, you in there?" Maladea asked warily, probing for any signs of the boys.

The giant looked down and regarded the villainess. "Yes… in a way. We… I am more than just five. I am Dharkonicus. And I have a mission. End Tyranno Moth's newest creations." With that booming declaration, Dharkonicus spread his giant wings and launched himself into the sky, flying towards the Champs-Elysees.

"Well, this can only end well," Maladea muttered to herself as she spread her wings and flew after Dharkonicus.

"Stay still!" Drivereign yelled as he cleaved down with his sword. The heroes dodged the strike and charged the giant villain, clubbing and lashing at his ankles with their weapons. Drivereign grunted in annoyance and swept his foot out, his Skidmark leg glowing green as the kick sliced into the surrounding buildings and nearly took off Carapace's head.

"Hey, watch it!" Carapace yelled, throwing his shield into Drivereign's face. Drivereign stumbled back as the shield bounced off of his eye and ricocheted back to Carapace. When the villain could see again, several copies of the turtle hero stood around him, all activating their shield power. None of the other heroes could be seen.

Cloaked by Rena Rouge's illusion, Ladybug flashed a thumbs-up to the fox heroine under Carapace's dome before gesturing for Purple Tigress and Minotaurox to get ready. Then she turned to Pigella and Cat Noir. "Can you get Pigella up to his face to use Gift?" she asked.

Cat Noir nodded. "If Rena's illusion can keep us cloaked up there," he replied. Ladybug pursed her lips. "We'll just have to hope it does."

Cat Noir knelt down, allowing Pigella to hop on his back as he drew his staff. "Cat Noir Elevator Service, going up in three, two, one," he quipped as he extended his staff up to Drivereign's face height. Luckily, the combined villain didn't see them. But then a giant version of the light mask Tyranno Moth used to communicate lit up Drivereign's face. Nine hearts sank as they realized what Drivereign was being told.

The arm that had been Wreckloose glowed a sulfurous yellow as Drivereign pulled it back, then slammed it into the ground. A shockwave spread from the force of the impact, dispelling Rena Rouge's illusions, knocking heroes and what few civilians remained to the ground, sending Cat Noir and Pigella falling off of the stick and landing on the pavement, and cracking and shattering buildings within the shockwave's radius.

"Nice work, Wreckloose," Drivereign said to himself. Then he cried out in surprised pain as two fists slammed into the back of his knees and made him stumble. He turned to see an enraged Purple Tigress and Minotaurox about to strike him again, but then his Lawrider arm glowed maroon and he thrust out his hand. Purple Tigress and Minotaurox glowed with maroon light as Drivereign's arm rose, pulling them into the air. Then they were slammed into the ground violently, and Drivereign released his hold on them.

"Is there no superhero in this city who can challenge me?!" Drivereign yelled to the sky. Ladybug ignored him as she rushed over to the downed Cat Noir and Pigella. "You guys okay?" she asked as she helped them up.

Cat Noir chuckled weakly. "Not too terribly banged up, but I'm probably still gonna feel it later," he replied. "What's the plan now, m'lady?"

Ladybug glanced around. Rena Rouge and Carapace were downed, the shockwave having slammed them against the back of Carapace's Shell-ter. Purple Tigress and Minotaurox were also knocked out. Several Miraculouses were beeping. Vesperia and Polymouse might be trapped under rubble. Pigella was struggling to stand, her usual smile replaced with a pained grimace.

"Let's find out, Cat Noir," she replied, then called on her Lucky Charm. A red-and-black hydraulic opener fell into her arms.

Cat Noir raised an eyebrow. "Jaws of life?" he asked, then shrugged. "It's at least appropriate for these car junkies."

"The akumatized object is still in their chest," Ladybug said. "If we can stun them, paralyze them, pacify them, knock them down, whatever, I can use these on them and open the chest up. Then you can Cataclysm the object." She turned to Pigella. "Can you try and find Vesperia and Polymouse? We'll deal with Drivereign." Pigella nodded and rushed off.

Drivereign's laugh boomed. "And how will you 'deal' with me, Ladybug? I am more than anything you've fought before. You're doomed," he declared, raising his sword. Ladybug and Cat Noir readied their weapons, determined grimaces on their faces.

Then a roar tore the air in half. A shadow passed over the battlefield. Everyone that was still conscious, hero and villain, looked to the sky as a winged figure as big as Drivereign landed by the ruined remains of the Arc de Triomphe.

"Doomed? No, you are doomed, at the hands of Dharkonicus," the figure said, somewhat softly for his immense size.

Drivereign turned to Dharkonicus, drawing his sword. "Well, well, the Darks have come to play, have they?" he asked, then erupted into a maniacal laugh. "You should've stayed away. I crushed those heroes."

"That's not much of an accomplishment," Dharkonicus said coolly. Then he opened his hand, a spear made from the components' weapons - Skinker's and Iapallidus's weapons forming the shaft, Crocdown's, Dragonus's, and Alphaux's forming the spearhead - manifesting in his open palm. "Besides, we're- I'm not really after you. Tyranno Moth has a lot to answer for. And I'm not talking about questions." Dharkonicus expertly twirled the spear and pointed it at Drivereign. "Your move, beast."

Drivereign grinned. "Look at the pot calling the kettle black," he retorted as he fired a barrage of dark blue missiles from his Heat Hunter leg. Dharkonicus launched himself into the air.

"Summon the Pack!" he yelled as his Alphaux leg glowed silver and a dozen wolf clones dropped from the silvery haze, diving into the missiles and slashing them with their claws, prematurely detonating the warheads.

"Snap Trap," Dharkonicus growled as he landed, his Crocdown leg glowing green, the energy from the leg traveling through the ground and snaring Drivereign's legs in the form of twin bear traps. Drivereign yelped in surprise before attempting to slash the traps with his sword, but Dharkonicus charged, driving his spear towards the villain and knocking the sword out of his hands. Expertly twirling around Drivereign, Dharkonicus slashed the other villain's limbs and torso with the speartip before sucker punching Drivereign in the face.

"Is this the only way you can fight?!" Drivereign challenged as he attempted to throw a punch. Dharkonicus chuckled darkly as he flipped over the villain, slinging his spear on his back and with a whisper of "Diversion," he took off Skinker's tail bomb and placed it on Drivereign's back in one fluid motion. Drivereign was knocked forward by the blast, landing on his face. Dharkonicus knelt beside Drivereign's prone form.

"I shouldn't have had to do that, you know," he sighed. "To be honest, you aren't our- my enemy. It's the one behind the curtain. But now, we- I can talk to him and give him a warning." Long needlelike claws slid out of the fingers on Dharkonicus's right hand, glinting red in the sunlight. Dharkonicus seemed to regard them with a sense of melancholy before stabbing into a point at the nape of Drivereign's neck.

A purple version of Dragonus's draconization mask formed over Drivereign's face, and across the city, a golden version of Tyranno Moth's communication mask formed over his face. Tyranno Moth was wracked with pain, falling to his knees as Dharkonicus's voice boomed in his head.

"For too long have we been lenient to you, Tyranno Moth," Dharkonicus snarled, not even bothering to correct himself. "Now you've crossed a line. We will give you a period of time to return the Dark Miraculouses willingly. Once that time is over and if Rexx and Scrugg are not back with us, we will storm your lair and take them by force. And you will learn the meaning of fear." With that, he disconnected the link between them. Glaring one last time at Drivereign's unconscious form, he flipped the titanic villain onto his back.

"End this abomination's misery," he growled at the heroes. Ladybug stared back defiantly at Dharkonicus. "Don't think this new form of yours is going to help you win," she said.

Dharkonicus seemed to chuckle slightly. "We never said that. Now, do it before you transform back. That wouldn't be good, now would it?" he asked before launching himself into the air and flying towards the Eiffel Tower. And Ladybug and Cat Noir could just make out Maladea facepalming as she turned and flew after Dharkonicus.

Quickly swinging up to Drivereign's chest, Ladybug drove the jaws of life into the gap between the windows on his chest before prying them open. The akumatized orb seemed to pulse rapidly as if it were frightened.

"Cataclysm!" Cat Noir yelled as he leapt onto the villain's body and slammed his hand on the handled orb. The object crumbled, releasing the akuma, which Ladybug quickly caught and purified before throwing the Lucky Charm into the air as she and Cat Noir leapt off of Drivereign.

The shadowy ether that had formed the giant dispelled, leaving five very confused members of the Hendrol Motors Board of DIrectors lying on the recently repaired Champs-Elysees. Everett glanced around before noticing Ladybug.

"Oh… you saved us," he said, and Ladybug noticed his tone seemed slightly bewildered.

"Of course we did, sir," Ladybug replied, a gentle smile on her face. "You were akumatized by Tyranno Moth, but everything's fine now."

Everett returned her smile. "Thank you," he replied gratefully, then he chuckled. "Looks like there is one ladybug that actually is lucky."

Ladybug blinked in surprise before her earrings started beeping rapidly. "We've gotta go. Will you all be fine to get home yourselves?"

Everett nodded. "We've already sent for a car," he replied. With that, Ladybug smiled one last time before she and the rest of the heroes leapt over the rooftops of the Champs-Elysees.

"Nooroo, Rexx… Divide," Tyranno Moth commanded, reverting back to Gabriel. The two purple kwamis floated beside him as he clutched his fists in anger. Then he snarled lightly and turned on his heel, crossing his lair in two strides and standing on the pad for the elevator to his lair.

A moment later, he emerged in his atelier, Nathalie standing by the door, tablet in hand. "All of Paris heard the Darks' declaration against you," she said, then her brow creased with an unfamiliar emotion. Worry. "Do you think they'll go through with that threat?"

"Most definitely," Gabriel replied, his voice flat. Then a dark smirk crossed his face. "But I have an idea. One that will help us kill three birds with one stone, in a manner of speaking." He rubbed his wedding ring. "Make arrangements for my sister-in-law and my nephew to stay with us for a while… and be prepared to be akumatized as Mayura for a moment. I need more than one sentimonster for my plan."

Nathalie mimicked Gabriel's smirk as she caught onto the plan. "Forcing Felix's hand?" she asked. Gabriel chuckled darkly. "More like Amelie's, yesss."

And unseen to both of them, Rexx gave a small, satisfied smirk with his holder. Everything was going according to plan. His plan.

Dragonus felt himself separate from the other boys, and as the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower filled his vision, a rush of adrenaline and vertigo flowed into his brain. He stumbled and laughed at the same time as he took off his helmet. He had felt more powerful, more together, than he had in a long time. Quickly glancing around, he could tell by the others' expressions that they felt that way, too.

"That was awesome!" Skinker exclaimed, fists pumping the sky. Crocdown laughed triumphantly. "Oh, man, we really stuck it to Tyranno Moth, didn't we? I could feel his surprise when we connected with him. It was like he got jabbed with a red-hot poker!"

"I will admit, today's akumatization might have been a good thing if it brought us back together like that," Iapallidus remarked.

Alphaux nodded slowly. "Yeah, that was all fun and good, but part of me is still thinking that Dharkonicus can be fixed up. Maybe put more of a limit on the mind merge, or make it so that we have control over our specific part of the body, so that if one of us were, let's say, mind controlled or under a hallucination's effects, Dharkonicus wouldn't be hindered as much by it."

Dragonus blinked in surprise, then stroked his chin lightly. "That… could work. Definitely would be useful in some applications," he replied, plans already forming in his head. At last, Maladea caught up with the group, panting slightly as she took off her helmet.

"You guys move way too fast as Dharkonicus," she commented as she walked over to Dragonus and rested her head on his chest. Dragonus smiled softly and kissed the top of her head.

"Well, we were a bit eager to drive a nail into Tyranno Moth," he replied. Maladea rolled her eyes playfully and kissed Dragonus back. "He probably deserves it, anyhow. Speaking of which, how much time are you giving him to return Rexx and Scrugg?"

Dragonus shrugged. "A week? Maybe longer? Maybe we'll storm the castle whenever we feel like it, just to keep him on edge. I think that's a suitable enough punishment for akumatizing our parents."

The others nodded, their faces turning grim. "We couldn't have hurt them too badly… could we?" Skinker asked, his voice turning slightly weak.

Iapallidus put an arm around his twin. "No… we couldn't have. I don't think so. I mean, the akumatization probably protected them from the worst of it, and Ladybug's cure would fix everything anyway…" his voice trailed off.

"Let's not think about that," Maladea interjected.

Dragonus nodded. "Yeah. How about we get back to the house, transform back and check on our parents?" he suggested to the boys, his glance flickering between the six figures… Dragonus blinked in surprise. There weren't six others. He quickly recounted and sighed gratefully. Only five standing in front of him.

"Sounds good to me," Alphaux replied as he powered up into his flight mode. Crocdown and the twins nodded, powering up into their flight modes, as well.

"Race you guys back to Andrew's place!" Iapallidus yelled as he fired his thrusters and flew off. The other boys yelled indignantly before chasing after Iapallidus.

"Your friends are so crazy sometimes," Maladea commented. Dragonus shrugged. "They're my friends all the same," he replied.

Maladea chuckled. "Good point. Well, I'm off. Mom finally promised we'd get to have dinner together - for once - and I don't wanna be late." She planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "See you later, my dark prince!"

Dragonus smiled back. "Not if I see you first, my dark princess!" he called back as she flew off. Just as he was about to join the other boys, a voice seemed to whisper in his head… a voice that sounded feminine and definitely familiar. Replacing me so soon, Goldie? Did you really need an evil girlfriend to convince yourself you're right?

"Who's there?" Dragonus whispered. The voice didn't answer him. He shook his head. Probably just a side effect of the combination, he thought as he spread his wings and flew towards the Hendrol mansion.

"Do we give our Miraculouses back to you?" Pigella asked when the nine heroes regrouped in the sewers.

Ladybug shook her head. "Keep them for now. With the combined threat of Tyranno Moth and Dragonus suddenly getting a big boost in confidence, I want to be sure there'll be heroes to quickly respond to a threat in case I get held up," she replied. Then her earrings started beeping rapidly. "We're gonna change back soon. Go find a spot and stay there until we say it's safe to come out."

With that, the heroes split up, leaving Ladybug and Cat Noir alone as their transformations faded. Plagg immediately fell into Adrien's palm. "That fight was so tiring. I need cheese!" he groaned.

Adrien nodded, a shadow crossing his face. "Since there are nine of us now, suppose we could… try and find out if my father is…" He couldn't even choke the sentence out.

Marinette sighed lightly and placed her hand on Adrien's cheek, letting it nuzzle into her palm. "We'll find out the truth," Marinette promised. "We'll end this madness. For now, let's wait. I don't want to drag the rest of the team into another fight so soon after the end of that battle. But we will figure this out, Adrien."

"Thank you, Marinette," Adrien whispered, kissing her palm softly before pulling her into a hug. The two stood in silence, enjoying each other's warmth and company, before finally breaking apart. "Do you want to debrief the team before everyone heads home?"

Marinette shook her head. "I'll talk to each of them as Ladybug, give them some basic rules, nothing extensive. I'm tired, honestly," she replied. Adrien nodded. "I get it. Meet you at your place to do homework?"

Marinette smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I might need all the help I can get. Chemical bonds really aren't my area of expertise."

Adrien smiled back. "Okay, then. I'm gonna head back home and make sure my father hasn't completely freaked out yet. See you in a bit, Bugaboo." With that, he quickly transformed into Cat Noir and raced out of the sewer.

Tikki floated up to Marinette's face. "We should look into Adrien's father again, Marinette," she said. "And soon. I'm still not sure if Adrien is completely safe."

Marinette nodded. "I know. But for now, let's hope his father isn't Tyranno Moth. I need to talk to the others. Tikki, Spots On!" A moment later, Ladybug made her way to each hero's hiding place and explained what her rules and recommendations were. But even when she was finished and making her way back home, a sense of dread settled in her stomach. Drivereign seemed to only be the beginning of Tyranno Moth's newest batch of villains. And part of her was scared of what could come next.

That night, Andrew Hendrol felt himself tossing and turning as he tried to sleep. Groaning in annoyance, he grabbed his phone and was about to go flipping through it until he got tired enough when the voice he heard on the Eiffel Tower started whispering in his ear again.

Somebody isn't sleepy, it seems, the voice said, almost silent, but it echoed in the darkness of his room. Too busy contemplating what you did wrong?

Andrew glanced around his room, his eyes seeing almost clearly despite the darkness. Another side effect of having Vorath for five years.

"Who's there?" he asked the darkness. The voice giggled slightly… and the sound of the giggle almost solidified his theory.

Don't you remember me? the voice - no, she - said, and Andrew could almost hear the pout on her face. It had been an expression that had been endearing when he first saw it, but now it was an insult. The first one to steal your heart? The first one to sneak through the cracks in your walls? The one who kept you safe through your devotion?

"You're not real… you're a sentimonster… an illusion," Andrew said defiantly.

She laughed. Fine. Be in denial, she said, her voice turning patronizing. You were so cute in denial, too. At last, the voice faded, and Andrew was left alone with a sleeping Vorath on his other pillow.

It took Andrew Hendrol a long time to fall asleep after that encounter. And even then, he didn't sleep well, as a ghost of guilt seemed to taunt him as he lay dreaming.

Yeah, this kinda was filler, but a good chunk of stuff happened, now didn't it? Gabriel making plans, the Darks getting into a teambuilding exercise, Ladybug and Cat Noir's team growing... and something haunting Andrew. What could it be, though? (Fun fact: when I was writing this, I started watching Arcane on Netflix and it is one of the best shows I've ever seen, easily top ten. Highly recommend it, and it might have inspired a plot point introduced here :p). The next two chapters are going to be another two-parter, and they'll be coming soon. And since this was written before Penalteam came out, I had to come up with Minotaurox's power, and I don't feel like changing it to what it is in canon. As always, tell me what you think, questions, comments, reviews, the whole shebang, and stay safe, healthy, and see y'all next week!