Author's Note:
A few comments made me realize that the first chapter was a lot shorter when viewed on the site. Did a slight bit of adjustment but it should be fine going forward for future chapters.
Also apologies on the late release of the chapter, health got in the way of the release and final review along with the creation of this stories cover image! Ao3 will soon have the cover image on the prologue chapter. Hoping to do an image for all stories going forward.
Getting back into the swing of things, so thank you for your patience folks. Enough of me talking, enjoy the story!
"So I guess that device was a teleporter?" Stinkfly asked, taking a look at the city of Paris from his perch on top of one of the buildings. "Can't exactly fly across an ocean to get back to Grandpa."
Lucky Girl put the phone that was at her ear down. Their comms link had a long distance, but certainly was not meant for communicating across the world. "For some reason, I'm not reaching him. It says his number is not even active."
Stinkfly groaned. "Great now we have no way to contact him if your phone is broken. I guess we'll have to wait for me to Upgrade our way back home."
"I don't know if I'd call this an upgrade."
Stinkfly and Lucky Girl turned to the new voice, surprised at not hearing someone sneak up on them. A lanky boy, older than both of them stood there clad in black spandex from the neck down. A belt at his waist was adjusted making it look like a tail. Two cat ears were poking out from his mop of blonde hair, aimed directly towards them. Green eyes observed them warily from behind his mask, despite the casual smile on his face.
The boy dropped from the chimney he was on, standing ten feet away from them. "I don't know who you guys are but trying to rip off current heroes isn't exactly original."
"Current heroes? We don't even know who you are," Stinkfly countered. "From how I see it, you're the copycat."
"Spanner…" Lucky Girl whispered.
The boy raised an eyebrow. "Trust me I know a copycat, it's in the trade after all. Find it hard to believe you haven't heard of me. Cat Noir… at your service."
Lucky Girl and Stinkfly looked at each other for a moment. Lucky Girl shrugged. "Nope never heard of Cat Noir."
Cat Noir chuckled. "I find that hard to believe. Where are you guys from? Are you new heroes?"
Another shared look. "No, we've been at this for a month now. The name's Stinkfly right now. Or Spanner when I time out."
Lucky Girl nodded. "And I'm Lucky Girl. We're supposed to be in Kansas now anyways, but for some reason we're here."
"So, I guess Ladybug doesn't ring a bell either?"
Stinkfly and Luck Girl turned to find a girl with black hair tied in ponytails clad in red spandex. Polka dots covered the entirety of her suit and mask resembling that of the insect she called herself.
"Doesn't ring a bell either," Stinkfly replied. A sudden beeping made him look at the Omnitrix symbol on his head. "Lucky Girl-"
"On it! Galeas Disruptus!"
Both Ladybug and Cat Noir were launched into the air, flying backwards a few houses down before they recovered. They immediately tried to return fast enough to find where Stinkfly and Lucky Girl last were but found no trace of them.
Cat Noir scratched his head as he walked over to Ladybug. "So when identical copies of us didn't work, Hawkmoth is instead using… not exact copies?"
"Maybe," Ladybug replied, thinking over the events. "They weren't going after us like others who have been akumatized, though. There was an opening when they knocked us down."
"Let's scout the area then just to be sure."
Ladybug nodded. "Alright, we'll contact the other if we spot something."
Cat Noir smiled. "Of course."
"Meet back here in an hour!"
"No!" Dr. Animo yelled, holding the remains of his ingenious contraption. "Now I won't have an army to fight against Spanner and Lucky Girl. With so many animals here, I could…" Xavier Ramier thought it best to move another spot for him and his pigeons away from this odd man and his device.
Dr. Animo sighed. "But I can't. I don't even know where to start to try and salvage parts. America I know how, but here in France, I don't even know if I could find it before those two could find me."
The dark shadows of the dome-like room were pierced by the sunlight of the large opening window. The light revealed a silver masked man dressed in dark purple dress attire standing in the center of a swarm of white butterflies.
"A confused and lost soul after a journey with the people they loathe the most. What they need is a guide to help them during such a time of disorder." He reached out his hand expectantly and didn't wait long for one of the white butterflies to land on it. Cupping it in his hands, he focused on it and before long dark energy crackled from it. Once done, he removed a hand to reveal an ominous black butterfly, stained by dark forces. "Fly away my little akuma and evilize him."
The distressed Dr. Animo was too deep in thought to see the approaching akuma. He only noticed it as it swooped in to merge with his contraption.
A soothing voice echoed in his head. "Dr. Humanimal, I am Hawkmoth. You may not know where you are, but I can help guide you and give you the strength to face those who oppose you. All I ask for are Ladybug's and Cat Noir's Miraculous'."
"Ladybug and Cat Noir?" Dr. Animo inquired.
"They are the ones who oppose me from my dream."
Dr. Humanimal could sympathize with this mysterious person. "If they're anything like Spanner and Lucky Girl then I'll accept your gratuitous offer." As he stood up, his entire body was covered with dark energy.
"Well I know why Ladybug and Cat Noir haven't heard of us," Gwen said. She was thankful she had packed her laptop and their regular clothes in the spare time to blend in with the crowd. "All of the articles that were on us cover different topics."
Ben's attention snapped back from his staring at the restaurant across the street serving savory smelling food. "What? How is that possible?"
"I'm not sure…" Gwen thought about it for a long moment. "…unless…"
"What?"
"We're in a parallel world. One where neither of us have our powers. Or exist at all."
"But… how could that be?"
Gwen began to think back earlier in the day. "Animo was going for a device that could look back in time. Normally viewing things doesn't fancy his interest, unless it could also serve as a door as well as a window."
"Wait, so he was going for another dinosaur or mammoth?" Ben shivered, when Gwen nodded. "Facing one is already enough for me, but if he could mutate an army of them…"
"I'm only guessing, it's not like we have Animo here to ask. Considering how many extinct species there are and his obsession with animals it is plausible."
"So what do we know on Ladybug and Cat Noir then?" Ben asked.
Gwen rubbed her temple. "That I don't know. As much as I'd like to find out more about them most of what I'm finding is in French, especially the main blog about them aptly named: 'The Ladyblog'. It has a lot of videos about them that we can use our headsets for to help translate it." She sighed in frustration. "but there's a lot of content and not enough time with Animo still around."
Ben's stomach growled at that time. "Speaking of time, what are we going to do for lunch?"
Gwen's own stomach was wondering the same as they had delayed eating with Animo's attack on the science lab.
Before either of them could figure out, the ground began to shake beneath their feet. People who were walking had stopped and also tried to find the source of these tremors. Gwen had packed her laptop away in haste, her instincts telling her that Lucky Girl and Spanner would probably be needed. "Can you transform?"
Ben shook his head as he twisted the dial on the Omnitrix. "Still in the red. Needs a few more minutes to charge up I think."
A large more mutated than normal animal that may have once been a rhino charged into view, passing the block they were on. Gwen and Ben were on their feet and in the nearest alley to change into costume.
"Well, it looks like Spanner will have to come out with Omnitrix backup," Gwen replied.
Author's Note:
Hawkmoth's poetic monologuing was the hardest to nail down for this chapter. Took a few tries until I felt like this could be something that Hawkmoth would say to a confused and lost evil scientist. You'll see why he's called that pretty soon.
Stinkfly and Lucky Girl was what initially made me want to do this crossover story in the first place to meet the other bug/cat duo.