Sorry for the long wait Mistress Mysterious, but thank you for this original akuma-of-the-chapter.
(Akuma Attack. Ladybug arrives at the scene.)
Lila: You're probably wondering: How did the second-in-command of Team Miraculous came to be? Well it first started with the new girl from Italy in a new French school. Sweet... Selfless...
(Someone interrupts by clearing their throat. Lila turns around, only to find Gabriel looking at her with his arms crossed, and an eyebrow raised.)
Lila: Fine...! Anyways... When the first day of school is attacked by two crazy people in butterfly costumes, a lone hero rises to the challenge in order to save her new home from the forces of evil. She was praised and adored by all and-
Rest of Team Miraculous: A-HEM?!
Lila: (Groans) She couldn't have done it without teamwork. There's no rest for the heroine, as she has to survive life as both a high school student, and a superhero. But in the end, she always gets her reward. (Adrien approaches her.) Hey Adrien.
Adrien: Hey Marinette. (Approaches Marinette. Lila growls.)
She had to hurry before she was late. Of course the Butterflies don't have a fixed Akuma Attack schedule. They just corrupt anyone who had a bad day, who the rest of the world turned their backs on, or who had their lollipop snatched away from them.
Rena Rouge stopped, only to stop a car from hitting an elderly lady who dropped one of her grocery bags.
After helping to pick up the grocery bag and being thanked by the elderly lady, the fox heroine continued her long roof run to her destination.
After a few more feet, she hid behind an alley in order to transform back into Alya.
"There you are." Marinette spotted her best friend, "I thought you became victim to the Butterflies' latest victim."
"Almost did." Alya tried to think of a good excuse, "It's a good thing the akuma wasn't big on checking under tables."
Today, Alya's older sister Nora was going to have a boxing match today, so she and Marinette attended to give her their support.
"Would it be so cool to have powers like Rena Rouge?" Marinette asked as they took their seats.
That question made Alya almost fall on her seat. She did her best to hide the nervousness in her smile, "W-why would you ask me that?"
"She probably makes an illusionary copy of her civilian self so that people won't notice she's gone saving the day." Marinette remarked.
"Uh...huh." Alya nervously replied, recalling the one time when Trixx made an illusionary clone of her so that she can "accidentally" be separated from Marinette during an Akuma Attack and help her teammates out as Rena Rouge.
"If I had powers like Rena Rouge, I'd make an illusionary clone of myself so that I could skip class and work on my projects." Marinette grinned.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Alya scolded and wagged a finger at her friend's face, "Rena Rouge earned those powers so that she could save lives, not goof off like an irresponsible teenager. You need to take things like this seriously, Missy."
Marinette blinked, then laughed, "Just kidding, officer."
That's when Alya realized she just briefly went Rena Rouge on her best friend.
Of course it was just a joke. She should've noticed it sooner. It was Marinette for pete sake. She was just fangirling again about being a superhero.
Of course, she should already know that she doesn't need a miraculous to be Team Miraculous' voluntary secret member.
Armed with a large bucket of fries, Zen sat next to Alya, cheering,"Go Lioness!"
"Hey!" Alya poked Zen, "You're suppose to cheer for my sister, remember...?"
"Sorry." Zen apologized, "But Brittany Drake is a beast in the ring! But I'll also be cheering for your sis, Aly. Even more."
Alya humphed, but she couldn't blame him; Brittany Drake, AKA Lioness, was a champion in the ring, never losing to anyone who had the guts to face her. Her opponents would just end up getting bruised, their bones broken, and/or their pride shattered.
Which actually made her worry for her big sister. Nora is tough, but also hardheaded when fighting tough opponents. The moment she was given the opportunity to fight Lioness, she immediately said "yes", swearing to defeat the reigning champion in the end. Mom, Dad, and her younger sister couldn't convince her to back down. All they could do was cheer her on, and be there for her if she ever loses.
"It's starting!" Zen's voice, along with the other spectators', alerted Alya that her sister's match was starting.
The first fighter to emerge in the ring was a tall, muscular girl with dark orange hair styled in a way that it resembles a lion's mane. She roared at the crowd, who cheered in excitement at the appearance of The Lioness, the Queen of the Ring.
Alya has faced many akumatized villains who tower before her and her friends, possessing incredible strength that could squash them like ants. Lioness wasn't akumatized, (hopefully) but she made Alya want to go Rena Rouge and fake an Akuma Attack just to protect her sister.
Then again... she almost revealed her secret to her best friend when she lost her text book...
Her older sister emerged in the ring, her eyes set on her opponent. She may look like she was ready to bring her opponent down, but to her younger sister's eyes, even she was intimidated by her opponent.
Gods! If that Lioness chick becomes the second akuma-of-the-day, she'll eat her flute.
The bell rang, signaling the start of the match. Lioness made the first move, viciously attacking Nora, AKA Anansi. True to her name, she fought like a lion. And when she managed to land a punch on Anansi, knocking her down, she gave out a loud, shattering lion-like roar.
Anansi knew what she was getting herself into the moment she accepted the chance to fight against the reigning champion, but the moment Lioness entered the ring, a little voice inside her she never even knew she even had was screaming for her to run!
But she wasn't going to.
When her opponent got back on her feet, Lioness roared at Anansi to intimidate her. She never expected to receive a hard kick to her stomach followed by an uppercut punch. Lioness retaliated, roaring as she sent a flurry of punches at Anansi.
Alya gripped the edges of her seat as she helplessly watches her sister being beaten up by an animal. Worse, even before she became a hero, her love for heroes made her develop protective instincts towards her family and close friends.
Which is why she can't stop gripping her hand around her necklace.
Lioness once more knocked Anansi down. Just as she was about to deliver the final blow, Anansi kicked the champion on the stomach.
Lioness roared at the intense pain. But before she could retaliate, Anansi punched her on the face four times before delivering a swift kick on her side.
Lioness growled at the sudden pain on her side. She shot one last deathly glare at her opponent... then collapsed on the ring.
Nora quickly reacted and moved out of the way when a tall, brick wall was crumbling and was about to bury her under its rubble. The moment her senses cleared up and she regained her sight did she realize that it was never a crumbling brick wall that was falling on her.
It was Lioness...
Everyone in the room was silent, even the announcer.
Alya was the first to break the silence by clapping her hands while giving the widest smile she could ever give, the same widest smile she had the first time she became a superhero.
Soon, everyone joined in the celebration, cheering wildly and screaming loudly as they tossed their popcorn and fries at the newest champion!
Brittany angrily punched a locker, creating a very wide dent in the center, frustrated on the worst thing that ever happened to her.
She lost! To that weak newbie! Everyone cheered for her instead of Lioness!
She continued her rampage, destroying and throwing anything that crossed her path.
"May-be we should come back after-!"
Brittany threw the nearest bench to the source of the voice. The targets survived, but the bench didn't.
"Nah. This will be more fun." Mariposa approached Brittany, "We can help you, show them the real Queen of the Ring."
Hawk Moth could sense the anger within the fighter's heart and was worried. Strong negative emotions brings out the worst in their victims; enhancing their abilities yet clouding their sense of reason, turning them into warriors of destruction.
And the negative emotions radiating from their current victim were, so far, the strongest they have ever faced.
To Hawk Moth's dismay, Brittany consented... and became a rampaging beast...!
Alya was still glad her sister had won. Even when that rampaging lion started scaring the crowd away.
The akumatized victim was Brittany. She even called herself "Lioness". The Butterflies had corrupted her into a humanoid lion mutant with the strength of a vicious animal.
She tossed the other fighters around as if they were just training dummies. Her strength increased to the point that one punch made the entire building crumble.
Alya didn't have to ask Trixx for an illusion to separate her from her friends and sister. A large piece of the ceiling did that for her.
"Alya!" Nora called from the other side, "Get out of here! We'll meet you outside!"
Just as Nora was about to lead Marinette and Zen to the nearest exit, Lioness appeared before them, stopping them on their tracks.
Lioness growled at Nora, "I'm the queen...!"
Nora attempted to punch her on the face, but Lioness caught her fist and tossed her in the air until she collided with the what's left of the wall.
Lioness ran to her on all fours. She pounced, but missed her prey, who rolled out of the way, causing the villain to collide with the wall instead. As she glared at her prey, someone threw popcorn at her, catching her attention.
"They should've called you 'Scaredy Cat'!" Marinette taunted.
Zen frantically searched through his pockets until he found was he was looking for. Soon, Lioness was trying to catch a small, red dot that was moving everywhere.
"Thanks. We'll take over from here." Chat Noir grinned, which made Marinette blush and giggle.
Zen handed the laser pointer to Azula Paonne before he and Marinette rushed to Nora's side to help her up.
"You guys go ahead." Nora spoke as she glared at Lioness.
Rena Rouge couldn't believe her older sister was willing to stay just to fight Lioness. Either she's going to try to reason with Lioness, or she can't resist having a rematch with Lioness now that she's akumatized and has gotten stronger.
Whatever it was... it was stupid.
Once Marinette and Zen left, Rena Rouge turns to her sister, "I know you managed to defeat her the first time, but she's akumatized now. Meaning,-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's tougher now." Nora cut her off, "But no one messes with my little sis."
"Looks like we have a rematch ladies and gentlemen!" Mariposa grinned as she landed gracefully.
Team Miraculous and Nora were surprised by the sound of excited cheers echoing in the background, despite the fact that everyone has already fled the scene in fear. A swarm of white butterflies flew around them. When the butterflies dispersed, they were transported in the ring, along with Mariposa and Lioness.
"Ladies and gentlemen...!" Mariposa announced through the microphone, "Welcome to the biggest clash of the century! Only one can decide the fate of the World!"
Team Miraculous glared at the younger Butterfly. It wasn't fair to pit 7 against one, but in this case, they were facing an opponent with the strength of a hundred fighters.
And they just witnessed her take down a hundred fighters.
"In this corner...!" Mariposa pointed to Lioness, "With the strength of the queen of the jungle...Lioness!"
The "crowd" cheered. The white butterflies gathered together to form the word "YAY!".
"And in this corner...!" Mariposa pointed at Team Miraculous and Nora, "Weighing in at-!"
"DON'T-! Say it!" Queen Bee narrowed her eyes at the younger Butterfly.
"Team Miraculous." Mariposa finished less enthusiastically.
The "crowd" booed, supported by the white butterflies who formed "BOOOOOO!".
Carapace glared, "Not cool, little dudes."
The bell rang, signaling the time for Mariposa to fly out of the ring and allow Lioness to pounce at her opponents, knocking them everywhere like bowling pins. Anansi retaliated by jumping on Lioness and locking her arms around her opponent's neck.
While Lioness was busy forcibly shaking Anansi off her, Ladybug took this as a chance to grab the akumatized item, Lioness' belt, with her yo-yo. But Lioness was quick, and the villain grabbed her yo-yo, swinging it around, inflicting pain on its owner whenever she collided with something. In reaction to this, the white butterflies cheered. They cheered louder when Lioness slammed her back against the floor, forcing Anansi to release her.
Just as Lioness was about to smash Anansi with her fists, Rena Rouge jumped on her. The fox heroine didn't tackle her to the ground, but she did steer the villainess away from her sister. Because of that move did she receive boos from the "crowd". AKA white butterflies.
"You know...!" She struggles to keep her grip on Lioness while avoiding her dangerous, swiping claws, "We're going to need a wider ring than this!"
Lioness actually agreed with her, because the next thing she knew, she found herself fighting the villain on the streets of Paris.
"You know... you're right." Mariposa remarked, "One against seven isn't fair."
She clapped her hands together, summoning her white butterflies, who began swarming the heroes and Anansi, distracting them from attacking, or even defending themselves from Lioness.
"No one said that!" Ladybug complained as she swatted at the white butterflies.
When Azula Paonne was about to be attacked by Lioness, Chat Noir managed to push his teammate out of the way by extending his staff towards her. This only angered Lioness even more, and she grabbed his staff with her mouth. The cat hero didn't let his weapon go on time and the lion hero shook the staff, along with its owner, before tossing them against a building.
Next, Lioness charged at Queen Bee, only to bump against Carapace's shield. While Lioness pounded on the turtle hero's shield, the rest of Team Miraculous and Nora pounced on her.
Unfortunately... Even the combined strength of five heroes and one kick-boxer was no match for an akumatized, lion-mutated villain.
Lioness pushed them off her, scattering them everywhere. She slammed her fist at Carapace, knocking him at the side before slamming Queen Bee against a building.
Azula Paonne winced at the pain as she struggles to get up. Just how were they suppose to defeat a villain that vicious and powerful?
Another loud wince caught her attention. She turned to her right and found Anansi clutching her right arm in pain. There was no way she'll be able to defeat Lioness in that condition.
Unless...
Azula approached Anansi, "You're not going to be happy when I say this... but you can't go on."
Anansi didn't even face her. She was too busy glaring at Lioness, "I have too. There's no way I'm letting that beast go anywhere near my sisters!"
Azula knew she'd say that. She stared at Anansi's helmet, "There is another way."
Mariposa clapped in amusement at the sight of her fallen enemies, "It's so obvious who's gonna win. So I'm just gonna say,"
"Bon appétit!"
Mariposa was confused. Those weren't the words she was going to say. She was also surprised to find her butterflies hiding behind her and Hawk Moth.
Then she found out why, after she and Hawk Moth were punched and collided against lamp posts.
Queen Bee and Ladybug screamed when they saw the giant spider towering before them. (It wasn't really a giant. More like almost the same size tall as them. Still...) Rena Rouge noticed that the spider had, what looked like, yellow boxing gloves on each end of its eight hairy legs. It stood on two of its legs like a normal human being would. It's legs were yellow with dark brown stripes, the same dark brown color of its head and abdomen.
And her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. The spider has hair. On its head. In dreadlocks.
"Go get them big guy!" Anansi cheered.
Lioness roared and charged at her new opponent. Instead of landing a punch on the spider sentimonster, the spider sentimonster caught Lioness' fist and punched her on the face with its two fists.
"Whoa..." Rena Rouge remarked silently, "No wonder she named herself after a spider."
Lioness attacked viciously, but she could never land a hit on the spider. She did managed to tackle it to the ground. Just as she was about to claw its head off its body, the spider trapped her in a net made of webs.
Lioness struggles to release herself from the net. Unfortunately for her, Queen Bee and Ladybug wrapped her up in the strings of their weapons, rendering her of any chance of escaping.
"Can I?" Anansi asked.
"Go for it." Chat Noir approved.
Lioness could do nothing but to squirm inside her prison of webs as she watched her prey grab her belt buckle. The villain roared at Anansi. Anansi responds by dropping her belt buckle and stepping on it, releasing the black butterfly.
Once the day has been saved, and all the damages fixed, Team Miraculous, along with Anansi and the sentimonster, fist-bumped in victory.
Mariposa clutched her right arm, the same arm the spider sentimonster punched, as she glared at Team Miraculous.
"Told you we should've went with that comic shop owner just a few blocks across." Hawk Moth remarked.
Mariposa ignored him. She was more curious when she saw Rena Rouge happily hugging Lioness' rival.
Even though Alya was relieved that her sister was okay, she didn't really appreciate the fact that she almost crushed her bones with one big relieved hug.
"I'm so lucky to be related to a hero!" She exclaimed, also hoping she's not giving any hints.
"Nah.." Nora waved the comment off, "I'm just the sidekick. Team Miraculous did all the hard work."
"Can I get an interview?" Marinette excitedly asks, "What was it like fighting a villain head-on? How did it feel when Azula Paonne created a sentimonster for you?"
She's fangirling again. Alya couldn't blame her. Her sister was even more awesome today. Even though she couldn't tell her that she was fighting alongside her little sister, she was proud that she stood up to Lioness, even though she was akumatized, and her awesome big sister had only her wicked skills to fight back.
Marinette winced and rubbed her right arm, almost dropping her phone, "Well that's odd. I don't remember jumping into the ring."
As Marinette wondered why her arm suddenly hurt, Zen was looking at his friend with a worried look in his eyes.