Cat Hunting
To say man was an unoriginal animal was a term that often rang true depending on the situation. What worked once would work again and again until the problem changed and needed a different solution. The road to your favorite restaurant is under construction? Find another route or try out a different spot. You forgot your partner's birthday? Come clean and hope you can make up for it. The problems often came when the solutions were much worse than the problems that needed to be fixed. Such as what Mina and Alya were faced with at that moment.
Mina and Alya had sobered up by the sight before their feet. Izuku, the man they had come to love, trust and respect was lying down on the floor by the entrance to Mina's apartment, wearing the suit of the infamous vigilante, Chat Noir. They didn't know what had happened to him, but they could tell that he was hurt and hurt badly. Questions filled their minds while going a mile a minute. Neither of them said anything at the sight before them.
They heard a door opening up not far from them. Out of instinct or just because their bodies moved on their own, the two girls grabbed an arm of the unconscious Izuku and dragged him deeper into the apartment.
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" Mina and Alya both muttered as they shut the door before turning to Izuku once more.
Mina closed the door as Alya dragged Izuku's unconscious body down to the couch. They lifted him up, struggling to put him on top of it. With a loud huff they managed to lay him gently on the couch before they started looking for anything that was or could be damaged.
"You know First Aid?" Alya asked.
"Yeah!" Mina replied, pulling down Izuku's sleeve. "I've got a pulse, he's alright."
"Help me get this off of him." Alya pulled off Izuku's trenchcoat and uniform from him. "Mon dieu, this weighs a damn lot! How does he move around with this thing every night?!" She threw the clothes to the side as they were drenched in the river waters.
However, as soon as they got a good look at his body, they were shocked to discover that he was full of bruises and scratches.
"Oh my god, what happened?" Alya asked.
"Get some ice, I'll go get bandages," Mina instructed. "He could have inner bleeding. If he does, we'd have to take him to a hospital."
"Like this?!" Alya gestured from the kitchen.
"Just get the ice!" Mina snapped.
The two girls spent two hours patching up Izuku as best as they could. They sat before him, exhausted as they looked upon their handy work as first time nurses. They'd bandaged up his torso, stitched up his wounds, stopped the bleeding and cleaned the blood. They'd patched him up and made sure that he wasn't as injured as they had previously thought of. But now they were out of the mess they were letting the adrenaline get out of their systems. They had only ever been this tired whenever they were done making love or running from villains, but now it felt like that was nothing.
As they sat down, catching their breath, they took a second to realize what they had just learned and what they had done. Neither of them said a word, letting the silence stew in the room as the man they thought they knew breathed in and out like he was finally resting.
"Izuku is Chat Noir." Alya panted, breaking the silence of the room. "Of all the possible outcomes and people that could be under the mask, I never thought our sweet Izuku would be it. Oh mon dieu, he saved us and others so many times. Has he been using his job as an officer to figure things out? I'm sorry, it's just…This is a lot to take in!"
"I can't believe it, even with this damn thing in my hands." Mina lifted Izuku's mask in her hands. "I always thought that if Izuku had any secrets it would be something like having a crush on the female heroes, or having erotic dreams about them or that he was into something else. Not being a vigilante!"
"Which arouses several questions that I don't know if I want to know." Alya added, taking off her glasses. "But there's one I do want to know. What or who did this to him?"
"Well, whoever they are, they might still be out there." Mina dropped the mask in the pile of Izuku's costume, wondering the why of it all. "And what worries me is just that. They're still out there."
Far from Mina's apartment, in some dark corner of Paris, Hawkmoth was in a steaming rage. The secret kingpin of Paris paced around a darkened room, replaying the events of that night in his mind. His large black armored suit still bore the scars of the battle he had just gotten out of. His one visible eye glared out at the window of his personal sanctum, glaring at the city of lights that was his empire. His hands were still shaking from the fight at the warehouse. He couldn't remember the last time he had to get his hands dirty like this. He'd risen up to the top of this kingdom to ensure a greater future for him, as it was his right. And yet, he was met with adversity at each step.
And now he was face to face with a nobody vigilante that had no Miraculous to call his own. And that… brought a smile to his face.
That smile turned into a chuckle as he tightened his fists.
"You got me good Chat Noir, you and that detective friend of yours." Hawkmoth took off his helmet, revealing his face and blond locks to the darkened room. "It has been a long time since someone got me like that and was able to make me lose my restraints. But every blow must be answered with one just as good. Let us see if you can now fight a war when my full focus is on you. Shall we?"
Hawkmoth pulled out a special phone from his personal desk. He scrolled down to the screen until he came upon the contact that he was looking for. He smiled once the icon of his intended contact came into view. Hawkmoth made the call to his contact who picked up the call shortly after.
"Good evening, Evillustrator." Hawkmoth greeted, turning his sights on one of his favorite paintings.
"Boss, you have need of my artistic skills?" Evillustrator smirked evilly.
"Indeed I do. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been having trouble with a certain hero," Hawkmoth said. "I need you to take him out for me. He's been getting too close to my business."
"How close?" Evillustrator asked from the other side of the call.
"Close enough that he saw me in the flesh and managed to escape with his life." Hawkmoth replied as he looked over some documents on his desk. "His name is Chat Noir, and I'm putting a bounty on him. A substantial reward for anyone that brings him to me, dead or alive. As one of my best assassins, I thought I'd give you a call first."
"I came to mind before Dabi and Toga? I feel most honored that one of my most gracious patrons would hold my skills with such high regards." Evillustrator almost bowed from his other end of the call.
"Dabi and Toga had a small run-in with the Number One Hero, so they'll be laying low as my lawyers are ensuring their release." Hawkmoth picked up one of his documents with a smile. "That's why you're my first call. I expect you to earn your keep."
"My gracious patron, haven't I always delivered a work of art whenever you call upon me?" Evillustrator smirked. "Rest assured, I'll draw out this mangy stray and skin him for you."
"Don't underestimate him, Evillustrator." Hawkmoth narrowed his eyes, tracing his fingers over his right eye, remembering the sting he felt. "He's a sneaky one. A vigilante that doesn't go around looking for the spotlight."
"Bien, mon patron. I understand that this commission is important, and I will turn it into a masterpiece like Da Vinci's Mona Lisa or the Last Supper." Evillustrator twirled a pen on his fingers.
Hawkmoth hung up the call before a thought crossed his mind. Having an assassin targeting an unknown vigilante would cause a lot of trouble. And as much as he trusted the skills of Evillustrator and the other assassins under his employment, he needed to stack the deck in his favor. If there was one thing he learned from his wretched father, it was that he had to ensure that he came up on top.
He grunted, feeling his throat and the back of his mouth burn slightly. Whenever he thought of that man and what he did to his mother, it made him want to throw up all the contents of his stomach. He hated him with a passion and he'd gladly burn down his little empire just to make him roll in his grave. But he knew a far better revenge, rising to the very top, to lengths that the old bastard could never have achieved. And in order to do so, Adrian needed to make another call.
Hawkmoth pressed the number on his next contact. He kept it on speaker, as he enjoyed hearing his agent's voice.
"Volpina, I've got an assignment for you." Hawkmoth smiled as the sun began to rise over Paris. "Trust me, you'll love it."
Back in Mina's apartment, the light of the sun and the sounds of the street stirred Izuku from his exhausted slumber. His body hurt like he'd just been run over by a bus, twice. It took all his strength to look around and see where he was. Craning his neck, he looked around, spotting that he was indeed in Mina's apartment. He saw her and Alya sleeping next to each other, or at least they looked like they were sleeping. He felt a great weight of guilt coming down on his chest. He had hoped to explain things but now that was no longer an option.
He tried to get up but he was struck with pain coursing through his body. He gritted his teeth, trying to hold back a cry of pain. Holding his side, he sat down, trying to understand what had happened last night. He'd seen inconsistencies with how the battle took place and what he knew was possible. Which meant that he was missing some pieces.
The battle with Hawkmoth, Adrien Agreste, was the hardest battle he'd ever had. Izuku needed to understand what had happened. How did someone keep up with so many Miraculous within a body? He'd learn that some special Miraculous had different aspects, like Lady Dragon's Elemental Dragon Miraculous. But they were often connected by the nature of one Miraculous. The mystery of the man that he'd fought was growing deeper by the minute. He remembered how he casually went from one power to the next, using them like they were as much a part of him as each of his fingers.
"Just who the hell are you?" Izuku asked.
"We'd like an answer to that ourselves."
Izuku lifted his head and was met with the second scariest sight of his life. Before him now sat the fully awake Mina and Alya, looking at him with disappointment and a severe want for answers. For the briefest of seconds, he wished that he was still out from the events of the previous night.
"Good morning, Izuku Midoriya." Alya crossed her arms and turned her fox ears back, displaying her mood.
"If that is actually your real name, Chat Noir." Mina copied Alya, adding her own glare to the interaction.
"Um, yeah, well, you see…" Izuku reverted back to the shy guy that the two girls knew and loved. "It's a bit of a long-"
"If you say that this isn't what it looks like, we've got the evidence to back it up." Mina pointed to Izuku's costume, tossed in the corner of the room. "So please, Izuku, tell us. Who are you?"
Izuku sighed, grunting in pain. He had to face the music.
"Yeah, I am Chat Noir. I've been the enigmatic vigilante that has been appearing around Paris at night." Izuku admitted, oddly feeling a weight lifting from his shoulders.
"I knew it!" Mina snapped, pointing an accusing finger at Izuku's chest.
"You did?" Alya asked. "I've had theories of who Chat Noir was and not many of them involved Izuku here."
"Yeah, I just wanted to say that like in the movies. But why are you doing this?!" Mina gestured to Izuku's wounded self and costume. "You're a police officer meant to uphold the law, not take it into your own hands! You've been going out and beating up criminals with Miraculouses in the middle of the night! Oh my god what would happen if Captain Kendo or Naomasa found out about this?! We'd be arrested for sure."
Izuku stopped himself after hearing Naomasa's name. He gritted his teeth, knowing that he got killed because of their actions. Actions that now he had to take responsibility for.
Alya noticed Izuku's shift. She saw that he was holding back the urge to cry or to say something he had.
"Skipping the horrible thought of all three of us going to jail, what happened to you last night, Izuku?" Alya pointed to his wounds. "You came here exhausted and beaten within an inch of your life and then collapsed on the floor. Were you fighting a whole gang or something? You and Naomasa ran out like two bats out of hell. Wait, was he in on this?!"
"No! No, he and I, as Chat Noir, were working on the case of the hidden kingpin." Izuku explained. "He didn't know I was Chat Noir. Last night, we were following a lead we got from a possible suspect inside the Butterfly Gala."
"Wait, wait, wait. A 'hidden kingpin'? As in someone controlling crime in the city from the shadows?" Alya asked.
"It was a theory that Naomasa was working on. Funny enough, me and Izuku helped point it out." Mina scratched her cheek in embarrassment before realizing what Izuku was saying. "You're saying he did this to you?! When I get my hands on him!"
"Mina, no, you don't-AARGH!" Izuku got up too fast, causing his body to recoil in pain.
He fell down butt first, causing the two girls to fear his wounds had opened up.
"You don't understand. He isn't someone we can just go after him. His name is Hawkmoth, and he is a terrible foe." Izuku explained, fighting off the pain from his wounds. "We suspected that he was moving stolen support materials from a warehouse near the Sienne river. But it was a trap. He used several Miraculouses to overwhelm me and Naomasa. What you see is the result."
"Wait, does that mean that you know who he is?" Alya asked.
"Yes. I do." Izuku nodded.
"That's great! You can use that to keep yourself out of prison with this knowledge." Alya sighed in relief.
"You may get suspended for being a vigilante though," Mina added.
Izuku shook his head, knowing that there was more to this messy story than they knew.
"We can't get to him. He's too powerful, in both influence and Miraculouses. Hawkmoth's real identity is Adrien Agrest. And he somehow has several Miraculouses at his command as well as influence in and outside the law." Izuku revealed.
Had Mina and Alya been holding something in their hands they would've dropped it or if they had been having a drink they would've spat it. The revelation was like being splashed with cold water from the deepest slumber. The thought of that man who so casually walked around with his head held high and worked so close to the high society of Paris and many others, was actually a ruthless criminal mastermind that ruled the criminals with fear.
"Adrien Agrest? Izuku, are you sure?" Mina asked. "Wasn't he at the party? How would he have gotten to the warehouse so quickly with no one seeing him?"
"The first Miraculous he used gave him the power to create and control clones of himself." Izuku reached for his shirt, trying to put it on. "Multiplication Miraculous require a lot of energy to maintain."
"Like eating almost everything in sight?" Alya remembered.
"And didn't he leave like around past midnight?" Mina asked.
"That was around the same time I was fighting the clones. Shortly after he brought out another Miraculous for him to use." Izuku put on his shirt. "Naomasa blew a part of his mask off, revealing part of his face. That's how I know his secret identity. The problem is; I have no evidence to start an investigation."
"Now we're following the law, really?" Mina asked.
"It's always been according to the law, Mina." Izuku winced from the pain. "I may have broken some rules, but I never did anything to hurt innocent people. And I did all I could to protect them."
A tear rolled down the side of his face. Neither girl knew why, but they figured that it had to do with what happened the night before.
But before they could press him further, Mina and Izuku's phones began ringing.
Mina picked up her phone, noting that it was an all hands on deck call from police headquarters.
"We'll have to continue later, we-I need to go to work." Mina stood up. "I'll call in and say that you were too sick to get out of bed to come today. But don't think that this is over, Izuku." Mina walked away.
"I'll keep an eye on him." Alya offered.
Izuku wanted to fight it but she was right. He was not in the best position but he was aware of what the message was all about.
"Mina, wait-" Izuku began, only for Alya to stop him.
"You sit tight. You just got put together, you gotta rest up." Alya pushed him down to the couch. "You may be some badass vigilante out there but in here you're our patient and lover. So no more pushing yourself unless we give you the okay. I'm gonna get some new bandages for you."
Izuku wasn't sure what to make of Alya's words. He could tell that she was still angry and shocked by the news that he had just revealed, but she was still worried. The same could be said for Mina. He had betrayed their trust by keeping this from them and now they were going to see the consequences of his secrecy. He turned to the pile his costume was laid out before reaching for something that was inside his pocket. Izuku pulled out Naomasa's badge and felt his tears roll from his cheeks.
The guilt that had started last night got to him. He grabbed hold of a notepad and a pen. He pictured the event in his head, running it over and over again as he wrote down everything to its finest detail. He needed to understand everything while it was still in his mind. He had often used this same trick to get his mind in order and learn what went wrong. According to his father, he needed to replay every moment in slow motion. His processing method seemed torturous, but it was the way he knew how to find what went wrong and improve from there.
As he wrote down everything, his mind drifted to his father. Particularly, to the memory he had treasured dearly in his heart.
Izuku was a young kid and was slowly dragging himself into his house when he heard a car pull up in front of the house. He looked up, and saw his father, Hisashi Midoriya, returning from another hard day of work.
Hisashi Midoriya was a tall man with short black hair, similar to one his son would have in the future along with a shabby black beard. He had dark eyes that radiated a great sense of duty and had with him a cat-like grin that made him look more youthful than he was. He wore his police uniform with pride, despite being covered in scratches and slight scorch marks.
His eyes landed on his son and his red crying eyes. He rushed over to him with worry at the sight.
"Izuku, what happened to you?" Hisashi knelt down to his son's eye level.
"S-S-Some of the kids at school told me that I could never be anything." Izuku sobbed. "They took my stuff and beat me up."
His father hugged him in a comforting hug. Hisashi knew how hard life would be for his son after being diagnosed without a Miraculous. But he was also aware that that shouldn't stop someone.
"Well then those kids are fools. You can become anything you set your mind to," Hisashi said, getting his son to look at him. "I mean, my Miraculous isn't anything good to me or anyone around me, but I can still uphold my duty and help people. Just because you don't have the same skills as everyone else, that doesn't mean you can't become what you want."
"Really?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah, natural talent is great and all, but if you don't nurture your talents and work hard there's nothing you can't do." Hisashi stood up. "Just look at your old man. Even with all my bad luck, I still have a good life and a wonderful family to share it with. Now, let's go in and clean you up before your mom kills us both for looking like messes."
Izuku whipped his tears with the back of his hand. He looked up at his father with a smile. He could always feel safe and happy with him by his side. The pain from his bruises seemed to have gone as his mind moved on to what he could achieve if he put his mind to it. His father often returned in a similar condition that he was in, but he always had a smile on his face.
Izuku looked at his hands, noticing the cuts and blisters that were forming before looking at the ones in his father's hands. As he held his father's hand, he made up his mind of what he wanted to be.
Back in the present, Izuku was finished with his recount of the previous night's events. He knew that the odds were against him, but he also knew that he couldn't stop now. He could not turn a blind eye to the evil actions of someone like Hawkmoth, nor could he let the death of Naomasa be in vain. But for now he had to heal. Heal and find a way to mend fences with both Mina and Alya. Which made him wonder how it was so different from the time Alix learned about his identity.
Meanwhile, Mina was just parking her car before the police headquarters. This was the first time she was not looking forward for another day at the office. She usually had a smile when coming in, but after finding out what her partner had been doing behind her back, she didn't have the same sprint.
She felt angry and betrayed by his actions. She thought she could trust him, she tried to think if anything he did was an act of subterfuge. A vile trick to make her and everyone else think less of him. She shook her head, getting all those thoughts out of her head. She couldn't believe that that was the case. Mina knew that Izuku was a good person and never meant to hurt anyone. However, that left her with some questions that she'd wring out of him as soon as she got home.
Mina arrived at her desk before noticing that the other officers were heading to the meeting room. She followed after them, being met with Captaine Kendo in a very sad mood.
"What's going on?" Mina asked one of her fellow officers.
"Didn't you hear? Naomasa has been found dead," the officer replied, causing Mina to drop her hat.
"What?" Mina asked not believing what she had just heard.
Her mind went back to what Izuku had wanted to tell her. Was he there when it happened? Was this connected to the battle he had with Hawkmoth? Mina's mind was on fire with doubt and uncertainty for all that was going on. She was snapped out of her thoughts by Captain Kendo clearing her throat.
"As you all might've already heard, Detective Naomasa was found this morning inside his car in the middle of a crash. The lab is still processing what has happened, but as far as we can tell this was all the cause of a drunken accident, most likely a hit and run." Kendo explained, her eyes landed on Mina as she seemed to lose all the color of her face. "I would appreciate it if you take a moment of silence for our fallen friend. And I can assure you, we will find those responsible for this. There will be a memorial later this week to put him down to rest. Dismissed."
Mina stood there almost in trance, wondering if she should call Izuku or just drive back to get answers. However, she was caught by Captain Kendo.
"Ashido, my office." Kendo noticed that Izuku wasn't with them. "Where is Midoriya?"
"Um, um, h-he called in sick, ma'am," Mina said. "He must've had something nasty in that party."
Kendo could tell that something was wrong. She knew that both Ashido and Midoriya were working with Naomasa on the case of the hidden mastermind of Parisian crime, add the seemingly accidental death of Naomasa to the mix, and she could smell a rat.
"If that's the case, I'd like to relay a message to him. Be careful the two of you, whoever this kingpin may be, is ruthless and not afraid to kill those that get in his way," Kendo said. "We have to tread carefully. And stick together, we don't know who we can trust."
Mina felt a pang of pain in her heart as she didn't know if she could trust Izuku anymore. But she did know that she had to speak to him about this.
Mina went on her usual rounds, using this chance to call Izuku on her phone. As she waited for him to pick up the phone, she wondered if he knew or if he was hiding what really happened to their friend and superior. She hated double guessing everything that Izuku had ever said or done to her and Alya. But until he got better, she would keep him at arms length. A small smile propped on her face, as she had actually wanted that for a long time.
"Hello, Mina?" Izuku picked up the phone, getting Mina's attention.
"Izuku, you knew what the news when the message was sent, didn't you?" Mina asked, her usual spark gone.
"...Yes. Naomasa died last night." Izuku held back a tear. "How was he found?"
"Car accident. Well, at least it was made to look like a car accident that got caught on fire." Mina explained, stopping at a red light.
"Hawkmoth did it himself, after Naomasa got one last call and a shot point blank to his mask." Izuku explained, with his voice carrying pain and anger in it.
"We'll talk when I get home. How's Alya doing?" Mina asked, changing the topic.
"She's alright, slowly dying to ask me a thousand questions." Izuku commented, looking at Alya as she tried to type her way through her computer, trying to get her mind off her lover's secret identity.
However, before she could hear a reply, Mina saw Chat Noir running away from the hero Monkey King across the traffic. Her eyes went wide as she saw them jumping down to the streets from the rooftops. She stopped her car as she saw them fighting as people ran away in fear.
Her eyes were glued to the fight. She saw Chat Noir dodge and fight against the Number Ten Hero of Paris with ease, but he kept moving and dodging the attacks and not once standing still.
"Quit the jumping and dodging, Chat Noir! I'm the monkey here!" Monkey King twirled his staff. "I'm the one with all the jumping around here! Now come and fight me like a man!"
Monkey King thrusted his staff forward, scratching the Chat Noir doppelganger's side. He pulled back his staff, spinning around for a counter clockwise swing. But his target was a slippery one. He jumped up, swinging an axe kick that cracked the ground under his feet as the other Chat Noir jumped out of the way.
The second Chat Noir ran off as Monkey King chased after him.
"Get back here! You've yet to feel the kind of Havok I can really unleash!" Monkey King chased after him.
"What the hell?!" Mina asked as she saw Chat Noir dodge the attacks of Monkey King's staff.
"Mina, what's wrong?!" Izuku asked, snapping Mina out of her stupor.
"Izuku? How are you in two places at once?" Mina asked, watching the second Chat Noir run away from the hero before he activated his Miraculous.
"What? I'm still at your apartment-ow." Izuku got up in shock, wincing in pain.
"Girl, what's happening?!" Alya jumped in the conversation.
Mina knew that this was not possible and that was not the place to explain what had happened.
"I'll be at the apartment in a sec, don't move a muscle!" Mina began to drive off only to be caught off by a young man walking across the street. "Oh, sorry! Please, get out of the way!"
The young man bowed, tipping his French beret at Mina as she drove off.
"Thanks!" Mina called out, driving away.
The young man grew a sinister smile as his red locks of hair covered the upper part of his face. He twirled his electronic pen as he carried his drawing pad in his other hand.
"That should get that cat out to come and play. After all, every artist needs a calling card." He drew something on his pad before walking away.
Mina was back at her apartment after driving after the other Chat Noir and the Monkey King. She managed to get a few good shots of them, but they managed to give her the slip. After losing sight of them, she turned back and headed back to her apartment. When she saw Izuku and Alya standing there, she knew that something was off. Without losing a beat, she explained what she had seen on the streets and wanted to know where the suit was and how it was that two people wore the same costume.
"So that's what happened." Mina finished her explanation.
"This makes no sense, the costume is right here." Alya pulled up the costume from where it layed. "Unless you know someone else that might be wearing one of these?" She turned to Izuku.
"I made it with stuff anyone can find in any normal clothing store before improving them with some homemade supplies. But no one has seen me in broad daylight or made a clear description of my costume, so how could this other person know of my costume?" Izuku asked.
"The other weird thing is that the other Chat Noir wasn't exactly fighting, more like dodging and moving around." Mina added.
Izuku raised an eyebrow at that. He didn't know how there could be two Chat Noirs instead of one, the only ones that had seen his costume were few and far between, and he never gave them a good look at his suit. Which narrowed the options to only one person: Hawkmoth.
The criminal mastermind hadn't wasted any time in trying to find a way to catch him. Izuku was not going to have a chance to fully rest up. He needed to get on top of this and find out who was being sent after him. And for that he needed to go out.
"Is there anything else?" Izuku asked.
"I didn't stick around all that long, I went after them hoping to learn what was going on," Mina said as Alya looked at the alerts of her song.
"Then you probably missed who did this?" Alya showed Izuku and Mina the picture.
On the front of Alya's phone screen, Izuku and Mina watched as the news were covering the events of the strange pursuit. The news reporter was explaining what had happened but they were more focused on what was behind the reporter. They were looking at a black cat paw print on the top of a building entrance with the words 'Cats Only Have Nine Lives' underneath the paw print.
"According to first hand witnesses, the unknown vigilante Chat Noir was seen fleeing from the scene while being chased after by Monkey King through the square. The reports say that Chat Noir then appeared here once more and left this strange message behind me. Is this a challenge against the lawful heroes of Paris? Or could this be the vigilante showing off the bad luck that he is trying to bring upon the city?"
Izuku narrowed his eyes at the print. He could tell that this was a challenge to him.
"I need to go and look at this mark myself." Izuku reached for his costume, only for it to be snatched away by the girls.
"Oh no, no, no. You are not going out there in your state." Mina snapped at him.
"Yeah, if they're looking for Chat Noir, you suiting up isn't the best idea," Alya agreed.
"Then I need to go get my uniform from my apartment. Because I won't stand by and let Hawkmoth put people in danger to get to me." Izuku gripped Naomasa's badge in his hand.
Mina and Alya sighed, knowing that they were not going to change his mind. They also knew that it was better to help him and get some answers instead of making him strain himself. The possibility that he could be taken out or hurt even worse for going out and doing the right thing terrified them. They hated to admit it but that was one of his better qualities and the determined look that he was giving them was making them blush.
They shared a glance between the two of them, knowing that they couldn't stop him. Letting out a sigh of defeat, they turned to Izuku.
"Alright, but we are establishing a few ground rules." Mina pointed down with determination, though failing to hide her blush.
Izuku shrugged in defeat, knowing that they had folded by his bluff. He calculated that it would be at least two or three more days before he was back on the streets in fighting shape.
The next day after talking to Captain Kendo and agreeing to keep a low profile, Izuku was back in his uniform as Mina parked Alien Queen next to where the paw print was left. He managed to get out of the car with only a couple of pained groans. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt like the bandages and the ice packs were keeping him together. He looked at Mina who was giving him the best thumbs up that she could, despite knowing that he was going to try to detect anything that stood out as odd.
Mina and Alya's conditions for him going out were simple yet very firm. First, he was to always remain on Mina's line of sight and call her over whenever he found anything strange. Second, he was to share any and all of his findings with Mina and Alya whenever he noticed something off. And lastly, he was not to try to ditch them or go out on his own for patrol, leaving his suit and gear back at Mina's apartment.
"Alright, partner, time to show off those secret super detective skills and find anything that may be out of place." Mina wrapped her arm around Izuku's neck, making him wince.
"R-R-Right, Mina. C-could you loosen up?" Izuku asked, getting Mina to raise her eyebrow. "Still sore, remember?"
Mina jumped back in shock.
"Shoot! Sorry, partner!" Mina winced.
"It's alright," Izuku said. "I'm just glad that you're smiling again."
"Don't think flirting will get you off the hook mister." Mina pouted, looking away with a blush.
Izuku smiled, feeling some sense of normalcy. However, he knew that he had a job to do. He turned his sights at the paw print message. As Mina kept an eye on him as he looked over for anything that got out. Using a pair of latex gloves, he traced the paw print, noticing the way it was all evened out and how the paint seemed to be when looked under the light. He rubbed his fingers together, noting the dryness of the paint. It was as though the paint had dried up the second it was plastered onto the building.
He turned around and looked at where the battle had supposedly taken place. From what Mina had told him, the fight seemed more like a spectacle than an actual confrontation. Which made him question if the graffiti was placed there as a mark or as a calling card.
"Find anything, partner?" Mina asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Oh, um, I think so. Is this where you were parked when you saw the fight?" Izuku asked.
"It was… a little more… around here!" Mina walked down to the street and jumped at the stop sign before the pedestrian crosswalk.
Izuku followed her, trying to get a grip on the whole scene they had seen.
"Did anything else happen between you following the fight and the graffiti appearing?" Izuku asked.
"Well, apart from the young artist that I almost ran over? Nothing comes to mind." Mina mauled the events in her head, trying to make sense of things best she could.
"An artist? How could you tell?" Izuku asked.
"Well, he sort of had the stereotypical look of a French artist. So I guess I called him that in my mind." Mina shrugged.
Izuku raised an eyebrow at Mina's words. He wouldn't have seen it as odd or unusual for a painter to be around in Paris drawing or painting the scenery. Looking around, he couldn't notice any traces of paint on the street floor or the evidence that someone had been laying around to paint a picture in the middle of the street. He frowned as another thought popped in his head.
"You got something?" Mina asked.
"Oh, um, yeah, I got something," Izuku replied, not used to getting his thoughts poked at constantly.
"Great, let's talk in the car." Mina dragged Izuku back inside Alien Queen for a private talk. "So, what's the sitch, Poirot?"
The green haired vigilante took a moment to organize his thoughts. He had never had to explain his process before. But he knew that he had to follow the set rules that Mina and Alya had stated or else. Izuku looked out of the window, focusing on the graffiti that was targeting him.
"Well, for starters, the paint that was used for the graffiti was plastered not sprayed. There are no marks of proper movement from any particular spot." Izuku explained.
"Huh, what do you mean?" Mina asked.
"You know when you paint a portrait and you trace your brush on the concave, you leave a trail of paint that becomes fainter the further you go from where you started? Well it's the same thing here," Izuku said. "However, this looks like the paint was just stamped and it dried quickly."
"Wow, how did you notice that?" Mina asked, poking her head out to see the graffiti.
"There aren't any drops of paint on the ground nor smeared paint from the graffiti. Which means that either the graffiti artist had a special quick dry paint on hand, or they had a large stamp to make said graffiti." Izuku scratched his chin in curiosity, wondering how this happened so quickly and without anyone noticing someone painting the mark.
"Maybe the graffiti artist had some kind of super speed Miraculous? That's what I think makes sense." Mina commented.
"Possibly, but that would mean that they were working with the Chat Noir imposter. And someone might've seen them." Izuku then thought of an idea. "Which brings me back to the artist and the double. Did you manage to catch anything in particular of the artist? Was he carrying anything to draw in, like a notebook or a sketch book?"
Mina thought for a second when she remembered something that made her snap her fingers.
"He had an electronic tablet and an electronic pen with him!" Mina said. "Wait, that doesn't make sense."
"Not to us yet, there's a camera on the back across the street, it must've caught something we haven't seen yet." Izuku pointed to the camera.
"Nice. So this is what it feels like to be in on the workings of your mind?" Mina asked. "I feel kinda cool. I always figured you were super shy and just spoke when you knew what to say."
Mina and Izuku moved on to the bank, asking to watch the footage from the camera. As they waited, Mina looked at Izuku, wondering about their time as partners. She made sure to keep her eyes on him as she tried to open the vault that was his mind. She had started the day looking at his actions as tricky and full of ulterior motives, but the more she continued working with him, the more she grew to understand why he did the things he did. But there was one question that had been eating at her for the longest time.
"Well, the security camera footage should show us what happened between the time you saw the fight and after you left." Izuku said as the video footage rewinded.
"Yeah, yeah, hey, um, I know this might not be the right time. But I need to ask you something." Mina looked around, making sure no one was eavesdropping. "Why do you do it?"
"Huh?" Izuku asked.
"Don't play dumb with that cute face of yours, mister." Mina pinched Izuku's cheek. "You know what I'm talking about. And remember our rules."
Izuku rubbed his pinched cheek, wincing slightly at the pain it gave him. He knew what Mina meant, but he wasn't prepared to answer it. There would never be a good time for him to answer the question, but he had to wing it.
"Well, remember back when in school people would ask you what you wanted to do with your life?" Izuku asked.
"Don't remind me. I was asked to decide my future when I was fourteen," Mina ranted. "Who the hell knows how the real world works and what they want at fourteen years of age?!"
"Yeah, French Academic Education System aside, I wrote down that I wanted to be a hero. Just like everyone else in my class. But I wanted to be a hero like my dad used to be." Izuku explained. "He was a cop just like us."
"Aw, you wanted to be like your dad. That's so cute~." Mina squealed.
"Yeah, he was my hero. He lifted me up when I was down while heroes like All Might inspired me to be a hero. But my life wasn't easy. Most people looked down on me since I had no Miraculous, even while I had some friends like Katsuki that cheered me on and told me to go for my dreams." Izuku continued. "As I grew up, I saw how hard my dad worked on his job. And how he kept on applying himself to help me and doing what he had to to be better. He told me that his Miraculous wasn't something he liked, but thanks to it, he learned the value of working hard and dedication. That was what inspired me."
"Wait, what was his Miraculous?" Mina asked.
"He had a Miraculous called Bad Luck, it was powerful, creating a small aura that made bad luck take place around him. He was like a living embodiment of Murphy's Law," Izuku said. "He would order coffee and it would burn his tongue. He would connect the new stereo, it would take out the lights of the whole house. He would arrest a criminal he would have to run after a runaway bus."
"Wow, that sounds like a lot of our messes were like a follow up act to what he had to go through." Mina commented in surprise.
"Yeah, the force dubbed him Hisashi "Black Cat" Midoriya, for all his bad luck. But he never missed one day. He never stopped working hard to uphold his duty." Izuku looked down fondly at his scars and callused hands. "He would have to work ten times harder to keep up with everyone else. His boss at the time once told him that if not for his Miraculous, he would be police chief instead of him. I saw him doing everything he could and go beyond because he felt like he had to. My dad told me that what matters is not how we come into the world, but what we do in it."
Mina was left speechless. She started to see what made Izuku work so hard when it came to being an officer of the law. And why he took on the mantle of the black cat for his vigilante identity.
"I know that it may sound selfish, but I wanted to prove that I could be a hero. I wanted to help people just like my dad had taught me. As a way to fight against the people that told us that no matter what we did, nothing would change." Izuku took on a serious tone. "It may sound petty, but I wanted to prove that what my father taught me is worth more than any Miraculous. So, I studied, trained, sharpened my skills until I could be the best I could ever be."
"Can I kiss you?" Mina asked, snapping Izuku out of his speech.
He looked at Mina with a confused look. He didn't know why but she was looking at him like an admirer who had just found a reason to fall in love with the person next to them. Izuku couldn't help but blush in embarrassment at the sight. Clearing his throat he tried to find something else to change the subject.
"Well, um," Izuku mumbled, causing Mina to giggle.
"Relax, Izuku." Mina kissed him on the cheek. "I'm just glad that the guy I fell in love with is the real deal."
Izuku smiled as the security camera stopped at the moment they were looking for.
They observed the recording, noting how the graffiti just appeared like how Izuku had speculated. They turned their attention to the man dressed as an artist. Zooming into his corner of the screen, they saw him draw something on his pad before swiping it towards the building where the graffiti had appeared.
"Got you now." Izuku looked at the artist.
"Wait, so that's the guy that made the graffiti? How did he do that?" Mina asked, looking at the screen.
"It could be his Miraculous, probably used his pad as a means to focus it." Izuku analyzed. "But the question remains as to why he'd be calling Chat Noir like that."
Just then, the radios on their belts came to life with a call.
"All units available in the facility of Palace de la Sorbonne, we have a sighting of Monkey King battling against an unknown assailant causing havoc. Requesting backup Repeat, All units available in the facility of Palace de la Sorbonne, we have a sighting of Monkey King battling against an unknown assailant causing havoc."
Izuku and Mina looked at each other, wondering if it could be.
"Dispatch this is Ashido and Midoriya, describe the villain, please." Mina spoke into the radio.
"Clad in a full black suit, black fedora, black trenchcoat, black mask, officers."
Izuku and Mina knew that it was their guy.
"We're on our way." Izuku replied, wincing from the pain of his injuries.
Driving like their lives depended on it, Izuku and Mina arrived at the Palace de Sorbonne as they saw the other officers setting up a defensive perimeter. They got out of Alien Queen and joined the officers before their eyes landed on the fight itself. They saw Mokey King and the other Chat Noir were battling it out in the middle of the square.
The Number Ten hero spun his staff around, creating a movable spinning shield that he used to create a dust cloud against his opponent. Like a wild monkey, he jumped in the air bringing down his staff against the other Chat Noir before he rolled out of the way. Carrying on with the momentum, Monkey King swiped the floor from underneath the feet of the imposter. However, the fake Chat Noir pulled out his kali sticks, tossing them at the Number Ten Hero, hitting him in the chest.
Chat Noir grabbed one of the nearby trash cans, flinging it at Monkey King. As the hero got a face full of trash, the imposter ran after the monkey themed hero, landing a kick to his stomach.
"You're so going to pay for that, villain!" Monkey King skidded to a halt.
Monkey King spun his staff over his head as his eyes glowed a bright orange fiery glow.
Back on the sidelines, Izuku's eyes widened at the sight.
"We have to stop this fight before Monkey King uses his Miraculous," Izuku whispered to Mina.
"Why? If he's taken into custody then we can get answers," Mina argued.
"If this is all a set up, then there won't be a chance for that. Whoever that is will have an escape plan to taunt the real vigilante out of hiding." Izuku explained.
As if on cue, a pair of rockets appeared out of nowhere, forcing Monkey King to jump back. The explosion pushed him back before two more rocket missiles came after him. He jumped up and dodged the rockets as they chased after him like a pair of cats going after a slippery mouse. He smacked the rockets away from him, sending them away, making them explode against the buildings around the square.
However, as soon as he stopped one rocket, he was met with two more. He couldn't keep up with this madness without his Miraculous. He jumped and climbed the buildings like a wild monkey would a tree, avoiding the now ten rockets chasing him. Jumping in the air he spun his staff over his head as he prepared his next attack.
The hero glared at the machines with his ignited eyes. looking like two blazing balls of wrath. His spinning staff glowed bright orange like his eyes before he slammed it on the ground in the middle of all the rockets. Activating his Miraculous, Monkey King created a fiery orange dome that engulfed the whole square.
"Get down!" Izuku pulled Mina away from the dome as everyone that was taking pictures and video were hit by the power of the Miraculous.
Inside the dome, everyone was going berserk. Their minds were going into overdrive, like if they had been given a mixture of caffeine, cocaine, and sugar straight into their bloodstreams. They saw everything going from slow motion to going at hyper speed. Their recording devices were also affected by the strange dome, turning on and off while taking pictures and videos and sending tweets at random.
The only ones that weren't affected by the Miraculous were Izuku and Mina, who jumped out of the way just in time.
"What the heck is that?!" Mina snapped.
"That's Monkey King's Miraculous: Havoc. It allows him to super charge his senses to the point that everything is in slow motion for him and helps his body move at greater speeds, meanwhile others that are affected by the Miraculous are put in a hyperactive state. Their minds shift from seeing everything in slow to fast motions. Even machines are affected. One of his signature moves is when he channels a big chunk of that power and uses it as a dome, just like now." Izuku explained.
"Heavenly Havoc!" Monkey King cheered as the world became his stage and knew exactly what to do.
Using his super charged senses, the Number Ten Hero of Paris jumped into the air, quickly smacking any and all rockets coming his way. He jumped and hopped on the rockets before destroying them like they were clouds. All the while he laughed and smirked as the people around were enjoying his crazy acrobatic skills like somersaulting, spinning and twirling in the air.
"He certainly is having fun." Mina commented. "Wait, what about the other Chat Noir?"
Izuku and Mina turned to see the imposter Chat Noir make it to one of the back alleys, unaffected by the Heavenly Havoc move.
"Let's go!" Izuku and Mina took off after the imposter.
They chased after the imposter, going into the alley. They didn't know what to expect but their quarry was there and they weren't going to let it get away. However, it wasn't a matter of keeping up or not, Izuku was already feeling the effects of his injuries taking a toll on him. But despite the pain, he kept on going along with Mina after the man that was impersonating him.
They zig zagged after the imposter as they ran deeper into the alleys. As they ran they wondered what would happen once they caught up to him or if the artist would be waiting for them as well. They shook their heads, getting rid of the worries. They'd have to make due with what they had.
"Who do you think is under the mask?!" Mina asked as they ran.
"Not sure, it could be any of Hawkmoth's minions. But they also have to be working with the artist from the video." Izuku gritted his teeth, pushing back the pain. "He wouldn't be the one doing this himself, which means it could be anything from a petty thug to someone higher up the ladder."
"In that case, get behind me. You're in no condition to fight." Mina pulled back Izuku.
However, as soon as she did that, Izuku tripped on an empty glass bottle. He fell, pulling Mina with him to the ground. They fell down in pain and with some dirt on them. They groaned as they pulled themselves up from the ground. Izuku could feel Mina's glare on him from the side of his head.
"That was an actual accident, I swear," Izuku said.
"Well, that should get the attention of the real Chat Noir my creation."
Izuku and Mina's eyes widened as they heard the words being uttered. They silently followed up to the corner of the last alley. As silent as a pair of church mice, they peaked to see what was going on.
At the dark end of the alley, they saw the imposter Chat Noir standing before another figure, the artist from the other day. But now he looked differently. He wore a black beret on top of his red locks as his purplish skin was only covered by a black domino mask that resembled the wings of a butterfly. The rest of his body was covered by a black and white skin tight spandex catsuit. The upper body part and whole arms of the suit were white with black stripes that took a 'V' shape in the torso area. On the top of his chest he had a black spot with three polka dots inside it, one red, one blue and one yellow. The pants section of the suit was black all the way down past the knees before the feet were colored red like blood. In his right arm he carried an electronic tablet while in his left he had his electronic pen for his malignant pieces of art. All the while he smiled with an evil glint in his baby blue eyes. His slim somewhat skinny physique made him look harmless, just like all snakes before they bare their fangs.
"Ah my well esteemed patron was very helpful with the details of your design. Though I wish I could draw out the real Chat Noir," he said with a sad sigh. "Alas as the old Greeks would say, the idea is far more powerful than the image. Yet the Evillustrator will attempt to bring a work of art to the end of this pesky vigilante! I swear!"
Izuku and Mina looked at each other as Mina pulled out her phone, recording the words of the villain's monologue. They were hoping that the villain would tell them where he was going or what his plan was. But that was hopeful thinking. They remained quiet as the villain stopped his laughing.
"Oh well, I'll keep that monkey running around making himself the fool, that should get the real Chat Noir to show himself." Evillustrator drew on his pad, transforming the imposter Chat Noir into the same graffiti that he'd used before. "Maybe I should try to switch up targets."
"We've caught him in the act, Izuku, we can arrest him," Mina whispered.
"But we don't know how his Miraculous works, we need to take this slow." Izuku whispered back.
However, before they could jump out and arrest the evil Frenchman stereotype, he drew up a tall brick wall, blocking out the alley.
"Well, damn. We missed him." Mina put her recorder away as she looked at the wall.
"It looks very solid. Like it's actually brick and cement." Izuku touched the wall in curiosity, getting a feeling like he was touching dried up paint. "But it feels like I'm touching dried up paint."
"At least we know who that clown is and what he's after." Mina and Izuku left the alley, thinking about what the mad illustrator had planned for them.
As they made it back to the Palace de la Sorbonne, they saw Monkey King greeting his fans and admirers as the other officers combed the area for any clues as to where the rockets came from.
"Don't worry, don't worry, everyone will get a picture with yours truly!" Monkey King reveled in the cheers of his fans. "You know how it is, one quick flex of these guns and all villains go running! That puny wannabe villain will get his soon enough!" Monkey King flexed his arms, getting his female fans to fawn over him even more.
Izuku had to force himself not to roll his eyes at the Parisian hero's showboating. He instead went on to ask the officers if they had seen or learned anything from the remains of the rockets. Sadly, the machines had been broken beyond repair. But nothing was unsalvageable, as Izuku touched the rocket, feeling the same feeling that he did when touching the brick wall.
However, as Izuku was doing this, Mina had decided to get some much needed answers from Monkey King.
"Hey, Monkey Man, I've got some questions for you to answer." MIna pulled out her notepad, but the monkey themed hero didn't seem very interested in answering questions.
"Yeah, yeah sweetie, here you go." Monkey King snatched Mina's notepad before signing it with his autograph and tossing it back to Mina. "Don't worry ladies, there's still plenty of me to go around."
"No, sir, I'm an officer of the law." Mina showed him her badge, finally getting his attention. "I'd like to know why you were pursuing that individual."
"I think it's pretty obvious, he's a villain and we heroes chase after villains," Monkey King said like it was the simplest thing in the world.
Mina wasn't satisfied.
"Could you please explain." Mina wondered if she was speaking with a moron.
"A special hero call, I'm afraid. Turns out that the vigilante has broken quite a lot of laws." Monkey King smirked. "I saw him out and gave chase, no doubt that he fears my great skills."
Mina wasn't able to keep up with the hero as he was taken by his fans away from the scene. She sighed in defeat as Izuku caught up with her.
"I take it that Monkey King wasn't very helpful." Izuku pointed out.
"Yeah, surprised that he is in the number tenth spot. He did mention that Chat Noir was a villain and that he has broken several laws." Mina whispered. "And I got an autograph."
"Sounds like something we'll have to tell Captain Kendo about this. I smell a rat." Izuku narrowed his eyes.
"Of course a kitty like you would smell one." Mina scratched Izuku's chin, making him blush.
Captain Kendo glared at her screen. She didn't like what she was looking at and she was even less pleased with what she had been told. If she wasn't already crushing a big piece of metal into a compressed ball of iron, she would be ringing the neck of whoever pulled this stunt.
"Can someone please explain to me, why have the Heroes' Association put out a bounty on a vigilante?!" Kendo snapped, turning her screen to Izuku and Mina.
"We are, um, just as confused as you are, ma'am," Izuku replied. "But it seems like someone has gathered evidence to put the heroes after the vigilante."
"That's just what we needed. I'll talk to the Public Safety Commission and get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, you two keep your eyes open for anything you can find on this Evillustrator you spotted." Kendo dropped the metal ball to the floor. "We have Naomasa's service in two days and I don't want anything getting in the way."
"Yes, ma'am!" Izuku and Mina saluted their captain.
"Dismissed." Kendo walked out of her office.
Izuku and Mina gave the screen one last look at the picture of what was a modern Wanted Poster with Izuku's vigilante face on it. Underneath it, they could make out a list of all his supposed criminal offenses. The list before them spread from reckless endangerment, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, carrying weapons without a permit, assault and it stretched down to minor crimes and acts of vandalism to private and public property.
"That's not a good look," Mina said.
"The problem is that Chat Noir has actually broken some of these laws, but not to this degree," Izuku confessed. "Some of these are trumped up charges. Someone with influence within the PSC must've done this under you know who's orders."
"Well, one problem at a time, darling." Mina wrapped her arm around Izuku's shoulders. "One problem at a time."
Over the course of the next two days, Izuku and Mina kept a low profile as they went about their everyday business. But they made sure to keep a tab on all the spots Evillustrator had tagged with his graffiti. It wasn't easy, but Izuku's wounds healed as the two days passed with Mina and Alya keeping him from suiting up. The lack of work was killing him, but he made sure to keep himself in shape as he thought of ways Evillustrator's Miraculous worked.
Izuku and Mina had gone on to look into the identity of Evillustrator, and had gotten mixed results. The name was a no go but the description partly matched the description of a man Interpol had on their radar. It wasn't much to go on but it was worth the shot for the two officers.
The man was a pale skinny redhead with baby blue eyes. His name was Nathaniel Krutzberg. All that he was missing was the beret and the black domino mask and he'd be the vivid picture of Evillustrator.
"Wow, he looks almost the same," Mina commented.
"Must be because we saw him with his villain costume and not his everyday clothes." Izuku looked at the assassin, wondering about how his path led him to Hawkmoth. "According to Interpol's file, Nathaniel was once a prominent artist in Germany for a number of years. Graduated with full honors from his art school and went off to work as an artist, in one of Berlin's more esteemed museums. He was a pretty big name for a while, until the critics started to bring down his work. They destroyed his latest work, which led him to being mocked and ridiculed by those he once received praise from."
"Wow, that's gotta sting." Mina winced.
"That's not all. Turns out he had an emitter type Miraculous called Art Alive. He was never seen using it in public, but he vanished shortly after the critics were all found dead by an assortment of weapons made out of a strange substance." Izuku scrolled down the file.
"Paint?" Mina asked.
"Yep. After that, similar weapons and artifacts have been found in different parts of Europe, and Paris, France as of the last three years." Izuku finished. "So, we can infer that Nathaniel and Evillustrator are the same person, which means that we know his modem is drawing things made out of paint in his tablet and then turning them into real life constructs."
"What about the imposter? Is it a construct too that moves on its own?" Mina asked.
"For a seasoned artist like Nathaniel, drawing and switching up between drawings that he can control like a puppet." Izuku explained.
"Like a live comic book!" Mina snapped her fingers. "But how do we beat it? Water?"
"Not sure. Maybe," Izuku said.
As they did that, Alya kept a low profile of her own, working on her own angles as a journalist. She was following the story as well, but had been taking time to put something together. Which meant that she had to stay away from the work of the officers. But that didn't mean that she didn't call to check up on Izuku and Mina whenever she had a little time to spare.
"So how are my fellow nurse and naughty kitty doing this fine afternoon?" Alya called on her phone.
"We're trying to get one step ahead of Evillustrator and Monkey King, Alya," Mina answered as she drove.
"So far he's only struck at places to make a ruckus and make Chat Noir appear, but I think he'll try something more to get his attention." Izuku looked over a map of all the marked graffiti. "All those times, he has made the same act, trying to get as much attention to get Chat Noir out in the open. The real one."
"And since he isn't getting any acknowledgement from our kitty," Alya began.
"He might do something drastic." Mina had a thought. "Hey, do you think Evillustrator could try to set up an attack against the police?"
"Huh?" Izuku asked.
"What makes you say that?" Alya asked.
"Think about it. If Evillustrator's boss knows about Naomasa's involvement, that means that he could be looking for Chat Noir in the middle of the service." Mina argued. "He's been going all over the city causing mayhem but he hasn't seen hide nor tail of Chat Noir, which means that like any good artist…"
"He'll have to try something drastic. Maybe even risky. Have 'Chat Noir' crash the service definitely fits the bill." Alya smirked from the other end of the call.
"Only this time, we'll be ready for him." Izuku clenched his fist, looking at a picture of the graffiti.
"If that's the case, I don't think we can pull it off any longer. But it will give me something to work on to finish my side project." Alya sighed. "I'll see you guys at my usual spot."
As Alya hung up the call, Izuku and Mina looked at each other in curiosity.
"Since when is her apartment our usual spot?" Izuku asked.
"You know our sweet vixen, she likes to be on top of most things." Mina unlocked her car. "Besides, we've got to get your work clothes."
Izuku and Mina drove all the way to Mina's apartment. They had to recover something that Izuku had wanted for the last few days.
Mina unlocked the drawer before Izuku opened it, revealing his neatly folded Chat Noir suit.
"I gotta ask, how do you walk around with a change like that?" Mina asked. "It doesn't look like you can just hide it."
"Let's just say, it gets very warm carrying it around. But I mostly use it at night." Izuku looked over his gear. "I'll have to fix some of these before the service. It's kinda funny, but I've felt naked without this around."
"Well, if you were, neither me nor Alya would complain." Mina giggled.
Izuku smiled at Mina, knowing that although she didn't agree with what he was doing, now he had to. He needed to put a stop to Hawkmoth and all the goons he had out there. His time out of the suit made him realize that there needed someone looking into these attacks, finding out what was going on beneath the surface. The world wasn't all doom and gloom like many believed it, but there was more than just good and evil. Learning how someone ended up where they are was the key. Seeing the logic behind the madness was the push many needed to stop evil from happening. So what if it becomes harder, Izuku had had the odds stacked against him most years of his life as had his father.
As he looked down at the slightly damaged mask and fedora, he smiled. There was a part of him that needed to do this and had to prove that he could do this. His body was still hurt, but he had to push on and do what was right.
The day of the service had arrived, and all of the department showed up to honor Detective Naomasa one last time. The air was humid with the early morning dew as the rays of the sunlight made the grass glow. The officers all wore their uniform as Naomasa's body was lowered into the ground. Everyone looked upon Captain Kendo as she prepared her speech.
"Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa was among the bravest men that this outfit has ever had the honor of having. He never once stopped when the truth was out there and injustice had been done." Kendo spoke in front of her men and women with passion and respect. "Never missing a beat, he helped this department and those that needed help, whether it was lending some insight and a boost in confidence or lending a hand when it seemed to be all over. He was taken from us far too soon and I know there isn't one soul amongst us here that would not wish him to be here."
Not far from where the service was being done, a black van driven observed everything from a distance. Inside the van was Evillustrator, watching the service like a cunning predator. He smiled, knowing that if his hunch was right, then he would get more than what he bargained for. Using his binoculars, he looked around for anyone that might look suspicious or that was watching the funeral from afar. Filled with some surprise, he spotted what appeared to be a figure hiding behind one of the trees. Evillustrator's plan was going to be a masterpiece.
"Time to bring our little kitty out into the light." Evillustrator drew up his Chat Noir impersonator on his tablet before bringing it out into the open with a few added deadly bonuses. "Let's see if this cat is ready to lose the rest of his nine lives."
The imposter Chat Noir jumped out of the van and ran towards the service in a mad dash.
"So now, we say goodbye to our dear comrade and friend, Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa." Kendo finished just as the sound of two weapons being cocked caught her attention.
She looked up in time to see the imposter Chat Noir opening fire on them with a pair of large tommyguns.
"Get down!" Kendo ordered as the police officers all jumped away to the ground.
As though he'd come out of a noir gangster film, the bullets flew from the two large weapons against all who were present, shooting the chairs, the podium, and the pictures before him. He managed to hit a few officers in the shoulders or in the legs, wounding them enough to keep them out of his master's path. The imposter Chat Noir didn't react at the other officers that turned towards it. The sound of the bullets tearing the material apart made everyone present wince as the imposter turned to where his master had seen the hidden figure. He fired away, tearing apart the tree, only to stop as he believed that it had ended the vigilante. It walked towards the splintered remains of the tree, following his master's orders.
"Stop!"
Kendo and some of her officers aimed their weapons at the impostor Chat Noir. But he didn't even flinch from her demand.
"Drop your weapons and surrender immediately! Or we will be forced to open fire!" Kendo didn't budge in her words, narrowing her eyes at the paint construct.
The impostor Chat Noir kept on walking towards the target of his destruction.
"Stop!" Kendo yelled, causing the impostor to turn around.
She fired upon the impostor, hitting it straight in the head. But it didn't stop. She fired once more with her officers on hand, filling up the construct with bullets. She continued firing upon their attacker, hoping against hope that their bullets would end the villain that was attacking them.
Then it came. Click.
Kendo and her officers looked at their weapons in shock. They were out of bullets.
The impostor Chat Noir aimed his weapons at them with a cold dead stare. His fingers were on the trigger when suddenly a figure pounced onto the impostor knocking him away from the officers.
The officers looked in shock as they saw a second Chat Noir punching the first out to the floor. However, this one was missing his signature trenchcoat and was fighting with a pair of Kali sticks.
"Looking for me, abomination?!" Izuku punched his double across the face with one of his Kali sticks. "Run, look for the one that created this one!" He turned to Kendo and the other officers as they helped each other up.
"This way, boss!" Mina helped Kendo move out of the way as Izuku fought against his impostor.
The fight was no contest. Izuku punched and rolled out of the way of the imposter as he tried to shoot at him. He winced through his injuries as he ran out of the way of the bullets, tossing his Kali stick at one of the tommyguns, knocking its trajectory. He took this chance to tackle the construct to the ground, punching it hard and repeatedly in the stomach. But every punch was like hitting a rock wall.
Izuku didn't mind the bloodied knuckles. He had many days worth of pent up aggression to release against the impostor. He kept on pushing him despite the pain he was feeling. Spinning in place, he landed a roundhouse kick to the impostor's side, knocking him back to the wet grass.
The impostor dropped one of his tommyguns as it blocked Izuku's right hook. It then went on the offensive, landing a blow on Izuku's wounded ribs.
Izuku bobbed and weaved, trying to catch his breath as the impostor grabbed hold of him. Struggling against the paint golem's strength, he held onto the paint golem, holding up the arm with the gun while stopping any other punches from the other. The big problem with this battle was that his opponent couldn't feel any pain, but he could. He tried to subdue the golem by kneeing it over and over, but all he got was some pain in his knee.
Mina observed how bad the fight was going and narrowed her eyes. She wanted to help but she didn't think any of her bullets would do any better than those of several officers. However, Mina noticed that one of the tommyguns became covered in the morning dew. Her eyes widened when she saw paint dripping from it.
"I-Chat Noir! It's made out of paint!" Mina called out, getting Izuku's attention and Kendo's.
"Huh?!" Kendo asked before looking at the melting weapon. "Ashido, you've got my permission to melt that thing!"
"You've got it, boss lady!" Ashido slammed her palms together, firing her acid Miraculous at the paint golem.
Izuku turned the imposter towards Mina's incoming torrent of acid. And he was glad that she had a great aim. He was greeted with a front row seat to the melting of his double. The hard paint construct became a melted blob of black paints before his feet. All that was left were the arms of the construct in his own hands. However, he used that chance to fire at the hiding spot of the criminal mastermind behind all this.
The shots were aimed directly at the black van Evillustrator was hidden. The stray bullets struck his wheels and cracked one of his windows.
"Damn, that bastard! No wonder my patron wants him dead!" Evillustrator snapped, running out of the van.
"Stop! Police, get your hands in the air!" Mina pulled out her gun, aiming at the villain.
"Ha! You think some petty and plain looking weapon can stop the master of art! The Picasso of Mayhem?! Do not make me laugh!" Evillustrator painted a pair of large buzzsaws in his pad, sending them after Mina.
Mina hid behind one of the large tombstones, as the buzzsaws cut through the graveyard.
"Ha ha ha! I should've done this from the beginning! Let's make my patron a happy-!" Evillustrator's rant was stopped as a Kali stick smashed his pad, knocking it out of his arm.
Evillustrator screamed in shock and pain before Izuku ran up to him. His fist balled into a hammer of pure rage and anger. The vigilante cracked the assassin across the face, knocking off Evillustrator's beret.
Izuku grabbed the assassin artist by his suit before slamming him against his van. He peered into the man's soul through his goggles. There was no escape and no mercy.
"Hawkmoth set you up for this, didn't he?" Izuku slammed Evillustrator against the van, denting it.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Evillustrator cowered. "I've never heard of-" He was caught off as a large hand slammed next to his head.
"Wrong answer," Kendo said, causing the artist to cower in fear. "So he was the one that killed Naomasa, wasn't he?"
Izuku nodded, handing her the badge of the fallen detective.
"He died a hero." Izuku threw Evillustrator at Mina as she handcuffed him.
Kendo didn't have time to ask more as more of the officers ran towards them. The bounty on the vigilante made it hard for him to receive any thanks from her. She watched him run, picking up his trenchcoat before pulling out a smoke bomb from his coat. And in a large puff of smoke he was gone before the police could get to him. Her eyes drifted to the destroyed funeral service, spotting Midoriya and the other officers trying to pick up the pieces.
She didn't know why, but a part of her told her that the events that had transpired were only the beginning.
After the funeral was salvaged and Evillustrator was thrown in prison under extreme vigilance, Izuku and Mina were called by Alya to her apartment.
"Hello my darlings, I take it the funeral went off as you expected." Alya hugged them.
"Well, apart from a villain attack and a few wounded officers? Yeah," Mina replied.
"You wanted to show us something, Alya?" Izuku asked.
"As a matter of fact, yes." Alya pulled down a conspiracy chart with all the information she had been gathering. "This here is a timeline and all that is known about Adrien Agrest and his intriguing family."
She was not joking. The conspiracy board was full of news clippings, pictures and information about Adrien Agrest and his family's company, all tied up with red strings, connecting dates and events that were connected to Naomasa's own investigation. It was a large web, but with several holes that didn't link together as well as they should.
"Wow, you've been busy." Mina looked over the conspiracy board.
"It isn't complete but with some of the information Detective Naomasa left behind, I've been able to piece together a good chunk of what's going on." Alya puffed her chest with pride.
"But there's stuff missing, mostly about Agrest's childhood and youth." Izuku pointed out. "According to this he has never registered his Miraculous nor its power. Some stuff about his family is also missing."
"Exactly, several records were destroyed or tempered due to different accidental fires, floods, and some were even stolen. I believe Adrien doesn't want us to know anything about his past." Alya pointed to some of the clippings about the fires.
"Guess we'll just have to find out what he's hiding to beat him." Mina smirked. "The Dynamic Duo is on the case with a vengeance!"
"Um, Mina, don't you mean the 'Dynamic Trio'?" Izuku asked.
"We'll think of a name later." Mina pulled Izuku and Alya into a hug. "We gotta make sure the boss's work doesn't die with him."
Izuku smiled with determination.
"Yeah, Hawkmoth better get ready because we are here!" Izuku said with fire in his eyes. "Now we just need to speak to some people that can help us."