So people have commented that Lila is a robot or not human; the answer is darker than that. This Lila's mother is a witch, one that cast a geass spell on Lila when she was a child, creating directives that she has to follow, even if 'Lila' doesn't know them. As Lila grew older her 'mother' changed them, Lila 'devolved' a personality, always following her directives not knowing them but feeling them, why ….. you'll find out. On another subject, I loved how they did the OTHER on Girl Genius, really I love her history and how it interacts with her own daughter.
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Kagami looked around the few students around the gym and shook her head. Back at her school, the idea of someone coming to use the facilities during the weekend would have been laughed at by the teachers, but here the school was open until lunch for clubs and studying using the library. Well, I have to give this place some credit, the top might be rotten but the supporting roots are firm. But then the ones here, and the one I really want to talk to isn't here, I can't wait She thought with a scowl as she looked at the few teachers still around, not seeing any female teachers. She wanted to track one down, all to give Marinette's former teacher a piece of her mind!
When the lockdown happened she had been talking with Mr. d'Argencourt and what she had learned from him made her rethink her desire to go to public school! The way he had to scrounge just to get the materials for the club and how he brought in his weapons for the other students to use, he even said how her friend's teacher was in his own words 'a toxic mess who should never be allowed near children!'. With the problems Hawkmoth caused and all his emails to the school board going unanswered he was planning to march down there today and talk to someone about it all. He had admitted that he didn't understand what drove Marinette but she was a good student, kind, and got good grades, he felt what had happened to her was a travesty that he wouldn't let stand!
He mentioned a few rules that supposedly came from the school board, something about the greater good and how punishment was handled, but after he said that he realized who he was talking to plus where they were, claimed up and looked like he was going to walk away when the Akuma Alert sounded.
A loud cleared throat caused everyone to turn and look at Mr. d'Argencourt who had been talking with the other teacher, a Mr. Hap-something who stood next to him.
"Students, the disturbance is at the Seine, more to the point the area around the bridge near the Mayor's hotel. So for now the Lockdown is being lifted, everyone is allowed to leave but stay away from that part of town. And on a hard note, this is not, I repeat, not MR. Pigeon!" Mr. d'Argencourt called out. As the various teen talked among themselves, some offered places to wait out the trouble if others lived across the river.
"Excuse me, you were asking about what happened to Marinette?" A voice asked and Kagami turned to see Aurore and Mireille standing there.
"Yes I was, she told me everything but I wanted to know what happened after she left," Kagami said and both of the girls reacted with joy.
"She's okay?! Great!" Mireille said and released a breath in relief and tension seemed to flow out from Aurore.
"We heard all kinds of rumors, from military school to prison to well, anything really!" Aurore exclaimed and Kagami looked between the girls before coming to a decision.
"She seemed fine, but doesn't anyone know that doing that to her was illegal?" Kagami said and the girls nodded, scowls on their faces
"The principal doesn't want anyone to even mention anything against his ruling. When we brought it up he threatened to suspend us," Mireille said bitterly and Kagami glared at the school.
A few moments later Kagami walked away having gotten their numbers and promised to text them if she heard anything. She watched the girls dash towards the TV station and tried to figure out what to do next when a rock was thrown in front of her. Looking towards where it had come from she saw Chat Noir hiding in a nearby alley and gesturing for her to come to him.
Kagami looked towards where the parking for the school was, it was far enough away that she hadn't been seen by the sensors yet. She could say that she talked to a teammate about Adrien then went back to the Bakery to talk to Marinette, ask her for details about the last time she saw him and then her family let her stay with them while the Akuma attacked. She took a deep breath and turned away from the parking lot, moving towards Chat Noir.
"Chat Noir, do you need Ryuko's help?" Kagami asked as she reached him. He grinned back and held up a red Chinese box and grinned at her as she took it.
"Yes, and this might be a permanent thing, but Ryuko is benched," Chat Noir told Kagami who only raised an eyebrow at him with the box unopened in her hands.
"Then how can I help?" Kagami asked and Chat Noir opened the box, a ball of light formed above it that revealed Lonng who grinned at Kagami.
"Your costume and name don't have to be the same my dear, we can change it quite easily," Lonng said and Kagami looked from him to Chat Noir who grinned back at her.
"All you need to do is think about how to change it, and there you are. A new form and a new name of course," Chat Noir said and Kagami looked at the chocker and grinned.
"Rest well Ryuko, let Arashiko be born," Kagami said as she put the choker around her neck.
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Pegasus ran over the rooftops of Paris, making his best speed for the river and he hoped he would be able to make a difference. He had been lucky that his mother was due back tonight instead of today so he had talked with Master Fu about some work he wanted down on the theater, they had been discussing transferring over to a digital system and how much money would need to fund it when the alert had happened, Fu had gone to put the Lockdown protocols he had for the building when Chloe had called him and when he said he would stay with Fu, best not to send in too many heroes at the start after all.
As soon as they saw what was happening after Fu came back down and they had all seen the scene from the news copter, the Kwami's had all been in shock and had only been able to say bubbles. Fu had looked down, seeing this as another point in favor of the idea that the Order had done something to all the Kwami. Fu had scowled and gone to the copy he had of the Grimoire and been started to write down the ingredients he would need, then Chat Noir had called them.
After a short conversation, Pegasus dashed out into the sewer to the sewers and swiftly made it to where Chat Noir had waited for him and passed him what he had been carrying before dashing over the rooftops to the help the others. Finally, he reached the river and saw Carapace and Apisera protecting the civilians on the bridge from the fish monsters trying to get at them from both ends. Spotting Ladybug and the Couffaines fighting on the Liberty with the larger one standing still as the battle below it seemed not even to register to it.
Looking at the scene, he took in everything, from the fish monsters that seemed to have no end as they climbed out the river to how they were attacking the bridge and the Liberty. Pulling out his horseshoe he pulled down one side and formed his tool into an ax shape and yelled as he jumped down to the side of the river near the boat, slashing out with his weapon, sending some of the fish monsters back as he attacked.
"Pegasus, good! Get close and prepare to evacuate the civilians!" Ladybug bellowed as she bashed another of the fish monsters when it tried to get too close to her.
"Got it!" Pegasus called out as he jumped and landed on the Liberty, ready to call on his power when Juleka cried out.
"But Rose, we can't leave her!" Juleka snarled out and Ladybug shook her head.
"We won't, but we need to get you all away from that thing first. We can deal with the monsters, but we need to save everyone first, you included," Ladybug said and Pegasus nodded. But as he fought he caught the look on Juleka's face and he knew she wouldn't leave Rose so he decided to throw out an idea he and Kaalki had last night.
"I might be able to open a portal at her feet! But if that stuff drains magic from people then it won't work!" Pegasus called out as he slashed at one of the monsters and tore off its right arm. The monster dropped back as puss covered the wound, moments later the maimed limb had regrown and it growled as Pegasus stood there blinking in shock before he jumped back to dodge a slash from the same monster, bumping into Luka as he attacked the one in front of him.
As they fought on Carapace took a look down at the boat as he bashed one of the monsters fighting him as he and Apisera fought to defend the bridge.
Apisera threw her top and lassoed one that she then pulled towards her before bashing it with her free hand. As it flew back she looked at the monsters trying to get by her and hoped that she could still draw them in, if they ran into the rest of the city she didn't want to…. As she thought this she saw one of the monsters still stuck in the car she had thrown it into earlier, as she watched it started to look like it was drying out, its struggles dying down before it stopped altogether.
She could barely register it before she dodged another two that attacked her, but when she was far enough back they stood there as two others got their captive kin free and threw it into the river. "These things dry out if they're away from the water for too long!"
Ladybug heard what Apisera discovered and as she fought things suddenly crystallized for her, she had a plan. "We need the Dragon, until they get here we hold the line!"
"Got it Ladybug!" Luka called out as he looked at Pegasus over his shoulder and nodded, both of them turning towards the gangplank.
Juleka looked at Rose as she just sat there on her knees, and all she could see was her friend when she met her in the hospital, and all Juleka wanted to do was try and protect Rose from the world.
Rose meanwhile heard everything like she was asleep and far away and the world barely registered to her, all she could think of was plants and how resilient they were.
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Gabriel carefully started up the special burner, shaking his head as he realized what his wife had gotten so long ago and put gold into it. Waiting until it turned to a liquid he put powered meteor rock that he had prepared himself and then dropped a real phoenix feather into the mixture. Taking a dropper, he filled it with the liquid and inserted the liquid in the cracks of the Peacock Miraculous.
"Miraculous, heal theyself!" Gabriel commanded and with a flash of light, the damage was repaired. Duusuu appeared and somersaulted in the air laughing in glee unlike the Kwami ever had before.
"Wow, I feel so much better! What happened? Huh? Nooroo!" Duusuu called out before he saw Nooroo floating there and shot at him, grabbing him in a hug as Duusuu laughed in glee. "Oh wow, everything was so chaotic in my head, like a nightmare where I'd fallen into very bad hands!"
A cough caused Duusuu to look over his shoulder and see Gabriel wearing both Miraculous. Duussu started to understand what was happening when.
"The dream isn't over just yet my friend!" Nooroo said and Duusuu swallowed and looked at his friend.
"Nooroo, Duusu, Unify!" Gabriel commanded and they shot into their respective Miraculous. A wave of black energy rose from his feet, leaving behind black dress shoes and black dress pants. As the wave passed his waist, a moderate blue-violet tailcoat formed, the tail possessed several rounded points with moderate blue, dark-purple-centered spots. The lapel of that tailcoat makes a large collar that's wider at the back, and he wears a peacock-feather-like cocktail mask which is the same color as his tailcoat and tear-shaped with a darker purple mark in the center and a brilliant crimson translucent eyehole over his right eye. He held out his arms as they were covered by the coat and his hands were covered by silver gloves, his cane forming in his right while a silver fan with blue-violet white-tipped feathers appeared in his left.
"Not too bad, an upgrade from your old from, and the name to go with this will be what?" Nathalie asked and the Miraculous user smirked.
"Shadow Moth! A new name for both powers, but first my dear let's try out both of them out on a target, a close target in this room" Shadow Moth said as he looked at Nathalie and grinned, a white butterfly flew into his hands and he covered it and used his power, turning it black and it flew into Nathalie's glasses.
"Nathalie, my champion! Once before you were given this power but with time comes wisdom that I have earned! No longer will the power you grant cause a shade of red! No, this time it will all be normal my Enhancetress! And to give us eyes on what is out there, a Sentimonster to see all!" Shadow Moth said as the feather and Akuma hit her tablet before she was engulfed by dark purple energy that covered her body.
When it dispersed her new form was revealed. She was wearing a light purple dress that went to her knees where it met knee-high purple boots, it was armless and hugged her figure. She had on dark purple detached sleeves that turned into fingerless gloves with her nails painted blood red. The dress had a slant down the middle that went from her navel up and it revealed the sides of her breasts, around her neck was a necklace consisting of a purple circle with a green peacock on it. Her face was covered by a veil that was under her eyes, eyes that had on purple eye shadow, a purple crown above her eyes, and above that her hair had turned crimson, styling itself into a high ponytail. From her tablet, a blob of purple energy formed that dissipated into a purple origami butterfly that had two eyes at an angle on its upper wings, with tiny black dots as its pupils.
"Lord Shadow Moth, Optigami will go and see what's happening, how you can best use what's happening," Enhancetress said softly as Optigami flew away. Shadow Moth looked at her and laughed as he took one of her hands and kissed it.
"A perfect plan my dear," Shadow Moth said as he watched the Sentimonster fly away, trying not to think about how Encantress looked and how he was fighting down his reaction to how she looked in that dress.
Enhancetress meanwhile looked down at her tablet and thanked him in her head for giving her a veil that hid her blush.
A beeping caused them to look at the tablet and they saw what Optigami saw, and Shadow Moth scowled as he saw Chat Noir and someone he couldn't identify.
"Is that the Dragon-Miraculous?" Enhancetress asked and Shadow Moth only nodded, wondering what they would see and how the heroes would deal with whatever was at the river.
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As Chat Noir led the way, the 'new' dragon hero Arashiko followed behind him. The way it felt as she transformed into a new form for the first time was strange but welcoming and her new suit and change looked great.
She still wore a red jumpsuit but it was collared differently. For one thing, both her legs were black and a golden dragon rose from her left leg and went around her body until its head was on the front above her chest, the mouth was open on her with a black circle, in the circle were three white shapes that represented lightning, air and water. Her arms became black at the shoulders and turned gold at the elbows. Behind her head were the same four hours only they were now gold and the tips were now black with red separating the points and the horns, her hair was a solid crimson and her eye mast was red with a gold outline and her eyes were silted and red with yellow sclera. On her back was a sword in a sheath, the handle ending with a dragon head with a sphere in its mouth.
As she followed after Chat Noir, she could barely keep how she was feeling from showing on her face. The way that it felt to simply move over the rooftops, the way the Miraculous augmented her abilities was amazing, and using them out of combat was amazing! She wondered if she could ask to join the patrols she's seen them at night sometimes. If Arashiko was going to be part of the team, then a few nights out as practice wouldn't be too much, but then she would have to find a way to get around the mansion's security.
As they ran towards the river Arashiko promised herself that this time she wouldn't go off on her own, this time she would work with them and not try and take everything on her own.
As they reached the river they saw the battle and seeing the bridge was being handled they jumped and landed on the Liberty Arashiko's blade slashed out and slit one of the fish monster's throat. The puss that poured out covered the wound but the monster kept fighting, Chat Noir slashed out with his baton staff and slammed one of the fish monsters into the river.
Ladybug looked at them and grinned, with them here the plan she had could work! Now all she had to do was…. A roar from the larger monster caused everyone to turn and stare. ….. what is that? Ladybug thought as the larger creature roared again and pulled a human-size fleshy sack from the depths using its four back tentacles before it was put onto the opposite shore. It pulsed and the smaller creatures moved back away from all heroes and Couffaines, two standing guard by Rose causing Juleka to growl and clench her weapon tighter.
As they watched the sack started to glow, lines of energy formed leading from all the people with mucus on them, even Rose to Juleka's furry.
Suddenly an arm burst from the sack loudly to everyone's shock. As they watched a tall man with black hair pulled himself out of the sack. He was wearing a black cloak over a white shirt and black pants, a fencing saber on the right of his waist. He clutched a large black book in his hands and he looked around, his eyes stopping and staring straight at Ladybug.
Ladybug the crazed and possessive look in his eyes and took a step backwards, Arashiko and Char Noir saw this and both of them glared at the man.
"My Joan, I knew you were alive my love!" The figure said with a crazed tone and Ladybug took a step back and looked at him, before paling as she realized who the man meant. "Oh to think those dogs thought they had caught you! I knew you could get away and we would find each other eventually!"
"Milady?" Chat Noir asked softly and Ladybug swallowed and looked at the man as the large creature growled softly
"Joan of Arc, he thinks I'm her because I'm using the same Miraculous she did," Ladybug stammered and everyone's eyes widened. They were all so shocked that they never noticed two eyes by their feet had heard everything.
"Wait, what?!" Luka asked loudly in a shocked tone, the man across heard and started to growl in anger as he looked at Luka and raised a hand.
"Who is this!? Don't worry beloved, I; Gilles de Rais will take care of all of these traitors!" Giles called out and raised a hand, moments later a blast of energy shot out at Luka.
Pegasus reacted first. "Portal!"
His power formed a portal just in front of Luka moments before another portal formed to the right of the larger monster and the blast tore it in two, the top half falling into the river as the lower half fell forward.
Giles just blinked and stared, shocked at what he had seen before he started to grow red in the face and started to scream at them. "You dare kill one of my River Krakens!? Fishmen charge, take a blood harvest! Arise my creations, kill them for killing your brother!"
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Shadow Moth stared at the screen and shook his head. "Joan of Arc was a Ladybug? "
"It seems so," Enhancetress said absently, stunned. "So we've been fighting the successor of one of my childhood heroes."
Shadow Moth nodded, a strange look on his face. The question he wanted to know was who had the Back Cat during that time. Another way for him to try and find anything to get him what he needed. A spike of rage and hatred caused him to smile and look down, seeing that this Giles had called up more of his monsters, two more of the so-named River Krakens and ten more of the Fishmen were swarming the Liberty, one of the River Kraken had slammed into it, sending Luka tumbling off the ship only for the Dragon hero to grab him and jump away.
"This seems like we have a chance my dear. May I ask for your blessing?" Shadow Moth asked and Enhancetress just laughed and kissed his right cheek, Shadow Moth felt a surge of energy flow through him.
Calling down a butterfly he covered it with his hands and sent it out. A moment later he held out the fan and a feather detached and flew after the butterfly.
"Only one each?" Enhantress asked and Shadow Moth they watched the view from Optigami
"For now my dear, let us see what happens and if we can get a better picture, and see what happens and what this Giles can do," Shadow Moth said as they watched in silence.
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Anarka glared at the scum as he kept ranting and waving about how he would save this Joan whoever she was, as the monsters he summoned attacked her boat. The heroes were fighting the things he named Fishmen and the River Krakens or whatever were trying to hit them with the mucus things their tentacles spat, she had dodged a few blobs herself and the bridge sounded like it was being attacked even harder. Pegasus had taken Luka away after the River Krakens started to target him, but then they just attacked anyone, all the while Giles ranted and raved from the other side of the river.
Another blast from Giles had caused Cha Noir, Ladybug, and the Dragon hero to dodge and they were fighting on the river bank, with the River Krakens targeting anyone trying to get across the river to take out Giles. Anarka slashed out with her sword and blinded one of the Fishmen before she kicked it into the river.
As Carapace slammed his shield into one of the Fishmen he gazed towards the river and paled at what he saw. "AKUMA!"
Looking towards them, the heroes still on the Liberty saw the Akuma-Butterfly flying towards the ship. Juleka turned and looked at it as the
"Hello Seine Ravagers, I am Shadow Moth! Normally I only do this one-on-one, but today is something special so let's try something new! I've got a deal for you all, save yourself then get me the Miraculous of Chat Noir and Ladybug! Captain Hardrock, with your Skull Crew you'll handle the smaller creatures and the Heroes! Lady Blaze; use your mastery of water to keep the larger monster at bay. Princess Flora, use the plants within the river and along the shores to hold back all your foes and awaken from what is being done to you against your will!" Shadow Moth's voice projected into their brains, for a single moment they stood there before they all reacted.
"Yes, Hawkmoth!" Anarka and Juleka said as Rose murmured something before dark-purple energy covered the Liberty and the three people still on it.
From Anarka came Captain Hardrock, who stood there with her long red hair in its upward spiked, a savage glint in her golden eyes as the dark eyeliner with three lines going towards the sides of her head made the grin on her blood-red lips look even fiercer. Her brow was covered by a black bandana with a white spiky-haired skull on the front, along with gold circular earrings. She wore a skin-tight, turtle-necked jumpsuit that was red from the collar to the chest and black from the chest down with the color separation looking like flames, and a black open captain's jacket with a golden inner lining that had golden spikes on the shoulders and golden buckles on the sides. Black fingerless gloves with golden edges around the upper holes cover her arms up to her elbows and knee-high boots collared black and red in a flame-like pattern with black soles, golden heels, black inner lining, and black stripes with golden spikes above the ankles. A sword in a scabbard was on her right side and she looked ready to kill as she drew her blade and pointed it at Giles. "Bilgerat! You'll feel me forces and my blade before this day be done!"
"Her forces?" Chat Noir muttered before they all saw what she meant.
Around her formed fifteen tall purple blobs her size that broke apart, revealing ten white skeletons with purple dots in their eye sockets. They were dressed in black ripped pirate clothing with nine of them wielding black metal short swords and guns and a tenth with a black metal saber and a black triangle hat on that stood in front of the others and saluted Captain Hardrock.
"The crew is ready Captain Hardrock!" The hat-wearing one said and Captain Hardrock just laughed.
Juleka was gone, from the blob that covered her revealed her new Akuma persona for all to see. Her hair once straight black hair was now curly and flame red with black streaks, in her ears were two ruby earrings shaped like a flame. Her eyes had black markings like her mother's but above them, she wore a red metal tiara with red pearls above each eye. Her lips were as black as space itself and in a devilish smirk that was so out of place. She wore a tight red dress that exposed her neck to the tops of her breasts and had a necklace of a green stone on a red thread that fee to the base of her neck. Her red gown was armless and it had orange flame patterns on it and she wore a crimson shawl and shoulder orange gloves length fingerless gloves that went down to five black rings on her fingers, fingers that had ended in crimson claws, the outfit was finished with orange stockings that she disappeared under crimson knee high heeled boots.
When the purple energy was gone from where Rose had been a new figure was revealed. She wore a green dress that went down to her mid-thighs. Beyond that, she wore green pantyhose and jade green high heels. The upper part of the dress went to her shoulders and she had on shoulder armor with three small white open flowers pointing forward, and around both her wrists were magenta-colored wood rings. Her face had on jade lipstick, green eyeshadow and there was a green gem on her forehead.
The Liberty had also been transformed into a crimson pirate ship, it had a mast at the center of the ship, and the single sail had three speakers built into it in a triangle formation. The ship had four strange contraptions on the deck, they looked like cannons but they had speakers where the mouths would be, and at the front of the ship was a black wood figurehead in the shape of an angel with broken wings and animal ears on its head with a head consisting of a maw that took up the entire face.
"Shall we handle the monsters before the heroes Princess Flora?" What had been Juleka asked as she raised a hand and pointed it at one of the Fishmen before a ball of fire formed alongside her hand and shot at it. The Fishman screamed as the flames hit and cooked it, steam rising from it as it fell.
"My dear Lady Blaze, I think we should," Princess Flora said clenched her hands and vines shot out of the river and grabbed one of the River Krakens and threw it at the other one sending both of them crashing into the river.
Captain Hardrock just laughed as she stood at the steering wheel, grinning as she locked eyes with Giles as the speakers set in the sail suddenly sent a blast of pure sound at the River Krakens, sending them flying through the air and landing on the opposite shore, missing Giles by a foot, Giles only glared back at her, watching as five of the skeletons ran about the Liberty fighting his Fishmen still on board as the one in the hat stayed by Captain Hardrock to protect her.
"What foul pacts have these fools made?! What price did they pay for aid from devils? To turn against the Angel serving Joan at God's command! Oh my Joan, once you're safe and healed we will liberate our nation!" Giles proclaimed as he looked at his two monsters and sent a blast of magic at them that energized them and they roared and shot at the Liberty.
The heroes and Luka had been forced to the staircase as more of the Fishmen came out of the river, only the Liberty dropping off five of the skeletons
"What do we do now?" Pegasus asked as his Miraculous beeped, the others looking at the battle as they all fell back, Ladybug and Chat Noir at the rear and spinning their weapons, Ladybug gritted her teeth and looked at Giles. The fact that he could control those monsters made a lot of things risky, and they didn't know the rate he could make more.
"Pegasus, fall back and recharge, don't use the underground! Chat Noir help the civilian out of here Dragon girl…" Ladybug began before a roar caused them to look at the river as a third River Kraken appeared.
Ladybug looked at the scene still spinning her yoyo and nodded. " Dragon…."
"Arashiko," Arashiko said and Ladybug nodded.
"Arashiko, go help Carapace, wait until Chat Noir and Pegasus get back with help and tell Carapace to make a large bowl, then once Pegasus makes a portal wind dragon to carry all the Fishmen into it," Ladybug said as everyone nodded and then she looked at Luka. "Chat Noir, don't forget to get that civilian out of here before you meet up with Viperion, and stay out of sight of the media!"
"Got it m'lady! Come on Luka!" Chat Noir said as he looked at Ladybug and when they nodded at each other Chat Noir grabbed Luka and pole vaulted away as Pegasus jumped to a roof and dashed over the rooftops away from the river in another direction from Chat Noir and Luka.
Back with the heroes, Ladybug and Arashiko charged the bridge, Ladybug stopping to fight with them as Arashiko ran past her to fight with Carapace. She lunged and sank her sword into one of the Fishmen Carapace was fighting and threw it into the other five he was fighting.
Back with Ladybug, she and Apisera were punching and kicking, waiting for their teammates to come back so they could try and do their plan.
"SO! That Joan he mentioned. Was it the Joan?" Apisera asked as she threw a Fishman into another one as she and Ladybug fought side by side.
"Fight now girl, talk at base!" Ladybug said as she spin kicked a Fishman and lassoed another to use as a frail.
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"… and I repeat, after a human hatched from a fleshy egg carried by the large creature that paralyzed people, an Akumatization of three people and the transformation of a boat has happened! The Akumas are attacking the monsters, proving to this reporter that whatever they are, Hawkmoth has nothing to do with them!" Nadja Chamack's voice from a phone was the only thing that the people crowded around it as people at the pool waited for the lockdown to lift so they could go to their homes or other shelters.
"What are those things?" A male teen swimmer asked in horror as everyone listened and watched in horror.
"Could this be a super villain from outside the city? A girl in a one-piece swimsuit with black hair asked in horror prompting terror to fill the eyes of the swimmers.
"I've never heard of anyone who can do this, have you?" A senior citizen asked aloud and most people muttered no.
"No, and somebody with those things would have been heard of by now, I mean right?" Another swimmer asked the group and they fell into quiet discussions.
Kim stood at the edge of the crowd with Undine, both of them in their street clothes. They had been about to go to lunch when the lockdown had happened, the operator of the Swimming pool closed the shutters, locking everyone there inside. When the Akuma Lockdown law was passed, it was supposed to keep people safe, but in government buildings, it called for a headcount of all the people there, and the pool's supervisor followed it to the teeth. He was standing guard at the doors and since he had seen Kim first, he couldn't escape to help the others.
Ondine was just as worried, she knew Bolla was mad they were stuck here. All she could do was meet up with the heroes tonight and hope they weren't backed by the Guardians, the stories Bolla had told her, she just couldn't believe that Ladybug and the other heroes were those kinds of people.
"Looks like we won't be able to get out of here soon, hu Kim," Ondine said, looking around as she tried to find anything that might let her escape the building.
"Yeah, I've been here before the supervisor kept us here a half-hour after," Kim said and shrugged at Ondine's look. "What, the guy is
Bolla was within Ondine's purse, and she was looking at Ondine's phone, more specifically the view from the news camera in the helicopter overlooking the battle. Bolla was of the Sea, and the monsters she had fought when the spirits were free were nothing like this! None of the others ever told of anything that even looked like either of the two species the others were fighting! She wondered what they hadn't known back then, and what the price had been to gain such knowledge.
"No way for that man to let us leave is there? In case the battle comes this way of course," Ondine said hurriedly and Kim looked at her and nodded after a few moments.
"No, no way. There's only one way out of here, most of this place is made of concrete so the fire marshal was okay with only one exit/entrance I guess," Kim said and Ondine nodded as they listened to the others talk about villains and heroes. Kim's eye looked towards the locked door, he was sure if he could get away and transform he could get out of here but that would raise more questions, questions that he didn't want to answer at all. Sorry guys, I only hope that you can handle this without my help. I need to find a new pool, a manager who handles the Akuma Lockdown really would be a lot better for my future. He thought as he sighed and shook his head.
He couldn't know that Ondine was thinking the same as he was. She knew that her new responsibility meant changes, but this wasn't one she had thought was needed, guess she was wrong.
A commotion from the door caused them all to turn and see the supervisor, a tall man with glasses, slick black hair and he was wearing a green suit. He was chaining up the doors. After he was finished he clapped his hands and nodded before turning around and blinked as he saw everyone looking at him. "What?"
"What the hell are you doing!?" One of the crowd growled and the supervisor only looked at him with a deadpanned expression.
"Those things aren't caused by Hawkmoth, ergo Ladybug might not be able to fix this. So I'm protecting this place no matter what you all say about it," The supervisor said bluntly, and that seemed to make most of the people wince and look away.
"But don't worry! There is an emergence exit in the employee area, if we need to evacuate then I will lead you all into that area and you will not be in danger!" The supervisor said and Kim and Ondine looked around, trying to find where the door might be and how to slip out.
As Ondine looked around the room, trying to figure out where the door that led to the only other way out was. But the more she tried to figure it out, she suddenly figured out the one other problem she had, Kim. She knew he would try and find her, and she didn't want to tell him about Bolla. He was a great guy, but he would want to get involved and she couldn't let that happen, he might get hurt and ruin his chances to compete professionally.
Kim meanwhile tried to think up an excuse to slip away; but first, he would need to go to the bathroom, then send Xuppu out to scout out how to find the door out... But he knew that Ondine would look for him, and he didn't have an idea on how to not let her know, the best thing he could do was just wait. He read the comics, if he told Ondine about it then she would get involved no matter what they wanted, and he couldn't let that happen to her.
As the two of them stood there, both wondered how they could get away alone without the other wondering where they were, while the crowd around the phone looked down at it, waiting to see what would happen.
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Chat Noir dropped into an alley and let Luka down. As he stepped back and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, Luka knew what he had been brought here for. He wondered how Chat Noir knew who he was, but that was something that he could deal with after his family was safe. But as he stood there he thought about what happened when the Monsters attacked, and he knew he had to ask Sass something as soon as he appeared.
"So is this the part where you ask for my help?" Luka asked and Chat Noir grinned and held up a Chinese box wordlessly. Luka said nothing as he took it, as he opened it, a ball of light formed above it and Sass appeared, ginning at Luka who grinned back.
"Greetings hatchling, it has been a while," Sass said and crossed his arms as he looked at Luka. "And I can tell that you have a question that you need answered."
"Yeah Sass, I….. is there a way to change the harp?" Luka asked and Sass nodded as Chat Noir looked on. "It's just, those things out there, they have to be fought at range. And a different weapon would be a lot better for me."
"Good call and yes it can. The harp may become a bow, and it fires a mana arrow. It has a range of about 100 feet, and if you form the arrow on multiple strings from the back of the bow back, the arrow is stronger. Be warned, the more strings used the longer it will take the next arrow to form," Sass said and Luka frowned.
"How long is the wait?" Luka asked as his mind went over the ways he would need to use his weapon with this limitation.
"For the first string, none. For the 2nd string, 30 seconds and all three will equal a full minute until your next arrow. The arrows can pull things towards you or pull you towards what you hit. You must judge the battle and how it will be affected by your actions, as all true Snakes must," Sass said as Luka grinned and put the Snake Miraculous on.
"I will. Sass scales slither!" Luka said, prompting Sass to shoot into the Miraculous. With a flash of light, Luka transformed into Viperion. As his deep green, dark cyan, yellow, brilliant opal, and dark turquoise bodysuit appeared on him, a green harp formed in front of him that he grabbed and pressed a button on the center of it and it turned into a bow with three strings as a brilliant opal and turquoise-ish gray mask with fangs at the end appeared over his eyes as they changed color to jade green.
Viperion looked at his bow and drew back the closet string to him and an energy arrow formed and he shot it upwards. It landed on the roof and he grabbed it and started to run up the side of the building, jumping forward and landing on the roof as Chat Noir landed next to him.
"Let's go and save the others, we have to hurry!" Chat Noir said and Viperion nodded.
"Yeah, I'll find a place to look over the whole scene, once I get into position and Ladybug says go I'll start Second Chance," Viperion said as he fell into step behind Chat Noir as they ran towards the battle.
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Shadow Moth looked at what Optigami sent back and scowled at what he was seeing. He had told Enhancetress to get a better view of Giles and the more they saw and heard, the more he didn't understand. He knew that he had never heard of someone like him before, but where did he come from?
As he watched the four heroes fight against the monsters, he knew now that the Seven's offer was needed, this proved it. If all the Miraculous the other side had were set against them, then they needed something to even the odds or give them an edge. With the key they had from the Seven, they were able to translate the Guardians book. Well, not the Seven themselves but their Miraculous, that was what he needed. If they didn't uncover something that could help them, then besides how he might feel for them giving them how to heal Nathalie and repair the Peacock, he might have to make plans to take the Seven's Miraculous, and with how they were hiding something from them that wasn't too far beyond his shaky morals.
He looked at Enhancetress as she looked down at something on Nathalie's phone and tried to figure out what she was looking for.
After a few moments, she gasped loudly and Shadow Moth looked up and saw her staring at her phone in shock.
"What is it?!" Shadow Moth demanded and Enhancetress looked up at him slowly.
"Gabriel… there is one thing that connects to 'Joan' 'Giles' and 'Betrayal'… Joan of Arc," Enhancetress said dumbly and Shadow Moth looked at her in shock.
"He… Joan was a Ladybug….. Joan was a Ladybug!" Shadow Moth said with a grin as he started to laugh.
"Sir!?" Enhantress asked and she started to wonder if he was having a breakdown.
"Joan was killed; it's possible to defeat a Ladybug!" Shadow Moth said as he grinned. This made everything better, even her Luck Charm could be beaten, his opponent was a human after all….. Shadow Moth blinked and stood there as a weight seemed to be lifted from him, something that he hadn't even known was there. With the reality that Ladybugs could be defeated, something that he had started to think was impossible beyond his thoughts, he felt stronger than ever, with the key from the Seven, he soon know everything the Guardians knew, and he would become even stronger! Even this Giles, one day he will take all his secrets and make them his own, and he would keep growing even stronger!
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As the transformed Liberty fired another blast at the River Kraken Lady Blaze shot a blast of fire and baked a Fishman, killing it as she laughed.
Before the bridge with Ladybug, Apisera looked down at the river as she panted and tried to catch her breath. "So think Jules has some anger issues?"
"Yeah, maybe, she has depths you know," Ladybug said before a beeping from her yoyo came a moment before her earbud chirped.
"M'lady, Viperion is finding a place to watch everything. Me and Pegasus are inbound, we'll be there in seconds. Ready for the plan!" Chat Noir's voice caused Ladybug to smirk.
"Good! Carapace get away from the river, Pegasus go with him, Chat Cover for Carapace! Once you're out of sight of the river, Pegasus make a portal with the other end at the bridge for Arashiko to send all of the Fishmen into with Water. Carapace make a dome once Pegasus is done, Arashiko use Wind to get back through the portal and go recharge out of sigh. Once Viperion activates his power, we wait 30 seconds then go!" Ladybug said and the others all nodded.
Chat Noir and Pegasus landed by the girls and dashed past them, running over the bridge. As soon as they reached Carapace he turned and ran, Pegasus following behind him. As Chat Noir attacked the Fishmen, he smirked as Arashiko slashed down with her blade, tearing off a Fishman's arm only for the limb to shrivel up and turn to dust as a new limb grew from the wound's pus.
"Second Chance!" Viperion's voice came over the comms and then a moment later. "ABORT, ABORT! If Arashiko touches a single covered civilian even in Water or Air-form she'll be stuck too! And Giles is about to turn a cat into a monster to attack his side of the river, Pegasus, Carapace it doesn't dry out, you need to hold it there!"
Giles had grabbed a black stray cat that was moving along the river and looked at it before grinning. He held it in his right hand and in his left three orange spheres of energy formed before he forced them into the cat, the feline screaming in pain as he did so. As the cat started to glow he threw it upward and it landed on the ground, growing until it was eight feet tall, and it had grown a second head, both of the head's mouths had grown downward saber fangs on the outward side. It roared and ran at Arashiko and Chat Noir before an energy arrow hit its rightmost eye.
Ladybug looked towards it and saw Viperion firing another arrow, this time at Giles who dodged the blast only for a blast of sound from the Liberty to hit him and send him flying against the wall under the bridge.
As the cat monster yowled as pus fell from its eye Chat Noir looked at it and realized that this newer monster wasn't regenerating. "The new one, it doesn't heal!"
As a River Kraken blocked the Liberty's attacks, Giles got up and scowled. He knew that his fast creation wouldn't have a long life, but he needed something to take the interlopers' attention while he figured out how to save Joan! He leaned against the wall and went still as he felt metal, turning he saw grating and an insect hive, grinning as he saw a rat fighting off some bees. He sent a black energy blast at the rat from his right hand and from his left came a white glow that covered the bees, as the other River Kraken broke the grating, letting him into the sewers.