Notes: The movie also had good ideas.
Disclaimer: I most certainly don't own the Miraculous franchise
Miraculous Universe
Ch. 29: It's in the Cards - Part 1
The team went back to school and work, as per usual. Different members of the team went out on patrol whenever they could. One night, Apireine was patrolling with Bateleur and Seiryū. The Dragon was practicing with her sword while the sisters watched.
"Hey," Apireine said, "Is it really difficult to learn how to do…what you're doing?"
"Are you saying you want to learn fencing?"
"Well, learning ballet, parkour, and savate have come in handy. Fighting with a sword couldn't hurt."
"Anyone willing to learn shouldn't be turned away. You don't have a sword though."
"I've been thinking about that actually. You know how our Cat teammate can use his staff for different things, right?"
"Oh, sure," Bateleur said, "It's one big staff, it's two small staves, it has an umbrella, and so on."
"Even our resident Fox can use his flute as a staff or a telescope."
"That's right. So what are you getting at?"
"Well, who's to say our weapons can't do the same?"
"My weapon is already a sword," Seiryū said, "I don't need it to be anything else. A sword is meant to be an extension of your body."
"That's all well and good for you, but some of us have more commonplace weapons. In case you forgot, I have a spinning top. This thing is a toy, and yet it's supposed to be a weapon? Ridiculous!"
"I'm not sure if my bullroarer can do anything else," Bateleur said, "But then it's mostly to annoy people."
"All you need to do is concentrate."
Apireine held out her trompo and concentrated. The weapon started to glow. The top of the trompo extended out like a handle. The point of the trompo extended out like a blade. The weapon's glow faded. In contrast to the Dragon sword, it more resembled an épée.
"Wow," Bateleur said, "You really did it."
"Most impressive," Seiryū said, "A perfect fencing weapon. May I?"
Apireine handed her the weapon. Seiryū seemed to be weighing the blade. She then did a few fencing moves. She then handed it back to the Bee.
"Most interesting. The trompo acts as the guard. I think we can work with this. I applaud your creativity. Let's start with a few basics."
Apireine copied every move Seiryū made.
"Very good. Now, let's try it blade to blade."
After a bit of back and forth, they took a break.
"You take to the sword quite well, Mlle. Bee."
"It helps that I've got a good teacher."
"We can practice more later. We'll need every advantage for the upcoming battles."
"I'm sure you're right, but how do you know for sure?"
"I suppose it's just a feeling, but think about it this way. The Butterfly holder has been trying for bigger schemes lately. That robot wreaked havoc on all technology. Ondine flooded the lower parts of the city. Kim was spreading a hate plague. We were sucked into a computer game where the entire city could see us should we have lost, and after that, Max summoned a giant mech to fire lasers on the populace. Before all of those, there were really only three Akuma that affected the entire city - your father, Mme. Bustier, and the musician exes, if only due to their careless attacks against each other."
"So you're saying he'll more than likely try upping the ante?" Bateleur asked.
"I don't know when or how, but it's only logical."
A few weeks later…
It was now October, and Gabriel was in a bad mood. It was partly because his last few plans hadn't worked and he had yet to come up with another, but it was mostly because Amelie and Tomoe were in his atelier and criticizing him.
"I thought you weren't going to use random citizens anymore, Gabriel?" Tomoe asked.
"Yes, Gabriel, especially not teenagers," Amelie added.
Nathalie was also there, but she was pretending to look at her tablet. Félix and Lila were also there, but they actually were looking at their phones. Gabriel was trying to focus on his fashion work, but couldn't concentrate, so he switched to a news site. As he perused the various articles, he came across one that was about a bank robbery. The perpetrators had been apprehended by the police without needing the assistance of the Miraculous heroes.
"But that doesn't mean these criminals wouldn't hold a grudge against those meddling heroes," Gabriel thought.
He looked over at Nathalie, who in turn looked at him, as though expecting him to say something.
"Nathalie, where is Adrien?"
"He's with one of his friends. I forget which one exactly. They all kind of blend together."
"Good enough for me."
He pulled off his tie and threw it across the room, which got everyone's attention.
"I need a new name and a new look. If I'm going to do this, I want these people to know who they're dealing with, and never even think of betraying me."
"Do what?" Tomoe asked.
"Transformez-moi!"
Gabriel's suit was now a very dark purple. His butterfly-shaped mask and cape were the same shade. The edges of the mask stuck out past his face. The inside of the cape had silver lines like the veins on a monarch butterfly's wings.
"My, someone's feeling edgy," Amelie said, "Is this your emo phase, Gabriel?"
His eyes snapped open and he stared at her with glowing purple eyes.
"I thought of a new plan. You're right. No more ordinary citizens. What I really need…is criminals."
"Excuse me, sir?" Nathalie said.
"I'll take the worst of the worst, those on the bottom rung, the lost souls, the outcasts, yes! I'll use prisoners to fight the heroes."
"Not everyone in jail or prison is that desperate," Tomoe said.
"True, Tomoe," Amelie said, "But on the other hand, it would be a step up, no?"
"Very true. Those that would be worth breaking out would be useful indeed."
"We'll just have to hold interviews for the candidates. Who's willing to risk it all for a taste of power from Monarque?"
"Who?" Félix asked.
"Me, you simpleton. These idiots, thugs, and cretins need to know I mean business. Therefore, I gave myself a new name. One far more fitting. There's only one problem."
"What's that, sir?" Nathalie asked.
"While I have mastered the ability to create Akuma without the need for an actual butterfly, I still have yet to master creating more than one Akuma at once."
"Someone's been neglecting their training," Amelie said.
"Bah! I'll keep working on it when I have time. Until then, I'll do the next best thing - cheat."
He created an Akuma and it flew straight into Nathalie.
"Nathalie Sancœur, I am Monarque. I'm giving you the power to increase the power of others. Because of this, you shall be known as Catalyste."
"If you insist."
Her skin became pale. Her suit and pants became pitch black. Her suit also now had pointy shoulders. Her shirt, gloves, and heels were blood red. She was also now wearing a bike helmet and a red visor.
"Looking sharp, Nathalie," Amelie said.
Nathalie simply smirked as she touched Monarque and used her power.
"Yes, it's working!"
He quickly created another Akuma and sent it to Lila.
"Time for your next assignment, Camalepolpo. I need you to head for the nearest prison and we'll start holding interviews."
"As you say, Boss, but if I may. Even with my camouflage abilities, the cameras will pick me up."
"I've already thought of that. We simply need a distraction for the guards. That's where you come in, Félix."
He tossed him the Peacock Miraculous.
"What's this?"
"What does it look like, you imbecile? Go with Lila and use the Peacock to distract the authorities."
"Why should I take part in your plan? Especially when we all know it's just going to fail?"
Amelie started laughing, "Oh, my angel, you and your wit."
Monarque grabbed the tip of his cane and unsheathed the sword hidden inside. He pointed the end towards Félix.
"You're in my house, so you'll do as I say, or else I'll kick you out!"
Amelie jumped up, "You can't -"
"SHUT UP! You will earn your keep here, you little brat. If you want to keep living your comfortable life, you'll be polite."
Félix glared at Monarque, but pinned the Peacock Miraculous to his shirt.
"Yeah, fine."
Satisfied, Monarque sheathed his sword.
"At least now there'll be someone here with good taste in clothes," Félix said, "Transform me!"
To everyone's surprise, his costume wasn't blue at all. It was a white tuxedo. The tail of the coat was long, but instead of just two tails, it ended in five. Each tail had a feather design on it with a silver outline and a red spot. On each side of his chest were three red dots inside a feather shape, clearly meant to evoke buttons. A thin feather pattern of silver and red ran down each pant leg. His shoes now looked like silver cowboy boots, complete with spurs. He also wore white gloves. The only blue on his body was when he opened his eyes. His sclera were a deep blue, while his irises were red. A red-tinted monocle was over his right eye.
"Oh, Félix, my creative young man," Amelie said, "A leucistic peacock."
"I didn't want to copy Nathalie's excellent costume. I had to be different," he unfurled the hand fan, which had also turned red and silver, "You can call me Argos."
"I don't care what you call yourself," Monarque said, "Now both of you go down to the lair and exit through the secret door. Lila, take this bag and tablet so I can have a nice chat with the inmates."
"Fine," Argos griped, "At least this part of your plan will be done competently."
With that done, the two teens headed down to the lair and out the secret door.
"Gabriel, I want to watch what happens," Amelie said, "Can't you have your weird Sentimonster butterfly thing broadcast on a bigger screen?"
Monarque rolled his eyes, "Nathalie, see if you can connect that tablet to a television."
—
The two teenage villains were soon hopping over rooftops to the prison.
"I don't care how nice your costume is," Camalepolpo said, "All that white draws a lot of attention."
"Nathalie's blue costume draws a lot of attention. A costume in general draws attention."
They stopped as they neared the Prison de la Santé.
"Besides, the plan is exactly that. I'm going to grab their attention."
"Yeah, sure. Work your magic, Argos," the chameleon said, half sarcastically.
"Quiet, I'm thinking. Ah, I've got it. Lean over here."
Argos created an Amok and placed it in her VR headset. He then created a gigantic golem made of spiky black metal. It had long arms and no face. It was at least 500 feet tall.
"Destructeur, I am Argos. You will obey my commands."
It seemed to nod in response.
"Now head to the prison and cause some damage. Don't try too hard, though. We just need them preoccupied."
The titanic Sentimonster stomped towards the prison. Every official on duty saw it coming. Some scrambled for weapons, while others made phone calls. At least one officer activated the Akuma alert app.
"It's only a matter of time before the Miraculous heroes show up, so make the sales pitch and do it quickly."
Le Grand Paris
The sisters were sorting their clothes with Sabrina's help.
"I think this'll look better on you, Brina."
"Do you really think so, Chlo?"
"She is the expert, after all."
"Glad you know it, sister dear."
Suddenly, they could hear what sounded like loud footsteps.
"What in the world is that noise?" Chloé asked.
The girls rushed to the roof and looked around. The colossal Sentimonster was hard to miss.
"Impossible!" Zoé cried, "That thing's huge!"
That's when the Akuma alert went off.
"Now everyone knows," Chloé said, "Let's get going."
"Careful out there," Sabrina said.
Meanwhile
Luka was just returning to the Liberty when his phone received the alert.
"Looks like you've got a big problem, Luka," Juleka said.
"Yeah, that's pretty hard to miss, Jule."
Meanwhile, Adrien was hanging out with Nino.
"Nino, did you feel that tremor?"
"Uh, I think so, mec."
*ALERT*
"Oh, well that explains it," Adrien said, "Let's go."
"Right."
—
At the same time, Marinette was hanging out with Alya.
"Alya, was there some kind of rumbling noise?"
"Now that you mention it…"
*ALERT*
"Well, that answers your question, Nette."
"This alert sure comes in handy. Remind me to get Max something nice."
—
"It's moments like this I'm glad mother allows me to stay home alone," Kagami said to herself.
Prison de la Santé
Camalepolpo went stealth and leapt over the wall. She went straight for the monitor room. She knocked out the one guard that stayed behind and shut off all the security cameras. She then headed for the holding area.
"What's going on out there?" one prisoner asked.
"Sounds like more of that magical stuff. Who cares?"
"Oh, believe me, you'll all care," came a voice.
They all looked around.
"Right here, boys."
The Akuma appeared in the middle of the room and gave a bow. With her goggles on, she could keep an eye on the door while she worked.
"What's one of those fancy supervillains doing here?"
"I'm here to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime. All those interested, pay attention. My boss wants to talk with all of you."
She pulled a tablet out of her backpack and turned it on. Monarque was now on screen, a sinister smile on his face.
"Gentlemen, I am Monarque. How many of you are tired of being locked up? Who among you is eager for revenge? Who's ready for a taste of real power?"
"What's the catch?"
"Yeah, what do you get outta this?"
"Excellent question, Messieurs. The answer is simple. I want you to deal with those superheroes and bring me their accessories. Other than that, you're free to do as you please. However, if you try to double cross me, I will not hesitate to take back your powers and leave you to rot! Speaking of, I suggest you decide quickly. The heroes will likely be here any minute."
The villainess began walking down the corridor, pointing the tablet screen at the various jail cells.
"You, sir," Monarque said.
He was now looking at a very tall, very buff man, who seemed to be trying to bend the bars.
"You look like you want out of here as soon as possible."
"Yeah."
"I can make you even stronger."
"Well…okay, deal."
"Excellent! Anyone else? How about you, sir?"
A man on the shorter side had snuck a spoon into his cell. He was clearly in the middle of a futile attempt to dig through the walls.
"You're getting nowhere fast. I can change that."
The man threw down his spoon in annoyance and nodded.
"Ah, I remember you," Monarque said, addressing a thin middle-aged man.
"You tried to set off a bomb in a public area."
"Yeah, what of it?"
"I'll give you all the explosives you want."
"Really?! What are we waiting for?"
"And you, sir," he said, now talking to an older man, "You're used to being here, aren't you?"
"All the crooks my age are either here, in another prison, or dead. It's the outside that scares me."
"I'll make you tough enough to handle anything the outside world throws at you."
The man shrugged, "Sure,why not?"
"Hey, over here, moth man, or whatever your name is!"
"The name is Monarque," he replied, looking at a very thin and wiry man.
"Yeah, whatever. I'll do anything you say, but I've gotta get outta here! If I don't, I might just kill myself!"
"I can arrange an immediate exit."
"Let's do this thing then!"
They moved to the next cell.
"Ah, I remember you as well," Monarque said, "You claimed to be a descendant of Arsène Lupin."
The man held himself with an air of superiority.
"I don't need your help to escape."
"You certainly didn't need any help getting caught."
"Look, just give me superpowers and those trinkets you want from the heroes are as good as yours. I'm an expert thief!"
"Very well, M. Lupin, here's your chance to prove it. Well, it seems unanimous. Stand by for your prison break, gentlemen. Let's go, assistant."
She nodded and snuck back the way she came.
"Let's take a quick look in the women's prison before we leave," Monarque said, "Akuma are already on the way to the prison."
Camalepolpo ran over to the women's section of the prison.
"Knock knock, ladies," she announced.
"Who are you?"
"Yeah, what do you want?"
"Not too many candidates here today, boss," she said, holding out the tablet.
"Nevertheless, I'll make them the same offer. Madames, I am Monarque. I offer you a choice: join me or stay here sitting in your cell."
"What do you get out of it, pal?"
"I want you to wreak havoc and deal with those annoying heroes. Use any means necessary to get them out of the way and bring me their accessories. Once that's done, you're free to do anything your hearts desire."
"You mean like money?" asked one woman.
"What about a man? There was this fella I had my eye on."
"Agree to my terms and by all means, go wild. Just remember, if you try to betray me, I will not hesitate to toss you aside!"
The two women looked at each other and shrugged.
"Beats being in here."
"Yeah, ain't that the truth?"
"Deal!" they shouted.
"So be it. I hope you can be patient a bit longer. Your escape opportunity will arrive shortly. Adieu!"
The screen shut off. The chameleon girl placed the tablet back in her bag, went camo, and then ran for the nearest exit. Argos was watching his Sentimonster shrug off attacks and smash buildings. He then spotted two figures flying in his direction.
"Hurry up, old man," Argos said, speaking into his fan, "The heroes are here."
"Just hold them off until my Akuma can reach their targets," Monarque replied.
"Honestly, I have to do everything."
Apireine and Bateleur were circling the area.
"That thing can't be an Akuma," Apireine said.
"No way. It has to be a Sentimonster," Bateleur said.
"So then where's the Peacock?"
"Look out!"
Something silver and white whizzed past them. Following its trajectory, they spied the mysterious new figure clad in white.
"That's clearly not Mayura. That's a guy."
"Great! So some new idiot is using the Peacock," Apireine said, "But he gave himself a bleach job."
"Destructeur! Attack them!"
The gargantuan Sentimonster turned around and swung its arms at the pair.
"Dynamic entry!"
Matou Noir jumped into the air and landed on the Sentimonster. The other heroes were close behind. Ladybird wrapped her yo-yo around the arm of the golem.
"Now that everyone else is here," Apireine said, "Let's get that bird!"
She and Bateleur flew straight for Argos. He retaliated by throwing the other pieces of his fan like knives. When that didn't work, he ran for it.
"Afraid to fight, fancy boy?!"
Bateleur tapped her shoulder, "Wait a minute, are those Akuma?"
Several of the Akuma butterflies were flying quickly past them.
"That's impossible. That jerk never makes more than one."
"We'd better catch them before they reach their target."
Before they could chase them down, all the feather-tipped knives came hurtling through the air. The duo had to duck down to avoid them. Argos was ready to fight if necessary, but a familiar shape slid up next to him.
"Let's get out of here," Camalepolpo hissed.
"About time,"Argos muttered, as he snapped away Destructeur and ran.
Apireine growled, "Get back here, you little -"
"Uh, Queenie?"
"What? When did you get here, Snake Man?"
He pointed towards the prison. One of the walls was being smashed through from the inside. A massive fist punched through the wall and brought it crumbling down. The man who stomped through the hole was at least 20ft, with huge muscles, a large axe, and the number VIII on his chest.
The Akuma roared, "FORCE!"
"Is that guy supposed to be Strength?" Zorrua asked.
The short squat man now had a gas mask over his face and huge steel hands. On his chest was the number 0. He started digging into the ground at lightning speed.
"The Fool?" Matou Noir said.
Next, a large gargoyle flew through the hole. XII was on his chest.
"The Hanged Man," Tortank said.
Then, out came an enormous human/crab hybrid with the number IX on his chest.
"The Hermit," Vipèrion said.
Next was a tall muscular fish-man holding a trident. The Number V was on his chest.
"The Hierophant," Seiryū said.
Finally, a tall man in elaborate robes strode out, the number IV emblazoned on said robes.
"The Emperor," Bateleur said.
Another wall of the prison was smashed open, and out came two more Akuma. The first was a woman clad in a fancy dress that had the number III on the front.
"The Empress," Ladybird said.
After her came a large creature that had a human upper body and a spider lower body. She wielded a bow and arrows, and she had the number VI on her chest.
"That's supposed to be The Lovers?" Apireine said, "That's disgusting!"
"I think we'd better split up and go after each of them," Ladybird said.
"Force is mine!" Tortank declared, running off.
"Le Hiérophante is heading for the Seine," Vipèrion said, "So I'll deal with him."
"I'll go after Le Fou," Zorrua said.
"Le Pendu can fly, so I'll take him on," Bateleur said, flying away.
"I'll tackle L'Ermite," Matou Noir said, "I've had some experience."
"I shall bring down L'Empereur," Seiryū said.
Ladybird and Apireine looked at each other.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors for who gets stuck with the creepy spider centaur."
"You're on, Bee."
Apireine got scissors, while Ladybird got rock.
"Scissors cut everything, right?"
"They can't cut Rock."
"They're really good scissors."
The Ladybug simply stared at her.
"Okay, fine! I'll take on Les Amoureux, ugly as she is."
"That leaves L'Impératrice for me. Good luck!"
Ladybird flew into battle.
Apireine replied with a deadpan, "I hate you."
Tortank only came up to the knees of her opponent.
"Force!"
He swung his axe down, but Tortank was quick to block it with her shield. The impact was so extreme that the pavement beneath her started to crack. Force raised his axe again, but this time, Tortank ran past him.
"This guy is strong, but he's also slow."
As Force turned around, she threw her shield as his face. He didn't even flinch. The shield bounced off him as though he was a rock. He growled as he swung his axe again.
"Okay, I think I need a new plan."
Not too far away, Zorrua was pursuing Le Fou. The Akuma easily dug through anything that got in his way as though he were swimming.
"I think the phrase making a mountain out of a molehill is pretty apropos."
Vipèrion was standing next to the Seine, but Le Hiérophante was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, he leapt out of the water and attacked with his trident. Vipèrion jumped backwards to avoid getting hit. He swung his lyre at the Akuma, but it went through him. The Akuma let out a sinister chuckle as the Snake tried again. The strike phased through his opponent.
"Okay, this is potentially problematic."
Overhead, Bateleur had lassoed Le Pendu with her bullroarer. However, as he was considerably larger than her, she was being dragged through the sky.
"Look, you jerk, if a giant swan couldn't beat me, I'm not letting you win."
Down below, Matou Noir was using his staff to parry the giant claws of L'Ermite.
"There's no need for you to feel crabby, Monsieur."
He saw an opening and smacked his opponent, but the hard shell meant that it did little to slow him down.
"If only I had a crab cracker."
Seiryū charged at L'Empereur, but he began firing what appeared to be fireworks from his hands. These fireworks were also explosives. The sky lit up every time he fired one of his projectiles.
"It will take more than a fancy light show to stop me, you fiend."
Ladybird flew up to L'Impératrice, who then brandished a magic wand. She pointed it at Ladybird and it fired a laser. Ladybird rounded the corner to get away.
"A magic wand that fires lasers? I thought things were weird before."
The laser fire was now coming from another direction. She flew up high to get a better look. L'Impératrice had made a duplicate of herself, and they were both firing at Ladybird.
"Two against one? That's hardly fair!"
Apireine was avoiding getting shot by arrows. Les Amoureux climbed up the sides of various buildings to get a better shot at the Bee heroine.
"A bow that makes its own arrows. Well that's just super!"
She flew behind a nearby building.
"Let's see her deal with this."
She transformed her trompo into its new épée form. She waited for Les Amoureux to get close enough. When she did, Apireine quickly flew towards her and sliced the bowstring.
"How do you like that, you creep?"
The spider-centaur spun a strand of web from her spinneret.
"Oh, that is disgusting."
She tied the strand onto her bow and gave a sinister smile.
"Well, I tried."
Apireine flew away fast, pursued by the spidery Akuma. She went right past Ladybird.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Get down!"
A laser blast flew through the air.
"Why are you fighting two on your own?"
"I didn't know she could make a copy of herself!"
Apireine flew up so their opponents could see her better.
"Who's going to try and shoot me first?"
She started flying in a zigzag pattern. She then flew in between the Akuma women. They fired their projectiles at the same time, but the Bee dodged, causing them to fire on each other.
"Watch where you're aiming, you tramp!" L'Impératrice shrieked.
Les Amoureux snarled back, "There's two of you and yet you can't hit one bug?"
The two and a half Akuma began fighting with each other.
"I think we'll need some help," Ladybird said.
"I agree."
The two flew off, leaving the ladies fighting each other. Meanwhile, Seiryū was avoiding a volley of explosives.
"I have to stop him for at least a brief moment so I can get a hit in."
That's when she felt the ground shake. Force was stomping past, still in pursuit of Tortank. Seiryū flew towards the giant's head, just as L'Empereur fired more fireworks. She dodged out of the way, and they instead exploded in the face of Force. The large Akuma turned on his fellow prisoner.
"Wait, don't attack me, you idiot! You're the one who got in the way!"
L'Empereur was now the one running away.
"Thanks for the assist," Tortank said.
"I think we're going to need more than a distraction, my friend."
Zorrua ran past as he continued to chase after Le Fou.
"Why don't you come out and fight, you dang mole!"
The tunneling immediately stopped. Le Fou crawled out of the ground and started slashing at Zorrua with his massive claws. Zorrua leapt to the top of the nearest building. Le Fou simply used his claws to climb up the side of the building.
"I should've seen that coming."
At that moment, Bateleur landed next to him.
"Help me!"
He grabbed her rope and they both held tight. Le Pendu struggled against them in an attempt to get free. Le Fou has reached the top of the building.
"I've got an idea," Zorrua said, "Follow me and pull!"
They dashed past Le Fou and jumped down, managing to bring Le Pendu crashing down on top of his cohort. Le Fou smacked the gargoyle in the face.
"Get off me!" he exclaimed, although with the gas mask, it was difficult to tell.
Le Pendu hit him right back, and they began exchanging blows.
"Do you have another cunning plan, Mr. Fox?"
"How about a tactical retreat?"
"Sounds good."
Vipèrion was actually getting frustrated with his opponent. Le Hiérophante gave him a hard hit with the trident. While the Snake was on the ground, the Akuma leapt into the air and brought down his trident. Vipèrion rolled out of the way, and now the trident was stuck in the ground. The Akuma was struggling to pull it out, so Vipèrion grabbed the trident and tried to pull it as well.
"If I can at least get this away from him…"
Le Hiérophante made a few weak grabs at him, until he got fed up and let go of his trident to better attack the Snake hero. They circled around the trident, until Vipèrion did a feint and managed to smack the Akuma in the face with his lyre.
"It worked!" he thought.
Le Hiérophante was mad now. He grabbed his trident, and this time he did manage to remove it from the ground. When the Snake tried to dodge and hit his opponent again, his lyre phased through the Akuma.
"He's only intangible when he's holding his trident."
"Coming through!"
Matou Noir ran past, L'Ermite hot on his heels.
"Hey, don't get in my way, you old crab," Le Hiérophante gurgled.
"At least now your ugly outside matches your insides," he snickered in return.
"Why you smart mouthed old…"
The two Akuma began fighting each other, giant crab claws snipping at the trident. Matou Noir motioned that they should go. Vipèrion nodded and they ran.
"We need a better strategy."
"You're telling me, Snakey."
The heroes all gathered on a rooftop where they could keep an eye on the infighting Akuma.
"While they're distracted," Ladybird said, "I think we need to get serious and use the tools we've been given. We should all grab a second Miraculous for some extra firepower. There's enough for each of us now."
She opened her yo-yo and grabbed most of the other Miraculous. She spread them out on the floor.
"Hey, can I make one of those pocket dimension things?" Tortank asked.
"I'm sure you can," Noir said, "But this isn't the time. Everyone picks a Miraculous you think will help. I've already chosen mine."
"As have I, chaton," Ladybird said, picking up the coin pendant.
"Isn't that the Mouse Miraculous?" Apireine asked, "What good will that do for you?"
"Trust me, I'll find a way. Ladybug, Mouse, unify!"
Her hair was arranged in a pair of buns atop her head, similar to mouse ears. The red parts of her costume were now closer to a shade of pink. The black parts were more of a grey color. A skip rope was now tied around her waist, giving the appearance of a tail.
"Very pretty, my Lady."
"Thank you, minou. You can call me Lady Multipla."
"Ah, it's like music. My turn," he put on the panjas bracelet, "This should help me out. Cat, Tiger, unify!"
His costume now had a series of thin gold stripes all along the body. With the bolas now tied around his waist, it made him look like a two-tailed cat. His hair looked a few shades darker as well. His right glove was now bigger and thicker.
"I've gone from a housecat to a big cat. Now I'm Tigre Noir!"
"Very nice, black tiger," Apireine said, picking up the circlet, "I'm going with this one."
"You're really going with that?" Lady Multipla asked.
"A circlet is part of a crown. Very fitting for someone like me, no? Bee, Monkey, unify!"
The yellow parts of her costume were now more of a golden color. The black parts were now more of a dark brown. Her hair was now strawberry blonde, no longer in a ponytail, and slightly shorter. A piece of rope trailed behind her like a tail. She was now holding the Rúyì Jīngū Bàng.
"All my outfits are so superb. You may call me Simireine."
Tigre Noir and Bateleur chuckled.
"I get it."
"Yeah, that's funny."
"It comes easy to me," Simireine bragged.
"My turn!" Tortank said, "I call the shades. Turtle, Horse, unify!"
Her costume was now a dark green with small brown and beige spots. Her impressive hair was now in a big, poofy ponytail. Her boots had a pair of wings on them.
"This is so cool! Now I'm Hippocampe!"
"Very creative, babe," Zorrua said.
"Me next," Bateleur said, attaching the collar necklace, "Eagle, Dog, unify!"
She now had a pair of pointy ears on her head. The body, arms, and legs of her suit became brown. The wings, gloves, and boots were black. She was throwing a ball back and forth from one hand to the other.
"An eagle and a dog? What does that make you?" Simireine asked.
"I guess it's a little obscure for some people, but I'm…Simurgh!"
"I'll go next," Vipèrion said, "Snake, Goat, unify!"
His costume was now a yellowish-green, with a black and white diamond pattern all over. A pair of large, curved horns were on his head. His jacket now had fur lining the neck.
"Not bad," Simireine said, "What about a name?"
"I had to think about it, but I've got a good one - Montpellier."
"That's clever," Hippocampe said, "There's a snake called Montpellier, and it's a hilly region, which is where you usually find goats."
"Thanks," he replied, twirling the paintbrush.
"I'll go with this one," Seiryū said, "Even if I don't think a nose ring suits me. Dragon, Ox, unify!"
Her costume was now a dark blue. She had a pair of horns on her head. Her boots had a design that made them resemble hooves. She held her sword in her right hand, and her hammer in her left hand.
"My new name shall be Kirin."
"Extremely cool," Zorrua said.
"Speaking of which, Fox Boy, hurry and grab one," Simireine said.
"Okay, I think this one should help. Fox, Rooster, unify!"
A red crest was now atop his head. The arms of his costume now resembled wings. His boots now had spurs on them.
"Looking sharp, handsome," Hippocampe said, "What do we call you now?"
"Call me…Chanticleer."
"Huh, that's actually a really clever name," Simurgh said.
"Now that we've got that out of the way," Lady Multipla said, "Let's get back to work before they try going after civilians."
The various Akumas were still butting heads with each other. Monarque finally gave them each a mental shock.
"Stop fighting with each other, you imbeciles! Go after the heroes! Use any means necessary to get them! Threaten civilians if you have to!"
L'Empereur gritted his teeth, "Most of the civilians have been evacuated. Hey, you, gargoyle man! You can fly, so go up and find the heroes or any civilian stragglers."
Le Pendu growled in response, but took to the sky regardless. As he curled the area, he spotted the Miraculous team.
"Look out!" Noir shouted.
Le Pendu pounced onto the roof and began trying to grab the heroes.
"There are times you need a sword," Kirin said, "But there are times when all you need is a hammer!"
She charged forward and struck Le Pendu in the chin with her hammer, knocking him off the building. The other tarot themed Akuma were heading their way.
"Let's go, team!" Lady Multipla declared.
L'Empereur began shooting his explosives at the team. L'Impératrice and her double were firing their lasers. Les Amoureux joined in and began firing her arrows.
"We're taking heavy fire, boss!" Chanticleer shouted.
"I think it's time for us to fire back!" Hippocampe declared, "Shell-ter!"
She charged forward, rolling the barrier like a giant hamster ball. She slammed into several of the criminals before Force grabbed the force field.
"Go away!"
He threw her into the distance.
Chanticleer growled, "Why you big -"
Le Fou climbed up the building and started spinning around with his massive claws.
"You can handle this jerk, right?" Simireine said, flying off.
Le Pendu saw her and was about to pursue, when Simurgh wrapped her bullroarer around his neck.
"Hey, ugly, your fight's with me!"
He hissed and took to the sky, dragging her along.
"We need to separate them," Kirin said, "Wind Dragon!"
She turned into a massive tornado that sucked up the remaining Akuma, except Force. She sent them flying off into different parts of the city. All, that is, except for L'Empereur, who she simply slammed into the ground.
He immediately jumped to his feet, "Why you arrogant little -"
She landed in front of him and drew her sword.
"Hello, kettle, I'm pot. You're black."
Now that the wind died down, Force raised his axe.
"Scatter!" Tigre Noir shouted.
As soon as the team dispersed, his axe destroyed the building. Matou Noir extended his staff and launched himself through the air. He landed on top of the nearest building and began leaping around to find L'Ermite. Lady Multipla flew off to continue her fight against L'Impératrice. Montpellier knew Le Hiérophante would head back to the Seine. Le Fou retreated back underground and dug away, so Chanticleer chased after him. Simireine flew around until she found Les Amoureux. The Akuma readied her bow.
"I'm sure becoming part spider only improved your looks, lady."
The arachne snarled, "How dare you?!"
She was so angry, she neglected to use her bow, and instead used her bare hands as she chased after Simireine. Hippocampe came rolling back and collided with Force.
"Did you miss me?"
He started punching the force field. Tigre Noir found L'Ermite scurrying around while snapping his claws.
"Hey, hermit crab, over here!"
The Akuma took swipes at Noir, snipping his claws repeatedly. Noir swung his staff around and smacked L'Ermite.
"You haven't learned anything, I see. My shell's too tough!"
"You know something? You're right."
He leapt back and threw his bolas, tying up the three legs on his right ride.
"Hey!"
"Clout!"
The punch sent L'Ermite flying into the side of a building.
As he slid down to the ground, he grumbled, "I think you cracked my shell."
"Well, if not, we can always try again," Noir replied, brandishing his claws.
Montpellier reached the Seine, and Le Hiérophante leapt out like before.
"Round two, fish-man."
This time, when the Akuma swung his trident, Montpellier deflected it with his paintbrush. Le Hiérophante was already annoyed, so he began wildly swinging his trident. Montpellier parried every attack with his paintbrush or lyre.
"Wait a second, this gives me an idea," he thought, "Second Chance!"
Take 2
This time, when Le Hiérophante swung at him with his trident, Montpellier dodged every hit. This only made the Akuma more angry. He let out a growl as he charged the Snake hero. Montpellier dodged again, and the villain's trident was embedded in the side of a wall.
"It feels like we've been here before, M. Hierophant."
The Akuma gave him a look, but ignored him in favor of continuing to get his trident unstuck.
"What's the matter? Is waving that trident around all unwieldy all you can do? Are you really so afraid of getting hit that you have to cling to it?"
This was too much for the Akuma.
"You little upstart," he hissed.
He quickly spun around and tackled Montpellier. He then jumped to his feet, grabbed this opponent by the legs, and tossed him into the Seine.
"Why do I always seem to end up here?" Montpellier thought.
Le Hiérophante dove in after him and grabbed him tightly, clearly trying to drown him. Montpellier slipped out of his "skin" and began swimming to the surface. When his opponent gave chase, he kicked him in the face. When the Akuma tried to grab him again, he used his paintbrush to jab him in the eye. Montpellier quickly leapt out of the water and went over to the trident. It took him a few tries, but he pulled it out of the wall. Just as he did, he heard Le Hiérophante emerge from the water with a snarl. He quickly tossed the trident in a nearby alley.
"Genesis!"
He made an identical trident. While he looked it over, Le Hiérophante rushed at him. The Akuma grabbed the trident and they wrestled over it.
"How's your eye?" Montpellier asked with a smirk.
Le Hiérophante punched him in the gut, causing him to let go of the trident.
"Hey, Tigre Noir," he spoke into his earpiece, "I know you're busy, but I could use your assistance."
"Sure, be right there."
Noir was still parrying the claw strikes from L'Ermite.
"Sorry, M. Crabe, but I've got to go help a friend."
"What? You can't run from me!"
Noir used his staff to raise himself higher and get to the top of a nearby roof.
"Okay, so you can."
Noir then checked his staff to pinpoint the location of his teammate.
"You want me so bad, Crabby, by all means follow."
Noir quickly jumped over towards the Seine. Montpellier was avoiding being jabbed by the trident.
"Sorry for the delay. That giant enemy crab is chasing me."
"No problem. You can take this guy. No one's invulnerable," he said with a wink.
He nodded, "In that case…"
He then charged at Le Hiérophante.
The Akuma smirked, "Do your worst, kitty cat."
He simply stood there, arms outstretched.
"My worst, eh? Clout!"
"These stupid heroes don't know what they're -"
His thoughts were cut off by Noir's fist connecting with his face. It sent him flying across the Seine. He then roughly hit the ground several times.
"I guess you could say he was a flying fish."
Simireine immediately flew past.
"WILL YOU STOP THAT?!"
Les Amoureux was hot on her heels, firing arrows when she could.
"Arr!"
Tigre Noir and Montpellier turned to see L'Ermite catching up.
"Chat Noir, me boy! Give me a hearty handshake!"
"I think you have me confused with someone else."
The two heroes each grabbed one of his crab claws before he could snap them shut. Meanwhile, Kirin was using her sword to smack away all incoming projectiles. L'Empereur was getting annoyed.
"Is this all you can do?"
"I was just about to say the same thing."
"You wouldn't be so tough if you didn't have that sword, you little punk."
"I don't need a sword to fight you. You clearly have no true skill."
He stopped shooting at her.
"Prove it then. If you can beat me, I might just surrender."
Kirin placed her sword on her back, "Very well. Hand to hand combat it is."
"Too bad we didn't shake on it."
He quickly fired an explosive at her head.
"Resistance."
The bomb went off in her face to no effect. The Akuma was confused.
"How did you…?"
He fired two fireworks this time. Kirin caught them in her hands. She then started walking forward. L'Empereur now looked worried. He was frantically shooting one explosive after another directly at her, but she kept getting closer. This time, he charged up his power so that now he created one large explosive. He then immediately threw it at her. Although, as she was so close, he also knocked himself over from the blast. He shook his head and looked at the impact site. There was no sign of her.
"Finally!"
Kirin suddenly landed hard on his torso.
"Let's go for a ride, M. Emperor."
She grabbed him by the ankles and took to the air. She began spinning around.
"Stop it, you stupid dragon lady!"
Kirin spotted the Cat and Snake fighting L'Ermite.
"You want me to stop? Well then, this is your stop!"
She threw him at L'Ermite, hitting him in the face and causing him to lose his balance and fall over onto his back.
"Look what you did, you idiot!" L'Ermite growled, "I can't get back up with this stupid crab body!"
"Shut up, you old fool! I'll deal with these weaklings."
He began charging up another explosive, while Tigre Noir and Montpellier backed away. Before he could throw it, though, Kirin's hammer hit him in the face, causing him to drop his explosive.
"Oh no…"
Both the Emperor and the Hermit were caught in the blast. In another part of town, Chanticleer was trying to stop Le Fou.
"This guy just won't stop unless he thinks he has an advantage. There must be a way to get him out from underground. Hey, wait. I've got an idea."
He took the quill pen and flourished it.
"The power to create localized tremors wherever I want. I've got to be careful with this. I know everything gets cleaned up, but I don't want to cause more damage than I have to. I need to get the timing just right."
He dramatically fell to the ground and held onto his leg.
"Oh, the pain! I think I've twisted my ankle! Not to mention my feet hurt! I can't walk another step!"
The tunneling suddenly stopped and then turned around and headed straight for Chanticleer. The hero stood up, but his legs were shaking.
"Come on, man! You've gotta get to your feet! Play through the pain!"
Just as the Akuma was about an arm's length away, Chanticleer stomped the ground and a shockwave pulsed through it. The ground in his immediate area crumbled. He could just barely make out a muffled yell.
"Everyone knows that the move Earthquake does double damage if the target is using Dig."
His opponent was clawing his way out of the ground.
"Mirage!"
A large group of Chanticleer now dotted the area. A very angry Fool popped out of the ground and began slashing at every one with his huge claws.
"I'll make you pay for that!" Le Fou growled.
"Mec, I can barely understand a word you're saying."
Le Fou destroyed the copy.
"You know what though?" another said, "I don't particularly care what you have to say."
Le Fou destroyed this copy as well. The remaining clones began flipping over the Akuma. He managed to destroy them all until there was only one left. Chanticleer and Le Fou were grappling with each other.
"You're too weak," Le Fou taunted.
"You might be stronger, but I like to think I'm smarter."
Suddenly, another Chanticleer appeared and punched Le Fou in the gut. He looked down at his opponent.
"Are those cracks in the air?"
Just then, his entire body shook, and then he was sent flying.
"Happy trails, Fool. I better go see who I can help."
Just then, Le Pendu flew overhead, still dragging Simurgh around.
"Okay, I'm getting tired of this," she said.
That's when she noticed Simireine flying past, her opponent still pursuing her. Le Pendu tried to attack Simireine.
"No you don't, you stone simpleton."
Simurgh lengthened her rope and flew around a building. She then pulled in some of the slack. This was enough to stop Le Pendu in his tracks, like a dog on a leash. He turned to glare at her.
"Yeah, that's right, focus on me. Catch me if you can."
He hissed and flew after her. She outmaneuvered him rather easily.
"Sorry, pal, but I've been flying longer than you have."
She flew past the enormous Force, who was still stubbornly trying to break through the force field. She used her ball to tap his axe as she flew past. She looked around for a good spot to land. She dove down.
"How about a fight on the ground, Hanged Man?"
He reached out and grabbed her. He landed hard on the nearest roof, with her taking most of the impact. He began slamming her around.
"You might be bigger, but eagles can take down larger prey."
She used her bullroarer to hit him in the eye, causing him to shriek and let her go. He made an attempt to grab her again, but she flew up and kicked him in his other eye. He now began blindly thrashing around.
She flew overhead and held up her ball, "Fetch!"
Force was about to hit the force field with his axe again, but it suddenly disappeared from his hand.
"Huh?"
The giant axe now appeared over Simurgh's head. She grabbed it, spun it around, and then threw it at Le Pendu. The top of the axe struck the Akuma in the head. He was clearly winded, but struggled to get back up. Simurgh picked the axe up again and used the flat side to repeatedly smash Le Pendu in the head until he stopped moving.
"Had enough, tough guy?"
She could barely make out a few pained growls. Not too far away, Simireine was flying circles around Les Amoureux. She finally dove between the buildings where the spider-like Akuma couldn't see her.
"Let's see what we get. Uproar!"
She received a tube of lipstick.
"It might be the monkey in me, but it's time to have some fun."
"Where are you, you stupid girl?" the Akuma snarled.
"I give up!"
Les Amoureux looked around. She saw the heroine kneeling on the ground.
"You what?"
"Look, I'm tired and I can't beat you. I'm laying down my weapons."
She tossed aside her staff and trompo.
"Those are your weapons? How pathetic. Still, why should I trust you?"
"I want to give you a peace offering."
"Ooh, is that lipstick?"
"Not that you need any, but I thought it might look good on you."
She looked down at the ground and held out her hand. Les Amoureux cautiously snatched up the tube of lipstick. Simireine hopped back to her feet.
"Goodness knows you can use all the makeup you can get, you hideous floozy."
"What did you call me?!"
"What are you gonna do about it? You couldn't hit me with an arrow if I was standing right in front of you!"
"We'll see about that!"
She tossed aside the lipstick and grabbed her bow. She aimed at Simireine and drew back the string. Before she could create an arrow, the bow suddenly shot backwards and hit her in the face.
"OW! What the…?"
She readied her bow again, but before she could release the string, the arrow exploded in her face.
"What is going on?!"
Once more she readied her bow, but the drawstring snapped and the arrow blew up like before.
"My eyes!" she shrieked.
She was hit in the chest so hard she flew back into a wall.
"What's the matter?" Simireine asked, twirling her staff, "Didn't take enough archery lessons?"
"I don't need my bow to kill you."
"You can't kill what you can't catch," she replied, hovering into the air.
"I'll make my own web and bring you down."
She began working her spinnerets, but as the webbing was moved from one leg to another, it began tangling around her body instead.
"What's going on here?!"
She was soon completely entangled by her own string. She could barely move.
"You know, seeing you struggling like this," Simireine said, "As a queen, I should remain composed and dish out sarcastic remarks. However, the monkey part of me just wants to laugh. So I will."
She let out a loud laugh that sounded like a monkey call.
"I'll make you shut up!"
"No, I'll make you shut up. You're boring me!"
She smacked her on the head with her Rúyì Jīngū Bàng.
"You little -"
"Venom!"
She jabbed her opponent in the forehead.
"Ouch! Why…you…"
"I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you. Can't you talk? I guess not. That's what happens when you've got a monkey on your back."
"Now who's making puns?"
She turned to see Tigre Noir, Simurgh, and Montpellier all watching her.
"My jokes are far more clever than any of yours, Two-Tail."
In another part of town, Lady Multipla was once again dodging laser blasts from L'Impératrice and her double. She managed to dive into an alleyway and hide under a nearby box.
"Multitude!"
She began getting smaller as she split into more and more copies of herself. They all looked at each other.
"I would say, two can play at this game, but now we outnumber her."
"Careful, making a joke like that could get Chaton's attention."
"Yeah, he can hear a pun from a mile away."
One of the copies had been peeking out from under the box.
"Look alive, ladies. Here comes the Empress."
"You all know what to do."
"Well, duh, we're you…or you're us…or something."
They all snuck out and flew into different spots.
"Where'd she go?" L'Impératrice griped, "I can't believe you lost her again."
"I lost her? You were closer to her than I was!"
Lady Multipla flew over and landed on the shoulder of the closest Empress. Another copy landed on the shoulder of the other Empress.
"You want me? Here I am!"
The twins looked at each other.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, but where did it come from?"
"Boo!"
The tiny heroine flew between the two ladies.
"Why are you so small?"
"Yeah, I mean how dumb are you?"
"Now we can literally squash you like a bug."
"I hope your suit has tough armor."
"Just try and hit me!" she taunted.
She began flying around in an erratic pattern. The Empress and her twin were doing their best to follow her with their eyes. The first Empress was about to take a shot, when the Lady Multipla on her shoulder yanked on her hair.
"Ow!"
Her shot went flying and almost hit her double.
"Hey, watch where you're aiming, stupid!"
"Don't call me stupid! I…thought I saw her."
"What are you talking about? She's right there."
The second Empress charged up her wand, but as she was about to fire, the Lady Multipla on her shoulder yanked on her ear.
"What was that?!"
She ended up firing at her double. The shot singed part of her robes.
"Hey, you idiot! You nearly hit me!"
"Don't call me an idiot, you idiot!"
"Ah, skip it and keep looking!"
When the doubles were looking in different directions, two of the Ladybug copies pulled on each of their hair.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"That's what I should be asking you!"
"You're starting to annoy me!"
"Likewise, you moron!"
"If you call me a moron, then that makes you a moron!"
"I swear, if you bother me one more time…"
The multiple Ladybug heroes all signaled each other. One got right next to each of the doubles. They each blew a raspberry into their ear.
"That tears it, you stupid clone!"
"You're the clone, you dingbat!"
"We'll see about that!"
The Empress twins began fighting with each other.
"Wow," one Lady Multipla said, "We barely had to do anything to get her to fight with herself."
"Yeah, no kidding," said a second.
"Time for the next step of the plan," said a third.
All the copies flew high into the air and merged back together.
"Lucky Charm!"
A car appeared in the air above her and began falling.
"Uh oh. Hey, ladies!"
L'Impératrice barely paid her any attention.
"Not now!" they snapped.
Lady Multipla shrugged as the Empress twins were crushed by the car. The heroine landed on the ground next to the car.
"What a terrible accident. Are you okay down there?"
"I hate you," the Akuma said in a pained voice.
"She's fine."
She looked over and saw that Force was still trying to break through the force field.
"Mon Dieu, that guy's persistent."
As she and the other team members got closer, they could see Hippocampe leaning against the force field and looking rather bored.
"There you guys are," she said, "I was waiting."
"Help is on the way!" Chanticleer shouted.
He hopped across the rooftops until he landed on Force's head.
"Careful up there! Ordinary attacks won't do a thing!"
"There's nothing ordinary about this. Your outside may be super tough, but how are your insides?"
He stomped his foot and sent a shockwave all through Force's body. Everyone was surprised as they saw cracks forming in the very air around the Akuma's head. Force now looked very woozy.
"What in the world was that?!" Hippocampe shouted, sounding almost impressed, "I felt the ground shaking!"
Force shook his head as he attempted to recover.
"Attack the insides," Kirin said, "What a brilliant notion!"
She flew up and stared the Akuma down right in his face.
"Hey, thick head! I challenge you! Go ahead. Try and intimidate me."
Force let out a snarl, and then he roared at Kirin.
"Hey, take this!" Montpellier called out, throwing her the trident.
She caught it and shoved it into Force's mouth.
"You haven't been flossing, but that's the least of your problems. Lightning Dragon!"
She fired a bolt of lightning into his mouth. Since the trident prevented him from closing his mouth, he made a few weak attempts to swat Kirin away. She easily avoided his hands and continued her assault. She then pulled the trident out and tossed it aside. Force had smoke coming out of his mouth.
"Finally it's my turn," Hippocampe said, "Voyage!"
A portal appeared beneath Force. He fell through with a roar. Hippocampe finally let the force field fall and everyone looked through the portal.
"We'd you send him?" Chanticleer asked.
"Somewhere very special for us," she replied with a wink.
"You mean the Channel?!"
Force landed in the water and sank like a rock. The way all the waves were moving, it was apparent that he was making his way back to shore. At that moment, the other villains were heading their way.
"Looks like they got their second wind," Tigre Noir said.
L'Ermite was missing a leg and the cracks on his shell were larger. L'Empereur had torn off most of his robe as most of it had been burnt. L'Impératrice and her double had crawled out from under the car.
"I'll teach you to drop a car on me!" she shrieked.
"You dropped a car on her?" Simurgh asked.
Lady Multipla smirked, "It's not called lucky for nothing."
Le Hiérophante spotted his trident and quickly snatched it up. Rather than flying or digging, Le Fou and Le Pendu were trudging over to the heroes. Les Amoureux had managed to free herself from her webbing.
"We'll deal with M. Strength," Simireine said, motioning towards Simurgh, "Just be expecting my call."
"Do you have a plan to stop him?" Montepellier asked.
"I'm shocked you have to ask."
The duo flew through the portal.
"That leaves the rest of these Akuma up for grabs," Kirin said, "Someone cover me!"
She flew past most of her opponents. L'Empereur was already firing his explosives everywhere. L'Ermite noticed she was heading straight for him.
"No…no, no, no, no, no!" he screamed as he tried to run.
She threw her hammer and struck him in the back, shattering his exoskeleton. She turned around to see that L'Empereur was about to fire his explosives at her. Before he could fire, Hippocampe's shield struck him in the head.
"Remember to douse your fire," Kirin said, "Water Dragon!"
She fired a blast of water at the Emperor, sending him tumbling into the Seine. Suddenly, Le Hiérophante leapt out of the shadows and was about to stab her with his trident. Tigre Noir rushed forward.
"Clout!"
He could make out a smug smirk on the Hierophant's face, but it quickly turned to shock when Noir's fist made contact with his face.
"Not again!" he snarled as he went flying.
"Looks like he grabbed the wrong trident again," Montpellier said, "What a shame."
Lady Multipla flew towards Le Pendu.
"You want to fight someone who can fly, Hanged Man? Well, here I am!"
She took off, and he pursued. Le Fou charged at the remaining heroes.
"Genesis," Montpellier said, creating a spray paint can, "This one's for you, Alix."
The Snake hero dodged the claws of the Fool and hit him hard in the gut with his paint brush. He then sprayed paint over the eye holes of the Fool's mask. He was now staggering around in a vain attempt to hit someone.
"Would you mind, Chanticleer?"
"Not at all, M. Mont."
Chanticleer avoided the large claws of his opponent and struck him in the face with his flute. The air cracked again as Le Fou was sent reeling towards the Seine. At the very moment, L'Empereur was climbing out, but he was knocked back into the river by Le Fou, and joined by him as well. The Empress twins began firing their lasers.
"Everyone get behind me!" Hippocampe shouted.
"Is that all you're going to do?" L'Impératrice taunted, "Hide behind your shield?"
Les Amoureux snuck up from behind. She climbed atop a building and began firing her arrows.
"No you don't!"
Tigre Noir began twirling his staff to deflect her shots from above.
"I'll deal with that arachnid," Kirin said.
She snuck up behind The Lovers and used her sword to cut off one of her legs.
"My leg!" she screamed, "How dare you?!"
Kirin then sliced her bow in half. Outraged, the arachne charged at her. With a fluid movement, Kirin switched her sword for her hammer. She then swung it and hit Les Amoureux in the jaw, knocking her onto her back. As she struggled to get back up, everyone noticed the Emperor, the Fool, and the Hierophant were making their way back.
"Oh, great," Tigre Noir said, "These guys don't know when to quit."
Meanwhile, Lady Multipla was doing her best to avoid Le Pendu. She flew between two buildings where Le Pendu couldn't reach her.
"Multitude!"
She once again split into several small copies. She then swarmed around Le Pendu. He attempted to hit her, but she was too quick. Two of them covered his eyes.
"You can't hit what you can't see!"
He flew as fast as possible, spinning and shaking in an attempt to get her off.
He managed to croak out, "Get off!"
"If you say so."
As soon as she flew away, he smashed right through a billboard and fell to the ground.
Meanwhile…
Simireine and Simurgh were still waiting for the Akuma to emerge from the water. While the former stood atop a nearby tree, the latter was flying overhead.
"I wish we'd brought some cards. What's his status, bird dog?"
"He's about to surface."
A huge hand burst out from beneath the waves. Force dragged himself to shore at last.
"Well, it's about time! Hurry up so we can all go home!"
Force growled, "Puny bee!"
"Who are you calling puny?! Uproar!"
She summoned a toy banana.
"Have a treat, you great lummox!"
She threw it at him and it struck him on the nose. He shook his head and tried to swat her.
"Whenever you're ready, partner."
Simurgh whistled, "Hey, big guy, up here!"
"Stupid bird!"
"How rude. Fetch!"
In a flash, Force's axe was now in the air above him.
"Heads up, strong man!"
"Force unstoppable!"
Simurgh let the axe fall.
"Are you ready to test that?"
Simireine began buzzing around Force.
"Go away! You make Force dizzy!"
"You were clearly born dizzy."
The axe struck him hard on the head and his eyes went wide.
"Oh no! What happened?" Simireine asked, "Did your power inconveniently stop working, by chance?"
Force began swaying back and forth, like he was about to fall over.
"Not yet, muscle man. We still need you. Venom!"
She quickly stabbed him and watched him freeze up.
"Now look at me!"
He did so.
"Pick up your axe."
He complied.
"Hippocampe, are you there?"
—
Hippocampe was still using her shield to block the lasers from the wands of The Empress.
"I hear you, but I'm a little busy!"
L'Empereur joined L'Impératrice in firing projectiles. Le Fou and Le Hiérophante stayed back to watch.
"Kirin," Lady Multipla called, "Would you give me a hand with this?"
"Glady, but give me a second."
Kirin picked up Les Amoureux and threw her at her colleagues. She then flew over to assist.
"You take one end of this giga gargoyle, and I'll get the other."
The two of them airlifted Le Pendu and also dropped him on top of his cohorts.
"The whole gang in one spot," Hippocampe said, "Shell-ter!"
A force field surrounded the villains.
"You think this'll hold us?" the Emperor scoffed.
"Long enough," Tigre Noir replied, "Cataclysm!"
He ran in a circle around the villains, causing the pavement to crumble. Hippocampe made the force field disappear, and as soon as it did, the villains fell into the underground.
"It smells down here!" L'Impératrice shrieked.
"You forgot this guy," Montpellier said, shoving L'Ermite into the hole.
Le Pendu and L'Ermite were now on top of everyone else.
"Now what was it you wanted?" Hippocampe asked into her earpiece.
"Open a portal from here to wherever those other jerks are. I've got a present for them."
"Special delivery from the queen. Voyage!"
—
A portal opened up.
"Okay, servant," Simireine said, "Now walk forward!"
"Yes, my queen."
Force walked into the portal.
—
The portal was directly overhead of the other villains. As soon as Force stepped through, he fell on top of everyone else.
"Ooh, that's gotta hurt," Chanticleer said.
Simireine and Simurgh flew through as well.
"Ah, I see it all worked out nicely."
"A brilliant plan, my queen," Montpellier said.
"Just one more thing," Kirin said, "Lightning Dragon!"
She rained down a torrent of lightning on the villains.
"Talk about overkill," Tigre Noir said.
"I would say that seems like kicking them while they're down," Lady Multipla said, "But they are criminals."
At that moment, eight Akuma butterflies shot out of the crater.
"I guess that means they've taken a sufficient amount of beating," Simurgh observed.
"Shall we, my big cat?"
"I'd be glad to, my little mouse."
They fist bumped, "Miraculous!"
Like many times before, a wave of magic repaired all the damages and vaporized the Akumas. It left the incapacitated criminals in the street, surrounded by the heroes. Optigami slipped away unnoticed.
The Lair
Amelie and Tomoe had already left the room.
"I'm going back to my room for a nap," Félix said, "I'll hold on to the Peacock for you in case you get any more brilliant ideas."
Monarque resisted the urge to punch his nephew when he heard him snicker. Camalepolpo said nothing, and simply handed Monarque the tablet. He took it and snapped his fingers, releasing her Akuma. While he de-transformed, Lila rushed after Félix, clearly not wanting to be around Gabriel.
"Gabriel, calm down," Nathalie said.
Gabriel threw the tablet against the wall.
"Buy me a new one," he muttered, skulking away to his room.
The City
Several police cars were now driving up, with Lt. Raincomprix leading the charge.
"You weren't hard to find with all the explosions and such."
"I think you'll find that their cells back at the prison are ready and waiting," Lady Multipla said.
"I don't think you'll have any trouble getting them back," Simireine said, "But if you do…"
The man who had been Force seemed to stir. He opened his eyes and saw Simireine standing over him. He looked afraid.
"You're not going to give these nice police officers any trouble now, are you?"
He shook his head and started moving towards the nearest police car. The other prisoners were being dragged into other police cars.
"I can't thank you heroes enough," Roger said, "If you hadn't been here, who knows how many innocent people could've been hurt."
"We know you helped protect the civilians, sir," Tigre Noir said.
"Using criminals for supervillains is a bold move. Do you think he'll try it again?"
"There are still a lot of cards in a tarot deck," Hippocampe said, "But we'll be ready."
Roger nodded, "Thank you again."
The heroes began leaving.
"Be safe out there, Lt. Raincomprix," Simurgh said.
Simireine shot him a salute, "Tell your family we said, Bonjour."