Tarbes. Our heroes have entered their next destination in France with the Olympic Flame and the Phryges, with them visiting the most beautiful and notable spots around the area. They first marched past the Cathedral Notre Dame de la Sede, and learned a bit of history around that area while holding the Olympic Flame securely. Around that area was dedicated to anything related to war, our heroes visited the Museum of wartime resistance and deportation while striving past the magnificent fountains in the town area.
While visiting the museum dedicated to World War I hero Marshall Foch, the heroes learned knowledge and how Foch was dedicated to defend France from enemy forces with his courage. Just when they were about to leave, the heroes heard a ghostly voice calling out to them; allowing them to meet a ghostly figure. The ghostly figure tried to calm the heroes down, until Madeline and one of the Phryges stepped forward and asked, "Who are you, sir?"
"Marshall Foch here. That was an impressive journey you have already made. Are you the heroes that Genos has mentioned before?" replied the spirit.
"Wait, you know us?" Gaulois asked in a confused tone.
"Indeed. Genos has told everything about your crew to me, and I would be here to provide guidance and encouragement necessary for the journey. The road to Paris is not always a cake walk, there are lots of challenges and obstacles that would require the help of your closest allies!" Marshall Foch's spirit replied.
"What were the knowledge that can be useful? Please tell us about it." asked Etno.
"Friends come in different shapes and sizes, but you should learn that maintaining friendships is not easy than you think, rooster. The real test lies in your ability of maintaining friendships as a leader. Conflicts may arise at any moment, so you should learn to defuse them before they get worse. Another piece of advice is that traitors may lie in wait ready to backstab you at their perfect moment, so you have to stay vigilant on all occasions!" the ghost of Marshall Foch replied solemnly.
"I owe you thanks for that, sir." Madeline replied. "For now, we shall head off to Paris with our friendships still strong!"
"Fare thee well, heroes. Until then, best of luck to you on your journey to Paris. Beware of the villains that lurk around, ready to pounce at any moment!" after saying that the Spirit of Marshall Foch then waved our heroes goodbye, with Genos the Greek spirit on his side.
Through Massey's Garden, it was a sight to behold for our crew. Different types of plants around the world were planted here, it was like the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve first arrived. The Phryges were felt relaxed when they smelt the flowers along with our crew, admiring the green scenery that boosted their eyesight. Peacocks also roamed around the garden, keeping the heroes amazed from a distance. They also took photos there too, to fill Gaulois' scrapbook just like what Ricky did while he was in Tokyo. Next up was the Masseys Museum. It was very huge with more than 10,000 artifacts and paintings on display. They learned about the history regarding the botanist Placide Massey, and the history of France during the 16th and 19th century. They were high in spirits until they received something shocking.
"Oh no! Someone stole the paintings! What are we going to do now?" wailed the security guard. The Beaux-Arts section was entirely empty, with nothing but crumbs left for rats to feed on. Our crew looked around in shock until Bud realized something. Shoeprints were on the floor, indicating that a heist took place before they arrived at the museum. Another case begins, with our heroes on the hunt for culprits.
"Something tells me that those culprits have made their way through the garden we visited recently!" Etno hinted. "We should go search for clues there!"
When they returned, they found nothing but the feathers. The peacocks that were roaming freely were gone!
"Where did all the peacocks go?" Gourgious asked. "They were supposed to be roaming around freely!"
"Do you mean peafowl?" Pepito corrected him. "Peacocks have bright, coloured feathers while peahen do not! Maybe you should read more on animals, ninny!"
"Who are you calling a ninny?" Gorgious was infuriated by Pepito's insult. "All you care was about making pranks and doing nothing, you insignificant brat!"
"Hey! I may look like a brat, but at least I am useful! What gives?" responded Pepito.
Pepito and Gorgious then started quarreling, with Asterix and Miguel trying to calm them down. The Phryges tried various methods, but none of them worked until Madeline noticed something.
"Guys! Over there! Peacock feathers!" called Madeline. "There must be some clues which could lead us to the villains!"
The gang started looking for clues by the peacock feathers. They found the feathers lining up along with several shoeprints and burnt marks, which could be the sign of superpowered villains conducting their crimes at ease! "Wait, there are peacock feathers along with shoeprints and stolen paintings, and now we have new clues! There are hooves here, maybe those villains were riding those horses as part of their criminal getaways to flee the scene!" Rayman added. "That means they are headed towards this area in hiding! Let's go stop them before they escape scot-free!"
The heroes followed Rayman via the clues. The Phryges were also behind them, ready to deal with the villains. When they arrived in the direction, they realized that they were at the Haras de Tarbes. There, the clues then led them to a secret hideout where potential villains are plotting. Asterix then heard several noises and evil voices coming from the door of a certain warehouse. Peeking through the hole in the door, he was in for a shock! The horses and the peacocks were captured in cages, crying out for help. The classical paintings from the Massey Museum were piled up and tied together, which was a heist that was part of a plot!
"Hahahaha! Without those horses, there will be no teams that will participating without their loyal steeds for rental! You are brilliant, Gepard!" complimented the blonde villain rock star with a purple streak on her long hair. She was completing a checklist of items stolen from their heist.
"You are indeed very sly, Serval. We the Landau Siblings shall have our first successful heist to sell all the loot we have stolen, so we can be very rich and please Chairman Xi Jinping and our mistresses!" replied Gepard Landau. He was no different than his cunning and rebellious sister, more of his personality was focusing on the task at hand.
Gaulois and the Phryges were entirely shocked, and they knew what to do. They hunkered down and thought of strategies to apprehend them until they had an idea. "Just keep quiet and stay calm, we have a plan. You guys don't want to get too noisy or you will attract their attention!" Gaulois told his crew while hiding.
"Say, aren't you the one who is noisy all the time with that lousy music played on your trumpet?" mocked Gorgious.
"It is you who is noisy with all the snoring that annoys me all night!" Pepito responded. "I just had to find earplugs all by myself because of you!"
Pepito and Gorgious then argued while Etno tried to defuse the tension. Suddenly, the warehouse door burst open, with Serval Landau and Gepard Landau discovering the heroes!
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Looks like we have some mutiny on the bounty!" Serval Landau smirked as she walked towards the crew. "In the name of Honkai: Star Rail, we shall be serving our mistresses with riches and lavishness they deserve! Our dearest Chairman Xi Jinping will be richer and prouder than ever! He would be happier if we are able to get rid of heroes like you!" She then grabbed Gorgious and Pepito and put them into a box of explosives, locking them up and threatening the heroes. "We are going to send your friends to their doom with explosives placed in the same box as them. Failure to defeat us means bye-bye to them!"
With their friends' lines on the line, our heroes had to fight those villains to save them.
Boss – Serval Landau and Gepard Landau
"Hang in there, guys! We are coming to save you!" declared Stereo as rushed towards them. It was too useless because Serval was electrifying, shocking him into a jet-black crisp. The heroes tried fighting Serval and Gepard Landau to pin them down but to no avail, with the Phryges being electrocuted one by one. Just when all hope was lost, A red man appeared from behind with a strange-looking yellow creature and a white terrier appeared, giving them extra helping hands.
"Hey Dogmatix! do something! We are in trouble right now!" Asterix pleaded. Dogmatix nodded, and he put his wits to use. Dogmatix then ambushed Gepard from behind who was ready to finish off our heroes, biting his leg hardly.
"ARGH!" shouted Gepard. Serval turned around, and she then saw Gepard's leg in pain. Dogmatix quickly ran behind her and was ready to do the favors. He then bit Serval's leg, causing her to shout in pain. The yellow creature then used its prehensile tail to tangle up Serval, causing her to fall over and topple over by tying them. The man in red then used a long rope along with Asterix and the Phryges to tie up those villains, with Dogmatix finding the key to save Pepito and Gorgious. Asterix then used the key to unlock the box, thus freeing Pepito and Gorgious. Obelix then stuffed Serval and Gepard inside the huge crate of explosives, with Madeline lighting the fuse.
"Wretched little brats! We shall be victorious again as we guarantee it! You will never win against us again! Ever!" shouted Gepard and Serval before they were locked up by Asterix in the crate, leading to the explosion that sent them flying with twinkles in the sky.
"Thanks for saving our lives!" thanked Pepito. "Who are you guys?"
"The name is Spirou. And that is my friend, which is the Marsupilami. He's a very wholesome guy, yet very reliable too! We heard those noises and noticed those clues, so we came to help!" answered the man in red.
"Gorgious, I am sorry for that insult directed at you. Will you forgive me my unkind words?" apologized Pepito.
"Yeah sure, just remember to watch your mouth! Insulting is never OK at your friends so you better be careful with that! I also regret and I take back my words at you. I am sorry too." Gourgious replied.
"Now then everything is settled with, would you like to join our crew on the journey to Paris?" aksed Asterix kindly to Spirou, the Marsupilami and Dogmatix.
"Why yes, it would be fantastic!" replied Spirou gleefully. "With all the sights of Paris I can revisit, it would be marvelous!" The Marsupilami nodded in agreement with Dogmatix, thinking that Paris would be great. They then joined the crew, continuing the odyssey to Paris. Now Pau awaits for our crew, with the Biarritz Beach awaiting.
Meanwhile in the hideout in Paris….
"Pathetic. Another heist, another setback. Will these ever end soon?!" Lila Rossi fumed again. Her henchmen were faltering constantly, with her scrambling to search for more villains to destroy our heroes. Chloe and Captain Chantal Dubois looked at the next line of villains, with them pointing to one of them. The selected villain then headed off, ready for its next mission.