Notes: Zoe-oneesama gave me the idea for Mime, while I thought of the idea for Gorizilla
Disclaimer: I don't own the Miraculous franchise
Miraculous Universe
Ch. 9: Four is Death Part 2
It had been at least two weeks or so since the last Akuma attack. In class that day, after he was more or less finished, Adrien started to think.
"The infrequency of these Akuma attacks is both good and bad in a way. On one hand, since they don't happen that often, that gives us time to train, and me to catch up on all my classes. If I slip up at all, father will force me back into nothing but tutors again. I'll be stuck in my gilded cage again. Although, if father IS that Le Papillon person, then I wonder what his thought process is exactly? What's his endgame? If he calls himself Le Papillon, does that mean he only has the Butterfly? Or maybe he only uses the Butterfly, while someone else uses the Peacock. If that's the case, the only person it could possibly be is Nathalie. He practically can't function without her reminding him of his schedule. He's always been so caught up in working he loses track of time. Of course, he also spends a good deal of time just brooding. I seem to have wandered a bit. On the other hand, the Akuma attacks being few and far between could denote that Le Papillon is just toying with us for the sake of his grand plan. That brings me back to my last thought. If father is Le Papillon, what does he really want? It doesn't seem like him to simply pick someone at random to go on a rampage. Still, what exactly were the point of Le Pharaon and M. Pigeon? If he does already have the Butterfly and Peacock, I'm willing to bet he wants all the other Miraculous. It's quite fitting that he happened to have found two Miraculous that allow him to hide in the shadows while someone else fights on his behalf. Father has always been rather manipulative. Nathalie is somewhat nicer. In fact, she's been awfully more lenient with what I can and can't do lately, but even so, she'd always put her duty above her personal feelings."
"ADRIEN!" Chloé yelled.
He practically leapt out of his chair, "Huh? What?!"
"Class ended a while ago, mec," Nino said, "We tried getting your attention, but you didn't say anything."
"Oh...sorry about that. I was...lost in thought."
"They must've been really deep thoughts," Marinette said, "Because you were just kind of staring at your desk."
"Uh, yeah, you could say they were."
"Care to share with the class?" Alya asked, half jokingly.
"It was just...a lot of different things really. I'll probably tell you all later once I make a compilation."
Chloé looked like she suspected something, but said nothing. She looked at Zoé, who just shrugged, and then she looked at Sabrina, who also looked suspicious.
"Whatever," Chloé said, "I'm hungry."
The week went by like normal, but Friday was special. It was theater class again, and Zoé was reciting another poem.
"For someone who let's me do most of the talking otherwise," Chloé thought, "She sure does like to wax poetically...and even worse, sometimes lyrically. It feels like I've heard her recite this poem at least a dozen times."
"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."
"This whole thing is an outgrabe," Chloé commented.
Zoé curtseyed, "You're my favorite critic, mon sœur."
"Uh huh. I'm guessing you paid money for Marinette to make you a dress that lets you cosplay Alice."
"It helps me get into the role."
"One of these days I'll shove you down a rabbit hole for the full experience."
Zoé threw back her head and stuck her nose in the air, while Chloé just had a bored look on her face. After a few seconds, however, the sisters looked at each other and smiled.
That's when Mylène spoke up, "I wanted to let everyone know that my dad's giving a performance this weekend. He's the best mime around."
"I didn't realize it was a competitive field," Chloé remarked.
"Oh, yes, he even has a business card," she said, showing it to the class.
"Marcel Marceau, Walking Against the Wind Ltd."
"It's a joke card," Mylène explained.
"Yeah, I gathered that," Chloé said.
Zoé pointed at the card, "I understand that reference."
Chloé rolled her eyes.
"I'll see you and your dad tomorrow when you pick up his hat," Marinette said.
"After that cool bowler hat you made for the competition," Mylène replied, "I had to tell dad to let you fix up his hat."
"I appreciate your patronage."
"I hope everyone can come to the show."
"Can we, Chloé?" Zoé asked.
"I'd rather watch one of those silent comedy films she likes, but..." Chloé spoke, "If you want to, I'll go with you. However, you'll have to do something for me later."
She shrugged, "Whatever you want."
"You make this too easy."
The next day, Marinette woke up early to make sure everything was ready. It was about 11 when Mylène and her father showed up.
"Bonjour, Mme. Cheng."
"Bonjour, M. Haprèle."
Fred Haprèle was the opposite of his daughter. He was tall, lanky, and had brown eyes, while Mylène was short, chubby, and had gamboge eyes.
"What's the name of your show again?" Sabine asked.
Mylène spoke up, "The Mime's Extraordinary Adventures, starring the greatest mime of all time, my dad!"
"How delightful. Right this way. All done, Marinette?"
"Come on up, Maman!"
The three of them went into her room. She was standing there, waiting while holding the black bowler hat.
"M. Haprèle, the tear is fixed, and I added that pocket inside like you asked."
As she held it out for him to take, he mimed as if he was taking it out of a hat box. As he placed it on his head, he gave a slight bow.
"I love when you do that, Papa. You'll be great."
"Merci, mon cœur. The pocket inside the hat is for this: a small picture of my inspiration - you."
She gave him a hug. Just then, he received a phone call.
"Excuse me, it's the play director. Hello, Sarah, I -"
"Fred! Get over here now!"
"I'm on my way, I promise. I just had to pick up my hat. I'll be on time," he hung up and gave Mylène a kiss, "I gotta go. See you all tonight at the Eiffel Tower."
Fred gave Mylène a quick hug and ran out the door.
"I'm going home to eat and change for the show," Mylène said, "See you later, Marinette."
"I'm going to pick up Alya and get some lunch, Maman."
"Okay, have fun, dear."
Marinette got on her scooter and picked up Alya. Then, they went to the nearest fast food establishment.
"You going to that mime show, Als?"
"Yeah, it could be interesting. I'll tell you who's definitely going - Adrien."
"I figured. I mean, I already knew that Chloé and Zoé were going."
"Yeah... Do you think Adrien is attractive?"
"Of course he is, he's a model."
"Yes, but do you personally find him attractive?"
"Uh...yeah, I guess. Why'd you ask that question?"
"Oh, just curious."
Marinette wasn't convinced, "Why? Do you?"
"Huh? Oh, I mean, yeah, he's obviously handsome, but he's not my type."
"It was silly of me to ask, considering..."
"Considering what?"
"You and Nino."
"There's nothing between me and Nino."
"Exactly. Why is that? You know how he feels."
"You know I'm the type of woman who goes after what she wants, but if Nino does feel anything for me, why hasn't he acted on it? And before you say anything, yes, I know he's kind of shy, but at some point, a man needs to make a move."
"I can understand that, Als. How's about we walk for a while? It's still early."
"Sure thing, Nette."
Meanwhile, at the bus for the show, A redheaded woman with glasses was looking impatient. A tall redheaded man walked up to her.
"What was his excuse this time, Sarah?"
"He had to pick up his hat from a repair shop."
"He's such a convincing actor," Chris said, dripping with sarcasm.
"Actually, he is a great actor, but there are always excuses. I'll admit some of them make sense, but still."
"Falling asleep during rehearsals, having to leave early, missing parts of his costume, the list goes on. If you let him get away with this, the show will suffer."
"Look, Chris, you're his understudy, so just be ready to take his place if something happens, okay?"
"I won't let you down, Sarah."
"Thanks," she said, walking off.
That's when Chris got an idea. An awful idea. The understudy got a wonderful, awful idea. He called up Fred.
"Yes, I'm almost there, Sarah."
"Actually it's Chris. I called to let you know the meeting spot changed. It's now in front of the Louvre."
"Okay, but I mean, I'm almost at the Tower."
"NO! I mean, no. You better head straight for the Louvre."
"Okay, if you say so. I can just make it if I hurry. Thanks for letting me know."
Sarah was now walking back to the bus.
"We have to get to the Eiffel Tower for dress rehearsal," Chris said, "If you wait any longer, you'll jeopardize the entire production."
She sighed, "I guess you're right. We can't wait any more. Fred's out, and you're in, Chris."
"I won't let you down."
Meanwhile, Fred had just arrived in front of the Louvre. He walked up to a young man handing out fliers for the performance.
"Excuse me, you haven't seen a bus with the Mime Adventure logo, have you."
The man shook his head.
"I'd better call Sarah."
On the bus, Sarah was lost in thought when her phone rang.
Chris peeking over the seat, "Fred's calling you. He's got a lot of nerve. Don't bother to answer."
She answered anyway.
"Sarah, where are you?"
"On the bus, Fred. We waited for you."
"But I'm at the new meeting spot."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, Chris said -"
"Never mind! I know that working two jobs keeps you busy, but there have been too many excuses. Chris is taking your spot. At least he's reliable."
Fred was now looking at a blank screen. He took his hat off and sulked.
Meanwhile...
Adrien was relaxing in a nearby park with Gorilla. A few people who stop to stare now and then, but scampered off after a glare from Gorilla. Just then, Adrien got a phone call from Nathalie.
"What's the news?"
"Your father won't be able to make the show."
"I knew he'd flake."
"Still, he reserved a seat for you in the front row."
"The best money can buy, but can't bother to show up."
"I'm sorry, Adrien, but he's very busy."
"Story of his life. See you later, Nathalie."
He hung up and looked at Gorilla, "Looks like it's just you and me, buddy."
Gorilla placed a reassuring hand on Adrien's shoulder.
"You know what? That works for me."
They shared a smile.
The mansion
As she hung up, Nathalie saw Gabriel heading for the elevator. She quickly joined him in the lair.
"Today's a good day, Nathalie. I feel in the air."
"Who's the target?"
"An actor who's going to miss his own premier."
"The mime thing that Adrien's going to?"
"I never cared for mimes myself," he said, charging up an Akuma, "But I was always partial to tragedy."
"That figures," she said, setting up her tablet.
He was going to say something in response, but instead continued what he was doing.
"Go, my evil Akuma. Let's hand this actor the role of a lifetime!"
"There, you see? You can mix up your catch phrase."
"I'm starting to think Adrien got his sense of humor from you."
"He must have, because you have no sense of humor. Although he also seems to like puns, and he definitely didn't get that from me. Optigami, follow that Akuma."
Fred was sitting on a bench, staring at the photo of his daughter.
"I've let you down, Mylène," he said, on the verge of tears, "I hope some day you can forgive me."
At tat moment, Alix and Nathaniel were walking out of the Louvre.
"I forgot to ask," Nate said, "Are you going to that mime show?"
"I dunno," Alix replied, "Mimes aren't really my thing. On the other hand, it is Mylène's dad. I'm, sure she'd appreciate if we went."
That's when the Akuma flew up and possessed Fred's photograph.
"Good day to you, monsieur. I am Le Papillon. There's no need to be sad any longer, because I'm going to help you."
"Help me? How?"
"You are an artist. I am an artist as well, so I know how you feel. You missed out on being a mime in a show, so instead you'll put on your own show. You shall be the greatest mime of all time, because I'm giving you the power to make whatever you gesture come to life. You won't just be a mime, you'll be...Le Mime."
Fred was desperate enough to let the magic overtake him.
"Use this power to destroy the premier performance. You may be a mime, but they can't silence you! You will have justice. However, in return, you must defeat the heroes and bring me their Miraculouses. So...shall we get on with the show?"
Fred now had a sinister smile on his face as the purple energy washed over him. He was now 7ft, more muscular, and wearing a nice suit of black, white, and purple. He placed the akumatized photo in the pocket of his bowler hat. As he placed the hat on his head, he looked around at all the posters of the performance. He mimed unsheathing a sword and sprinted across the area, cutting up all the posters and signs, while leaving anything else unharmed.
"Alix, am I crazy, or is that an evil mime?"
"Considering he's going around destroying the posters and signs with what appears to be an invisible sword, I'm gonna say yes. Does that mime look familiar?"
"Now that you mention it..."
Alix called up Mylène, "Uh, Mylène, I don't want to alarm you, but I think your dad's been akumatized. We're at the Louvre at the moment."
Marinette and Alya were still walking when they saw several people running away.
"What's going on?" Alya asked, "Wait, do you think it's an Akuma?"
"Most likely," Marinette replied, "Which means you'll be staying here, right?"
"Of course! I swear I'll be careful."
Just as Alya snuck off, several police cars drove up.
"Brigadier Raincomprix!"
"Please stay back, Marinette," he said.
"You don't have to tell me twice."
She ran off and found an isolated alleyway to transform. Optigami, having hid inside a nearby trash bin, was surveying the area.
"No sign of the heroes yet," Mayura said.
"Mime," Papillon said, "The heroes are taking too long. Give them some incentive. Get those police out of the way."
Mime nodded as he mimed a bazooka and aimed at the line of police cars.
Alix ran forward, "Move it, Roger! Whatever he mimes is real!"
"Take cover men!"
Several police cars went flying backwards due to the explosion.
"I wasn't sure you'd believe me," Alix said.
"Considering what else these Akuma victims have done, I wasn't about to take any chances. Now about calling me by my first name -"
"Oh, yeah, uh...sorry. I had to think fast."
Ladybird swung into the area.
"That hat. It's M. Haprèle!" she confronted him, "Sir, whatever caused this, maybe we can just talk about it?"
He mimed a bow and began firing arrows.
She dodged and ran, "Okay, maybe not. Everyone better leave the area!"
"Everyone, please vacate the premises!" Roger announced.
Adrien and Gorilla were in the car, when he came to a sudden stop due to the police cars.
"Sorry, sir," Roger said, "There's an Akuma attack. You'd better find a safe place to hide."
Gorilla grabbed Adrien and headed for a nearby café. He was looking out the window just in case.
"I'm going to the restroom."
Gorilla nodded and pointed towards the back. Fortunately for Adrien, there was a window. He soon transformed and snuck out. He ran as fast as he could to help Ladybird. At that moment, Mime had made a bullwhip and tied her up, and was now pulling her towards him.
"Fred, may I call you Fred? You really don't want to do this. I don't think your daughter would approve."
He paused at that statement, but then reached out to her earrings. That's when a silver staff clocked him in the head.
"Back off, M. Mime, or whatever your name is!" he looked at Ladybird, "I can't believe you started the party without me."
"I think we're both being party crashers."
"Did you see the object?"
"No, but I think I know where it is. Look out!"
Mime was swinging a sword again, while Matou Noir was parrying the blows.
"Wow, Minou, you're good at this."
"Finally, all those fencing lessons paid off."
As Ladybird reached for the hat, Mime jumped backwards, and was now holding a bat, which he promptly struck Ladybird with.
"Ow, that really hurt."
"Hey, Mime Bomb, that's no way to treat a lady!"
Just as his staff was about to hit Mime, Mime slammed a door shut, and the staff rebounded off it. He smirked, tipped his hat, and walked off.
"Talk about your mime makes it real," he quipped, tapping the bars with his staff, "How do we get out?"
"Give it a few seconds," Ladybird replied.
Mime was now driving a car. As soon as he drove off, the bars were gone.
"See? He can only mime one thing at a time."
"Clever of him to mime a car. We'll have to hurry to catch up."
Ladybird swung her yo-yo and was now flying through the air.
"I see him!"
Matou Noir was running across the rooftops, "Kinda hard to miss a guy in an invisible car!"
They both managed to land on the roof of said car.
"What?" Noir asked, "You couldn't even make it a convertible?"
Mime jumped out of the car and mimed a motorcycle instead. The heroes fell to the ground.
"This is more annoying than I thought it would be. What's his plan?"
"He's part of that theater troupe for the mime show tonight," Ladybird explained, "He must be going after them. We need to find that bus."
"Well then, with your permission, My Lady," he said, pulling her close.
"Minou!" she gasped, putting an arm around his neck, "This is so sudden!"
"Careful now. Sarcasm can be a dangerous weapon. Hang on tight."
He extended his staff as long as it could go, taking himself and Ladybird to the top.
"If we weren't on a mission," Noir said, "I could enjoy this view for a while."
"There's the bus over there, and the Mime is gaining."
"You might not have spotted it without having friends in high places."
"Puns are a form of sarcasm too, you know. Let's get over there fast."
"This is where the fun begins. Going down!"
He leaned his staff towards the direction of the bus. The pair were now falling through the air. They managed to both land on the bus.
"What a rush, huh?"
"Speaking of rushing," Ladybird said, "Here comes Le Mime."
Mime pulled up next to the bus. He then jumped off the bike and grabbed onto the side.
"Fred?!" Chris cried.
Mime pulled himself up and was now swinging around a hammer.
"Keep it up, Chaton," Ladybird said, "I'll be right back."
"Don't be long. This guy's out of his mime!"
Ladybird knocked on the bus door. Once it was opened she swung inside.
"Don't worry, we have this under control. It's just that one of your actors has it out for you."
"It's Fred!" Chris shouted, "I took his part from him. It's all my fault. He can have the part back. Please just keep me safe...no, keep us all safe!"
"What on Earth are you talking about?" Sarah demanded.
"Uh...there's something I need to tell you."
Back outside, Matou Noir swept his leg and knocked Mime off the bus. Mime stood up, dusted himself off, and mimed a sniper rifle, using it to shoot out the bus tires. Matou Noir was holding onto the bus for dear life.
"If this is what it's like fighting on top of a bus, I'd hate to fight on top of a train."
He managed to stop the bus by extending his staff between two lampposts. Before he could relax, Le Mime grabbed him by the leg and threw him.
"Ouch...way to play dirty. Where are we? Oh, the Eiffel Tower."
Mime now put a boxing glove on his right hand and gave Noir a good hit in the gut.
"Okay, that's my fault," he said, falling to his knees, "I wasn't paying attention."
Mime pushed him over and pinned him down. He was about to take the ring, but the yo-yo wrapped around his arm.
"Hey, back off, Bomb Voyage!"
Mime grabbed the yo-yo and swung her around, using her to hit Noir.
She got back up, "Lucky Charm!"
She created a long cane with a large hook at the end.
"It looks like you pulled that right out of an old cartoon," Noir said.
"We need a distraction."
"I'm good at that."
"PAPA!" a voice rang out.
Mylène came running up. This gave Le Mime pause.
"Mylène, you can mime, right?" Ladybird asked.
"Sure, but why?"
"We need a distraction. Show us what you've got."
Mylène smiled and ran in front of Le Mime.
"Mime, what are you doing?" Papillon snapped, "Just go around her or move her out of the way!"
Mime ignored him as he watched Mylène mime being trapped in a box. He smiled as he mimed playing pool. Mylène countered by miming walking against a strong wind. Mime was now miming playing golf. He took a mighty swing with his club and then looked into the distance. Mylène tapped his shoulder and pointed at the ground while shaking her head. Mime looked shocked. How could he miss such an easy shot? He took another swing. Mylène looked into the distance and shook her head. This time she picked up his ball. Mime got so fed up he threw his hat on the ground and began smacking the dirt with his club. While he was having a tantrum, Ladybird used the stage hook to grab his bowler hat. She reached inside and handed the picture to Matou Noir.
"This is the weirdest win we've had yet, I think. Cataclysm."
As the Akuma tried to fly away, the heroes shouted, "Miraculous!"
Everything was back to relative normalcy. Alya ran up, phone in hand.
"That was an epic fight! I mean, it was also weird, but so cool!"
Fred was standing there, a confused look on his face.
"What happened? Where am I? The Tower? I made it after all."
Mylène hugged him, "Papa, you're okay!"
"Of course I am. Wait...I was akumatized, right? I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"
"You might've scared a few people," Matou Noir said, "But other than that, no harm done. As they say, a mime is a terrible thing to waste."
"Do you have a book of all these or something?" Ladybird asked.
Sarah and Chris walked up to Fred.
"Tell him," Sarah ordered.
"I'm sorry I lied about the meeting place. I just really wanted to perform finally."
"Well you didn't have to lie for that," Fred replied, "You should've just said something. We can both perform tonight. What's important is that the show must go on."
"Your dad's a forgiving guy, Mylène," Alya said.
"I'll get around to disciplining you later, Chris," Sarah said, "For now though, let's rehearse...and get something to eat."
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask," Alya said, looking at the dynamic duo, "Do you think I could interview you two?"
"I'm happy to answer any questions," Noir said, "Just not today. I have to run. Until next time, My Lady."
He ran to the nearest building, climbed up, and leapt away.
"I think we should wait until both of us can answer your questions," Ladybird said, "We'll have to schedule something for later. Adieu, lady blogger."
As she watched Ladybird swing away, Alya remembered something.
"Oh my gosh! What happened to Marinette?"
Optigami was returning to the lair.
The Lair
"That was one of the strangest things I've ever seen," Mayura commented.
"I need to listen to some relaxing music before I scream from all this mime nonsense," Papillon grumbled.
La Rue
Matou Noir ran as fast as he could back to the restroom. He jumped back through the window and de-transformed. He then walked out to see Gorilla still waiting by the door. That's when a police car drove by.
"Akuma attack over, citizens," came the announcement.
Adrien got Gorilla's attention.
"Sorry I took a while. Thanks for looking out for me."
Gorilla, to Adrien's surprise, gave him a big hug. It was a short hug though. Gorilla straightened his shirt and motioned for the door.
"Yeah, we need to get back so I can get ready for tonight."
At the same time...
"Marinette! Where are you, girl? I'm sorry I left you behind."
"Calm down, Als," she said, appearing from a nearby alley, "I'm right here."
"So let me worry about you a bit," she said, giving her a hug, "That's what friends do."
Hours later, everyone was there to see the show. Fred and Chris took turns miming. Zoé looked fascinated, while Chloé looked rather bored. Still, every time she looked over and saw how enthralled Zoé was, she would smile to herself. Adrien snuck into his seat a few minutes after the performance started.
"I didn't think you'd be here," he whispered to Marinette.
"I helped repair his bowler hat," she whispered back, "I'm a guest of honor."
The rest of the year went by uninterrupted. Everyone had a pleasant Christmas as well. It was in January, however, that Adrien got really excited. He walked into class on Friday with a spring in his step.
"You seem very chipper, sunshine," Alya said, "What's the occasion?"
"They're having a special screening of Solitude at the movie theater today."
"Well, you said he'd bring it up," Zoé said.
"Why not? His mom's the star," Chloé said, "We've seen it about a dozen times, but what's one more when daddy is just so excited about it?"
"It was the first thing Andy brought up, too."
"Why would your dad be excited about a movie?" Alya asked.
Before the sisters could answer...
"Because he's the director, Alya," Nino said.
"I see you've done your homework, M. Director," Chloé said.
"You are talking about that art film, right?" Marinette asked.
"Yes," Zoé answered, "Andy and Emilie were friends. She helped finance the film. Gabriel helped with the costuming."
"Wait," she looked at Adrien, "If your mom's the star, haven't you already seen it?"
"Only once, a long time ago. It was thanks to Chlo, as a matter of fact."
"Don't you have a copy?"
"I'm sure we do, but father locked it away when mom died."
"I'm guessing you asked him about it?"
"I tried, but every time he comes up with excuses...or just tells me to go away."
Marinette had known for some time that Gabriel was a recluse and a jerk, but this was too much for her.
She kept a calm voice, "You've told us before that you dad was aloof and arrogant, but I can't believe he'd hide away something as special as a movie your mom made."
Everyone is the class was looking at Marinette.
"Nette sounds like she's about to scream," Nino thought, "She rarely ever gets angry."
"I know that look," Kim thought, "I've seen it when she gets fed up with my pranks or challenges."
"So...what are you going to do about the movie?" Marinette asked.
"If I have to," Adrien replied, "I'll sneak over to the theater after school."
"I'm going to help you get to that theater."
"You will?" both Adrien and Chloé said.
"If it's important to you, then absolutely."
"You can count me in, mec," Nino said.
"Ditto for me," Alya added.
"I'll recruit anyone who'll help," Marinette said.
During lunch, Marinette asked around to see if anyone else was going to see the film. Luka and Juleka volunteered to help out.
"I've never seen the film," Juleka said, "She was an amazing model, so beautiful. I'd like to see her acting."
"I've never seen it either," Luka said, "But I'm mostly doing this because Adrien should be able to see it if he wants to. I mean, it's not like there's anything wrong with the movie, right?"
"By wrong I assume you mean naughty?" Chloé asked.
"That was the implication, yes."
After school, everyone, sans Adrien, was having a meeting on the Couffaine houseboat.
"Looks like we've got a whole team assembled," Alya said.
"So what's your cunning plan, Nette?" Nino asked.
"Actually, we're waiting for one team member," Marinette said, "Ah, here she is now."
"I believe the phrase is: permission to come aboard."
Luka turned to look, "This is a surprise. Come on up, Kagami."
"Hey, Kagami," Sabrina said, "How's Ondine?"
"She's fine as far as I'm aware. She went to the gym with Kim."
"Glad he's got a workout buddy," Nino said.
"I'm glad you could make it, Kagami," Marinette said.
"Mother was surprisingly compliant with my request when I told her I was going to see Solitude. I suppose it's because she and Emilie were...well, I'm not sure if friends is the right word. Let's say good acquaintances. Now then, what's the plan?"
"I went over it with Adrien. He's going to sneak out of his house. Chloé, Zoé, and Sabrina will get him into the limo and give him a disguise. They'll drop him off a few blocks away from the movie theater so that people don't assume it's Adrien in disguise. Luka and Juleka will walk him to the movie theater. Alya and Nino will buy him a ticket. He promised to pay you back later. Kagami will keep watch outside the mansion to let us know when the bodyguard is sent after Adrien."
"How do you know it'll just be the bodyguard?" Juleka asked.
"Because Gabriel and Nathalie, despite knowing that Adrien snuck out, won't bother to go and look themselves," Kagami explained.
"Once I get the text, I'll leave my nearby hiding place and pick up Kagami on my scooter to join you all at the movie theater."
"So what about the bodyguard?" Zoé asked.
"By the time he reaches the movie theater, I hope that Adrien can convince the guy to let him stay and watch the film. He seems pretty nice."
"Compared to his prig of a dad? Totally," Nino said.
"Okay, team," Marinette concluded, "Let's do this thing!"
"Uh, girl," Alya said, "It's not until tomorrow."
"Oh...right. Got a bit too excited there, sorry."
"I think we all appreciate your enthusiasm," Luka said, "How's about we all get some dinner?"
"You're speaking my language," Zoé said.
"You and your obsession with food," Chloé said.
"You and your obsession with clothes."
"Uh oh. That reminds me. Something very important."
"Share it with the group, blondie" Alya said.
"Tomorrow they're releasing a new cologne called Adrien."
Everyone had a chuckle.
"This is serious! Well, I mean it is funny when you think about it, but what I'm getting at is that now his picture will be all over Paris...moreso than usual. If all those fanatics get even the slightest hint that Adrien Agreste is out and about, they'll hunt him down wherever he goes."
"Well then I hope his disguise works," Marinette said.
"I'll do what I can without making any drastic changes that would make Gabriel snap. Still, some of these people will probably see through it."
"Speed is imperative then," Kagami said.
After dinner and a bit more planning, everyone went their separate ways. The next day, after making sure the coast was clear, Adrien was ready to sneak out. The doorbell rung.
"See who that is," Nathalie said to Gorilla.
He checked the camera and saw Kagami.
"May I please see Adrien?"
Gorilla didn't think they'd mind too much if it was the daughter of Tomoe Tsurugi. He opened the door for her.
"Thank you. By the way, I noticed several people hanging around the mansion today. I think they want to get a glimpse of Adrien since that cologne came out today. Perhaps you'd better take a quick look."
Gorilla nodded and began to walk the perimeter. Kagami motioned for Adrien to run. He waited for her to open the gate. As soon as she did, a limo pulled up, and Adrien leapt inside. There actually were a few people hanging around the perimeter fence, but as soon as Gorilla came by, they scattered. As he came back around to the front, Kagami walked out to meet him.
"Adrien's not in his room. I think he must've left."
Gorilla was shocked. He was about to run inside, but Kagami grabbed his arm.
"I know where he went. There's a screening of Solitude at the movie theater. He wanted to go see it. You should go there immediately to catch up with him. He'll need your help. No need to bother Gabriel with this."
Gorilla was thinking it over. He decided to head for the car. As he did that, Kagami waved over at Marinette, who drove up on her scooter and picked her up.
"This is more exciting for me than you can imagine," Kagami said, "So far, step one and two are complete."
Back in the limo, Chloé was trying to decide what Adrien should wear.
"Shouldn't it just be something can covers my entire face?" Adrien asked.
"That would draw just as much attention if you weren't wearing a disguise, Adrikins."
"What if we styled his hair differently?" Zoé suggested.
"That could help. Although it'll probably make you look like Félix."
Adrien shuddered at the thought.
"Who's Félix?" Sabrina asked, "I don't think you've ever mentioned him before."
"He's my cousin. I saw him a couple of times when we were younger. It was weird how similar we looked. Neither he nor my aunt have made contact since mom passed."
"I met him once," Chloé said, "What a jerk. He was constantly talking down to me, and to Adrien for that matter. Talk about spoiled."
"So he's even worse than you?" Zoé joked.
"Hey, at least my insults are clever. Most of what he said could be summed up as, everybody's stupid but me. Anyway, it doesn't have to be a big change. It just has to be clothes you don't normally wear often."
"Do you think he should wear a jacket with a hood?" Sabrina suggested.
"Couldn't hurt. I mean, it is still cool out, so it wouldn't be out of place. These sunglasses should help as well."
There was a knock on the window. It was Armand the butler.
"Mlle. Chloé, is this far enough?"
"This is as good a spot as any. We just have to give the Couffaine twins a minute to show up."
After about five minutes or so, Luka and Juleka came walking down the street.
"Remember to walk casually, Jules."
"What does that mean?"
"I dunno, but that's usually what they say in movies."
"We're just walking normally and dressed the same way we always are. Isn't that already casual?"
He smiled, "Good point. There's the limo. We better check around to make sure no one's paying attention."
Luka went one way, while Juleka went the other. They both gave a thumbs up. Adrien stepped out of the limo and started walking in the direction of the movie theater. Luka and Juleka joined him.
"Thanks for your help, guys."
"I just want to see the movie," Juleka said, "You had to make it complicated."
"Isn't she a scream?" Luka said, "Oh so witty."
The limo went another route to the movie theater, while Marinette and Kagami had already arrived. Alya and Nino were waiting in the lobby.
"I don't like how long this is taking," Nino said.
"It had to happen," Alya said, "We're being super sneaky."
Nino leaned in closer, "I don't like the looks of this other guy. He's been staring out the doors since we got here."
A tall thin man with messy hair looked like he was waiting for someone. He finally stepped outside. Just as he did, Adrien, Luka, and Juleka were walking up. The man walked towards Adrien and intentionally bumped into him.
He then shouted, "Look, everybody! It's Adrien Agreste!"
Everyone in the area seemed to turn and look at Adrien. They all started to swarm him.
He sighed, "Oh no."
Just then, Gorilla pulled up, parked, and got out of the car. He immediately starting shoving people out of the way. With the bodyguard distracting everyone, Adrien was now crawling away. Marinette pulled up on her scooter.
"Come with me if you want to live."
"Considering the circumstances, I'm not sure if that's exaggeration or not."
He jumped onto the back of the scooter. Marinette drove over to the nearest subway entrance.
"Let's go!" she cried, grabbing his hand.
The crowd followed, with Gorilla shoving his way through them. Luckily for the pair, the subway was still there, and about to leave.
"I knew carrying this with me would help."
He held up the bracelet that Marinette made him, but then nearly tripped. Marinette steadied him and the dove into the train. Gorilla caught up just as the train left.
"Oh no!" Adrien said.
"What's the matter?"
"I dropped my lucky charm."
"Hopefully it'll still be there. We'll get it back."
They got off at the next stop.
Mari: Anyone in front of the theater, Als?
Als: Nope, they're all scattering thanks to that big bodyguard guy
Mari: Is he there?
Als: He's checking around for Adrien. We're all heading inside.
Nino: Bodyguard is driving off.
"Your bodyguard is still out looking for you."
"I don't like tricking him like this. He's the only one in that house that really seems to care."
Marinette gave his shoulder a pat, "We just need to get you inside the theater, then we'll get him to join us. Come on."
The two sprinted into the theater and headed for the screen room. The whole team was now in the theater.
"The downside of getting here so early," Chloé observed, "Is all the annoying trailers."
Meanwhile, back at the mansion...
"Gabriel, I think you should see this," Nathalie said.
There were dozens of posts on various social media sites of Adrien out in public.
"Adrien snuck out?! What's that dimwitted bodyguard doing? Why would he sneak out?"
"Oh, gosh, I don't know, maybe because he wants to attend the screening of Solitude?"
A shiver went through Gabriel's body.
"If you hadn't hid our copy, he probably wouldn't have snuck out."
"Well...why didn't he ask me?"
"He did ask you. Several times, as a matter of fact."
"That's no excuse. I'll deal with that muscle-headed moron first."
Gorilla had parked his car wherever he could and kept looking. He kept glancing at the bracelet he managed to find in the subway. He wasn't sure how long he was looking, but when he went back to the car, a policeman was giving him a ticket.
"Sorry, buddy, but you can't park here."
Gorilla was frustrated at that, but car or no car, he would find Adrien. That's when his phone rung.
"You incompetent fool!" Gabriel snapped, "How could you let him get away? Let me guess, you haven't found him yet, have you?"
"Uh..."
"Shut up! I should've listened to Tomoe and got one of her self-driving cars. If you can't do something as important as guarding Adrien, maybe it's time I terminated your services!"
*CLICK*
"Quickly, Nathalie, to the lair."
"Yeah yeah."
Gabriel, now Papillon, was chuckling to himself, "I have the perfect plan. The two dynamic dunces won't be able to stop that oversized American football player of a bodyguard once I'm through with him."
Mayura had her doubts, "Time for reconnaissance, Optigami."
Back in the theater, Adrien and Marinette sat in the front row, just to make sure no one could see his face.
"This reminds me of a TV show Nino showed me," Adrien said, "This guy and these robots are forced to watch bad movies. Not that this movie is bad, of course."
"I'm just glad our plan eventually worked," Marinette said.
"Thank you so much for help me, Mari," he said, taking her hand, "You really are something special."
Marinette suddenly felt very warm.
Meanwhile...
Gorilla was torn between being mad that nothing was going right, and upset that he could lose his job. He punched a nearby pole...and hurt his hand. He looked at the charm bracelet in his hand, when the Akuma appeared and merged with it.
"The loyal bodyguard, just trying to do his job, but the whole world seems to be against him. I am Le Papillon, and I'll give you the power to fulfill your duties unimpeded."
He seemed to be thinking it over.
"You care about Adrien, don't you?"
He nodded without hesitance, "Mmm hmm."
"This will make sure he'll never be in danger. You'll be able to find and protect him no matter what. From now on you shall be...Gorizilla."
He nodded again, "Grr."
"But beware, the heroes will come and try to take him away. You must defeat them and claim their Miraculouses, otherwise they'll never stop. Agreed?"
To his surprise, Gorilla finally spoke, "For Adrien."
The purple energy washed over his body. He became bigger and stronger. His sense of smell was enhanced. He was now a 50 foot blue-furred gorilla. He lifted the lucky charm to his nose, and now he had Adrien's scent. He began stomping through the city while sniffing the air. People everywhere were running and screaming, but he paid little attention to them. The movie theater, meanwhile, starting playing commercials. To Adrien's horror, the first one was...
"Radiant... Carefree... Dreamy... Adrien, the fragrance."
Everyone starting laughing except for Adrien.
"That's the commercial?" Chloé asked, "Ridiculous!"
"Utterly ridiculous!" Zoé added.
"The way he was walking on air like that," Alya snorted.
"Yeah, I mean what does it even smell like?" Nino said.
Outside, Gorizilla finally reached the destination where the scent was strongest: the movie theater. He proceeded to rip the roof off of the building to look for Adrien.
"I thought this was a foreign art film, not Sci-Fi/Fantasy!" Marinette yelled.
She started to run, but stopped when she noticed Adrien wasn't moving.
"What are you doing?!"
"That's Gorilla!"
"I can see it's a gorilla!"
"No, I mean it's my bodyguard, Gorilla."
"Is that really his name?"
"No, it's a nickname. I don't know what his name is. I've been meaning to ask."
Gorizilla reached down to pick up Adrien.
"Run, Adrien!"
"He doesn't want to hurt me. He'd never hurt me."
Sure enough, Gorizilla picked him up gently in his massive hand. Holding him tightly, he then took off in the direction of the Agreste mansion.
"Come on, Nino," Alya said, dashing out.
"Here we go again," Nino sighed.
"He can't just grab Adrien like that!" Chloé said, "We've got to do something!"
"Chloé, you need to calm down," Sabrina said.
"Adrien's life could be in danger and you want me to calm down?! We should go after that big ape!"
"That's what the heroes are for," Zoé said.
"I don't care! He's like my brother, and I'm going after him!"
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"... No."
"Okay, just checking."
The trio ran for the exit. Marinette was still frozen in place.
"Marinette," Kagami called, "I think it best we get moving."
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Good idea."
"I think," Luka said, "That we should all try to meet back at the Liberty."
"I'm right behind you."
Luka, Juleka, and Kagami headed out, but Marinette didn't move.
"Okay, don't panic or freak out or anything like that. Just find somewhere you can transform and come up with a plan. Wait a minute," she looked around, "There's no one else in here, so I might as well. Transformez moi!"
With a flick of her yo-yo, she was soon zooming through the air trying to catch up. Everyone else was still in front of the theater. A limo drove up.
"Where is Chloé?" Armand asked.
"She went after the gorilla," Kagami answered.
"What?! Everyone into the limo!"
They all piled in, but...
"Wait," Luka said, "We forgot Marinette."
"I don't like leaving her behind," Kagami said, "But I recovered her scooter and left it in front of the theater. I know she'll catch up with us. Unlike Chloé or Alya, Marinette doesn't run into danger."
...
"Ladybird, Ladybird, does whatever a ladybird does. Wait, why am I singing? Because I've never gone up against an Akuma this big by myself. And on top of that, he has Adrien."
She stopped to message Matou Noir.
"Hey, Minou, I could really use your help right now!"
She waited about a minute, but no reply came.
"Okay, plan B. Attack the giant monster on my own and rescue the blonde. This does sound like a movie."
She caught up with Gorizilla, partly because he stopped to roar and beat his chest at anyone who got too close. She landed right in front of the beast.
"Hey! You put him down right now, you video game reject!"
Gorizilla responded by trying to smash her with his left hand. She dodged and ran up his arm. Before he could shake her off, she jumped again and landed on his back. He tried backing against a nearby building, but she then jumped onto his right hand, where Adrien was being held.
"Hey, Ladybird."
"Hey."
Before Gorizilla could try and get her, she threw her yo-yo at his eye, causing him to roar in pain. That momentary lapse allowed her to wrench open his fist enough that Adrien could get out.
She grabbed him, "Hang on tight."
She swung them out of there. Resting on a building that was hopefully far enough away, she looked at the Akuma. First he was looking around, but then held up his head and began sniffing the air. He was now looking in her direction.
"Oh, so that's how he does it."
Gorizilla was now heading straight for them.
"We need to get you somewhere he can't smell you."
"How about down there?"
"The sewers? Well, desperate times..."
She lifted the manhole cover and they climbed down. They could hear Gorizilla going past, growling in annoyance. At the same time, Chloé was running around trying to find Adrien and avoid Gorizilla.
"Adrien! Yo, Adrien!"
"Did you just say yo?" Zoé asked.
"I can't stop until I find him."
"Chloé, we saw Ladybird rescue him," Sabrina said, "He's probably somewhere safe."
"He'll be safest when he's back with the group."
That's when the limo pulled up.
"Mlle. Chloé," Armand said, "Please get inside so we can wait somewhere safe."
"Not without Adrien!"
Luka sighed and got out of the limo. He and Chloé were eyeing each other. She was tall, but he was still taller.
"Don't try anything funny, music man."
"There he is," he said, pointing behind her.
She spun around, "Where?"
He grabbed her in a bear hug, pinning her arms at her sides.
"Let me go, you rock star reject!"
Zoé grabbed her legs so she'd stop kicking.
"Et tu, Zoé?"
"I know you care about Adrien," Zoé said, "But risking your life like this won't help him."
They dragged her into the limo and drove elsewhere. It was perfect timing, because Gorizilla was getting frustrated and starting smashing everything.
The Sewers
"So obviously trying to attack him head on isn't going to work," Adrien observed.
"Yeah, and I doubt whatever I end up making with my power will stop him cold."
"You don't have some kind of hidden ability or something?"
She gasped, "Wait a minute. I just got an idea. Although, it won't work without proper strategy. As soon as you set foot outside here, he'll see or smell you."
"If only you could find a way to distract him. Then I could get somewhere safe, not to mention more hygienic."
Ladybird smiled, "Fay Wray, you just gave me another idea! I'll be back."
She climbed back up, looked around for Gorizilla, and then took off.
The Lair
"Where's she going?" Mayura wondered.
"Where's that mangy cat? That's what I'd like to know."
"You wouldn't like to know, oh, I don't know, where Adrien is?"
"If she came out of the sewers, then that's obviously where he is. Telling that monster won't do any good since he can't fit. Adrien has to come out eventually."
The city
"I'm definitely going to need help if Matou Noir can't make it, but who can I get? Who should I get? Part of me wants to say Alya, but I know how she can be. She's always been very headstrong, and that's not what I need right now. I need someone who's okay with staying on the sidelines."
She made sure to check no one was watching before she went into Fu's shop.
"Master, I'm sure you've looked outside lately."
"It's hard not to notice a giant ape. May I assume you're here because you have a plan?"
"I thought of two Miraculouses that I'll need. They're not both for me, I remember what you said about how we should try to limit ourselves to two at a time. Matou Noir hasn't arrived yet, so I need to bring in a new hero."
"I knew this would happen eventually," he replied as he opened the Miracle Box.
"What I'm going to need is the Bee Miraculous."
He handed her the hair comb, "Just like before, to combine the Bee with your current Miraculous, simply concentrate and say, unify."
"Ladybug, Bee, Unify!"
A wave of gold light washed over her body. She looked in a nearby mirror. The black parts of her Ladybird costume now had yellow stripes. All her black spots had a gold border. He hair was now a big ponytail that looked similar to a hive.
"Wow, this is fancy. I guess I need a new name for this combo."
Fu chuckled, "I can tell you've already thought of one."
"I'll keep it simple. I am now...Lady Bee!"
"Well then, Lady Bee, have you chosen a trustworthy person to assist you in this endeavor?"
"Yes, Master, I think I know just the one for the job. I just need to find him. I'm going to need the Fox."
She put on the necklace for convenience sake, and then took off. She stopped to have another look. Gorizilla was still galumphing about, but being unable to smell or see Adrien, he was now taking to tearing holes in the roofs of buildings he couldn't see through, while climbing the taller buildings to look through every window. Lady Bee looked around from a high spot.
"I know that despite my previous warnings, Alya has to be nearby. And if she's nearby, that means that Nino is nearby."
Sure enough, that wild brown-reddish hair was easily recognizable. She got closer to listen in.
"Alya, one of these days -"
"What, Nino? You say that all the time. Don't you love that I'm a risk taker? Besides, we're plenty far away from that Akuma."
"Psst!"
"Did you hear something, Alya?"
"Besides you? Not really, because I'm trying to concentrate on the situation."
"I know I heard something," Nino thought as he looked around.
He looked around in every direction, but then remembered, this city has superheroes, so you ought to look up. As soon as he did, Lady Bee held her finger to her lips and motioned for him to follow.
"Uh, Alya? I'm gonna see if I can get ahold of my folks or Adrien real quick."
"Okay, be careful."
"Likewise, babe."
Nino surprised himself, "Why did I say that?" he thought as he sprinted into a nearby alley.
"Wait, did you just call me...? Wow, he left fast."
Lady Bee pulled him onto the roof and took off about a mile away, just to be safe.
"Whoa, Ladybird, cool new outfit."
"Thanks, but at the moment it's Lady Bee. I need your help, Nino."
"My help? What can I do? This seems like something Alya would love to do."
"Maybe some day, but right now I need you. Only you can help me save Adrien and stop that Akuma. Can I trust you?"
"I'd do anything for my best friend Adrien."
"Great! I knew I could count on you. Here, put this on."
She handed him the Fox Miraculous, but he just stared.
"You mean, you want me to be a superhero? I don't know about that."
"Nino, I know you're not a confrontational person, but you're also not a coward. I know you're mostly an introvert, but I also know you've been learning parkour."
"How do you know so much about me?"
She looked around again and took a deep breath, "Because we've known each other a long time. De-Transform."
Nino was shocked, "Nette? You're Ladybird?"
"I'm afraid so."
"Why are you telling me? Isn't your identity supposed to be a complete secret? I may not know as much about superheroes as Alya, but even I know that rule."
"I'm telling you because you're my oldest friend and I trust you."
"What about Alya?"
"I'm sure I'll tell her eventually, but right now I need you. Will you please help me?"
"I'd do anything to help Adrien, but what's more, I'd do anything for you."
They hugged, "Thanks, Nino."
"Now what do I have to do?" he asked as he put on the Fox Miraculous.
"Concentrate on what you want your costume to look like, and then say, transform me."
"Okay, here goes...transformez moi."
In a flash of orange light, Nino was now a superhero. His boots and gloves were black. His pants were orange, so was his shirt, but it had a white midsection. He had a cape and hood that were also orange, with a cape ending in white so that it resembled a fox tail. His hood had fox ears on it. His cap and glasses were also gone.
"Hey, I don't have my glasses, but I can see perfectly."
"That's magic for you. Don't forget your superhero name. If Alya sees you, it's best to be prepared."
"Oh, right. Let me see. I am...Zorrua. It's a portmanteau of the Spanish word for fox, zorro, and the word rua, which is an Irish word that means red."
"Interesting choice. Now here's the plan."
In a few minutes, Zorrua was in place next to the sewer, while Lady Bee was a few feet away from Gorizilla.
"Lucky Charm!"
She received a bottle of perfume. She then proceeded to make a crack in the bottle.
"Hey, this is exactly what I was hoping it would be. Maybe it's not as random as I thought."
She then whistled at the Akuma. He turned to look at her.
"Hey, cousin of Kong! Look over there!"
Adrien was being helped out of the sewer. Gorizilla began stomping towards him. That's when Lady Bee threw the perfume bottle directly at the Akuma's nostrils, causing the bottle to shatter. Gorizilla roared in frustration. He held his left hand up to reacquire the scent from the charm bracelet, but couldn't smell anything due to the overwhelming odor of the perfume. He had no choice but to find Adrien by sight, but Adrien was already gone.
"Hey, Gorilla! I'm over here!"
Adrien was already in front of the mansion. Gorizilla went back as fast as he could, but Adrien disappeared around a corner.
"Wrong spot, Gorilla! Here I am!"
Adrien was back by the sewer entrance. As soon as Gorizilla got there, Adrien disappeared yet again.
"Close, but no cigar, as they say! Look over here!"
Adrien was now in front of the movie theater. Gorizilla was confused, but kept trying to hunt him down.
The Lair
Le Papillon, meanwhile, was probably even more frustrated.
"This has to be the work of another Miraculous! How else could it be possible?"
"It does say in the grimoire that the Fox Miraculous has the power of illusion," Mayura explained.
"And this idiot is too stupid to realize it's a trick."
"Well you did focus on giving him an enhanced sense of smell, and they've stripped him of it. I guess that's what you call crippling overspecialization."
Papillon facepalmed, "On top of that, Ladybird is using a second Miraculous again. I'm going to need some aspirin."
The city
Meanwhile, Zorrua got Adrien somewhere safe.
"Whoa, Ladybird added a new hero to the team!"
"Yeah, it was a surprise to me, too."
"What's your name?"
"Call me Zorrua."
"That's catchy."
"Thanks, mec, but I can't stay and chat. I need to keep a close eye on these illusions, otherwise they'll disappear before Ladybird finishes her plan. I hope Matou Noir gets here soon."
"Maybe I can flag him down or something."
"Really? Thanks, Adrien. Just be careful. I mean, the Akuma is after you."
"I promise to be careful."
Zorrua leapt onto the nearest building.
"Especially if that Sentimonster is spying somewhere."
As soon as he found a place to hide, Matou Noir finally joined the fight. He headed straight for Ladybird.
"Hey, My Lady, cool new costume."
"Thanks, I try. I call it Lady Bee. Anyway, I'm glad you're here. Now my plan can continue."
"Fill me in as we go."
"He keeps lifting his left hand up to his nostrils to smell something. Whatever it is must have Adrien Agreste's scent on it, and it's more than likely the akumatized object."
Ladybird called Zorrua on her yo-yo, "Lure him over here."
"Copy."
They could see Gorizilla headed in their direction. An Adrien illusion ran into a nearby alley.
"Oh no, I am trapped!"
"Sounds just like him," Noir joked.
As the Akuma reached down to grab the faker Adrien, Lady Bee threw her yo-yo and wrapped it around his other hand. Gorizilla looked at her and yanked her into the air. As she was flying through the air, she pulled back her yo-yo and threw it again, this time wrapping it around the Akuma's neck.
Once she landed on top of Gorizilla, she shouted, "Venom!"
The Akuma's eyes widened as he felt his body freezing up.
"Chaton, his hand!"
"Leave it to me," he repiled, already prying open the Akuma's hand with his staff.
"He found my charm bracelet. I'm glad we'll fix this," Noir thought, "Cataclysm!"
He used his staff to smack the Akuma to the ground. As he landed on the ground himself, so did Lady Bee.
"Shall we, My Lady?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
"Miraculous!"
All the damage was repaired and the Akuma cleansed. On the houseboat, Chloé was being pinned down by Luka
"Look, it's the wavey thing that fixes stuff," she cried.
"Let's head back to the movie theater," Kagami said, "That's likely where the heroes will drop off Adrien."
"Back to the limo, team," Zoé said.
Everyone was filing in, except Chloé, who was confronting Luka.
"You're pretty strong for someone who probably doesn't work out. You're like a dang python."
"I do work out actually. Good thing, too, otherwise I don't think that would've worked."
She wiggled her eyebrows, "Did you enjoy pinning me down, moss head?"
"Moss head?" he thought.
"Anyway, I suppose I should thank you."
"You're welcome."
"I said I suppose I should, but I won't," she smirked, "Now let's go."
Luka shook his head, "Would it help if I said I like what you've done with your hair?"
"No, but if you keep it up, it might eventually."
He shrugged, "Okay then. You wear your hair in a ponytail a lot. I think wearing your hair down is a nice change of pace."
"Well, if Marinette can finally have a hairstyle that's not pigtails, then I can have something besides a ponytail."
Meanwhile...
Lady Bee and Matou Noir helped Gorilla up.
"Don't worry, sir," Lady Bee said, "We hid Adrien somewhere safe."
"Just wait here at the theater and we'll get him here safely."
The duo went to the top of a nearby building where Zorrua was waiting.
"Matou Noir, this is our new recruit, Zorrua."
"We've met."
Zorrua looked confused, "We have?"
"No wait, I mistook me for somebody else."
"You mean mistook me?"
"Right...what did I say?"
Lady Bee interrupted, "Right, well anyway, we all better get going. We have to check on Adrien."
"Hope to see you again, fox boy," Noir said.
"Likewise, cat man."
Lady Bee and Zorrua found a quiet spot to de-transform. He gave her back the Fox Miraculous.
"Thanks again, Nino."
"Any time, Nette."
"I might just take you up on that offer. I'm heading back to the theater."
"I'll go get Adrien."
He ran off.
"I'll take the Bee and the Fox back to Master Fu later. I better keep the comb in my pocket. I'll just wear the necklace. There are plenty of look alikes for sale."
At the same time, Matou Noir was constantly looking around.
"No sign of that thing. The eyes are a dead giveaway."
He finally picked a dark corner to de-transform and made his way back to the theater. It was only a few minutes before he ran into Nino.
"There you are, mec. Everyone's worried about you."
"Sorry, about that. This new hero dressed like a fox hid me somewhere safe."
"Oh, well that's relief. Come on, let's head back. I guess this isn't what you figured would happen today, huh?"
"I'm sure there are ways it could've gone worse."
As they got closer to the theater, they could hear someone calling out.
"Nino? Nino! Where'd you go?" Alya said, "Oh, there you are. Where have you been?"
She fell into step heading for the theater.
"We ran into each other," Adrien explained, "And since the Akuma was after me, he helped hide me somewhere safe."
"Really?" Alya asked.
"Of course! He's always so helpful, you know."
Alya smiled, "Yeah, that's what I like about him."
Nino pulled his cap down over his eyes and tried to hide his smile
"There you guys are," Marinette said, "I'm glad you're all okay."
Gorilla was there, looking at Adrien with a serious face.
"I'm sorry I made you worry. I just really wanted to see this movie. You're the last person I wanted to cause trouble for."
Gorilla handed Adrien the charm bracelet.
"Thank you."
He then pulled Adrien into a hug, which he gladly returned. That's when the limo pulled up.
"There you are!"
Chloé rushed forward, and Adrien expected her to yell or punch him. Instead she hugged him as well.
"I was worried about you," she looked at Gorilla, "I know you would never hurt him if you could help it, but you were akumatized."
Gorilla nodded in agreement. Then, Chloé did give Adrien's arm a light punch.
"How dare you make me worry?! That causes wrinkles!"
"So, uh, are we still on for the film?" Zoé asked.
Adrien turned to Gorilla, "I know father expects you to take me back, but can we, please?"
Gorilla motioned towards the door to the lobby. Everyone headed inside, but before Adrien did, he pulled Gorilla aside.
"There's something I've been meaning to ask you. What's your real name?"
Gorilla looked surprised, but motioned for Adrien to get closer.
He then whispered, "Placide."
"I'll remember that. Have you ever seen this movie before?"
"Nope."
"How come you've never talked until now?"
"Because everything's been more or less fine until now."
At last,the entire crew saw Solitude. Adrien was sure he saw Placide tearing up a bit. Everyone was now saying their goodbyes.
"I hope your father doesn't get too angry," Marinette said.
"He better not use this as an excuse to pull you out of school, I can tell you that," Chloé said.
"Let us know how it turns out, mec," Nino said.
The two were now headed back to the mansion. At said mansion, Gabriel and Nathalie were having a bit of an argument.
"I should lock him in his room, or pull him from school," he said, fiddling while the Butterfly Miraculous, "He can't get away with this."
"Gabriel, don't be so overdramatic," Nathalie said, placing Optigami on the desk, "It's your own fault he snuck out."
"What?"
"If you hadn't hid our copy of Solitude, and if you weren't such a control freak, Adrien wouldn't have snuck out, or would've told you he wanted to go see it. You're not exactly trustworthy in his eyes."
"So you're basically saying I shouldn't even punish him?"
"Under the circumstances, yes. He was taken hostage by an Akuma, and he was mobbed by fanatics. I think he's been through enough."
"Why must you be so lenient with him?"
"It's not like he did anything illegal. Your precious company is perfectly safe. Sales for that stupid fragrance are going up. Besides, just because I'm willing to along with your scheme, doesn't mean I won't do what I can for Adrien. It's what she would've wanted."
Gabriel shuddered, "You had to bring her into this."
"Seeing as how he's getting back from her film, I'd say it's appropriate. Now at least try to be happy that your son is safe at home."
As soon as they arrived home, Gabriel and Nathalie were waiting at the door.
"I know it's a force of habit for you to look down on, I mean, down at people," Nathalie said, "But try to remember that Adrien is as tall as you are now."
In came Adrien and Placide. Adrien was looking down at the ground.
"I'm sorry I snuck out, Père. I really wanted to see Mère's film again."
"I'm...sorry I made you feel like sneaking out was the only way to see it...to see her, again. I'll, what is the phrase? Let it slide, this time, because you've been through a lot today. Just please don't let it happen again. Talk to me instead."
Adrien locked eyes with Gabriel, "When? You're always busy. Nathalie's more free than you. Placide's more free than either of you."
"Who?" they asked.
"My bodyguard, the Gorilla. That's his real name. Unlike either of you, I asked him," Adrien took a breath, "I'm sorry. Thank you for not punishing me, Père. I'll go straight to my room."
"As for you," Gabriel said to Placide, "Whatever you might call yourself. Your services are still very much required. I spoke out in anger earlier. Keep up the good work."
Placide smiled and went to his room as well. It wasn't until the next day that Marinette could return the Bee and Fox to Master Fu.
"I'm glad it all worked out, Marinette" he said.
"It was fun having another team member. I have a feeling we'll end up having to do that again."
"I have no doubt."