Notes: A shout-out to Callimara who first made the obvious change with the Dragon Miraculous
Disclaimer: I don't own the Miraculous franchise
Miraculous Universe
Ch. 22: Live and Let Die
A week had gone by, and there was no sign of any gang activity. However, the heroes were always ready to spring into action. That Saturday, they were having a talk with Roger Raincomprix.
"With the information we managed to get out of M. Bleuchamp and Mme. Marceau, we've made contact with Interpol and begun a few raids around the city. While we've managed to confiscate a lot of their products, there's been no sign of the big boss."
"Do you really believe what they said?" Ladybird asked, "This boss of theirs being that diplomat guy, Dr. Louis Kananga?"
"It does seem rather far-fetched with how often he's asked for help in dealing with the smuggling problems. On the other hand, what could be a better cover?"
"Well, if I were him," Apireine said, "I'd see what's happening to my organization and just get more and more angry every day."
"I'll bet," Matou Noir said, "He'll make his presence known very soon."
In a nearby building, Mr. Big was ranting to his employees.
"Thanks to those traitorous rats, the police have been raiding the storehouses one by one! It's only a matter of time before they get them all!"
"What about the storehouses overseas, Boss?"
"Once they got Interpol involved, they went to the States and started searching everywhere! All this time, they never got wind of the gang, but once these stinking superheroes started nosing around…"
He kicked a nearby chair and upended the closest table.
"Keep packing up everything! I'm going to deal with these punks once and for all!"
He began walking to the Eiffel Tower. It took a while, but once he was there, he made a phone call.
"I thought I told you not to call me on this number at this hour."
"I want some attention. Get the police to the Eiffel Tower, right now! If they show up, the heroes will show up. I'm going to eliminate them!"
The voice on the other end was quiet, but finally said, "Fine."
In about half an hour, several police cars arrived on the scene. Naturally, all the noise got the attention of the heroes.
"I don't know what that could be," Marinette said, "But it's my duty to investigate."
She transformed and flew into the sky.
"Now let's see where the police are all heading. Ah, of course, the Eiffel Tower."
LB: Everyone to the Eiffel Tower!
She started flying towards the Tower, She was soon joined by the other six heroes.
"Who's the well-dressed guy by the Tower?" Tortank asked.
"It's always the Tower," Apireine sighed.
"Whoever he is," Matou Noir said, "He must be important if they sent this many police officers after the guy."
The seven heroes soon joined the police.
"What's the situation, Lt. Raincomprix?" Zorrua asked.
"My boss said this man demanded an audience. He's clearly part of the smuggling ring."
"I am NOT simply part of the smuggling ring! I am the leader of Le Gang des Griffes! You can simply call me Mr. Big!"
"All your cohorts have been arrested, Mr. Big," Bateleur said, "Or should I say Dr. Louis Kananga, if that ever was your name?"
"Yeah, I mean honestly," Apireine said, "A doctor of what?"
"I was most annoyed by the news that René, Élodie, and especially Sévérine, were captured. They were loyal employees. As for the Countess and Cyrille, I couldn't care less. You heroes have ruined my plans for too long. Time for me to take matters into my own hands."
He threw aside his hat and cane. Underneath his hat, a gold circlet rested upon his head.
"Transformez-moi!"
Apart from the mask, gloves, and large staff, his suit didn't look any different.
"Were you even trying to make a good costume?" Apireine asked.
He said nothing, just motioned for them to attack.
"Fine by me."
He threw his staff in the air, "Uproar!"
He was now holding his staff in one hand, and a rubber duck in the other. He threw the rubber duck at Apireine and it hit her in the chest, which gave her pause.
"Oh the pain. Is that the best you can do? Venom!"
Nothing happened.
"VENOM!"
"I should've known," Ladybird said, "The Monkey Miraculous!"
"That can't be good," Matou Noir said.
"Doesn't that one disrupt your special power?" Bateleur asked.
"Obviously!" Apireine snapped, "Whatever! I'll fight without it!"
She flew over and began trying to punch and kick him, but Mr. Big was very athletic. He expertly either dodged her blows, or smacked her fist away. Finally, he grabbed her by the wrist, spun around, and threw her back. Vipèrion rushed forward and caught her before she hit anything. Tortank and Zorrua charged forward and started trying to hit him with their weapons. He dodged with elaborate flips and jumps. Bateleur ran to join the others. When she got close enough, Mr. Big planted his staff on the ground. He then leapt atop it and kicked her in the face in the process. Tortank smacked the staff with her shield, but he landed in a crouching position. He then used a kick to knock her feet out from under her. Zorrua leapt onto his back, but he intentionally fell backwards so as to slam the Fox into the ground. Mr. Big leapt back up in time to see Apireine charging at him again. He leapt onto the Tower and began climbing. Ladybird, meanwhile, was observing his fighting style the whole time.
"He knows what he's doing. He's not like the others we've fought who were strong yet unskilled."
Mr. Big leapt over the heroes and grabbed his staff.
"I knew someday there would be someone stupid enough to challenge me. So I prepared by learning Monkey Kung Fu."
"That's what I thought. It's a shame that someone as gifted in the art of Da Sheng Pi Gua as you is a common criminal."
"Watch your mouth, you annoying insect. I built an empire, and I'm not going down easily."
"I've got an idea," Matou Noir whispered to her, "Do what you can until I get back."
He ran off into the city. Ladybird got an idea and pulled out her yo-yo. She then reached in and pulled out the Goat Miraculous. She pinned the hair clips into place.
"Ladybug, Goat, unify!"
She now had a pair of slender black goat horns on her head. Her gloves and boots were now white. The toes of the boots resembled hooves. Her wrists, the top of her boots, and her neck, all had a ruff of black fur. She also had a small goat tail behind her. Part of her hair now covered her left eye. She brushed it back, and then she began walking towards the Monkey warrior.
"Everyone else, stay back for now. I'll deal with this slimeball. My name is now Lady Chèvre."
She brandished her paintbrush like a staff. She pointed it at Mr. Big.
"You're not the only one who knows how to fight with a staff. I've trained in gùn,"
He gave a malicious smile, "Well then, perhaps you might offer me a challenge."
At the Tsurugi residence, Kagami was in her room watching the news.
"So the heroes are finally fighting the ringleader. I wish I could help, after what they did to me. Ladybird is very good with that staff."
That's when she heard a tapping on the window.
"Matou Noir?"
"Afternoon, Kagami. Mind if I come in?"
"By all means. Shouldn't you be helping your team?"
"I will once I'm finished. We need your help."
"Me? Really? Why?"
"Look at that guy," he said, pointing at the TV screen, "You saw what he's been doing. He's fighting using Monkey Kung Fu. Now we're pretty good at fighting, and we do outnumber him, but this guy's not playing around. Seeing as you're well trained in several forms of self-defense, I thought you'd be a big help."
"Wait a minute. I know my mother's famous, but how do you know what I've been training for?"
He sighed, "After what happened this summer, I know you can keep a secret. So…"
He de-transformed and gave an awkward smile, "Surprise."
"Adrien? You're Matou Noir?"
"Yes, and like I said, we all need your help. He has the Monkey Miraculous, which has the power to cause our powers to work incorrectly."
"That presents a problem. Does this mean you're giving me a Miraculous?"
"I thought of the perfect one. Let me see if I can get this to work."
A holographic screen was now projected from his staff. He concentrated, and the screen was now glowing. He then reached into the screen and pulled out a choker.
"I did it! This is it. For you, Mlle."
"This would look good on me, but what makes you think it's perfect for me?"
"This is the Dragon Miraculous. It gives you the power to create, or even become, water, wind, and lightning."
"That does sound impressive, but that hardly -"
"It also comes with a sword."
She immediately snatched it and put it on.
"How does it work?"
"Just think about how you want your costume to look, and then say, transform me."
"Transform me!"
Her right boot, left glove, and belt were black. Her suit was an azure blue, with her left boot and right glove being the same shade. Her left leg and right arm also had a black and gold line curving around them to resemble a cross between lightning and a dragon's tail. A pair of gold horns adorned her head. Behind her, from her belt, hung a sash to resemble a tail. Her blue mask had a border of black and gold that resembled fangs. On her chest was a circle with the three symbols of the Miraculous power: a white cloud, a blue raindrop, and a yellow bolt of lightning. She held the sword aloft to get a good look at it. It was long and gold, with a blue and black hilt. The crossguard also had the same element symbols that adorned her chest.
"Now that's an awesome costume."
"I shall assist you in bringing victory to our team. You may call me Seiryū."
He grinned, "Follow me, Azure Dragon."
"I'm glad you know that much, at least."
"I may not be the best at speaking Japanese, but I know a lot about its mythology. You can actually thank Nino for that. He's the one who's always watching animé."
"I believe it, seeing as how, unlike you, he can carry on a conversation in Japanese."
"Now let's get going," he said, leaping out the window.
He began running back to the fight, only to slow down a bit.
"Oh, wait, what if she can't keep up? Sorry I got ahead of you, Dragon-Chan."
"Don't call me that."
Matou Noir was surprised to see that she was hovering in the air.
"How are you doing that?"
"What?"
"Hovering…floating…flying…levitating…whatever? You don't even have any wings."
"I'm an eastern dragon, they don't need wings to fly."
"...okay, but how did you know you could do that?"
"How did you manage to pull the Dragon Miraculous out of a screen on your staff?"
"You just have to concentrate and believe, I guess."
"There's your answer - magic. Now then, shall we continue?"
She took off through the air.
"If I had known you could fly with the Dragon, I would've used it a lot sooner."
The two quickly raced back to the Eiffel Tower.
The Tower
Lady Chèvre was still trading hits with Mr. Big.
"Not bad, little nanny-bug. You're clearly a professional."
"I don't need some thug to tell me that."
"You can't keep this up forever. You'll tire out eventually. Once you do, I'll use more than my staff to deal with you."
"The Rúyì Jīngū Bàng is wasted being used by some rotten smuggler."
"Ladybird doesn't normally do trash talking," Apireine thought, "So she must be really mad."
"You smart-mouthed little punk. How dare you talk to me like that?"
He began mixing in a few kicks and punches between using his staff. He began striking faster and harder.
Lady Chèvre was on the defensive, but she managed to hold her own.
"Is this the best you can do, old man?"
He snarled as he leapt backwards and extended his staff. He brought it down fast. As it was about to hit her, another familiar stave managed to block it.
"That's no way to treat a lady, Monsieur."
"You think you can take me, you mangy cat? Go ahead and try!"
He ran forward, spinning his staff. Matou Noir readied his staff to fight back. Just as Mr. Big was about to deal out a hit, he was struck in the arm.
"OW! What the…? How did…?"
A sword was now pointing at him.
"Oh, great, another wanna-be hero. And what do they call you?"
"My name is Seiryū, and I'm here to put an end to your schemes."
"You think you're tough just because you have a sword?"
"Let's continue the fight and find out."
Mr. Big was now dealing with Lady Chèvre, Matou Noir, and Seiryū, all at once. They were all moving so fast, it was difficult for the other team members to keep track of them.
"It's like watching a kung fu movie," Bateleur said.
"Allow me to emphasize that observation," Vipèrion said, as he ran to join the brawl.
As Mr. Big deflected the trio's attacks, he was struck in the back of the head.
"How did you get here so quietly?" he demanded.
Vipèrion held his right hand in a snake-like pose, "It's all part of being a snake. In fact, you're not the only one who learned a kung fu style."
Now with four combatants to contend with, Mr. Big was starting to struggle to keep up.
"We can't just sit on the sidelines," Tortank said, "We're a team for a reason."
"If I could just paralyze the jerk," Apireine said, "I could end this quickly."
"Yeah, but he knows that," Bateleur said, "If you get too close, he'll use his special power on you again to disable your Venom."
"Well then, I'll just have to make sure he can't pull the same trick twice."
She reached into her spinning top and pulled out another Miraculous.
"I really hope this being a magic item keeps it clean."
"That means you're using -"
"Bee, Ox, unify!"
She now had a pair of yellow horns atop her head that pointed forward. Her costume was still black and yellow, but instead of bee-like stripes, it was now mostly black with yellow splotches, like the pattern seen on dairy cows. Her gloves and boots looked thicker, and the boot toes resembled hooves. Instead of the usual high ponytail, her hair was now in twin braids, one blonde, one brunette.
"That looks so cool," Bateleur said.
"Thank you kindly, partner. Y'all can just call me Bovireine. It's about time we wrangled us a monkey."
"I don't know if I like hearing you speak with a southern drawl."
"Whatever! Zorrua, they say monkeys are tricksters. Ready to remind them that foxes are as well?"
He grinned, "Just say the word."
Meanwhile, the Dragon, the Snake, the Cat, and the Ladybug, were providing quite the challenge for Mr. Big. For every attack he blocked, another managed to connect. He used his staff to launch himself into the riggings of the Tower and began using it like a jungle gym. Matou Noir followed suit and used his own staff to reach the Tower. He began racing along to catch up with Mr. Big. The two began fighting again. Lady Chèvre flew up from behind to join the fight, but Mr. Big jumped off the beam he was standing on and began to brachiate.
"Didn't see that coming," Noir said.
Bateleur dove at Mr. Big to knock him off. While it worked, he simply landed on his feet.
"Lightning Dragon!"
Seiryū was shooting lightning at Mr. Big. While he dodged a few of the lightning bolts, he was eventually struck and electrocuted.
"Lucky for you this won't kill you," she said, still channeling lightning.
He managed to throw his staff at her, so she raised her sword to block it. Now that she was no longer firing lightning, Mr. Big grabbed her and slammed her into the ground. Before he could attack again, she turned into a bolt of lightning and got away.
"Hey, M. Grand, remember me?"
Bovireine was standing before him.
"You're the bee girl. All you did was change your costume. Uproar!"
He created a toy banana, and was about to throw it at her, but hesitated. He instead used his staff to strike at her. She disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"A decoy…how amusing."
"Not just a decoy. More than one decoy."
Dozens of illusionary heroes ran at him. He swung his staff at each of them, causing them to disappear.
"Is this the best you can do now? Are you really just going to throw cheap copies at me the whole time?"
Suddenly, Tortank appeared and threw her shield at him. He managed to block it from hitting him with his staff, but the impact still sent him backwards. Zorrua then leapt forward and tried to hit Mr. Big with his flute. The man again blocked the attack. Then, something did strike him in the back of the head. He turned to see Vipèrion getting ready to strike again. The two engaged in a mêlée of strikes. Lady Chèvre was now swinging from her yo-yo. Mr. Big was watching her out of the corner of his eye, expecting her to do something. Just then, Matou Noir seemed to fall from the sky and latched onto the villain's back.
"Guess who this is!" he said, covering the villain's eyes.
"Get off me, you pathetic pussycat!"
As Mr. Big struggled to dislodge the Cat, Lady Chèvre took this opportunity to swing from her yo-yo and headbutt the villain right in the gut.
"Us goats and our hard heads."
The wind knocked out of him, Tortank now dealt another blow to his torso with her shield.
"I said GET OFF ME!" he snarled.
He managed to pry Noir's hands off his face and threw him a distance away. At that moment, he heard a buzzing noise. He smirked as he readied the toy banana from earlier.
"You never learn, do you, you bothersome bee?"
She was flying right at him, so he threw the banana at her.
"Resistance!"
The fake banana bounced harmlessly off her body. He attempted to leap out of the way, but before he could, Bateleur wrapped her bullroarer around his legs. Bovireine swung her hammer at the villain and struck him directly in the face. He was sent flying all the way towards the lineup of police cars. Bovireine flew after him as he slammed into the ground.
"Venom!"
At last, the crime boss was paralyzed. Lady Chèvre flew over and quickly removed the circlet from his brow.
"Get him into the back of the car, men," Roger said.
"Oh, wait," Bovireine said.
She snapped her fingers to free the criminal from his paralysis. He immediately began struggling against the police as they slapped the cuffs on his wrists and dragged him over to the police car.
"Nadja Chamack!" Mr. Big shouted, "I see you over there waiting for a scoop. Well here's your chance."
"This is Nadja Chamack. Don't be bemused, it's just the news. We're here live at the capture of the self-proclaimed crime boss of the notorious smuggling ring known as Le Gang des Griffes."
"How do you think I was able to evade capture for so long? Because I had someone on the police force."
"Rubbish!" Roger declared.
"Oh, is it? Neyla Jourdan! You thought if you laid low you could weasel your way out of the gang and join Interpol? Well, if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."
"As they say," Matou Noir said, "No honor among thieves."
"Go ahead, Neyla," Mr. Big continued, "Try to run away. If these punks caught me, you're next on the list!"
At the police station, Neyla had been flipping through the channels, awaiting the news report when her cohort was inevitably arrested. When he was put on camera and began to rat her out though, she grabbed her Miraculous and her guns from her desk and ran for it. Mr. Big's words seemed to follow her as she ran.
"Where will you run to, Neyla? Where can you possibly go?"
"Shut up!" she kept repeating to herself.
Once she got outside, she transformed and decided to head for the train station.
Mr. Big was laughing it up, "If you heroes want to catch her, she's likely on her way to the train station."
"Bateleur, fly ahead and keep a lookout for a woman wearing a collar necklace," Ladybird said, "Also tell everyone to clear out of the train station."
"I'm on it!" she replied, taking to the sky.
Ladybird had removed the Goat Miraculous and passed it to Matou Noir.
"You want me to wear the Goat, My Lady? What about you?"
"I have something more drastic in mind."
She activated her yo-yo and deposited the Monkey Miraculous. She then reached in and pulled out the Tiger Miraculous.
"Ladybug, Tiger, unify!"
Her hair was now slightly above shoulder length. Her body now had stripes running up and down it, while the spots were limited to her arms and legs. Her left arm went from being red, and then faded into white to match her glove. Her right arm was also red, but it faded into black to match the thick, tough glove that bore the Miraculous. Her legs were still red, but matched her left arm by fading into the white of her boots, which had toes that resembled paws. Her bolas tail twitched as she flexed her claws.
"Were you going for a white tiger, Ladybird?" Totank asked.
"Yes, and that's why you can call me Lady Báihǔ."
Matou Noir put the hair clips in place.
"My turn. Cat, Goat, unify!"
His gloves, boots, and chest were now white, making him resemble a tuxedo cat. The black fur around his neck and the large, curved, black horns on his head were the marks of the Goat though. Even his now slightly longer hair was mostly black, but you could see the blonde roots.
"Bouc Noir is my name. Let's get moving!"
"We need to get there extra fast, so we'll need this."
She pulled out a familiar set of sunglasses.
"Zorrua, I'll leave the Horse Miraculous to you."
"Whoa, you can count on me. Fox, Horse, unify!"
The hood that bore his fox ears was gone, and instead his fox ears were directly on his head, while he also had a very small ponytail. The orange parts of his suit were now brown. His boots stayed black, but his gloves were white with black fingers. He also had the telltale tiny, beige wings on his boots.
"That's pretty impressive," Vipèrion said.
"The name's Fox Hunter. Let's go! Voyage!"
"One quick note," Lady Báihǔ said, "The only Miraculous remaining is the Dog, which isn't the most offensive of the Miraculous, but don't underestimate her. Let's roll!"
One by one they jumped through the portal and were already at the train station.
Bovireine hovered through the air, "What's your position, Bateleur?"
"Way higher up in the air than you."
"Have you spotted a woman in a costume that vaguely resembles a dog?"
"Possibly, but these gangsters really suck with their outfits. Speaking of which, what's with our teammates and their outfits?"
"Ladybird is using the Tiger, Matou Noir is using the Goat, and Zorrua is using the Horse."
"I go away for a few minutes and they change without me?"
"You can admire their costumes after we catch the perpetrator. Now let's keep looking."
"She might not even be here yet," Lady Báihǔ said, flying up to them.
"You look so cool."
"Thank you, Bateleur, I try."
"Kiss up," Bovireine muttered.
"What was that?"
"Split up is what I said, tiger bug, or whatever your name was. Also we should probably try to be more inconspicuous. This woman is trying to escape the country."
"I've spotted her," Fox Hunter said, "She's heading this way now. The police aren't too far behind."
"I'll say this," Tortank said, "She brought a gun with her. That makes her a bit smarter than her cohorts."
Neyla the mole was running towards the train station. The only indication that she was wearing a costume was the mask. She was pushing and shoving anyone that got in her way. As she got closer to the trains, Lady Báihǔ landed in front of her.
"Neyla Jourdan, surrender now."
"I'm only going to say this once, you insect," she pointed her gun at her, "Move."
"No…you move."
Bouc Noir tackled Neyla to the ground, causing her to lose her gun.
"Get off me, you idiot!"
He gave her a headbutt. She retaliated with a kick to the ribs. She scrambled to get up, but Vipèrion tackled her this time. She gave him a punch in the face, and then another. While he was on the ground, she began running again. Bateleur landed on top of her.
"Stay down, lady."
Vipèrion had a feeling. He set the timer.
Neyla managed to grab the ball on her belt, "Fetch!"
The ball flew through the air and brought her gun back to her. Now that she had it again, she pointed it at the Eagle. Bovireine grabbed the villain's arm.
"You even think about shooting her, I'll kill you."
Neyla dropped the gun. Bateleur kicked it away.
"Now get up," Bovireine growled.
Neyla slowly got back up. In a flash, she pulled another gun from her belt and fired.
"Second Chance!"
Re-do
"Fetch!"
Once again, the ball brought her gun back to her. This time, Vipèrion rushed forward and practically broke her arm.
"Better drop the gun, lady," Bovireine said, "This guy's a monster."
Neyla dropped the gun and Bateleur kicked it away. Vipèrion motioned for Bouc Noir and Lady Báihǔ to get closer.
"Get up, dog woman," Bovireine ordered.
"This isn't over," Neyla said.
She quickly reached for her gun.
"Clout!"
A fist collided with Neyla's face and she went flying into the nearest wall. The impact caused her to drop her other gun. Despite the hard hit, Neyla reached for another smaller gun from inside her boot and fired.
"Shell-ter!"
A force field protected the heroes. Neyla threw the gun down and started to run again. The heroes were quick to pursue. Neyla ended up heading for the same building that Mr. Big was emptying out earlier.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing here?" one of the henchmen questioned.
"Look, you numbskulls, I'm on your boss' payroll. The police are outside the building, and Interpol is probably on the way."
"Neyla Jourdan," Roger's voice sounded over a megaphone, "Come out and give yourself up. You have nowhere to run!"
"I'll never get caught like the so-called boss did," she said, mostly to herself.
"Wait, the boss is in custody?"
They all peeked out to see Mr. Big stewing in the backseat of a police car. The henchmen wisely all ran out and surrendered.
"Cowards!" Neyla snapped, "I'd better check what's left in here."
She began to dig through the remaining boxes. There were still a few weapons and ammo.
"You want me?" she taunted, "Come and get me!"
"It seems she's not giving up without a fight," Seiryū said, "Or rather, more of a fight."
"You'd think getting punched in the face would be enough," Tortank said.
"I think we'd better make cover," Bouc Noir said.
"Don't you mean take cover?" Fox Hunter asked.
"Nope. Genesis!"
With a wave of his paintbrush, Bouc Noir created a large thick wall with a few holes for observation. Everyone moved behind the new wall just as Neyla began to open fire.
"Good thinking, Chaton," Lady Báihǔ said, "Now that the police are protected, we should go on the offensive. Seiryū, I think it's time to rain on her parade."
"I couldn't agree more."
Seiryū rushed through the air and landed on top of the storage building.
"Water Dragon!"
She was now flooding the entire building. At first, Neyla didn't notice, but the water quickly made its way down and began to pool at her feet. She turned away from the window.
"Where is this water coming from?!"
She was now making her way up the stairs.
"I don't see her, so she must be distracted," Bovireine said, "Let's get her."
"Okay, team," Lady Báihǔ said, "Let's split up. Those that can fly will join Seiryū on the roof. Everyone else, break down that door."
"Leave it to me," Tortank said.
She rushed towards the door shield first and smashed it open.
"What a woman," Fox Hunter said, a goofy smile on his face.
Neyla heard the crash downstairs.
"They're here," she hissed.
She went to the nearest window and opened it.
"Fetch!"
In a flash, she had her gun back. She continued to head for the roof. Lady Báihǔ received a message on her yo-yo from Bouc Noir.
MN: She's on her way to the roof. I think she got her gun back, but I have a plan.
LB: We'll be ready.
"Stop here, team."
"You have a plan, M. Chat?" Vipèrion asked.
He nodded, "Cataclysm."
Neyla reached the roof and saw the four other Miraculous heroes.
"Hands up, you freaks. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you all now."
"Even if we had any reasons," Bateleur said, "Would it matter?"
"Not in the slightest."
"Exactly how are you going to get away?" Bovireine asked.
"As long as I have my Miraculous, these idiot cops can't catch me."
"Wind Dragon!"
Seiryū was now encircling Neyla and obscuring her vision. The other three beat a hasty retreat.
"Get away from me, you weird lizard!"
In her anger, she began firing in random directions.
"You can't shoot the wind, you imbecile."
"I'm the smartest member of this gang! If that jerk hadn't ratted me out, I'd be completely off the hook!"
She was suddenly aware of a cracking noise. The entire roof of the building was collapsing. Neyla tried to get away, but she had been pushed too far away from the door by the wind. She fell into the room below. Seiryū was now standing next to her.
"I'll take that gun, thank you. You shouldn't play with these. You could hurt yourself."
"Give that back, you -"
Before she could finish, Tortank slammed into her and shoved her out the nearest window. She was now laying on the pavement. Before she could get up, Bateleur roughly landed on her midsection, knocking the wind out of her. Lady Báihǔ quickly removed the collar necklace.
"My thanks to you and the rest of the gang for returning the missing Miraculous to us."
"You can say a pleasant bonjour to them in prison," Bovireine said.
Roger and a few other policemen came to drag Neyla into the nearest cop car. Seiryū handed him the gun.
"I can't believe one of our own was in on this."
"How could you have known, Lt. Raincomprix?" Lady Báihǔ said, "What matters is that she's in police custody now."
"Yes, and with all the information we'll get, we can wrap up what's left of this operation. I want to thank you, heroes."
"You don't have to," Bouc Noir said.
"Yes I do. We're not jealous of you, you know. Everyone on the force is aware there are some things we just can't do. The fact that someone would risk their life to help us in these, well, supernatural situations…it means a great deal to us. I'm sure everyone on the force is proud of you. I can guarantee that if you all came down to the station, there's not a single cop there that wouldn't want to shake your hands."
"Well, naturally!" Bovireine said, "We are awesome!"
Everyone else gave her a look, but before anyone could say anything, she continued.
"Thank you, Lt. Raincomprix," she shook his hand, "Thank you for all your help. Thank you for believing in us. Your daughter has a great role model."
With that, they departed for the police station.
FGdV: The boss and the mole are in custody, Mother
AGdV: …I'll be there as soon as I can. Where have you been staying?
FGdV: Le Grand Paris, of course
AGdV: An excellent choice, but André hasn't seen you, has he?
FGdV: I've avoided him at all costs.
AGdV: As soon as I get there, we'll be paying a visit to your old Uncle Gabriel
Félix had been watching from a nearby alleyway. He turned around and headed back to the hotel. After a brief meeting with the rest of the police force, the heroes soon departed and had a brief meeting atop Le Grand Paris.
"Before we head out," Ladybird said, "I want to formally give a warm welcome to our newest team member. Welcome aboard, Seiryū."
She bowed, "Happy to be of service. Thank you, Matou Noir, for choosing me."
"How could I not? We're the same."
"Oh, so she's Kagami," Apireine said matter-of-factly.
Everyone looked at her.
"What? I thought we were all okay with sharing now. That is except for our leaders, who want it to be special, as they keep saying."
"I'm glad you said it, actually," Seiryū said, "It saves time. I'd be willing, able, and eager to become a permanent member of the team, if you'll have me."
"Are you kidding?" Tortank said, "You were great out there."
"We'll likely have to help the police do some cleanup work later," Ladybird said, "I think we should call it a day"
They all went their separate ways and headed home.
"That was such a sweet and sincere speech you gave Roger, ma sœur," Zoé said.
Chloé was strewn across her bed.
"Yes, whatever, shut up, too tired," she replied as she put on her sleep mask.
In the days that followed, with the arrest of every high ranking member of the gang, the news was going crazy. Over in Italy, Ambassador Rossi got a phone call that told her to watch the news.
"Well, I always do anyway, but okay. I guess I missed something."
Then she saw the report.
"Bambina, come over here! Oh, it's so wonderful!"
Her daughter slunk into the living room, "What is it, Mamma?"
"That smuggling ring has finally been dismantled…or, well, more or less. After all these years! Isn't that amazing?"
She turned back to the TV to watch the rest of the news story. Her daughter, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to scream.
"Yes...isn't it just?"
Over in London, Amelie was irate as she packed the last of her things and headed for the train station.
"All these years of being under the radar, and now this. I still need to make more phone calls. I wonder what Tomoe is doing?"
Back in Paris, Tomoe was sitting by the TV, grumpier than usual.
"I knew this day would come once the heroes got involved. I know you likely had something to do with this as well, Gabriel. I'm sure Amelie will be here soon."
Over at the Agreste mansion, Gabriel and Nathalie were also watching the news.
"That takes care of those miscreants, Nathalie."
"You do realize that means the heroes now possess any Miraculous those gang leaders may have had?"
"Well, that should make it easier to obtain them all. Time to make some new plans."