Notes: Seems my advice had no effect. Suffer like G did!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Miraculous franchise.
Miraculous Universe
Ch. 30: It's in the Cards - Part 2
While Gabriel was frustrated that his plan didn't work out, he was determined to try again. First, though, he had other things on his mind.
"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, you have yet to work on anything special lately. That's why it's time for another project. I want you to design something for the face of the Gabriel brand: my son, Adrien."
"That's quite a task, Sir. Are you sure you don't want me to make something for one of the other models? Lila Rossi, for instance."
"Lila is very new. People are still getting used to her. No, I need something that will really catch the public's eye. You've proven yourself capable, so I want only the best for my son."
"I will do my best, Sir."
"You may head home for the day and start working on this project."
—
"What am I going to do?!"
"Marinette, calm down," Alya said.
Marinette kept scrambling back and forth around her room, while her mom and Alya watched.
"Dear, you really do need to calm down," Sabine said.
"Yeah, I mean, didn't you tell me you planned on making something for Adrien anyway?" Alya asked.
Marinette calmed down slightly, "Yes, that's true, but I never followed up on it."
"Well, stop and try to get an idea," Sabine said.
"Yeah, girl. I mean, you made him that scarf, and technically that hat. You must've thought of something else to make."
Marinette came to a realization.
"Wait a second. You're right. There is something I've been wanting to make for him."
"Like what?"
"I really shouldn't tell you, but I will. I think the best thing to make for him, especially if it's for a fashion show, is a suit."
"Wow, now that's a task."
Sabine smiled, "I'll let you get to it, dear."
"Thank you, Maman."
Once Sabine left…
"By the way," Alya said, "There's one other thing I was going to ask you. I know it's still months away, but are you going to enter the talent show again? You were a big hit last year."
Marinette was flipping through her sketchbook.
"Oh, I don't know. Last year was really just a spontaneous decision."
As she started sketching, Marinette had another idea.
"Actually, I think I will sign up again. I even know the perfect song to sing."
"So you are going to sing again? What'll it be this time?"
"Oh, come on, Als. That would spoil the surprise."
"I should've known. Well, I'll let you get to it. I've got my own internship to worry about."
"How's it going, by the way?"
"Oh, I think I'm on the way to a big scoop. See you later."
Marinette was going over her ideas while checking the internet for supplies.
"This should work nicely. I should focus on my work, but… What did Alya mean by a big scoop?"
The week went by like normal, but something happened that Friday.
"Excuse me, Lila," Alya said, "I've been trying to come up with a story, and I had a thought. What I really need is a photo of you."
"Moi? Really? I'm flattered," she quickly pulled out an autographed photo from her bag, "I always carry a few of these for my fans. I must say, I never figured you'd be interested in models."
"Actually, it's because, well, you've traveled so much, and your mother is an accomplished woman. Perhaps the two of you will inspire me."
"I'm sure my mother will be glad to hear that."
That weekend, when Alya got a chance to see Nadja, she pitched her idea.
"Nadja, are you busy?"
"I'm always kind of busy, but after all, it was my idea to offer you this internship, so it'd be foolish of me to not make time for you."
"Thank you. I have an idea for a, as they say, big scoop."
"Does it involve superheroes?"
"Actually, it's more about supervillains. Le Gang des Griffes had a long reach, but there are likely people who assisted them that have yet to be brought to justice."
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, after all, one of their own members was a mole on the police force. Who's to say they don't have more secret partners that are still out there?"
"An interesting theory, but is there any proof?"
"The night they arrested that sleazy Lousteau guy, there were several crates of black market weapons and technology. Some of it was kept secret because of their mole, but once she was apprehended, all evidence was made public. None of the gang leaders manufactured those weapons and the technology was more advanced than any of their skills."
"You make some good points, Césaire. Anything else?"
"I think it's highly likely that they had more than one informant on their payroll. It's the only way they could stay under the radar for so long. It's true they tend to eliminate loose ends, but there's always a weak link, otherwise why would there be rumors?"
"Alya, I have to admit, this all sounds rather intriguing, but where will you start?"
"I have a few leads. One of them tells me I need to make time for a trip to Italy. For now, though, how about some coffee?"
—
Meanwhile, Gabriel was once again stewing over his loss from two weeks ago.
"Sir, it wasn't a bad plan," Nathalie said, "The heroes are just more resourceful than we thought."
"I can see I need bigger, tougher supervillains."
"I do have one question, sir. What's with the tarot theme all of a sudden?"
"It's creative, and it provides so many different possibilities. Now then, they'll be expecting us to go back to the same prison. We shall instead head for the next nearest one. Gather everyone into the lair."
Soon, the usual people were sitting at a table that had been set up in the lair.
"At it again already, my dear uncle?"
"Yes, master of sarcasm that you are. However, instead of going back to Prison de la Santé, I want you to head for Centre Pénitentiaire de Fresnes."
"What?! All the way over there?"
"It's only seven miles, you drama king."
"Oh, like you're one to talk! We would be spotted far too easily with that distance."
"Well then, why don't you go there in civilian clothes, and THEN transform?!"
"What, and be forced to take," he shuddered, "Public transportation?"
"The Gorilla is with Adrien, Nathalie will be here with me. Figure it out yourself."
"I shall provide transportation," Tomoe spoke up, "You shall use one of my new self-driving cars. Mine would be far too noticeable."
She made a quick phone call.
"Gabriel Agreste is considering the purchase of another of my self-driving cars. Send one over to his mansion at once. I think one of the dark blue models will suffice. Very good."
Gabriel nodded, "There you are. Problem solved. Lila, do you have everything?"
She grabbed her backpack, "The tablet and an empty jar, as you ordered."
Gabriel transformed and created an Akuma.
"Work your magic again, Nathalie."
She once again became Catalytse.
"You really need to figure this out on your own, sir."
She gave Monarque a power boost and he quickly created another Akuma. Lila opened the jar and it flew inside.
"Everything should be ready. Now get going!"
Lila said nothing as she headed outside.
Félix said, "Come along, Optigami."
The Sentimonster seemed to appear from out of nowhere and landed on his shoulder.
"See you soon, mother."
"Goodbye, my darling. Gabriel, set up the television again. I want to watch what happens."
He rolled his eyes, but complied. Outside, the terrible twosome only had to wait a few minutes before the self-driving car pulled up. In no time at all, they reached their destination.
"Come on," Félix said, "Let's find somewhere to transform and get this over with."
"You don't think it'll work?"
"Do you?"
Lila made a so-so gesture.
Félix smirked, "Honestly, at this point, I'm sure almost anyone else could do a better job than that sourpuss."
Lila opened the jar and allowed the Akuma to possess her, while Félix transformed and flew to the nearest roof. Lila quickly followed suit, now Camalepolpo. Argos created an Amok.
"As before, octo-lizard, let me see your goggles."
He placed the Amok in her headset and recreated the Sentimonster from last time.
"Destructeur, I am Argos! Obey my commands!"
The colossal golem seemed to nod.
"Attack that prison complex!"
—
Kagami was at Socqueline's shop buying some supplies. She kept pausing to draw things from memory. Socqueline walked up to her.
"I've heard about you, but I don't think we've formally met. I'm Socqueline, a friend of Marinette's."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm Kagami Tsurugi. I was friends with Adrien first, and now I'm happy to call Marinette a friend as well."
"What are you drawing, if I may ask?"
"Just whatever pops into my head. I wanted to buy more colored pencils and paint. I'm trying different types of art."
"Well, the shop should have everything you need. Feel free to come back anytime."
"Thank you."
"Hey, so…is it true your mother doesn't like you drawing?"
"Marinette likes to talk, doesn't she?"
"You know her. Sometimes it just slips out."
"It's fine. Yes, it's true my blind mother thinks my drawings are poor. However, I've always been a bit of a rebel. This should be all I need."
She paid for her supplies.
"Feel free to come back anytime."
"Thank you, Socqueline. Have a good day."
As soon as she stepped outside, that's when she heard a loud noise that shook the ground.
"Something tells me that's the sound of trouble."
She went back inside.
"I just remembered, I have to run an important errand, and I can't be carrying all these things with me. Is it okay if I leave them here?"
"Oh, sure," Socqueline replied, "I'll hold onto them for you. No one will take them while I'm around."
"I truly appreciate it. I shall return as soon as I can."
As soon as she ran back outside, the Akuma alert went off on her phone. She could see everyone in the area looking around or running. Kagami looked around, and then headed for a good spot where no one was nearby.
"Transform me."
Now with the power of the Dragon, she flew into the sky and got a better look.
"Well, no one's going to miss that. That's the same Sentimonster as last time. I'm sure everyone's on their way. If these villains are plotting the same thing as before, we'll need extra firepower," she then got an idea, "Perhaps literally."
She landed on a nearby roof.
"Ladybird uses her yo-yo, Matou Noir uses his staff, but how do I use my sword to get another Miraculous?"
She looked her sword over and thought.
"Wait a minute."
She then closed her eyes and concentrated. She lifted her sword and then swung it down.
—
Apireine and Bateleur were flying overhead when they spotted Seiryū.
"Hey, there's our Dragon teammate," Bateleur said, "She's doing something with her sword."
As they got closer, they saw her slashing the air. To their surprise, one of her slashes caused what looked like a cut in the air. The duo landed next to her.
"What are you doing?" Apireine asked.
Seiryū reached into the cut she made as if it was a coat pocket. She pulled out the Rooster Miraculous.
"Hey, you did the thing," Matou Noir said as he ran up.
The other team members were right behind him. Seiryū placed the thumb ring on her left hand.
"I'm going first this time. Dragon, Rooster, unify!"
Her costume now had a flame pattern all over it. The arms of the suit had feathers on them. She had a crest on her head, and her hair tips were an orange-red color.
"My name is now Hōō!"
Zorrua spoke up, "You mean like the -"
"If you bring up Pokemon or Digimon, I'm going to hit you."
"Uh…I was just going to say, that's the Japanese equivalent of a phoenix."
"That's correct. I wanted to see if I could get another Miraculous myself."
"Congratulations," Ladybird said, "Now let's get to that prison."
The team moved as fast as possible.
"Pretty clever of them to pull the same job on a different prison," Tortank said.
"I'll just have to match their cleverness," Apireine said, "I'll pretend to punch them when I'm actually going to kick them."
—
Just as before, most of the guards were outside trying to defend the prison complex against the Sentimonster. Camalepolpo knocked out any stragglers and took out the cameras. She then headed for the cells.
"So many inmates, so little time. I'll just pick a section."
In one cell block, the prisoners were restless.
"Sounds like there's a party outside," one prisoner said.
"I saw the news last time," another said, "That butterfly guy broke out a bunch of prisoners."
"Do you think that's what's happening now?" asked yet another.
"Give that man a prize!" came a voice.
Camalepolpo appeared with a bow. She then pulled out the tablet.
"Pay attention, jailbirds. My boss has a few choice words for you."
Monarque was now on screen.
"Gentlemen, and I use that term loosely, I am Monarque. I'm sure you've seen the news reports. I'm giving you one chance: accept my offer of power and kill the Miraculous heroes, or stay here and rot. Any attempts at betrayal will be met with swift retribution."
"I'll do whatever you want," said one man, "Just get me outta here!"
"You're quite eager."
"I've been here for too long, Monarque. I have to get out!"
"Don't worry. You will."
They passed by one cell, and the man inside was very quiet.
"I recognize you," Monarque said, "You murdered several people, and you're not even from France."
"I only regret that I didn't kill more. I'll add those superheroes to my list."
"Good to hear it."
"Hey, over here, buddy!"
"What did you call me?"
"Uh, I meant to say, over here, boss."
Monarque looked him over.
"I see prison has been keeping you well-fed."
"Hey, this isn't all fat. It's also muscle. I'm willing to put it to use if you break me out."
He nodded, "Very well."
The next cell had a thin man who reeked of cigarette smoke.
"You were once a famous thief."
The man coughed, "I'm still a famous thief, and a master with a sword."
"You exaggerate, I'm sure, but so long as you agree to my terms, you'll be famous once again."
"Deal," he replied, breaking into a hacking fit.
"Hey, over here, Monarque," came another voice.
"I recognize you as well. You've had several escape attempts."
"I almost got away a couple of times. If you're offering a get out of jail free card, then the heroes will be locked away after I'm done with them."
"So be it. Our agreement will commence very shortly. Take me to the women's block."
Camalepolpo speed walked to the other end of the prison.
"Ladies, who's ready for some fun?"
"What do you want, lizard girl?" one of the women asked.
"She's here to assist me. I am Monarque. If any of you fine women wish to break out of here, agree to work for me and I'll make it happen. I only ask that you destroy the Miraculous heroes. If any of you renege on this deal, your freedom and power will be forfeit."
"I'll do whatever you want," one woman said, "Just get me out of here. It's so disgusting!"
"I like your enthusiasm. You'll be free shortly. Anyone else?"
"Sure, why not?"
A rather tall pale woman stepped up to the bars.
"I seem to remember you," Monarque said, "You caused quite a lot of trouble. Didn't you have a partner?"
"That'd be me," said a redhead woman, "I'll deal with those heroes if it means getting out. I need some sun."
"She was mostly the distraction," the pale lady said, "I did all the work."
"You both make for fine candidates," Monarque said, "Our agreements shall commence momentarily. We're done here."
Camalepolpo turned off the tablet and disappeared. Once she was outside, she spotted the heroes.
"They're here, bird boy."
"Of course they are. The old man better have sent those Akuma. I'm not about to risk getting caught."
He peeked out from his hiding spot and spotted Hōō.
"One of them has already unified Miraculous. Destructeur, attack the heroes!"
The colossal golem ceased attacking the prison complex and began taking swipes at the heroes. While avoiding the huge fists of the Sentimonster, Bateleur saw the Akumas flying in their direction.
"The Akumas are here. We need to stop them now!"
"Easier said than done," Zorrua said, "This thing seems really mad."
"I'll go," Ladybird said, "That way I can at least capture them."
As she started to fly towards the Akumas, something caught her around the ankle. She kept trying to fly away, but something held her in place. She looked down at her ankle.
"There's nothing there. What's going on?"
She tried flying in different directions, but it was as though she was tethered to her current spot. She looked around the area trying to spot the problem. She finally noticed how there was a spot that looked blurry.
"Wait a second. Could it be?"
She launched her yo-yo and saw it bounce off a space in midair. She got an idea. She flew as fast as she could in an erratic manner, and then suddenly flew at the ground feet first. She collided with something solid.
"OW!"
"There's no point in hiding, octo-lizard."
Camalepolpo was smart enough to say nothing. She released the hold on Ladybird's ankle she had with her tongue and ran for it.
"I can hear you running away!"
Camalepolpo ran past Argos.
"Time to go!"
Argos snapped his fingers to get rid of Destructeur. The hero team met up.
"What happened?" Apireine asked.
"Lila was here," Ladybird explained, "Or if not her, someone with similar powers. She stopped me from going anywhere."
Just then, there was a loud crash.
The team looked at the prison, "Uh oh."
One of the prison walls was smashed through, and out trotted a centaur as big as a giraffe. He wielded a polearm, and the number VII was on his chest.
"The Chariot," Matou Noir said.
After him was an Akuma that looked like a tall gaunt werewolf in a hood and cloak, wielding a huge double headed scythe. He had XIII on his chest.
"So obvious," Hōō said, "Death."
Next out was another Akuma that was only half as large as Force had been, but he was also morbidly obese. His head looked tiny on his corpulent, tattoo-covered body. He swung a large chain around, and he had XIV on his chest.
"The picture of irony," Tortank said, "That's supposed to be Temperance."
The next Akuma looked like a very tall man that appeared to be made of metal. A cape covered most of his body, but they could make out the number XI on his chest.
"That's Justice, huh?" Ladybird wondered, "We'll see about that."
Now, an enormous snake-like dragon with five heads smashed through the wall. It hissed and roared at anyone who got too close. Etched onto his scales was the number XVI.
"That's an interesting interpretation of The Tower," Zorrua said.
Another wall was smashed through. Out came a woman whose lower body was a mass of tentacles. She held a staff in her hands. The number II was on her robes.
"The High Priestess needs a mirror," Bateleur said, "Did she break through that wall?"
Just then emerged a very big and tall woman, who appeared to be made of stone. The number XVIII was on her chest.
"I'm guessing she did that smashing, " Vipèrion said, "It looks like she's The Moon, or looking at her, perhaps a moon rock."
Finally, a woman/plant hybrid sauntered out and paused to soak up some sun. This caused her to grow larger and spread her roots. The heroes could just make out the number XIX on her chest.
"The Sun gets power from the sun," Apireine said, "That is so clever."
"Let's not waste any time trying to take them on as is," Ladybird said, "While they're getting acclimated to their powers, I'll break out the other Miraculous."
"Way ahead of you," Tortank said.
Everyone turned around to see she was holding her shield upside down, a glow emanating from it. She was already reaching inside. She pulled out the coin pendant and placed it around her neck. She then proceeded to pull out the other remaining Miraculous and set them on the ground.
"I wanted to try it myself. If you don't mind, I'll keep going. Turtle, Mouse, unify!"
Her costume turned a dark grey-green with small pink spots running up and down. Part of her hair was styled to look like mouse ears.
"Your hair looks like mine did when I used the Mouse," Ladybird said.
"I thought it was a good look. With that said, here she is - Multiturtle!"
"Cute," Apireine said, rolling her eyes.
"I'll go next," Ladybird said, grabbing the nose ring, "Ladybug, Ox, unify!"
She now had a small pair of horns on her head, and her hair was in a short braid. The black parts of her costume were now a dark blue. Her entire outfit looked noticeably more armored. She tested the weight of the hammer.
"My name is now Lady Vache."
Matou Noir grinned, "You're gonna make those guys look like nin-cow-poops!"
Everyone else groaned.
"Seriously though, it's my turn to wear the circlet. Cat, Monkey, unify!"
The most noticeable change was that his hair turned white and grew a bit longer. His suit also had more gold accents.
"Sweet! The name's Langur Noir!"
"What's a langur?" Bateleur asked.
"It's a type of monkey," Multiturtle replied, "There's even a species called François' langur after a French consul."
Zorrua quickly grabbed the panjas bracelet.
"My goodness," Apireine said, "Daring today, aren't we?"
"After that last fight, I've decided that I need a more hands on approach with these people. Fox, Tiger, unify!"
His costume kept its colors, but it now had several thin, black stripes all over it. His hair was a bit longer, and his gloves had claws. The right glove was extra thick.
"That looks cool," Multiturtle said, "What's your new name?"
"I'll go with, uh…Zorrayures."
"Striped Fox? Not bad, handsome."
"Yeah, whatever," Apireine said, "Now it's my turn, and sunglasses always look good on me. Bee, Horse, unify!"
The yellow parts of her costume had faded into a cream color. Her hair was now more of a light brown shade, and while she still had a ponytail, it wasn't high set like her usual look. Her boots looked like cowboy boots with small wings on the sides. She looked at the horseshoe that came with the costume.
"This is my new weapon? I think I can use this. You stand in the presence of the great Equureine!"
"Fashionable as always," Bateleur said, putting the hair clips in place, "I'll go with these."
"Those don't look half bad on you."
"Thanks, partner. Eagle, Goat, unify!"
She now had a massive pair of horns on her head, like that of an ibex. Her boots and parts of her wings were white, and so was the highlight in her hair. Her beak was now black, while her eyes were red.
"What name could you get from the Eagle and the Goat?" Equureine asked.
"I'll go with…Haast."
"Haast? What does that mean?"
"It's the largest species of eagle to ever exist, but it went extinct," Multiturtle explained, "It lived in New Zealand, and preyed upon the moa, a giant flightless bird that weighed over 400 lbs."
"You know some of the most random things."
"I guess that just leaves me," Vipèrion said, grabbing the collar, "Snake, Dog, unify!"
His costume was now a brown-green color. He also had a pair of floppy ears on his head. His hair was also more of a brown color, and it was shorter.
"You look almost as fashionable as me," Equureine said, "The collar suits you."
"Coming from you, that means a lot. Although if I was going to wear a collar, I'd prefer it to have spikes on it. Anyway, Bordeaux is my name now."
"Why are you named after a city?"
"It's supposed to be clever."
"Uh huh, and explain how."
"Oh, I get it!" Multiturtle exclaimed.
"Then I'll allow you to explain," Bordeaux said.
"There's a dog breed called Dogue de Bordeaux."
"Okay, but what does that have to do with a snake?" Haast asked.
"There's a species called the southern smooth snake. It was originally found in Bordeaux, France."
"That is actually pretty clever," Equureine said, "Now let's get down to business. Who's going after who?"
"I'll go after Justice," Hōō said, "I'll make sure he gets what's coming to him."
Langur Noir did some stretches.
"I'm destruction, so I'll take on La Mort."
"I'm gonna go punch La Lune," Zorrayures said.
"Le Soleil is mine," Equureine said.
"I'll deal with La Grande Prêtresse," Bordeaux said.
"I'll go after La Tour," Lady Vache said.
"Which of us is going after the last two?" Haast asked.
"I know eagles can take down bigger prey," Multiturtle said, "But that guy over there is really fat. I'll confront Tempérance."
"Then that leaves me with Le Chariot."
—
As Hōō flew over to her opponent, she got an idea. She landed on the closest roof.
"Sublimation! The power to become, create, and control fire."
With a wave of the quill pen, she could feel a new energy flowing through her body.
"That should come in handy. Now where is that cape-wearing criminal?"
She looked around and quickly spotted him. Justice was simply walking around and surveying the area when Hōō landed in front of him.
She smirked, "Hello there."
"What do you want, little girl?"
"My name is Hōō. I'm here to stop you."
"You dare to challenge me? You are a bold one."
He eyed the sword on her side.
"Are you actually any good with that sword?"
She readied it, "Try me and find out."
He let out a derisive chuckle that devolved into a cough.
"So be it."
He unsheathed an energy sword.
"Does my weapon intimidate you? They're both magic, so mine won't cut through yours…unless your toy is just inferior."
Hōō said nothing. Justice was quick to attack, but Hōō blocked his strike.
"I hope all your reflexes are this quick."
They began what could only be described as an intense fencing match.
"Not bad, chicken girl, but I've played with you long enough."
He quickly pulled out another energy sword and tried to strike her. She was able to parry the blow.
"So you do have some skill. On the other hand, perhaps you're just lucky. Only one way to be sure."
He began aggressively dual wielding, while she did her best to defend herself.
—
In another section of the city, La Mort was looking for any straggling civilians.
"They couldn't have evacuated everyone so quickly."
Langur Noir appeared in front of him, staff in hand.
"Going somewhere, Voldemort?"
"Well, well, if it isn't the gatito."
"Stop trying to find unarmed civilians to attack and fight me, if you dare."
He gave a sinister snicker, "This is gonna be fun."
He swung his scythe around, but Noir deflected the blow. He tried to retaliate, but every time he tried to hit Death, the Akuma dodged.
"Slow! Sloppy! Sad!"
Noir grabbed his second staff and aimed for Death's legs. Just as the staff was about to connect, Death disappeared. A whistle came from behind Noir.
"Did you just teleport?"
"Yeah."
"That's cheating."
"¿Y que? I'm a villain."
He teleported right behind Noir and attacked. The hero was able to dodge the attack. He split his Cat staff in two and used them like swords. The opponents traded blows in quick succession.
"Uproar!"
A rubber bone was created. Noir managed to grab it in his mouth.
"Cats don't play with squeeze toys."
"No, but dogs do."
Noir spit the toy in Death's face.
"That's disgusting."
They continued fighting, but this time, when Noir had an opening, when Death tried to teleport, nothing happened.
"What the…?"
He was struck hard in the face and sent falling back several feet.
"That's what happens when you overly rely on your powers."
Death growled in response.
"What's the matter? Can't take it, wolf man?"
Death shook his head and dug the blade of his scythe into the ground.
"Muy bien."
He then got down on all fours and ran at Langur Noir like an actual wolf. La Mort was now snapping at Noir while slashing with his claws. The hero had to keep backing away to avoid the teeth.
"Corre corre, Gato!"
—
Le Soleil was standing still, soaking in more sun, and growing ever larger as a result.
"Hey, ripoff Poison Ivy! I'm here to play the part of the weed killer."
"I'm glad you're here, little pest. I must be part flytrap, because you look like a tasty snack."
"I hope you know how disgusting that sounds."
Equureine flew around Le Soleil, while the Akuma lashed out with her vines. Some of her vines did in fact have teeth-like thorns on them.
"You may be big, but you're really slow."
"I don't have to be fast. I'll just overwhelm you!"
She sprouted more leaves and began getting even larger, her mass of roots spreading across the pavement. Equureine looked in awe at the gigantic plant woman Akuma.
"This might be trickier than I thought."
—
Bordeaux was perched atop a building, waiting for La Grande Prêtresse to get close. As soon as she got near, he leapt down in an attempt to kick her. She quickly raised her staff, and the hero bounced off what appeared to be an invisible bubble around her.
"Oh great," he thought, "This again."
"Hey, you're kinda cute."
"Sorry, madam, but I'm taken, and you're not my type."
"And what type is that?"
"A criminal."
"What are you, a snob or something?"
She started trying to hit him with her tentacles. Bordeaux began dancing around her strikes.
"This is about all I can do while she has that staff."
The High Priestess was getting frustrated that her attacks kept missing. She finally decided to just tackle Bordeaux.
"You're mine now, M. Slimy."
"Snakes aren't slimy, but an octopus certainly is…just not as much as you."
"Why you skinny, smart-mouthed serpent. I'll squeeze the life outta you!"
She began wrapping her tentacles around his body tightly.
—
Equureine was buzzing around to look for an opening when she noticed her teammate's predicament.
"Hey!" Le Soleil snapped, "You're attempting to fight me, so pay attention."
"Oh, I'm sorry, but you were starting to bore me, so I was thinking about going to do something else."
"Is that so? Are you sure it's not because of that snake guy?"
"No comment."
She snickered, "Oh, how precious. So what are you gonna do? Stay here and continue your pathetic attempts to fight me, or are you going to go help your friend?"
Equureine flew at her face.
"Did you seriously just try to give me a no-win scenario? I've had to watch a lot of movies in my time. The captain in that movie said something I'll say to you. I don't believe in a no-win scenario. I don't like to lose."
"That's just a dumb movie, little bug. This is real life, and life isn't fair."
"Well, a real person once told me that life is plenty fair. Other people just make it seem unfair."
The Sun faked shock, "Oh, no! You mean like me?"
"Not for long, planty. Voyage!"
A massive portal opened up beneath Le Soleil and she quickly fell through.
"Don't worry, mother will pick you up as soon as possible. Until then, enjoy the weather."
The other end of the portal opened up above the Arctic Ocean. Le Soleil fell into the freezing cold water. She was screaming in rage.
"I'll just get to land, and then I'll…I'll…"
She had landed fairly close to land, but her entire body was freezing up.
"So…cold…I can…barely…move…"
She struggled to fight against the cold.
—
"Ironically, that gave me a very warm feeling."
Equureine quickly flew over to help Bordeaux, changing her trompo into its sword form.
"Get your creepy tentacles off of him!"
The Akuma began flipping Bordeaux over.
"Aw, is this your man?"
"I said let him go, ugly!"
She tried to stab the Priestess, but her sword bounced off an invisible barrier.
"Nice try, you…wait, what did you call me?"
"Let me put it this way. There are creatures living in the depths of the ocean that most people consider unprepossessing, but they all look amazing compared to you."
She looked ready to snap, "...what?"
"Why do you keep using that word? What are you deaf? I'm saying you're absolutely hideous!"
The Akuma stretched out her tentacles in an attempt to grab Equureine.
"You're too slow!"
Equureine noticed that Bordeaux was starting to get crushed. She landed to make herself a target. The tentacles wrapped around her legs and held her upside-down.
"Now you can watch me crush this slimy snake."
"Snakes aren't slimy," Equureine said.
"Plus you already used that insult," Bordeaux said, "However, snakes are what you might call slippery."
He slid out of his outer clothes, managed to tap her staff with his ball, and ran for it before she could grab him again.
"You came to save him, and yet he abandons you. I guess he doesn't like you very much, you meddlesome wasp. Now I'm going to rip you apart like a lobster."
Equureine continued to struggle, while at the same time attempting to stab the Priestess with her sword. Bordeaux stood tall on a building that was fairly far from the Akuma, but close enough that he could see her fighting Equureine. The Bee heroine continued to try and stab the Akuma, who was toying with her.
"I guess you're not much of a learner. Still, watching your pathetic attempts is amusing."
"Fetch!"
Suddenly, her staff disappeared from her hands.
"What?! Where did it go?!"
"Over here!"
She looked over her shoulder to see Bordeaux holding her staff. He then threw it as far into the distance as he could.
"Just for that, I'm going to let you watch me kill this insect."
Bordeaux let out a growl and sprinted back towards the High Priestess. As she slammed Equureine around, he leapt at the Akuma and bit down on her shoulder.
She shrieked, "Did you seriously bite me?!"
While she still had a tentacle wrapped around Equureine's ankle, she was focused on Bordeaux now. She began choking him.
"I'll make your head pop off."
She was suddenly hit in the face with a hard object, which caused her to loosen her grip. Equureine had, in fact, tied her horseshoe to the end of her trompo. Before La Grande Prêtresse could react, Equureine flew straight at her, tackling her to the ground.
"Why you -"
*POW*
Equureine used the horseshoe to hit her in the face again.
"Get off me, you -"
*POW*
"Stop hitting me with -"
Equureine continued punching her opponent in the face with the horseshoe until the Akuma stopped moving. Her tentacles went limp as she lost consciousness.
"Uh, honey?" Bordeaux spoke up, "Honey. Honey!"
"Will you stop saying that?! You're only doing it as a joke."
"I figured it would get your attention quicker. Anyway, I think she's unconscious. You can stop hitting her and get up."
She took a deep breath, "Oh, right. Well, I doubt she'll stay that way, but we should go help the others."
—
In a different section of the city, Haast confronted Le Chariot. As soon as he saw her, he charged at her, polearm pointing right at her. She dodged out of the way. He quickly circled around and charged again. This time she flew into the air.
"Get back down here, you coward!"
She pulled out her bullroarer and began spinning it. He covered his ears to block out the noise.
"That hurts my ears! Stop doing that!"
As she flew closer, he shut his eyes tight from the pain. She immediately tied him up and left him squirming on the ground.
"You tricked me!"
"Yeah, well, it wasn't hard."
"I'll get out of this thing. Just you wait!"
"I'd rather speed things up actually."
She flew up high and pulled out her paint brush.
"Genesis!"
She created a very large 16 ton weight and let it fall to the ground. Le Chariot finally managed to get an arm free. Ashe continued removing the cord, he looked up and saw the falling weight.
"You expect me to believe that thing's real? It's probably just cardboard!"
The weight landed on top of him, knocking him out. Haast landed on the ground next to him, checking to see if he really was unconscious.
"See, now this is what happens when you have forethought."
—
La Lune was smashing nearby buildings. Zorrayures wasted no time charging into battle.
"Look at the tiny fox hero. What are you gonna do, hit me?"
"Clout!"
He leapt through the air and punched her in the jaw. The impact knocked her over.
"That actually managed to hurt me, but what doesn't kill you," she grew to a larger size, "Makes you stronger."
"Uh oh."
"And there's one more thing. You'll love this. Look over there."
The pieces of her body that had been knocked off from the punch formed into smaller versions of her.
"I'm my own personal army. What can you do to stop me?"
"Well, maybe if you didn't shoot your mouth off and tell me how your powers work, I wouldn't be able to think of a plan."
Her eyes went wide.
"Well…I…just shut up! Minions, attack!"
—
Multiturtle was looking up at Tempérance.
"Look at the tiny turtle girl."
"Everyone's tiny compared to you, fat man."
"This is muscle!"
"That's what they all say."
He raised his arms and brought both fists down. The hero dodged as the Akuma cracked the pavement. She threw her shield at his face, but it barely seemed to faze him.
"Nice try, girlie."
He quickly grabbed his chain and threw it at her. She was wrapped up and yanked towards him. As soon as she was close enough he gave her a hard punch. Fortunately, the way her shield was positioned, it took most of the impact.
"Okay, that still hurt."
He proceeded to swing her around, making sure she hit any nearby buildings. He then slammed her into the ground.
She winced, "Is that the best you've got, fatso?"
He snarled as he climbed up the nearest building and dove from the height to crush her.
"Multitude!"
Temperance body slammed the entire street, causing it to crack.
—
Lady Vache flew over to La Tour, and the Akuma immediately began snapping its many jaws at her. She kept her distance as he slithered closer. She tied her yo-yo around her hammer. The first head that tried to strike her got a hammer in the face for his trouble. She then used her yo-yo to tie up the two left heads. The three free heads were livid. The middle head, being closest, was the first to retaliate. However, Haast flew at his face and used her paint brush to poke him in the eye, causing him to shriek in pain. She circled around and used her bullroarer to tie up the two right heads.
"Thanks for the assist!"
—
Hōō was doing her best to match blows with Justice.
"You're better than I thought, chicken girl, but you can't keep it up forever."
"Do you think you have the advantage solely because you're an android?"
"It does have its perks. For example, if this is how you fight against two swords…"
He pushed her back. He then removed his cape, popped his shoulders, and then separated his two arms into four arms. He then pulled out two more laser swords.
"...then how well can you do against four?"
He began spinning his two lower swords so fast he was cutting the ground.
"Showoff," Hōō thought.
She began using her newly acquired power to heat up her sword, while at the same time backing up to wait for a good moment to strike. She flew into the air and landed behind Justice. As he turned to face her, she sliced off his left hands. Glancing at the cauterized stump, he snarled in annoyance, and then wildly swung his three remaining swords. She parried as best she could until she found an opening and cut off one of his right hands.
"Quality beats quantity, M. Justice, if that is your real name."
"Even minus two weapons, you should accept your inevitable defeat."
"I don't like to lose. Water Dragon!"
She created a stream of water and aimed it at her sword, which caused it to become steam. It seemed to encompass her body. When Justice swung at her, she was gone.
"Come out of hiding and fight properly!"
She was behind him again, and soaked him with water.
"You sneaky little lizard!"
"Lighting Dragon!"
Electricity was now coursing through his body, causing him to drop his swords. She rushed forward and stabbed him in the chest. Her sword was so hot, it burned through his metal body. Justice struggled to stand, still emitting a flurry of hacking coughs.
"You wouldn't be in prison if you fought with honor. You're a disgrace to swordsmanship."
She let loose a stream of fire from her mouth that caused him to back away. He soon fell into the Seine and sank like a rock. Hōō flew down and dipped her sword into the river to cool it off.
"It appears I won this unofficial match. Now if you'll excuse me, my teammates require assistance."
She flew into the air and looked around. She could see Langur Noir fighting La Mort. Lady Vache and Haast were fighting La Tour, while Equureine and Bordeaux were heading towards them. Zorrayures was dodging the huge fists of La Lune.
"I can see Temperance, but I don't see Multiturtle. She's tough though, and I think Zorrayures needs my help more."
—
Equureine flew into the fray, sword in hand. Bordeaux leapt across several buildings until he was atop the middle head of La Tour. He stretched out his lyre to make it bigger, and then hooked it onto the top jaws of the very agitated Tower. Equureine, meanwhile, was busy stabbing the heads that had been lassoed by Haast.
"This is what happens when you mess with a beehive!"
The two heads eventually stopped squirming and slumped to the ground. She proceeded to do the same to the other two heads. They soon collapsed on top of the other heads.
"Looks like you're outnumbered now, M. Lerna," Lady Vache said, "Why not just surrender?"
He finally managed to throw Bordeaux off his head. He then detached himself from the main body and slithered away towards the Seine.
"He's headed for the Seine," Bordeaux said, "That means he's on my turf."
He gave pursuit and managed to glimpse the end of the monster's tail disappearing under the water.
"You can't go in there," Haast said, "You'll be at a disadvantage."
"Good point. Any ideas?"
"Here's one. Genesis!"
She created a rock large enough to touch the bottom of the Seine, but small enough that Bordeaux was still close to the river's surface.
"That looks ideal. Toss it in."
She did so, and he jumped on top of it. As soon as he did so, he could see the ripples across the water. The surface was now calm, but he noticed a few bubbles here and there. He quickly ducked as La Tour launched himself out of the water snapping his jaws.
"From one snake to another, that was terrible. You're slow and predictable."
La Tour let out a roar and dove beneath the surface. He was now moving at a blinding speed. The Akuma continuously leapt out of the water in an attempt to snatch Bordeaux up in his maw.
"This guy's fast. Maybe too fast for me. Hitting a reset button isn't enough."
He looked at his bracelet.
"Everyone's improving their powers. How do I improve a reset button? How do you get better at intuition? There must be an answer."
"Hey, Kingsnake!" Equureine shouted, "Don't let this jerk push you around! You can see his attacks coming from a mile away! You're supposed to be good at reading people!"
"Wait a second. Intuition is using your instincts. Second Chance is all about picking the right moment to go back and try again. What if instead of using its power to go back, you used it to see forward, even if just barely? Obviously, the drawback to that is the fact that nothing in the future is set in stone. On the other hand, I'm only using this to fight an angry, single-minded, and frankly rather predictable Akuma."
He activated his Miraculous power, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
"Why are his eyes closed?" Lady Vache asked, "What's he doing?"
The Tower practically flew out of the water, mouth wide open. Just when it looked like he was about to hit Bordeaux, the hero ducked at the last minute. The Akuma hissed as he turned around. That's when he also noticed the hero had his eyes closed.
"He just got lucky," he muttered to himself, "Now's my chance."
Once again, he sped forward and leapt from the water like a great sea serpent. At the last second, Bordeaux leaned over to the side, causing La Tour to miss him yet again. The Akuma was getting frustrated, and yet he continued his attack pattern. Bordeaux dodged every time.
"Left…right…straight…right…left…straight…"
Not far behind them, the High Priestess had finally regained consciousness. As soon as she saw Bordeaux standing in the middle of the Seine, she crawled towards the river. This didn't go unnoticed.
"That stupid bee may have punched me out, but I can't pass up an easy target like that snake. He bit me!"
She tried diving into the river, but Lady Vache intercepted her.
"Get out of my way!"
"My teammate there is busy, squid gal. Keep out of this."
"Why you…see how you like it!"
She lunged at the hero and bit into her shoulder. Lady Vache didn't even flinch, even as the Akuma started wrapping her tentacles around her. After a few seconds, La Grande Prêtresse released her grip and started gagging and spitting.
"What's with your costume?"
"What, you mean the armor?"
"No, I mean why is there a nasty taste in my mouth?!"
"I guess you never learned why ladybird beetles are so brightly colored. It's to alert our potential predators that we're toxic."
The High Priestess collapsed on the ground. Back with The Tower, he continued his repetitive assault. Once more, he jumped out of the water, ready to drag Bordeaux down with him. At the last moment, Bordeaux spun around, avoiding the attack, and delivered a kick into the Akuma's face. This sent the villain flying into the riverbank. Before La Tour could retaliate, Haast grabbed him by the tail and began swinging him around, making sure to smack the High Priestess in the process. Loud hoofbeats were now approaching. Le Chariot was charging towards their group.
"So he managed to crawl out from under that weight, huh?" Haast thought.
Lady Vache threw her hammer, striking Le Chariot in the face, and causing him to screech to a halt. Haast then released La Tour, sending him crashing into Le Chariot. She then grabbed the High Priestess and threw her onto the pile.
—
Hōō levitated next to Zorrayures as he leapt from place to place.
"What's the situation?"
"Well, the giant rock lady gets bigger when I attack her. On top of that, the pieces of her that fall off become clones of her that can reform into a larger body."
"Sounds difficult, but not impossible."
"Easy for you to say."
"If there's one thing we have in common, it's that we read manga. Together we can come up with a plan, what's the phrase? On the fly."
"I'm just trying not to get crushed!"
"Think! What can you do that she can't? What can you do that I can't? You are your only limit!"
"You have an idea?"
"Yes, but can you improvise?"
He smirked, "Just give me a few seconds."
"Consider it done."
He backed away, while she flew into the face of the Akuma.
"Get outta my face, you…iguana parrot."
Hōō sent a stream of fire into her face.
"Hey! Cut it out! This is only annoying me! Fire doesn't work on rock!"
"How true, but…"
"Mirage!"
Hōō flew away as hundreds of clones jumped onto La Lune.
"Get off me!"
She began punching them, and with her large hands, it caused several to disappear at a time.
"Illusions?! Where's the real one?"
Zorrayures landed on her face.
"That's for me to know, and for you to find out!"
"GET OFF!"
She ended up punching herself in the face.
"You want to know who's the real fox? You have to catch me first!"
All the illusions gathered near the Seine.
"Nowhere to go. I'll smash you all, and then my copies will clean up what's leftover."
She brought her fists down into the mass of illusions, destroying most of them.
"You want the real me?"
She turned around.
"Here I am! CLOUT!"
La Lune snickered, "That's your plan? Your little punch barely phased me earlier. Go ahead and try again. I dare you!"
His fist glowed brighter and he ran towards her. She was now mildly concerned.
"Stop him!" she ordered her copies.
Hōō took them out before they could do anything. Zorrayures was screaming as he leapt onto a nearby roof. He then jumped through the air and delivered his punch right into the Akuma's chest. It left a mark, but otherwise, nothing was different.
"Oh, wow, good job, hero. You -"
There was a loud crack. She looked down at her body. The cracks where he had punched her were spread all across her body.
"NO!"
She began crumbling into tiny pieces. Unfortunately, all those tiny pieces simply started moving towards each other.
"No matter what you do," she declared, "A new moon will rise!"
Hōō pulled out her quill pen.
"My turn. Sublimation! The power to become, create, and control earth!"
"That won't work on me!" La Lune snapped.
"You're not looking at the big picture. Zorrayures, are you somewhere safe?"
"Yeah, I'm up here."
Hōō rose into the air and pointed her hands at the ground, causing it to form a pit La Lune and all her clones slid down to the bottom.
"As anime taught me, when you mix earth and fire…"
The earthen sides around La Lune began to split open.
"...you get magma!"
"WHAT?!"
"Or in this case, lava!"
The pit began to fill with lava, covering up every piece of La Lune.
"It may or may not be hot enough to melt you, but you won't be getting out any time soon!"
"I can barely move!" La Lune shrieked, "I'll make you pay for this!"
As soon as every bit of La Lune had sunk into the lava, it instantly solidified.
—
Temperance picked himself up and looked at the crater he left.
"Hey!" he scanned the area, "Where'd that little turtle go?"
She was, in fact, scurrying through the cracks in the pavement.
"Emphasis on little, am I right, ladies?"
"You're hilarious."
"So what's the plan?"
"He shouldn't leave that chain lying around."
"You're right. Someone could get hurt."
Multiturtle swarmed towards the huge Akuma.
She tapped her earpiece, "Anyone, I need a distraction."
"I'll be right there," Equureine said.
"Was that a pun?"
"NO!"
Bordeaux watched her fly away.
"I better help, too."
As he followed, he noticed the 16 ton weight.
He smiled, "Lightbulb."
He touched the weight with his ball. As for the Bee hero, she quickly flew over to Temperance and started circling him.
"Get away, you dumb bug!"
"Who do you think you're talking to?!"
Multiturtle and her copies grabbed the chain and hurriedly wrapped it around the Akuma's ankles. They backed away and reformed into one.
"Shell-ter!"
The forcefield was now around Temperance's head. She then made it opaque.
"Hey! I can't see!"
He made a vain attempt to grab at the forcefield. When he tried moving, the chains prevented him from getting too far. Multiturtle pulled more of the chain and wrapped it around one of his arms.
"What are you doing?! What's going on?!"
Bordeaux whistled at his teammates.
"Can I get a lift, Queenie?"
"It would be an honor."
She grabbed him and flew into the air.
"This is a good spot. Fetch!"
The 16 ton weight was now in the air and falling towards Temperance. Multiturtle snapped her fingers, removing the forcefield.
"This chain won't hold me!"
She pointed up. He saw the weight coming down.
"Uh oh…"
*CRASH*
"...ouch."
He was now sprawled out on the pavement. Haast flew off, and then came back with La Tour. She threw him on top of Tempérance. She did the same with La Grande Prêtresse and Le Chariot.
"That'll teach them," Equureine said.
"Where is Langur Noir?" Hōō asked.
"He hasn't come back from his fight?" Lady Vache asked.
Everyone else shook their heads.
"Keep an eye on these jerks. I'll go help him."
She flew away as fast as she could.
—
Langur Noir was getting tired as the fight stretched on.
"You can't keep this up forever, hombre!"
He flourished his scythe, a smug look on his face.
"I won't let you hurt anyone else. Besides, everyone else is busy."
"You seriously think you can stop me?"
He teleported behind the hero and grabbed him by the neck.
"For someone that embodies destruction, you're pretty weak."
He slammed the hero into a nearby wall several times, and then threw him to the ground.
"Why don't I just do us both a favor and take your power myself? I'll just cut off your hand!"
He swung his scythe at the hero.
"Resistance!"
Lady Vache flew between the two of them. When the blade of the scythe struck her, it shattered into dozens of pieces. Seeing half his weapon broken, he snapped it in two and held onto the intact blade.
He licked his lips, "Is this your little compañera?"
Langur Noir jumped to his feet.
"Don't touch her."
"Is that a threat?"
Noir bared his fangs, "Don't you DARE touch her!"
"Oh, it is a threat. Are you gonna fight better now? Has she given you a second wind?"
He started laughing.
"Uproar!"
He summoned a stuffed black cat and smacked his foe on the snout. Noir then leapt at his face and began scratching like crazy.
"Get off me, you mangy cat!"
He tried spinning around, pulling him, and even hitting him against a wall. Langur Noir still held on tightly. Eventually, he clawed La Mort in the right eye. The Akuma howled in pain.
"MY EYE! I'LL KILL YOU!"
He snapped his jaws at Noir, who now leapt off. La Mort was swinging his scythe like a madman, while constantly biting anywhere nearby. Langur Noir adeptly avoided all the attacks.
"Once I kill you, I'll kill all your little friends. Or maybe I'll just start with Mariquita."
"Cataclysm!"
Noir struck La Mort in the chest. The Akuma screamed and collapsed to the ground. The black energy was spreading across his body.
Noir seemed to regain his senses.
"I can't believe I did that," he looked at his partner, "I'm sorry you had to see that."
"We can talk about it later," she replied, "The wave will fix all this. Let's just get him to the others."
They dragged La Mort to the other Akumas.
"Whoa, what happened to him?" Equureine asked.
"Later," Lady Vache said, "Is this all of them?"
"Oh, I almost forgot. Voyage!"
She opened a portal above the other inmate.
"Hōō, you're not bothered by cold weather, are you?"
"I doubt it."
"Would you mind bringing back the giant plant lady?"
"Gladly."
Hōō went through the portal and saw the Akuma frozen stiff.
"There's only one way to make this quick."
She shot a stream of fire at Le Soleil. The Akuma immediately woke up.
"I'm on fire!" she screamed, "Put me out!"
"Water Dragon!"
A stream of freezing water put out the fire and shoved Le Soleil through the portal. She landed on top of her fellow inmates. She had an insane look in her eyes.
"I'll make you PAY for this!"
"Venom!"
Equureine jabbed her with her stinger, and the Akuma went quiet.
"Whom do you serve?"
"You, My Queen."
"Very good. Now use your vines to wrap all your friends up tightly."
"By your command."
The escapees were now covered in roots and vines that kept squeezing tighter. Lady Vache gently placed a hand on Langur Noir's shoulder.
"Ready?"
He gave a small smile, "Yeah."
They gave each other a hug and shouted, "Miraculous!"
The wave of magic fixed all the damages. La Lune was launched out of the ground, while Justice was spit out of the Seine. Their Akuma butterflies were forced out of their bodies and dissipated.
"I didn't know you could do that," Multiturtle said.
"The only reason we could was because they'd already taken such a heavy beating. Either that, or Monarque just cut his losses."
"It looks like the police are on their way," Haast said.
"Haast, would you mind giving me a hand," Hōō asked, "La Lune should be that way. I'll grab Justice."
"Can do."
With those two retrieved, all eight prisoners were recovered. The police pulled up and dragged them away.
"Thank you again for all your help," Roger said.
"All in a day's work, officer," Lady Vache said, "Let's go, team."
—
"Another eight Akumas, and like a string of video game boss fights, they're taken down one by one," Félix said.
"Honestly, Gabriel, this is getting monotonous," Amelie said, "Come along, Félix, and we'll get something to eat."
Tomoe said nothing, just sighed and walked out. Lila looked ready to say something, but a look from Gabriel made her reconsider.
"Sir, please don't break another tablet," Nathalie said.
He flipped the table over instead. He then kicked the chairs around.
—
The heroes gathered on top of a tall building.
"What happened back there?" Lady Vache asked.
"I…I lost my temper. He threatened you, My Lady, and I just snapped. I used my power on him."
"That's what that was?" Equureine asked, "That was messed up."
"I hope I never have to do that again."
"Look, chaton," Vache said, "I'm not mad or upset. I was worried."
"About that guy?"
"Of course not. I was worried about you. I'm not saying he deserved it, but since he was a dangerous criminal, and fighting these people is a life or death situation, I figured it would have to happen eventually. Still, from what we saw, using Cataclysm on a person, admittedly an akumatized person, isn't pretty."
"It probably would've been worse if he wasn't an Akuma," Multiturtle said.
"The point is, this time it may have been an angry reflex, but the time may come when you have no choice but to use your power on someone. You're a good person. I trust you to know when to use your power or not."
"How can you be so calm about all this?"
"I'll admit, seeing it did freak me out a little, but then I thought, how is my minou feeling about all this? That look on your face after you attacked him…"
He gave her a hug.
"What would I do without you?"
"Don't even think about it. I'm not going anywhere."
"Thank goodness for that," Equureine said, "He'd be unbearable."
"Do you always have to kill the mood?" Haast asked.
"Look, I'm not good with heartfelt talks, okay?"
Zorrayures gave Noir a pat on the back.
"I don't blame you either, mec. These fights were pretty tough. Our resident Dragon had to get really creative."
"Thank you," Hōō said, "These Akuma are actual criminals, and they should be treated as such."
"Do you think he'll try for a third time?" Haast asked.
"I'm sure he will," Bordeaux said, "But at which prison?"
"Maybe we should stake out the prison," Multiturtle suggested.
"Maybe so," Lady Vache said, "Until then, I think we all need some rest."
"I need a nap," Equureine said.
"I need food," Haast said.
"You know," Langur Noir said, "We've all been busy with other things lately. This fight is probably the most recent time we've all been together. We should try to make plans for all of us to have dinner together. Maybe not this weekend, but soon."
"Sounds good to me, mec," Zorrayures said.
"Well, I'm starting a big project," Vache said, "So I'd better get going. Everyone let me know when you're free and I'll figure out the best day for dinner."
Everyone waved at each other and started to head out. As Lady Vache was about to leave, Noir grabbed her hand and held it to his lips.
"Thank you again, My Lady."
Instead of kissing her hand, he pulled her close and kissed her cheek.
She giggled, "You're a sneaky little cat."