Notes: Why didn't the show ever have an evil team? They always compare Ladybug to Spider-Man, and he takes on the Sinister Six. That "Heroes Day" stuff doesn't count. That was basically just: throw as many Akuma at the heroes as I can and hope I win.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Miraculous Ladybug franchise.
Miraculous Universe
Ch. 32: Lila and the Ladybird Slayers - Part 1
Alya gave all the information she found to Interpol. The inspector carefully looked over everything.
"I'm impressed, Mlle. Césaire. You're a persistent detective."
"Thank you, Inspector, but I had help from my friends. We all have a stake in this investigation."
"They can't all want to be journalists, can they?"
"No, but…well, without giving too much away, let's just say that some of us have personal ties into this affair."
"It hits close to home?"
"Exactly."
"Well, I do appreciate all your work, but even if we were to confront them now, they could simply deny everything."
"We're working on getting more concrete evidence. Thank you for your time, Inspector. Until we see each other again."
—
In the following weeks, Gabriel did research to find where the heads of Le Gang des Griffes were being held. In that time, he had also been practicing more with the Butterfly Miraculous when he could.
"Apart from shutting up Amelie, why the sudden interest in training?"
"I have need for you elsewhere, Nathalie. I can't just have you as Catalyste every time. Once I'm done, I won't need a magical boost to enhance my power."
Meanwhile, the heroes went on patrol, with the occasional meeting, as usual.
"It's been awfully quiet," Ladybird said.
"Let me guess," Apireine said, "A little too quiet?"
"Well it is."
"We've been doing patrols like we always do," Tortank said, "We always make sure to check the prisons and the Agreste mansion."
"You really shouldn't worry too much," Bateleur said, "It causes wrinkles."
"I taught you well," Apireine said, patting her shoulder.
"I'm a patient person," Seiryū said, "But frankly I'm getting tired of waiting for these miscreants to make a move before we can do anything."
"I understand where you're coming from," Vipèrion said, "However, Monarque stays hidden in his mansion. If we could lure him out somehow, then maybe we'd have a chance at unmasking him."
"I can't think of any reason he'd want to leave." Zorrua said, "He always lets his minions do the work for him."
"Typical," Matou Noir said, "Still, even a control freak has to deal with matters personally at some point."
"Didn't you say he was likely near his breaking point?" Ladybird asked.
"He is getting really fed up with all these intrusive people."
"Well, I guess you guys are right. I should be ready for anything, but I shouldn't worry. I've got plenty of other things on my plate."
—
Christmas was right around the corner, and Chloé was having trouble. She was sitting on the balcony, despite the cool weather, lost in thought.
"Chlo, it's cold out here," Zoé said, "You should at least be wearing one of your fashionable jackets."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. Can you grab me one? The leather one."
"You mean the one you stole from me?" she replied with a smile, "Be right back."
Chloé's eyes went wide as she got an idea.
"That's it!"
Zoé ran back out and handed her sister the jacket.
"What's it?"
Chloé hugged her, "For days, I've been thinking about what to get Luka for Christmas. Now I know exactly what to get him. Come on!"
Meanwhile, aboard the Liberty…
"You know, Jules, sometimes it stinks not having a lot of money."
"Here we go," she replied, rolling her eyes.
"What?"
"The only reason you're bringing that up is because you want to get something extra special for your…for her."
"Does using the word girlfriend turn your stomach?" he joked.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm happy you're happy, and I know she's a good person, but that doesn't make it any less odd."
"Anyway, I want to get her something for Christmas, but my motorcycle took most of my money."
"Why not just write her a song?" she smirked, "Or play a song that someone better than you wrote and claim you wrote it. If you're lucky, she might not be able to tell."
"Yeah, no. Next thing I know, she's showing up here in the middle of the night, screaming about how I stole a song."
"You've gotta admit, it would be pretty funny."
Luka smiled as he absentmindedly strummed his guitar.
"You know what, Jules? Maybe you're onto something."
"I didn't think you'd resort to plagiarism."
"Quit kidding around. I'll sing the right song for her present. Although, I should probably get something else, too."
"Yeah, you have to spend some money."
He was now playing a pleasant melody.
"This is going to be a great Christmas, petite sœur!"
"You're only older by a few minutes, you know!"
—
"This is our first Christmas as an official couple, Alya. I've been so busy with the suit, and a few other commissions, that I haven't thought about what to get Adrien!"
"Calm down, Nette. You know he'll like anything you get him."
"Yes, but it has to be special."
"Honestly, he'd be happy if all you got him was food."
"I know, but I want something more unique. We can get food anytime."
She looked over the progress she had made on Adrien's suit. She then began flipping through a nearby sketchbook.
"Wait a minute…I've got an idea!"
"Just don't stress yourself out getting it done, girl."
—
As per usual, there was a party at Le Grand Paris for Christmas Eve. Everyone was exchanging gifts.
Alya gave him a look, "Nino, did you seriously get me mistletoe?"
"Yeah, just, you know, don't eat it."
"I oughta make you eat it! You probably just snatched it from one of the doorways we passed by earlier."
"Does that mean you want me to return it?"
She rolled her eyes, "You shouldn't return something you've already used."
She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He grabbed the mistletoe from the box.
"I'll just put this back."
"Hey, what's this?"
"What's what?"
"There's something else in the box."
"Oh, is there?"
"Nino, this is an older issue of Majestia that I don't have in my collection yet. I've been meaning to buy it, but I haven't had the time. I didn't think you were paying attention since it's not manga."
"Hey, you sometimes try my nerdy interests, sometimes I try yours. Plus I knew how much it would mean to you."
She now had a big smile on her face, "Thank you, babe."
"Hey, come on, no big deal. I -"
She shut him up with a passionate kiss on the lips.
Chloé whispered to herself, "Geez, it's disgusting."
Zoé and Sabrina stifled a laugh. It was now Marinette's turn.
"Merry Christmas, Adrien."
She handed him a small gift bag. He reached inside and pulled out a flip book. A cat was sitting on the cover. As Adrien flipped through the pages, the cat got up and walked.
"Princess, this is incredible! You drew all these?"
She twiddled her fingers, "Well, yeah, you know, it's just basic animation."
"There's nothing basic about this. This is a work of art," he kissed her cheek, "Thank you so much!"
As Adrien went around the room to show everyone his gift, Marinette looked over at Alya and Nino and gave them a thumbs up. They both winked at her in response. Zoé handed Chloé a gift bag.
"Here's my prezzie for you, Chlo."
Chloé let out a brief chuckle, "You got me the jacket."
"Well, you got so preoccupied that I bought it and you didn't even notice. Now you can finally stop borrowing mine."
She put on her new leather jacket. It was similar to Zoé's, except there was the faint outline of a flower on the back.
"Do I make this look good, or what?"
"Totally."
Chloé turned to Sabrina, "I didn't forget you, Brina. Here's a new pair of shoes. I went for something less fancy and instead more practical."
"Thank you so much, Chlo. I confess that, with my limited budget, I wasn't sure what to get you. So I asked for suggestions."
Sabrina handed her a gift card. It was to the café that Luka took her to on her birthday.
"My goodness," she said in a flat tone, "I wonder who you asked for advice?"
She looked around for Luka to glare at him.
"He's out on the balcony," Zoé said.
Chloé smirked, "Anyway, thank you so much, Brina."
They did the la bise, "Merry Christmas, Chlo."
Chloé headed for the balcony with her present to Luka.
"Hey, Queenie, I'm digging that jacket."
"Yeah, you would. I suppose you think telling Sabrina to get me a gift card from your favorite hangout was very clever?"
"Well, I do have my moments."
"Here, take this and hurry."
He reached into the bag and pulled out…
"A leather jacket?"
"Of course! You can't go around on a motorcycle without one. Especially now that I've got one as well."
"And may I say? It looks great on you," he replied, putting on his jacket.
"Yes, I know."
"How do I look?"
"Irresistible," she said, getting closer.
"Wait a second."
"How dare you make me wait?"
"I haven't given you your present."
"You are my present."
He handed her a card.
"I don't suppose there's any money in here?"
"Um…"
She opened it and saw what looked like a poem.
"It's a little bit funny,
This feeling inside,
I'm not one of those who can easily hide.
I don't have much money, but if I did,
I'd buy a big house where we both could live."
She gave him a look, and he gave a nervous chuckle in response.
"Did you seriously use music lyrics in my Christmas card?"
"Read the rest of it."
She arched an eyebrow at him, but continued, "Chloé, I'm better with music than with words, so I picked lyrics that describe how I feel. I don't really know when I figured out how I feel about you, but you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you more than words can say, which is why I play music. You are my inspiration. Merry Christmas! Love, Luka. P. S. XO 3"
Now that she was finished, she looked up to see that Luka was holding a single rose and presenting it to her.
"Joyeux Noël, mon amour."
Chloé took the rose. Her eyes were starting to tear up.
"You suck, you know that?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Why do you have to be so romantic and get me all worked up like this?"
He pulled her into a hug.
"Don't you dare tell anyone you made me cry."
"I would never…especially not your sister."
"I love you, Luka."
"I love you, too, Chloé."
—
On Christmas Day the Liberty was free to anyone that afternoon. Kitty Section played a few Christmas songs, but they balanced them out with other songs.
"Thank goodness," Chloé said, "I can only take so much Christmas music when it's playing everywhere."
The band was taking a quick break.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Juleka asked, "You said she liked your simple gift from yesterday."
"I'll feel better about it if I do this," Luka replied, "Are you with me?"
"As if you needed to ask."
The band got in place.
"Is everyone enjoying the party?" Luka asked.
The audience let out a cheer.
"It's getting late, but before we come to a close, this last song goes out to a very special someone."
"Golly," Zoé said, nudging her sister, "I wonder who that could be?"
"Ready, DJ?"
Nino gave Luka a thumbs up. As the band started to play, some background music was added for effect. The teens already started dancing to the catchy beat. Luka made eye contact with Chloé.
"Do you remember
The twenty-first night of September?
Love was changin' the minds of pretenders
While chasin' the clouds away!"
Chloé rushed forward and grabbed the microphone.
"Our hearts were ringin'
In the key that our souls were singin'
As we danced in the night, remember
How the stars stole the night away!
Oh yeah!"
She put the microphone back so she and Luka could share it.
"Hey hey hey!
Ba-dee-ya
Say do you remember
Ba-dee-ya
Dancin' in September
Ba-dee-ya
Never was a cloudy day!
Ba-du, ba-du,
Ba-du, ba-du,
Ba-du, ba-du,
Ba-du, ba-du,
Ba-du, ba-du,
Ba-du-da,
Yeah!"
Chloé moved over to continue dancing, while Luka sang the next verse.
"My thoughts are with you
Holdin' hands with your heart to see you
Only blue talk and love, remember
How we knew love was here to stay!"
Now it was his turn to back up so she could sing.
"Now December
Found the love we shared in September
Only blue talk and love,
Remember
The true love we share today!"
This time, the whole band joined in.
"Hey hey hey!
Ba-dee-ya
Say do you remember
Ba-dee-ya
Dancin' in September
Ba-dee-ya
Never was a cloudy day!
There was a
Ba-dee-ya
Say do you remember
Ba-dee-ya
Dancin' in September
Ba-dee-ya
Golden dreams were shiny days!"
Luka wiggled his eyebrows at Chloé.
"The bells was ringin', oh-oh!"
Chloé winked back at Luka.
"Our souls were singin'!"
They leaned close to each other.
"Do you remember never a cloudy day? Yow!"
"Come on, everybody!" Luka declared.
"There was a
Ba-dee-ya
Say do you remember
Ba-dee-ya
Dancin' in September
Ba-dee-ya
Never was a cloudy day!
There was a
Ba-dee-ya
Say do you remember
Ba-dee-ya
Dancin' in September
Ba-dee-ya
Golden dreams were shiny days!
Ba-dee-ya-dee-ya-dee-ya
Ba-dee-ya-dee-ya-dee-ya
Ba-dee-ya-dee-ya-dee-ya-dee-ya!"
As the music continued to play, Luka set his guitar down so he and Chloé could dance close together.
"This is my other present to you, My Queen."
"You did all this for me? It makes you look like a showoff."
"Hello, kettle. I'm pot. You're black."
She chuckled, "I really am rubbing off on you, aren't I?"
He smirked, "You have no idea."
—
It wasn't until the middle of January when Gabriel finally decided to make his move. He was in the secret room looking over Emilie's pod.
He softly sang to himself, "I'm torn apart
each time I see
you standing there
My beautiful Emelie…"
He ran a hand across the capsule.
"Gabriel?"
This snapped him out of his thoughts as he quickly left the small room and closed the door.
"What were you doing in there?" Nathalie asked.
"Just…thinking." Gabriel replied, "But never mind that. Preparations are complete. Time to put my plan into action. Tell the others to come in here."
In a few minutes, his cohorts were gathered in his lair.
"You know those lowlifes will betray you the first chance they get," Félix said.
"Well then it's a good thing they need me. Otherwise they go right back to prison."
Gabriel transformed into Monarque.
"Behold the fruits of my labor."
He cupped his hands together, and with a flurry of magical lightning, he created a single Akuma.
"That's it? Just one? So much for progress."
"Silence, you little monster. Lila, come here."
Lila walked towards the Akuma. As it flew over to Lila, it divided into two. One flew into Lila, while the other headed for the roof.
"So now it divides itself?"
"Correct, Lila. Obviously it waits until it's close to the intended target. One lone Akuma attracts less attention. However, if I wanted, I could create an entire swarm. Lila, as it was your idea to break out your old coworkers, I appoint you leader of this team."
She curtseyed, "You're too kind, Boss."
"And as the leader, what will the name of your team be?"
Lila recalled the last fight.
"Ladybird kicked me off a roof and called me unimportant. Well, I'll show her."
"Well?" Gabriel said.
"From what I've seen, Ladybird seems to be the one who gives orders and invents strategies. With that in mind, we shall be known as…the Ladybird Slayers."
"Very creative, girl. Now get going. Make sure those friends of yours stay on track of their mission."
Once again, she became Camalepolpo and disappeared.
"This oughta be rich," Félix snarked.
Monarque glared at him.
"What are you staring at? I'm not going out there."
"Of course you're not, my darling," Amelie said, "Just because I worked with them, doesn't mean I want you anywhere near those people."
"Oh, far be it from me to send you out there in this case, my dear nephew. Lila was their informant, and thus she's used to being around such scum. Which is why I'll be taking this back."
He snatched the Peacock Miraculous from Félix's shirt.
"Butterfly, Peacock, unify."
His costume was basically the same, except now the outside of his cape and his suit collar had a feather pattern.
"Optigami, follow that Akuma."
—
Every important member of the gang was, in fact, in the very same prison as the last jailbreak. They were being held separately from the other prisoners until Interpol could arrange a meeting between the multiple countries that wanted custody of the gang leaders. Camalepolpo was perched on the ledge of a nearby building. She watched as the Akuma got closer to the prison. Just as it reached the wall, the Akuma split into seven. The Akumas wormed their way through the prison until they finally found every imprisoned gang member. One by one, an Akuma merged with a gang leader. Once they all possessed one, Monarque made his speech.
"Bonjour, mes amis. Je suis Monarque."
"We know who you are, moth man," Mr. Big said, "Now get lost."
"Oh, come now. I'm here to help you."
"Why didn't you help us before we were arrested?" Cyrille demanded.
"Helping that one night was all we agreed upon. It's your own fault you were arrested."
"How do we know you didn't sell us out?" René asked.
"I had no reason to sell you out. The Miraculous heroes are the ones responsible. Don't you want to get even with them?"
"Of course I do!" Sophia cried, "I hate this life. The food is filthy. I'll do whatever it takes to get out of here!"
"I shall give all of you the power you need to escape and get revenge. Show no mercy to those meddlesome heroes."
"I'm game if you are, Boss," Sévérine said.
"Yeah, Boss, what have we got to lose?" Élodie added.
"You already caused three jailbreaks, why release us now?"
"I realized that just a simple grudge and thirst for freedom isn't enough. I need people who want revenge."
"You've come to the right place then," Mr. Big replied, "Get us out of here and we'll eliminate those punks."
"What about their Miraculous?" Neyla asked.
"I want the Ladybug and the Cat. You can have the rest."
"Deal," they all said.
"As of this moment, you shall be known as the Ladybird Slayers. Now, about your powers…"
—
"This is Nadja Chamack. Don't be bemused, it's just the news. Yet another jail break has just occurred. My sources tell me that the escapees are none other than the high ranking members of Le Gang des Griffe. The Miraculous heroes assisted the police and Interpol in taking down their criminal empire. It would seem that, thanks to Monarque, they'll have their chance at revenge."
Marinette was quick to send out a message to her teammates.
MDC: Everyone meet up ASAP, but be careful!
She transformed and headed for the prison.
"If Monarque is helping them, then that means they'll have superpowers again. Is Gabriel so desperate that he'd break out those guys? They'll try to backstab him faster than Lila."
Suddenly, she saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye. Before she could react, something big collided with her, sending her crashing onto the nearest roof. The large figure pummeled her without letting up.
"I guess your shell is all for show, insect!"
"That voice!"
"I should just keep on beating you to a pulp, but revenge isn't satisfying if they don't know you did it."
"Everyone's favorite fake doctor, I presume?"
"No, not Dr. Kananga, and not Mr. Big either. You can call me Voleur."
His costume was a brown-yellow suit. He had a pair of brown insect wings on his back, and his eyes were red.
"That's incredibly appropriate."
"You're about to lose and you still have time to make sarcastic remarks?"
He was about to stomp on her, when a black streak came flying out of nowhere and tackled him. Matou Noir proceeded to punch and claw at his opponent.
"One of you idiots, get out here and help me!"
As he kicked Matou Noir into the air, another figure grabbed the Cat and flew off with him.
"Hey, cat boy! Long time no see!"
He recognized the bad accent, "Not long enough, Lousteau."
"Don't come at me with that old name, bro! My name is now Libellule."
His suit was predominantly a dark green, but the pant legs became dark blue, while the sleeves became a dark red. He had four large insect wings on his back. He also had huge tinted goggles on his face. He flew the Cat straight into a wall, and then let him fall to the ground.
—
Tortank was running to help.
"Hang on, Ladybird, I'm coming!"
Something grabbed her ankle, causing her to fall. She was then slammed into the ground several times, and then thrown into the side of a building. A huge muscular figure loomed over her.
"Alo, ti tòti."
"You're that big Sévérine lady."
"I was, but now I'm Fourmi!"
Her skin tight costume was a brown-reddish color. Just then, someone jumped on her back and covered her eyes.
"Guess who, ant woman?"
"GET OFF ME!"
Zorrua was holding on for dear life. Tortank took this opportunity to charge her opponent. Once she was close enough, Zorrua let go and ducked down behind Fourmi. Tortank slammed her shield first into Fourmi's abdomen. The huge woman barely moved, but with Zorrua behind her legs, it was enough to throw her off balance. She fell over with a loud thud.
Tortank nudged Zorrua, "I believe the saying is, the bigger they are -"
Fourmi quickly jumped to her feet and, eyes blazing, took a deep breath.
Zorrua quickly said, "I think we better run!"
Fourmi shot a stream of fire from her mouth. The duo had ducked behind a building.
"What was that?" Zorrua asked.
Tortank sighed, "Don't you get it? She's a fire ant."
"Oh... That's funny."
"You help Ladybird. I'll fight off this muscle head."
He nodded and leapt up to the nearest roof.
—
Voleur got back up and was about to continue his assault. He gave a twisted smile to Ladybird.
"Now then, where were we?"
He received a kick to the face.
"Right here, fly guy!" Apireine snapped.
"Nice shot. I haven't forgotten you, but there's someone else who wants you more."
"Thanks, but I'm taken."
A strand of web wrapped around her and yanked her to another rooftop. As she attempted to untie herself, a bolt of electricity ran through the web and shocked her. She could hear a sinister giggle getting closer. A figure rose up on four large spider legs coming out of her back. Her costume, which didn't cover much, was a whitish-gray.
"Oh, great, another spider."
"How right you are, you pesky bee. Araignée is my name."
"Gee, how original."
As the spider woman got closer, Apireine could see that she had an extra pair of eyes on her face.
"Looking ugly as ever, I see."
"After I cut out your tongue, we'll see if you're so flippant."
Bateleur struck the spider lady in the back with her boots and pinned her to the ground.
"Get off me, you stupid bird!"
"Yeah, right, arachno-broad. Keep doing what you were doing, Bee."
Apireine flew off back to Ladybird.
—
Seiryū already had her sword drawn as she flew straight towards Voleur. She was about to slash him when someone blocked her blade to the sound of metal on metal. This opponent was dressed in a black ninja costume, with two prominent white spots on her back. Her gloves were metallic and ended in sharp claws.
"You're that one called Élodie."
"I'm the one the boss called to eliminate weak links. I used to go by Chevalier de Baronne, but now I'm just Assassin."
Vipèrion charged into the fray, but something flew over and knocked him to the ground. This new opponent was dressed in brownish-orange and yellow with touches of black. She had insect wings on her back, and a long tail with a stinger on the end. She whipped her tail at the Snake, but with his reflexes, he grabbed it before it could hit.
"Not bad, Snakey."
"You're that fake cop we busted."
"Neyla is no more. I am Guêpe!"
"You didn't try very hard with that one, did you?"
"Why you - OW!"
She was stabbed in the side by Apireine's sword.
"Back off, copycat."
Zorrua was about to join them, when a sharp smell gave him pause.
"What in the name of Jeanne d'Arc is that smell?!"
"Bonjour, fox boy."
This new enemy had a costume of greenish-yellow except for the back. Said back was shaped like a shield, and was a bright blue color.
"Bleuchamp, of course."
"Call me Punaise, you mangy mongrel."
"I see you're a shield bug, also known as a stink bug. That's so fitting it hurts…my nostrils."
He sneered, "You miserable…"
Libellule flew past them and roughly dropped Matou Noir among his peers. Everyone was now facing off against someone else. Ladybird got a good look at all their new opponents. Just then, she felt something wrap around her neck. It pulled her back and held her slightly above the ground. Camalepolpo appeared, and it was her tail she was using to hold onto Ladybird.
"I see you've met the team, you gaudy little beetle. At last, we have enough people to match your team. I'm the leader of this band of miscreants, and I'll make sure we get all your Miraculous. I'm going to take great pleasure in getting even with you especially."
Voleur spoke up, "Make the speech quick and let's just kill them."
"Hey, shut up! If it wasn't for me, you'd all still be rotting in prison. That's why I'm in charge here. So if I want to monologue, I will if I want to! Just do your job and keep your eyes on your opponents. Otherwise, you jerks go right back where you came from!"
The other evil team members rolled their eyes.
"Where were we? Oh, yes. I came up with the costumes for my crew. Do you like them? They're all animal themed as well. The robber fly, the dragonfly, the scorpion wasp, the ant, the assassin bug, the stink bug, and the spider. Do you know what they have in common? They're all predators of ladybugs. That's why I gave them the name - Ladybird Slayers."
"That's not a bad name," Zorrua said.
"Yeah," Matou Noir said, "But why Ladybird?"
"Because she's obviously your leader."
"WHAT?!" Apireine exclaimed, "I don't follow orders or commands from her. I take suggestions."
"I'd say we're more like a council," Zorrua said.
"I was going to say a committee," Tortank said.
"What about a parliament?" Bateleur said.
"Or maybe a cabinet," Vipèrion said.
"SHUT UP!" Camalepolpo shrieked, "Am I wrong when I say that Ladybird here comes up with all the ideas?"
"Maybe not all the ideas," Apireine replied, "But yes, quite a few. In fact, sometimes she overthinks."
"Whatever! On top of that, she kicked me off a roof and said I wasn't important."
"Well, to be fair, if you recall, I stomped you several times."
"Hey, don't take all the credit," Seiryū said, "I electrocuted her."
"ENOUGH! I'll get to you two later," she tightened her grip on Ladybird, "First I'll deal with her."
Ladybird was trying to say something.
"Aw, what's the matter? Is there something wrong with your throat? Did you have something to say? Very well, I'll bite. What is it?"
She loosened her tail so that Ladybird could breathe properly. Her arms were now limp at her side.
"Well, come on, speak up."
Ladybird took a deep breath and said, "You talk too much."
She quickly grabbed her yo-yo and launched it right into the blabbermouth Akuma's nose.
"OW!"
Ladybird then delivered a kick to her opponent's abdomen. This caused her to drop Ladybird. The heroine immediately wrapped the Akuma up in her yo-yo and threw her off the roof. Everyone heard her scream stop abruptly as she hit the ground hard.
She screamed, "Kill them!"
"Finally," Voleur said, "The Ladybug is mine."
He received a sharp strike to the face from Vipèrion.
"Think again, human-fly."
Seiryū jumped between them.
"I will deal with him. You take the assassin bug."
He shrugged, "If you say so."
Ladybird flew past them to continue her fight against Camalepolpo.
—
Libellule cracked his knuckles.
"Ready for another flight, cat man?"
Noir quickly extended his staff, striking the Akuma in the face and knocking him off the building. Libellule quickly flew back up.
"Not cool, bro!"
Bateleur flew at the Akuma and kicked him in the chest.
"I'll take this guy," she said, "You get the spider woman."
Apireine was using her sword to parry the stinger strikes from Guêpe. Araignée tried to strike the Bee in the back. Noir grabbed one of her legs and pulled her back.
"Hey, don't interrupt their fight. I'm your opponent."
"You're not the one who roughed me up. She is, and she must pay!"
"YEAH?!" Apireine snapped, "Well, get in line!"
The spider woman spun around and slammed her legs into Noir, knocking him over to the next roof. She then went over to Apireine and attempted to jab her with her long legs.
"Hey, do you mind?" Guêpe growled, "I'm in the middle of fighting her!"
"From what I heard, they all had a hand in your well-deserved beat down. This stupid girl ruined my looks!"
"If she punched you in the face, trust me, it was likely an improvement."
"Why you traitorous -"
The two women began fighting with each other. Apireine took the opportunity to check on Matou Noir.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, that's my bad."
"Never mind that. You'd better go help your Ladybug. Lila sounds especially psychotic this time."
She started to fly away.
"What about you?"
"Me?" she gestured over at the two so-called teammates, "I know when I'm not wanted. Now where's the Eagle and that annoying dragonfly?"
—
Said dragonfly was flying towards the Seine.
"Is running away all you can do, lounge lizard?" Bateleur taunted.
"Hey, I know how to fight, but I only do so when the odds are tipped in my favor."
As he flew over the water, he held out his hands. The water rose from the Seine and began to encircle him.
"Hey, dig me! I'm from the Water Tribe!"
He sent the stream of water at Bateleur, knocking her back. While he snickered at her misfortune, he received a kick to the face.
"Seriously, why does everyone have to keep using that water to attack people?!" Apireine complained, "You don't know where it's been!"
"Hey, not the face, bee girl! Not cool!"
"Yeah, well neither are you!"
She began attempting to strike him with her épée.
"Your pointy stick is no good, chick. I'm too fast!"
He began flying around the Bee quickly.
"Yeah, even I can't keep up with that," she looked higher into the sky, "But I don't have to."
She changed her sword back into a trompo. She spun it around as she waited for the right moment. She then threw her weapon forward, and it struck the Akuma in the face as he flew past, causing him to immediately stop.
"OUCH! How did you do that?!"
Bateleur then collided with him, boots to face, sending him careening into the side of a building.
—
Zorrua was trying to attack the stink bug, but his shield-shaped body was tough.
"It's bad enough that you have a good defense, but the smell is even worse."
"For once I'm glad," he snobbily replied, "I'm impenetrable!"
Nearby, Tortank was doing her best to withstand the blows from the massive ant woman.
"I'll crack your shell, you tiny turtle!"
Her large fists pounded against Tortank's shield.
"I'm getting no place fast," she thought, "Maybe I need a new approach."
She noticed Zorrua and Punaise were behind her. She smirked as she got an idea.
"Come on, Gi-Ant, give me your best shot!"
"Gladly!"
She once again punched her opponent's shield. Tortank let herself be sent flying backwards. She ended up knocking over Punaise.
"Watch where you're going, you revolting reptile!"
Fourmi stomped forward, "Hold her there so I can finish her off!"
"You can't tell me what to do! I'll do so because it's in the best interests of the gang."
Zorrua was livid, "Let her go, you sewer rat!"
"Isn't that typical of this smelly guy?" Tortank asked, "Only doing things when he knows it'll benefit himself. He was never truly a member of your gang, was he? He squealed like a pig as soon as the police questioned him."
Fourmi's satisfied grin was replaced with a look of anger as she glared at her teammate.
"She's right. You always disrespected the boss. That's why he sent Élodie after you. Because he knew you'd sell us all out. I oughta squash you like the bug you are!"
"WHAT?!" he shrieked, "It isn't true! I would've given them false information, I swear!"
Tortank wretched herself from his grasp as Fourmi punched him in the face.
"Stop hitting me!"
"Shut up, you traitor!"
He turned around to face the closest wall so that his shield body protected him. Fourmi began punching his shell.
"Come out and take your beating like a man!"
While the villains had their tussle, Zorrua and Tortank fist bumped.
"That was some quick thinking, beautiful."
"Thank you, my handsome Fox. Since they're busy doing that, we'd better help the others before these two realize what they're doing."
—
Seiryū was still engaged with Voleur, while Vipèrion was dodging the attacks from Assassin.
"So, you've got a weapon now, huh, snake boy?" Assassin asked, "You might actually be a worthwhile fight for me now."
"Glad you think so," he replied, fended her off with his katar.
"You surprised Ladybird and attacked when she wasn't ready," Seiryū said, "Fighting dirty as usual, I see."
"What do you want? I'm a villain," Voleur replied, "You want to talk fair? You have a weapon and I don't."
"You're much too smug to not have something up your sleeve."
"You know something? You're absolutely right."
He suddenly fired a blast of wind at her, sending her shooting over to the next roof.
"Shimatta! I let my guard down for a split second."
She managed to land on her feet. That's when she noticed the wasp and the spider still having their catfight. Vipèrion had been keeping an eye on his teammate, so he noticed the catfight as well.
"Hey, Assassin, I've been thinking."
"Less talking, more fighting."
"Look over there. Those two traitors are fighting with each other. Isn't that typical?"
Now it got her attention.
"Neyla and the Countess, useless as always."
"That night we captured you. You were sent to eliminate Bleuchamp. If you hadn't been arrested, would your boss have sent you after those women as well?"
"Of course he would. I was his best assassin, and they both deserved it."
"Well, what's stopping you now? You can kill me anytime. When are you gonna have a chance to bump off those backstabbers?"
She snarled, "The Contessa was always useless, but I never trusted Neyla. I'll kill you momentarily."
She ran past him and tackled Guêpe.
"Ow, hey! What are you doing?"
"I'm doing what I should've done a long time ago, you backstabbing bimbo!"
Assassin's claws were now clashing with Guêpe's stinger. Araignée was laughing at the affair.
"What a pair of idiots."
"Speaking of idiots," Seiryū said, grabbing her.
She threw her into Voleur.
"Are you going to let them toss you around the entire fight, you useless spider?"
"How DARE you call me useless?! I was the one who came closest to obtaining their Miraculous!"
"As I recall, those were fake Miraculous," Vipèrion said.
"You were tricked by fakes? You call yourself a thief, yet you can't even tell when something is a forgery or not?"
"I've had just about enough of your insults!"
"Well then, how about this instead?"
He flew into the air and kicked her.
"I know you sang like a bird as soon as you were arrested."
"Yeah? Well you were arrested not too long after that, so you got what was coming to you!"
The robber fly and the spider were now fighting each other.
"I think we should give these folks their privacy," Vipèrion said.
"I agree," Seiryū said, "I'm sure we can find something else to do."
—
Ladybird was fighting against Camalepolpo. Although it was more like the former was avoiding the Akuma, while the latter frantically tried to attack.
"Stop moving and just let me beat you to a pulp, you stupid insect!"
"That's hardly a worthwhile incentive to stop moving."
She shot her tongue out at Ladybird, but the heroine quickly caught it. She yanked her closer and kicked in the abdomen again.
"I thought maybe it was because there were more of us against one of you, but it seems that you're as good a fighter as you are a liar."
She looked ready to scream, but instead she camouflaged herself. Ladybird was carefully looking around and listening. She was punched in the face. Then, she was kicked in the shin. She tried dealing out a punch herself.
"Nice try," came a creepy whisper.
Ladybird kicked the area she heard the voice, but hit nothing. She was then struck in the abdomen.
"What a shame. You can't hit what you can't see."
Ladybird spun her yo-yo around her.
"Not good enough."
She was yanked back by her hair.
"You have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy this, Ladybird."
The Akuma wrapped her hand around Ladybird's neck. The heroine struggled against her foe.
"You're a lot tougher than I thought, bug girl, but you won't win this time. OUCH!"
She was yanked backwards by her hair.
"Not so pleasant when you're on the receiving end, huh, scaly?"
"How did you see me, you stupid cat?!"
"You're not easy to spot when you're in stealth mode, but if you know where to look, well…"
She used her tail to trip him, but by then, Ladybird had wrestled herself from the Akuma's grasp.
"So you broke free. E allora?"
Ladybird looked around, attempting to spot the shifting outline of her foe. Camalepolpo snuck up closer. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and tightly squeezed her ribs.
"HEY!"
Vipèrion held on as best he could.
"How could you see me?!"
"Because I'm a snake."
"Let me go, you disgusting -"
Vipèrion suplexed her into the ground. This caused her to finally drop her camouflage.
"I'll teach you to -"
Tortank's shield struck her in the face before she could finish. The entire Miraculous team surrounded her.
"No, no, no, not again! This isn't fair! Where is my team?!"
"If you can even call them that," Apireine said, "They're back there."
"Seems they all have unsettled business with each other," Bateleur said.
At that moment, Libellule staggered onto the scene.
Camalepolpo snapped at him, "Hey, you, useless! Get over here and fight, right NOW!"
He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure, fine."
He stretched out an arm and summoned a stream of water.
"I'll deal with this amateur," Seiryū said.
"Hey, look, girlie, you wanna fight? You got it!"
He fired a ball of water at her like a bullet.
"Water Dragon!"
She held up a hand, and the water stopped in mid-air before her. She let it fall to the ground.
"How did you…?"
Libellule began throwing a barrage of water blasts. Seiryū held up both hands, and it was as if the water was hitting an invisible wall.
"Are you done yet?"
Libellule just stared at her.
"I don't know where you learned how to fight, but it pales in comparison to me. I don't just fight with water. I am water!"
She fired a powerful torrent from her hands. It was pushing the dragonfly back.
"Not cool! Knock it off!"
The water stopped.
"I didn't think you'd actually stop. Let's dance!"
He flew at her with a blinding speed.
"Lightning Dragon!"
His eyes went wide as he realized what was about to happen. A bolt of electricity flew from her hands and struck his body. He collapsed to the ground in a singed heap.
—
Camalepolpo, meanwhile, took advantage of the brief distraction to disappear. She climbed up to the rooftops where the rest of her team were still fighting amongst themselves.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Now she had everyone's attention.
"You idiots are making me look bad! Who do you think is going to be blamed for all this? Me, that's who!"
"You might be the so-called leader of this team," Voleur said, "But we've been at this longer than you have."
"You don't give me orders, you brat," Araignée said.
Bateleur flew out of nowhere to deliver a kick to Voleur's face, knocking him off the building. Araignée started to laugh, but was cut off with a kick to her own face by Apireine. Ladybird's yo-yo wrapped around Guêpe's legs. In response, the wasp attempted to fly away. Vipèrion leapt onto the roof, dashed over to Assassin, and put her in a lock. He then wrestled her over to the edge of the building. As she struggled to free herself, he quickly let go.
"You're gonna regret doing that, Snake."
He merely pointed at something behind her.
"Heads up!" Matou Noir cried.
He swung his staff and struck her in the chest, knocking her off the roof.
Fourmi was seething, "You'll pay for attacking the boss!"
"Venom!"
The ant was paralyzed.
"That's what you get for lacking peripheral vision," Apireine said.
Bateleur tied up the ant with her bullroarer, flew into the air, and then threw her into the distance.
Punaise laughed, "Yeah, that's what you get for - wait, what am I saying? I've got to get out of here!"
He tried to run, but Zorrua blocked his path.
"Here to whine about the smell again, renard?"
"No, just distract you."
"What?"
Tortank smashed her shield into Punaise's face, sending him reeling.
"My beautiful face!"
Seiryū was fed up.
"Time to really teach these miscreants a lesson. Wind Dragon!"
Seiryū became a large tornado. Her first target was Libellule. Since he was still recovering on the ground, he was quickly sucked into the vortex. Fourmi was next since she was still paralyzed. Punaise noticed her getting closer and attempted to run.
"This is going to ruin my hair!"
He didn't get very far before he was also sucked into the tornado. Matou Noir had been fighting Assassin. He managed to leap over her and used his staff to launch her into the air. She was then pulled into the tornado. Guêpe tried to fly away, but the yo-yo was still tightly wrapped around her.
"You want to leave so badly?" Ladybird asked. "I recommend going this way!"
She started to reel in the wasp, who was fighting hard against the pull.
"This is stupid," Voleur said, "You want the spider and the wasp? You can have them. I'm off!"
As he started to fly away, Apireine's trompo and Bateleur's bullroarer wrapped around his legs.
"Leaving the party so soon?" Apireine asked.
"If you thought it was fun before," Bateleur said, "Prepare to be blown away!"
Together they pulled him into the path of the twister.
"That was a horrible pun, by the way."
Bateleur gave a big smile in response. Araignée was moving as fast as she could.
"No, I won't go through this again!"
Apireine landed in front of her, causing the woman to scream.
"Surprise!"
The spider woman was lifted into the air by Tortank, and she threw her opponent into the tornado with her other cohorts. Guêpe was still struggling against the yo-yo.
"You're the worst of your gang, you know that?" Ladybird said, "No wonder you're a parasitoid wasp."
Tortank threw her shield at Guêpe. Then, she threw Vipèrion at her, and he delivered a well-placed kick to the wasp's abdomen. This finally put her into the path of the tornado.
"I'll make you all pay for this!" she screamed.
The twister spun faster and faster, until it shot out every gang member, one by one, across the city.
"Come on, team," Ladybird said, "Now that fight's out of them, we can capture them."
"What happened to their supposed leader?" Apireine asked.
"There she is!" Bateleur said.
Camalepolpo was at least a mile or so away from the group.
"As leader of the Ladybird Slayers, my orders are…RETREAT!"
She started running away. At that moment, Seiryū landed next to the sisters.
"Who thinks they can get to the little liar first and punch her lights out?" Apireine asked.
"Is that a challenge?" Seiryū asked.
"I'm in," Bateleur said.
The three teammates took off. Camalepolpo has gone stealth mode and kept running.
"No, no, no, this isn't how it was supposed to be. Everything's gone all wrong! I can't let them catch me!"
She screeched to a halt as a pain rang in her head.
"LILA! Where do you think you're going?!"
"Boss, please, those fools won't listen to me. They got their butts handed to them! We need a new plan."
Monarque sighed, "Perhaps you're right. Very well."
The entire villain team was now being contacted.
"It's time for a tactical retreat. Head into the catacombs and stay there until a suitable hideout has been selected. That is, of course, unless you wish to go back to prison."
The gang leaders said nothing. They each headed for the nearest sewer entrance. The Bee, Eagle, and Dragon were flying around.
"She's disappeared again," Seiryū said.
"How typical," Apireine grumbled.
"Everyone hurry," Ladybird's voice rang out, "They're all getting away!"
"There's one over there," Bateleur said.
Araignée was sneering as she crawled into the sewer.
"This is disgusting."
She placed webbing over the entrance so she couldn't be followed. The heroes hurried after them, but it was too late.
"What are we waiting for?" Apireine demanded, "Let's go down after them!"
"I don't think that's a good idea," Matou Noir replied.
"Why not?!"
"They've gone into the catacombs," Vipèrion explained, "They're so big, there are parts of them that likely haven't even been discovered yet."
"And your point is?"
"To cover the whole area, we would have to split up," Ladybird said, "And if we do that, they'll be able to gang up and pick us off."
The Bee sighed, "Okay, fine, but I don't like this."
"Neither do I," Seiryū said, "But I understand."
"Shall we, my Lady?"
"Let's, Chaton."
They shook hands, "Miraculous!"
The damages were relatively minor, but at least they were fixed.
"I think we need to have a meeting," Ladybird said, "Where should we meet up?"
"We can use my room," Apireine said, "Sabrina's off with the other girls, while Papa and the staff are busy with other things."
—
Chloé and Zoé had stopped to get several boxes of chicken for the team. Alya and Nino were playfully fighting over every piece they could reach.
"I don't think I've ever had chicken cooked this way before," Kagami said.
"Well, there's a first time for everything," Luka replied.
She took a bite.
"This is delicious."
"Try it with black pepper," Zoé said.
Kagami quickly finished and reached for another piece.
"Don't let me interrupt the meal," Marinette said, "But we need to talk about this."
"About what exactly?" Chloé asked.
"We got lucky today."
"What do you mean by that? We kicked their butts!"
"They also got a surprise attack on us. Mr. Big could've easily taken my Miraculous if not for the Cat showing up when he did."
"He also stopped to gloat," Adrien said, "That helped a little."
"Don't be modest, mon cher. You totally saved my life."
"Don't start with that mushy stuff," Chloé said, "What do you suggest we do about all this?"
"The answer's obvious," Alya replied, "We have to come up with a plan so that we don't get caught off guard again."
"That's right," Nino said, "I mean they also kinda tired themselves out by fighting with each other. You just know that next time they won't let it happen again."
"I'm also sure that Monarque will give them a power boost," Kagami said.
Nino nodded, "Harder, better, faster, stronger. Speaking of which, you were awesome, Kagami."
She looked surprised, "Oh, uh, arigatō."
"Yes, yes, you were very awesome," Chloé said, "But anyway, what are we supposed to do about those jerks gaining more power?" Chloé asked, "They'll already fight dirty, which I'm not against doing myself, but what else can we do? Training can only do so much. Once they've recovered, they'll go right back to wreaking havoc."
"Probably by tomorrow, I'll bet," Zoé said.
"For starters," Marinette said, "Next time, we'll each have a second Miraculous. That should help us some."
"I think we should decide now who gets what," Adrien said, "That way we won't waste any time."
"I agree," Kagami said, "And speaking of fighting dirty, do you think they'll try something big to get our attention?"
"You mean like hostages or taking over a building?" Luka asked.
"Exactly. They want revenge, after all."
"If that does happen," Chloé said, "Then I guess we'll have to integrate it into the plan. The best kind of plan is one that's adaptable."
"That's very wise, Chlo," Zoé said.
"I know," she replied with a flip of her hair, "I can't help how brilliant I am."
"Anyway," Marinette said, "I have the outline of a plan, but we're here so we can brainstorm. So let's get started."
—
That night, the Ladybird Slayers were directed to a warehouse near the outskirts of Paris.
"At least it's not as filthy as a sewer," Araignée said.
"At last, a bathroom to freshen up," Punaise said.
"Hey, there's food!" Libellule exclaimed.
"Naturally."
The team turned to see Monarque standing in the doorway.
"Not very wise to come here alone, Butterfly Man."
"Still as defiant and power hungry as ever, eh, Kananga? Even when you know I can take away your power, you're still trying to be in charge. Of course, even with that in mind, I didn't come here alone."
Catalyste and Argos walked in behind him. After them, Camalepolpo appeared out of nowhere.
"Eat up, my friends. After all, you need your strength after that embarrassing display today."
"That's rich coming from someone who gets others to do his dirty work," Fourmi said.
Monarque snapped his fingers and their Akumas all left their bodies and disintegrated.
"Now that you remember who's in charge here, I suggest you behave. Now eat, clean up, and get some rest. Tomorrow we strike once more."
"I hope you and the annoying lizard girl came up with a better plan than to just break us out and hope we win," Élodie said, "Face it, Butterfly, they're a better team than we are."
"It was foolish to break us all out when you knew we'd be at each other's throats," Neyla said.
"You have excellent points, but I must pin some of the blame on my lackey here. It was her idea to begin with."
Camalepolpo was livid, "What?! I did my best to reign them in! It's all their fault."
He pointed the ball of his cane at her, "Now, now, my dear, you did say you wanted to be leader. A long time ago, I learned the first rule of leadership - everything is your fault."
He smacked her on the head with his cane. While she slinked away to seethe, Monarque continued his speech.
"Now while you eat, we can talk business. I've already thought of a plan that's guaranteed to defeat the Miraculous heroes. All we need is a little more strategy, and a lot more…power."
Catalyste smirked as red lightning crackled between her hands.