"That was one of the toughest battles that we've had in months," Ladybug said as she sat down on the edge of a Parisian roof.
"Hourglass will definitely be an akumatized villain to remember," said Viperion. "My second chance power was practically useless since Hourglass could just speed up the timeline. We would have been done for if Bunnix hadn't used the burrow to warn our past selves."
"Just another Wednesday afternoon in Paris." Bunnix rolled her eyes.
"It took us a ridiculously long time to find the akumatized object." Queenie grumbled as she stretched her arms. "The day that we finally kick the butterfly man's butt is going to be the happiest day of my life."
"Agreed," said Ryuko. "I look forward to the day that I may finally fight that coward face-to-face. Have you ever seen those entomological pinning display cases which showcase dried out insects and butterflies? A desire to make one featuring Hawk Moth. I'll use my old katana blades as the pins"
"Ryuko," said Ladybug, "we've already agreed to throw Hawk Moth in jail once we've captured him."
"But are we really certain about that decision?"
"Yeah, are we sure about that decision?" Queenie chimed in.
"Yes! Ryuko, promise me that you won't kill Hawk Moth and pin him to a butterfly board."
"Fine...I promise." Ryuko sat down on the roof beside Ladybug.
The five Parisian heroes looked down at the street below, watching the cars drive by and the people returning to what they were doing before Hourglass' attack.
"It's always so weird to see how quickly everyone goes back to their daily lives," said Queenie.
"It's not healthy," Viperion sighed. "No one wants to acknowledge what happened and deal with their emotions. Everyone's afraid. No one wants to admit that they're afraid."
"Afraid to fear." Ryuko nodded her head.
"They're scared of admitting their emotions and risk being akumatized themselves," said Bunnix. "Just like us."
"God, I'm tired of this." Queenie sat down on the edge of the roof, squeezing herself between Ladybug and Ryuko.
Ladybug wrapped an arm around Queenie to give her a hug. Ryuko rested her head against Queenie's shoulder. Viperion sat down next to Ryuko. Bunnix sat down next to Ladybug.
The five heroes of Paris watched the city in silence.
Ladybug couldn't help but feel frustrated about the past 3 years. They had done so much to protect Paris, but it was never enough.
But what more could she do?
She couldn't trust any of her old friends and classmates with a miraculous since they had believed Lila's lies. She had reached out to the Justice League and begged for their help, but Green Lantern had only laughed at her and told her that she would get in trouble if she kept prank calling superheroes. She had been betrayed by Chat Noir last year, giving her no choice but to take away his miraculous and erase Adrien's memories.
And Plague...the black cat kwami had been depressed ever since that awful day. Now he hardly ever left the miracle box unless she needed his help in a battle. Ladybug hoped that she could find his true holder soon.
"What's the villain situation in Gotham like?" Viperion suddenly asked. "Are the people in Gotham afraid like the people in Paris are?"
"It's different," Ladybug sighed. She thought of the Joker's attack that she had experienced first-hand on Tuesday morning. The shattered glass windows, the screaming civilians, and the waves of gunfire. It was a type of fear that she had never experienced before. "They don't have anything like my Miraculous Cure in Gotham, so the damage and death caused by villains can't be reversed. It's...terrifying. The people of Gotham wouldn't be alive without the protection of Batman and the other vigilantes."
"It seems that these vigilantes are fairly respectable fighters." Ryuko crossed her arms. "Interesting. I would like to observe one of their battles."
"Uggh, I hate the idea of you living in such a dangerous city!" Queenie squeezed Ladybug's hand. "But I guess it will be alright as long as Gotham's vigilantes are competent and keep their local villains under control."
"It's okay, I'll be fine." Ladybug reassured Queenie by squeezing her hand back.
"Hey! You ever thought about reaching out to the Batfam and asking them to help us with the Paris situation?" Bunnix scooted closer to the edge of the roof and swung her legs in the air. "The Justice League superheroes wouldn't help us, but these vigilantes might."
"Is that something you've seen in the burrow?" Ryuko asked. "A future where Hawk Moth was defeated with the help of these vigilantes?"
"Can't say." Bunnix's feet bumped against the side of the brick building. "You know that I have to follow the 'time protocol' rules as the holder of the Evolution Miraculous. All I can do is suggest it as a possible option."
"That's actually not a half bad idea." Ladybug nodded her head. "I'll try to get in contact with them when I'm back in Gotham."
"Isn't Batman a member of the Justice League?" Queenie raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Why would he help us? They already refused to help us."
"I've heard that Batman doesn't always see eye-to-eye with the rest of the League members," said Bunnix. "We won't know if Gotham's vigilantes will help us until we ask."
"Anything is worth trying at this point." Viperion stared down at the busy streets. "The people of Paris can't continue living like this. They're tired of the akuma attacks."
Team Miraculous couldn't continue living like this.
They were all tired of the akuma attacks.
"Then it's a plan." Ladybug stood up and stretched her arms. "I'll see if I can get in touch with Batman once I'm back in Gotham. Speaking of Gotham, I should probably head back over there before anyone notices that I'm missing."
"Uhhh good luck with that," said Bunnix. "Aren't you supposed to be in class right now? The battle with Hourglass lasted almost 2 hours. I'm pretty sure someone noticed you were missing when you didn't show up to your classes."
"Oh...DAMN IT!" Ladybug cursed. "I forgot about my morning classes! What time is it?"
"It's currently 16:00 here in Paris," said Viperion. "So it must be 10:00 am in Gotham."
"I'm so screwed!"
"THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING HANGING OUT WITH US ON THIS ROOF?!" Queenie shouted. "GET YOUR BUTT BACK IN GOTHAM!"
"Okay! Okay!" Ladybug shoved the black glasses onto the bridge of her nose. "Kaalki? Where are you? Did you finish your snack?"
"Yes, dear guardian, I am over here." Kaalki flew towards the Parisian heroes. "The honeycrisp apple slices were exquisite. I'm fully recharged!"
"Then let's go." Ladybug clasped her hands. "TIKKI! KAALKI! UNIFY!"
A flash of bright red and brown light enveloped the rooftop.
"I'll talk to you all later!" Pegabug said as she gave each of her teammates a goodbye hug. "I'll keep you updated on whether or not the Gotham vigilantes decided to help us."
"Let us know as soon as Batman gives you an answer," Queenie demanded.
"I will," Pegabug promised.
"And stay safe," said Ryuko. "Stay aware of your surroundings. Lock your apartment door and windows."
"Remember that a heavy backpack can always be used as a weapon if swung at the correct angle," Bunnix chimed in.
"I will, I will," Pegabug promised again.
"Have a good day at school." Viperion smiled.
"Thanks, Viperion, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to call it a good day when my teachers scold me for skipping classes on the second day of the semester." Pegabug reached her hand out into the air. "VOYAGE!"
A glowing blue portal grew from her fingertips: a portal that revealed a Gotham Academy janitor's closet on the other side. Pegabug waved at her teammates as she jumped through the portal. When her feet touched the ground, the blue portal closed behind her.
"KAALKI, DISMOUNT! TIKKI, SPOTS OFF!"
The room filled with light for half a second. Once she had detransformed, Marinette reached into her pink purse and offered the ladybug kwami a mini cookie and horse kwami an apple slice.
"What am I going to do?" Marinette panicked as the little creatures stuffed their mouths with the snacks. "This is a complete disaster! I can't think of any excuses for why I was missing."
"Marinette, I'm sure that you'll figure out something," said Tikki.
"Indeed, dear guardian, you always do find a solution to these kinds of predicaments," said Kaalki. "Even when your excuses were a bit less than believable...at least you gave it a try."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Marinette sighed.
How was she going to explain her absence to her teachers and classmates? Marinette's mind scrambled for an answer.
"What if I jumped off a staircase?" Marinette thought aloud. "A broken leg, or two, would definitely work as an excuse!"
"Marinette, please don't break your limbs." Tikki said as she shared a concerned look with Kaalki. "Besides, it's unlikely that no one would have found you at the bottom of a staircase during the two hours that you were missing. And if you break your legs, the school will send you to the hospital. The doctors might get suspicious when your bones heal faster than normal because of the side-effect guardian powers granted by the ladybug miraculous. You can't let people find out about your powers and mistake you for a metahuman!"
"Uggh, you're right Tikki." Marinette's hands rubbed her face in frustration. "But I need to think of something..."
"Just say that you got lost while you were getting your daily vitamin pills out of your locker." Kaalki huffed. "Gotham Academy is quite massive. One could easily get lost if they were too stubborn to ask for directions."
"You think that would actually work?" Marinette paused to consider the option.
'Of course! After all, a majority of the human population is quite stupid and gullible."
"But what if someone doesn't believe it?" Marinette nervously bit her thumbnail.
"Simple. Just tell them that you got kidnapped while you were attempting to make your way back to class." Kaalki whipped her fluffy white mane away from her eyes. "There are PLENTY of unsavory characters in this city who wouldn't hesitate to kidnap a pretty young girl."
"Hmmm...that might actually work," said Marinette. "And it's not like I can think of any better excuses."
"Then let's get out of this janitor's closet!" Kaalki exclaimed. "The smell of these dirty rags and lemon scented cleaners are going to give me a migraine headache."
"Alright." Marinette took in a deep breath as she stepped over a mop bucket. "Let's go."
Tikki and Kaalki flew into Marinette's pink purse to hide.
Marinette turned the closet doorknob and slowly pulled the door open. The hallway was empty. Marinette tiptoed out of the closet and made her way down the hallway. She froze in front of one of the school's giant windows. From this view, she could see the rows of gray pillars that supported the stone arches above Gotham Academy's front entrance, and the team of blue police cars that were parked on the street in front of those pillars.
She could also see Damian Wayne pacing restlessly next to one of the police cars.
"Oh no..." Marinette groaned.
[Ch 11 - 1,886 words]
Thanks for reading!
Marinette: "I'm so screwed."
Tikki: "Yep."
Marinette: "How am I going to attend Gotham Academy while also fighting akumatized villains in Paris? I don't think that my anxiety or trauma can deal with this. Is it too late to drop out of high school?"
Tikki: "Marinette...please don't break your legs OR drop out of high school."
Marinette: "Did you know that Jennifer Lawrence, Katy Perry, and Rihanna all dropped out of high school?"
Tikki: "Marinette-"
Marinette: "If fashion-icon Anna Wintour can drop out of school, then so can I!"
Tikki: "MARINETTE-"