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“Vivica, is that you?” Jagged said, looking up at the person on top of the mast.
Luka looked between the two, holding his guitar. He felt pride that Marinette had recommended him to Jagged, but felt it might be best to distance himself from Jagged right now.
“There ain’t no more Vivica, there’s only Desperada now!” she replied, pulling a trombone gun out of her guitar case and facing Jagged.
Luka slowly hid the guitar under a table. Adrien met his eyes and threw a blanket over the guitar.
“Vivica! You’re only going to hurt innocent people! We can find a solution without violence,” Luka interjected.
“Jagged should’ve thought of that before firing me!” she replied, raising her weapon at Luka. He froze, conscious of the ring on his hand. If he was hit, Juleka would be down a partner for this fight.
“Ha! I knew it!” Anarka interrupted, “She didn’t leave you drifting, you dropped her like an anchor! Just like you dropped me!”
Luka frowned. The tension of the situation was increasing. He looked over at Juleka, seeing her paralysed.
“You were going to replace me with her?” Desperada said indignantly.
“Oh, I’ll have you know I’m a much better guitar player than you!” Anarka retorted.
“Mum, no…” Juleka whispered, going unheeded or unheard by her mother.
“And I was his FIRST choice too!” Anarka shouted.
Desperada growled, shooting Anarka before jumping onto the boat.
“Guys, run!” Marinette shouted, as Kagami tried to attack Desperada.
Luka grabbed Marinette’s hand and started moving towards the back of the boat. This situation was deteriorating fast. He needed to transform.
Alya was shot next, diving in front of the shot intended for Mylene, before Mylene and Ivan were shot in quick succession after.
Luka watched Rose get shot, before Marinette threw a box at Desperada, getting hit and vanishing in return. He saw Jagged climbing down off of the RV and running back to the street. Good, at least someone was out of danger.
“No…” Juleka whispered.
Luka ran over to Juleka, “Jules, we need to get moving!” he said.
They had almost made it under cover before Desperada landed in front of them, grabbing Luka’s wrist.
“Not so fast there, second chair! I saw you holding that guitar. Were you going to replace me?”
He paused, searching for the right thing to say. Her inner rhythm was too harsh and blaring to find a weak point.
“I-” he stammered.
“Hey, let them go!”
Luka turned to see Adrien, with Alix connecting the piano keyboard to the speakers. Adrien winked at Luka with a blush. Luka smiled back, hearing Adrien’s inner rhythm take on a guitar solo of its own.
Adrien brought his fingers down on random keys, creating a discordant sound that brought Desperada to her knees, allowing Juleka and Luka to make it to the stairs just as Adrien and Alix were shot.
---
Luka locked the door to their bedroom, as Juleka panted against the wall.
“Why doesn’t she ever just listen?!” hissed. Her inner rhythm was completely distorted and chaotic; a quiet bass solo being overridden by a screeching mistuned guitar.
“We’ll get her back, along with everyone else too. We just need some luck, is all,” he replied calmly.
Juleka nodded her head in agreement, as Plagg floated out of Luka’s jacket.
“Since we’re already in your bedroom, why don’t we take a nap instead? That’s got to have a higher likelihood of things working out,” Plagg said, yawning.
Luka rolled his eyes before holding up his hand, “Plagg, claws out!”
Energy overtook his body, leaving him as Chatence.
Juleka brushed her hair behind her ears, “Tikki, spots on!”
Juleka’s transformation changed her into Omeness. The spotted hero with her hair pulled back, her face showing, and her inner rhythm going from a solo bass to a rocking guitar. He always felt so conflicted at her transformation. Was this who she really wanted to be, or was this what she thought the world needed from her?
“Alright, I don’t feel confident about facing her head-on. We have a bad history with one-hit akuma’s, so…Lucky Charm!” Omeness said, a gong dropping down into her hands.
“Fu!” they both said at the same time.
“It’s going to be hard getting away unnoticed…” she murmured.
“I’ll distract Desperada, you go get a miraculous,” Chatence said.
Chatence climbed out of the porthole window, crawling up the side of the boat, poking his head over the top. He found Desperada cutting up the RV with her guitar-axe.
“Where is he?!” she yelled.
He frowned, observing the environment. Some of the snacks were lying on tables, boxes were scattered over the area, the keyboard was still plugged in, Jule’s bass was in its stand.
He snuck over to the keyboard, grabbing the speaker’s aux cord and plugging it into his baton. Scrolling through the video searcher, he picked a video Alya uploaded of their day out.
“You know, I think you’re best represented by a duck,” came Alya’s voice through the speakers, causing Desperada to spin around.
“Didn’t I already hit you?” Desperada asked, jumping onto the ship and lifting boxes, trying to find the source.
Chatance saw Omeness leap away from the boat just as he ducked for cover.
---
Juleka knocked on the door, as Tikki sat on her shoulder, eating a cookie to restore her energy.
The door opens to reveal Master Fu.
“I saw the akuma on TV. A fearsome villain indeed,” he commented, as Juleka stayed silent.
He sat the miracle box in front of her. “Juleka Couffaine, you must pick an ally to fight alongside you on this mission. Once the mission is over, you will return the miraculous to me.”
She looked over the options. The dog might be useful, but they’d need to get closer than she’d like. The snake didn’t create a solution to their problem, just gave them multiple chances. The ox might help, but it’d only protect the holder.
“I need, uhmm, your miraculous, Master,” she said quietly, not meeting his eyes.
Master Fu looked at Wayzz, who nodded, before pulling the band off of his wrist.
“Do not hesitate to trust your instincts. Others are willing to help more than you know. I chose you for a reason,” he said, pressing the turtle band into her hands.
She looked back up at him and nodded.
“Time to bring the house down on Desperada.”
---
Omeness landed on a building overlooking the liberty. She peered for Chatence, worrying he had been hit.
She was startled by a thud behind her. Omeness turned around, throwing a punch at the unknown attacker.
Chatence easily caught the punch with his fist, “Sorry for the startle,” he said, letting her calm down.
“It’s okay, we just can’t make any mistakes here…” she said, toying with the string of her yo-yo.
“What miraculous did you get?” He asked.
“The turtle. If we can’t allow ourselves to be hit, it seems like the best option. Just…everyone I would’ve given it to was hit…” she murmmed, unsure of her choices.
“Hmmm, well, there is one person who wasn’t hit,” Chatence said casually, nodding his head toward a person on the street below.
Juleka looked down and stifled a groan, “There’s got to be someone else! He’s hardly a good fit for the turtle,” she said.
“Know anyone else that knows the akuma and is currently available? He’s still a better choice for the turtle than mum,” Chatence said, heading over to the edge of the rooftop.
Omeness groaned again, hoping this wasn’t a terrible mistake.
“Fine.”
She hopped down, landing in front of Jagged.
“Woah!” he yelped in surprise. “I thought you were Desperada. She’s out to get me, you have to help.”
Omeness stopped, before crossing her arms. If he was getting this miraculous, he was answering some hard questions.
“Is it possible there’s a reason for that?” she probed.
“Ah, well,” Jagged said, becoming sheepish, “She ate Fang and I’s breakfast.”
“And?” Omeness said, raising an eyebrow.
Jagged deflated, groaning, “And I fired her. A bit too harshly. I’ll make it up to her when she’s deakumatised,” He raised a hand and placed the other over his heart. “Rocker’s Honour, I promise.”
Omeness nodded, satisfied.
“Jagged Stone. We need you to help us,” Chatence said.
“Of course! What do you want me to do, battle her in a guitar solo?” he said.
Chatence placed a hand on Jagged’s shoulder, “You’ll have to keep this a secret. Can we trust you?”
He nodded.
Omeness pulled a red and black box out of her yo-yo, “Jagged Stone, here is the miraculous of the Turtle, which grants the power of protection. You will use it for the greater good. Can we trust you?”
Jagged grinned, before nodding, “Totally! This is so rockin’! Did you guys hear my song ‘My Miraculous’? —number 1 chart-topper by the way—this is just like that!”
Omeness sighed as Jagged took the box, opening it to a blinding light. It swirled around him, before Wayzz appeared in front of him.
“Woah, radical!” Jagged said, stars in his eyes as he examined the floating green being, “what are you?”
“I’m Wayzz, a kwamii. I grant your superpowers. All you need to say is, Wayzz, Shell on!”
“Wayzz, Shell on!”
Green energy overtook Jagged. Leaving him with a leather-like outfit and a bumpy shield that Omeness thought might not deflect much.
“Septaria is ready to rock!” he said, striking a power pose.
---
Omeness, Chatence, and Septaria landed on the roof, hiding behind a chimney.
Omeness looked around, Desperada was nowhere to be seen.
“Lucky Charm!” Omeness said, a guitar chord falling into her hands
“So, what now? Want me to fight her head-on? The guitar solo plan is still an option,” Steptaria said, shifting on the soles of his feet.
Omeness looked around, failing to connect the cord to anything useful.
“I-I…I don’t know what to do with this. Let’s just go for the original plan. Distract her, and don’t get hit.” Omeness said hesitantly.
Septaria nodded, “Shellter!” A green bubble appeared around Omeness.
“Okay, I’ll try to lure her out. Chatence, you attack once she’s out in the open.” Omeness said
“Wait, what about Septaria?” Septaria said, donning a dramatic fainting pose.
“You…uhhh, stay here. No need for Hawkmoth to know about you,” she hastily lied, leaping off into the street.
She landed with a huff, the Shellter still encapsulating her, and tried to not think about the guitar cord on her waist. She never had the best record with the Lucky Charms. Sometimes others around her used the lucky charm. Usually Chatence, but occasionally people like Alya or Marinette. It felt like she was constantly on the back foot with her powers.
She was interrupted by a flash of gold and a guitar-axe being brought down on her shield, it cracking slightly.
“Spoilsport. I knew you were afraid of a head-to-head,” Desperada jeered, raising the axe again.
Chatence’s baton stopped the axe from above, wrenching it out of her grasp. The axe disappeared into gold dust. He landed, swiping his baton, causing Desperada to jump to the side.
“You’ll pay for that, second string!” she shouted.
She brought out another weapon, two horn guns, and started firing. She pushed Chatence back, as Omeness ran at Desperada. She had her shield, which protected her, but reduced her effectiveness to close range.
“Septaria! When I say ‘now’, you lower the Shellter!” she cried, blocking Desperada’s shots with the shield.
Desperada grinned as the shots filled the air with a thick yellow haze, reducing Omeness’s visibility beyond the shellter to zero.
She peered into the fog, anxiety rising. She failed to notice the axe until it was too late. The guitar smashed the shellter once and for all with a powerful strike.
Omeness fell back. The smoke cleared to reveal Desperada a few meters away, with a horn gun pointed at her.
“End of session, Omeness,” Desperada said coldly, and fired.
Omeness shut her eyes, only to open them when the shot never hit.
“Come on Desperada, how about an encore?” Septaria said, his shield blocking her shots.
“...Jagged,” Omeness whispered under her breath.
He flung his shield at Desperada, causing her to dodge to the left, but he was already closer, kicking her in the stomach, knocking her into the water.
He turned around, the shield returning to his hand.
“Hey, kid. I’ve got a plan for that guitar chord. You remember my music video?” he questioned.
---
Septaria landed back at the dockside, the Lucky Charm in his hand. Walking onto the dock whistling, he plugged the chord into a massive amp at the front of the boat, before finding the guitar under the table and plugging it in too.
Omeness landed in front of him, “She’ll be here soon. Chatence is in position. I hope this works,” she mumbled.
“If it helps, I did all of my own stunts in the music video!” Septaria said cheerfully.
Septaria thought for a moment. Omeness was a nice girl, but a bit too shy. He’d met a lot of people like that. Maybe she just needed a little push.
“Hey, you know how to play?” he said, nudging her.
“Wait, what? I mean, yeah,” she said, not meeting his eyes. “I typically play bass though, but is this really the time?”
“This plan will work better if I’m defending you, not the other way around. Take it,” he said, pulling the guitar off and holding it out.
She considered it for a moment, before she swore and pulled it on.
“Atta girl.”
He whistled in tune with her beeping miraculous, before seeing Desperada land on the dock, looking at them.
He raised his shield, “Desperada, we have a proposition, just hear us out!”
He stepped out of the way to reveal Omeness.
Omeness fiddled with the pick in her hands. “I’ll battle you, one on one. Let’s actually see who the better guitarist is! If you win, you can take my miraculous.”
A purple butterfly mask appeared in front of Desperada, before she nodded.
Septeria smiled, both sides knew the other would betray them instantly if they spotted a gap. The heroes just needed to make sure Desperada was focused on looking for a gap.
Omeness took in a breath, and brought her pick down on the guitar. The ensuing riff rocked the boat and shook the rubble of the RV.
“Is that really the best you’ve got kid?” Desperada sneered, belting out a riff of her own.
Septaria kept his eyes matched with Desperada. He caught sight of a black blob moving closer out of his field of vision.
Septaria nudged Omeness, and she started playing, Desperada lost herself in the battle of two artists.
“Cataclysm,” Chatence whispered, bringing his hand down on the street above the dock.
The street above her crumbled, rocks fell on on Desperada, pinning her.
“Nice work!” Septaria called out. Omeness threw her yoyo at the guitar case, releasing the akuma.
“End of the show, little akuma,” she said, capturing and releasing the butterfly.
“Oooh, this part is so rocking,” Septaria said, as Omeness pulled the guitar cord from the amp.
“Miraculous Omeness!” she cried, throwing it up into the air.
The ladybugs flew around the ship, restoring everyone, and leaving Vivica sitting on the dock.
Chatence landed on the boat, next to Omeness and Septaria, and raised a fist.
“Pound it!” the three heroes exclaimed.
Omeness smiled at Septaria, “Now come on. Let’s get you back before we detransform!”
Alya ran up with her camera, “Woah! A new hero! So cool! Can I do an interview…uhhh?”
“Septaria. And,” he looked to see Omeness’ earrings flash five times, “no, sorry!”
They leapt off the boat together, running off into the rooftops of Paris.
---
Septaria dropped down into an alleyway, hiding behind a doorway as Omeness and Chatence detransformed on the other side.
Wayzz spiraled out of the wristband, landing on his shoulder.
“You’re a killer little kwamii, you know that?” he said.
Wayzz nodded, “You proved to be an excellent Turtle holder too, despite first impressions.”
He took off the wristband, going to drop it at the gap in the door, before pausing.
“You know, you two remind me of my own kids,” he said, a smirk in his voice.
A gasp came from the other side of the door, “You have kids?” Omeness said.
“Yeah, a boy and girl about your age. Purple and Blue hair. Juleka and Luka,” he said.
He heard nothing from the other side of the door.
“You guys still there?” he questioned.
“Uhh, yeah,” came Chatences reply.
“Good, here’s your miraculous back,” he said, finally dropping it in the gap, before it was picked up by a boy with black nail polish.
“I sure hope I see you guys around soon. Feel free to ask for Septaria whenever,” he said, walking off back to the boat, whistling.