"I'm Queen Gambit! You are all now a part of my game!" Benji took out an earphone as he saw the entire café stampeding out of the shop. At the front door of the café stood a woman in her early forties, her hair is auburn and her eyes are light blue, she wore a cartoon-like crown and held a large sceptre, on her face is a mask consoling her identity.

"Mullo, we need to get out of here," Benji said as he looked inside his sweater to see his kwami sleeping happily at the bottom of his tucked-in top. "Rest up Mu, when I get out of here it is hero time."

Benji observed the café, there is only one entrance he can identify, the front door, which isn't an option because everyone who has tried to exit through the front entrance has been turned into a pawn. He crawled towards the counter, most of the staff had already tried leaving. "It's time Mu," Benji said as he softly poked the kwami, giving her a small slice of cheese.

"Thank you, Benjamin," the little creature said between bites.

"It's Benji- You know what? Nevermind, Benjamin isn't too far off."

"Mullo, get-"

"Who are you talking to?" A girl asked, Benji jumped and hit his head on the counter. "Geez, don't hurt yourself, it was just a question."

"No one! I'm talking to no one! I mean- I'm talking to myself- yeah... I talk to myself," the boy fumbled over his words, waving his hands around like a madman.

"Okay..." The girl's thick eyebrows narrowed, "You go to Jorden State High School, right? That's my twin's school, she's the prefect."

"How-?" Benji's brief question was quick to answer as the girl pointed to his school uniform, right, he forgot that his uniform say the school name on it.

"The name is Maddi," she pointed towards her name tag. "There is a staff exit back in storage, follow me."

Benji looked inside his shirt, Mullo had finished her cheese, now he just needs to get away from this girl. Maddi crawled towards the back exit as Benji followed her, crawling hurt like hell but no doubt less than Tartaruga's reticule if he were to become a pawn. Benji stood up and ran off the second he had seen the staff exit, "Thank you, Maddi!" He yelled before opening and slamming the door. Benji ran a few streets before he became winded. He was in an alleyway, not another person's insight. "Mullo, get squeaky!"

[ With the heroes ]

"So, Queen Gambit? Where did that name come from, you lose a game of chess?" Renard stood out the front of McKay's Café, his hands crossed and his flute hanging in his tail-like belt.

Peafowl laughed, "Imagine getting akumatised over losing a game of chess, talk about swore losers."

"You want to see a poor loser?" Queen Gambit aimed her sceptre at Peafowl, and a bright light appeared.

"Peafowl!" Tartaruga pushed Peafowl out of the fire line of the sceptre, being moments too late himself.

The heroes watched horrified as the turtle themed superhero turned into stone-like material, "Tartaruga!"

Queen Gambit chuckled, "Not the animal I was shooting for but works all the same." She walked up to Tartaruga, reaching for his miraculous.

"Paws off!" Night Noir launched in front of Tartaruga, using his baton to create a barrier between the lifeless Tartaruga and the akumatised villain.

She smirked, "Queen's Pawn, attack." Tartaruga grabbed Night from behind, his baton becoming useless as a defence.

Ladybeetle who was just arriving at the scene, wrapped Tartaruga up in his yo-yo, "What the hell is going on here!" Honeybee and Souris arrived behind Ladybeetle, the scene left them speechless. A stone version of Tartaruga wrapped up in Ladybeetle's yo-yo, his hand centimetres away from Night Noir's miraculous, Peafowl with a limp and Renard standing them uselessly. "Peafowl, what's wrong with your leg?"

"I am Queen Gambit! You are all-"

"We know, 'we are all now a part of your game' skip the villain catchphrase already," Ladybeetle rolled his eyes as he pulled on his yo-yo, Night Noir was ripped out of Tartaruga's grip as the once superhero stood in front of him. He touched Tartaruga's miraculous, "It's stone-" he whispered to himself, that's not coming off. "Ha! You screwed yourself, his miraculous is stone, you can't take it off!"

"What?!" Queen Gambit walked up to Tartaruga, Renard went to stop the villain before Ladybeetle sent him a glare. He huffed, "So much for us being equals" he muttered to himself.

"You weren't exactly helping," Peafowl snapped, not meaning to be rude but the pain coming from their ankle left their emotions slightly erratic.

Queen Gambit walked up to Tartaruga and pulled on the bracelet, for a moment she froze 'you better have a plan' she heard Mariposa speak in her head, and a smirk fell on her face. Ladybeetle locked eyes with Night Noir and point to his hand, to his ring, Night nodded, no words needed to be spoken.

"Are we really this insignificant?" Renard asked Honeybee, Peafowl and Souris.

Night walked up to Queen Gambit quietly, "Cataclysm!"

Honeybee stood beside Ladybeetle, she watched as the akuma observed the miraculous of her teammate, "Something is wrong, this is too easy," she said her thoughts aloud.

"What is she doing?" Honeybee narrowed her eyes as she saw Queen Gambit's mouth moving, "something is really wrong." Her eyes widened as Tartaruga's foot moved.

"Night, don't-"

She was too late, Night Noir didn't have enough time. Tartaruga crumbled in front of them, a pile of stone rubble was all that was left.

"Tartaruga!" Renard was the first person to react, he ran towards what was left of Tartaruga. He looked at the rubble, Renard's hands began to shake as he ran a hand through his dirty blond hair. "Ladybeetle! Bring him back!"

At the sound of his name, the American hero senses were brought back to him as the realness kicked in. "I can't- We need to defeat the akuma first..." He trailed off as he turned his attention to the akuma, 'why isn't she attacking?'

Peafowl realised why, "She's collecting her pawns! Tartaruga was just a distraction."

"Very good," Queen Gambit grinned, as stone person after stone person appeared behind her.

Renard took a deep breath, in the three months of knowing the turtle themed superhero Renard had grown very close to him and witnessing them being cataclysmed to rubble is more than traumatic. He took out his flute and held it up as a weapon, "What's the plan? It's not like we can break them, they are still people," Night looked down as Renard glared at him.

"I not- I did not, it was not my-" Night Noir stumbled over his words, trying to find the right words to say in English.

"It was not your intention? Well, that didn't get Tartaruga too far did it?"

"Every time!" Honeybee yelled, "Every time something goes wrong you or Tartaruga blame it on someone else. Enough! It wasn't Night's fault!"

"Lucky charm!" Ladybeetle called, and a name tag clip appeared. "What?"

Souris caught a small glimpse of the item and instantly understood, Maddi, the café was the first place where Queen Gambit struck maybe Maddi knows something about her motive. "Oh! I know what that means! Ladybeetle follow me!"
Peafowl grabbed a feather from their hand fan. "Amokisation!" Her balance shifted, Honeybee ran over to Peafowl and kept her upright.

"I got you," Peafowl stared at her teammate, for the first time realising the beauty mark the girl had right above her lip, Nessa has the exact same mark, Peafowl shook her head, she needs to be focusing on her sentimonster.

She held her hands out, dark bubbles forming and then leaving behind a small creature, "What's the plan with that thing?" Renard asked, Peafowl grinned.

"You'll see."

"Voici le miraculeux du singe," Ema Agreste repeated herself for the seventh time, being a superhero and not speaking the main spoken language of the country she is meant to be protecting is hard. "Le gardien vous l'a donné, ce miraculeux vous deviendrez un super-héros."

Maddi ah Kit starred at the black-haired superheroine and then the box in her hand, "I really don't get what ya saying, mate."

Jument pushed the box towards the dark-haired girl, "ouvrez-le."

"Sorry?"

Jument groaned, if only her parents were here.

"I don't understand how my lucky charm has anything to do with a café," Ladybeetle hesitantly followed Souris, he didn't want to leave the fight but Souris seemed really confident that he knew what the lucky charm meant.

"This is where Queen Gambit first attacked, maybe a staff member is still here and knows what happened."

"That's your plan-" Ladybeetle stopped as he saw the horse-themed superhero infront of them, "Who the hell are you?"

"Coccinelle ! Ravi de vous rencontrer," Jument exclaimed.

"Oh! That's French! Renard has been teaching me and Peafowl french!"

"Why?"

Souris shrugged, "We get bored quickly, nothing happens in Western Sydney other than petty crime." Souris listened to Jument, "She's said Ladybeetle and something about meeting you."

Ladybeetle sighed as he grabbed his yo-yo out, he called Renard. The yo-yo rang for one, two, three seconds before, "I'm busy."

Renard used his flute to trip over a pawn, Souris saw the pawn softly land on a marshmallow looking creature, the pawn being on the ground and unable to get up but still kept together and unbroken. "I have a french superhero here, Souris said you can translate."

"Renard, behind you!" They heard Honeybee call, the flute was swung once more, a flash of stone was on the screen and then once again the face of their teammate.

"Put her on." Jument grabbed the phone, "explique."

Jument grinned, finally someone who actually understands her. "Je travaille avec le gardien, c'est moi qui ai donné son miraculeux à ton ami. Lady Bug a choisi un nouveau porteur miraculeux, j'ai le singe miraculeux, Xuppu vous expliquera tout."

"So basically, she works with Ladybug, Ladybug wants to give the monkey miraculous to the girl," he nodded to Maddi in the background, "Only as a part-time hero though, she said the kwami will explain more."

"Me? Have a miraculous? Is this some elaborate prank? Tell Prank Patrol they can come out now, real funny."

"I don't know what Prank Patrol is," Souris facepalmed, 'its a kid show' he whispered. Ladybeetle nodded his head, not really caring too much about a children's tv show right now. He grabbed the miraculous box from Jument, "I know becoming a superhero can be scary-"

beep beep

He forgot he was running out of time, Ladybeetle pushed the thought away, he should still have a minute left. "I was scared too but we need you, if Ladybug thought you were the right choice for this miraculous then you are, she trusts you."

Maddi looked at the miraculous box, her black eyes observing the pattern in awe. Softly she grabbed the box and opened it. She shielded her eyes, a bright orange light overtaking her view.

[ With the Others ]

"I'm gonna transform back," Peafowl whispered to Renard, she used her leg to sweep a pawn, her sentimonster catching it.

Renard's grass green eyes searched their surroundings, they are standing in the middle of the street, "Night Noir, Honeybee and I got this, do you think you will be able to try a good place to detransform in two minutes?" It felt wrong to not include Tartaruga but Renard pushed the feeling away, he's not really dead, Ladybeetle's miraculous ladybeetle can bring fix everything, even Tartaruga, he will be fine, Chat Noir died multiple times.

They nodded, "Yes, but what if one of Queen Gambit's pawns follows me?"

"They won't, we'll make sure they won't, don't worry Pea," Honeybee pitched in as she threw her spin top at a pawn behind them.

Peafowl ran off and moments later her sentimonster disappeared.

"What's the plan now? You're going to lucky charm a pillow?" Queen Gambit laughed as she watched her pawns attack the three heroes endlessly.

Ladybeetle, Souris and a new superheroine appeared, "I might just do that. Lucky Charm!" A wheel of fishing wire fell into his hands, "well, that's not exactly a pillow," he muttered to himself.

"Who's this?" Honeybee asked as she used her wings to fly up to the new superheroine, "What're your pronouns? If you don't mind me asking."

"I'm Mad- key... Yeah, I'm Madkey, definitely not Maddi- shit," she hit her hand softly on her forehead as she realised she revealed her name. "Oh! she/her, I'm a girl," Madkey smiled at the question.

Honeybee squealed, "Yes! Another girl!"

Renard rolled his eyes at the newcomer, "Good thing Maddie is such a popular name," he said coldly.

"Don't listen to Renard, now that Tartaruga isn't here he stole his personality," Souris joked making Madkey giggle.

Night caught another pawn in his grip and put her down softly. "It is good to meet you."

"Can we skip the introductions, please! Right now Night Noir and I are the only ones actually fighting," he tripped over another pawn before catching it and putting it down softly. "What's the plan Lb?"

Ladybeetle looked at Queen Gambit, her mouth opening and closing as she quickly muttered demands, he looked at the wheel of fishing wire and then his surroundings. "The light poles, they are perfectly in line with each other," he whispered to himself.

"We can't have a plan," Honeybee groaned, "Queen Gambit is always one step ahead of us, she plans for everything."

"Almost everything," Ladybeetle grinned. "She didn't plan for Madkey and that's how we are going to win. Honeybee, Souris, help Night Noir and Renard with the pawns, Madkey follow me."

The girl chased after Ladybeetle, being considerably slower since his yo-yo is much longer than her ruyi jingu bang. "Isn't Queen Gambit gonna follow us?"

"That's the point," he turned his yo-yo into a phone and texted Night Noir.

ladybeetle
I need you to be ready to
use your cataclysm

night noir
Now?

ladybeetle
no, not until madkey uses
her uproar, if you come any
sooner gb will now it's a trap

"Get your ruyi jingu bang ready."

As predicted Queen Gambit followed, Ladybeetle's miraculous is one of the most important so he figured Mariposa wouldn't let him get away. "Running away kid?"

"Just getting the newbie ready, she was getting first day jitters," Ladybeetle said with fake generosity, giving Madkey a small pat on the back, Madkey tried acting nervous but unfortunately is a very bad actress.

"What's going on here?" Queen Gambit asked, "You are trying to trick me? Bad choice, didn't you see what happened to your friend? Too bad, he looked so young, once I turn you into my pawn there will be no saving him."

Ladybeetle dug his short bitten nails into his yo-yo, he put on hand on the fishing wire. He threw his yo-yo at Queen Gambit, she pointed her sceptre at him.

Madkey threw her ruyi jingu bang at Queen Gambit, "uproar," she said quiet enough so that the akuma didn't hear. Her aim was perfect, hitting Queen Gambit in the chest.

Madkey grinned, "Yes! I still got it! Ten years of being unbeatable at h-o-r-s-e and I still have the best aim," she bragged, Queen Gambit aimed her sceptre at Madkey but it missed.

Ladybeetle grabbed his yo-yo and sent a thumb up emoji to Night. With his fishing wire he sent a trap, wrapping a simple wire just above where assumed Queen Gambit's head would be. He wrapped a piece of fishing wire around the circle in the middle of the item and he was ready. "You still want to turn me into a pawn? I only have two minutes left, I would do it now."

Queen Gambit turned to Ladybeetle, the middle-aged woman ran up to him, her sceptre may not turn people into stone but it still works as a one-on-one weapon.

Suddenly her crown got caught in something, the akumatised villain raised her hand to untangle the crown. Ladybeetle threw the circle, it caught onto her sceptre, Ladybeetle pulled.

Night Noir watched from the top of a building, when Ladybeetle got hold of the akumatised item, he jumped down, "cataclysm!" He called as he grabbed the sceptre.

Queen Gambit detransformed, the once powerful villain became a teacher the three recognised as Mackenzie Gilbert, the music teacher who is always on the edge of a mental breakdown, "makes sense," Madkey muttered to herself.

Ladybeetle captured the purple akuma with his yo-yo, an unsaid understanding overcame him, never before has someone else's life been in his hands, though a memory so distant that it feels like a dream told him otherwise. He released the white butterfly, "Bye-bye, little butterfly," he said, it wasn't his catchphrase but it felt fitting. Ladybeetle threw the fishing wire in the sky, "Miraculous ladybug!"

The fishing wire dissolved into mini ladybugs which repaired the damage caused by Queen Gambit. A portal opened in front of them as Jument stepped out, Madkey smiled to Ladybeetle, "This was fun, I hope I get to fight beside your side again."

He nodded. Ladybeetle turned to Mackenzie Gilbert but she was gone, he looked up to see Night Noir on his baton leaping away, "I will ask how he is later," he muttered to himself.

"Miss?" He waved at the french superhero, "I was just wondering- I have so many questions, like Ladybug. Obviously I'm not going to ask who she is but I was wondering if I could get her number or something in case of emergencies or maybe to get some tips or I don't know but her phone number would be really useful." Ladybeetle looked at his hands as he spoke, he felt so silly asking for Ladybug's phone number, like a kid asking for Santa Claus' address.

"Numéro de téléphone?"

He beamed, "Yes! Um... Oui! Oui! Ladybug's telephone!"

Jument grabbed the horseshoe from her back, as she pressed a button it turned into a phone, "Ici." She typed up the numbers 33 2 94 22 34 32 and sent them to him.

Ladybeetle looked at the numbers, this is Ladybug's phone number, the truth sounded impossible. "Thank you." The French superheroine nodded before grabbing the monkey miraculous and exiting through the portal.

"Lb!" Renard yelled as Honeybee, Tartaruga, Souris, a renewed Peafowl and him caught up to him.

Honeybee looked around, "Aw, is Madkey already gone?"

"Jument had to collect her miraculous," he said as Souris and Renard understood that they had to keep her identity. Ladybeetle walked up to Tartaruga, "Are you okay?"

Tartaruga placed a hand on the back of his neck, "I think so, I don't remember anything, what happened?"

"You might want to ask Night that."

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Thank you all for this being here after one year!

This book has helped me out so much in the last year, whenever I needed to focus on something other than my life I worked on this book. The last year has been very chaotic for me but everything is starting to settle down so I can definitely see more consistent updates coming soon.

I just wanted to let you all know how grateful I am for y'all <333

Like, comment and tell me what you thought!

3277 Words 😭
I wrote this whole chapter in two days, ngl kinda proud ✌️