Miraculous: Tales of Ms. Ladybug and Tom Cat

Part 64-Betrayal

Ok, Hugo thought. Now that they're distracted by Anti-Bug I can escape, now how to go about...

As he attempted to leave Anti-Bug to Bugmouse and Cat Noir, he was stopped suddenly by a metal staff to his face. As he reeled in pain he looked up to see the annoying little punk who did it.

"Just where do you think you're going Hawky?" Tom Cat said.

"Out of my way brat!" Hugo shouted, attempting to reciprocate his attack with his cane and a series of punches.

Tom Cat dodged and weaved as Hugo's blows fell. It reminded him of that old boxing movie, the one about the American boxer who fought a Russian. However, it was more like, "float to avoid the butterfly" and sting like a bee. Hugo on the other hand was thinking. 

I just need to get him down he thought, jumping to avoid an undercut by Tom Cat. Now think, how do I put this brat down?

Hugo was getting more and more frustrated as his blows continued to hit nothing but air. He needed an escape, as his plan was already beyond hope. He needed a way out of an impossible situation. But if there was one thing he'd been trained to do since he was young, it was to strategize. What was around that he could manipulate? The heroes were young, but he was outnumbered and his powers were weak compared to theirs combined. There was one thing that could give him an edge. A way to get ahead of this fight. Anti-Bug was occupied, but maybe this ace could shock him enough to allow him enough time to escape...

He looked over at the situation. The majority of the heroes were occupied with Hawk Moth prime, and the rest were dealing with Anti-Bug. This cat was alone. And Mayura was on the ground nearby, unconscious. He quickly formed a plan.

He left himself open to a staff attack to his face, knocking him to the ground. His opponent was too focused on the fight to see that he did so on purpose. As Tom Cat held his staff to his face, his expression read triumph. Little did he know, he'd already lost.

"It's over Hawk Moth," he said.

Hugo gave a small laugh. "You have no idea how right you are. Nooru, Darkwings Fall."

As his disguise was stripped away, Tom Cat saw his face.

"No," he said. "That's, not...it can't be," he backed up against a wall of debris "Why?" Hugo saw his opponent's shock and took the opportunity. While still trying to process who he was, he got on his hands and pushed his feet to Tom Cat's chest, knocking him against the wall and to the ground. He knew that without his powers it would only knock him down for a minute. He ran as fast as he could to the unconscious Mayura.

"Sorry Mother," he said, removing the Peacock Miraculous and turning her back into Nathalie Sancoer. "But I need this. Albeit temporarily." He attached the pendant beneath the butterfly on his left lapel. Duusu the Kwami flew out in delight. "Woohoo!" the kwami called. "A new holder huh? I'm gonna miss Ms. Nathalie but I bet you and I will have lots of fun!"

"Unfortunately, this is a one-time deal," he said. "If I wasn't desperate I'd leave you to rot with your owner. But I need a way home and unfortunately, you're my only option." As he finished placing the Peacock medallion on his jacket, he thought about the injuries and long-term illnesses he'd sustain from using the Miraculous. It was how Emilie Agreste was turned comatose and how his birth mother had been crippled. It would take a while to recover from, but he needed a solution now. Mentally prepared, Hugo called out, "Nooru, Duusu, unify!"

In a dark flash, a new evil appeared. His skin was a dark navy blue and his eyes were purple. Feathers detailed the edge of his coat and a small beak extended to the edge of his mask to his nose. Using his new powers he took a feather from his fan and turned it into an amok. He took Nathalie's smart tablet from her jacket and placed the feather inside.

"Chronoportal. I am Shadowmoth. You will have the ability to open portals through time to wherever I need to go."

A dark shadowy shape appeared on the ground, in the shape of a small box. Using the smart tablet, he opened a portal and opened it to his destination.

Tom Cat finally shook himself out of his shock to see what Hugo was doing. "No! Wait!" He called, running as fast as he could to stop him. Hugo quickly removed the Peacock Miraculous and tossed it to the ground next to Nathalie. "See you soon," he said, entering the portal and disappearing.

Tom Cat was still shocked. He could barely understand what he'd just seen. Betrayal went through his heart as he processed the fact that he saw the face of his enemy. The face of evil, the face of his enemy, was familiar to him. One that he'd grown up with.

"Louis?"