Miraculous: Tales of Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black

🦋Lady WiFi📱

"So, what's Monarch like?"

Alix bit her lip for a moment. "He's... Kind of comforting. While everyone's making him out to be this terrorist-sounding villain, he calls himself an anti-hero. But, besides that, he listened to me when I told him about my watch." She holds up the heirloom connected to her necklace chain. "And he tells me what I wanted to hear, like, how I wished I could go back and fix it."

Marinette nodded before asking, "And he didn't force you to become akumatized?"

"Actually, it seems like he was giving me a choice," Alix chuckled. "Weird, huh?"

"Not really," Alya told her. "While we were interviewing Aurore on her akumatization into Stormy Weather, she said the same thing. Anything else you'd like to add, Alix?"

The pinkette looked up in thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Nah." And with that, Marinette stopped recording.

"Thanks for doing this, Alix." The two exchange a fist bump.

"Hey, no problem, Mari. But what's this for again?"

Alya and Marinette exchanged excited grins before the auburn-haired girl answered. "We're going to try and find out Monarch's identity." Noticing Alix's bewildered expression, she nods. "Yep! Alright, I know it sounds crazy, it may take weeks, months, or years, but Mari and I got this in the bag!" She slings an arm around the bluenette who is pulling up something on her tablet.

"Now, here's what we know. Monarch showed up during the first day of the school year, according to Mr. Ramier, he's a teenager, he's obviously a redhead," Not noticing Alix's eyes have widened to the size of saucers, she continues, "He's not too pushy, and- This is what Alya noticed when we interviewed Theo- he seems to have a soft spot for civilians. And by 'civilians,' I mean Marc."

The three turn and look at the green-eyed boy, sitting under the stairs and writing in his journal.

"Theo was terrified of Monarch that day," Alya adds. "He told us that when he threatened Marc, Monarch suddenly showed up and sort of... He seized control of his body and nearly cataclysmed his face off." Just remembering the conversation made her shudder.

Alix furrowed her brow as she read some of the notes on Marinette's tablet. "'It's possible that Monarch is shorter than Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black, or there weren't enough butterflies to form his actual height.'" The pinkette could hardly hold in her laughter as she handed Marinette her tablet back. "Sorry! Sorry, I've just never heard of a villain or anti-hero being shorter than a hero."

Alya quirked an eyebrow. "What about The Penguin? Wasn't he shorter than Batman in some versions?" Alix thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"Now, speaking of comics," she started, her voice becoming quieter. "I gotta know." Alix seemed to hesitate for a moment, worrying her friends before she asked, "You guys don't think Nath is Monarch, do you?" The two seemed to have gone rigid at the question, and it wasn't easing Alix's worries when Marinette started stammering a response. "Guys, be honest. Red hair, short. You guys can tell me." 'So I can punch your faces in.'

"Hey," As if reading her thoughts, Alya held her hands up in a 'don't attack me' fashion. "I wasn't even thinking about him being Monarch, and neither was Mari until you brought it up. Now I'll be blunt, Nath has the hair, the height, be he is in no way supervillain material. Come on, I heard he cried last year when you guys dissected frogs- It's adorable," she cooed, making Alix chuckle at the memory. "Plus, Monarch seems so confident and sure of himself while Nath hides behind his sketchbook when the teacher calls for someone to answer a question."

"Alright," Alix sighed, glad she wouldn't have to commit a felony in the name of her friend's innocence. "That's good. Honestly, I-I wouldn't know what to do if everyone started thinking Nath really is Monarch. You know how crazy people can get when they think they have the answer."