Whiskers on Kittens -- (ML)

[7]

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug yelled, yoyo string zipping across the street and winding itself around a streetlight.

His cat ears flicked her way a second before his face did, jumping safely out of range from the akuma's wide spray of attacks.

"You got a plan?" he called back, and Ladybug jumped, swinging to the rooftop he was on and leaning close.

"If you're willing to be the distraction for a little while longer, I can come up with one." she said, before the two of them yelped and sprung apart, a tiny smoking crater where they stood a moment before.

"Ugh, if he's a tennis player, why is he able to shoot fireballs?" Ladybug whined, causing Chat to laugh at her expense.

"My Lady, think of this as a video game or TV show - enemy hits tennis balls so hard they get set on fire."

Another ball of fire flew close, and Ladybug flipped out of the way before answering. "Okay, yeah. But still."

"Justice will be served!" The akuma yelled, twirling his tennis racquet in one hand.

She sighed. "Terrible puns, as always."

Chat Noir grinned. "Yet you like mine." he said, wriggling his eyebrows underneath his mask.

"Yours are growing on me, Kitty; that's different." she waved the comment off with one hand, holding her yoyo in the ready position. "Should we go in for close quarters fighting?"

"He does seem to favour ranged attacks." Chat nodded, extending his staff. "Fighting close could give us an advantage, but I don't like the look of that racquet."

Another fireball shot past, causing Chat to duck to avoid it. "Well, whatever we're gonna do, we should do it quickly!" he said, and the two of them sprang into action, automatically flanking the enemy.

"You fools!" the Akuma yelled, and Ladybug nearly snickered over how theatrical it all was. "You cannot defeat the Tennis King!"

Ah, there was the name. This must have been a new record for amount of time before the Akuma's arrival and the announcement of what they called themselves.

Next, would inevitably be Chat Noir's quip.

"A King of tennis?" Chat called, and Ladybug found herself smiling. Like clockwork. "Where's your court, then?"

Tennis King didn't reply, instead summoning a bunch of fireballs and smacking them towards the duo.

Chat Noir jumped over the first fireball, skirted around the second, and slid under the third. "Did not expect the day to go like this!" he yelped, snatching his tail out of the path of flame.

"Yeah, it's like-" Ladybug ducked behind a chimney, allowing the fireballs to smack into the bricks and dissipate. "Like a really intense game of dodgeball!"

"Tennis!" Tennis King yelled, swinging another volley.

"It's no good!" Chat shouted to Ladybug, batting away a fireball with his staff and narrowly getting his hair singed off. "We can't get close enough!"

"Keep trying!"

Ladybug tossed her yoyo in a wide arc, causing Tennis King to pause in his attack as he dodged. It gave Chat the chance to leap into action, staff drawn back behind his head.

Ladybug threw her yoyo again, this time managing to wrap the string around Tennis King's ankle. Bracing herself, she yanked as hard as she could.

The akuma was practically wrapped around Chat Noir's staff, eyes blown wide under his black mask. He fell backwards with a wheeze, and Ladybug had to cover her mouth to stop from laughing as she jumped over and pulled the tennis racquet from his grip.

She went to snap the racquet, casually throwing a grin to her partner. "That was easier than I thought it would--" the two pieces sat still in her hand, nothing happening. "...be."

Tennis King laughed, dodging out of range and summoning another racquet into his hand and whacking another fireball towards Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"Spoke too soon!" she cried, pulling Chat out of the way by his tail. The two of them ran away, ducking quickly into an alleyway and leaning against opposite walls, trying to catch their breaths.

"So if it's not the racquet," Chat said, pushing hair from his forehead. It fell into a style closer to what Adrien usually had, and Ladybug had to tear her eyes away, fighting against the heat rising to her cheeks. "Then what do you reckon it is?"

She placed a hand on her chin, deep in thought. "Well..." she began, wincing at the sound of chaos overhead. "Maybe his sweatband?"

Her partner nodded. "Head or wrist?"

"What do you mean 'head or wrist' he only had--" Ladybug paused, looking over to Chat Noir. He nodded grimly, and she groaned. "I only saw one!"

"Ladybug and Chat Noir! Come out and face me!"

Chat's ears flicked. "Lucky Charm it and hope you can grab both?" he suggested.

"But if it fails and we grab the wrong one, I'd have a time limit." she pointed out.

"Try to trap him with cataclysm?"

"And if that fails you will have a time limit!"

It's a risk we're going to have to take, My Lady." Chat said.

"Right. Plus, one of us on our own can handle the akuma while Plagg or Tikki recharge."

"So, your power or mine?"

Tennis King yelled above their heads, and Ladybug smiled. "Keep him distracted so I can figure it out?"

"Of course."

And with that, the two superheroes leapt onto the rooftops again.