Miraculous Emerald: Back for Vengeance

Chapter 9: A Crippling Defeat

Luka POV

It was supposed to be a normal date with Marinette. A trip to the cinema, doing shopping. How a date should be.

Instead, we're fighting Tank and his gang of akumas while defending civilians from them. The akuma Shriek fired a sound wave at a group of civilians, stunning them, and allowing another akuma known as Blade Edge to dart towards them with his blades, but Ladybug intervened and used her yo-yo to pull him aside and throw him into a vending machine. The akuma known as Bullhead tried to charge into her, but I dropkicked him into a games store.

"So much for a normal date, huh?" Marinette called as she deflected a card fired at her.

"Yeah. But, a hero's work is never done." I replied as I dodged a fireball launched at me.

As we fought the akumas, we found ourselves facing two akumas. One in a black suit and mask and another with the same outfit as her partner, but with a white suit. The two darted towards us. Ladybug was about to launch her yo-yo at them, but was pinned down. I tried to intervene, but was kicked in the chest by the man in the suit, knocked into a wall.

"Excellent work, Double Trouble. Now remove their miraculous." Tank said with a smirk.

Just as they were about to take our miraculous, a pair of arrows knocked them back and a wave of flames forced the akumas back. I looked up and saw Emerald Shadow with Tigress, Queen Bee and Ryuko. They leaped down and got into their stances.

"Sorry for the late arrival." Queen Bee said with a smirk.

"No worries. You came just in time." Ladybug said as she got up.

The akumas glared at us with contempt until the akuma Bombshell took off with a handful of bombs.

"I'll get him!" Queen Bee shouted and followed Bombshell while we fought.

Nico POV

I darted through the wave of akumas until I crossed paths with Tank. He smirked and threw a punch at me, but I slipped under his attack and kicked him in the chest, knocking him back. He  smirked again and darted towards me. My staff clashed with his knuckle dusters as we fought. I noticed that Tigress and Punchline were crossing blades and dodging each other attacks. Tigress swung her knives at Punchline, who backflipped away from her and threw a crate of clothes at her, knocking her off balance.

I tried to swing my staff at Tank, but he caught my staff and kicked me in the chest, knocking me into a clothes store. As I got up, he swung my staff across my face, breaking the staff and knock me into the cashier. I groaned as I got up and threw a punch at Tank, who met my fist with his. I felt my hand crack and recoiled in pain.

"Funny thing though. Knuckleduster told me that you would stop me before I put a bullet in his head." He said as he punched me in the ribs, cracking them.

I landed on the ground, coughing up blood through my mouth mask. Tank loomed over me and placed a foot on my chest. 

"Guess he was wrong." He said as he was about to finish me off until Ryuko swung her sword at his back, stunning him. As he turned around, I stabbed my kunai in his leg and pushed him off me. Tank cursed loudly and tried to throw a punch at me, but I dodged and punched him in the gut, kneed him in the jaw and repeatably hurled punches at his face as I forced him back until I snapped a brutal kick to his stomach and watched as Tank crashed into the railing and fell from the 3rd floor. I fired my grapple gun at his leg as I heard a parent and his child crying out in fear.

"Go! NOW!" I shouted at the pair. The ran for their lives as I pulled up Tank and grabbed him by the collar.

"Start talking! Why work for Hawkmoth!?" I demanded.

Tank's chuckle turned into a full scale laughter as he faded away. Confused, I looked up and saw Tank on a level above me with a smirk. Next to him was Bombshell. 

"How did-!?" I gasped.

"A sentimonster. A gift from Mayura, Hawkmoth's right hand woman. Also, we've left you a little gift. Enjoy." He said as he and his friends left.

"Guys! Get out of there!" Chloe shouted in our earpieces.

I followed Tigress and a group of civilians through the mall and through the exit. Just as we escaped, the whole mall exploded and turned it into a smouldering mess. 

"Holy-." Chloe gasped.

Even after Ladybug managed to revert the damage, it didn't take away the fact that dozens of people were either killed or injured. 

And we were unable to prevent it from happening.