Gavv leaped across the rooftops, his powerful legs propelling him over the Parisian skyline. The vibrant blue and magenta armor shimmered under the afternoon sun as he followed the swirling flocks of pigeons. His eyes, glowing golden-yellow behind the visor, tracked the feathery currents, a determined set to his masked jaw. The anger from earlier, seeing Tom's pastries scattered and the casual disregard for human well-being, fueled his powerful strides. He moved with an almost brutal efficiency, a tokusatsu hero on a mission.
He quickly spotted the Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées, a grand structure now besieged by a living, fluttering siege. Thousands of pigeons swarmed around it, forming a shifting, gray-brown barrier that completely obscured the building's entrances. Within the main hall, a massive cage, woven from countless pigeons, held a group of terrified Parisians captive. Mr. Pigeon, perched atop his feathered throne, commanded his legions with a flick of his wrist. His powers allowed him to command massive pigeon flocks, using them to form shields, platforms, or even colossal bird-fists. He had effectively transformed the historic venue into a feathered stronghold, a grotesque parody of its usual elegance.
Gavv landed silently on a nearby rooftop, observing the scene with a cold, assessing gaze. He prepared to make his move, a direct assault seemed the most logical approach to this type of threat.
Before Gavv could launch himself into action, Ladybug swung in, landing gracefully beside him. Her yo-yo retracted with a soft whir, and her gaze immediately locked onto the Grand Palais. Cat Noir landed less elegantly a moment later, stifling a series of sneezes, his ears twitching with irritation.
"Hold on, Kamen Rider," Ladybug commanded, her voice firm, stopping Gavv from a reckless charge. "We need a plan."
Cat Noir rubbed his nose.
"She is right," Cat Noir managed between sniffles. "Rushing in would just make things… aaac...worse."
"The pigeon-user's threats are limited to birds," Gavv stated, his voice a low, modulated hum through his helmet. "Confronting him directly seems efficient."
"Limited to birds, maybe," Ladybug conceded, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "But he can control a lot of them, and those cages look pretty solid."
"We need surprise," Cat Noir added, wiping his nose with his forearm. "A direct assault would just put the captives at greater risk."
"Surprise will be difficult," Gavv countered, gesturing toward the swarming pigeons that formed a living curtain around the building. "They are everywhere."
"Not everywhere," Ladybug replied, pointing toward the large glass skylight at the top of the Grand Palais. "Cat Noir, you can open that, right?"
"Consider it done, My Lady," Cat Noir replied with a wink, already extending his staff toward the skylight. "No need to get your hands dirty."
Cat Noir extended his staff, pressing the tip against the glass skylight with practiced ease. A faint CRACK! echoed as the glass began to yield. He pushed upward, creating an opening large enough for them to drop through.
ACHOO!
The sneeze burst from him, loud and uncontrolled, sending a shower of dust and a few stray feathers cascading down into the Grand Palais.
"Well," Gavv observed dryly, his golden eyes scanning the suddenly agitated pigeon flocks below, "the element of surprise has been lost."
Ladybug winced, but her expression quickly hardened into determination.
"No time like the present, then," she declared, and without another word, she dropped through the opening. Cat Noir, still rubbing his nose, followed immediately. Gavv watched them go, then plunged down after them. The air rushed past him, carrying the faint scent of old dust and feathers. The echo of pigeon coos intensified as they descended into the cavernous hall.
"You," Gavv began, his voice surprisingly calm despite the anger simmering beneath the surface, "should surrender."
He stood his ground, the memory of Tom's kind face, worried and flour-dusted, flashing in his mind. The image of the scattered pain au chocolat, ruined on the dirty pavement, felt like a personal insult to the warmth he had found in the Dupain-Cheng bakery. It was a strange feeling, this irritation, a new facet to his guarded existence.
"Surrender?" Mr. Pigeon cooed, a soft, dismissive sound that grated on Gavv's nerves. "Never! Not until Ladybug and Cat Noir yield their Miraculouses to my feathered friends, and Paris becomes a sanctuary for all my pigeons!"
Mr. Pigeon waved his hand, and the assembled pigeons within the Grand Palais responded instantly, flapping their wings with a synchronized WHOOSH! [PIGEONS FLAPPING] The birds converged, forming a dense, living spear aimed directly at the heroes.
Ladybug and Cat Noir moved in a blur of red and black. Cat Noir twisted, his staff extending to deflect a flurry of bird-talons. CLANG! Ladybug spun, her yo-yo a red disc, narrowly missing a bird-fist that SMASHED! into the floor. Gavv weaved, his armored body surprisingly agile, avoiding a powerful feathered wing that swept past him. SWISH! He felt the pressure of the air against his armor. Cat Noir ducked under a dive-bombing pigeon, then rolled, stifling a cough as a cloud of feathers erupted around him. ACHOO! Ladybug leaped onto a marble column, her movements fluid and precise, as a mass of pigeons surged past her, almost knocking her off. Gavv dodged a concentrated assault, the birds a gray-brown blur against the grand hall's ornate ceiling. He shifted his weight, anticipating the next attack.
Gavv summoned his Gavvgablade. The red sword, sharp and vibrant, materialized in his hand with a wet schlick, its candy-like edges gleaming. He raised the blade, intending to cut through the avian shield.
SWISH!
He slashed through the dense mass of pigeons. The birds dispersed instantly, fluttering away from the blade's arc like scattered confetti. There was no resistance, no impact. The flock simply flowed around the strike. It felt like cutting through smoke, leaving him off balance. Before he could recover, the mass of birds surged back, not with talons or beaks, but with sheer, collective force.
WHUMP!
The feathered wall struck him full-on, sending him careening backward across the polished floor of the Grand Palais. He slid several meters, his armored back scraping against the cold marble. SKRRT! A shower of magenta and blue sparks erupted from his left shoulder. The gummy armor there cracked and peeled away in strips, revealing the dark grey bodysuit beneath. The pain was dull, a deep ache that settled into his Granute form. It was annoying, a waste of energy and focus.
"I warned you," Gavv stated, his voice a low growl, the hum of his internal systems briefly faltering. "This is unnecessary."
Mr. Pigeon merely cooed, a soft, mocking sound that resonated through the cavernous hall. "Coo-coo! You cannot harm my feathered friends! They are too numerous, too… free!"
Gavv knew that avian swarms, while lacking individual attack power, could deliver astonishing impact when acting as a unified entity. His Gavvgablade, designed for cutting solid objects, simply couldn't find purchase against such a fluid, dispersed target. The blade's Gochispeeder track, meant to launch concentrated Gochizos for focused damage, would only scatter them uselessly against this feathery tide.
Gavv pushed himself up, his eyes narrowing behind the golden visor. Two small, translucent blue figures, shaped like gummy bears with boxing gloves, bounced toward him from the side, their tiny faces etched with concern.
"Eat Gummy," one of the Punchingummy Gochizos mumbled, its tiny voice barely audible over the cooing of the pigeons.
"Eat Gummy," the other echoed, gesturing with its miniature boxing glove towards his damaged shoulder.
Gavv reached out, picking up the two Gochizos. He held one to his Gavv Organ. The thick, blue lips of the Gavv Organ parted, revealing white, blocky teeth. He inserted the first Punchingummy.
[GUMMY!]
The Gavv Organ pulsed, a rhythmic, energetic tune beginning to play, filling the hall with carnival-like music.
[EAT GUMMY! EAT GUMMY!]
The crackling on his shoulder instantly ceased. The peeled armor flowed back into place, sealing the damaged sections with a fresh, vibrant sheen. He felt a surge of energy, the familiar gummy resilience returning. He then took the second Punchingummy Gochizo, its tiny face now determined (୧( ò Д ó )୨ < PUNCHIN'!), and pressed it into his Gavv Organ.
[PUNCHINGUMMY!]
The music swelled, becoming more intense. A large, oversized gummy fist, translucent blue and slightly sticky, materialized around his right hand, pulsating with a soft, magenta glow. Its texture was visibly elastic, stretching and compressing with each slight movement of his fingers. He felt the familiar weight and flexibility, a balanced power ready for impact. Gavv lunged forward.
SMASH!
He slammed the gummy fist into the pigeon spear. This time, instead of scattering, the impact reverberated through the avian mass. The pigeons didn't just disperse; they fizzed. SZZZT! A wave of colorful, candy-like particles erupted from the impact point, creating small, sparkling explosions.
"My friends!" Mr. Pigeon shrieked, his cooing turning frantic. "What have you done?!"
Gavv didn't answer. He moved with a renewed, relentless aggression. He pivoted, driving a gummy-infused uppercut that sent Mr. Pigeon reeling backward. THWACK! The villain crashed through a display case filled with ancient artifacts, sending shards of glass and fragments of history scattering across the floor. CRASH! Before Mr. Pigeon could regain his footing, Gavv was on him, delivering a rapid flurry of punches. Each blow connected with a soft, yet incredibly forceful THUD!, followed by the distinct FIZZ! of dispersing birds and popping candy-like energy. Gavv's attacks were quick, precise, and visually spectacular. He struck Mr. Pigeon in the chest, then a glancing blow to the head, then a powerful hook to the side, each impact echoing through the vast hall. Mr. Pigeon stumbled back, disoriented, his feathery form shimmering with destabilized energy.
Gavv's Organ vibrated, indicating a finality.
RUMBLE!
He placed his right hand to the side of his belt, where the blue Gavv Organ pulsed with collected energy.
[CHARGE ME! CHARGE ME!]
A brilliant flash of blue-magenta light erupted from Gavv's fist. The light coalesced into multiple phantom gummy fists that mirrored his own, orbiting Mr. Pigeon. WHIZZ! Each phantom fist slammed into the akumatized villain, a barrage of soft, explosive impacts. POP! POP! POP! Mr. Pigeon staggered, his feathery form shimmering with destabilized energy, each strike sending a shower of colorful, candy-like particles into the air.
Gavv delivered a final, powerful uppercut.
[PUNCHINGUMMY PUNCH!]
KABOOM!
The impact launched Mr. Pigeon upward. The akumatized whistle around his neck shattered into a thousand tiny fragments, like brittle candy. A dark butterfly, now freed from its prison, fluttered erratically against the bright light of the Grand Palais. Gavv's Organ extended its blue, prehensile tongue. FLICK! It snatched the butterfly from the air, pulling it into the Gavv Organ's dark cavity. The organ pulsed once, then settled.
Ladybug and Cat Noir watched, momentarily stunned by the sheer spectacle.
"He just... ate it?" Cat Noir managed, his voice a bewildered whisper.
"That's... certainly effective," Ladybug mused, a hint of awe in her tone.
Jazik felt the distinct sensation of processed energy settling deep within his core, radiating outward from the Gavv Organ at his midsection. It was a familiar, if unsettling, accumulation, reminiscent of the violent power he had absorbed when the Gavv had consumed the remnant of the Berotha Magia before. This time, however, the influx was significantly smaller, a muted hum compared to the aggressive roar of the Magia data. He still wasn't sure what this gathered essence meant, or what purpose it served, but the feeling itself was calm, like a quiet internal strength taking root. He determined it was not a threat, so he dismissed the sensation almost immediately, refocusing on the immediate aftermath of the battle.
The shimmering, akumatized form of Mr. Pigeon dissolved. Xavier Ramier, a man in a rumpled gray suit, floated gently to the ground. He blinked slowly, looking around the Grand Palais with a confused expression. The large cage of pigeons that had held the captives vanished, and the frightened citizens stumbled out, blinking in the sudden freedom.
"My head," Xavier mumbled, rubbing his temples. "What happened?"
He looked down at his hands, then at the scattered feathers around him, his brow slightly furrowed. His pigeon-shaped whistle, the object of his akumatization, was nowhere to be seen. He turned, catching sight of the heroes, then quickly averted his gaze, a quiet embarrassment settling over him. Ladybug gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. Cat Noir merely sneezed, a soft achoo! that seemed to lighten the lingering tension in the air. The Grand Palais, though still a little messy from the pigeon-induced chaos, felt safe once more.
Gavv turned to leave, his mission completed. The Akuma was purified, the pigeons were dispersing, and Mr. Pigeon was no longer a threat. That was all that mattered.
"Hey, wait up, candy boy!" Cat Noir called out, his voice still a little raspy from his allergies.
Gavv stopped, but did not turn around.
"That was quite the... fizz-bang you pulled off there," Ladybug said, her tone impressed. "You really know how to make an exit."
"And an entrance!" Cat Noir added, stepping forward with a grin, holding out a fist. "Pound it?"
Gavv looked at the offered fist, then back towards the now-free citizens. His golden eyes lingered for a moment on Xavier Ramier, who was still rubbing his head, looking more bewildered than villainous.
"My purpose here is finished," Gavv stated, his voice flat. "The Akuma is dealt with. The remaining task is yours."
He gestured vaguely at the recovering citizens.
"But we make a great team!" Ladybug insisted, stepping closer, her voice laced with genuine enthusiasm. "First Stormy Weather, now Mr. Pigeon. We're on a roll!"
"I am not part of your team," Gavv replied, his gaze drifting to the shattered display case, a small, almost imperceptible sigh escaping him. "Our paths merely coincided."
He didn't wait for a response. With a powerful leap, he launched himself toward the gaping hole in the skylight, disappearing into the Parisian sky. The rhythmic THWUMP-THWUMP-THWUMP of his gummy armor faded into the distance.
"Some guys," Cat Noir grumbled, lowering his fist with a huff. "Always gotta be the lone wolf, don't they?"
"I think he's just... particular," Ladybug mused, watching the spot where Gavv had vanished. "Still, it would be nice to have someone so powerful on our side."
"Hey!" Cat Noir exclaimed, his ears twitching with mock offense. "Am I not enough, My Lady?"
Ladybug rolled her eyes, a small, exasperated smile playing on her lips.
"Just help the citizens, Kitty," she said, turning away. "We can discuss your feline insecurities later."
***
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