A/N: Welcome to my show choir AU story! It was inspired by the Nickolodeon original movie Spectacular, which I where I got the title from.
Marinette let out a sigh as she watched her show choir, Lucky Charm, perform the song for what felt like the millionth time. It sounded a little different than usual with Alya singing the lead instead of her, but she had to observe the routine properly. She couldn't do that when she was concentrating on singing and performing the steps correctly. So, she had to step down for a moment and look at it from the audience's perspective.
"It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight, risin' up to the challenge of our-" Alya was singing, but Marinette could already tell something was off, and she didn't know what. Sighing in frustration, the ravenette signalled to cut the music. Almost immediately, silence dawned over the gym.
Alya was the first one to break it, the ombrée-haired girl rolling her shoulders to relieve the tension in them. "How'd we do, Mari?" The rest of the choir was looking at their leader hopefully- she could see the sweat on their foreheads and their eyes burning with passion. Faces were flushed, breath coming out in pants, and Marinette decided they had done enough work for today. There was still weeks before the competition they were going to enter, which was more than enough time to get the performance right.
"You guys did great. I think that was your best rehearsal yet," Marinette informed them, smiling softly at them. She saw faces light up, thinking that maybe, maybe they'd fixed whatever problem Marinette had isolated. Except she hadn't isolated what was causing it, and she knew it was still present. She hated to be the one to crush their hope like that. "However, I still think we're missing something. The drive and talent is all there, and your passion for this is evident in every drop of sweat, every word you guys sing and every step you take. Lucky Charm is already great- but if we want to win this competition, we need to be better than that. We need to be outstanding."
It was Rose who spoke next, her tone curious as she tilted her head slightly. "But Marinette, how do we become better if we don't know what to work on?"
"We can't," she admitted with a soft sigh. "But I promise I'm working on it." She quickly rearranged her features back into a smile. "By the time the competition rolls around, we'll be ready to dominate. We'll walk out of there with the trophy and a few thousand euros to help improve the school. Remember, guys- Lucky Charm is the best school show choir in all of Paris. If we keep at it, we can be the best in France, and maybe someday, the whole world!"
A few quiet murmurs ran through her troupe, and Marinette knew she had inspired some confidence in them. What she'd said was true, too- Lucky Charm really had been judged the best show choir in all of Paris. She remembered the nail-biting moment in pristine clarity, not a single detail forgotten. While she dreamed of a future in fashion design, she knew that at least for her school years, show choir was where her heart was. She knew that her little group had the ability to really rise to the top and make a lasting mark in show choir history- and winning this competition was a great place to start. After all, it was only the most prestigious show choir competition in all of France. "Anyway, I think we've done enough for today. No point in practicing 'till our muscles scream for mercy when we're already at the best we're currently capable of, right?" There were general sounds of agreement among the members of Lucky Charm, and everyone began grabbing their bags and filing out until the only people left in the gym were herself and Alya.
"You're really confident we can win this, huh, girl?" Alya commented. Marinette nodded vigorously.
"I know we can! Sure, it's no cakewalk, as we'll be competing against the best of the best, but I will see to it that we take the prize." Okay, in actuality, she was willing to settle for either bronze or silver. However, the easiest way to get gold was to aim for it in the first place, and it also provided a good rallying point for morale.
"Well, you better isolate the problem soon. I know how passionate you are about this, and goodness knows you become an almost entirely different person when you're on the stage. However, those weeks will creep up on you. I know you think you've got time, but as your best friend, let me give you some advice- manage that time wisely." She gave a little shrug as they walked out together, adjusting her bag. "Well, I gotta go babysit my little sisters, so I can't help. Good luck figuring it out, Mari!"
The ravenette sighed as she split ways with her friend, heading home with her thoughts in turmoil. She knew Alya was right- she had to figure out the problem, and fast. However, a gut feeling told her it wouldn't be that easy to find the problem and solve it. It was something in the heart of the choir, and those things weren't easy to remedy.
"You want to join the show choir, Adrikins?"
"Yeah?" Adrien replied, uncertain as to why his friend looked so disgusted with the idea. When he was younger, he'd been told a story by his mother about how she'd been a member of show choir. Adrien had been told he had quite a talent for both singing and dancing, so he'd decided to try show choir out, as a sort of connection to his mother. "Is there something wrong with that, Chlo?"
"Wrong with it? No, nothing except the choir is lead by that Dupain-Cheng girl," the blonde sneered. He tilted his head in inquiry- he knew she was talking about Marinette, and from what he could see, there was no reason that the fact she lead the school's show choir was a bad thing. "Her choir is a band of misfits who think they have any real talent. Trust me, Adrihoney, with talent like yours, you want to start your own show choir. If you get together the best of the best, I'm sure you can get first place in that upcoming competition. I wouldn't say no to being a few thousand euros richer, anyway, and the golden trophy would perfectly compliment my 24-carat bathtub."
Adrien was hesitant, but in a new school, he found it easier to listen to Chloé, at least until he found his own footing. "The best of the best? How would I find them?"
"Well, obviously you want me- the crowd will adore me. Every performance will be a hit so long as I'm there. I guess we can find a place for Sabrina as well- she might be able to make herself useful for advertisement or something." Chloé was inspecting her nails now, apparently seeing some kind of flaw in them.
"What about Nino?" Adrien suggested. Perhaps his friend's DJ skills would come in handy in show choir. Chloé wrinkled her nose up.
"Well, if you must, but only because he at least knows what he's doing when it comes to music." She was now scrolling through something on her phone. "Leave the rest of our members to me, though. Oh, and I have the perfect song for our debut, Adrikins, isn't that exciting?"
"So you're the girl, I heard the rumor, you got the boys wrapped around your finger, such a sweet heartbreaker." He read the lyrics presented to him off her phone, slightly uncertain. "I've never heard of this song before, Chloé. Are you sure?"
"Of course I am!" Chloé replied as she flicked her ponytail. "I know exactly what I'm doing, sweetie." She began to stride away. "First practice is in the gym tomorrow after school. Think of a choir name by then- my choir is going to be the best in the whole of France."
As the classroom door swung shut behind his childhood friend, Nino walked up to him, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Dude, you look kinda tense. Did Chloé say something?"
"Not… exactly." He sighed. It was going to have to happen sooner or later. "Hey, Nino, there's a favour I need to ask you…"