Chapter 1
After escaping the clutches of another of Hawkmoth's akumas, the Pharaoh, Alya had the chance to question Ladybug about the textbook that she had dropped earlier. Like the kind superhero that she was, Ladybug did not hesitate to offer her an explanation, saying that she was trying to keep up to date with the times. However, Alya didn't really know what to think of the information that Ladybug had given her. She was left with a lot more questions than answers.
That evening, after reassuring her family that she was unharmed, she retired to her room to continue her relentless speculation. She spent time studying in order to familiarise herself with the history of the miraculous holders. After a few weeks of reading and intense research, she came to a conclusion.
"No, there is no way that she's that old", she murmured one evening, still looking at her photos on the Ladyblog. After having spoken to Ladybug, the Martiniquais was almost convinced that the superheroine was telling the truth. That was no longer the case.
In fact, Ladybug's book had conveniently disappeared after the fight. "If the book wasn't a clue about her real age, she would have asked me to take it back to the library for her", thought Alya, her mouth wide open due to the new realisation.
"But of course", exclaimed the Ladyblogger, "She lied again to throw me off!"
She quickly got up from her chair and grabbed her diary. The little notebook was a work of art, full of photos, scribbles and theories.
Whilst flipping through the orange notebook, Alya found a page on which she had written the word "IMPORTANT" with a red pen. Her eyes brightened and her smile widened. Could it be an essential clue that she had forgotten to review?
She read the page expectantly, but its contents saddened her. She tore the page out, scrunched it up and threw it in the bin. The page had said:
Chloe = Ladybug?
Alya had made a mistake that day. She cringed as she tried to block the horrible memory. Due to some poor reasoning, she had been sure that Chloe was Ladybug. Of course, she was wrong and the situation finished with an akuma in her phone.
Alya still did not understand her own stupidity. First of all, Chloe looks nothing like Ladybug. On top of that, Chloe treats everyone around her like garbage. Ladybug is compassionate and understanding, even to akumas that are attacking her.
"I can't make that kind of mistake again", she whispered, her palms sweating, "Never again." She breathed softly until she was calm, and embraced her searcher's mentality once again.
"Well done, Ladybug", said Alya, poking her finger in the face of a poster of Ladybug, "You almost discouraged me, but I am smarter than that." The untamed determination burned in her nut-brown eyes.
She wrote the results of her research down until midnight, when her eyelids closed all on their own. She fell asleep, her head buzzing with vivid images of the two saviours of Paris.
Alya had been dreaming peacefully on her bedroom floor, when her mind abandoned her on the roof of a building situated somewhere in the vibrant city. She was looking upon the city skyline at night with admiration when, suddenly, Chat Noir leapt in front of her, causing her to scream and fall over. The two stared at each other without speaking. Upon witnessing her confusion, the leather-clad hero smirked.
"Poor Alya", he said whilst shaking his head, "she thinks that she has all the answers, but in reality, she doesn't know a thing."
Alya gasped, offended at Chat Noir's claim. She got up immediately to defend herself.
"Excuse me, but I am pretty sure I know more about Ladybug than even you do", she proclaimed arrogantly, "the Ladyblog is everyone's go-to source for news about you and Ladybug." She crossed her arms triumphantly, wondering if he would be able to denounce what she said.
"Oh really?" he asked with an eyebrow raised, "Okay then. Who is Ladybug?"
Alya paled at his question. The one thing that she didn't know was being used against her.
"Or better yet, who am I?" added the arrogant hero, a wicked smile etched onto his face.
Her lips quivered as she tried to find an answer for him. She wanted to prove him wrong but the fighting words never escaped her mouth. Upon seeing Alya's frustrated face, Chat Noir laughed hysterically at her before jumping down into the sea of buildings, quickly hidden by the cover of night. Whilst trying to stop him, the bespectacled girl tripped and fell into darkness.
Alya woke up in a panic, covered in sweat. The sight of her messy bedroom broke her out of her stupor, reminding her that she had only been dreaming. The blogger exhaled deeply and went to change into her pyjamas. As she took off her clothes, she thought about her strange dream. She could still hear the cat hero's mocking laughter in the depths of her mind. His comments were not necessarily false. She honestly had no idea as to who he could be. Almost all of her identity theories were about Ladybug and she had little proof to back them up.
"I need to work harder", she mused as she stroked her chin, "Who are the people under the masks?"
That was the ultimate question. The ultimate scoop.
After arranging her notes, she looked at her bed and scowled, hating her human need to sleep. She could be spending those hours finding answers as opposed to snoring all night long. Unfortunately, her eyes had had enough screen light for one evening. Her hero hunting activities waited until the next day.
Not too long after waking up, Alya started afresh. It was Saturday, so she had all day to theorise. Sat at her desk, Alya made extensive notes on her two targets.
"Black hair, blue eyes, short and slim, high-pitched voice, very athletic, graceful and balanced", she dictated as she wrote, "Ladybug's costume is very tight and it's obvious that she doesn't have the body of a mature woman."
Alya smiled at her profile for Ladybug. Now, on to the elusive kitty.
"Blonde hair, green cat eyes, slim body of a young man, very athletic, fast and flexible, with a not-so-deep voice."
The brunette filled her notebook with more and more useful details. "It's only the base of the project, but it's a good start", she thought out loud. She moved her chair to her bed, allowing her to fetch her phone from its charger. She opened some more pictures of the two heroes.
Finding more on Ladybug would be easy but on Chat Noir, not so much. Her current methods clearly needed to be updated. There needed to be more difficult questions, more tracking and maybe even less visibility on her part.
Just as she was about to brainstorm on the cat's identity, an explosion shook her apartment.
"Nobody will ever make fun of my car after today", cried the enraged akuma, before she destroyed a whole row of parked cars.
"Perfect", yelled Alya, grabbing her phone to turn on the camera, "Another opportunity to get some juicy info".
Alya ran down the street, following the akuma's trail of destruction, until she caught up to her. Just as she started talking into the camera, Ladybug and Chat Noir were on the scene. Alya filmed the entire spectacle from the flying cars to the lucky charm. After using a tiny replica of the victim's car to taunt her, Ladybug led her into a trap, allowing Chat Noir to destroy her car keys, where the akuma had taken residence. The heroes had saved Paris once again.
The victim's name was Rachel. Her friends had mocked her used car, calling it cheap and outdated. Ladybug advised her to not listen to them.
"If your car is good enough for you, other people's opinions don't matter", explained Ladybug, "So no need to get worked up over some unwarranted comments."
"You're right" she conceded, looking admirably at her rescuers, "Thanks Ladybug! And thank you too Chat Noir."
"We are at your service", added Chat Noir, before bidding the young lady goodbye.
"Pound it", chorused the duo, in celebration of another one of their many victories.
Chat Noir's ring blinked, but he still had a bit of time to go. Ladybug was already three spots down on her earrings. "I'll see you later for our evening patrol, kitty", announced Ladybug, using her yo-yo to grab a nearby chimney.
Her partner smiled and took a bow. "See you soon mil-"
"Ladybug! Chat Noir!" Alya called out excitedly, "Could I trouble you for a quick interview?"
Ladybug shook her head and smirked. Her bestie would never back down, even after getting akumatised because of this same desire.
"Not today Alya", said Ladybug apologetically, "I am about to de-transfo…"
"Do you think you will ever let the people of Paris know who you are really?" interrupted the enthusiastic reporter, putting the phone right in Ladybug's panicked face.
"Euh…well…I…" she blurted out as she struggled to put together a sentence. Her nerves were fried further when more people pulled out their phones. The constant beeping of her miraculous was not helping either.
Chat Noir saw the discomfort on his lady's face, so he courageously stepped in between her and Alya. He did not mind the cameras that much. His modelling work had given him enough experience to deal with them.
"Thanks for the save kitty", whispered Ladybug before zipping away immediately.
Alya frowned as Ladybug sped off. She had really been hoping for an answer but all was not lost. Chat Noir was still here after all and he did not seem camera shy at all.
"A response for the Ladyblog, Chat Noir?" prompted Alya, as the hero waved to everyone's cameras.
Chat Noir thought for a moment. He had found Alya's question both interesting and intrusive. As much as he wanted to know her identity, he understood the importance of keeping it a secret.
"My lady and I will always be there for our wonderful Parisians, but please understand that we can't reveal everything to the public", he explained to the camera, "It is for our safety and yours"
Chat Noir's ring started beeping, signalling him that it was time to make his own exit. He bid the camera goodbye with a kiss before bouncing away using his baton.
"And that's all for today, Ladyblog lovers! Tune in next time for more on your favourite heroes", said Alya as she cut the livestream.
She sighed as she put her phone away. She hadn't managed to get any more key information. Although, she had been pleasantly surprised when other people came to join in with the interview. They seemed to get the heroic duo to stay longer.
At that moment, she had an epiphany. She had been going about this all wrong. As much as she would like to have had all the glory of unmasking Ladybug to herself, she would probably be more successful if she got others to join in. With that in mind, she ran back home to film a very special announcement for the Ladyblog.
"Hide well little heroes, your identities won't be secrets for much longer", she said in a sing-song voice, before turning on her laptop webcam to record herself.