Hey there! So yeah, here's the second fanfic from my taken on Miraculous Ladybug; in other words, the sequel to Miraculous Team: Origins. On the previous adventure, we found out how Marinette and her friends became the new miraculous holders and what were the plans of the diabolical Hawk Moth. Now, it's time to see them swinging back into action, as Hawk Moth sends a new villain to destroy our heroes.
Chapter 1: Paris Fashion Week
The news featuring the Miraculous Team kept showing up on newspapers, television and Internet. They were the biggest sensation ever since Justin Bieber or any other superstar. The difference between the them and the music or movie superstars was that they had superpowers and had defeated a monster, and nobody knew who were they under the masks. Even without the Internet, they were still a pretty big deal. In a matter of weeks, there already comics based on them, figures and collectibles from various toy companies, t-shirts, balloons, all kinds of things. On top of all, there even people who began to cosplay as them. There was also a rumour on the Internet about an animation studio having the idea to create a cartoon show based on them.
But not even all the news in the world regarding the Miraculous Team were enough to overshadow one of the biggest events in the city, the Paris Fashion Week. The spring/summer edition was about to start, and on that particular year, all the greatest designers and fashion houses were there. Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Dior, Versace, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gautier, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, and others, were there to show the world what would be the fashions and trends for that year. But, just like every other year, there was a fierce rivalry between some of the designers, who wanted to prove that they were best of the best, and on that year, the rivalry that stood out from all the others was between Gabriel Agreste and Amélie Dufayel.
Their rivalry was known by just about everyone in the fashion world. It had begun on the year Gabriel founded his brand, naming it after himself, and ever since, the two had been competing against one another. They were always trying to beat one another. Some would say that that kind of competition was healthy for both Gabriel and Amélie, who did their best to surpass one another. But the truth was that that competition was seen by both designers as diabolical. They could not stand one another. Gabriel Agreste believed she was an arrogant, self-centred woman, without any sort of talent for fashion, while Amélie Dufayel believed he was a cold, snobbish man, who did not have the necessary tenderness to create clothes. All in all, the two hated each other, and if it was up to them, that would not change.
Still, all of that was just a lot of hogwash for Chloé Bourgeois and her friend, Sabrina Raicomprix, who were visiting the backstage of that event. Chloé's dad, Mayor Andre Bourgeois had managed to get her VIP tickets, which gave her access to the backstage. Not feeling like going alone, she called Sabrina, who agreed to go with her. But, the two of them did not go alone. In their purses, were their kwamis, Pollen and Mika. Because secretly, they were two of the members of the Miraculous Team, Queen Bee and Louve Grise.
"Thanks for inviting me to come with you, Chloé." -Sabrina told her.
"Don't mention it." -Chloé smiled at her. –"Besides, you know I hate to come to these things alone. And who better to come with me, than my best friend?"
Chloé had been trying really hard to become a better person, ever since the school year started, and those who knew her had seen an improvement in her attitudes and on her behaviour towards others. Of course, sometimes she would revert to her old self, but with the help of her friends, but especially Sabrina and Pollen, those moments were becoming less frequent.
"Hey, what about me?" -Pollen cried out.
"Oh, Pollen, you know I don't go anywhere without you." -Chloé said, as she opened her purse and smiled at the bee kwami, who also smiled back.
"This place looks something." -Mika said, as he slowly got his head from Sabrina's purse and saw what was going on. –"I think I've never seen these many dresses in one place before."
"That's not entirely true." -Pollen said. –"Don't you remember that princess you had for a holder about 1500 hundred years ago?"
"Oh, you mean Liu Chuyu? Yes, I remember her quite well, and yeah, she had a large collection of dresses, but nothing like this." -Mika declared. –"You know, what kiddo? You would look really pretty on one of those." -he told Sabrina, while pointing to a simple, yet stylish blue sleeveless dress from Chanel.
"It certainly looks beautiful… but I don't have the height or the physique to wear it." -Sabrina admitted, as she pictured herself with it. –"Chloé on the other hand, has the perfect figure to wear it." -she said.
"Oh, thanks, Sabrina. But I don't think blue is my colour." -the blonde declared.
As they went on, they had the chance to see just how the fashion shows were prepared. All kinds of technicians were running around, making sure that everything was perfect. From the lighting to the way the chairs around the runway were placed, everything had to be just perfect for when the guests arrived and the models started walking on the runway. Speaking of models, the girls and their kwamis also managed to take a little sneak-peak at the models that were getting ready. The smell of hairspray and make-up was in the air. On that particular night, Givenchy was presenting its spring collection, along with Versace, so one could see just how different the styles of each fashion house were. You could say that the only thing they had in common was the colours. Turquoise blue, sheer-white and lime green were going to be the colours of next year spring.
"Those are so beautiful." -Sabrina said.
"More or less. I like the ones on the left, but those over there just aren't my style, and you know that I pretty much wear just about anything from that designer." -Chloé said. –"Those purses over there, on the other hand… I'm tempted to take one of them with me."
"I don't think they'll let you, Chloé." -Sabrina chuckled.
"Nonsense, Sabrina. I'm Chloé Bourgeois. I'll buy it from them, and that's that." -Chloé told her.
"You're sounding a lot like the old Chloé, you know?" –a voice said.
Recognizing that voice, Chloé turned around to face her old friend Adrien Agreste, smiling at her and Sabrina.
"Adrien!" -Chloé exclaimed.
"Hey, girls!" -Adrien said, as he approached them. He had just given the slip to his bodyguard, so he could go for a walk alone, and was happy to see two familiar faces. –"What are you doing here?"
"Chloé's dad got her VIP passes, so we're checking things." -Sabrina answered him.
"Are we going to see you on the runway tonight, Adrien?" -Chloé asked him.
"No, not today. I'll only get to be on the runway on the very last day." -Adrien confessed. –"Truth be told, I'd rather be home playing videogames or listening to music, than hanging out here all the time, but my dad insists I be around, because one of the models might get sick, or be late, or get cold feet at the very last minute, and if that happens, I'm the back-up plan." -he sighed.
Chloé knew what that was. Just like Adrien, she too had a father who was famous and knew just how demanding it was to accompany him to public events, when his advisors felt that he should be seen with her, so as to show a more caring and gentle side of him.
"I know how that is… but, at least you've got Plagg to keep you company and tell you jokes." -Chloé said. –"By the way, where is he?"
"I left him in my dressing room, enjoying a Camembert sandwich. I can't stand the smell of that cheese, so I decided to come and get some fresh air… which is not easy, when you have a certain Gorilla guarding you." -he joked about it. Everyone in his class knew that he had named his bodyguard Gorilla because he did not know his name, and because he looked a bit like one.
"Plagg and his Camembert… I still remember when he became addicted to that particular type of cheese." -Pollen said, as she pried her head from inside Chloe's purse. –"Has he told you about the fact that he became addicted to it, because one of his previous holders was the man who invited Camembert cheese?"
"Multiple times…" -Adrien chuckled. –"He loves to tell me about it, every night, when I give him another piece of that stinky old cheese, before going to bed."
"That's Plagg, alright." -Mika said.
The conversation was becoming cheerful by the minute, but it ended abruptly, when the three of them heard a voice that was quite familiar, especially to Adrien… his father, Gabriel Agreste. Along with his secretary and personal assistance, Nathalie Sancoeur, he was approaching them, and quite fast.
"Nathalie, have the floral dresses for tonight arrived?" -Gabriel asked his assistant and secretary, while checking on the dresses' design in question on his iPad.
"Not yet, sir. The truck is stuck in traffic, but I was assured that they will arrive in about 20 minutes, sir." -Nathalie answered him, as she checked her cell phone to see if she had received any other texts.
"Make sure they do. I want the models to try them on before the show tonight." -he told her.
"Very well, sir." -Nathalie answered.
"It's my dad! He can't see me out of the dressing room." -Adrien said.
"Why not?" -Sabrina asked him.
"Let's just say, that he hates me going around without my bodyguard. Could you…."
"Don't worry, Adrien." -Chloé told him. –"Go. We'll buy some time, right, Sabrina?" -she said, as Sabrina waved her head.
"Owe you a favour, girls. See ya!" -Adrien told them.
As Adrien disappeared behind one of the billboards that had to be put up yet, Gabriel Agreste turned the corner,
"Oh, hello mister Agreste." -Chloé waved at him.
"Oh, hello, Chloé." -Gabriel saluted her.
This small distraction gave Adrien enough time to put some distance between his father, and getting back to the dressing room, before anyone noticed he had left. But on his way, there, he accidently went up against a moving man, who was pushing a cart with a huge card box on it, where you could read the word "Fragile" on it. The box did not tumble, but the man fell on his back. Adrien immediately helped him getting up.
"S-Sorry." -Adrien apologized himself.
"Watch where you are going, kid." -the man said, as he got on his feet. He was clearly in a grouchy mood.
What Adrien did not know was that the man that he had accidently pushed was no ordinary man. In fact, the man was none other than Hawk Moth's lieutenant, Reptile, in disguise. After his master's humiliating defeat at the hands of the Miraculous Team, Reptile and Madame Romani had made their mission to find new targets for their master to use his Akuma butterflies on, so he could finally rule the world. But before that could happen, they would need to get rid of the Miraculous Team. And that was just what he was doing; looking for a way to defeat them, or in this case, someone whose heat was filled with dark emotions and feelings and that Hawk Moth could use to destroy those infernal brats. As he got up, he looked around once more, despising what he saw.
"Look at all this ostentation! What a waste of good money." -Reptile asked himself. –"How can anyone squander money like this is beyond me… not to mention, that those who wear these clothes are people who look you from the top, as if you were an insignificant cockroach. Still, in a place like this, there's bound to be someone who the master can use to destroy those kids… all I need to do, is to find it." -he told himself.
I know, I know, this is a rather short first chapter, but believe me when I say that I'll make it up to you all during the second chapter. Still, before I leave, I have a couple of things that I wanted to say about this chapter. In it, we find a new character, Amélie Dufayel... we'll get to know her better as the story progresses. In the meantime, I'm going to leave you with a question I would love to see if you can answer it, or not. The question is: Which are the characters I have used to name Amélie Dufayel? I'll give you a hint... they are from a French movie from 2001, and the action takes place also in Paris. Let's see if you can answer it. I'll be waiting for your answers. Best of luck!