Before you begin, I want to apologize for the "No Spoiler" at the end of the last chapter. There was really no way to preview the next chapter without spoiling something, so I hope you can all forgive me. :)


Chat Noir burst out of the shadows, running at top speed. He pulled out his baton, extended it, and vaulted towards the giant, green monster. A familiar sense of energy returned to him. "It's good to be back," Chat Noir smirked as he headed towards his target. "Everything ends right here!"

"What's a hunk of jello like you doing away from the fridge?" Chat Noir shouted as he landed in front of the monster. He slid across the road until he halted to a stop. He stood up tall and rested his baton on his shoulder, trying to look cool. "Too bad I forgot my spoon."

"Chat Noir!" The creature roared. It's voice was thick and soupy. It was hard to make out what it was even saying. As it spoke from no apparent mouth, it's entire mass jiggled. "I am the Blob! Give me your miraculous!"

"The Blob?" Chat Noir laughed, clutching his sides. "That might be the lamest akuma yet. What? You couldn't come up with anything more creative? Not the Slime Monster? Or maybe Monsieur Goop?" Chat Noir was laughing so hard, his attention was taken away from the monster. The Blob growled and hurled a green ball of goo straight at Chat Noir.

The kitty noticed immediately and dodged the hit. The goo hit a nearby car and with a loud hiss, the car evaporated into nothing. Chat Noir watched the car dissolve with wide eyes. "So maybe this isn't an akuma that I should try to piss off. What is that stuff? Toxic waste?"

"You've got a good arm there," Chat Noir said, preparing to pounce. He pointed his baton at the akuma and replied, "Unfortunately, mine's a bit better." He jumped into the air and tossed his baton like a javelin at the monster. Moving at a high velocity, Chat Noir was positive his staff would slice right through the creature.

The baton hit the monster's flesh, but stopped upon impact. If the akuma had a real face, it would have been smiling. Slowly, Chat Noir watched his baton get sucked into the akuma's being and dissolve into nothing. His only weapon disappeared, just like that.

"My baton!" Chat Noir moaned, clutching his head. "How am I supposed to call Ladybug now? Not to mention, she isn't even here yet. What's taking her so long? I could use some backup. This glob of goop isn't planning on going anywhere soon. If I have to fight it by hand, things aren't going to be good even if I have this adult body. Brute strength's got nothing on this guy."

Back at school, Marinette was in a funk. She wasn't paying attention and was mindlessly doodling on her page. She was too worried about Adrien to focus. "Why did he disappear like that?" She wondered with a frown. "Was he upset about something? Why didn't I notice? I was so busy gawking over him everyday that I could even notice that something was wrong. God, I'm so stupid. There might have been some way for me to stop this. And if I wasn't at school right now, I could go out as Ladybug and search for him, but there are no leads. Where could he possibly have gone?"

All of a sudden, there was a sizzle sound coming from outside the school. Giant holes appeared on the exterior walls of the classroom and all the students stood up and ran to the side of the room. "What's going on?" Rose screamed, huddling behind Juleka for cover.

"Everyone into the hallway," Miss Bustier commanded as she pointed to the door. "It'll be safer out there." The students filed out, but Marinette, Alya, and Nino stayed behind. They ran over the holes in the wall and peered out. They could see a giant slime fighting a black cat, a strange sight indeed.

"It's an akuma and Chat Noir's already down there!" Alya exclaimed, reaching for her phone. "I need to get down there, pronto!"

"Alya, that's too dangerous!" Marinette protested. She needed to make sure Alya and Nino were safe before she could go help Chat Noir. Plus, if she could get them to leave the classroom, she could transform and jump right down. "That thing looks dangerous! It's not worth it."

"Sorry, Mari!" Alya said, grabbing Nino's hand. She pulled him to the door and shouted, "That's a risk I'm willing to take. Besides, imagine how disappointed Ladybug will be if I don't cover this story." Marinette rolled her eyes and watched her friends vanish out the door. "I guess I'll have to make sure she's safe," Marinette sighed. "If only Alya knew that she was making my life harder..."

"Tikki, you ready to go?" Marinette asked as she opened her purse. Tikki flew out and nodded. "This is it, Marinette! We can return Chat Noir to normal!" The kwami pointed out. She did a flip in the air and had a big smile.

"You're right!" Marinette exclaimed. "I totally forgot since I was so worried about Adrien. That's one problem off my plate then!"

A loud roar came from outside. Marinette looked back out the hole and saw Chat Noir fighting and losing to the monster. He didn't have his staff in his hands and instead, seemed to be slashing at the akuma's flesh. Simultaneously, he was dodging balls of goo that the akuma was throwing at him.

"Chat Noir won't hold up for long without his baton," Marinette remarked, biting her lip. "Why isn't he fighting with it? Did being an adult make him cockier? Nah, he was like that before. Looks like I need to come in and help him. Tikki, spots on!"

There was a red flash of light and Ladybug was ready to go. She pushed herself through the hole and jumped into the air. "Chat Noir, up here!" She shouted as she fell towards the ground. Chat Noir looked up and saw his lady falling from the sky like an angel from heaven.

"Nice of you to drop in, my lady," Chat Noir smiled. "I was wondering when you might show up."

"Well, I'm here now," she grinned back. She ruffled Chat Noir's hair which she now noticed had been cut short. It was back to its normal messy and short style. He must've gotten it cut since the last time she saw him. "Stop thinking about Chat's hair," Ladybug cursed herself. "We need to deal with this akuma first."

"What the heck is that thing?" Ladybug said, sticking out her tongue in disgust. She turned to the akuma which seemed to be slowly slinking towards her and her partner. Chat Noir shrugged and said, "Maybe a cross between month old gelatin and a nuclear waste plant. Whatever it is, it likes to dissolve whatever it gets its hand on."

"What do you mean?"

Chat Noir kicked up a rock with his foot. He held in front of Ladybug's face and said, "Watch this." He threw the rock at the akuma and it got stuck in the monster's body. Ladybug watched in horror as the rock dissolved, almost like the creature absorbed it.

"Got it," she replied firmly. "Don't get close. But how are we going to get to the akuma then? Where is it even hiding?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out," Chat Noir frowned. "He's nothing but a blob. There's no place to hide an akuma.

"Well, we'll have to keep searching. Maybe it's-" She paused mid-sentence as her eyes fell upon two innocent teenagers that were sneaking up behind the akuma, one with their phone in hand, filming. "What are they doing?" Ladybug hissed as she watched Alya and Nino move closer to the monster. "That thing could fry their heads off in seconds. They need to get out of here now!"

"Chat Noir, do you see those kids behind the akuma?"

Chat Noir looked up and saw Alya and Nino. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach. He was thinking the same thing as Ladybug. Why did Alya always have to put herself right in the face of danger and why did she have to bring Nino with her? Chat Noir shook his head with a light smile and clicked his tongue.

"That girl will never learn, will she?" He sighed. Ladybug nodded and said, "She's too determined to listen to anything I tell her. Apparently stay away means come closer. We can't fight the akuma if they're here. I'll leave it to you, kitty."

"Of course, my lady."

Chat Noir started running around the akuma, hoping that he would be able to pull Nino and Alya away if Ladybug distracted the Blob. "Where are you going, little kitten?" The monster bellowed as it followed Chat Noir's path. It's sunken eyes traced the cat's movements. For some reason, it's focus was on him and not Ladybug.

"Look this way, you fat lump!" Ladybug yelled. She wanted try and use her yo-yo, but she had a feeling the akuma would eat it right up. The akuma ignored her and instead continued going after Chat Noir. "Why isn't paying attention to me?" Ladybug panicked. "At this rate, Chat Noir, Nino, and Alya are all going to get hurt."

Chat Noir took a giant leap and landed in front of Alya and Nino. Alya was busy filming and Nino was busy hiding behind Alya. "Chat Noir!" They exclaimed as the superhero turned to face them. "You two need to get out of here," Chat Noir commanded, grabbing their hands. "This akuma is too dangerous." The shockingly deep sound of his voice startled the teens.

"Is that really you, Chat Noir?" Nino asked. "You look so old. What happened?"

"That's a chat for another time," Chat Noir joked. He took Alya's phone out of her hands and said, "Stop filming and get running. I don't know how much longer Ladybug can keep the akuma distracted."

"Chat Noir! Watch out!" Ladybug shouted as she can around the side of the akuma. The Blob was watching Chat Noir deal with Alya and Nino and saw his chance to strike. Dozens of globs of goop came hurtling at the trio and Ladybug was unable to do anything but scream.

Chat Noir heard her voice and his hair stood on end. He turned around and saw the goo heading towards him. If it hit either of them, they were goners.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted, raising his hands in the air. Two bundles of goo nearly hit Alya and Nino until Chat Noir shielded their faces with his paws. The goo hit his hands and turned to dust thanks to Chat Noir's magic. Chat Noir turned his head back to Nino and Alya with a frown. "See what I mean?" He hissed. "You need to leave!"

Alya and Nino nodded and quickly sprinted away. "What the heck is that thing?" Alya shouted, struggling to keep up with Nino. "That akuma is freaking crazy!"

"It's not the akuma I was worried about. What's the dealio with Chat Noir?" Nino panted. He pulled Alya into an alleyway to take a breather. The akuma wouldn't chase after them here. He would be too focused on Ladybug and Chat Noir. Alya took out her phone and pulled up the video she had been filming.

"You're right," she said, reviewing the footage. "It's like he's an adult version of himself. How could that be possible?"

"Maybe some weird miraculous magic?" Nino suggested. "Who knows? I just hope he's okay. Being an adult is lame after all."

Back at the scene of the akuma attack, Chat Noir was beginning to panic. "I've already used cataclysm and we still don't know how to defeat the akuma." His ring gave its first beep. "Not good! Not good!" Chat Noir worried. "I could leave and get Plagg some cheese, but I don't have any on me. Ladybug needs my help though!"

"Give me your miraculouses!" The Blob shouted, a pink outline of a butterfly appearing over his face. Now the game was really getting started.

Ladybug jumped around to Chat Noir's side and looked at the akuma disapprovingly. "This fight's going nowhere," she remarked. "We have to take action, but there's no way to attack him. I can't use my yo-yo and you don't have your baton." There was another beep from Chat Noir's ring.

"Oh no!" Ladybug shouted, grabbing his hand. "Your ring! You're about to detransform. You need to get out of here."

"But my lady..."

"I'll be fine on my own. I can figure this out. Besides, once I defeat this akuma, you'll be back tomorrow. You should go some place safe for when you turn back." Ladybug gave Chat Noir a confident smile. "Even if I argued, it would be useless," Chat Noir smirked. "She'd win anyways."

"Stay safe, bugaboo!" Chat Noir smiled as he ran away. Secretly, he was worried about her, but pretended to be okay. There was a narrow alleyway that he managed to slip into. With a heavy sigh, Chat Noir released his transform and returned to being normal Adrien. "Plagg, we need to get back out there," Adrien said immediately.

The kwami rolled his eyes and said, "No can do if you don't have any cheese. I'm starving!" To prove his point, he rubbed his stomach and moaned. Adrien narrowed his eyes and thought, "If I can't protect her as Chat Noir, then I'll protect her as myself." Adrien grabbed Plagg and shoved him into his shirt, catching the kwami off guard.

"What are you doing?" Plagg shouted as Adrien started sprinting back towards the attack. "Helping my princess obviously," Adrien said with a determined expression. He snuck back towards the akuma and saw Ladybug glaring at the creature. He hid himself at the edge of the alley, quietly watching.

"Come here, little bug," the Blob yelled. "Let's see how well you stack up against me."

"It looks like I'm out of options," Ladybug thought as she watched the akuma draw closer. "Lucky charm!"

A giant red and black spotted electric vacuum cleaner fell into her hands. It was so heavy, she almost dropped it. "A vacuum cleaner? What good is this? I could suck up the akuma, but it's too big. Maybe I could take out a chunk though." Her eyes zoomed in on the center of the akuma which was partially see through. The inside of the creature was murky, but Ladybug swore she could see something floating around in the middle. It looked like a piece of candy.

"Gotcha!" Ladybug smirked. She turned her back to turn on the vacuum cleaner when the Blob let out another barrage of goo. Ladybug quickly turned around as she heard the attack and cursed herself for not paying attention. The goo was coming so fast that she wouldn't have time to get out of the way. She prepared herself to get hit, but instead heard someone else's hiss of pain.

Adrien watched as Ladybug turned to use her lucky charm, but the akuma wasn't going to let her. He prepared to attack while she was innocently distracted. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Adrien bolted out in the open to shield Ladybug. He jumped in front of her and held his arms out. The goo hit his arms and the side of his stomach, causing him to scream in pain. The goo wasn't dissolving his body, but it sure hurt like hell and burned the top layer of skin.

"Felix!" Ladybug screamed, realizing that she had just been saved. She let go of her lucky charm and grabbed him, attempting to support his weight. Her eyebrows furrowed from her worries as she asked in a panicked voice, "Why are you here?"

"Oh right," Adrien grumbled, trying to ignore the pain. "I'm still Felix."

"I just came to rescue my princess while her black cat is away," he smirked at her, a sparkle in his eye. "You really should pay more attention. You'll get hurt like that..."

"F-Felix! Your arms! You're hurt!"

Adrien shook his head and said with a grunt, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me! Worry about that thing!" He pointed at the Blob who was irritated at being ignored. "I know you have a plan in that smart brain of yours."

Ladybug nodded and switched on the vacuum. She had her yo-yo ready and ran at the akuma. "That's right!" The Blob laughed. "Come to me! I want your miraculous!" Ladybug continued to run and held the vacuum up towards the akuma's body. A chunk of its mass was sucked away, causing the monster to yell in fury. There was enough of his body removed that Ladybug was able to sneak her yo-yo in and grab the piece of candy.

"Suck on this!" Ladybug smirked. "Don't you know sweets are bad for your health?"

She pulled her yo-yo out and the candy fell into her hands. It was a lollipop, the kind you could buy at a general store. With a satisfied smile, Ladybug threw it onto the ground, shattering it into pieces. A purple butterfly came out and Ladybug quickly caught it.

"Bye bye, little butterfly," she waved as the insect flew away. Then, she looked down at the object her lucky charm had given her and tossed it into the air, shouting "Miraculous Ladybug!" There was a swirl of red light that engulfed the area. Cars returned to normals and buildings rebuilt themselves. A purple mist formed around the akuma and a young, slightly larger man appeared on the ground, bewildered. That was all normal. What Ladybug wanted to know was how Chat Noir was doing.

Adrien watched Ladybug release her miraculous cure and the pain in his arms instantly eased. "Finally..." He sighed, grasping his chest. "I'll finally be back to normal... Wait, I'll turn back to normal right here where Ladybug is standing. I need to get out of here!"

There was a sudden burning pain that shot through Adrien's body. It was just like when he had been turned into an adult. He ran away, back towards the alley he had hid in before. Adrien pressed his body against the brick wall as his body began to throb and shrink. He felt himself grow smaller and thinner. There was a rush of red magic and his clothes returned to normal.

"Why the hell does this hurt so bad?" Adrien wondered before he blacked out.

Ladybug walked over the akuma victim and helped him stand up. He asked her what was happening, but she told him not to worry and sent him on his way. Shortly after, she turned around to check on Felix when she realized he had vanished. "Where did he go? He was just here a second ago," she wondered, looking around the area. "I need to make sure that he's okay and then I need to call Chat Noir. I have to make sure my miraculous cure worked."

Ladybug grabbed her yo-yo, prepared to take off when she was a piece of paper flapping in the wind. It was stuck against a nearby tree. Something about it caught her eye. She hooked her yo-yo back onto her belt and walked over to pick it up. She flipped it over and thought to herself, "A letter? How'd this get here? I should probably return it to whoever wrote-"

Her thoughts stopped as she read the first line of letter.

Dear Adrien.


In the next chapter, Marinette demands answers...