Author's Note: And I just saw the new episode today: Jackady and it killed me. And I'm like he knows...Okay…I'm still not over from the previous chapter…O_O ohmigodddd that literally destroyed my feelings oops and judging from your reviews, I would say I also destroyed your feelings as well…DON'T KILL MEEEEEE! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! HONEST! *sits in a corner and rocks back and forth* BUT the GOOD news is…HERE IT COMES AT LAST! THIS IS THE FINAL BATTLE BETWEEN HAWK MOTH AND LADYBUG! I REPEAT. THE FINAL BATTLE IS HERE AT LAST!

Shout Outs: Thanks to aoifehorse for following and favoring the story. Thanks to DarkShadows1999 for following and favoring the story. Thanks to fannamariedii72 for favoring the story. Thanks to Spark the Fox (Guest) for reviewing the story. Thanks to ShadowSpirit020 for reviewing the story. Thanks to GuardianAngel1234567 for reviewing the story. Thanks to Guest for reviewing the story. Thanks to Riku Nanase for reviewing the story.

Summary: Upset over Adrien's death, Ladybug determines to finish Chat Noir's last request which is to defeat Hawk Moth and save the world. The final battle between good and evil had come at last.

Chapter 25: Radiating Light

Hawk Moth stared at the broken girl who still couldn't accept the fact that Chat Noir…Adrien was gone. Who knew her life living crush was her secret partner all along? Who knew Chat Noir was Adrien?

For one, she definitely couldn't figure out between the two because they literally have different personalities. In human form, Adrien was sweet, caring and not to mention cute whereas Chat Noir…he was something else. Playful, a flirt and just a plain idiot—but in the lovable way. And he was also a goof.

How can anyone distinguish between them?

The evil man still stared at the empty spot as he was still registering what had happened.

Chat Noir…the hero of Paris…was his son. His own flesh and blood. But now he's gone…gone because of him.

Even in his thoughts, Hawk Moth could still hear the painful screams of wailing from the girl that was supposedly be the hero of Paris.

"Adrien…don't leave me…why did you leave me?" she sobbed. "You promised that you wouldn't. You promised." she sobbed, her heart aching.

"I will never leave your side, Princess. But if there ever was a time where I must, it shall be in your arms."

Marinette screamed in tears, her face being a mess from all the crying. She was even surprised that she still had some tears to shed. She would've thought that from all of this crying, she wouldn't have no more tears…

"You promised…" she sobbed, clutching to the only thing that didn't disappeared with him.

His bell choker.

It's time to let go…you have a mission remember? And crying won't get you nowhere. You still have your bad guy here… the voice of reason said in her head.

No…I can't let go of him…I wouldn't…never.

If you can't let go of him…who would save Paris and the rest of the world?

"So, your partner is dead." came the voice from Hawk Moth. His voice didn't change at all—it showed no emotions. It was straight, devoid from the emotions.

Upon hearing his name, it made Marinette forget almost everything…She lifted her head up as anger quickly filled her face.

"You monster! You fiend! How could you kill your own son?!" she exclaimed. "I won't forgive you! Not now! Not ever! I won't ever forgive you! For the sake of Paris and the rest of the world, I will vanquish you!"

Hawk Moth snarled a bit. "Cute speech but in my defense, I didn't know who Chat Noir was."

"That still didn't make up for the cruel act you did! You had no right to use force over someone else! No right!"

"If it's a battle which you so wish to desire then I'll grant you to your death! I'm sure Chat Noir will be happy to see you." he replied, coldly. "So go ahead and do your worst. I dare you. How can you, a mere child's play…who's just a pawn in this game, can hope to defeat me? A cruel cold creature? How can you defeat me without your powers?"

Marinette stared at him before she looked at the floor. She hated to admit but he was right. She was powerless…He still had her Miraculous and Chat Noir's…Chat Noir is dead…What other option does she have other than to succumb in darkness?

Powers doesn't make you a human, Marinette. It's you, yourself…that's what makes you a human. Even under your mask, you're still stronger than that wicked fiend.

Marinette widened her eyes as she realized that her "voice of reason" was right…Marinette slightly moved her hand to the side only to feel that it touched something cold—not the floor, no. It was too round to be a floor tile.

Curiously, she gazed at the floor and enlarged her eyes with disbelief. There, in front of her, were the familiar earrings…

But how…? It was with Hawk Moth before…

She then recalled the flashback as Chat Noir was dying in her arms but yet she failed to notice that one of his hands was closed in a fist…

She made a happy gasp, wearing a soft smile.

Thank you, Chat Noir…you sneaky cat. Thank you.

Grabbing her earrings, she got up only to meet Hawk Moth's sneering face.

"The end is approaching, Marinette…Ladybug. This is the battle where it will determine who will win…this is the battle where you will die and the people you knew who will cease to exist!"

"You're wrong, Hawk Moth." Marinette proclaimed as she felt the warmth coming from the earrings. "I still have a winning chance of saving the world."

He laughed, wickedly. "In your current form? That's a laugh!"

Marinette narrowed her eyes. "No…with these." she extended her hand out and then unfurled her hand. As she did, Hawk Moth widened his eyes as he saw what they were.

"HOW!?" he screamed, enraged. "How is that possible!? I HAD THEM!"

Marinette smirked. "Let's just we have a certain kitty to thank. His death will not be in vain!"

From the glow that came out of the earrings, Tikki came out with a smile.

"I'm back! Ta-da!" she exclaimed. "Marinette, I've missed you so much!"

"Me too, Tikki." she responded, softly. "Now what do you say we defeat him once and for all?"

Tikki grinned. "Yes!"

Marinette placed her earrings back to its proper spot and shouted the sacred words. "Tikki, transform me!"

The girl felt such a huge adrenaline rush as she felt the familiar power coursing throughout her body. As she was spinning in the familiar light, a certain thought crossed her mind.

Thank you, Chat Noir. You are in my debt.

Soon, she made her final spin and then she posed. Hawk Moth stared with anger as he saw Marinette who just transformed into her alter ego.

She smirked. "What's the matter? Still can't figure out how I managed to get these? Think back, Hawk Moth…you should know."

Hawk Moth, who still had his eyes wide, had a flashback going inside his head…especially to the one where Chat Noir decided to betray him. He then recalled that he charged towards him…

It was there that the villain realized knew how he stole them. Enraged, he shook his head violently, baring his teeth.

"It doesn't matter, anyway! His death will be in vain since you're going to die!"

"That's only what you want." Ladybug stated. Just like her, Ladybug thought that since she and Chat Noir both hold Miraculouses then surely Hawk Moth has to have one…?

If that idea fails then she would go with alternative one which was the idea she had used from the very start:

To purify Hawk Moth into his normal form.

Ladybug started to run to the side of the wall and then she took, throwing her yoyo at Hawk Moth in attempt to steal his cane. But he was too quick for her and he used his arm to strike her back which he did and it forced Ladybug be off-course.

Sneering, Hawk Moth walked towards the girl and picked her up by her neck and stared to squeeze the life out of her.

"Why won't you admit that I've won?" he snarled, tightening his grip.

Ladybug gasped from the sudden tight grip so she put her hands on his hand in attempt to have some air but it was futile.

"Because…" she struggled for words. "I can still beat you." she gasped. "I can win."

"Pathetic. Just like you all are." he said.

If Hawk Moth continued to grip this tightly, she would for sure lose conscious and probably won't be able to defeat Hawk Moth.

"You're nothing but a silly little girl that always gets in my way! You're an imbecile! A pathetic lot!" Hawk Moth snarled, tightening his grip even more.

Ladybug gave a strain gasp, unable to breathe and her vision started to come and go.

If this is what dying feels like, then it doesn't seem so bad at all.

Hang on, Chat. I'm coming.

"You're hopeless."

Marinette flinched when things got way too tight and yet she still tried to survive though she knew her time is going to be up. Her hand was still trying to reach for her yoyo so that once she grabbed it, she can smack it right in the man's face.

"Don't give up, girl. It will be all worth it in the end. Trust me."

Ladybug made a soft gasp as she opened her eyes and saw an image in front of her.

Alya…? she thought.

"But I want to. What's the use if I can't even talk properly in front of Adrien?" Marinette moped.

Alya frowned, placing her hands on her hip. "If you mope around like this, I'm not going to be your friend."

Marinette clenched her hand into a fist. Alya.

She can't give up now. Not now. Not never. Not when things are dark.

Ladybug strained her arm in order to reach for her yoyo. She struggled for a few seconds before her hand was wrapped the cold hard surface of the object.

"It's over." Hawk Moth responded, gleaming with madness. "Don't worry. You will soon be with Chat Noir. I'm sure he will be happy to see you."

"It's not…over." Marinette replied, gasping.

She grabbed tightly her yoyo and then with the strength she had, she threw it upwards, hitting right at the side of Hawk Moth's face. He let out an exclaim of shout, making him lose his grip on Ladybug and she was dropped to the ground, gasping for breath.

Her lungs burning for oxygen and she panted heavily, eagerly taking the air back in.

"You wretch!" he snarled. "You better make note of what's around you because that's the last thing you will ever see!"

Marinette tried a different approach but it didn't help since Hawk Moth kept on releasing his strikes.

Ladybug stumbled sideways a bit in order to avoid the oncoming attack from Hawk Moth's hand swipe. Marinette quickly scanned the room for another attempt at the cane and once she spotted, she started to scale around the room until halfway of the scaling, she automatically charged towards the villain, extending her arm out.

Her plan failed when Hawk Moth took a rather large swipe and it struck Marinette, throwing her off course and she fell to the ground, skidding on her knees only to be halted from her forearms.

Marinette panted, cold mist coming out of her mouth.

"You're not going to give up now, are you?" he sneered. "I thought you were better than this!"

The raven-haired girl stared at the floor with a hard glare before she clenched her hands into fists and threw an angry glance at Hawk Moth.

"I'm not going to give up now!" she shouted, standing on her feet and she threw the yoyo in the air. "Lucky Charm!" she cried out.

In a flash, an object fell into her hand though she made a puzzled look.

"A locket frame?" she quizzed. Curiously, she opened the frame of the locket only to reveal a picture inside it. She gave a gasp when she saw a happy woman who was smiling.

This has to be his wife. she thought.

Seeing this, Hawk Moth stared down at her with madness and gave a nasty laugh. "Haha, what are you going to do with a pitiful locket frame? Nothing! I tell you. Nothing!"

That same wind came from nowhere and Ladybug winced when it came in contact with her.

"It's not the object itself but it's what inside it. That is what will be your downfall." Ladybug said, walking towards him.

The adversary widened his eyes as he still stared at that peculiar locket…it was odd though. It gave off a strange feeling as though he had seen it before.

"You're not a bad man, Hawk Moth. Gabriel. You're just consumed by the power of darkness that is now flowing through your body. I can help you go back to your normal form but only if you allow me to." Ladybug said, opening the locket.

As she did, Hawk Moth widened his eyes even more and made a sharp gasp. His gaze never left the picture and he kept on hearing Ladybug's words.

"You know her, Gabriel, don't you? She's your wife, isn't she? Please don't destroy it. It's the only thing that you have of her…" she spoke, softly. "This isn't what she wants; you should know that…her departure wasn't her fault. It was yours. You became a different person ever since you had been tainted with darkness. No one is this evil, Hawk Moth. You're not evil."

Many thoughts ran through his mind and it was overwhelming him though he gave out a frustrated scream when it was getting too much.

"NO! YOU DON'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME!" he screamed, making a strike and she collided with the hard ground, having the item scattering away from her hand.

Marinette gave a shaky breath as she stared at the ground, having a thought in her head.

This is almost impossible. Hawk Moth is so consumed by darkness—every time I'm so close, it prevails. What hope do I have to win this battle without hurting him? What makes Tikki think that I can win this battle?

"I know because I believe in you…you're the most powerful person I had ever met—not because of what you do, but you as Marinette."

A voice said in her thought. Marinette gasped softly and lifted her head as she saw a slightly distorted illusional figure that represented Adrien, giving a smile.

Adrien…

"I believe in you."

She then realized that the figure wasn't real but a mere flashback. She tightened her fist as she tried to hold back the tears.

"Have faith in yourself!"

Marinette widened her eyes from the familiar voice.

Tikki…

"Even though you're the clumsiest person in the world, I'm just happy that you're my friend."

Alya…

"It's over, Ladybug. Paris fell into my hands and you can't stop me." Hawk moth proclaimed. "I've won."

No…

Marinette tightened her fist, feeling the familiar rush going into her body.

It's not over! It never has been! I can defeat him!

"It's over!" he exclaimed, raising his cane and started to make a swing at Marinette.

"No! Yoyo, open at my command! I need your power!" she exclaimed.

As though in quick motion, everything happened all at once. The minute she threw her yoyo in the air, she found herself on her knees with her weapon open, giving off the pink light and Hawk Moth froze in his tracks, his cane above him but instead of attacking, he just left it in his hands in mid-air.

Ladybug gave one last shaky breath, her heart pumping from the events that just happened and she spoke.

"Don't destroy it. I know you're not evil, Hawk Moth. You chose the wrong path…please come back to us…come back to Adrien."

Hawk Moth broadened his eyes at the name of his son. As Marinette spoke, she could feel the streak of light coming out of the yoyo and was slowly enveloping Marinette and Hawk Moth.

"He still means something to you…I can tell. He missed you, dearly. All he ever wanted from you was to make a bond…a fatherly-son bond but it never happened because you became so cold and distant and even isolated. He's doing the things you want him to do because he wants you to be proud of him. Isn't that enough to come back to him?"

Hawk Moth still froze, not even moving an inch as he continued to glare at the bright light…that warm light…

It feels so warm…

How he longed to feel the warmness…

"Come back to your son."

As she said that, Hawk Moth could feel himself lowering his arms and he extended his arm out, reaching out for the warm light.

"You're not evil, Hawk Moth. You're just misunderstood…"

The minute his hand touched the light, Hawk Moth made a sharp gasp as he was starting to be consumed from the power. He gave a scream of agony, feeling the light entering his body and soon the whole room was filled by it.

Because the room was so bright, Ladybug used her arm to shield her eyes from it.

Seeing that it had reached full power, Marinette lowered her arm and stood up.

"You're not evil!MIRACULOUS!" she yelled and the Ladybug streaks covered the whole room. (1)

Soon, Gabriel found himself in a place that was covered entirely with white and he felt that he was hugging a body…he was hugging his own son who hugged him back.

"I'm home, son…I'm home."

And then, the light vanished and Gabriel (who was on the floor) found himself back to the semi-dark room where Ladybug stared at him.

Gabriel flickered his eyes open before he turned his head to the side and gave a faint smile.

"Thank you…Ladybug…I'm finally free." he responded, closing his eyes and felt himself disappearing.

Ladybug, battered and bruised, felt tears rolling down her cheeks as she watched the scene unfolding.

Once Gabriel was gone, Ladybug hung her down and hugged herself, sobbing.

"I'm still lonely." she sniffed.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Upon hearing from the voice, Marinette lifted her head and turned around. She gasped with delight as she saw the figure.

The figure smiled and grinned. "Hello, kitten."

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug exclaimed, crying as she ran towards her cat. "I've missed you."

Chat Noir softened his expression as he returned the hug. "It's okay…everything's alright…I'm here. I promise I won't ever let you go." he replied, hugging her tightly.

"I promise."

Author's Note: *blows nose, endlessly* mannnnnnnn, I dunno if it's just me or I'm getting too emotional these days…on the other note, I HOPE THE BATTLE DIDN'T SUCKED! Since we know so little about Hawk Moth, it was hard to write the final battle since I didn't know if he had powers of his own…so yeah…I HOPE YOU STILL LIKED IT EITHER WAY! And when Marinette shouted Miraculous, it's kind of hard to explain but it's basically when she brings the power together—it would make sense if you watch Origins part 2 (it's already out in French) but guys, we're almost done the story…ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO! LIKE WHAAAAA?! It's been a blast guys, really but I shall write my farewell in the next chapter. Toodles!