Chapter Thirty-Four: Voice
A/N: So in the beginning of this chapter, I'll be doing a mini-flashback, a tool that I'll also use later on. Just for future reference, flashbacks will be in italics.
ParisLove15: Glad this didn't seem totally impossible!
bja133: Thanks!
TheStrangeClaireBean: Nice detective skills!
Ic3princZ: It's okay, I'm you stuck around for that long!
Rose Tiger: Uh Oh indeed!
black neko hime: Yep! You were one of the first people to suspect Belle was akumatized!
mayuralover: Lol, I can relate.
getagriptyr: On the fence, eh? Can't say I don't blame ya.
Bug Out!
Voice: (verb) Express something in words
The glass doors slammed open with such force, it felt as if lightning would have struck down upon them in that very moment. People chattered her name, whispering rumors and lies that were not true. Her name, her legacy, her life had been tarnished because of a simple dispute. That one argument spiraled into sites dismissing her credibility, spitting upon her name she had spent years trying to forge from nothing, and kicked her out of society as if she had never existed before.
The cardboard box felt heavy in her hands. In it, held trophies and awards recognizing her site. They meant nothing anymore. If she so much as showed her face anywhere on the internet, she'd be laughed and mocked at. With one final whiff of the life she had before, of the life she had just lost, she threw the box into an empty alleyway, leaving it to the mercy of the rabid dogs. As she continued her trek of shame, she gripped her wooden pencil, which felt as if it was the only resemblance of home in this unfamiliar world. Part of her wanted to throw it to the streets and start anew, but part of her refused to let go. Tears silently streamed down her face and the next thing she knew, the only thing she could see was blurred anger and regret.
"You've been shunned by the people you call home. You were deemed a liar and someone nobody can trust. They've burnt your reputation to the ground. I'm giving you the power to gain the people's trust and bend it to your will. Soon, your words can shape mountains and change the world. I only ask for one simple thing from you."
She knew it was bad. She witnessed her friends become nothing but a puppet. But everything else felt so meaningless. There was nothing better to look forward to, no reason to wake up. She had nothing anymore. She was tired of being passive and letting hell come to her. She just hoped that when this nightmare ended, she didn't destroy everything she had built her life around.
"Time to let the headlines roll wild."
"How long have you been akumatized?"
Chat Noir's words echoed in Marinette's ears. It all made sense now. There had been no akumatizations ever since Reporta-belle was created, and that explained how she was able to post her articles so quickly; she caused everything herself!
The Metro went quiet as everyone curiously watched the scene play out. Belle stood there, examining her surroundings, an emotion of pity and disgust etched on her face.
"Yes or no?"
Grabbing her wooden pencil from her jet black hair, Belle opened her little notebook and flicked it to a page. In one swift motion, she erased a word that Marinette faintly read as 'disguise'. A wave of light surged from the pencil to Belle's body as she was transformed to her akumatized form. Her long hair was now shoulder length and parted to the side, her black glasses turned into a black mask, her suit was now a mix of red and black leather, and her gray beanie was nothing more than a memory. Still gripping her now-silver pencil and notepad, she snarled.
"Do you want to know when I was akumatized? I was akumatized when I was accused of plagiarization! I am Reporta-belle, and I will bend you to my will!" And with that final send off, Reporta-belle scribbled something in her notepad, causing a large hole in the tile ceiling. As she ran off, Chat Noir nodded at Marinette before running after the akuma. As people murmured and took pictures, Marinette hid inside the empty tunnel as Tikki flew out.
"I knew that girl was nothing but a liar!"
"Belle said she was accused, maybe her lies are just the akumas talking!" Tikki reasoned.
"Maybe," Marinette chanted. "Tikki, Spots On!"
Swinging out the open wall, Ladybug swung around Paris searching for Chat Noir and Reporta-belle. As her boots hit the rooftop, she opened her yo-yo and called Chat.
"Hey, Ladybug, I'm at the Sorbonne.."
"Got it. Be there in 2." Ladybug hung up as she picked up speed. Even though she was a block away, she could hear the sounds of battle between Chat Noir and Reporta-belle. When she got closer, Ladybug realized Chat's plan was to make sure the akuma didn't get a chance to write in her notebook. Yo-yo latched to a nearby tree, Ladybug lept down next to Chat Noir.
"We can't let her write in that book," Chat Noir explained. "I don't think she has enough power to make us give her our miraculous yet, but I'm pretty sure she could do other things that would be just as bad."
Smirking, Reporta-belle wrote in her notepad as a heavy glass box appeared on top of the duo. Seeing its shadow, Ladybug jumped out of the way, trapping only Chat Noir. Growling, Ladybug lept into the air as she wrapped her yo-yo's string around the box. With one final pull, her string cut through the box, freeing the blond. Turning around, the bluenette sighed when she realized Reporta-belle used that opportunity to escape. Nodding, Ladybug and Chat Noir began to chase her through the streets of Paris.
"Remember how we defeated Evillustrator?" Ladybug asked, eyes still focused on the fleeing akuma.
"We got him in the dark!"
"Exactly!" Ladybug grinned. "Follow my lead!"
The two superheroes began to berate Reporta-belle with their weapons, much to her annoyance. Ladybug swung to the other side of the street. With her original exit now blocked, Reporta-belle was herded down the right turn of Paris' street. After a solid minute of chasing, Reporta-belle busted through the glass doors of TVi Station. Still tailed by Ladybug and Chat Noir, she bust into an empty studio, before the double doors closed behind the two superheroes. With one throw, Ladybug's yo-yo smashed through all the lights, making the room black as night.
"You're done for, Reporta-belle." Chat inched closer. "I can see in the dark, you can't."
The blackette only smirked. Not seeing her paper, she scribbled a sentence. "I don't need light to write."
Within seconds, the lights turned back on as a minor explosion threw Chat Noir back. Reporta-belle, backed up to the parallel wall, wrote down one word, before resting the pencil tip on the paper.
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug chanted. Out from the heavens, a tiny little microphone bug fell into her palm.
Reporta-belle… notepad… microphone bug…
Ladybug smiled. Attaching the bug onto the inside of her yo-yo, she was about to throw it before Reporta-belle interrupted her.
"If you so much as flinch, I will write you to hell."
Ignoring her, Ladybug threw her weapon as it smacked Reporta-belle in the chin. Instead of crying out in pain, she growled and wiped the blood off her face.
"You have a death wish, bug, don't you?" she taunted. "I'm sick of people accusing me of lies, so from now on, my word is the only word that matters!"
"If you're gonna kill me, can I just ask you: were any of the stories you wrote true?"
"Of course some of them were. I had to build up trust! As for the others, I just write what people want to hear. Who cares if their false? Because if it's sandwiched between the truth, does it truly matter?"
"Why are you doing this anyway?"
"A month ago, I lost all my credibility after some dirt-bag disagreed with me. He ruined my life, and once I'm done with you two, I'm going to ruin his."
Instead of looking shocked or acting fearful of her life, Ladybug shook her head. "Go ahead, Reporta-belle. End my life and take my miraculous."
"Gladly." With one swipe, the word 'Ladybug' was crossed out, thus ending her life. Or so she thought. Seconds later, Ladybug stood tall, next to a smirking Chat Noir.
"W-Where's- What happened to all my power?!" she shrieked. Turning to Ladybug, she quickly pulled out a broadcasting bug that had latched itself to her cheek.
"You rely on people's belief on you. Seeing as how you just outed yourself to the world as a fake, I don't think your power will go past simple parlor tricks." the bluenette taunted.
Reporta-belle snarled as she pocketed her pencil and dropped her notepad on the floor. Running to the side, she threw the camera off its stand, grabbing the latter as a weapon. Charging towards the duo, the three engaged in battle as the akuma swung the heavy camera stand around. Unfortunately, Reporta-belle wasn't too skilled with weapons as Ladybug was able to remove it from her grip as it slid across the floor. The next thing she knew, Chat Noir reached in her pocket and grabbed the metal pencil.
"Cataclysm!" he called as it crumbled under his touch; the akuma flew out.
"I'm freeing you from evil!" Ladybug chanted. "Gotcha! Bye-Bye little butterfly!"
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
Swarms of ladybugs surrounded Paris as it not only fixed the damage caused in the Metro, it also fixed all damage in the fire.
"Bien joué!" the duo grinned as Reporta-belle was reverted back to her normal form.
"Ladybug? Chat Noir?" Belle's gaze darkened. "Oh no… I hurt a lot of people…"
"Do you remember?" Chat asked.
Belle nodded. "Everything."
Ladybug looked quizzically at Chat, before kneeling down to Belle. "It's okay, you just lost control of emotions and that's fine. It wasn't your fault that you got akumatized anyway."
"No one will ever trust me again…"
"It may take time, but once people understand that you had good intentions for what you did, they'll welcome you back."
Beep!
"Gotta split! Bug Out!"
But before Chat Noir could leave, Belle grabbed his arm. "Chat Noir… I'm… nevermind."
Chat looked at Belle for a brief moment, before leaping away.
Chat Noir lept down in front of the bakery, where Marinette was already waiting for him.
"You okay, Chat?"
He nodded. "Belle isn't as bad as you thought."
"I know." Marinette sighed. "I was wrong. She lost everything and instead of asking from her point of view, I jumped to conclusions. Gosh, I'm just as bad as Reporta-belle's followers."
"Don't say that." Chat Noir reasoned.
"Marinette? Chat Noir?" the two turned around to see Belle meekly waving.
"Oh, hey Belle!" Marinette smiled. "What's wrong?"
"I know what I did and I know what I said about you two and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for lying and I'm sorry for not doing more."
Marinette and Chat Noir looked at each other before smiling at her. "Apology accepted. Where are you going to go from here?"
"Firstly, I'm going to shut down Reporta-belle the second I get home. Akuma-me created that in order to gain more power, and I don't want to be reminded of that everytime I long in. Secondly, I'm done sitting and waiting for things to happen. I'm taking West Inc. and its corrupted stories to court. Maybe then I can finally get my voice heard."
Chat placed a hand on the blackette's shoulder. "If you ever need witnesses to testify, you know where to find us."
"I appreciate the offer, but if I'm going to prove this, I can't rely on anyone's shoulders." she turned to Marinette. "See you Monday, Marinette."
"All's well that ends well," Chat sighed contently as Belle walked away.
Marinette elbowed him in the chest. "Don't say that. With your luck, you'll end up in a body bag in a few days."
As Marinette walked into the bakery, all Chat Noir could do is chuckle.
And unbeknownst to them, peace was fleeting.
A/N: Prepare yourself, because the next chapter is gonna be a wild ride!