Okay, time for our next episode of Wedding Ladybug! Today, the school's putting on the festival and everyone's getting excited for it. There's going to be a big dance party, and Marinette intends on asking handsome guitarist Luka Couffaine to go with her!
But war waits for nothing. Nathaniel, still trying to overcome his own timidness, ends up making a very BONEHEAD move when the Evillustrator empathizes with him. With newfound confidence, he tries pushing Marinette into being his date to the dance while showcasing new skills and talents.
In the girls' club room, Chloé and Alya were working on a building project. They had wood, nails, screws, drills, etc. The kwamis were reading the instruction book and helping pass the girls the supplies they needed.
"Chloé, we've only got two days until the François-Dupont campus festival, so don't slack! Put your back into it!" Alya barked.
"Hey, don't shout orders at me!" Chloé shot back as she was anxiously looking at the wood while holding nails and a hammer in her hands. "I don't wanna ruin my nails!"
"Listen, Chloé, I understand your grooming is important to you, but so is this festival! It's only once a year, so we need to bust our asses and do a damn good job!" Alya stated.
"You're right." Chloé said, sighing in annoyance.
"It's going to be awesome, Alya!" Trixx said. "Once the festival starts, it's going to be a huge party!"
"The merrymaking and celebrations will be most delightful!" Pollen agreed. "How exciting!"
"But remember, we need to stay hidden." Nooroo reminded.
The door opened and Marinette came in with a bundle of fabric. Tikki came out of hiding before joining the other kwamis out of the direct line of sight of the door. She announced, "I'm finished!"
She unraveled the bundle and revealed the banner for their stand. It was a pale pink background with a few macarons in different colors. In darker pink, almost red, the banner read "Sweets in Style," and there were chibi versions of the trio underneath the text. They each holding a dessert. Marinette had a pink macaron, Alya had an orange cupcake, and Chloé was holding a golden yellow blondie.
She also had three aprons in pale pink with the same lettering and text.
"Marinette, those are BADASS!" Alya declared.
"Thanks, I worked pretty hard on these." Marinette thanked before laughing.
The girls were unaware that they were being watched. Nathaniel was looking through the opened door, looking directly at Marinette.
He sighed wistfully, then muttered, "Sweet Marinette..."
Alya noticed Nathaniel looking into the room, so she opened the door, scaring him. She smiled and said, "What's up?"
"Oh, um, nothing..." Nathaniel said before straightening up and walking away from the door.
The rest of the girls came out to the hallway and Alya asked, "What are you planning on doing to help out at the festival? I know your artistic talents will be put to use."
"Y-Yeah... They will be." Nathaniel quietly said before walking away, his head down.
Later in the huge gym, the girls were helping decorate for the dance that was going to be part of the festival. Several other students were carrying decorations and heavier items, too.
"Imagine how it's going to look when it's fully decorated at the evening dance!" Marinette exclaimed as she and the girls were helping with the lighting.
"The evening dance is always the best part!" Alya added. "Who doesn't love a party?"
"Anyone who's anyone would love a party. And if they don't, the joke's on them. They're not the ones enjoying themselves." Chloé added.
"So, who's going to be dancing with whom?" Marinette asked.
"I'm fine flying solo. I'd ask Nino for a friend-date, but he's on the list for music tonight as a DJ. You, Chloé?" Alya asked.
"With the obvious exception of you two, there's no one here worth looking at for me to ask." Chloé stated.
"What about you, Marinette?" Alya asked.
Marinette blushed with a shy smile, and said, "Well... I do have someone in mind."
"Really?! Spill!" Alya said. "Is it Adrien?"
Marinette pulled a disgusted scowl and said, "Ew, no way! Me and Adrien? When pigs fly."
"Then who?" Chloé asked.
Marinette's face turned back to a blush and shy smile and her eyes wandered over to the stage. She looked at the person sitting on the stage - a young man about a year or so older than the girls, with dark hair dyed blue, matching blue eyes, wearing mostly dark clothing, and playing a guitar.
He saw Marinette looking at him, and gave her a two-finger salute for a wave while giving her a smile and a wink. Marinette waved back, her blush going deeper.
The girls looked at the exchange and with a smile, Alya said, "Damn, girl. Luka, huh?"
Marinette gave a nod and said, "Yep. Luka Couffaine."
"I can see why. He's a looker, but the way he dresses..." Chloé said, but shuddered at his fashion choices.
"Oh, quiet, Chloé," Marinette said defensively. "Luka's such a gentleman. I can feel at ease with him around and I just feel so... Happy."
"But when did you notice him, exactly?" Chloé asked.
"We hit it off when I bumped into him in the hallway one day a little while ago. I think it was some time after Dark Cupid was taken care of." Marinette explained, her eyes still glued to Luka.
But loud clapping snapped the girls out of the conversation. They looked to the entry hall to see the executive committee and its head, Rose Lavillant, Juleka's girlfriend and the singer for Kitty Section (Luka's band).
"Alright everyone! Great job!" Rose said.
"Hi, Rose!" Marinette said as she approached.
"Hey girls! Working hard at it?" Rose asked. "Gotta check, being head of the executive committee."
"It's gotta be a lot of work." Alya asked.
"It's fine. I just know how to make things fun," Rose said before running over to some of the others. "Hey, do you think you could put some of the banners up here on the backboard of the basketball hoops, please? Oh, and if you guys could add a bit of purple glitter here, I think it'd be great. Though I think Marinette might have a good idea of what to do..."
"She's got enthusiasm, I'll give her that much." Chloé said.
"Yeah, and she's definitely taking this seriously. I wouldn't want anyone else to be head of the executive committee." Alya praised.
That evening, Nathaniel slammed his hand on his desk and shouted, "This ends now, understand? This is my body, so get out!"
Groaning in pain, the young man moaned as a stream of black energy came out of him, and the Evillustrator emerged behind him.
"I don't like it when you talk to me like that," The Evillustrator stated, his tone offended and his face sad. "Do you have to be so mean?"
"You need to make like a banana and split! I can't take it anymore!" Nathaniel spoke, pointing out the window.
"That's what you say, but your body isn't saying the same thing. Your body's pretty comfortable, and that's rare." Evillustrator commented.
"But why mine?" Nathaniel asked.
"Your introverted nature, your shyness, it just makes you a nice amount of twisted." Evillustrator explained.
"Hey, I'm not twisted!" Nathaniel denied, turning his face away.
"Then why didn't you speak up about wanting to be part of the festival in more than just the artistic portion?" Evillustrator asked, genuine concern in his voice. "You want to do your part in more ways than just that, right?"
Nathaniel paused before looking back at his akuma companion.
"Listen, hasn't it occurred to you that I might know just how you're feeling?" Evillustrator inquired before coming closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I wonder... Would you like to sign a contract?"
"Contract?" Nathaniel asked.
"You know... A contract with the akumas?" Evillustrator elaborated casually.
Thunder and lightning flashed outside.
"Um... Could you explain?" Nathaniel asked.
"You and I are a lot alike. We're both artists. But your peers have you beat in some things. There's sports to start with. STEM concepts, writing, music. At the end of the day, you're not good at everything," Evillustrator began, leaning in closer to talk to him. "And a lot of people aren't going to hesitate to mock you about it, either."
Nathaniel didn't deny a thing that the Evillustrator was saying.
"If you have any desires for the future, I can only think of one thing: you want payback. To make them feel the way they made you." Evillustrator stated.
Nathaniel broke into a bit of a cold sweat, his eyes wide and his teeth about to start chattering.
"If you sign a contract with me, then you get the whole package." Evillustrator said as stepped away. He started drawing things out on his tablet and materializing them.
Gold medals for Olympic sporting events, prizes for work in several STEM fields, ribbons for his artwork, including drawing, painting, acting, and even in music. Literature prizes, medals for cooking competitions, articles in newspapers about his work, everything. They all swirled around Nathaniel, tempting him.
"You won't just be an athlete, but you'll be the DaVinci of modern times! You'll be your generation's Einstein, Newton, or even Mendel. Even Gordon Ramsay may be asking you to work for him. You'll be a master of everything." Evillustrator continued as he continued drawing up so many scenarios.
Nathaniel swallowed a huge lump in his throat. His Adam's Apple bobbed visibly.
"And the best part is that those who pick on you today will be groveling for forgiveness in the future," Evillustrator added. "You'll hit the mark at everything you try."
Nathaniel smiled at the thought.
"Isn't this the best deal you've ever heard in your life?" Evillustrator questioned.
Nathaniel nodded and he said, "That... That'd be miraculous."
"Wouldn't it be, though?" Evillustrator chuckled. "And all you need to do is sell your soul to the akumas!"
Thunder and lightning crashed again.
Evillustrator used his tablet and pen to conjure up a blue light orb.
Nathaniel put his hand on it, causing it to expand on contact, sucking his hand in. Nathaniel screamed and started pulling his hand out. When the light faded, Nathaniel saw a worm-like creature with an eye on it. It then flashed red before forming into a seemingly-normal thumb ring.
"And the contract is signed." Evillustrator said with a smile.
The next morning, several students were working on the sign for the entrance for the festival.
Nathaniel approached and kindly said, "That doesn't look very good."
"Hey!" One of the students protested.
"I can't let this slide. It's totally lacking in artistic sense." Nathaniel commented, a smirk growing on his face.
"Well, let's see you do better!" The same student snapped.
"Okay." Nathaniel said as he took up a giant paintbrush, a few construction tools, and got to work.
As if he were moving at warp-speed, Nathaniel started sawing through wood, hammering nails in, painting the wood, etc., etc.. And everyone was watching in awe, shocked at Nathaniel's new skill-set.
The girls approached just as Nathaniel finished up.
"Et viola!" Nathaniel said as he put the paintbrush down. "What do you think?"
The sign was now made of wood, but it was made of many different-colored, geometric prisms and shapes that were put together, where all the pointed parts were jutting out in different directions while some fit together like a puzzle.
Everyone was gasping and making sounds at Nathaniel's artwork.
"Amazing!" Someone shouted out.
The girls were looking at the display, both in awe and in confusion.
"Has Nathaniel been holding out on us with these talents his whole life?" Alya asked, eager to get more details.
Rose and the rest of the executive committee approached and asked, "Oh wow! Who created this?! It's amazing!"
"It was Nathaniel!" Another student pointed out.
Nathaniel smiled his usual smile, but it hid some smugness behind it.
"Nathaniel, as head of the executive committee, I'd like to tell you that I'm very happy with this sign for the festival!" Rose added.
"Don't worry about it," Nathaniel said. "If my talents can help out, then I'll be at your service."
"What's up with Nathaniel?" Another student questioned.
'I'm not the same Nathaniel Kurtzberg I was last night.' Nathaniel thought, his smugness beginning to show on his face.
'You're right about that. You're not the same guy.' The Evillustrator said from inside, proud of him. His figure could be seen by Nathaniel, but not anyone else.
"Hey Nathaniel, will you help me out and redecorate the gym for the dance party?" Rose requested.
"No problem." Nathaniel said.
His thumb ring sparkled. He turned around to the girls with a smile, then suddenly jumped up onto the sign with a huge back flip.
"What on Earth?!" Marinette asked.
"He's like a completely different person. Not like the shy, quiet guy we know." Alya commented.
He jumped off the sign, and landed on both feet, directly in front of Marinette.
He leaned into her space and asked, "I wanted to ask you, Marinette. Would you be my date for the dance party tonight?"
"Listen, Nathaniel, I'm flattered, but-" Marinette began.
"You will? That's great!" Nathaniel said.
"No, Nathaniel, please, I-" Marinette continued, but...
"Hey, you're being totally one-sided about this, Nathaniel!" Chloé barked.
"I don't take orders from blonde witches," Nathaniel sternly said to Chloé. "I'm asking Marinette, not you."
Chloé balked, with Alya looking on in concern.
"Nathaniel, hurry up! The dance hall isn't going to wait for anyone!" Rose gleefully sang.
"Coming!" Nathaniel said before turning back to Marinette. "You'll think about it, right, Marinette?"
He then ran off.
Marinette face-palmed.
The following day, the festival was fully under way. There were stands all over campus that had food, games, and all kinds of activities. One attraction was a human Whack-A-Mole game, with some of the students playing the moles while they had rubber balloon mallets for hitting the moles on the head. There was also a matching game using a standard deck of cards, but the cards were about the size of the students themselves and they had to really use all their strength to lift and turn around the cards.
Outside in the yard, the girls had set up their dessert stand. They had macarons, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, etc. They all worked together on the desserts and Tom pitched in a helping hand here and there, too. Marinette was in charge of the decorating while the rest of the production was taught to the girls. They were all the aprons Marinette made.
"Alright, three chocolate cupcakes, six strawberry macarons, and two blondies!" Alya said as she rang up their customer while Chloé boxed up the treats.
Marinette put a "Sweets in Style" sticker onto the box and handed it to the customer, saying, "Here you go!"
"Thank you!" She said before walking away.
Then someone else came up to the stand. He said, "Hey Marinette."
Her eyes looked up to meet those of Luka.
"Luka! Hi!" Marinette said, blushing a little bit.
"This stand looks great. Selling desserts, huh?" Luka asked.
"Sure are," Alya said before looking at Marinette briefly. "What can we get you?"
"I'll take four cupcakes for the band." Luka said as he took out some cash to pay for the treats. Alya boxed up the desserts and handed it over to Marinette to give to him.
"So... Have you asked anyone to the dance?" Alya asked as Marinette handed the box over to Luka.
"Not yet, but... I do want to ask someone." Luka said, before making eye contact with Marinette.
Marinette blushed as she came out from behind the stand.
"Okay, then..." Marinette began as she was about to ask.
"Hey Marinette, have you made your choice yet?" Nathaniel said as he ran up and got into Marinette's space.
Marinette turned to Nathaniel, who was eagerly looking at her. He repeated, "We're going to the dance together, right?"
"No, Nathaniel," Marinette said, shaking her head. "Listen, I..."
"What do you mean "no," Marinette? You're going with someone else?" Nathaniel asked.
"Not quite. I was about to ask, but..." Marinette began, trying her best to be nice about saying, "I'm not going with you, Nathaniel, because I was just going to ask Luka here."
"Then that means we're good to go, right?" Nathaniel insisted.
"Nathaniel, I'm trying to say "no," please." Marinette continued.
"Stop it, Nathaniel," Luka said, stepping in. "You're making Marinette uncomfortable. The melody in her heart is filled with discordance, mirroring her discomfort with you. Her answer is "no," so take it."
Ignoring Luka, Nathaniel was instead listening to the Evillustrator, who was telling him from inside, 'That's how it's done, Nathaniel. Keep putting the pressure on her.'
"Yeah, Marinette?" Nathaniel asked, only for a frustrated and angry Marinette to take off running. He gave chase, shouting, "Right, Marinette?!"
"WRONG, Nathaniel! Listen to me, my answer is N-O, understand?!" Marinette shouted in desperation.
In one of the classrooms, Adrien was working with his fencing team on their strategies for an upcoming tournament.
"Okay, so this team is going to be using this strategy for the tournament, and..."
Marinette threw the door open in fright, shouting, "Adrien!"
"What's up, Mariboo?" Adrien asked as she ran behind him to hide.
"He won't leave me alone!" Marinette declared.
Nathaniel came to the door, saying, "Marinette, all I'm asking is for you to be my dance partner tonight."
Adrien looked at Marinette, then asked Nathaniel, "You asked Mariboo to the dance?"
"Your point?" Nathaniel asked, quirking a brow.
"Well... I sort of see it," Adrien said, rubbing his neck. "You're both artistic people..."
Marinette groaned internally.
"Well, Nathaniel, I never thought you'd have the guts to ask out a girl. Great job trying to break out of your shell." Adrien commented, praising him.
"Thanks," Nathaniel said. "I'm not the same guy I was once before."
"Um, Adrien... Don't you have something you want to tell him?" Marinette asked as she gestured to Nathaniel.
"I... I really don't think I should say anything," Adrien said with a shrug, a little uncomfortable at being put on the spot. "Isn't this between the two of you?"
Marinette sighed and said, "You're right, but..."
"We're okay, aren't we, Marinette?" Nathaniel asked, approaching Marinette and getting in her space. "You didn't ask anyone else, right?"
Marinette once again looked to Adrien, who just gave a shrug and said, "Well... No account for taste."
This only ticked Marinette off and said, "Nathaniel, my answer is no! I'll go to the dance, just not with you, and I won't dance with you even once! Understand?"
Marinette ran off again, with Nathaniel chasing after her again.
Adrien chuckled a little bit, but two of his teammates approached.
"Dude," One said. "I know you're not the best at social cues due to your upbringing, but you've watched enough anime to be familiar with this scenario, right?"
"What do you mean?" Adrien asked.
"Don't you think she came in here so you'd come to her rescue?" Another teammate asked.
Adrien's face fell when he realized what his peers were saying.
Nathaniel was still running through the halls, trying to track Marinette down, but as he was looking around...
'I understand you like her, but don't waste time chasing after that girl." Evillustrator said from inside.
"What? Why?" Nathaniel asked.
'Your task is to find the Love Angels.' Evillustrator elaborated.
"Ugh, "Love Angels" this, "Love Angels" that... Why are they any of my concern?" Nathaniel sighed, annoyed. He continued walking around to try and find Marinette.
'I probably should've told you this beforehand, but that's your end of the bargain. It's in our contract.' The Evillustrator casually confessed, causing Nathaniel to stop in his tracks.
"I... It is?" Nathaniel asked.
'Yeah,' The Evillustrator continued, again, a little embarrassed about his inability to communicate. 'You don't want to breach it, do you?'
The redheaded human looked at the thumb ring on his hand.
"Nathaniel!" Rose shouted as she ran up to him. "Thank you so much! The decorations in the hall are bomb!"
"I just hope everything's going well..." Nathaniel said shyly.
"It's a smash hit!" Rose said, enthusiastically.
"All thanks to you, Rose!" "Yeah, you've been breaking your back for this festival. It's no wonder it's a hit."
Rose's eyes lit up and she said, "I've put all of my passion and enthusiasm into this festival. The food stands, the games...!"
Her badge as head of the committee started glowing pink, radiating her love waves.
Evillustrator's eyes snapped open and he said, 'I can feel it. The love waves!'
"Excuse me?" Nathaniel asked.
"Huh?" Rose questioned, tilting her head aside.
"Oh, um, nothing... Gotta go!" Nathaniel said before dashing away.
Nathaniel ran to the stairwell, and looked around to see if anyone was watching.
"Okay, the coast is clear. You can come out." Nathaniel said.
The Evillustrator phased out of Nathaniel's body, much to the redhead's discomfort.
He then took his tablet out and started sketching something up. He said, "Time for those who writhe in darkness to rise. Blackie, I summon you!"
After drawing something on his tablet, a black bat-like creature with huge eyes flew out of the tablet. He was furry and looked pretty cute, but then the creature flew away.
"What the hell was that?" Nathaniel asked.
"Don't worry. He won't eat the Love Angels." The Evillustrator reassured.
Back outside, Alya and Chloé were still working the stand.
"Thank you and come again!" Chloé said as she finished serving one girl.
"This is going great. If Marinette wasn't going to be a fashion designer, she'd be an amazing baker." Alya commented.
"Yep." Chloé agreed.
"Speaking of whom..." Trixx said as she pointed out their friend.
Marinette was carrying an ice cream cone and walking over to the stand.
"Marinette, where've you been?" Alya asked. "Did you shake off Nathaniel?"
"Yeah, I did. And the Cosmetology club was having an ice cream stall, so I got some," Marinette said as she took a bite of her treat. She snuck a bite to Tikki. "It's really good."
"Hey! We've been at this for hours without complaint!" Chloé griped. "What do you think you're doing?! Alya, say something!"
"Why don't we get some ice cream, too?" Alya suggested. "I'm getting hungry."
"Are you serious?" Chloé asked.
"My queen," Pollen said to Chloé. "I'd love to sample the ice cream as well."
"Me too, Lady Chloé." Nooroo added.
"Yeah, the kwamis need to eat, too." Alya confirmed.
"...Okay, let's get ice cream," Chloé said. "Marinette, can you man the stand in the meantime?"
"Sure thing." Marinette said as she sat down and continued eating her ice cream, making sure to give Tikki a few bites.
As she was minding her own business, Adrien was walking up to the stand, a bit cautious. Tikki ducked.
Marinette saw him out of her peripheral vision, then said flatly, "Oh, Adrien."
"Hi, I..." Adrien began, trying to find an excuse to say something. "I wanted to..."
He saw the desserts at the stand.
"I wanted to give the cupcakes you made a try!" Adrien said, putting down some money for the food and picked up a passionfruit cupcake.
"Help yourself." Marinette said quietly.
"Listen, about earlier..." Adrien began, getting Marinette's attention. "I'm sorry that I didn't understand that you needed help."
Marinette just blinked at him.
Red in the face, Adrien continued, "Next time, I'll be sure to... Say something to get him to back off."
"Adrien..." Marinette said, a smile creeping up onto her lips.
He took a bite of the cupcake and then said, "Wow, this is delicious."
He kept eating the treat, but he wound up going too fast and started to choke on one bite. He thumped his chest to help it go down, and he swallowed.
Marinette tried her best not to laugh.
Blackie was still flying around, trying to track the source of the love waves. In one classroom, Rose was having a drink of water with some of the other members of the executive committee.
"Well, the festival is almost over, and so far, it's been a success! Now we'll be guaranteed to be able to do it again next year!" Rose said.
Her pin started radiating with her love waves again.
But Blackie crashed through the glass windows, inciting a scream from the girls.
"What is that thing?!" "A flying stuffed animal?!"
Blackie swarmed himself and then he grew to the size of a ten-foot monster, his features went from furry to more sleek and sharp, and he looked more menacing. He started growling.
Alya and Chloé were still walking through the halls to get back to their stand. They were finished with their ice cream.
"That was delectable." Pollen commented.
"Yeah, it was good." Trixx agreed, with Nooroo nodding.
Then the group heard screaming, and they went to check it out.
In that classroom, Blackie was towering over the unconscious girls.
Chloé and Alya saw the scene, with Alya shouting, "Rose!"
"It's Blackie!" Nooroo stated.
"An akuma, right?" Alya asked.
"Right," Nooroo said, as Blackie roared at them. "I'll go get Lady Marinette!"
Nooroo flew off, leaving the girls and kwamis there.
"Cunning Wedding Flower!" "Growing Wedding Flower!"
"Bridal Change Go! Wedding Dress Transform!" "Angel Illusion Rena Rouge!" "Angel Subjection Queen Bee!"
"Go fighting Angels!" The pair shouted as they got their weapons out.
Blackie started firing blasts of black energy out of its mouth at the girls. And the girls jumped out of the way, ducking and dodging the blasts as they hit the window, blasted a desk, and knocked over a few books.
And one blast was moving over the floor, dangerously close to slicing Rose's hair off.
The girls landed, and Rena stated, "We'd better take this fight outside."
Queen Bee gave an agreeing nod, and then the two angels broke out of the nearby window and went onto the roof.
Blackie came to confront them on the roof, roaring again. Down on the ground, Nooroo had gotten Marinette, and she and Tikki were on their way, running towards the source.
"Up there!" Nooroo shouted, pointing up to the fight on the roof.
"Rena! Queen Bee! Let's get going, Tikki!" Marinette said.
"Lucky Wedding Flower!" "Bridal Change! Wedding Dress Transform! Angel Creation Ladybug!"
Ladybug then used her yo-yo to get up onto the roof, and then kicked Blackie on the back of the head.
She did a back flip in the air before landing in between the girls.
"You akumas have some balls, attacking us in the middle of the school festival!" Marinette said as she started spinning her yo-yo.
Back in the festival, Nathaniel was eating a crepe filled with spinach and mushrooms while walking around.
Evillustrator woke up and said, 'I think Blackie's found the Love Angels. Go after them!'
"Can I finish eating..." Nathaniel began to ask, but...
'NO! NOW, PLEASE!' Evillustrator shouted, instilling a sense of urgency in Nathaniel.
The girls were still jumping, dodging, and blocking Blackie's blasts, but they knew that they had to do something else.
"Queen Bee!" Ladybug shouted, prompting her blonde ally.
Queen Bee got the Miraculous Something Blue out of her earrings, then started spinning the baton.
"Bride's Bashfulness!" Queen Bee shouted. "Marriage Announcement - Honey Star Shower!"
She shot the bee-shaped lights at the monster, stunning him.
"Rena!" Queen Bee shouted back.
Rena Rouge took out her Miraculous Something Borrowed item, and started charging it.
"Love's Tribute Candle!" Rena Rouge shouted. "Miraculous Fantasies!"
Foxtail lights were fired at Blackie, dealing even more damage to him.
"Go for it, Ladybug!" Queen Bee shouted.
The red-spotted girl brought out the Lady's Crystal.
"Lady's Crystal!" Ladybug called out, activating it and using it to suck in all of Blackie's hateful energy. The crystal started flashing red.
"Engagement Present! Lady's Crystal, L'amour Pour Vous!" Ladybug shouted as she fired the love waves.
Direct hit. Blackie changed back into his cuter form, and his eyes started sparkling while his smile grew. He then vanished into a flurry of sparkles up into the sky.
Evillustrator's eyes popped open and he told the running Nathaniel, 'Looks like the Love Angels just defeated Blackie.'
Nathaniel was at the classroom and saw the trio of normal girls on the floor. Rose was unconscious.
'I guess she's not one of the Love Angels.' Evillustrator added.
Later that evening, the dance was about to get started.
"And now, the François-Dupont school festival dance shall now commence!" The emcee announced.
Everyone started dancing and moving to the music. Alya and Chloé were off to the side, minding their own business.
Marinette, meanwhile, was looking at the stage, a little sad. She tried to ask Luka for a dance, but he informed her that he and the rest of Kitty Section were asked to fill in a few music spots at the last minute (some of the other music acts had to back out due to injuries).
As for Nathaniel, he was looking around for said designer within the crowd. He smiled and laughed when he caught sight of her. He started making his way over to her, intending on getting a dance with her.
But he was beaten to the punch. Adrien came up to Marinette and snidely said, "Looks like you don't have a partner. I'll dance with you if you want."
He held out his hand.
Marinette sighed and said, "I would've danced with Luka, but he's too busy. So, I guess since you don't have a partner either, I'll dance with you."
Adrien held back an amused laugh as Marinette put her hand into his.
Nathaniel saw this entire thing go down. He hung his head in devastation, dejected.
The music started playing, the lights started flashing, and then everyone in the hall started dancing. The rest of the day went off without a single hitch.
Alright, that's a wrap. Now Nathaniel's an ally to the akumas, not aware of what exactly he's gotten himself into. And if you've been paying attention, the thumb ring Nathaniel is wearing as part of the deal with the Evillustrator is modeled after the Rooster Miraculous. This is because I'm almost CERTAIN Nathaniel's going to get the Rooster Miraculous at some point in the series. Season 5 or later, but I'm thinking that's what's gonna happen.
Also, for fellow fans of his (including myself), Luka will have a few other cameo appearances and mentions in this story.
Coming up, the girls have another akuma to face in Zombizou, who's stealing the love waves from everyone through her kisses and disguises. Meanwhile, Nathaniel's getting suspicious that Marinette and Ladybug are one and the same, and so he all but blackmails her into going on a date with him! How's Marinette gonna throw him off the scent?!
Alright, time for another preview. Let's jump ahead to about episode 42, okay? More DJWifi/Renapace moments.
As the boat floated along, it was quiet between Nino and Alya.
"Alya..." Nino began.
"Yeah, Nino?" Alya questioned.
"Alya, I'm sorry for being such a prick, ignoring you the way I was, dude." Nino apologized.
"Nino, don't..." Alya started to argue back, but...
"No, I have been ignoring you, dudette," Nino insisted. "You and the girls have been doing such great, sweet things for me and the others, but..."
"Don't worry about it, Nino." Alya continued, laughing a bit.
"I can't not worry about it, Alya," Nino said. "I haven't shown you the appreciation and gratitude you deserve. Not to mention, I've been lying to myself about my own feelings, dude. I hope you can forgive me."
"Nino, stop," Alya began. "You've got a lot on your plate. The akuma realm, the angel realm and all. There's no helping it."
"You're wrong about that," Nino grunted, frustrated. "I'm a pathetic excuse for an angel!"
"Whoa, Carapace, what are you talking about?!" Alya said, getting a bit angry, but she saw Nino's face fall and a tear at the corner of his eye.
"An angel that's scared of his own feelings? How am I supposed to work to save the angel realm?!" Nino griped in frustration. "How can I embody the love waves for only one angel?"