It took forever to write this chapter, and I think its one of the longest in this story. Hopefully, there won't be such an update gap for the next chapter.

Chapter 30: Bombs Away

It wasn't easy to line their schedules up, but eventually Marinette managed to meet up with Fu to discuss relaxing techniques.

They met right after school, but it was already late afternoon by the time they were finishing up. If Marinette hadn't promised to meet up with Alya, she would have stayed even longer. But after cancelling two study sessions because of akuma attacks, Marinette didn't want to stand Alya up again.

Still, there was something she needed to say first.

"There is one thing I'd like to talk to you about," Marinette said.

"Yes?"

"It's about the temporary heroes," Marinette said. "Im starting to think we should be trusting them more."

Fu hmmed thoughtfully. "They have proven to be trustworthy. However, I do not know if it is safe to trust them with anymore. Putting more miraculous out in permanent use isn't safe."

"No, but there are other things we could do," Marinette said. "We don't have to give them their miraculouses permanently, but we can lend them out - give them some time to talk to their kwami, maybe bring them on a patrol so they can learn how to use their powers in a situation that isn't a battle."

"An interesting idea," Fu admitted.

"I was thinking of starting with Rena and Carapace - If that's okay with you, of course. But I want to give everyone a chance - except for maybe Kagami. Since Hawkmoth knows her identity, it might be too dangerous."

"If you think it is wise, I'll go along with it," Fu said. "I'm sure I can live a few days without Wayzz."

"Great!" Marinette said. "I'll come by tomorrow to pick them up!"

An akuma attack that night forced her to bring out the miraculouses a lot earlier.

The akuma called himself Ghost - according to his monologue, he had been stood up on a date. His powers included phasing through objects, flight, and shooting love potions grenades that made you fall in love with the first person you saw after being hit.

Chat Noir had been hit, but since he already had a huge (and sometimes annoying) crush on Ladybug, he didn't show any signs of being affected. Still, Ladybug decided having a few more allies was a good idea.

Carapace and Rena Rouge were her first choices. Not only did they have the experience to not be hit, but they had the same safety net as Chat Noir. Ladybug debated grabbing Alix, thinking that perhaps her being aromantic would keep her from being affected. On the other hand, if she never had a crush before, a magically-induced one might be twice as distracting.

Ladybug also considered Kota. She was a romantic, and had self-proclaimed herself someone who crushed easily, so there was a good chance she could focus through the effects of the love potion. But Lacy had been strangely out of it through out the school day, maybe it wasn't a good idea.

"It's your decision," Tikki said when Marinette relayed her thought process to her.

When Fu opened the miracle box, Marinette grabbed the fox and rooster and asked for the turtle.

"And will you be leaving the miraculouses with Rena and Carapace?" Fu asked.

"Yes," Marinette confirmed.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"Me too."

It was the middle of the night, so Ladybug ended up having to wake up Alya, Nino, and Lacy (she was starting to suspect that Lacy never slept, and was glad to be proven wrong.)

Chat Noir was waiting for them on the rooftop, with a rose for Ladybug. Ladybug ignored him, and instead filled the other superheroes in on the plan.

Well, it wasn't a plan. More like a general idea.

Ghost was terrorizing a small apartment building, flying in front bedroom windows and startling the people inside. In a dark gray suit and butterfly mask, the akumatized object - a blood red rose in his chest pocket - was obvious.

Rena Rouge dropped onto the street behind Ghost and casted her mirage.

Ladybug watched her sorta-plan unfold, sparing minimum attention to Chat Noir's frequent flower-bringing.

Maybe the potion was having a stronger effect than Ladybug originally thought.

Ladybug swung from her perch across the street to the apartment building, landing on the roof just in time to see Ghost raise his arms to aim two potions at the mirage. She jumped, wrapping her yo-yo around Ghost's arms and yanking him to the ground.

Ghost was halfway there before he went intangible, phasing out of the yo-yo strings. He aimed a potion at Ladybug, but Carapace jumped in front of it and it bounced harmlessly off his shield.

Ghost turned tangible again and dove for Ladybug, but Kota jumped onto his back. The forced caused Ghost to fly into the concrete, sending him and Kota tumbling.

Kota was back on her feet in seconds, but couldn't dodge the potion as it hit her.

Ladybug grimaced. This was not going well.

"Lucky charm!"

She reached for her lucky charm, and the action forced her to drop her guard. Ghost launched another love potion, and Ladybug abandoned the lucky charm to reach for her yo-yo.

The potion would have hit her if Kota didn't jump in front, using her kite to knock the potion back.

"Thanks," Ladybug said, picking her lucky charm off the ground.

Kota flashed her a smile before Ghost forced her back on the defensive.

Ladybug watched the fight, keeping her eyes out for what she needed for this lucky charm. Very slowly, a plan started to form.

"Rena, I'm going to need your help."

It wasn't until after Ladybug and Kota landed in Lacy's apartment that Ladybug realized something.

"Did the love potion not affect you?" Ladybug asked when Kota had detransformed.

Lacy dig a granola bar out of her desk and opened it for her kwami.

"I guess not," she replied, handing the bar to Orikko.

"Course it didn't," Orikko said, mouth full. "Considering who your mom is."

"Your mom?" Ladybug asked.

"Oh, um, it's nothing," Lacy stuttered.

Ladybug frowned. As far as she knew, Lacy didn't talk about her mom at all. Whenever the topic came up, she usually mentioned Elisabeth, and most of the class was probably under the impression that Elisabeth was her biological mother. If Lacy's mother was important - maybe even magical, considering the context - Ladybug wanted to know, but if she didn't want to talk about it...

Orikko also seemed to decide to respect Lacy's privacy, because he didn't mention it again. Instead, he landed on Lacy's desk and started looking through a fresh batch of photos she had printed.

"Thank you for your help tonight," Ladybug said. "I know these late-night akumas are horrible."

"It's not that bad, with the rooster miraculous," Lacy replied with a shrug. "Must be rough on you and Chat though."

"Ugh, yeah," Ladybug agreed. "I'm starting to think Hawkmoth doesn't sleep."

Orikko finished his granola bar, and Lacy handed the miraculous over.

"Hope you still have time to sleep," she said.

"That depends on if there's another akuma," Ladybug said. "Sleep well."

Lacy yawned and waved goodbye, and Ladybug swung away.

Carapace and Rena Rouge were waiting for Ladybug on the rooftop of the apartment building Ghost had attacked. They were cuddling together when Ladybug landed.

"Ladybug!" Rena Rouge jumped on to her feet, blushing. Carapace followed suit. "You, uh, said you wanted to talk to us."

"Yes," Ladybug confirmed. "The two of you have proven yourself as useful allies, and I think it's time you took the next step forward."

"Are you letting us keep our miraculouses?" Rena Rouge said, face brightening.

"Not permanently," Ladybug replied. "At least, not yet. But I want you to have them for a few days. Get to know your kwamis a little better. Maybe learn a thing or two about your miraculous. In a few days, I'll still take them back, and it will be harder once you've spent time with your kwamis, but I think this is the right thing to do."

"Thank you!"

"We won't let you down."

"Trixx, let's rest."

Alya collapsed on her bed, watching as Trixx flew around her room. She couldn't believe it -she would have a whole couple days with her miraculous!

I wonder if Ladybug would mind if transformed without an akuma around?

As Trixx sniffed and investigated Alya's room, Alya sent Nino an orange heart emoji - her code for getting home safe after an akuma. A second later, he replied with a green heart. Satisfied, Alya locked her phone and plugged it in.

That brought her attention back to Trixx.

"I have so many questions," Alya blurted.

"I'm sure you do, pup," Trixx replied.

"What were the other fox heroes like?" Alya questioned. "I bet they were awesome rogues, tricksters, thieves - but with secret hearts of gold that earned them their miraculouses."

Trixx scoffed. "Sure, pup. Rogues and thieves could definitely be trusted not to abuse a miraculous of illusion."

Alya frowned. "That's a good point. But does that mean fox heroes are usually the opposite - people dedicate to the truth?"

"You're a good fox hero," Trixx said. "What category do you fall in?"

"I'm dedicated to the truth!" Alya declared. "Though I've been told I'm pretty gullible too."

"Yes, because the average 14-year-old is smart enough to know instantly when they're fooled," Trixx droned. "You're young, of course you're gullible. It's not necessarily a bad thing."

Trixx finished flying around the room and settled on Alya's laptop, like a cat seeking out the warmest place in the room. They curled up like a croissant.

"Next question?"

Alya tumbled for a moment before digging out her ultra-secret notebook and opening to the page where she had written down questions for Trixx and/or Ladybug.

"Why is the ladybug miraculous the only one who can purify the akumas?"

"I don't know the specifics," Trixx admitted. "Save the question for Ladybug."

Alya made a note and moved on. "Okay. Do miraculouses have any affect on dreams?"

"Not in the way you mean," Trixx replied.

"Huh?"

"I'm not an expert on dreams," Trixx explained. "But I'm pretty sure everything you encounter can affect your dreams, but there's no magical side effect - at least not with mine."

"Oh."

"If you're having magical dreams, it's probably hereditary," Trixx said. "You do have a magic smell around you."

"A what?" Alya asked.

"That's all I can say," Trixx said. "Your parents would know."

Alya scribbled a note to ask her parents later - because magic? - before continuing on.

"So it's possible that I could dream a memory of something," Alya pressed. "Like one of the past fox heroes?"

"Yes," Trixx agreed.

"Interesting."

Alya made a note and yawned.

"Tired?" Trixx questioned.

"No," Alya lied.

"Good," Trixx said. "It would be a shame if my new pup could tire out only after - oh, what was that, an entire battle? In the middle of the night? On a school night? After probably staying up late working on schoolwork or whatever teenagers do nowadays."

Alya yawned again. "Okay, maybe I am tired. But I have so many questions! Are there any side effects I might experience? I already think my hearing has improved, but Nino says I'm just imagining it."

"You're just imagining it."

"Am not!" Alya argued.

"Well, there you go," Trixx answered. "Your hearing and other sense might improve. You could gain night vision. You also might start screaming around Carapace."

"Screaming?"

"It's a fox's mating call," Trixx said. "Try not to do it public - people may stare."

"No kidding," Alya said. "What about turtles? Is Nino going to start doing weird mating calls?"

"I don't know," Trixx admitted. "Something to ask Wayzz - the turtle kwami."

Alya made a note and yawned again. "Alright, we'll continue this in the morning. Anything I need to get for you?"

"I'm good for now," Trixx said. "I'll need food in the morning, and someplace to hide during the school day, like a backpack."

"Okay," Alya said. "What type of food? My mom keeps our pantries full."

"You figure it out", Trixx said. "Night, pup."

"Goodnight."

Trixx clearly didn't like any of the food Alya offered - even the things that foxes were supposed to eat - but still ate their full. They had no problem hiding in her book bag, snuggling up next to some of her hygiene stuff. Alya had read that foxes were nocturnal, so she expected Trixx to sleep throughout the day.

Alya hadn't noticed it the night before, but her miraculous had changed from a fox tail to an orange heart with a white center. She had planned on figuring out how to hide it, but with the change there was no need.

She was the first in her group of friends to arrive to class, though the other side of the classroom was bustling with activity. Sabrina and Chloe were talking animatedly, Kim and Ivan were arguing, and Lacy, Alix, and Nathaniel were huddled together in the back whispering. Alya hesitated, wondering which conversation she was most curious about.

Max ended up breaking up the argument, so Alya headed towards the back to find out what had her classmates whispering.

"It's nothing," Lacy said, way too fast, when Alya asked.

Alya narrowed her eyes. "Is that so?"

"What she meant was it's none of your business," Alix said with a scowl.

"I'm just curious," Alya defended.

Alix rolled her eyes. "Aren't you always."

Marinette bursted through the door, looking disheveled, so Alya went to help her. But she wasn't giving up.

"You okay, girl?" Alya asked, sliding into her seat.

Marinette popped down in hers. "I had a horrible dream last night! I overslept, and missed the whole day of school, and Bustier got so mad that she said I'd have to repeat the grade-"

"Sounds scary."

"I could not get here soon enough," Marinette said. "I guess it's kinda silly."

"Nah," Alya replied. "There's always those few minutes after a dream where it feels real. Besides, it got you to class five minutes earlier than usual!"

"Morning!"

Adrien and Nino walked in, Adrien flashing his bright model smile at them and Nino stifling a yawn.

"Morning," Alya replied.

"Morning," Marinette squeaked.

"Did you hear about the akuma attack last night?" Adrien asked. "The love one?"

"Yeah, Ghost, right?" Alya asked.

"Kept me up all night," Nino complained.

Adrien gave him a curious look but didn't argue. Alya figured Adrien was well aware that the akuma hadn't kept Nino up - maybe he knew that the akuma hadn't lasted that long, or saw Nino's icon on whatever online thing had kept him up all night.

(Then again, Nino might have been too occupied with Wayzz to be online.)

"Have you checked your phone?" Nino asked.

Alya raised an eyebrow. She rarely missed notifications on her phone, but Nino's tone of voice implied he sent her something and she hadn't seen anything from him.

She dug her phone out of her bookbag, not surprised to see Trixx had fallen asleep. Her phone had a text notification from Nino.

Trixx eats tofu - Wayzz

Alya grinned. Thank you, Wayzz.

Marinette searched her bag and her locker with no luck.

"I can't believe I lost my notebook!" She complained.

"I'm sure you'll find it," Tikki reassured her. "Didn't you leave a notebook on the table at breakfast?"

"No, that was my other notebook," Marinette said.

"What about the notebook you left on the balcony?"

"No, that's the other notebook," Marinette corrected. "The designs I need are only in this one."

"Wait, didn't you lend Alya a notebook?"

"No, that's my school notebook," Marinette said. "I know! I left it in the art room."

She closed her locker and headed up to the art room, which was fairly full for a room of that size. Three students from a different class were huddled around one table, whispering while eating lunch and planning some project. On the other side of the room, Lacy, Alix, Nathaniel, and Marc were hunched over something.

"Hey!" Alix greeted, waving at Marinette.

"Hello," Marinette replied, before going to the desk she remember putting her notebook on.

She found it under a couple of papers, untouched. Marinette slipped it in her bag, noticing one of the other students glaring at her as she did so.

"Don't mind them."

Lacy slid next to her, talking softly.

"They're in Lila's new class," she explained. "She's pulling her usual stunts."

Marinette glanced at the students, feeling almost sorry for them.

"Maybe we should warn them," she suggested.

"Alix tried," Lacy replied. "They didn't listen."

Marinette sighed. "I thought we were done with Lila."

"You could be," Lacy said. "I mean, you're right to want to warn them and all, but she doesn't have to be your problem now. She's really hurt you, so take your time and recover."

"I don't know," Marinette replied. "I've never been good at letting things go."

"And that's what makes you our everyday Ladybug," Lacy said. "But resting doesn't mean letting it go or ignoring it forever. Just focus on something else for a while."

"You're right. I've got enough problems as is."

Her statement was further proved by the akuma alert going off.

Ladybug didn't get instant gratification a lot, but seeing that Rena Rouge and Carapace had not just beaten her and Chat Noir to the battle, but had already began getting citizens out of the way, did give her that feeling.

We've needed this.

Rena Rouge noticed Ladybug first. She glanced at Carapace, and the two heroes exchanged a silent conversation. Carapace moved to cover Rena Rouge as she joined Ladybug on the rooftop.

Chat Noir landed on the rooftop a second later.

"It's a tough one," Rena Rouge reported. "He calls himself Bombarder, and he causes explosions. As far as we can figure out, there's no way to stop the explosion."

Ladybug glanced down at the street, where Carapace was shielding a few citizens as a building exploded. The debris flew towards their rooftop, and Ladybug whirled her yo-yo to block.

"Big explosions too," Ladybug noted. "Any idea where the akuma is?"

Rena Rouge shook her head.

"Great."

Ladybug looked Bombarder over. The majority of his outfit was done in blacks and dark grays, with yellow accents. He had black ankle boots, tight dark gray pants, and a long, short sleeved tunic-like shirt with a yellow sash. The sleeves of his tunic were jagged with yellow edges. His black hair stood up on edge, with yellow tips, and a yellow butterfly mask covered the top of his face. Black stripes covered one of his arms, which stood out against his dark gray skin.

"Maybe it's in his sash," Ladybug figured.

"You don't sound sure," Chat Noir said.

"I'm not," Ladybug confirmed. "We're going to need a lot of help with this one. I think we need everyone."

Chat Noir nodded. "Agreed."

"Rena, can you and Carapace keep Bombarder occupied? Chat, I'll need your help getting everyone. Meet me on top of the hotel."

By the time all the heroes were gathered on the same rooftop, Carapace had been forced to use his shelter and recharge, leaving Rena Rouge fighting Bombarder alone. She couldn't protect bystanders as well as Carapace, but she had no problem dodging Bombarder's attacks.

Ladybug had gathered Viperion, Roi Singe, and Kota While Chat Noir found Ryuko, Queen Bee, and Pegasus. Chat Noir and Queen Bee were the last to arrive.

For a moment, Ladybug wondered if Chat Noir had given the bee miraculous to someone else. If she didn't trust her partner so much, she would have believed it.

Queen Bee looked different.

She now had her hair mostly loose, the sides braided back like a crown and striped black. The circlet continued with a metal piece resting on her forehead. She had a black top that almost looked like a chest plate that covered her shoulders, and came down to her mid-stomach. Two yellow stripes lined her neck, like large necklaces, and the she had a yellow under-shirt that covered her arms and the rest of her stomach. She had a black belt and yellow pants with black stripes, black hexagonal knee-pads, and - was that a pocket? Her shiny black boots covered her ankles, and she wore elbow pads that matched her knees. She wore black gloves and black lipstick, and her mask was solid yellow with a black border.

"Why does she get pockets?" Ladybug wondered allowed. She wished she had said something a little more professional, but she wanted pockets.

"I don't know," Queen Bee admitted. "But it feels nice to be back. Thank you, Ladybug."

"Wait, you're Chl- Queen Bee?" Roi Singe asked. "You look totally different! Super cool!"

"I also want pockets," Ryuko commented.

"You look so pretty," Kota said.

"Do you two seriously not have pockets?" Viperion asked.

"Shouldn't we be focusing?" Carapace questioned. "Rena's down there by herself."

"You're right," Ladybug said. I'll talk to a Tikki about pockets later. "Okay, so I've thought about it, and I believe that the akuma will be in something small - something we can't reach easily. Queen Bee, you'll need to use your powers to freeze him."

"You can count on me," Queen Bee said.

"Carapace, stay on the lookout for bystanders," Ladybug said. "We want to minimize risk as much as possible. Kota, Ryuko, you're the most agile of us - you'll be doing what Rena is doing right now. Viperion, do your thing. Pegasus, I want you to help me with a trap - we're sending Bombarder away from citizens."

"To the arena?" Pegasus assumed.

"Yes," Ladybug confirmed. "Chat Noir, Roi Singe, you two will wait for him there to pick up from Ryuko and Kota. Carapace, I want you to follow Bombarder through the portal if you haven't use your power yet, and cast a shelter around the arena. Queen Bee, you'll also have to be at the arena already. Kota, I'll be trusting you to make sure Rena gets out safely as well. Alright, go!"

Chat Noir, Roi Singe, and Queen Bee headed towards the stadium. Kota and Ryuko charged at Bombarder, Ryuko landing a solid hit with her sword. Carapace and Viperion found a rooftop with a good view, and Pegasus hung back with Ladybug.

Kota deflected debris with her shield as the building behind Rena Rouge exploded. Ryuko engaged Bombarder, giving Kota time to usher Rena Rouge away. When she was close enough, Ladybug used her yo-yo to bring her up to the rooftop.

"You okay?" Ladybug asked.

"I'm fine," Rena Rouge said. "I could go another couple minutes. The buildings on the street, not so much."

"Good, because I'm going to need your help."

The trap worked perfectly. Bombarder didn't even realize there was a portal until he was on the other side of it.

Viperion, Rena Rouge, and Pegasus all needed to recharge, and Kota had been thrown several blocks away, but the rest of the heroes followed him in. Chat Noir and Roi Singe immediately attacked, both whacking him with their baton and staff. Carapace called for a shelter.

Ladybug landed on the bleachers, keeping an eye on the fight so she could intervene if needed.

"Lucky charm!"

A pillow fell into Ladybug's arm.

"It's a repeat," Queen Bee noted.

Ladybug didn't respond - she was already coming up with a plan.

"Be ready to go," she warned Queen Bee. "Hey, bomb guy! Explode this!"

With as much force as she had, Ladybug threw the pillow at Bombarder. Halfway there, the pillow exploded.

And a bunch of feathers engulfed Bombarder.

Queen Bee moved fast, launching herself off of the bleachers and whipping her top at Bombarder.

"Venom!"

The top smacked into Bombarder, freezing him into place.

"Nice one, Queen Bee!" Roi Singe called.

Ladybug and Queen Bee joined them on the field. Bombarder has frozen with his wrists bent, and Ladybug could see that the black stripes were actually ribbons that attached to a bracelet near his gloves.

"Alright, kitty, I need your claws."

Chat Noir swiped through the ribbons, shredding them easily, and a butterfly flew out. Carapace dropped the shelter, and Kota and Viperion joined them a second later.

Rena Rouge landed behind the heroes just as Ladybug released the butterfly, and Pegasus arrived seconds later.

"Pound it!"

Ladybug looked over her team. It was the first time they had all been together, and she suddenly realized the potential they had, as a team.

But they never really had a chance to work as a team, and that needed to change.

"Are you sure?" Fu asked.

"I'm sure," Marinette replied.

"Okay," Fu agreed. "Let's do it."

Hoping to have another chapter up on Saturday, as usual. Next one will be a fun one.