It was another normal day at Collège Françoise Dupont. The bell rung and Mr. Damocles called out, "Come on, hurry up! I haven't got all day!" as he opened the school doors and let the kids out.

"Sleepover at your place tonight? That'd be awesome!" Marinette said to Alya. "Except ugh, I can't. I-I have to help my parents at the bakery."

"Again? But you've been helping them out all week."

"Online gaming battle? I'm free," Adrien said to Nino and Rudi.

"Cool! Wait 'till you check out my advance weaponry! You won't stand a chance!" said Nino.

"Ever heard of the phrase don't count your chickens before they hatch?" asked Rudi.

"Come on! Chop-chop! Hurry along now!" Mr. Damocles barked, rather impatiently.

Rudi gave him the stink eye before whispering in Nino's ear, "Who spat in his coffee?" Nino shrugged his shoulders.

Adrien suddenly gasped and face palmed before saying, "I forgot I got Chinese class."

"Again?" Rudi asked.

"But we haven't played all week." Nino said.

"I'm sorry," said Adrien, downhearted.

When he was certain the last student was gone, Mr. Damocles closed the school doors and giggled to himself as he snuck back to his office. He turned on his computer and activated his personal assistant. "Albert?"

"At your service, sir."

"Hoo-hoo," Mr. Damocles said to it.

"Please repeat. I was unable to understand."

"Hoo-hoo."

"Please repeat. I was unable to understand."

Mr. Damocles was getting annoyed. "Hoo-hoo!"

"Please repeat." Albert suddenly began smoking and sparks flew out. "At-at your service, sir. Please repeat. Please repeat. Please repeat." The computer suddenly exploded. Groaning in annoyance, Mr. Damocles walked over to a painting of Paris on his book shelf and took it off, revealing a secret compartment containing merchandise of his favorite superheroine, Knightowl. But among the comic books, action figures, trading cards and novels was his prized possession: a hand-made owl costume.

Smiling he put the costume on, although he had a VERY hard time putting the utility belt on. When he finally snapped it closed, he sighed in relief before making his best superhero pose. "It is now the hour of The Owl! Hoo-hoo!" With that, he ran out the school.

Mrs. Michelle and her son were in distress. Her cat Whiskers was stuck up another tree in the park. And as you know, cats are great at climbing up, but climbing down? Not so much.

Mr. Damocles arrived and saw the problem. "Hoo-hoo! Well, Mrs. Michelle. Has Whiskers got vertigo again? Have no fear! This is the mission for The Owl! Hoo-hoo!" He pointed a grappling hook up and pulled the trigger, but it broke in his hand. "Boomerang!" He threw the boomerang, hoping it would knock the cat out of the tree, but it flew in the opposite direction and never returned.

Mrs. Michelle raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Mr. Damocles tried to rectify the situation. "It-it-it takes more than this to persuade The Owl!" He started climbing up the tree. "Here, kitty, kitty!"

Mrs. Michelle was not impressed. "I'm calling the fire department."

"No need for that, Mrs. Michelle." Mr. Damocles reached for Whiskers, only for her to hiss at him. "Uh oh! Whiskers! Stay calm!" He suddenly lost his balance and he and the cat fell. They would have hit the ground if it weren't for Ladybug catching them in her yo-yo. She gently set them down and gave the old man a stern talking. "Mr. Dam...um, Owl! This is the fifth time this week we come to your rescue!"

"You really are going to get hurt if you do this," said Chat Noir as he gave Whiskers to a grateful Mrs. Michelle. "At least wear a helmet."

"But you don't wear helmets," pointed out Mr. Damocles.

"Mr. Owl, we've told you already. It's not the same for us. We're real superheroes," Ladybug said.

"With real superpowers!" Chat Noir tugged on his costume's sleeves. "And magic suits."

Mr. Damocles sighed. "I know. But since I was a little boy, I only ever dreamed of becoming a real superhero!"

It didn't take long for the news crew to arrive. Nadja said, "The exploits of Ladybug and Chat Noir have inspired some people to act as superheroes themselves. But is it a good thing? Over to our reporter Clara Contard."

Clara held up a microphone as she spoke to the camera, "Today Ladybug and Chat Noir had once again come to the aid of the self-proclaimed new superhero The Owl." She walked over to Mr. Damocles and held the microphone to him. "Any comments, sir?"

"Thanks to some advice from my good friends Ladybug and Cat Noir, I am certain I will do better next time!" Behind him, Ladybug and Chat Noir face palmed. The stubborn old man clearly was not getting the message. "I will be reviewing my weaponry and engaging in training. Because wherever there's injustice, there's The Owl! Owl Mist!" He dropped a bag of flower onto the ground, using it as a smokescreen to sneak off. He didn't get far as there were sounds of cars honking in the distance. "Oh! Sorry!"

"Any comments, Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

Ladybug said, "Uh, you know, he's a great guy. But to all the children of Paris, you mustn't copy him, okay? It's very dangerous!"

"Yeah," said Chat Noir as he brushed some flour off his suit. "Ladybug's right. So, don't try this at home. Okay, kids?"

Nadja continued her report, "Meanwhile, the question that's remains on every Parisian's lips is: 'Who lies behind the mask of The Owl?' The clumsiest superhero in all of Paris!"

Big-Head watched the whole debacle from the rooftops. He munched on a croissant and said, "You know, I don't know whether I should just grab a bag of popcorn and watch that principal fail spectacularly or grab him and lock him in a padded cell." He heard Ladybug and Chat Noir conversing about the whole "The Owl situation".

"The principal Mr. Damocles has a good heart, but this is bound to end badly," said Chat Noir.

"And we can't spend all our time watching out for him either," said Ladybug with a yawn. "It's turning into a full time job!"

"Perhaps we should convince him to stop trying to be a superhero by... scaring him, for example?"

"And shatter the poor man's dream? No way! On the contrary, maybe we should help him make his dream come true. He said all he wanted was to be a hero, even if it's just for one day."

"Of course! If we make him a hero for a day like he always dream of, he'll be happy and quit playing this dangerous game. Spot on as usual, my Lady! We just have to figure out how."

"I just may have an idea."

Big-Head smirked, formulating a plan of his own.

Marinette stayed up all night creating a supervillain costume. She made it out of cardboard boxes, a bicycle horn, a bunch of plastic knives and forks and an old pasta strainer. Then she crafted dummies of Ladybug and Chat Noir out of old sacks of flour. With her plan complete, she laid down on the bed and closed her eyes. Then her alarm went off. It was morning. She groaned.

After school, the students all left while Mr. Damocles escorted them out. When he was sure no one was looking, he snuck into his office and removed the painting from the wall, revealing his costume.

Meanwhile, Alya was typing away on her LadyBlog when she got an unexpected surprise knock at her window. "Ladybug? Chat Noir?" She squealed with excitement.

In his office, Mr. Damocles was fixing his grappling hook. "Ready for the test, Albert?"

"Please repeat," the personal assistant said. "I was unable to understand you."

Mr. Damocles groaned in annoyance and pointed his grappling hook at nothing in particular. "Test firing Owl Talon!" He fired the grappling hook, but it bounced off the wall and smacked him in the face.

"Trial conclusive, sir," said Albert.

Mr. Damocles sighed. Maybe he was in way over his head. Suddenly the phone rang. "Hello?"

The voice on the other line was one he didn't recognize. "I am Cardboard Girl, a supervillain! I've kidnapped Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

Mr. Damocles' eyes widened when he heard Ladybug and Chat Noir crying for help. "Release them immediately." he demanded.

"Never! And I'll never tell you that I'm holding them at the Place Des Vosges square either!" Cardboard Girl hung up.

"Ha! You gave yourself away, Cardboard Girl! Now you shall face the feather fear of The Owl! Hoo-hoo!" He leaped across the room, only to fall flat on his face. "Ow!"

Alya giggled as she hung up the phone. "How was I?"

Chat Noir gave her a thumbs up. "Nailed it!"

"Now you just need to put this on." Ladybug handed her the trashy costume.

She looked at it skeptically. "Um, you sure about this...um... outfit?"

"Definitely," the Miracle Heroes said in unison.

Mr. Damocles arrived at the Place des Vosges to find "Cardboard Girl" pointing a gun at what looked like Ladybug and Chat Noir. He had no idea it was just Alya "threatening" the lives of two dummies made of flour sacks. "Give up, Ladybug and Cat Noir, I evil Cardboard Girl have taken your Miraculouses! No one can save you!"

Mr. Damocles hopped onto one of the park benches and pointed his grappling hook at "Cardboard Girl". "Owl Talons, awa-"

BOOM!

He didn't get the chance to use it. A tremendous explosion sent Alya, the dummies and Mr. Damocles flying. They all landed with a crash and groaned in pain. Or in Mr. Damocles' case, screamed in pain. Big-Head jumped down from the building he was hiding from and took a bow in front of the crowd of people who were watching the spectacle. "Thank you, thank you!"

"YOU IDIOT!" Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared out of nowhere and glared at him. "That wasn't an Akumatized villain and we weren't in any danger!"

Alya groaned in pain. Ladybug rushed to her side. "Alya, are you alright?"

"I don't think so. My leg hurts pretty bad."

"Don't worry. I'll call the hospital."

Chat Noir ran over to Mr. Damocles and what he saw almost made him as green as his eyes. The parts of owl costume were in tatters and the principal's right arm was bleeding very badly. "Mr. Damocles, are you alright?"

The old man hurried to put the mask back on. "M-My name is The Owl!" he insisted. "My name is..." He suddenly gasped when he heard a phone's camera click. He turned to see Big-Head holding up a phone. "What have you done?! You've revealed my secret identity!"

"Right now, your name is the world's biggest failure," he said.

Mr. Damocles was so humiliated he started bawling like a baby.

"Leave him alone," Ladybug said. "He was trying to save us!"

Big-Head gave her and Chat Noir a disgusted look. "Oh, please. We all know you wanted to stop that old man from the dangers of being a superhero. All I did was give him...experience." He held up one of the dummies' heads. "Got to say, incredible likeness."

Mr. Damocles' eyes widened when he heard that. "Wait. This was your plan?!"

"No!" Chat Noir insisted. "We never wanted this to happen!"

"This is what we were trying to prevent!" Ladybug said.

"Get away from me!" Mr. Damocles pushed Chat Noir aside. "I'm going to the hospital. WITHOUT YOUR HELP!" He only took two steps forward before he fell flat on his face, groaning in pain. "Help me."

While Chat Noir raced to help him up, Alya said to Ladybug, "That was harsh. I know you did the right thing, Ladybug."

Ladybug said sadly, "But because of Big-Head, this might blow out of proportion."

She was right. While Mr. Damocles recovered in the hospital, he saw a news report on Albert's screen. Nadja said, "We now know the true identity of the man who has proclaimed himself as Paris' new superhero. The Owl is non-other than the principal of Françoise Dupont High School, Mr. Damocles!" Her face then turned sad. "And yet, the lengths Ladybug and Chat Noir went was met with criticism. Particularly that they teamed up with Big-Head just to make him stop."

Random citizens appeared, giving their opinions of what happened. "They didn't have to go that far," one man said. "He was just a harmless goof! What Ladybug, Chat Noir and Big-Head did was too much!"

"I thought they were heroes," a woman said. "But after watching that, I don't know what to say."

"I mean, he had it coming," Alec Cataldi said. "He did cause more trouble than stop it. Maybe this is a silver lining?"

Mr. Damocles turned off the computer and made a sad noise. "I am no Knightowl. I am not The Owl. Big-Head is right. I am a failure."

The circular window to Hawk Moth's lair opened and butterflies swarmed around him. "Shame, pain and a crushed dream!" He grabbed one of the butterflies and turned it from white to purple. "Fly away, my little Akuma and evilize this failed hero!" The butterfly flew out the window and toward the hospital.

It flew through the window and absorbed itself into Albert. Mr. Damocles' face went blank as a baritone voice spoke in his mind. "Dark Owl, I am Hawk Moth. From now on, you will have true superpowers and formidable weapons! Nothing and no one will be able to overpower you! But if you want to be the sole superhero in Paris, there's just one thing you need to do: defeat Ladybug and Chat Noir and Big-Head, and bring me their Miraculous and the Mask of Loki!"

Mr. Damocles smirked as black smoke enveloped him. "This is a job for Dark Owl!"

Rudi sighed as he watched random videos on his phone. "Maybe they're right. I did hurt that old man, after all."

Ah, I wouldn't worry about it. Mr. Damocles won't think about being a superhero ever again now that he's given a real superhero experience.

"Still, I..."

Suddenly, his TV turned on and live footage of what looked like Mr. Damocles wearing a more professionally made version of his costume came on. "Citizens of Paris, listen to me very carefully!" He stood in front of the Eiffel Tower where a bus was dangling from it. "With just one slight movement, I can release a rope holding onto a city bus and all the animals inside will crash down upon this poor helpless little kitten!" He laughed evilly.

Rudi's eyes widened. "Talk about overkill."

Dark Owl continued, "And if anyone should be tempted to come and save the animals, beware! It is all rigged! Liquid nitrogen will automatically douse the feet of the Eiffel Tower, freezing them to -700 degrees, and making them more fragile than glass! They will collapse! And the bus will flatten our cute kitten friend!"

"Okay, I take it back, that's overkill."

"Ladybug, Chat Noir and Big-Head, the only way you can save these sweet animals is to come and hand your Miraculous and the Mask of Loki over to me! And you only have 10 minutes! Follow the Owl-Signal!"

The TV was cut off and at that moment, a searchlight with an owl symbol on it appeared somewhere over the city.

You know it's a trap, right? How did he know about me?

"I don't know," Rudi said as he picked up the Mask. "But I have a feeling a little butterfly told him. Time to end that fantasy of his. IT'S SHOW TIME!"

Ladybug and Chat Noir, having seen the footage themselves, met on the rooftops. "Wow, that principal sure is holding a grudge," Ladybug said.

"Yeah, we definitely ruffled his feathers," said Chat Noir.

"We got to get a hold on his detonator and stop the countdown!"

"If you want, I can distract him with a little chit-chat."

"You're certainly the cat for the job." Ladybug popped an ear communicator out of her yo-yo and placed it in her ear. "Let's stay in touch." Chat Noir did the same with his staff. The heroes left in different directions.

Chat Noir arrived at the Parc des Princes. He let out a, "Hoot-hoot! Mr. Damocles!"

Suddenly, all the lights in the stadium turned on. "I am not Mr. Damocles! I am the Dark Owl," Dark Owl from the top of the stadium.

Chat Noir held up his hands defensively. "Let's talk about this. Why don't we just team up the three of us. After all, you do have real powers now."

Dark Owl raised an eyebrow. "Where's Ladybug?"

He didn't know that Ladybug was sneaking up behind him, inspecting his costume. "Grappling hook, boomerang, utility belt," she whispered to her ear piece. "The Akuma must be in one of his weapons."

"But which one?" Chat Noir asked before responding to Dark Owl, "Don't worry. She'll be here any moment!"

"Then you can be the first to place your Miraculous in the box located in the middle of the stadium or..."

"Boom! I get it," Chat Noir said as he walked to the center of the stadium. "Get the detonator," he said to Ladybug on his ear piece.

"I'm on it." Ladybug threw her yo-yo at Dark Owl, knocking the detonator out of his hand. "Over to yo, Chat Noir!"

Chat Noir caught the detonator. Ladybug briefly fought hand-to-hand combat with Dark Owl, but he threw a boomerang around her arm and sent her flying into the stadium. Chat Noir caught her, but he lost the detonator. It flew into the air and landed in Dark Owl's hand. "Hoo-Oops! Time flies! This is your last chance to save that helpless kitten!" He tossed the detonator on top of the container.

"What's he got against kittens?" Chat Noir asked.

"Heroes don't hurt innocent beings, Dark Owl!"

"Then give me your Miraculouses! Otherwise you will be to blame! Owl Talons!" Chat Noir and Ladybug got tangled by the ropes from the grappling hook and they fell to the ground and Chat Noir kissed her. He chuckled while she groaned. Ladybug immediately rolled themselves out of the way from Dark Owl's incoming attack.

"CATACLYSM!" Chat Noir used the power of destruction to free themselves.

Then Ladybug twirled her yo-yo in the air. "LUCKY CHARM!" The magic spots created... "A fountain pen?"

"What are you going to do? Ask him to sign you an autograph?"

Suddenly, there was an explosion from nearby. Ladybug and Chat Noir gasped in horror. "Oh, no!"

Dark Owl was confused. "I don't understand! The detonator hadn't reached zero yet!"

Then they saw it: the Eiffel Tower rocketing up into the sky before turning and heading straight for them. And guess who was riding on it. "So this is gay Paris! Come on along with me! We're stepping out to see - the Latin Quarter! Put on your old beret - let's sing the Marseillaise! And put our wine away like water!" Big-Head jumped off the tower just as it came crashing down into the center of the stadium, sending the heroes and Dark Owl flying.

Big-Head took a bow and said, "Thank you, thank you."

Dark Owl groaned. "I...I don't understand! There was liquid nitrogen bombs on the tower's legs! It should have fractured!"

"Oh, that," said Big-Head. "I had to come up with a way to make sure it wouldn't break. That's why I decided strap a rocket to the mid-section of the tower and light the fuse!"

Ladybug said angrily, "There were animals in a bus stuck to the tower!"

"I know. That's why I dropped them off at the Louvre."

Chat Noir sputtered, "You let a bunch of zoo animals loose in an art museum?!"

"I'm not worried. With a little Miraculous Ladybug, everything will return to normal. Speaking of which, what are you doing with that fountain pen, Ladybird Beetle?"

Ladybug looked down at the pen in her hand. "I don't know yet."

Suddenly, Dark Owl let out a growl. "You...you humiliated me, Big-Head! You hurt innocent people! And yet these two are your friends?!" Black smoke started to envelope him. When the smoke cleared, the Dark Owl changed again, this time taking the form of a giant Eurasian eagle owl clad in brown armor. "No more traps, no more tricks!" The giant owl took off into the sky, then swooped down on Ladybug, Chat Noir and Big-Head, grabbing all three of them in his talons before carrying them off.

He flew to the top of the Cathedral of Notre Dame and pinned them to the roof of the bell tower. "Now, for the last time! Give me the Miraculous and the Mask of Loki!" Chat Noir and Ladybug's earrings started beeping. "Ah, I won't have to wait long! You'll change back and your secret identities will be revealed!" Suddenly, something black shot into his eyes and he yelled in pain. Big-Head kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying into the Seine River. He held the fountain pen in his hand.

"Change back before he comes back for round two," said Big-Head.

Ladybug and Chat Noir nodded before disappearing.

Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling sound. Big-Head looked and saw Dark Owl rise out of the water. "Crud."

"Hurry up and eat, Tikki," said Marinette as she fed the little kwami a cookie.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" She swallowed it in one gulp. "Ready."

"Tikki, SPOTS ON!" In a flash of red and black, Marinette turned back into Ladybug.

"Would you hurry up and eat that camembert?" Adrien asked as Plagg ate the cheese chunk.

"Hey, I have to savor this, don't rush!"

"I have to rush! Plagg, CLAWS OUT!"

"No! I'm not readyyyyy!" Plagg complained as he was sucked into Adrien's ring. In a flash of black, Adrien turned back into Chat Noir.

Ladybug and Chat Noir returned to the roof and found Big-Head firing a gatling gun at the laser cannons mounted on Dark Owl's talons and back. "Well, we can rule out the Akuma being in his weapons! I blasted them all, but nothing came out!"

"Then it has to be somewhere else, then!" Ladybug twirled her yo-yo in the air. "LUCKY CHARM!" The magic created a comic book. But not any comic book. "Is this the first issue of Knightowl?"

"Hey, be careful with that," said Big-Head. "It might be a first edition!"

"You think you have the time to read that?" Dark Owl asked as he fired electric rings from his wings and head. Chat Noir and Big-Head dodged them while Ladybug read the comic, finding an important clue. "Her butler! In the comic, Knightowl had her butler as a partner!"

"What does that mean?" Chat Noir asked.

"It means Dark Owl doesn't have the Akuma on his person, it's in his lair! Don't let him escape, Chat Noir and Big-Head! I have to go to the school!" Ladybug took off running before swinging her way across the streets on her yo-yo.

Dark Owl saw this and gave pursuit. Suddenly, a rope tied itself around his neck and he let out a shriek. "Gotcha," Big-Head said, dressed as a cowboy. "Hold on tight, Chat Noir! We're about to rustle us up a Dark Owl!"

Dark Owl let out a screech and took off with Big-Head and Chat Noir still holding the rope.

At the school, Ladybug found Mr. Damocles' office had changed. The personal assistant had turned into an AI computer and had numerous screens. "Intruder," Albert said. "Intruder!"

Ladybug was about to smash the personal assistant when Dark Owl came crashing in, grabbing her in his talons. "NO!"

"Dark Owl always wins at the end! You should have read the end of the comic, Ladybug!"

Dark Owl was about to snip off her earrings...and the ears as well with his beak when Ladybug tossed the comic book at the action figure of Knightowl. The figurine dropped down and knocked out a book, the book hit the chair and caused it to fall, the chair touched the ladder, the ladder fell down and knocked the lamp, and the lamp finally knocked down the computer monitor. Albert got knocked over, causing Dark Owl to let go of Ladybug. He tried to grab Albert, but it was already smashed and the butterfly flew out.

Ladybug pushed Dark Owl pushed off her and prepared to purify the butterfly. "No more evil doing for you, little Akuma. Time to de-evilize!" She captured the Akuma and purified it. "Gotcha! Bye bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" She tossed the comic into the air and released a wave of black and red spots that repaired all the damage done.

Dark Owl turned back into Mr. Damocles who just looked around, confused. "Wha-? Ladybug? Chat Noir? Big-Head? What are you doing here?"

Hawk Moth swore as the circular window closed, "Ladybug, Cat Noir, everyday I'm getting closer to destroying you both! And soon you'll be nothing more than superheroes in a history book!"

After Mr. Damocles was released from the hospital, he was back to wearing The Owl costume and doing hero work. Well, not really. After some convincing from Ladybug and Chat Noir, Mr. Damocles decided to use his heroics in volunteering. Stuff like tending to gardens, handing out blankets to homeless people, and feeding animals. It was not the same as fighting crime, but at least at made him happy. And finally got him out of Ladybug and Chat Noir's hairs.

Later that night, Marinette was about to tuck into bed when she saw a ladybug symbol shine in the sky. "I don't recall the city putting up a Ladybug Signal," she said.

"Maybe they're testing it out," said Tikki.

"Either way, it might be best to check it out."

At the same time, Adrien was about to sleep after reading his Chinese lessons when he saw a black cat symbol in the sky. "Plagg, wake up."

The little kwami yawned. "Adrien, I was having a beautiful dream! Cheese everywhere!"

"Nap time is over. We need to see what's up."

Ladybug and Chat Noir were surprised to run into each other. "Hey, Bugaboo. Didn't know you would be here."

"All I did was follow a signal."

"So did I."

The sound of a lighter clicking made them turn their attention to the searchlight. Someone was lighting a cigarette. He exhaled his smoke and said, "I honestly thought this would not work."

"Who are you?" Chat Noir asked suspiciously.

"I'm Lieutenant Kellaway of Edge City Police Department." The man stepped forward, revealing himself to be a man in his late forties and wearing a brown coat, a white undershirt, blue jeans and black shoes. Strapped to his waist was a small pistol. "And I understand you work alongside Big-Head?"

"Not willingly," Ladybug said.

"Either way, I was hoping you could answer some questions."