Wednesday passed, and so did Thursday. Hawkmoth didn't send any akumas either one of those days.

And Marinette was paranoid.

It was extremely rare that Hawkmoth didn't akumatize someone at least once a day. If there were breaks it was usually every other day. But very rarely did Hawkmoth skip two days in a row.

Now, Marinette knew that she shouldn't start panicking yet. Before big, planned, attacks, Hawkmoth usually waited five days to nearly a week. That had been the case before Heroes' Day and before the Battle of the Miraculous. But even so, every time there was a time span longer than twenty-four hours that Hawkmoth didn't akumatize someone, Marinette couldn't help but feel her paranoia skyrocket.

Of course, Hawkmoth's strange inactivity wasn't the only thing that Marinette had to worry about. It was Friday. The day the deadline for Lila's threat to be up.

Sure, she remembered that Nino said that Lila had deleted the photos, but… as she said prior, Lila was a liar. She could have simply said that to make the two drop their guard and then ambush them at school, and no reassurance from the PTs that the heist worked was helping at all.

"Everything is going to be okay, Marinette," Tikki said, trying to sound reassuring as her holder walked to school.

"I hope so, Tikki," she said quietly, "I really hope so…"

Marinette stopped briefly at the entrance of the school. She knew that the second she walked through would be the moment of truth. Either there would be a mob of angry students, Alya likely at the lead unless Lila was back, ready to attack her and Nino which would likely send them to the hospital… or there wouldn't be.

Taking a deep breath and bracing herself, Marinette stepped briskly into the Collége's entrance.

To her absolute relief, her fantasy of an angry mob wasn't reality. The school was acting fairly normal. Girls chatting and giggling on the stairs and some of the boys were being rowdy and running down the halls. It looked like just another school day.

"So… that meant that the heist must have worked after all!" Marinette whispered in relief, feeling a massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Now with a slight skip in her step, she trotted towards Miss Bustier's classroom.

When she entered the room, most of the class was there already. But the bell wouldn't ring for another fifteen minutes, so there was really no hurry.

Nathaniel was doodling in the back, like normal. Mylene and Ivan were flirting in their seats; same with Rose and Juleka. Kim and Max were also deep in conversation, though it looked mostly light-hearted. Alix was also there, looking a little bored, but upon seeing Marinette enter, she shot her a brief wave with a smirk. Marinette lightly waved back.

Alya was also there. She didn't look too cheerful, though. She was rapidly texting on her phone, her brow creasing with every text. Guess Lila still wasn't answering her messages.

She felt someone lightly bump her shoulder. Turning, she smiled kindly at Nino, who winked back before taking his usual seat. However, Marinette could tell that he looked just as relieved as she felt.

Sabrina entered class a few minutes later, and surprisingly, Adrien was the last to make it, just before the bell rang in fact.

"You were almost late, dude," Nino commented as Adrien sat next to him in his usual spot, "everything okay?"

"Yeah, sort of…" Adrien admitted, looking confused and conflicted, "My dad and Natalie were trying to convince me to stay home from school today."

"...Seriously?" Nino asked, raising an eyebrow, "Why?"

"No idea. Usually, this only happens if there's a last-minute photoshoot. Not this time though. There was no reason besides because they said so! It was only when I threatened to run to school myself when they finally relented," Adrien explained, "Thankfully, Gorilla helped me out there. We sped off before Natalie could catch up with the car."

Nino whistled in congratulations, "That's gutsy, man!"

"Yeah! Still… they were acting really weird," Adrien added.

"Eh, no offense dude, but your dad isn't exactly 'normal,' either."

"I… I guess I can't argue with you there," Adrien said, laughing awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

Marinette heard most of the conversation, and alarm bells were ringing in her head. The conversation that she had with the Tokies resurfaced. Particularly about Hawkmoth's identity, and how Gabriel Agreste was practically the prime suspect at this point. Of course, she didn't want to accuse anyone without proof, but… that did seem strange, even for Gabriel.

"Good morning, class!" Miss Bustier greeted cheerfully. She glanced around the room, and her smile faltered slightly as her eyes landed on Lila's empty seat, "Lila's still out sick?"

She directed the question to Alya since she seemed to be in contact with Lila the most often.

"I've been texting her all morning!" Alya reported, "She hasn't answered even once!"

"Hmmm, how sad. She must be down with something pretty nasty," Bustier speculated with a frown before taking attendance. Other than Lila, everyone else was there, so Miss Bustier began the lesson.

For most of the morning, class went on like normal. Miss Bustier taught like normal, and everyone mostly paid attention. It was just like any other day.

And then there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Miss Bustier called, pausing her lecture.

Slowly, the door opened, and Principal Damocles walked in. He looked white as a sheet and was sweating bullets. Okay, not completely white - one side of his face was strangely pink and swollen like he'd been slapped not once, but several times in the same spot.

Miss Bustier seemed to notice as well as her face soon shifted to one of concern as well, "Gerald? What's wrong? Are you all right?"

Principal Damocles didn't answer. He simply swallowed and moved away from the door.

Standing behind him in the doorway were three people: Sabrina's dad, Officer Roger, a tall auburn-haired woman in a navy cardigan who looked absolutely livid, and…

Lila.

The girl looked absolutely miserable. Fresh tear tracks were illuminated on her face, her lip was trembling, but most notably, there were handcuffs on her wrists.

"Lila?!" Alya was the first to gasp, nearly jumping out of her seat.

Instead of acknowledging the Ladyblogger or possibly begging her for help, Lila simply flinched and looked away, a fresh tear running down her cheek.

"Dad, what's going on?" Sabrina asked in shock, "Why's Lila in handcuffs?"

"That should be obvious, Sabrina," Officer Roger firmly frowned, "This girl is a criminal."

"What?!" Alya shouted in outrage, this time really leaping out of her seat, "What are you talking about? Lila hasn't done anything like that!"

Taking his ex-girlfriend's outburst as a distraction, Nino discreetly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Opening up the PT group text he sent an alert to the other members.

Beat: Lila's back. In handcuffs. Get ready, ASAP!

After the text was sent, he pocketed his phone again, staring forward at the Italian like nothing happened.

"Yeah! You can't convict a civilian like this without warning!" Max exclaimed, "Not without proper cause!"

"Oh, believe me," the woman angrily answered in a heavy Italian accent, "there is plenty of 'probable cause' for why my daughter is handcuffed."

There were murmurs all around the classroom.

"Wait… you're Lila's mom?" Mylene asked, "But… Lila said that you were out of town for the last month in Achu!"

"Yeah, helping Prince Ali with his charity work!" Rose added.

"In Achu?! Prince Ali?!" the woman exclaimed, before barking out a laugh and shaking her head, "I wouldn't know- I've never been more embarrassed and appalled in my entire life! I don't know whether to laugh, cry, spit, or…!"

The woman - now identified as Lila's mother - turned on Miss Bustier, and as quick as a viper slapped Miss Bustier clean across the face. The force of said slap was hard enough that the teacher actually stumbled and would have fallen if she hadn't grabbed the bottom of the chalkboard in time, "And you! Did the thought of ever contacting me, to ask me if my daughter was out of school ever cross your mind? And what's this I'm hearing about a disease? Tinnitus?! Sprained wrists and ankles?! Why even being pushed down the stairs was on the list! How come I was never informed of these events happening to my child? What kind of a teacher are you?!"

"M-madame Rossi," Miss Bustier stuttered, "We tried to contact you several times-"

Miss Bustier was interrupted by another slap. Despite the act, Officer Roger made no move to stop her, looking just as angry and disappointed in the teacher as well, "Excuses! That's all I've been hearing all day! First from this laughable excuse for a principal, and now you?! Did it never occur to you that if my cell wasn't working to call… oh, I don't know, the embassy?! Where I work?! If I'll even still work there after this?!"

"Madame-Ms. Rossi!" Adrien stuttered out, "Please, just calm down!"

"'Calm down'?!" Ms. Rossi howled, turning on the blond now, "What exactly is your name, young man?"

"A-Adrien Agreste," he stuttered out, leaning back slightly.

"Adrien… ah, you're the boyfriend my daughter claimed simply couldn't stop texting her, and yet strangely I never got the chance to meet or have a meal with!"

"I-wait, what?!" Adrien gasped as he took in her words. This was news to him.

"Well, Adrien, I'll have you know that not only did I find out that my daughter has not only been lying to me about the school being closed because apparently Ladybug and her 'useless sidekicks' weren't competent enough to protect the school!-"

"W-what?" Alya shouted, "She… lied?"

"-Not only that, but I find out that she's been bullying a student in this class, all because she wouldn't comply with her! How in the world do you think I'm supposed to feel, Mr. Agreste?!"

Adrien was struck speechless. He looked like he wanted to say something, say anything, but no words were coming out.

"...So, you really don't know Prince Ali?" Rose's timid voice asked after several tense moments.

"And Jagged Stone didn't write a song about you, after all?" Ivan inquired.

"And you don't know any of those athletes you talked about?" Kim demanded.

"Or programmers?" Max piled on.

"Or actresses?" Mylene squeaked.

Lila didn't say a word, only continuing to look down at the floor, shoulders shaking slightly. A crazed grin formed on Ms. Rossi's face.

"Go on, mi Bella," Ms. Rossi spat, like the words themselves were poison, "Tell them what you told me this morning right before you called the police on yourself!"

This elicited a series of gasps throughout the room. Officer Roger didn't budge though, which only proved the accusation was indeed correct.

Lila whimpered and seemed to cave in on herself further before timidly looking up at her mother. Ms. Rossi said nothing and merely gestured with her head towards the class almost impatiently. 'Tell… Them… Now!' the expression read.

"I…" Lila finally began, "...have done you all wrong. I lied about it all… except for my parents' professions. I threatened your beloved Marinette when she tried to call me out! I worked with Gabriel Agreste to spy on Adrien for him in exchange for favors!"

"Like… the sexual kind?" Nathaniel asked, his eyes wide open.

"No, thankfully, but that's not the worst of it. Hawkmoth saw potential in me and asked me to help him cause akumas. That's why I got Marinette expelled, temporary as it was - it meant more potential akumas for him!"

Gasps of shock and rage burst through the classroom.

"That's not the worst of it, either. This isn't the first school I've done this in. In other schools all across the world, I've pulled this, and have even led kids to suicide!"

Everyone gasped again; this time even Principal Damocles and Miss Bustier. Officer Roger blinked and stared at the girl in utter shock and horror, before it morphed into a disgusted rage as well. Though Chloe had been the closest thing Sabrina had to a friend, everyone remembered their first year of Collége and heard the news about one of Sabrina's cousins taking their own life. It was one of the few times Chloe had looked genuinely concerned for her friend. The only difference was that this one wasn't driven by bullying, but severe, untreated depression instead. Either way, Sabrina was inconsolable for weeks, and there were rumors that Officer Roger had asked to be put on leave for two weeks from his job to have time to cope. Ever since then, suicide had been a touchy subject for the Raincomprix family, no matter who it involved.

"They were just like Marinette. They knew I lied and told me to stop! But I didn't like that and tried to make their lives miserable in return. There was one guy, I cut the soles of his sneakers before one of his races so he would fall and lose. He didn't just fall, he broke his leg and arm. One was a compound fracture. He couldn't run after that…"

The confessions went on. From how she bribed some older boys at one school to ruin someone's voice so she couldn't sing anymore, to how she lied about another boy copying a graphic novel from her that he was hoping to publish… she wasn't stopping.

o~o

While Marinette had mostly tuned the sobbing Italian out, for now, she noticed that most of the class was glued to their seats, shell-shocked about these revelations. She spotted Max typing on his laptop rapidly, looking more and more horrified and panicked with each result he searched. Alya was in a similar situation. Rose and Mylene looked seconds away from bursting into tears. Ivan was awkwardly trying to comfort his girlfriend while also glaring daggers at Lila. Juleka was staring down at her lap, her eyes wide and face paling too. Kim looked close to pulling a Hulk move and ripping off his shirt in anger, and Nathaniel looked nauseous and seemed to be discreetly eyeing the trash bin at the front of the room.

As for Adrien…?

If one were to look up the phrase 'what have I done?' on the internet, Marinette was sure his expression would have appeared as the first result.

It seemed Lila had gotten the attention she so greatly desired; this time, however, Marinette was all too willing to let this time slide.

Then, she noticed Nino's finger give three small taps on his desk, his eyes barely glancing between her and the door. There it was - the signal that everyone was ready.

She caught Alix's eye from across her desk, the pinkette barely nodding. Marinette noticed the skater's hand tensing in her pocket where the Rabbit Miraculous that she had handed the skater the same day Lila's Palace crumbled laid ready to go.

With a sudden bang, Marinette shot up from her desk, a scowl on her face. This immediately stopped Lila's confession dead in its tracks. The attention of the entire class was now focused on her.

She said nothing as she grabbed her bag, swiftly glided down the steps.

"M-Marinette, where are you going?!" Bustier's shocked voice followed as her hand landed on the classroom doorknob.

"Marinette?" Adrien's quivering voice questioned.

With a final glare over her shoulder, making the blond flinch back, she wrenched the door open and slammed it shut behind her.

She was barely halfway down the stairs when the shouting and screaming started. She quickly picked up the pace to the locker room. If that didn't attract Hawkmoth's attention, she didn't know what would!

Once ensuring that she was alone she opened her purse and Tikki flew out in a flash along with Kaalki as she pulled out the Horse Miraculous.

Queen: Shujin Academy Student Council Room. We managed to sneak Yusuke and Futaba in too.

With a nod, Marinette stashed her phone and stuck on the glasses.

"Kaalki, Full Gallop!" she shouted.

A flash of light later, Marinette - or Horseshoe, as she briefly dubbed herself in this form - got to work.

"Voyage!" she exclaimed and threw the portal forward. On the other side, she smiled as she saw her team waiting expectantly on the other end.

"Waiting for an invitation?" Horseshoe smirked, jerking her head.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Ryuji whooped and he leaped through, the others following closely behind.

"How did it go?" Makoto asked, Pollen perched on her shoulder, "According to Nino's text, Lila was handcuffed."

"Kaalki, Dismount," Marinette quickly caught the little Kwami and tossed her a sugar cube. Once she finished chewing, Marinette gave her Miraculous to the little kwami, "Go find Nino Lahiffe. He's wearing glasses and a red cap."

With a sharp nod, the Horse Kwami zipped speedily out the door.

"He wasn't wrong," Marinette finally answered, "and it went about as well as you'd expect. But the shouting and accusing didn't really start until after I made a scene exiting the class."

"A scene?" Yusuke asked, Trixx poking up from the top of his head.

"Halfway through her speech I simply stood up and walked out of the classroom," she told them bluntly, "the shouting started when I was halfway down the stairs."

"You really think it'll attract Hawkmoth's attention?" Futaba asked, fiddling with her thumb ring.

"Even if it wasn't originally planned, if I were him, I'd be an idiot not to. So many negative emotions all in one place all of a sudden? I'd at the very least be curious."

"I see," Akira said, hand flexing with the Tiger Panja Bracelet, "so we're not only reacting to a potential mass terrorist attack but also attempting to unmask Hawkmoth ourselves, correct?"

"If he shows up, that would be optimal. Same goes with Mayura," Marinette said confidently.

As if on cue, a shrill scream echoed from outside the locker room. Being the closest one to the door, Ann peeked out, and with a gasp immediately closed it again. It wasn't fast enough, though, as one scarlet akuma managed to slip inside.

The Phantom Thieves immediately tensed at the approaching akuma but contained their fear and anger to ward it off. As it flew out of a window to go find someone else, the group let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Everyone ready?" Marinette finally said.

"It's showtime," Akira nodded his assent, "Roaar, Leap Out!"

"Xuppu, Showtime!"

"Trixx, Let's Pounce!"

"Wayzz, Shell On!"

"Pollen, Buzz On!"

"Orikko, Sunrise!"

"Tikki, Spots On!"

o~o

"LILA!" Ms. Rossi screamed as akumas began pouring into the room. The class started screaming as well, not in anger, but in horror and fear as they attempted to dodge the scarlet moths.

"N-No! Mama, I didn't- I didn't have anything to do with this!" Lila sobbed right before being forcefully turned into a silver & white version of Volpina.

"Ms. Rossi, look out!" Miss Buster shouted, just before an akuma entered a pencil on the back of her ear, turning into Zombizou. An akuma also landed securely in Ms. Rossi's purse.

"Verity Queen," a silken voice rang in her head, "I am Scarlet Moth. The one that you used to trust has deceived you, so I'm giving you the power to separate the truth from the lies. And as for the rest of you…"

By now most of the class - plus Mr. Damocles & Roger - had been reakumatized, all in scarlet versions of their old forms. The only ones that weren't were Adrien, Nino, and Alix, who managed to sneak out quickly.

"...you were disappointed and let down by one you once called a friend? A supposed role model? Yes, the truth hurts, but not all is lost. All you must do is seize Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous!"

"Yes, Hawkmoth," the akumas said in monotone unison before crowding out the door.

o~o

"Plagg… I messed up," Adrien practically sobbed as he ducked into the bathroom. He immediately collapsed to the floor, "I messed up so bad!"

"I tried to warn you, kid. I warned you that your advice would backfire," Plagg replied, crossing his tiny arms, "But for now, let's deal with the akumas. Then you can go apologize to Marinette."

"...you're right on that," Adrien admitted morosely, "Plagg, Claws Out!"

o~o

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" Nino frantically repeated as he and Alix took off, dodging akumas and attacks left and right.

"Over here!" they heard an urgent whisper from the art room. Turning to the source, the duo spotted Luka, hurriedly ushering them in. Not wasting another second, they sprinted in just in time to dodge a blast from Horrificator.

"You okay?" Luka asked, Sass flying around the windows frantically.

"Yeah, we're good, dude," Nino nodded with a gasp, "A-any word from Ladybug?"

"Madame Guardian and the rest of the Thieves are assembled, waiting for you," an elegant, posh voice informed them from the vent. From it floated…

"Kaalki!" Luka exclaimed as the Horse kwami sped towards Nino.

"Hmmm," she frowned, eyeing Nino up and down scrutinizingly, "You'll do for now, I suppose."

"Wait… Ladybug sent you to me?" Nino asked, sounding surprised.

"Well, of course," Kaalki scoffed, "Who else?"

"But… why me, I-I was part of this for a while too!"

"Nino, she said she's willing to give you another chance," Luka said, "If you're still unsure, you talk to her in private later - we have a job to do."

"Right! Let's back our girl up!" Alix cheered, clutching the Rabbit Miraculous tightly as Nino tentatively took the glasses from Kaalki.

"All you must say is 'Kaalki, Full Gallop!'" she informed him.

"Kaalki, Full Gallop!"

"Sass, Scales Slither!"

"Fluff, Clockwise!"

In flashes of light, three heroes, two old (well, sort of old in one of the cases) and one new one stood in the kids' place.

Alongside Kobra and a younger Bunnix, Nino's Horse hero form looked much more techno compared to his Carapace suit. It was somewhat similar to Futaba when she was Oracle, in fact. The glasses had morphed into goggles that partially blacked out Nino's eyes, making him look like a teenage bodyguard. His brown suit was tight and had silver tech-like outlines. On each of his sides, instead of horseshoe boomerangs, were horseshoe-shaped katars. He felt like he had just walked out of a Tron movie.

"Um… you guys don't think Futaba will think I'm copying her, do you?" he asked, looking down at his suit.

"Maybe she'll joke about it, but I don't think there will be a problem," Kobra responded.

"We can talk about the outfits later - let's go!" Bunnix exclaimed, grabbing her umbrella and smashing a window with it.

"Right! Follow me!" Kobra ordered before leaping out of said window. From the outside, the trio could see that akumas weren't staying put at the school premises. They were spreading out to the rest of the city; the group could tell by the screams and cries of terror in the distance.

They watched in horror as the Dupain-Cheng bakery was destroyed from a gigantic beanstalk that was growing from the center of it. Fortunately, it seemed the area of Marinette's room where the Miracle Box was resting didn't get destroyed.

"Oh no…" Kobra breathed as they quickly jumped to the rooftops.

"Took you long enough!" Bombshell exclaimed, her shield already held out on her arm.

"Sorry," Nino apologized.

"Not too shabby there," Futaba commented, eyeing his outfit.

"Called it," Bunnix mumbled to herself.

"Thanks… you too?"

Futaba grinned as she swung a bola in her hand. Her hair was tossed to the side in a crease, and tied in multiple bands. Her red-orange shirt trailed down her back with gold hemming. She had red leather gloves with the thumb ring now holding a bird-claw shape in the middle of it. She also wore brown pants and gold boots not too unlike Saruchame. Her mask was also bird-like, ending in a slight point at the tip of her nose like Joker's.

"Thanks, uh… what should I call you?"

"Henhouse!" Henhouse flashed him and the others a peace sign, "And you?"

"...Shadow Barb," Shadow Barb said resolutely, "Let's do this!"

"The name's Amur," Akira - clad in the Tiger Miraculous - said, examining his trench knife. Not too different from his Joker guise, Amur sported a deep indigo suit and black striped tailcoat. Unlike Joker, however, his mask covered his whole upper head above the mouth like a reverse bandana, emulating Mona. His gloves also had sharp nails sewn into them. Licking the inside of his mouth, he felt around his canines which had also sharpened to a point.

"And for those who don't know, I'm Bunnix!"

"Thank you all for being here," Ladybug said gratefully. She then glanced down at Morgana who was waiting anxiously for her signal. The heroine originally had tried to give Morgana the Mouse Miraculous, but due to his animal form, he wasn't compatible with any of the jewelry. But fortunately, Ladybug had a different task in mind for the not-feline.

"You know your job, right Morgana?"

"I won't let that box out of my sight, Ladybug!" Morgana promised, lifting his paw and saluting.

"And if an akuma finds it?"

"I'll just whisk it away to the Metaverse like a thief in the night! No sweat!" the cat grinned, his tail lashing eagerly.

"Good, now get going! Make sure you're not seen!"

"Got it!" the cat shouted and with a feline howl, leaped down from the school roof and started sprinting towards the bakery.

"Brought the cavalry I see, m'lady!" Chat Noir said, sounding out of breath as he too joined the group.

"Kind of had to," Ladybug answered quickly, gazing at the utter chaos around them.

"Same strategy as last time, I presume?" he asked anxiously.

"Let's hope for the same results…"

"We distract and disorient them, break their items, and Ladybug goes badass and swipes the moths, right?" Saruchame double-checked.

"We also support her," Kobra added.

"Of course. That sounds like a plan…" Mitsubachi said, as the heroes lined up on the roof, the akumas below beginning to take notice of them at last.

"Team Miraculous! Go!"

o~o

AN: Oh man! This chapter was SO fun to write! Not only has Lila been exposed, but the Phantom Thieves are taking helping to take on a whole army of akumas!

So, as you all can see Akira has been given the Tiger Miraculous, Futaba the Rooster, and Ladybug is entrusting Nino with the Horse.

Now I'm sure. I've mentioned this before, but remember, some of the Miraculous won't be final forms for some of the Thieves. Won't say which ones, but you're more than welcome to speculate!

Now, next time, Team Miraculous vs Team Akuma!