The Ladyblog
By Jenna Rolan
Another Akuma attack? And in the same place?
Hawkmoth's latest victim, Christine Canigula, is the second student at Middleborough high school to become Akumatized.
Christine became the supervillain, Showstopper, and Akuma who wanted to turn New Jersey into a Broadway Show
Her powers allowed her to transform people into musical characters, complete with the costumes and personalities.
When I tried to get through to her, I was transformed into Sue Snell, One of the characters in Carrie the Musical
But luckily, Ladybug and Chat Noir to save the day a second time, and they even got some help from two friends of mine, Chloe Valentine, and Rich Goranski.
Like Michael Mell, Hawkmoth's first victim, Christine couldn't recall what happened while she was Akumatized.
I'd also like to add that therapy sessions will be held after school for Akuma victims, and for people coming to support their fellow students after such a traumatic experience
Jenna looked away from one of the school's computers to face Michael and Christine "So, what do you think?" Christine immediately hugged her, making the school gossip smile "I'm guessing you like it?"
"Yeah, it's awesome!" Michael nodded "And thanks for... Y'know, not demonizing us like some people." He nervously twiddles with the beaded bracelets on his wrists
While no one said it out loud, Michael and Christine knew a good chunk of the students thought they were monsters. They tried their hardest to explain how they had minimal control over their actions as Akumas, but students remained wary around the two, mainly Michael since Cloud of Doubt forced students (and some teachers) to reveals parts of themselves they never wanted others to know. And while Showstopper was harmless, Christine still found herself ostracized by some of her classmates.
The people who had their backs through all this were the Squad, Evan, Connor, Alana, Jared, and Zoe. They also made attempts to show the student body that they were not evil (Connor and Rich used intimidation), but then they would retort and point out how Michael and Christine tried to hurt Jeremy and Holly, respectively. It would never end.
"Guys, people are gonna see that you're also the victims in this." Jenna explained, "Hawkmoth is the real villain here."
Christine looks down, "Yeah, but accepted his offer." she says, ashamed "We could've said no, but-" Jenna cuts her off
"But nothing!" She yelled, "You two weren't in the right state of mind, and Hawkmoth took advantage of that." She explained "I bet even the strongest people could become Akumatized. And don't forget, you got the Squad to back you up."
Smiles appear on their guilt-ridden faces
Christine hugs her friend again "Thanks, Jen."
Jenna, whose face is looking a little red, isn't sure what to do now except place her hand on top of the shorter girl's head
"Well, I gotta go." Jenna's smile fades a bit as Christine pulls away from the hug, then puts on her backpack "I'll see you guys at lunch!" She heads out the computer lab, leaving Jenna with Michael, who has a smug look on his face
"What?"
"Oh, Jen." He chuckles, "You have it just as bad as Evan." The Filipino says, making Jenna flush crimson and start nervously tugging on her jacket sleeve "You gotta tell her at some point."
"I know!" She groans "But she's just so... Agh! I fricking love that girl!" Embarrassed, she hides her face in her hands. Michael chuckles, then pats her on the shoulder
"Jenna, it's fine." Michael reassured, "I get where you're coming from," He rolled his eyes "I can't tell you how many times I've tried to get Jere to see me as more than his best friend before we started dating."
He smiles fondly at the memories. Pushing Jeremy on the swings, getting into tickle fights, tackling him out of nowhere, and just end up hugging, sleeping in the same bed during sleepovers. All that, and they just started dating like three weeks ago. And all Michael had to do was turn into a supervillain.
"I'm sure she'll realize your feelings for her. Just give it time."
Thinking about it for a moment, Jenna nods, "Maybe you're right. Thanks, Mike."
He slips on his white headphones and blasts some Bob Marley, "It's what I do!" then he starts dance walking out of the room, making the school gossip laugh at his antics.
—
Evan looked up from his textbook to stare lovingly at Connor from across the room. The long-haired boy was looking through a bookshelf. Evan had been originally studying for a quiz, but then Connor just had to walk in and steal his focus.
Tikki, who had been hiding between the open book and Evan tried to snap him out of it
"Evan," She whispered, "just talk to him."
Seeing the boy in the black clothing about to turn his head, Evan holds the book up to his face so Connor won't see him and his rose-tinted face
"Wh-what if I-I just... Y'know, blurt something out I didn't mean to say?" He whispered, "I might say 'Oh, God, you're so hot.' He'll be weirded out and never wanna talk to me again!" He then starts listing off the possible negative outcomes, "I-I have to switch schools so I don't bump into him again, o-or maybe even move, and-"
"Evan." Tikki said as she grabbed her holder's face, "That won't happen. Take a deep breath, and just go talk to him."
Taking a deep breath, Evan closes his textbook and gets up from his seat. He slowly walks over to Connor, repeating Tikki's words under his breath, "Just go talk to him. Just go talk to him. Just go talk to him..."
Connor's back is faced towards Evan, and his face is buried in a book. The shorter boy wipes the nervous sweat off of his forehead, and the palm of his hands then goes to tap Connor's shoulder... His finger is an inch away... Evan pulls his hand back, hangs his head, then walks away until he's out of the library.
Tikki pokes her head out of his pocket "What happened?" Evan groans, his face hidden in his still sweaty hands
"I panicked." He mumbled
"Acorn!" The tiny goddess ducks her head back into the pocket when she sees Jared Kleinman approaching, "What's up with you?"
"I'm pathetic, Jared!" He yelled, "I can't talk to Connor without thinking of all the stuff that can go wrong!"
Jared rolls his eyes, "The, 'I'll have to switch schools or move' scenario?" Evan nods. Jared sighs and wraps his arm around the slightly taller blonde's shoulders "I still don't get what you see in Hot Topic, but... I'll help you out."
Evan looks up, surprised at his friend's sudden offer. "Really?" Jared nods
"Yeah. As much as I love seeing you panic and stutter a bunch of times whenever you're around him..." He explained, making Evan frown "We're family friends, and family friends help each other."
"Oh... Thanks, Jared." He smiled
"Start small first. You two have chemistry together, right?" Evan nods "Ask him to be your lab partner, finally!" He, Alana, and Zoe groaned every time Evan told then every time they didn't partner up for Chemistry. Instead, he'd be partners with Rich or Jake, who were also in that class, or some student he barely even knew.
"While you two are working, have a small conversation."
"But we already do-" Jared cuts him off "When the girls and I are around. A group conversation is different from a two-person conversation." Evan blinks, confused "Trust me, it is. Then as you're talking, ask if he wants to hang out, just the two of you."
Evan thinks about it. Jared could be right, and this may help him be more confident around Connor. "Alright. I'm gonna do it."
"There you go, Acorn!" He tussles Evan's hair "But I swear to God, if you wuss out, I will, no, you can guarantee that I will call you 'Chicken For Life.'
"I'm not gonna wuss out, Jared. I'm gonna do it."
--
Dustin was officially getting on Rich's last nerve right now.
"BACK OFF, MAN!" Rich yelled as he pushed Dustin Kropp, his back hitting a locker with a 'clang' "What's your problem?!"
"What the hell are you doing with those freaks?!" He points to Michael and Christine. Christine is helping Michael up off the floor "What if they go nuts again, huh? We're as good as dead!"
Christine and Michael were just talking by their lockers, normal stuff. Upcoming plays, musical soundtracks, reggae, vintage soda. Then out of nowhere, Michael was pushed to the floor by none other than Dustin Kropp. He and his 'Asshole Army' (Dubbed by Chloe) always do stuff like this. They usually just went after people who were different in any way. Their newest targets were Akuma students.
"We didn't try to kill anyone!" Christine screamed, angry at these accusations once again being thrown at her and Michael, "We didn't have control!"
The students murmured amongst themselves, some believe them, others were skeptical.
"Dumbasses," Rich mutters as he leads Michael and Christine away from the forming crowd.
"Thanks, Rich," Michael says as he adjusts his glasses which fell off after Dustin pushed him to the ground
"They know Hawkmoth took control of your minds or some shit. It's not your fault!"
"But-"
"Mike. You and Chrissy had no control," Rich told the taller boy "don't listen to those guys." Christine and Michael smile, but still don't look convinced
BRIIIIIIIING!
Rich sighs, "Remember what I said!" then heads to his next class, which he just so happened to have with Dustin
--
"Hansen?"
'H-here."
"Kropp?"
"Yo."
"Murphy?"
"Yeah."
"Sawyer."
"Present."
When the teacher finished taking roll call, she began talking about the lab assignment. Evan discreetly looked over at Connor, sitting at the table next to him, not even paying attention to the teacher's words... He was going to ask him to be his lab partner. He would do it. No backing out this time!
"Now find your partner," The teacher told her class "and I'll hand you the instruction sheets, then the materials you'll be using."
At that, students scrambled to either partner up with their best friends or the smartest kids in the class. Evan felt Tikki shifting around in his pocket. He looked down and saw her giving him what he thinks is a thumbs up. So, he got up from his seat, ready to finally ask Connor to be his lab partner. But he froze when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 'Dang it.', he thought. But he took it back when he looked up at the owner of the hand- It was Connor!
"Partners?"
'OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod!' "Su-sure." He gives the long-haired boy a nervous smile, which he returns, then he sits in the chair next to Evan just as the teacher hands them the paper with instructions for their class assignment. Evan holds up the paper and mumbles the instructions under his breath while Connor silently reads
"I guess we're using the Bunsen burners." Connor gestured to the gas-powered lab equipment sitting on the table,
"Right." Evan nods "It looks like pr-pretty basic stuff. Th-the balloon inside a flask thing?"
"Heh." Connor chuckles, "I always wanted to try that." He said before the teacher handed them their materials- Two pairs of goggles, a medium-sized flask, a red balloon, a small bottle of water, and tongs.
"Alright, let's do this." He reaches into his pocket and pulls a black scrunchie, which he uses to tie his hair back in a messy bun. All Evan could think was, 'Oh my God! He looks so cute!' Then when he puts on the goggles, Evan nearly faints at how Connor Murphy can make lab goggles look so hot
"first step?"
Evan snaps out of his daze "Huh?"
Connor repeats the question, "What's the first step?"
"Oh." Evan reaches for his goggles, puts them on, then re-read the instructions "Put about 1/8 inch of water in the flask." As he reads this, Connor unscrews the small bottle of water and slowly pours a small amount of water in the flask "Then, put the balloon over the flask, and turn on the burner."
"Alright." Connor stretches the balloon, making Evan's mind go to... Non-lab related topics. Then he twists the needle valve on the Bunsen burner, making a little flame sprout from the barrel. He twists it a little more, and the flame rises about half an inch.
"Then we use the tongs to hold the flask over the burner, and watch the balloon inflate." Connor picks up the flask with the tongs and holds the bottom of it to the flame.
Neither of them says anything, they just watch the balloon slowly inflate. Evan remembers Jared's words from earlier. He takes a deep breath, then turns to Connor and opens his mouth to say something, but all anyone heard was-
"FIRE!"
Evan and Connor jump out of their seats at that one word. They look up and see Rich and Jake backing away from their table as the flame from their Bunsen burner rose to about three feet. The smoke rises and hits the fire alarm, sending a loud blaring sound through the room, and the sprinklers start going off. Students cover their heads with their notebooks and proceed to run into the hallway while the teacher tries to handle the fire,
--
"RICHARD GORANSKI, REPORT TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE!"
"What?!"
The students, soaking wet and standing in puddles of water, stood by and watched as their teacher chastised the short blonde.
"But I didn't do anything!" He argued, "The valve broke off, I swear!"
Jake came to his defense, "I saw the valve come off! Rich is telling the truth!"
The teacher sends Jake a glare, making him back away, "Dustin said he saw you twisting the valve carelessly, then pulled it off." Rich sent a glare at his rival but didn't respond "Office. Now.", she emphasized with a finger pointed to the door.
Rich let out a huff and walked towards the door and out of the classroom. It was quiet for about three seconds until they heard a yell, and a loud 'Clang!'. They assumed Rich had kicked a locker in anger.
Evan and Connor looked nervous, both are worried that Hawkmoth may strike again
--
"Ah, blamed for the transgressions of another. Anger sparking, and a burning desire for revenge.'
The Butterfly villain held out their hand, allowing a white butterfly to perch itself on their palm. Once covered, just like the other two, the magic of the Miraculous gave the butterfly dark energy.
Hawkmoth blew gently at the now black insect, it flew above and away from them. Fly my beautiful Akuma, and evilize him!"
--
As Rich walked towards the Principal's office, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his camouflage pants, he was still pissed. Not just at the teacher, but at Dustin Kropp. They used to hang out together before he hung out with the Squad, but now he just treats him and his friends like shit, especially Michael and Christine ever since they got Akumatized... He just wanted that asshole to just... Just-
"Burn?"
Rich lifted his head, the purple butterfly outline appeared on the front of his face as Hawkmoth communicated with him. He didn't notice the Akuma had flown into his green bandana.
"Get the fuck. Out. Of. My. Head." He was dealing with enough shit right now. He didn't need some Butterfly villain turning him into an Akuma.
"Inferno, you don't seek revenge? That boy, Dustin Kropp, was it? Is quite troublesome. He hurt your friends, hurt you. Let me give you the power to make life's problems go up in flames. Burn those who stand in your way."
"Stop." Rich held his head as Hawkmoth continued to try and convince him "I-I don't."
"You don't wish to help your friends?" They asked, "Without you around, Dustin and all who call them monsters will surely not hesitate to inflict pain."
Rich scowled at all the times he's heard Christine and Michael being harassed by some students who were affected when they became Akumas. "... What do you want?"
"Only Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous. Do you understand, my Pitiful Child?"
A sinister smirk appeared on his face, "Let's get these fuckers fired up."
Rich allowed himself to get engulfed in the darkness that bubbled down from his headband.
—
"BULL, MAN! COMPLETE BULL!" Jake yelled as he explained to Jeremy what happened in Chemistry as they walk down the stairwell "Rich didn't do anything!"
"Well, did you tell the teacher that?" Jeremy asked cautiously
"Yes!" He yelled, "She didn't believe me...!"
As Jake continued his rant, Jeremy felt as though he was in a sauna right now. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and tugged on the collar of his cardigan before removing it. That was when he noticed black footprints on the steps. Smoke seemed to be rising from them. And there were even more going down the hall
"...Okay, sure, Rich can be a distraction in class, but he wouldn't-"
"Jake!" Jeremy yelled, then pointed to the smoking black footprints. Jake, perplexed, kneeled and touched a footprint, then retracted his hand back. It's hot to the touch.
"The hell?" He starts tugging on his jacket, "God, it's like an oven in here."
—
"Okay," Jared said with a sigh, "so the plan backfired. Not your fault, there was a ton of commotion, anyone would've-"
"Jared," Evan cut him off "did you not hear me when I said that Rich was framed?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. That sucks, too." Jared said dismissively, "What happened again?"
"The valve on the Bunsen burner broke off and caused a fire," Evan explained, "and Dustin told the teacher that Rich caused it on purpose."
Jared was about to reply, but then looked past Evan and rolled his eyes, "Well, speak of the devil." At Evan's confused look, he points behind him, making Evan turn around to see Dustin with some of his friends tossing Michael and Christine's backpacks back and forth
"Careful, guys!" Dustin warned, "They might get mad and magic butterflies will make them attack us!" He said mocking tone, making some people in the hallway laugh and point at the two humiliated students
Evan wanted to help them, he did. But he just couldn't. When he's just himself, he can't just confront a bully like Dustin. But as Ladybug, he's unstoppable, confident, and able to kick ass... The kind of guy Connor deserves.
—
Connor looked at the scene before him. Dustin could be a real dick sometimes. If he tried to intervene, people would automatically think he was trying to cause more trouble, 'cause that's who he was- A troublemaking anarchist. As Chat Noir, he could do no wrong.
Just then, student's screams were heard
Dustin's brow furrowed, "The fuck?"
More screams sounded out, followed by the smoke sensors going off. The smell of burning paper and sort of a metallic smell hit the noses of many students
"FIRE!"
"RUN!"
"QUIT RUNNING, YOU FUCKERS!"
The owner of the voice rounded the corner. prompting many of the students to run away. Evan, Jared, Michael, Christine, Dustin, and others who remained still instead of running saw an Akuma with fiery orange eyes, dark gray skin with bright orange markings which appear to be lava, and his hair was literally on fire. He had on a dark red tank top with flame patters, black baggy pants with rips and tears, black boots that almost looked like coal, and a red bandana was wrapped around his head.
"Rich?" Michael asked in disbelief
Dustin dropped Christine's backpack and held up his hands in a defensive way, "Hey, Rich. L-look, we're cool, right?" He gave a nervous chuckle as he inched away. Instead of responding, the Akuma removed the bandana around his head, and it extended into a whip. Its appearance looked much like the flame whip from Castlevania, only the handle was black with orange rune symbols
He throws his whip at Dustin, entangling him. Everyone could only stare in horror as the whip's fire consumed Dustin, and he went up in flames. He didn't scream, and no ashes were left as the flames died down. The end of the flaming whip retracted back to the Akuma as he wrapped it back around his head. "... The name's Inferno."
"OH, SHIT!" A student screamed
The remaining students quickly ran, not wanting to end up like Dustin and disappear into flames. Michael and Christine were a little hesitant to run, knowing that was their friend under the fire Akuma, but they got swept with the crowd. Connor, seeing how no one was looking, snuck away to transform.
Evan's finger brushed over his Miraculous, he needed to find a place to transform, but where? The doorknobs were scolding hot, so it'd be difficult for him to sneak into a room, and students were crowding the halls.
"Evan, come on!" Jared grabbed his wrist and proceeded to pull him away from the commotion when suddenly, they heard,
"Hey, hothead! Ever heard of anger management?"
With a leap, Chat Noir jumped into view, much to everyone's relief and astonishment
"Ha! As if some lame-ass psychiatrist can handle THIS!" The Akuma's body suddenly became engulfed with fire, "Now give me your damn ring before I BURN YOU TO A FUCKING CRISP!"
He whipped the ground Chat Noir was standing on with his whip, making the cat-themed hero jump back in shock as Inferno continued his assault
"C'MON CAT BOY, DANCE!"
"You guys should probably get going!" Chat Noir said as he glanced at the remaining students, "Hurry before he gets even more fired up."
Evan rolled his eyes at the pun before running. He managed to separate himself from the herd of students and find an empty hallway to transform
--
"Move!"
"Coming through!"
Michael and Christine finally made it out of the cluster of students running for their lives. Sweat stains are visible all over their clothes due to the heat and steam
"Oh, God!" Michael panted, "It's so hot!" He removes his hoodie, revealing a black Pac-Man shirt, and ties it around his waist, "We gotta find the others."
"What about Rich?" Christine asks as she removes her jacket and pats the sweat off of her forehead, "We can't just leave him!"
"I know, but there's nothing we can do right now." He hears a crash coming from the hallway, "Come on."
And Christine followed him without another word
--
Meanwhile, Chat Noir found himself in some sort of boiler room right below the school. The last thing he remembered was the floor turning to ash, and he fell right through
"CHAT!" Ladybug yelled, worried. He jumped down through the hole in the floor and landed next to his partner before helping him up, "I guess some cats don't land on their feet, huh?"
Chat Noir rolled his green eyes with a smile and brushed himself off, "What is this place?"
"It looks like the school boiler room." Ladybug deduces
"It's also your FUCKING GRAVES!" Inferno shouted as he dove straight down at them like a giant fireball
"LOOK OUT!"
The super duo moved out of the way before the Akuma could land on them, "Well, looks like Ladybug came to play."
Ladybug brandished his yoyo and Chat Noir did the same with his staff. Inferno took a deep breath and exhaled, "Ah, the boiler room. My kind of place." He removes his bandana and it ignites with red fire as it extends to its whip form. Inferno then curls in on himself and rapidly spins into a ball. The flames of his whip combined with this surround his spin dash with a flaming aura
"... Oh, God..." Ladybug began to back away as Inferno picked up more speed, and the flames became higher
"SPIN DASH! HE CAN FUCKING SPIN DASH!" Chat Noir screeched as Inferno hurtled towards them, the heroes dodged and tried to throw him off course by hitting him with their weapons, "DAMNIT! WHY DID HE HAVE TO BE A FUCKING FIRE AKUMA!"
Ladybug raised an eyebrow before throwing his yoyo at Inferno again. He got off course again and hit a pipe, denting it. Water sprayed out and got on the Akuma. He let out a screech and stopped his spin dash. The flames that represented his hair lowered and the lava markings on his skin began to fade to black. He backed away from the spraying pipe
"Fuck..." He swore as steam rises from his body
"Looks like water is his weakness," Ladybug deduced
"That makes sense."
Inferno's hair reignited, and the markings became brighter again. He spin-dashed again and proceeded his attack on the heroes. Chat Noir readied his staff, yelled, "Batter up!" And swung at the fiery ball, sending it through the burnt away hole. Crashes are heard followed by some screams.
"Let's go!" Chat Noir held Ladybug's hand and extended the staff, allowing them to get out of the boiler room.
They looked around the hallway, but don't see inferno. All they see are melted lockers, scorch marks on the walls and the floor, and a few flames scattered around
Chat lets out a low whistle, "Damn. I thought Cloud of Doubt was bad."
"Ladybug! Chat Noir!" They turned to see Jake Dillinger and Jeremy Heere running towards them, sweating, panting, out of breath, "I... pant Damn, it's hot. I-I know where Rich is going!" Jake pulls out his phone and pulls up the Ladyblog. Jenna has her phone pointed to a neighborhood, almost everything is on fire.
Inferno is hurling fireballs at the students who messed with Michael and Christine earlier
Jenna points the phone to her face, the look of panic is visible, "Well, I guess we found Inferno's targets!" She ducks as a fireball hurdled towards her. A small flame is on top of one of her purple space-buns. She pats it out, "Don't panic, though. I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here short-" Her eyes widen at something offscreen, "DUCK AND COVER, PEOPLE!"
"Wait! Pause the video!" Chat Noir ordered. Jake does so, and Chat Noir takes a closer look at the screen. His eyes widen in horror when he sees a street sign, and realizes that's his neighborhood. And Zoe ran away from the school to take shelter at home. "I know what neighborhood that is."
Ladybug nods then turns to Jake and Jeremy, "You should get home. We'll save your friend." Jake breathes a sigh of relief and runs off with Jeremy
--
Inferno continued to use his whip on any obstacle standing in his way. Cars, lamp posts, pets. Hearing a rattle, he throws his whip in that direction, but ends up setting fire to a cat, "DAMN IT!", he growled, the flames on the top of his head rose. The Akuma symbol appeared over his face
"Don't let your anger get the best of you, Inferno." Hawkmoth ordered, "Remember the Miraculous!"
Inferno rolled his eyes, "Whatever Hawk-man."
--
Zoe was a few blocks away from her house. She was desperately trying to call Connor and see if he made it out safely. Sure, he annoyed her sometimes, but Connor was still her brother. And sisters don't let brothers burn to a crisp at the hands of a villain.
She was almost there, just one more house... But then a whip sounded out. She slowly turned her head, thinking the Akuma found her, but she was relieved when she saw the Akuma facing someone else- It was a member of Dustin Kropp's posse, backing away as Inferno readied his whip
"I've been wanting to do this a long time!" Inferno yelled as he raised his flaming whip, but before he could inflict any damage, a pink phone case was thrown at the back of his head, it immediately went up in flames upon contact. He turned his head slowly and saw Zoe, with her arm stretched out as if she had just thrown something
"Well, look who we have here..."
"Rich, d-don't do something you'll regret."
"Oh, I just might."
Inferno lashes his flame whip at Zoe. She put her hands out in front of her, knowing very well that wouldn't help, but she was out of options. She braced for the oncoming attack, but then...
"GET AWAY FROM HER!"
... Zoe found herself in the arms of the leather-clad hero himself. He had dived in just in time to push her out of the way and carry her to safety "Get home safe," He told her before running off to join Ladybug in the battle. Zoe couldn't put her finger on it, but there was just something about Chat Noir that just reminded her of someone, she wasn't sure who
"LUCKY CHARM!" Ladybug yelled, tossing the yoyo in the air
And in his hands was a...
"A bowl?" Ladybug questioned, his brow furrowed in confusion
"You gonna use your cooking skills to get us out of this?" Chat Noir said with a smirk before getting in front of Ladybug and spinning his staff to deflect the fireballs, "Figure out how to use that thing!"
Ladybug quickly analyzed his surroundings
Give Chat Noir the bowl
Have Chat Noir cataclysm the fire hydrant
Use the bowl to deflect the water and aim it at Inferno
React fast to grab the whip
Ladybug's eyes lit up, "I got it!" He hands Chat the bowl, much to his confusion, then he points to the fire hydrant behind Inferno, "Use your Cataclysm on that hydrant."
"Got it, m'lady!" Chat Noir said with a nod, making Ladybug raise an eyebrow at the nickname. Then he yelled,
"CATACLYSM!"
Chat Noir charged at Inferno, he moved out of the way, thinking he was going to Cataclysm him. Chat ran past him touched the fire hydrant, making it crumble into dust and water shot out from the ground. "NOW!", Ladybug yelled.
Chat forced the bowl into the pressurized water, tilted the bowl, and aimed the water as best as he could. Inferno saw what was happening and ran to avoid the blast, but water droplets splashed on him, and he was becoming slower and weaker until eventually, he was blasted with water and fell to the ground. Chat Noir pulled the bowl away, stopping the blast, and Ladybug approached Inferno. His hair and markings were black, and smoke rose from his body. Ladybug grabbed the whip and snapped the handle in half, releasing the black butterfly he captured in his yoyo
"No more evil-doing for you, little Akuma. Time to de-evilize!"
And from the yoyo emerged a pure white butterfly that flew up into the sky, "Goodbye little butterfly." Chat Noir tossed him the bowl which he tossed into the air and shouted,
"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"
The lucky charm burst into thousands of ladybugs that spread all over town, fixing all the fire damage, burnt up objects were restored, the victims of the Akuma were brought back. As this all happened, Inferno melted away, leaving Rich, lying on the ground. He sat up, dazed and confused
Ladybug and Chat Noir fist-bumped, "Pound it!"
--
Hawkmoth fell to their knees with a heavy sigh
"Just you wait Ladybug and Chat Noir. When I have your Miraculous, I'll set this town ablaze with your fear!"
--
Ladybug rubbed the back of his head as his face turned a light shade of red, "So, what was with "m' lady"?" He asked. Chat smirked
"Let's just say you'll be hearing that name a lot." He then took Ladybug's hand in his, "Unless you prefer monsieur?" and kissed it, deepening the shade of red on Ladybug's face
'No! You like Connor! Get the spray bottle!'
"Sorry kitty," He slid his hand out of Chat's hold and flicked the little bell on his suit, "but, not interested."
"Where the fuck am I?", They heard Rich mutter "Oh shit. Dustin is never gonna let me live this down."
"Rich!" Jenna yelled as she ran over to help him up, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Jen, I'm fine. But I cannot show my face at school tomorrow!"
"Oh, yes you are." Ladybug said as he walked over to them, "Don't worry. Chat and I will take care of everything." Rich looked over at Chat, and he nodded in confirmation, making the shorter boy smile. "Jenna, how would you like an exclusive for the Ladyblog?" At that, Jenna squealed with delight and immediately pulled out her phone
--
Rich walked into school the next day with his head down, trying not to look anyone in the eye. He was expecting hateful glares and snide remarks, but nothing came up. He heard footsteps from behind and expected the worst, but calmed down when he heard Evan's timid voice, "He-hey, Rich."
"Hansen lemme guess. You wanna beat me up for almost burning you?"
Evan looked a little offended at that, "N-no. I was just g-gonna ask if you saw the Ladyblog." Rich raised an eyebrow, he continued, "So, Jenna- she posted an in-interview with Ladybug and Chat Noir, and well- I-it just, you gotta see it." Without saying another word, he pulled out his phone and went to the Ladyblog. A video played, showing Jenna talking to the heroes
"Ladybug and Chat Noir, what do you have to say about the latest Akuma attack?"
"Well, it's was a tough battle, but we came through," Ladybug admitted. Evan preened at how he didn't stutter during the interview, "We managed to de-akumatize Rich, and that's actually what we'd like to discuss. Students that attend his school have been turning Akuma victims into pariahs."
Chat nodded, "It was not their fault. They had no control, and no memories so quit treating them like shit! Sure, you all were traumatized, but what about them? They hurt people and couldn't do a thing to stop themselves. Instead of bashing them and causing more Akumas, help them."
Their Miraculous start beeping, "We gotta go." Ladybug pulled out his yoyo, "Don't forget what we said. But Out!" and swung away. Chat Noir extended his staff and vaulted off. Jenna pans her phone over to her, "Brief lesson, but a powerful one: Don't blame the victims."
And the video ended. Evan was sure he saw a tear forming in Rich's eye, "Rich, are you crying?"
"No!" He denied, "... Shut up!" then ran off to find Jenna and thank her. Tikki flew out of the side of Evan's backpack and hid in his blonde locks, "I'm proud of you, Evan!" She whisper-squealed. Evan pulled a bag of mini Oreos out of his pocket and handed one to Tikki, which she ate happily
"Hey, Acorn!" Tikki flew back into Evan's backpack before Jared could see her, "Okay, so yesterday? Not great, terrible. Don't blame you, though. There was a fire, then an Akuma, all that. But, there's always next time..." He smirks as he looks past Evan, "Starting now!" Before Evan could question him, Jared gave him a little push, and Evan found himself standing in front of Connor
"Hey, Ev." Evan straightened himself up, and greeted the brunette, "He-hey, Con! S-so, uh... Did you see the Ladyblog?"
Connor nodded, "Yeah, the message was pretty good. No one's done anything to Michael and Christine today, so that's good."
Evan smiled at the news, "Yeah. I hope Dustin got the message." Seeing Connor's... Strangely hot smirk, he raises an eyebrow, "What?"
"Dustin's being suspended."
"Wh-what? Really?"
"The janitor noticed some bleach or something missing from the supply closet, so they checked the security footage and saw him walking out with it, then heading into the science lab like a couple of minutes before class started.", he explained. Evan glad that Rich was off the hook
"Th-that's great!... So, I-I was going to ask you something before the fire." He said quickly
"What was it?"
"... What do you think of Ladybug?" 'Son of a birch!'
Connor thinks for a moment, Evan becomes nervous as he awaits his answer
'Does he not like Ladybug? So he doesn't like me? Oh, God!'
"He's kinda cute." Connor finally said. Evan suddenly stopped working "I don't know, he just is." He said as he shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets. "What do you think of Chat Noir?"
Evan snaps out of his daze and answers, "He's pretty nice. Bit a jokester." he said with a playful eye roll
"Aw, don't tell me you think his puns are claw-ful."
"Oh my God, please don't." Evan hid his face in his hands to hide the blush taking over his face
"I would, but I keep thinking of so many purr-fect puns!"
"Quit it with the Cat puns, Hot Topic!" Jared yelled from afar
"I can't stop meow, Kleinman, I'm on a roll!"
"I'm gonna kill you, Connor!" Zoe screeched