Episode Four
Mr. Pigeon
Previously on Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Her Team
"Happy birthday, Felix."
"You must really care about that girl, Fee!"
"I'm Adrien. Adrien LeValley."
Marinette groaned, getting out of bed. Last night had been a rough night for her. Three akumas in one night, just wonderful. Bridgette was already up, which is perfectly normal since of Bridgette's nightmares, so Marinette didn't think a second of it. She groggily went to school, loosely putting her double buns hanging low on her head, nearly pigtails like Bridgette's hair.
Going downstairs, Marinette popped up a question she had been wondering since she got her kwami. "Maman, Papa, can I get my own room?" Marinette asked. "I know it'll break Brid's heart, but I'm starting to want some privacy. But please don't tell her it was my idea!" Marinette left out the fact that she needed a way to escape to be Multimouse, but if they agreed, then all would be well.
"Marinette, whatever made you think of this?" Sabine asked.
"I'm a growing girl, Maman, I'm in high school, and I'm needing my privacy," Marinette explained. "Please, Maman, please, Papa."
"We'll think about it," Tom said. "But you were right about it breaking Bridgette's heart." Marinette nodded.
"About what breaking my heart?" Bridgette asked, coming down the stairs.
"Oh honey, me and Tom were talking about giving you and Mari separate bedrooms. We popped the idea up to Marinette, and she pointed out the fact that you would be heartbroken," Sabine said, completely covering up the fact Marinette brought it up.
"What? Why would you guys ever think of that?" Bridgette said.
"Honey, you and Marinette are growing girls, in high school, and we think you girls deserve some privacy," Tom said.
"Oh, come on, me and Mari need each other," Bridgette said, grabbing Marinette.
"It's not too far away if we are just across the hallway," Marinette said. Bridgette froze and let go of Marinette.
"Wait- Mari? I thought you'd be on my side. Sisters are the best of friends?" Bridgette said.
"And the best of friends are sisters. Look, Brid, maybe I- maybe I- maybe I want it," Marinette said. "Or maybe I'd like some privacy?"
"Oh. Okay. Do as you please, Maman, Papa, and Marinette, clearly you guys all want it," Bridgette said, a saddened look on her face. She grabbed her bag and skipped breakfast.
"Poor Brid," Marinette sighed. "She's gonna take the move hard, even if it's just across the hallway."
"Yeah, at least you'll get that privacy you want so bad," Tom said, patting her on the back.
"PAPA! You just wanna make me feel bad because you know if I cave in it'll be easier on everyone- well, there is just one little problem with that, I'm still in need of PRIVACY, Papa. Don't try to make me feel bad," Marinette said, kissing him on the cheek. "Goodbye."
…
"Mr. Agreste will be judging the competition with help of Mr. Adrien LeValley, who will model it," Mrs. Bustier explain. Marinette was bursting with joy.
"And this year, the theme is, drum roll, please…" Mr. Damocles said. The whole class started patting their desks. "DERBY HATS!" The whole class erupted with applause.
"You have until tomorrow after school, and so I highly suggest you start right away," Mrs. Bustier said.
The school bell rang, and Marinette sprinted out of the classroom. "Woah, girl. Where are you headed in such a hurry?" Alya asked, grabbing Marinette.
"I need an idea for a derby!" Marinette said. "I mean, I've done all types of hats, but I've never designed a derby…"
"Oh my gosh!"
"It's him!"
"He's in our school!"
"Who's here?" Alya asked.
"Adrien LeValley, he's here to meet the contestants who are entering their derbies!" a girl squealed.
"Oh, hi, Marinette," Adrien said, walking up to her. They fist bumped and Adrien sighed. "You ever have a trail of fans behind you?"
"No, but as seeing all the girls who are looking wide-eyed at me, I'm pretty sure I will soon enough," Marinette said.
"Heh, guess I'm the problem with that one," Adrien said. "Hey, are you entering the derby competition?"
"Actually, yeah," Marinette responded.
"Cool, do you have any designs for anything?" Adrien asked. Marinette pulled out a sketchbook and handed it to him. Adrien flipped through the pages. "Wow, Marinette, these are amazing. You might just win."
"Oh, Adrien, don't get my hopes up, I've never designed a derby," Marinette sighed.
"Marinette, don't belittle yourself, you'll do great!" Adrien said. "I don't have a doubt in my mind."
"Thanks, Adrien," Marinette said. "You're really not going to let me say that I'm not going to win, are you?"
"Nope," Adrien said, popping the p. When Adrien left to meet other constants, that's when heck broke out.
"You're friends with ADRIEN?!"
"No way- how do you do that?!"
"You- you- you just talk to him so casually!"
"Give me a break! Why is he friends with you and not me?!"
Marinette just walked out on them. She ignored all the questions and knew she'd have a hard time focusing on the derby if she didn't run away. "Finally…"
"If you can be a leader and teach Ladybug how to be Ladybug," Mullo began, "A derby hat should be a piece of cake!"
"Mullo! You cheese eating genius! A cake themed derby…" Marinette started scribbling in her sketchbook. A hundred designs later… "Mullo, this is useless. I'm never going to design the perfect derby." She sighed and then saw an odd man cocking his head and a bird call around his neck.
"Rloo! Rloo!" the man cooed. "Come here, my babies!"
Marinette giggled. "He really looks like a bird. He just needs a feather coat. Wait! A feather themed derby!"
"That is brilliant, Marinette!" Mullo said, clapping his paws. (Him- her- paws, hands? IDK?)
"Thank you, Mullo," Marinette said, scribbling down her idea. "PERFECT!" And she sprinted away, not see the "bird-man" get reprimanded.
"Marinette, you get an idea?" Bridgette asked as Marinette sped past her.
"Yep," Marinette said, quickly. She started sewing right away. Once finished she said, "Crap."
"What's wrong?" Mullo asked.
"I forgot to grab a feather. I need to have a feather!" Marinette exclaimed. She grabbed her bag and sprinted out the door, her buns nearly falling out. She got on a bus and grabbed a feather, just to get back on the bus. The bus stopped for what seemed like an hour making Marinette look at her phone. 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 15 minutes. "Are we going to go?"
"Sorry, ma'am," the bus driver said, opening the door. Pigeons were everywhere. On the giant TV, an akumatised villain was making an announcement.
"RLOO! RLOO! People of Paris, Paris is now ruled by PIGEONS!" The man flapped his arms and pigeons pecked the screen, making it go black.
"Looks like a mouse will have to depend on a cat and a snake until she can find a way to transform," Marinette sighed.
…
"Pigeons have taken over Paris…" the TV declared loudly. A picture of a bus was shown and a girl getting out of the bus Adrien recognized. Marinette. And not just that, she was being attacked by the pigeons as she tried walking out of the bus.
"Um- Mother, I'm going to go take a shower," Adrien called. He walked upstairs, turned on the water and transformed. He had been using the showers as an excuse. He called it stress showers. His mother called it a pain.
"Are you doing this for that girl?" Sass, Adrien's kwami asked.
"Of course I'm doing this for Marinette! She's the most perfect girl I know! No flaw about her!" Adrien exclaimed. "Sass, scales slither!" And with that, Aspik went on his way to save his damsel in distress.
…
"These darn birds won't let me get out!" Marinette said as people tried pushing her.
"Well, I might be able to help that," Aspik said, hanging over the edge of bus. He grabbed Marinette's hand and pulled her up on the roof of the bus. "Destination?"
"Somewhere not covered in pigeons!" Marinette replied. And with that, Aspik took Marinette to a building with the doors shut and a roof over top.
"I gotta go, but glad to help you, Princess." Aspik smiled and before he went Marinette said something that caught his attention.
"Sounds like I'm the damsel in distress for the superheroes, because Cat Noir called me Princess, too," Marinette said. Aspik was JELOUS. No. Cat Noir beat him to it. Cat Noir was now his unofficial enemy for winning over Marinette's heart, whoever Cat Noir was underneath his mask. Cat Noir can have Multimouse for all he cares. But, Multimouse is also very similar to Marinette… No. Marinette couldn't be Multimouse mouse. (I hate writing this irony- ADRIEN YOU IDIOT! YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH MULTIMOUSE! I hate the irony the show creates. But I go with it.)
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, but you might wanna go defeat Mr. Pigeon."
"Good idea."
And with that, Aspik left. Completely oblivious to the fact Multimouse was going to show in three, two, one…
"Hey, snakey," Multimouse said hanging by her tail next to Aspik.
"Oh, are you flirting with me?" Aspik chuckled.
"You do it all the time, Aspik!" Multimouse accused.
"What are you talking about, Mousy?"
"There's a flirt," Multimouse said, rolling her eyes and chuckled. "Hey, wait- look!" Multimouse pointed at a man wearing a police hat. A ball of pigeons came and scooped him up. "Don't you have the power to go back five minutes? Have me go next to the man and then follow the pigeons."
"Okay, second chance," Aspik said.
"Hey, snakey," Multimouse said.
"Okay, so future you told me to tell you to go talk with that officer," Aspik said. Multimouse cocked her head back but went and started talking with the officer. When the pigeons picked up the officer, they picked up Multimouse too. "Geez, Multimouse, you are a genius." Aspik followed and sent his location to Ladybug and Chat Noir. When they arrived, Ladybug called her lucky charm and dropped down to fight Mr. Pigeon.
"Feeding time!" Ladybug shouted, flinging the coin into a vending machine, grabbing the chips that fell out and chucked it at Chat Noir who used his baton to wack the bag that exploded on Mr. Pigeon.
"HOME RUN!" Chat Noir exclaimed. The pigeons ended up pecking the bird call, breaking it and releasing the akuma.
"NO MORE EVIL DOING FOR YOU, LITTLE AKUMA!" Ladybug shouted, catching the butterfly. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She threw the coin up in the air, fixing everything.
"Well, as much as I'd like to stay and chat, I have to go do something really fast," Multimouse said.
"Mousy's not the only one," Aspik said, and took off with Multimouse.
…
"Marinette, where are you?" Bridgette mumbled.
"Is she always this late?" Alya asked.
"Sometimes," Bridgette said.
"I'm here!" Marinette shouted and placed down her derby.
"Um, Mari, your derby looks exactly like Chloe's," Bridgette said.
"I'll deal with her!" Alya promised.
"Nope, I know exactly how to handle this," Marinette said.
And then Adrien and Mr. Agreste arrived. Gabriel took a careful look at every derby but at Marinette's and Chloe's he gave a double take. Chloe started crying crocodile tears saying how Marinette must've copied her.
"Excuse me, Mr. Agreste, but I have a way to prove that the derby is my design."
"Do tell," Mr. Agreste said.
Marinette grabbed the hat off of its stand and flipped it upside down. "All artists know to sign their work for people who try and copy the art, and here, my name is written."
"Very good," Mr. Agreste praised. "Miss Chloe Bourgeois, you are eliminated from this and any other contests I may hold." Chloe looked appalled.
"But Mr. Agreste!"
"We do not stand cheaters. Miss. Dupain-Cheng, you're design is very unique and has won the contest. My work here is done." As Mr. Agreste left, (well, technically his assistant left while he was on a video call) and Adrien walked up to Marinette.
"Good job," Adrien said, fist bumping Marinette. "I told you you would win."
"You didn't let me think otherwise," Marinette joked.
"Why would I? Marinette, you are the best," Adrien said in all seriousness. Alya raised her eyebrows at Marinette who shrugged in response.