Another day had arrived and Ning was meditating on the roof. Her visions of the past were bubbling just below her conscious mind.
After reading three out of seven journals she knew something was going on. There was a mystery behind all this and she was determined to figure it out. The memory erasing powder was the key evidence in this case.
She read the entry again about the item. How powerful and dangerous it was. That it should only be used in extreme emergencies. The question she had to answer was what would be considered a real emergency.
She allowed one of her visions to enter her mind and watched it play out in her head. Myrul-Juruga, (loose Aborigine translation for girl and bug), the ladybug of Australia, Tikki had once mentioned to Marinette.
Ning's astral self floated in the air as she looked down to see Yindi running through the desert night. She kept checking her yo-yo to see what the time was. Eventually, she reached her destination, a small copse of trees.
She made the sound of a kookaburra and waited. A minute passed before her call was echoed back. Myrul-Juruga scanned the trees and Night Cat dropped down from the one furthest from her.
Night Cat's outfit was very simple. A traditional animal cape that went from his neck down to his ankles. A simple fiber band across his chest to protect his heart and a fiber man-skirt to cover his manly parts.
On his feet and hands, he wore gloves and shoes with tiny tips on the end. A cat-shaped mask covered his face finishing his costume. He held out his hand and she took it.
"I'm glad that you're okay. The settlers have been restless the past few days. I suspected they are preparing for another confrontation with my clan."
Myrul-Juruga tensed. "Do you want me there? The settlers might reconsider the attack if they saw both of us standing together."
"I'm not sure that even your presence could stop the attack. The settlers are getting angrier every time we push them back. If we both show up, who knows what they'll do."
Myrul-Juruga clenched her fists. There had to be something she could do for her partner. If the settlers attacked his clan he might die or worse, sacrifice himself to give his clan the chance to retreat.
Myrul-Juruga suddenly realized there was something she could do. "The Great Guardian who gave us our Miraculouses. Perhaps he knows a way to keep the settlers from attacking our clans ever again. I'll ask Tikki to lead me to his location. It can't hurt to ask for help right?"
Night Cat agreed and promised to meet back here in three days. Hopefully, that would be enough time to find the Great Guardian and ask for assistance.
Ning's eyes snapped open and she took a look around. Nothing was disturbed on the roof. She was also still sitting on her meditation mat. Honorra and Rexx were hovering in front of her with smiles on their faces.
"You did it! You managed to control the vision and not physically act on it," Honorra exclaimed happily.
"Your voice did change halfway through the meditation. I didn't recognize the language. If it helps, your tone of voice was hopeful, not angry," Rexx added calmly.
"I'm glad to be improving. If I can regain complete control then it will make my life easier," Ning replied. Her brow furrowed as something nagged at the back of her mind.
It would have to wait. She had been up since six a.m. It was nearly noon. She stood up and stretched. "Ah! Nothing like a good stretch to get some feeling back in your body." Her father had mentioned that Guardians only intervened on behalf of the wielders for dire emergencies. Did trying to prevent a battle between the Aborigines and the settlers count as one?
Stroking Tikki's Kwami Charm the young woman decided not to contact the little kwami right now. She was certain the Kwami of Creation, didn't want anyone interrupting her bonding time with her "cousin."
I can talk to the girls and guys tomorrow. Right now, I need to take care of myself.
Two and half hours later, Ning was showered and in new clothes. Master Fu remarked it was good to see her in better spirits. "I'm pleased that you managed to keep all the different visions under control. As long as your will is strong and you only focus on one vision at a time, I strongly believe you will not be overtaken."
Ning agreed with him. With her visions of the past under control once more, it would be easier to figure out the gaps in the journals and the Kwamiis' minds. There also might be some information in one of the memory stones in Fu's possession.
Before she could ask, she started to feel the same tingling in the back of her mind. Only this one was more intense. Swiftly, she gabbed both Tikki and Plagg's Kwami Charms. The visions were of the same event only different perspectives.
She focused on the Plagg's past wielder. She couldn't explain why. Only that it felt more urgent.
Once more she was floating above the copse of trees. She didn't see Myrul-Juruga. She saw Night Cat, an elder of his clan, and a middle age man who had to be a Guardian.
Night Cat was yelling loudly at the Guardian. "How could you?! Myrul-Juruga came to you for help! Instead, you took her memories away, and now she's dying!"
The elder shushed the distressed man. He turned to the Guardian and spoke with authority. "Your actions have caused harm to our people, to the land, and the Dreaming. Myrul-Juruga's spirit will struggle as it becomes part of the Dreaming."
The Guardian looked indifferent. "She should not have overstepped her role. Had she not threatened me to assist her with the skirmishes between the clans and the settlers, I would have not had to use the memory powder."
Night Cat hissed and called him out on his lies. "She asked for help and pleaded for you to assist her in finding a way to avoid an attack. You couldn't stand that a woman knew better than you."
"Now our clans have suffered and the settlers have gained more land to harm. If you are so convinced that you are right, then here," Night Cat spat as he removed his ring.
Plagg looked at the boy in shock. "No, Jarrah! You don't have to give me up. We can still make a difference!"
"I will miss our time together Plagg. You have been a good friend. I'm giving you back because I know if I don't, I could end up like Yindi. I wish to avoid that fate."
Jarrah looked at his elder signifying he was ready to leave. Both men scowled at the Guardian and then walked back towards their home. Their shoulders hung in defeat.
Plagg let out a snarl as he whipped around to face the Great Guardian. "You are one of the foulest Guardians I've seen in my life, Gong! Tikki and her bug would never threaten anyone!"
Gong rolled his eyes in annoyance. "A creature like you has no understanding of what it means to be a protector of your kind. You should trust me to look out for your best interests."
Plagg wasn't having it. He could see Gong's hand was moving towards the memory powder. The wicked man planned to erase his monstrous deed from living memory. He needed to do something quickly. Gathering his power, he cast a curse on the man.
"I curse you and all Guardians, who are remorseless and arrogant, to slowly lose your memories until you have nothing left! Guardians of compassion and true of heart shall keep theirs. This will continue until the day those cursed make amends for their misdeeds!" Plagg commanded. He laughed when he saw a smidge of fear in Gong's eyes.
"Go ahead and expunge my memories. Hide what you have done from the rest of the Order. It will not matter in the end. My curse has been cast and you shall suffer!"
Ning came out of the vision and blinked her eyes. She had not anticipated getting answers to her questions so soon. "I know why my visions have been getting out of control."
Master Fu raised his eyebrows. "You do? Is it related to why the journals are absent of certain information?"
His daughter nodded and told him he wasn't going to like what she discovered.
At the Louis Pasteur Science Academy, Professor Waller was in his office clenching a letter about his latest paper he had submitted for publication. Since the Miraculous heroes had first appeared, he had been interested in how they were able to do the things they did.
A prominent physicist, he had spent the past two years researching information related to the Miraculouses. He had also observed and recorded the heroes in action, trying to figure out how they were able to perform impossible acrobatics, and where their powers that defied all known science came from.
His paper had included everything he had documented. The paper described the heroes' abilities must be the result of magic. Of course, he added that magic was science still unexplained, but it didn't matter.
His publisher took one look at his draft and laughed. He had even asked if this was a joke. The LadyNoir blog had subscribers from all over the world. So they were known globally.
It was very unfortunate that a majority of the world thought like Peace Keeper's supervisors at the U.N. That the heroes were either a publicity stunt or using experimental technology.
Professor Waller looked at the rejection letter again. "The staff of the "Scientific Genius" is not amused by your work of fiction. We only publish real science and not make believe"stories
"Please, do not send any more articles to our journal. We will not publish them. Be advised, that we have alerted other scientific journals of your work of fiction and they will not publish you either.
We highly recommend that you should be evaluated before continuing any scientific research. Have a good day."
The man growled and ripped the letter into pieces. How dare they tell him to get evaluated for any mental disorders?
"This is preposterous! I have never sent them anything that isn't true before! My research notes alone should have been enough to convince them of my report's merit."
He shoved everything off his desk. Photos, research notes, and very personal items crashed to the floor making a resounding boom. He stormed over to his wall of success.
There were several academic honors and awards all over the wall. Framed pictures of his articles. Every diploma he had ever received. His most prized item was his Ph.D. He took it off the wall and clenched it tightly.
"This proves I'm a brilliant man! Those publishers will woe the day they dragged my name through the mud. I'll ruin their reputations!"
He hardly noticed the Akuma sinking into the award. Instead, he focused on Hawkmoth's words.
"Discredited, I am Hawkmoth. Your anger at being mocked and being called crazy is justified. I'll give you the power you need to get your revenge. I only ask for one thing. Bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous."
"It would be my honor Hawkmoth." The akumanzation took hold as the purple and black smoke covered the man's body. When it vanished, instead of a sweet old professor, there was a dangerous Akuma.
The Akuma was six feet tall and had wild white hair sticking out at all angles. His skin was blue and his eyes and mouth were pitch black. He now wore a thick metallic lab coat with gold colored boots and gloves. The award was strapped to his back. Instead of a Ph.D., it was now a computer screen with a small antenna attached to it.
"Now, let's see how others like it when they're discredited!" He kicked open the door of his office and headed out into the hallway, making his way to the main teaching area.
Several people, including a few professors, were gathered in a casual sitting area. There were a few of these areas scattered across the campus for groups to gather and talk.
The professors were discussing their latest publications when there was a loud crash. Everyone jumped and looked to see the Akuma Discredited glaring at them. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! If I can't be published, then neither shall you!"
He grabbed hold of one of his colleagues and held him in the air. The antenna on his back started whirling around as the computer screen lit up. It was listing every paper and award he had won.
The antenna shot out a green beam. All over the globe, his colleagues' papers and awards were vanishing. Any discoveries he made were undone. The erased articles were swapped with articles discrediting the professor.
Tossing his first victim to the side, Discredited grabbed another professor starting the process again. By now people were screaming and running in all directions.
While the Akuma was raging on the university campus, at the heroes' school, Max and Markov were taking advantage of the canceled gym class to read the latest science journals in the library.
"Can you believe this Markov? According to this paper, our favorite robotic expert, Ph.D. Alissa Granit has made improvements in artificial intelligence by creating a new algorithm to help further emotional development in bio-electrical chips!"
"Astonishing indeed! I would love to meet more AIs like myself in person," the little robot stated as he gave his friend an eye smile.
Max went to flip the page when they both gave a startled cry. The article was disappearing before their eyes. Just as suddenly the article was replaced with one condemning the robotics expert.
"Max, how is this possible?"
"It has to be the work of an Akuma! We have to alert Ladybug and Chat Noir! Where's Alya?"
Markov searched for the girl's phone location and located her in the courtyard. The two of them raced down the three flights of stairs and hurried over to the blogger.
"Whoa, where's the fire?" Alya asked. She had never seen Max choosing to run before.
"There's an Akuma loose in Paris somewhere," Max exclaimed. He told her what happened in the library.
Alya was fascinated upon hearing this. There was just one difficulty. "I can't post a notice unless I know where the Akuma precisely is right now."
Markov answered the most logical answer would be the campus Ph.D. Granit worked at. The Akuma couldn't have done something unless its victim was near.
Alya quickly posted it to her blog. "Hopefully, Ladybug or Chat Noir got the alert." The teenager bit her lip as she tried to decide what they should do next.
A large part of her wanted to run off across the city to record the battle. Her blog needed new footage.
At the same time, she had promised Ladybug that she would be more responsible about her reporting. That included not running into battle as a civilian. "We should inform the headmaster and the teachers about the Akuma. Even though it's a far distance, we don't know how far it will rampage."
"Good idea. I'll go inform the teachers, you talk with Mr. Damocles," Max said. They went running in opposite directions.
Max had just reached the second floor when he found himself being carried into the air. "AHHHH!"
"Would you please be quiet?" a female voice demanded. Fidgeting a bit, he realized he was being carried in the arms of Peace Keeper. Her magical butterfly jetpack had them speeding through the air.
"What the…?" Max stopped talking when he saw the look the adult heroine was giving him.
She informed him to hold tight as she increased her speed. Max closed his eyes as the wind rushed past him. His stomach started flip-flopping as his ride did some evasive maneuvers in the air.
Suddenly, he felt them diving towards the ground at startling speed. A strange tickling sensation spread across his body. About a minute later, they landed.
Max opened his eyes and sprang out of Peace Keeper's arms. The woman was scanning the sky intensely. "No sign of Mayura. My magic filter is not picking up any sign of her magic. Still, we need to make this quick."
Peace Keeper pulled out the box with the Dog Miraculous. "Ladybug and Chat Noir got the alert. They're dealing with Discredited, but could use your help."
"Which is why you fetched me. Are you going to join the fight?" he asked as he slipped on the Miraculous.
Peace Keeper shook her head. "With Mayura out, I have to lead her away from the fight. Her powers could tip the balance in Hawkmoth's favor." She instructed him to get to the fight unseen.
The duo split up. Sirius made it a few blocks and turned his head around. He spotted Peace Keeper doing battle with Mayura. Knowing he had to leave her behind, he hoped he would be more help with the Akuma.
At the university campus, Ladybug was trying to entice Discredited away from the staff, to give Chat Noir a chance to evacuate them.
Ladybug dodged two punches from the Akuma. She jumped to get away, only for Discredited to grab her by the leg and swing her around. He released her and she crashed through a wall into an empty classroom.
The heroine clutched her head. It was throbbing and she was woozy. Ladybug was struggling to get to her feet.
"Marinette, you have to stand up! The Akuma's coming," Tikki voiced in her wielder's mind.
The teenager got to her feet and used her yo-yo to create a shield as Discredited jumped into the room and tried to hit her again.
"YOU! You're the reason I've been made a laughing stock in the scientific community!"
"What are you talking about? I've never met you!" Ladybug screamed in confusion
"I'll make sure your discredit all over the world!" The Akuma stamped his foot causing the heroine to fall over. He reached over to snatch her Miraculous.
"Leave her alone!" Chat Noir shouted as he hit the Akuma over the head. Pulling the baton apart, he tossed them at the back of the guy's knees.
Discredited lurched forward as Ladybug somersaulted through his falling body to get back to Chat. "Are the other professors evacuated?"
Her partner nodded and added the graduate students as well. "It's a mess out there My Lady. Every time he uses his powers against someone, it's not just their accomplishments disappearing."
"They lose the trust of others. It took me several minutes to persuade a group of students to guard their teachers."
His eyes widened at the sight behind her. He grabbed her and they leaped out the hole. As they fell, Ladybug shot out her yo-yo. It wrapped around a nearby tree and then they swung out of the way of the Akuma.
Discredited charged them with full speed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another being coming towards him. He was not prepared to be tackled to the ground by Sirius.
Sirius rolled on the ground with Discredited. He was trying to get his hand on the Akuma's head to use his power when he was caught in a dangerous bear hug.
"You're not Ladybug or Chat Noir, but you'll do!" His antenna was going crazy. Sirius's reputation was taking a big hit online as multiple negative comments were piling up.
Chat Noir ran over as he called out his defensive power, "Feline Bluff!" He grew larger and cat-like. Discredited was so frightened, he dropped Sirius and backed away.
Ladybug lassoed Sirius and pulled him closer. As soon as Sirius was next to her, she felt an overwhelming feeling of distrust in her body. It took all her willpower not to make a face of disgust.
"Ladybug, what's the matter?" Sirius asked. He could tell from her body language something was off.
"Sirius, I need you to use your power on me right now!" Ladybug ordered. Startled, Sirius nonetheless, used his power on her.
As Fateful Choice worked its way into her mind, Ladybug was able to trust Sirius enough to call on her Lucky Charm. A red and black spotted tape recorder landed in her hands.
What do I do with this? She thought desperately. Sirius had used his power and Chat Noir was nearly out of time with his defensive power. To add to her frustration, she wasn't sure if the antenna or the computer screen was the akumatized object.
Looking around only two things lit up. The tape recorder and Sirius. A wild idea entered her mind.
She turned the recorder on and then started interviewing Sirius. "Sirius, is it true that you are developing new science parameters to understand magic?"
"What the…? Yes, I have. I have decided that magic is a new branch of science and that we need to come up with new parameters to understand how it works."
"For example, I believe we need to create a whole new set of measurements to quantify in experiments. Also, we need to create a specific environment for controlled testing. I would suggest…"
Ladybug shoved him out of the way as Discredited charged Sirius. He had been enraged by what he was hearing. Instead of taking Chat's Miraculous, as per Hawkmoth's instruction, he wanted to get rid of the person taking credit for his research.
Sirius and Ladybug used their weapons at the same time. Sirius's bat smashed the antenna while Ladybug's yo-yo cracked the computer screen. Seeing the akuma, Ladybug snatched it and purified it.
Finally, things returned to normal. Sirius and Ladybug had to duck out because their transformations were about to give out. Which meant Chat was left to comfort the victim.
"Are you alright Mr.?"
"Professor Waller with a Ph.D. in physics. Not that it matters after what happened today," the man stated tiredly.
Chat Noir reminded him that it wasn't his fault that Hawkmoth took advantage of him. The university couldn't fire him because he was a victim.
"I understand I'm not in legal trouble. I'm not worried about my job or apologizing to my colleagues," he said before continuing, "I'm just disappointed that even with today's events, I'll never be published again just because I wrote a paper stating that until science advances further, the abilities of the Miraculouses can be classified as magical."
Chat felt sorry for the man. After all this time he couldn't believe there were still people who didn't believe the heroes were real and not a publicity stunt. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I wish there was something I could do to help you."
Before the man could respond, he froze as a long, sticky, pink tongue licked the back of his head. It belonged to Slurrpy, who had appeared out of nowhere, activating his power, Research.
The power of Research helped a person focus on everything they had learned recently. Then, find new ways to use their knowledge to help others. In this case, Slurrpy's powers were helping Professor Waller comprehend he could share his publications in local science journals.
Slurrpy retracted his tongue before disappearing in thin air. Actually, he had hidden in a pocket in Peace Keeper's outfit while she was using the invisibility device.
At last, everything was right in Paris again. Hopefully, it would stay that way for the rest of the day.
Peace Keeper returned to Master Fu's home just as her invisibility generator ran out of power. "I need to figure out how to make the charge last longer. Mayura nearly spotted Max before he transformed."
She handed him the box with Barrk's Miraculous that Marinette had given her. It was easier for the U.N. agent to return it than Marinette getting back to school late.
She went to her room and changed back into civilian clothes and pulled her hair up in a simple ponytail to keep it out of her face. Returning to the main room she opened her mini-computer and showed the recorded footage of her fight with Mayura.
Peace Keeper used her rope dart to get some distance from Mayura. The peacock wilder managed to not lose her footing and fall off the roof she was on. The villainess hopped backward, avoiding the rope dart aiming for her feet.
"Your use of your weapon is very predictable. I can easily dodge it," Mayura remarked. She darted forward, snapped her fan open, and tried to cut her with the razor-sharp edge.
The agent did a back-bend and kicked her right leg up, knocking the fan out of Mayura's hand. Using her hands to push off the ground, she righted herself and spun on her heel, to grab the fan before Mayura could recover it.
"Talk about predictable. You can't even fight properly with your fan."
The blue skinned woman took a step back. She needed to get her fan back. Despite her dress, she could still fight. All she needed was a chance to set a trap.
She jumped off the roof, bounced off an awning, and snagged a fire escape of another building. She did a two-finger wave and then started running in the direction of the Akuma.
Peace Keeper took off after her. She knew that all Mayura had to do was drop her transformation, recharge Duusu, and once transformed she would have her weapon back.
Mayura made it five blocks away before turning around. Despite not having her fan, she used her offensive power, "Raging Call!"
The force of the sound sent Peace Keeper tumbling through the air. The fan fell from the sky as the U.N. agent hit a billboard and landed on the metal walkway.
The camera had been cracked in the fall so the remainder of the video was not very clear.
About fifteen feet away, Mayura had recovered her fan. The villainess was not looking good. Her coughing was loud and there was a sheen of sweat over her body.
The woman fell to her knees. The recording showed the woman eyeballing Peace Keeper before running away.
Ning turned off the recording. "I would have gone after her, only I needed to assess my suit and equipment to make sure they were functioning properly."
Fu assured her it was probably for the best. Mayura was suffering from the effects of the broken Miraculous. No doubt, she would have been extremely dangerous.
Wayzz voiced his concern for his "sister." "I'm worried for Duusu. Using a broken Miraculous causes harm to both the kwami and the wielder." He gestured to Honorra, who was still trying to recover after her Miraculous had been broken.
"I still have months to go before I'm completely recovered. Duusu's health could be declining if Mayura's abrupt coughing attack is any clue."
"I'll try using my connection to her to find out. Right now, I'm hungry. Who wants to help me prepare an early dinner?" All the Kwamiis cheered, happy to change the subject.
Later that night, it was a training session for the Miraculous team. Their review would be at the end of the week. Besides practicing what they knew, Ladybug and Chat Noir had decided that the review should include something new to see how committed their teammates were.
"Alright, everyone gather up. We have something new that we want you to learn as a motivator to make sure you do your best at your review session," Chat Noir explained to the group.
"You don't have to master this skill. We want you to think about how you would use the next lesson in battle. Tonight, we'll be discussing the special ability of your Miraculouses."
The crowd murmured in confusion. The Miraculouses had special abilities? What were those?
Ladybug and Chat Noir explained that the special abilities of the Miraculous were skills that corresponded in some way to the animal form of their Kwamiis. These skills helped the wielder use their powers more efficiently.
The heroes pointed out that that the original three members had been learning to use their special abilities for the last few months. Rene Rogue's solid illusions. Honey Bee's malleable venom-filled honey, and Carapace was still working on mastering sensing spiritual energy.
"Chat Noir and I have used our special abilities of luck manipulation and misfortune when dealing with tricky Akumas. Each special ability takes time to master."
"Remember, we just want you to think about how they could be used in a fight. Don't try using them yet," Chat cautioned them. He shuddered as he recalled his own difficulty with using his special ability.
The others promised they wouldn't. Each of them were eager to learn about their special abilities so the could flaunt them in the near future.
Ladybug explained to the girls what their special abilities were. Kkachi's was that she had an eye for detail. She could spot a tiny object from a mile away or use it to see any defects in structures.
Street-Rat discovered her special ability when activated, made her resistant to drugs, both man-made and magical.
Bunnyx was not impressed with her special ability. It was dancing. Once activated she could do any dance she wanted. It was a huge letdown for her.
Ryuko's special ability was weather manipulation. She could change the weather in a localized area for a short amount of time.
Henwen's special ability was a double edge sword. When in use, she would be completely fearless. While this was great for accomplishing scary missions, the downside was she wouldn't be aware of when a situation was too dangerous to continue.
The boys also had mixed feeling about their special abilities. Chat Noir emphasized they were equally important so a fight wouldn't break out between the boys.
Viperion had psammokinesis, aka, sand manipulation for his special ability. It was a difficult ability to master and was restricted to existing sand.
Sirius's special ability went against his logical nature. He could detect spirits in a 360-degree radius. He could accept magic. He just struggled to believe in spirits.
King Monkey's special ability fit him well. He had something called a monkey sense. Similar to Spiderman's spider-sense, the monkey sense would warn him about danger. It would also let him know when it was time to act silly.
Ladybug had correctly assumed their teammates might be overwhelmed trying to think of a scenario to use their special abilities. So she had typed up different scenarios for each member.
Chat Noir advised their teammates not to overthink the problem. Often the simplest answer was the best answer. "Ladybug and I, need to discuss some details with your reviews. You can take the next half hour to get a start on your scenarios."
The team broke into small groups to help one another figure things out. One group consisted of Bunnyx, King Monkey, and Sirius. It felt natural that they would come together to talk about their problems.
"I want to go first!" King Monkey hooted loudly. Sirius just shook his head and Bunnyx rolled her eyes. King Monkey was such a goofball.
"Okay, my scenario is that I'm helping with rescue efforts at a burning building. The fire chief is telling everyone to get out now because the building's unstable. There are two people still trapped on the top floor."
"How do I use my special ability to help? That's easy! Use my special ability to go rescue them of course!" King Monkey declared crossing his arms with a smirk on his face.
"Except doofus, if the building is unstable then any movements you make inside could cause the floors and ceiling to collapse on you. Your way in the dumbest, not the simplest," Bunnyx said in an annoyed tone of voice.
"Oh, like you could think of something better? What's your scenario little bunny?"
Bunnyx looked down and read the scenario to the guys. "An Akuma has trapped civilians inside a store. The backdoor is locked and the battle is happening out front. How do you safely get the civilians out of harm's way with your special ability?"
Bunnyx groaned. Dancing was not going to help someone was in danger. It was so stupid! Hadn't Jalil mentioned something about dance being used in war? She wished she could remember!
"I could observe the Akuma for a bit. Try to find out if there's a pattern, so I could pick a dance that allowed us to avoid being attacked and getting everyone out of danger?"
Sirius agreed that was a reasonable choice. He was unsure of his scenario. He had to find and locate prisoners of an Akuma without being noticed while using his special ability.
"How can I come up with a solution when ghosts don't exist?" Sirius asked out loud.
"Hey, you're using magic jewelry right now. Learning ghosts are real shouldn't be too much of a shock, right?" King Monkey asked the dog boy.
Sirius just sighed and tried to get into the right mindset. He wondered if the others were having as much trouble as he was. Judging by the other's expression they also were struggling a bit.
Finally, it was the night of the big review. Each of the temporary heroes felt some anxiety or fear that they wouldn't pass their review. Ladybug and Chat Noir said they wouldn't be revealing the results until they had enough time to go over them together.
Between school, regular life, and of course, Hawkmoth, it could two to three weeks before they had a chance to come to a consensus. Unbeknownst to the temporary heroes was this was another part of the review to see how patient they could be.
The order was determined by when they were picked as heroes. So the first one would be Rene Rouge and the last one would be Henwen. The fox heroine was very jittery for her review to begin.
The hidden training center was divided in half by a thick tarp. This way everyone would have a private review.
Rene Rouge stood before the duo. They had rearranged the sitting area so they could use the table to write down notes. They had also brought over a few pieces of gym equipment for the physical portion of the review.
"Alright Rene, first we would like you to demonstrate your physical prowess. Your challenge will be to keep your balance on the balance beam for ten minutes. After that, you will need to show us how strong you are by lifting some weights and then that you have control over how far you can jump," Ladybug explained.
The fox heroine nodded. Taking a deep breath she reminded herself not to rush through this.
She hopped onto the balance beam and carefully made her way to the center and stopped. Standing in position was hard and she felt her body starting to tip after one minute.
Focus Alya! You can do this! Ladybug and Chat Noir believe in you! The teenager willed herself to stay still. Finally, the ten minutes were up and she could move onto the next activity.
She managed to lift thirty pounds on the weights. She was able to control her long jump so she didn't go crashing into a wall. Pleased with herself, she knew she could handle the rest of her review.
The next up was Carapace. After the physical part, he was instructed to use his weapon. This was the part of the review he was uneasy about. Controlling his meteor hammer was not always easy.
He spun one end of the weapon in front of him and the other end was dangling from his other hand. With a flick of his wrist, he sent that end out and knocked over a stack of cans that had been set up for him.
He quickly switched the ends and was able to hit another stack without losing control. He finished up with using both ends together. "How was that?" he asked.
"You did a good job. Let's continue with the review," Chat Noir told him giving nothing away.
After Carapace was Honey Bee. The blond had been doing well so far. Now it was time for her to demonstrate her control over her defensive power.
She looked at the target dummy and remember the stinger had to go all the way in for the power to work.
"Honeycomb!" she called out as she drove the weapon into the dummy as hard as she could. Pulling her trompo back she watched as the honeycomb started to form around the dummy.
Only when the dummy completely covered did she smile in relief. Using her defensive power was hard on her because she didn't like the thought of trapping people. Right now all she felt was a sense of relief.
Kkachi was next and she presented a challenge. Since Honorra only had five protective transformations left, the teenager was still in the stealth suit made for her.
Because she couldn't demonstrate her control over her powers, it was decided that they would talk with the wielder and kwami together.
Honorra was sitting on Kkachi's shoulder, nuzzling her wielder's cheek. The little magpie was happy to be spending time with her wielder. It appeared that Kkachi felt the same as she patted the kwami's head.
"Down to business. Honorra, what is your opinion on Kkachi's use of your offensive power?" Ladybug asked.
"She has done splendidly when using my power. She is always aware of who is around her when she uses it. We also talked about how she could have used it differently during the fights she was involved in."
Chat Noir looked at Kkachi and asked how comfortable she was when transformed and helping in a battle.
"It's still a little weird that Honorra chose me to be her wielder," Kkachi remarked softly. With an encouraging nudge, Kkachi continued to speak a little louder.
"I feel confident and safe when I transform and fight with you two. I'm making a difference and I have a little friend who won't give up on me."
Ladybug couldn't help herself. She let out a little "aw" as she watched the kwami and wielder hug each other tightly.
After Kkachi was Bunnyx. She also wore a stealth suit instead of being transformed. Fluff's powers were extremely dangerous which is why she only got to use them in a real emergency.
Chat Noir took the lead on this one. He was asking about her relationships with the other team members and would that affect her performance.
"I can work fine with anyone, even King Monkey. Despite him being annoying, we worked well together against Lila."
"What if you had to work with Henwen? How would you handle that?"
Bunnyx shuddered at the thought of working with Henwen. She was still a bit of a newbie and acted like a drama queen sometimes. "It would be very difficult to work with her. "I would be open to compromising with her if we needed to work together."
"That's good to hear Bunnyx. We're glad to know you're becoming more mature."
King Monkey was next and he was finding it harder than normal to stand still. He needed to get rid of some of his energy. "So, what do you want me to do first? Should I spar with one of you?"
The heroes shook their heads. "Sparring will be later. Right now, we want you to use your offensive power first. Get rid of some of that extra energy," Chat Noir told him.
Ladybug brought out an archery target. She set it down fifteen feet from the jumpy teenager. "Okay, all you need to do is hit the bull's eye when you use your power. Try to do minimal damage."
Grunting, King Monkey started to spin his weapon around his body. He was building up his power and keeping his emotions in check. Pointing his weapon forward he called out his power, "Fighting Spirit!"
The red-orange spirit zoomed through the air and stuck the target. It hit the bull's eye and destroyed the stand the target was sitting on.
"Oh man, I used too much power didn't I?" King Monkey asked them in distress.
The heroes didn't answer his question. Instead, they told him it was time to continue the review.
Ryuko was determined not to fail her review. She was at the part of the review where she had to identify akumatized object on made up akumas, (actually akumas Marinette's other souls had fought against).
Currently, she was looking at an Akuma named Keto. According to the information card, she had power over saltwater and sea life. She was the saltwater version of Siren.
She studied the picture and tapped the mostly hidden lanyard around Keto's neck. "The akuma is hiding in this object."
Ladybug was very pleased with the dragon girl. "Good eye Ryuko. The object was very well hidden. I'm glad that you were able to find it."
She slid a picture of Crystal Miser, a jewelry-based Akuma. "This one is very difficult. Take your time identifying the object."
"There is no need. This akuma is made of gems shaped like jewelry, but this choker is the only thing with a band attached to it. Therefore, it's the akumatized object."
Ladybug had to resist hugging the girl. She was very proud of her.
Viperion's relaxed nature was a relief after Ryuko's intense presence. The snake-themed hero was demonstrating his familiarity with his lyre's technology.
"As you can see, I know which strings control which features when my screen is on. The first string opens the communicating feature. While the second-string gives me access to the Internet."
Chat Noir asked him if ever got the strings mixed before. Viperion was honest saying it took him several tries before he built up enough muscle memory to the point he could do it blindfolded.
Sirius struggled with the sparring session of his review. Even with his enhanced abilities, it was hard keeping up against Chat Noir.
Sirius weaved out of the way of a punch and threw his own. Chat easily blocked it.
The dog-themed hero sensed what the cat-themed was about to do and quickly moved his right foot so it wouldn't be hooked. He wasn't expecting Chat to use his left leg to hook his ankle and trip him.
Sirius rubbed the back of his head as Chat helped him up. "Well, I lasted longer than I expected."
"I'm impressed you anticipate my attack. I knew you could do it!" the black-clad hero stated proudly.
Street-Rat was doing her best to avoid being covered in glitter. Ladybug was testing to see how well she could dodge an attack. Red sparkles meant she was hit by the pretend Akuma's power. Blue sparkles were physical hits.
"Come on, you can do it, just a little longer," Street Rat said to herself. Another glitter bomb was coming at her head.
She ducked and shifted her weight, barely avoiding another glitter bomb to her feet. She rotated to the left slightly before spinning right. "Are we done yet?" she asked, licking her lips to get moisture back in them.
Ladybug nodded. "You did good Street-Rat. You only got hit twice. That means you're less likely to fall under the spell of an Akuma."
Last up was Henwen. She had stayed up late last night trying to come up with a solution to her special ability scenario. The newest heroine hoped her answer would be acceptable.
"According to your card Henwen, your scenario was a hostage situation. Your goal was to find a way to save the hostages while keeping the Akuma at bay," Chat Noir read out loud. "What was your solution?"
Henwen took a deep, calming, breath and exhaled. "Depending on the powers of the Akuma, I wouldn't activate my special ability until I knew what they were.
Then, I would make my way to the hostages. I would use my bag of tricks to distract the Akuma long enough to reach them. Once secured, I would activate my special ability to defend them long enough to get them to safety before turning it off."
Ladybug leaned over to her partner and whispered something to him. He also whispered his reply. They nodded at each other.
"Thank you for your answer Henwen. Your review is done. It time for everyone to go home and rest," Ladybug stated tiredly.