DISCLAIMER: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug
Marinette had never been so nervous and excited in her life. Today was the day of the Gabriel Agreste Rookie Designer competition. She was putting some finishing touches on her designs. Alya arrived with some extra fabric.
"Hey girl, wow, these look great" said Alya
"Thanks Alya, hey, any word on the judges this year?" asked Marinette
"Yes, first up, Gabriel will be judging, just like every year, next will be Audrey Bourgeois..." said Alya
"Ugh, Chloe's mother?" asked Marinette
"Yeah, I know, but she's liked your designs before, anyway, the last judge will be Mr. Pierre Tautou, the winner of the first competition" said Alya
"Hm, they're all going to be hard to impress" said Marinette
"You're going to do great, Marinette" said Alya
"She's right, Marinette, you're the best designer I've ever seen" said Tikki
"Thanks Alya, thanks Tikki" said Marinette
The girls heard a knock at the door, Tikki flew into Marinette's coin purse.
"Who could that be?" asked Alya
Alya went to answer the door and Zach stepped in.
"Hey girls" said Zach
"Zach? What are you doing here?" asked Marinette
"To cheer on my friend in the competition" said Zach
"Thanks, Zach" said Marinette
Marinette spent some time putting the finishing touches on her dresses when there was another knock at the door, Alya answered and Nathalie Sancoeur stepped in along with a skinny bald man in a pinstripe suit. Nathalie held up her tablet which Gabriel spoke through on face time.
"Greetings Miss Dupain-Cheng" said Gabriel
"Hello Mr. Agreste, Miss Sancoeur, Mr. Tautou" said Marinette
"Where's Mrs. Bourgeois?" asked Alya
"MISS Bourgeois is right here" said Chloe, as she entered
"Chloe, what are you doing here? Where's your mother?" asked Marinette
"Oh, didn't you hear? My mom was visiting someone in New York, she got a case of food poisoning and is stuck there for another couple of days, so she asked me to stand in as a judge for the competition" said Chloe
"Okay everyone, thank you for being here, and now, I'd like to present my designs for the Gabriel Agreste Rookie Designer Competition..." said Marinette
Marinette stepped aside and showed her dresses to the judges.
"Really Marinette, they're the dresses you designed? I wouldn't be caught dead in those" said Chloe
"You'd have to be dead 3 months to fit into them" said Zach
Marinette saw Nathalie and Pierre snicker at Zach's joke, she almost thought even Gabriel let out a chuckle.
"And what are you doing here?" asked Chloe
"I'm here to support my friend. Oh sorry, a friend is someone you get along with" said Zach
"Hm, you can have your fun tonight, Zach, because my daddy is meeting with yours tonight to finally put you in your place" said Chloe, smirking
"Ooh, I'm shaking" said Zach, sarcastically
Marinette showed the judges the rest of her designs, soon, it came time for the judges to leave.
"I must say, Miss Dupain-Cheng, I am quite impressed with your designs" said Gabriel
"As am I" said Mr. Tautou
"I think you may have a chance to win" said Gabriel
"That's great, thank you, I appreciate it" said Marinette
With no more words, the judges left.
==Meanwhile==
Andre Bourgeois sat in his office waiting for Zach's father, he was going to give the man a piece of his mind for letting his son pick on Chloe. A knock at the door caught Andre's attention.
"Come in" said Andre
The door opened and a well dressed man stepped in.
"Well, as I live and breathe, if it isn't Andre Bourgeois" said the man
Andre looked at the man and went wide-eyed.
"Robert? Well, it's been a while" said Andre
The men shared a handshake.
"What are you doing here? I thought you moved to Beaumont" said Andre
"I moved back to Paris a few months ago" said Robert
"I heard about Marie, my condolences" said Andre
"She was a police officer, we were both aware of the dangers" said Robert
"So, what brings you to my office?" asked Andre
"I was told to come here to talk about my son, Zach" said Robert
==Meanwhile==
Nicole Bouvier looked over her dresses for the design competition, while her friend, Alexandre, took some photos for her.
"Thanks for being here, Alex" said Nicole
"It's no problem, Nicole" said Alexandre
Nicole and Alexandre had become good friends since Alexandre was akumatized into Frightmare, he had even helped her with coming up with some of her designs. After hearing a knock at the door, Nicole let the judges inside.
"Greetings, Miss Bouvier, thank you for having us" said Mr. Tautou
"Thank you for coming" said Nicole
"Are these your designs?" asked Gabriel
"Yes, Mr. Agreste, what do you think?" asked Nicole
"I think I'm wasting my time here" said Gabriel
"Huh?" asked Nicole and Alexandre
"The Rookie Designer Competition is for people to show off what they can really do, and show some originality, I see nothing original in these basic designs" said Gabriel
"But, Mr. Agreste..." said Nicole
"But nothing, I've seen enough already..." said Gabriel
The judges left as Nicole broke out in tears, clutching her sketchbook. Outside, the judges got into the limo to head to the next location.
"Excuse me, everyone, I must attend to some business, I will call back when I am finished" said Gabriel
"Of course, sir" said Nathalie, hanging up the call
==Hawkmoth's Lair==
"NOOROO! DARK WINGS RISE!"
Nooroo flew into Gabriel's brooch as 4 wings formed around the brooch.
A swarm of butterflies wrapped around Gabriel clothing him in a dark purple suit and metallic cowl.
Gabriel raised his hand above his head as his Cane materialized.
Gabriel posed as his transformation into Hawkmoth was complete.
A white butterfly flew into Hawkmoth's hand, he covered it with his other hand as it was engulfed in a dark energy, turning it black and purple.
"Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her" said Hawkmoth
==Nicole's House==
"Don't take it too personally, Nicole, Gabriel doesn't know what he's talking about" said Alexandre
"He's the top designer in all of Paris, of course he knows what he's talking about" said Nicole, through her tears
The akuma flew in through the window and into Nicole's sketchbook. A purple outline started shining infront of her eyes.
"Fashionista, I am Hawkmoth, you worked hard on your designs only to have them ridiculed, I am giving you the chance to let the world see your talent, all I ask in return is Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous" said Hawkmoth
"You've got a deal, Hawkmoth" said Nicole
"Hawkmoth? NICOLE, NO!" screamed Alexandre
A dark aura enveloped Nicole, her appearance had changed, she now wore a highly fashionable dress with a black scarf and black shades, her skin had turned a neon yellow.
"Nicole, don't do this" said Alexandre
Fashionista held her sketchbook up and opened it. A beam fired from the book and hit Alexandre, transforming him into a mannequin wearing one of Nicole's designs.
==Meanwhile==
Marinette sat on her couch, nervously tapping her foot.
"Calm down, Marinette, your designs are great, the judges saw that" said Alya
"And what I saw was Zach make fun of one of the judges" said Marinette
"It's Chloe, I don't think she's giving anyone high marks tonight anyway" said Zach
The conversation stopped when Marinette's phone beeped. Marinette checked her phone.
"The judges just announced the three finalists" said Marinette
"Who are they?" asked Zach
"Okay, first is Michelle Tautou, Pierre's daughter, the second is August Rougeau and the last one is..." said Marinette
"Who is it?" asked Alya
"...Marinette Dupain-Cheng...wait, THAT'S ME! I'M A FINALIST!" screamed Marinette
Marinette and Alya cheered and hugged in excitement.
"That's great, Marinette, so now what?" asked Zach
"I just have to bring one of the designs to the Agreste manor where the judges will announce the winner" said Marinette
"Congratulations, Marinette" said Zach
"Thanks Zach" said Marinette
Zach's phone buzzed.
"Ah, it's my dad, I gotta get home, but I'll see you at the manor tonight when you win the competition" said Zach
With that, Zach left.
"So, Marinette, which dress are you gonna take to the finals?" asked Alya
"Maybe this one" said Marinette, gesturing to a red and black dress
"Aw, I was hoping you'd pick this one" said Alya, gesturing to an orange and white dress
Marinette laughed at Alya when they heard screaming outside.
"What's going on?" asked Alya
The girls looked out the window to see people running away from Fashionista.
"An akuma, looks like it's time for a hero" said Alya
Marinette nodded.
"TIKKI! SPOTS ON!"
Marinette brushed her hair out of the way as Tikki flew into Marinette's earring. Both of Marinette's earrings turned red and 5 black spots donned the surface of the earrings.
Marinette covered her eyes before moving her hands away to affix her mask.
Marinette stretched out one arm as a bright pink light pasted Marinette's suit onto her.
Marinette's Yo-Yo materialized around Marinette's waist.
With a little dance and a high kick, Marinette posed as her transformation into Ladybug was complete.
Ladybug leapt out the window.
==Meanwhile==
Zach was walking home when he heard the screaming and saw Fashionista turning people into mannequins. Zach hid in an alley and let out Howll.
"This is looking bad..." said Zach, removing his bracer to reveal his miraculous
"HOWLL! FULL MOON RISE!"
Howll flew into Zach's bracelet. His Gauntlet formed on his other arm.
Zach snapped his fingers infront of his face as his mask materialized.
Zach ran his fingers through his hair, causing his black, spiked hair to develop purple highlights and a set of wolf ears to form on his head.
Zach raised his right arm above his head and extended the retractable claws in his Gauntlet, before driving the blades into the ground as his suit formed on his body.
Zach waved his arms infront of his waist as his belt materialized.
Zach posed as his transformation into Nightwolf was complete.
Nightwolf took to the rooftops, where he encountered Ladybug.
"Good evening, Ladybug, where's the black cat?" asked Nightwolf
"He isn't here yet, any ideas about the akuma?" asked Ladybug
"No idea about the name, but her power is turning people into mannequins" said Nightwolf
Nightwolf gestured to the mannequins.
"Wow, those clothes look good on them" said Ladybug
"Uh, okay, anyway, what's the plan?" asked Nightwolf
"First, we should wait until Cat Noir gets here" said Ladybug
"Wait no longer, Bugaboo" said Cat Noir, as he walked up behind the duo.
"Good, now that we're all here, let's get to work" said Nightwolf
The heroes jumped from the roof and chased Fashionista.
"Ah, the heroes of Paris" said Fashionista
"How did she see us coming?" asked Nightwolf
"Hand over the akuma, we've got things to do" said Ladybug
"I don't think so" said Fashionista
Fashionista held out her sketchbook, firing a beam at the heroes, which they dodged.
"That must be where the akuma is hiding" said Ladybug
Nightwolf extended his claws and pounced, but was stopped when Fashionista's scarf wrapped around him.
"That's not good" said Cat Noir
Nightwolf used his claws to cut the scarf, allowing himself to escape, but the scarf grew back after he landed. Fashionista tried to use her scarf to tie up the heroes, with no success as the heroes continued to dodge.
"You can't keep dodging me forever" said Fashionista
Fashionista's scarf was able to catch Cat Noir by the ankle. Nightwolf went to cut the scarf, when Fashionista quickly released Cat Noir's ankle and tied up Nightwolf's wrists.
"Uh oh" said Nightwolf
Cat Noir took advantage of the distraction, and struck Fashionista with his staff, causing her to release Nightwolf.
"That's it, let's get this over with..." said Ladybug
"LUCKY CHARM!"
Ladybug flung her Yo-Yo high into the air. Energy shot out from the yo-yo before creating a wringer.
"A wringer?" asked Ladybug
"Any ideas?" asked Cat Noir
Ladybug looked around for a plan, seeing the wringer, Fashionista's scarf and the sketchbook.
"I've got an idea" said Ladybug
Fashionista launched her scarf at Ladybug, when Ladybug dodged, the scarf got caught in the wringer. When Fashionista tried to free herself, Ladybug turned the handle and pulled Fashionista towards her. When she was close enough, Cat Noir walked up.
"CATACLYSM!"
Cat Noir raised his hand above his head as his hand was infused with negative energy.
Cat Noir grabbed the book, disintegrating it in his hand, releasing the akuma.
"No more evil doing for you, little akuma" said Ladybug as she opened her yo-yo
"Time to de-evilize!"
Ladybug captured the purple akuma in her yo-yo.
"Gotcha!"
Ladybug released the akuma, now pruified into a white butterfly.
"Bye-bye, little butterfly" said Ladybug, before throwing the Lucky Charm into the air.
"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"
An explosion of pink energy dispersed into a swarm of ladybugs that flew around the city, repairing all the damage caused by Fashionista, and reverting her back to normal.
"Huh? How'd I get here?" asked Nicole
"Pound It!" said the heroes, sharing a triple fist bump
==Later==
Everyone was gathered in the Agreste manor garden, a stage had been set up where the competition finalists had placed their designs. Everyone was also dressed in their best clothes. Chloe saw her father talking with some others and went to talk to him.
"Ah, daddy, did you have a word with Zach's old man?" asked Chloe
"Yes, I did" said Andre
"And? How did it go?" asked Chloe
"I'm sorry Chloe, you're on your own for this one" said Andre
"What?"
"Zach's father is Robert Petiot, one of my oldest friends, and a man that knows some of my biggest secrets, the kind of secrets that could ruin our entire family reputation, I can't upset him and risk him exposing what he knows about me, I'm sorry, Chloe" said Andre
Andre walked away while Chloe stomped in frustration.
"Chloe, come with us, we need to decide on the winner of the competition" said Gabriel
Meanwhile, Marinette and her friends shared some snacks while waiting for the winner to be announced.
"You've got nothing to worry about, you're a great designer" said Alya
"The other finalists are great designers, I probably got lucky, I have no way of winning" said Marinette
"Don't be ridiculous, dudette, you've got just as much chance as the other two" said Nino
"Yeah, and hey, even if you don't win, you should be proud to make it to the finals" said Zach
"Thanks guys" said Marinette
At that point, Nathalie stepped on stage.
"People, may I have your attention, please" said Nathalie
Everyone turned their attention to the stage.
"Thank you all for gathering here as we announce the winner of the Gabriel Agreste Rookie Designer Competition, I would like to congratulate our 3 finalists for making it this far and everyone who entered for trying their best, now, without further ado, the judges have decided, the winner of this year's competition is..." said Nathalie
Marinette felt like her heart was beating faster with each passing nanosecond while Nathalie took the paper from the envelope.
"...Michelle Tautou" said Nathalie
Everyone at the table groaned in disappointment as Michelle took to the stage and claimed the trophy. Marinette was a bit disappointed that she lost, but she could see that Michelle deserved the win, her designs were beautiful. Gabriel approached the group.
"I'm sorry Miss Dupain-Cheng, but it was between you and Miss Tautou and you lost by a 2 to 1 vote" said Gabriel
"It's alright Mr. Agreste, and, for what it's worth, I appreciate your vote" said Marinette
"Oh, I didn't vote for you, I'm afraid" said Gabriel
"Huh?" asked Marinette
"Your vote was from Miss Bourgeois" said Gabriel
"Chloe voted for me?" asked Marinette
"Yes, she did, anyway, I wish you all a nice evening" said Gabriel
Gabriel walked away as Marinette turned to look at Chloe, she was texting on her phone. Marinette smiled at Chloe.
Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed.
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