Marinette opened the envelope. She nearly dropped the Black Cat Miraculous as she saw it.

'Oh no, Tikki... it's bad, it's very bad...' she nearly fainted in shock. Chat Noir was annoying, was a terrible flirt, was a goofball... but at the same time, he was usually her very reliable partner. 'What can I do now...?' she picked the ring. Plagg materialized in front of her, clearly sad.

'You must do something, Ladybug' Plagg mumbled. He was nothing like his usual chipper self. 'It would be best if you returned me to' his next word was interrupted by bubbles coming out of his mouth. '...my previous owner' he sighed, feeling defeated. There was no way he could tell her to return him to Adrien, was it?

'I need a new Black Cat' Marinette said, squeezing the ring. 'Get in my purse, Plagg. You'll have to stay hidden for the classes, remember.'

Plagg whimpered quietly. Tikki hugged to him lightly and patted his back.

'It will be okay, Plagg...'

'Will it? He is so lost. So upset. Nothing was going right in his life recently!'

'It will be okay for you, Plagg.'

'It won't. Not when I see him depressed every day. Or when I suddenly don't see him anymore' Plagg slumped down. Tikki didn't know what to say. She patted Plagg's back gently.

'I'll tell Ladybug to give you some Camembert...'

'I'm not hungry' Plagg said quietly and curled up into a tiny ball. Tikki cuddled him quietly. After classes were done, Marinette climbed into her room and let the kwamis out. Other kwamis flew to greet her. Tikki flew out of her purse, but Plagg stayed at the bottom of it, passive.

'Plagg? We'll have to find you a new owner' Marinette said as she picked the kwami out.

'Maybe...' Plagg started saying, but bubbles came out of his mouth. He looked dejected again. Marinette brought him some warm cheese bread, but he didn't want to eat.

'Nino is ruled out' Marinette wondered aloud. 'He spilled the beans to a civilian, we can't have this. Luka is already Viperion, and we might need both the Cat and the Snake at the same time, and it's tiring to have a combination. Alya? Trixx won't want to let her go' she paced around the room. 'Mylene would be too gentle to effectively use the Black Cat. Adrien is constantly busy, and that fiasco with Aspik... ugh, just no!' she didn't notice Plagg slumping even more. She did, however, notice a comic book on her desk. 'Of course! Powers of destruction and powers of erasing are quite similar, so he's a perfect choice! Tikki - spots on!'

In a flash of light, Marinette transformed. She zipped through Paris on her yo-yo and she finally landed on Nathaniel's balcony. She knocked.

Nathaniel looked shocked, but let her in without hesitation.

'Ladybug! What are you doing here?' he asked. Ladybug smiled at him.

'Nathaniel Kurtzberg, I have something - something big to ask you' she pulled the little wooden box out of her yo-yo. 'This is the Miraculous of the Black Cat, which grants the power of destruction. Chat Noir is no longer fit to wield it. Will you accept its power and responsibility that comes with it, to be my new partner, by my side to fight against Shadow Moth?'

Nathaniel gasped as he looked at the box. It was his dream come true, to be partnered with Ladybug. His hands trembled as he picked the box and opened it. In flash of light, Plagg appeared and looked at him.

'You're not-' he said, followed by bubbles. 'I see Ladybug asked you to partner up with me. Fine. She is the Guardian and I have to accept her will. The transformation words are "Plagg, claws out"... you can turn back by saying "Claws in". The rest... well, a hands-on training is always the best.'

Plagg looked sad. Nathaniel pet him gently.

'Yes, Ladybug. If you think that I fit this power - I will gladly partner up with this... Plagg here... and with you' he said strongly. He put on the ring. 'Plagg - claws out!'

He looked nothing like Chat Noir. There was no bell on his neck. While his outfit was black, it was splattered with bright green - and a few other colors, and it was a looser fit. His hair darkened and stuck out more, just like when he was Evillustrator; he also wore a beret, adorned with cute little cat ears. His tail was broader and started as an ornament along his spine. And his baton was held in a quiver on his back.

'And... and here I am - Catastrophink!' he chuckled with glee. Ladybug smiled at him.

'So let's go out and try out your new powers!' she encouraged. They both jumped out of balcony and sprang into Paris.

A/N: thank you for new follows, favs and reviews - that makes my day! Remember not to overeat, especially in the evening - lighter stomach will help you have a good night sleep.