Hi folks! Again, thank you for your support, with special thanks going to Dovahkiin795 for helping me out so much with this story.

Now, given how this story is based on the PV Trailer, which was an anime, this story will have a lot of descriptions and character reactions which are based on what one would see in an anime (like Bridgette's ahoge). Going further, if this story were an actual anime, I had figured that the opening song would be Never Lose from the anime Ace Attorney, while the ending song would be Kuyashisa wa Tane from the anime Digimon Adventure: (2020).

Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter!


Entry 3

The Mini Menace

''I know to forcefully believe in freedom; This dark illusion is over. My evidence is that I'm never by myself.''

Never Lose by Ace Attorney

xXxXxXx

''What a night…''

Bridgette was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, still feeling sleepy. While it was Saturday morning, she luckily didn't have any morning classes, meaning that she managed to at least get some sleep after returning late from her patrol.

''How do you feel?'' Tikki flew up to her, hovering over her.

''Exhausted,'' Bridgette replied as she sat up. Tikki landed on her head. ''I also hate the fact that I let that guy escape instead of apprehending him.''

''I'm sure you're going to catch him next time,'' Tikki said, patting her head. Bridgette smiled tiredly.

''Hopefully,'' she said as she stood up, yawning and stretching her arms, then took a deep breath. ''Although, I'm more curious about the fact that this guy was a mime with superpowers. I mean, that's not something you see every day.'' She snorted, scratching her cheek with her finger sheepishly. ''Although, being a Ladybug and having a good luck charm as a superpower isn't normal either. I should better get used to seeing weird things from now on.''

''Would you consider Chat Noir weird?'' Tikki asked her, flying away from Bridgette's head as the teen got herself dressed and prepared for the day.

''I'd say that he's more annoying than weird,'' Bridgette replied. Having dressed up, she combed her hair, binding them into her signature pigtails, her ahoge drooping as she realized something. ''Although, I completely forgot to thank him for helping me out with the Mime.''

''I'm sure you're going to see him tonight again, so you can thank him then,'' Tikki replied, with Bridgette giving her a bitter smile.

''Yeah, and afterwards I can deal with him chasing me all around Paris,'' she replied. She then smiled, holding both her arms up and fist-pumping. ''Nevertheless, this won't stop me from carrying on with my duties.''

''That's the spirit!'' Tikki cheered, following Bridgette, who had grabbed a white frilly waist apron from the dresser, down the trapdoor to the connected kitchen and living room area. Luckily for them, Mei was at the tea shop, so Tikki was able to fly around without the fear of being seen. Both she and Bridgette had agreed that it was probably for the best to keep the Miraculous and her existence a secret from Bridgette's grandmother. Bridgette made toast for both of them, the two enjoying their breakfast in peace. ''So, what do you plan to do today, aside from going after the Mime during your patrol? You told me that you don't have school today and I'm curious about your hobbies.''

''I usually help out my grandmother in the tea shop, that is, as long as I'm not busy with other stuff,'' Bridgette told Tikki, who was done with her breakfast. ''While she primarily sells tea leaves, there is also a café setting for those who don't just want to sample tea.''

''I assume that your grandmother taught you a lot about brewing tea,'' Tikki said, landing on Bridgette's head.

''That's right and if you want, I could brew something for you,'' Bridgette replied, placing the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

''Thank you!'' Tikki chirped. Bridgette simply smiled as she walked downstairs, tying the apron around her waist. She went down the stairs, entering the back room of the shop, where Tikki hid, and walking over to the entrance to the shop, where she found her grandmother chatting with one of their regulars.

''Good morning!'' Bridgette greeted the two.

''Good morning to you too, Bridgette! You just came here at the right time,'' Mei replied. ''Estelle has been quite picky today with the samples and we'd need a third opinion here.''

''What's the matter, Mme. Boleyn?'' Bridgette asked.

''I've been drinking only sweet hibiscus tea for the past weeks and I figured I should try something new today,'' Mme. Boleyn replied, pointing at the cups. ''I've already tried the Blood Orange sample, but it feels as if it's missing something. I want something with a more juicy flavour.''

''Well, a good way to bring out the flavour would be to brew the tea with less water and add fresh or candied fruit to it,'' Bridgette said, briefly glancing at Mei, who nodded in approval. She looked back at Mme. Boleyn. ''As for the tea, Blood Orange is a classic blend that pairs well with other fruits, as well as chocolate, and it always tastes delicious, no matter how brewed.''

''I see,'' Mme. Boleyn said, smiling. ''I can't really say no to a tea that goes with chocolate, especially if I'm going to make it for my grandchildren. They love sweets and they love fruit, so I guess I'll go with it.''

Just then, the bell rung and a young woman entered the shop, with Bridgette leaving the counter to help her out. Her share of the workload usually consisted of helping the customers finding the right tea samples, as well as brewing tea and acting as a waitress for those who decided to have cup of tea in the shop. While her presence wasn't necessary, as Mei could handle the shop on her own, Bridgette liked helping her grandmother and learning from her.

However, despite her work, her mind would constantly wander back to the previous night, to her experience as Ladybug, her having to deal with Chat Noir and the fact that she still had no idea how to approach Félix. While she had figured that she could deal with being Ladybug once she transformed, Félix was still on her mind.

While the letter didn't work, the pain au chocolat did, even though I may have been just lucky there. Bridgette smiled softly as she reminded herself of the Ladybug Earrings and her good luck charm. I haven't experienced anything I could consider a misfortune, so it seems that I'm safe, for now. I don't want to really use them to talk to Félix, but if the good luck charm helps me get him to notice me…

''Hey, Bri!'' Bridgette turned around, having cleaned a table after a previous customer left, and saw Claude, who was holding a basketball under his arm. ''I see that you're busy.''

''I just have to clean this up,'' Bridgette replied, wiping down the table and picking up the tea cup and saucer. ''What are you doing here?''

''I wanted to ask you whether you wanted to go for a walk near the Seine,'' Claude said. ''I have also planned to visit the basketball court there. Do you want to come along?''

''Sure,'' Bridgette replied, glancing at her grandmother, who nodded, having overheard their conversation. Claude sheepishly waved at her, while Bridgette left the tea cup in the sink behind the counter and took off her apron. ''I'll be back soon.''

She went upstairs to grab her purse, which had the same dark red and orange flower pattern as her backpack and stuffed her wallet, notepad, pen and keys into it.

''Are we going somewhere?'' Tikki, who had followed her, asked her.

''Yeah, we'll go on a walk with Claude,'' Bridgette explained, unzipping her purse. ''Do you think you could hide inside it?''

Tikki nodded, flying into the purse, which Bridgette then slung over her shoulder. She then went downstairs, joining Claude.

''Don't come back too late,'' Mei shouted after her as they exited the shop. Bridgette just waved back, then followed Claude.

''So, how have you been doing?'' he asked.

''Fine, I guess,'' Bridgette replied.

''Allegra had told me about the letter,'' Claude said, giving her a sour smile. ''I'm sorry that it didn't work out.''

''Yeah, right,'' Bridgette said sarcastically, giving him a knowing look. ''Claude, we both know you don't like Félix, you don't have to act as if you feel sorry for me failing to tell him anything.''

''Fine,'' Claude sighed in defeat. ''However, that's only because I'm worried about you. You know that I don't want to see you get hurt.''

''I have already told you that there's no need to worry about me. I'm not hurt and I'm already working on my next attempt to approach him,'' Bridgette replied confidently, fist-pumping. ''I can handle this.''

''Still, even if you manage to get him to talk to you, what will happen if you discover that he isn't what you think he was?'' Claude asked her. Bridgette's ahoge drooped.

''I guess I would be disappointed,'' she said thoughtfully. ''But, I'm still willing to take the risk.''

''Seems like I just can't change your mind,'' Claude sighed. Bridgette elbowed him playfully, winking, with Claude smiling, aware that it was her way of telling him to have a little faith in her.

''You always look out for me, but I need to take a stand once in a while,'' Bridgette told him.

''Okay, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to suddenly start liking Agreste,'' Claude replied.

''That's fine with me,'' Bridgette told him.

''Anyways, have you heard about what happened last night?'' Claude asked. Bridgette felt a knot in her stomach, but shook her head. Claude reached for his smartphone and searched for something on it, coming across a video. He and Bridgette stopped walking, with Claude showing her a video titled The Mini Menace & The Alley Cat. ''There had been a bank robbery, but… Well, here, someone took a video of it and it went viral…''

Bridgette's eyes widened in surprise as she watched the video, her ahoge standing up like an exclamation mark. The video itself was shaky, obviously taken via a smartphone camera and a little dark, with the owner, who kept quiet during the whole video, using the zoom feature to get a better look of the action. Said action was the fight between her and the Mime, right up to the point when the police had arrived and the Mime escaped, capturing also the part where Chat Noir had caused all the cars in the street to malfunction, which let them get away.

''Uh, wow…'' Bridgette muttered, hoping that Claude mistook the terror in her eyes for genuine shock. She completely forgot about the possibility of having bystanders take a video of her.

''Check the comment section.'' Claude handed her the smartphone over. Bridgette took it, scrolling through the comments. There were some questioning it, even calling it fake or staged, but there were some who were intrigued by what they had seen, wondering if they were some kind of superheroes, with others calling them dangerous or a menace. However, all of them called Ladybug and Chat Noir with the nicknames the poster of the video did – The Mini Menace and The Alley Cat. Bridgette's eyes were wide and blank, her jaw dropped.

Not only did I manage to let a criminal escape, I'm also being labeled as a menace. My career as a superheroine is over before it even began.

''Bri, are you okay?''

Bridgette snapped out of her thoughts and gave Claude a nervous smile.

''Yeah, I'm fine!'' she replied, giving him the smartphone back, her ahoge frizzled. Claude rose an eyebrow, clearly having his doubts, with Bridgette quickly brainstorming on how to salvage her reaction. ''It's just… Do you think this video is real?''

''It seems so,'' Claude replied. ''I checked the news and sure, there had been a bank robbery reported, but unfortunately, there isn't anything about the Mini Menace or the Alley Cat.''

''I see…'' Bridgette knew that she would have to stay out of the spotlight. The last thing she needed was having reporters swarm her and question her about her identity. ''Still, why are people calling that girl the Mini Menace? I mean, with that costume on, she looks like a ladybug to me.''

''Honestly, I think Mini Menace sounds much better than Coccinelle,'' Claude replied.

''How about Ladybug?'' Bridgette asked, her eyes narrowing. Claude shrugged.

''I guess it works,'' he said, then chuckled. ''It's still better than Alley Cat.''

''I agree with that,'' Bridgette said, grinning deviously as she thought about her partner. Poor Chat Noir… I wonder what he has to say about this.

xXx

''The Alley Cat…'' Félix glared furiously at his smartphone, gritting his teeth. ''I'm being treated like a joke.''

''You should better get used to it,'' Plagg said, popping out of Félix's backpack, a wide smile on his face. Unable to hold it back anymore, he burst out laughing. ''The Alley Cat- Hey, how about you changed your name from Chat Noir to Alley Cat? Com'n, it'll be fun!''

''Shut up,'' Félix growled, glancing back at the video, his eyes narrowing. ''This is humiliating.''

''Well, if you go through with your plan, the Alley Cat would vanish and only the Mini Menace would remain,'' Plagg replied, still grinning. ''So, why are you so upset?''

Félix didn't reply, but instead pocketed his smartphone, getting up from the bench he was sitting on. Plagg frowned, not really satisfied with Félix's silence, but he was aware that he probably managed to hit a nerve with his question. For all his talk about not wanting to be Chat Noir, Félix still wanted some respect while he was Chat Noir, but refused to admit it.

Nevertheless, his holder had at least learned how to blow off steam. Plagg had often seen Félix keeping his opinions to himself and bottling up his emotions, with the only thing showing his distaste being his body language, and he was glad to see him get annoyed over something petty like a nickname the public gave his alter ego rather than just scoff at it or ignore it. He had a feeling that Félix's uncle may have had a hand in this kind of behavior.

Félix, on the other hand, didn't appear to be bothered to pursue the subject. He had managed to get out of the mansion today and planned to take a walk along the Seine to calm his nerves and think about his next move concerning Ladybug, replaying the conversation they had in his head.

''Answer me this – why do you even bother with acting like a superheroine?''

''Maybe because I genuinely want to help people, especially after being granted superpowers.''

''So, you would help people even if they don't care about you?''

She never answered my question, although, to be fair, I never gave her the chance to answer it. Félix's eyes narrowed. How should I approach her?

''You know, you could tell her about your curse,'' Plagg said, popping his head out of Félix's backpack.

''Forget it,'' Félix replied sharply. ''I don't want her to know anything about it.''

''Why?'' Plagg persisted.

He frowned when Félix didn't reply, then smirked. He flew out of the backpack just as Félix was passing a tree and then tapped it. A few bigger twigs with leaves and seeds fell off and hit Félix in the head. The teen rubbed his head, trying to clean out the leaves and comb his hair back and looked up, glaring at Plagg, who waved back mischievously.

Feeling annoyed, Félix figured it would be the best to just walk away, but unfortunately, his bad luck only worsened.

''Hey, Félix!''

Why me?!

Félix tightened his grip around the strap of his backpack and pretended he didn't hear Bridgette calling out for him. Unfortunately for him, Bridgette had set her mind on making him notice her and ran over to him, stepping right in front of him and blocking his path.

''Hey, Félix!'' she said again, this time louder. She wasn't fazed at all by Félix's glare, smiling back instead, her ahoge curved into a heart shape. ''How are you doing?''

''Fine, I guess,'' Félix grumbled, his tone making it obvious that he wasn't in the mood for having a conversation. Bridgette completely ignored it.

''Great,'' she said. ''So, where are you going? If it's the same direction, we could walk together if you want?''

Félix noticed her gesturing behind him and turned his head, seeing Claude approaching them. Unlike Bridgette, Claude wasn't happy to see Félix and, frankly, Félix shared the sentiment.

''Hey, Agreste,'' Claude greeted him apprehensively, his eyes narrowed.

''Savard,'' Félix muttered curtly, with the two teens glaring at each other for a moment. Meanwhile, Bridgette was left standing awkwardly between the two, having a bad feeling about how this meeting would turn out.

''I haven't expected to see you here,'' Claude told Félix in a slightly teasing tone. ''I thought you'd be locked inside your room and reading a book, or something like that.''

''What I'm doing is none of your business,'' Félix replied, then glared at Bridgette. ''Neither do I want to accompany you. Leave me alone.''

''But, I…'' Bridgette trailed off as Félix turned around, walking away in the opposite direction. She faltered, her ahoge drooping.

''What's wrong with him?'' Claude muttered. He was aware that he may have drawn Félix's ire with his comment, but he didn't believe that it was something the latter would get upset about.

''Something's bothering him,'' Bridgette replied in a quiet tone. I wish I knew what it was. Maybe, I could help him somehow.

xXx

It was late evening and Ladybug was once again doing her patrols on the rooftops of Paris. However, this time, it wasn't just her searching for any potential troublemakers and criminals; she was focused on finding the Mime and apprehending him in order to make up for her mistake from the previous night.

''Hopefully we'll manage to locate the Mime tonight,'' Ladybug said. ''I mean, my power is a good luck charm, so I'm bound to run into him again, especially since I want to find him to make sure that he doesn't hurt anyone.''

''I'm sure things are going to turn out fine,'' Tikki replied confidently as Ladybug vaulted over a chimney stack. ''After all, you've put a lot of effort into this investigation, even going so far to make a map of the places you wanted to visit.''

''Right, but it's not going to be easy,'' Ladybug replied, rushing across a narrow rooftop and landing on another apartment complex, then taking a leap and landing on another building, then leaping towards another building, her hair ribbons trailing behind her. ''Still, I think I might be able to cover the distance like this.''

''So, which place is our first destination, then?'' Tikki asked.

''I'll have to check which one is the closest,'' Ladybug replied, somersaulting over to another building and landing in a crouch, then getting up and briefly turning her head back, before turning back and sighing. The past few streets she had passed had a bunch of people walking through and she sincerely hoped that no one had seen her.

''Lovely to see you again, M'lady.''

Ladybug's pigtails and ahoge rose up and she quickly turned around, seeing Chat Noir standing right behind her. He appeared to be quite amused by her shocked reaction.

''When did you get here?'' she said, feeling a little angry that he had sneaked up on her.

''I've been following you for a while,'' Chat Noir admitted, smirking, his tail flicking. ''As for my surprise entrance, did you really expect for a cat not to be sneaky?''

''Remind me to put a…'' Ladybug trailed off when Chat Noir flicked his bell, beaming. Ladybug's expression fell flat. ''Oh, right, you already have one.''

''I guess you could say that Stealth is my middle name,'' Chat Noir replied smugly.

''What's your first name? Alley Cat?'' Ladybug crossed her arms, watching Chat Noir as his ears flattened against his head. He frowned.

''So, you saw that video?'' he asked, with Ladybug nodding. Chat Noir huffed, crossing his arms. ''I can't believe they called me Alley Cat! Who came up with that?! At least they could've called me Black Cat based on my suit!''

''At least your nickname makes sense,'' Ladybug replied, feeling amused by Chat Noir's complaints. ''I have no idea why they call me Mini Menace.''

Chat Noir tilted his head, his tail flicking as he observed her carefully. He then held up his palm above Ladybug's head, moving it up and down, then between her and himself, as if measuring something. Ladybug stared at him with a puzzled look on her expression.

''You're short,'' he concluded. Ladybug stared at him baffled, only to get flustered when Chat Noir placed his claw under her chin, giving her a seductive look. ''And, you're incredibly cute.''

Ladybug was speechless, her cheeks turning a visible shade of red. She quickly took a step back and tried to focus on being angry rather than being flustered. ''Who are you calling short?! I'm at a perfectly average height for my age!''

Chat Noir didn't appear to be rattled by her outburst, smiling instead at her, a fang popping out the corner of his mouth. ''I thought you'd be more upset about me calling you cute.''

Ladybug pouted and crossed her arms, turning away, trying to show that she wasn't affected by his comment. ''Frankly, I have better things to do than to banter with you.''

''What are you up to?'' Chat Noir asked, a little disappointed that Ladybug refused to respond to his comment. Ladybug briefly turned her head towards him, her eyes narrowed, then turned away. Chat Noir's ears lowered as he realized that she was relentless and that she wasn't going to let him get close to her unless he put more effort into it. ''Maybe I could help you?''

Ladybug remained silent for a few seconds, obviously contemplating his offer. Eventually, she sighed and turned towards him. ''As long as you stop flirting with me…''

''I'm sorry, I can't promise that,'' Chat Noir cut her off, only to be met with Ladybug's glare.

''At least prove to me that you can focus on a mission, you Casanova wannabe!'' she yelled back, startling Chat Noir.

''…I guess this is where the 'menace' part comes from,'' Chat Noir muttered, with Ladybug still glaring at him, her ahoge frizzled.

''Trust me, I can get much worse,'' she told him in a threatening tone. Chat Noir's ears flattened against his head and his belt tail lowered, a nervous look on his expression. However, he managed to quickly bounce back.

''I assure you, M'lady, I won't disappoint you,'' Chat Noir replied. ''You can trust me with this case.''

''Fine,'' Ladybug told him after a moment of silence. ''I had planned to search for the Mime.''

''The Mime?'' Chat Noir rose an eyebrow.

''That's what I'm calling that guy from last night, at least until I get his actual name,'' Ladybug replied. ''I know it's not particularly creative name, but I don't know how else to refer to him.''

''Okay, I get it,'' Chat Noir said, watching Ladybug as she reached for her compact and held it up, trailing with her finger across the middle. The mid-section of the compact opened like ladybug wings, revealing a bright red hammerspace from which she took out a folded piece of paper. She then closed the compact, putting it back on the beaded string around her waist and unfolded the piece of paper, which turned out to be a map. Ladybug pointed at the red circles she made.

''I did some investigation and it turns out that there had been two more bank robberies reported in the past two weeks,'' she explained, with Chat Noir realized that the marked spots were the banks that had been targeted by the Mime. ''The pattern was the same – he would enter the building, disable the cameras and then blow up the vault. That was the explosion we had heard last night.''

''This guy really doesn't care about being subtle, does he?'' Chat Noir said.

''Apparently,'' Ladybug replied. ''That's why I figured that I should try and check on every bank in the city in case he decides to target another one.''

''Wait, every bank?'' Chat Noir gave Ladybug a questioning look. ''That's going to take us all night! I haven't signed up for this!''

''I didn't ask you to come along either,'' Ladybug pointed out, folding the map back and storing it into her compact. ''If you want to be whiny and complain, you can stay here. I'll do this patrol by myself.''

She then ran across the rooftop and leaped onto another building.

''W-Wait!'' Chat Noir shouted after her, following her. ''Ladybug!''

''What is it?'' Ladybug stopped, turning towards Chat Noir, who landed on all fours on the chimney stack above her.

''I'm curious about something,'' Chat Noir replied. ''Are you completely sure that the Mime would attempt to rob a bank again? He might as well go after a jewelry store or something similar. Not to mention, we don't even know whether he would strike again tonight.''

''I did think about the possibility of him changing targets, but I don't think that he would do that,'' Ladybug replied. ''Also, I know that I there's no way of knowing when he might appear, but I want to do something and this is the best I could come up with.''

''You're really determined to apprehend him, huh?'' Chat Noir mutterd, then smiled mischievously. ''How about this? If I help you find the Mime and take him down, I get a kiss from you as a reward.''

''Forget it,'' Ladybug replied, shaking her head and leaving. Chat Noir looked annoyed for a moment, then quickly followed her.

''Please, M'lady!''

''I had told you already, if you don't want to be part of this, then don't. I'm perfectly fine handling the Mime by myself,'' Ladybug replied, feeling slightly irritated by Chat Noir's persistence. ''Besides, apprehending a criminal should be reward enough.''

Chat Noir pouted, his eyes narrowing.

''Enough for you,'' he muttered bitterly. Nevertheless, he followed her, as he knew that he had no other choice. He needed Ladybug's help and the only way to get it was to figure out how to convince her to help him.

''You still haven't told her anything,'' Plagg said, with Chat Noir glancing at the ring.

''For the last time, I'm not going to tell her about the curse,'' he replied, gritting his teeth.

''Fine, your call,'' Plagg replied.

Chat Noir took a sharp breath and shook his head, calming down a little, and continued with the patrol, hoping that he would get the opportunity to prove his worth to Ladybug.

xXx

We are not getting anywhere with this.

Chat Noir had managed to keep his mouth shut for the most part of their patrol, hoping that, if he played along with Ladybug's plan, that she would be more open to reward him with a kiss. However, he did notice that Ladybug was getting slowly more and more frustrated. Sure, she was glad that nothing had happened, but it seemed that she really wanted for the Mime to appear so she could apprehend him.

I sincerely doubt that he is going to appear at our convenience.

If he had to be honest, he too had hoped that they might encounter the Mime, even imagining himself catching the Mime and Ladybug kissing him out of gratefulness. Unfortunately for both of them, it seemed that neither of their expectations would be fulfilled tonight.

''I hate to say, M'lady, but it seems like we're out of luck,'' Chat Noir said once they stopped on a building, with Ladybug consulting her map. There were several 'X' marks on the places where they had been previously.

Hearing his comment, Ladybug glanced at him, giving him a weird look. Chat Noir rose an eyebrow, as it seemed that, for a moment, it looked like she was offended by what he told her. She then shook her head.

''There are still a few places I want to check on,'' she told him. ''I'm sure that we will find him eventually.''

She gave Chat Noir a determined look, with Chat Noir noticing a brief glow coming from her earrings. She then turned around, giving Chat Noir a moment to look at his ring, which also started to glow. A moment later, the light that was coming from both of their Miraculous was extinguished. Chat Noir's eyes widened in surprise, but he then frowned, understanding what was going on.

I doubt that it would be a good idea to use your power when I'm so close to you, Ladybug. He glanced at her as she placed the map back into her compact. But, you don't know that, right?

He continued following her, figuring that she would eventually find out on her own. She was still learning how to use her powers properly and he was sure that it wouldn't take long until she learned the truth about his powers.

I'm not looking forward to this conversation.

Chat Noir took a look at his surroundings as he landed on another building, realizing that he was familiar with the area. If the map in his head was correct, they were going towards Jardin des Tuileries. He grinned as a plan started forming in his head.

Maybe I could ask Ladybug to go with me for a walk there after the patrol. It would be just the two of us, relaxing and talking, and perhaps, if I convince her, the inevitable might happen.

Satisfied with his idea, he caught up to Ladybug, who appeared to take another stop on a building right across the park. He walked up to her, noticing that she was lost in her thoughts.

''M'lady?'' Ladybug turned towards him, with Chat Noir tilting his head slightly. ''What's on your mind?''

''Nothing,'' Ladybug replied, turning her head away.

However, Chat Noir didn't miss the troubled look on her expression. He wanted to ask her about it, but his ears twitched as he heard a whistling sound.

''Watch out!'' He grabbed Ladybugs arm and pulled her down, shielding her as whatever passed above them suddenly exploded. The two looked up, both shocked.

''What was what?'' Ladybug asked, still stunned.

''No idea,'' Chat Noir replied, him and Ladybug slowly getting up and looking around. They both turned towards where the this explosive came, seeing a person standing on the street. Chat Noir's eyes narrowed as he stepped closer, his night vision giving him a better look at the person who had attacked him.

''It's the Mime,'' he said, tilting his head slightly, feeling puzzled. ''I think he's holding some kind of… rocket launcher.''

''That explains the explosion,'' Ladybug said, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the Mime. ''Let's go.''

While she leaped off the building, Chat Noir hesitated, having crouched down on all fours. He knew that he probably should keep his distance, as Ladybug, despite her inexperience, would fare better in a fight thanks to her good luck charm. On the other hand, he couldn't miss a chance to make a good impression on his Lady. He grinned, leaping off the building and following Ladybug, who was already chasing the Mime towards Jardin des Tuileries.

Ladybug was hot on the Mime's heels, wanting to catch him before they drew more attention. Heaven knows who else had heard that explosion and she was lucky enough that there wasn't anyone in this part of the park. She grabbed her compact, turning it into a yo-yo and threw it at the Mime, the yo-yo wrapping around his wrist. She pulled it back, stopping him in his tracks.

''You're not getting anywhere!'' she growled when the Mime turned towards her.

He smirked sinisterly, holding up his other hand and pointing it at Ladybug. Ladybug was forced to release him in order to dodge the bullets, jumping away and turning her yo-yo into a shield mid-air, with the bullets bouncing off it. The Mime stopped firing and mimed something else, a short sledgehammer going by the shadow it cast on the ground, and charged at Ladybug. Ladybug lifted her shield up, with the sledgehammer connecting and causing her to back down. She realized that the Mime was far stronger than she had initially assumed.

The moment the Mime lifted his sledgehammer to strike her down again, she jumped back, converting the shield into her staff and charged back at him, landing a hit in the gut. He managed to recover, however, and swung the sledgehammer at her. She dodged it again, finding herself leaning against a tree. She crouched down when the Mime swung again, hitting the tree behind her, and slammed the staff into his chest, causing him to stagger backwards.

Ladybug managed to slip back onto the path and turned towards the Mime, who had recovered from her attack, turning towards her and twirling the sledgehammer in his hand.

''Black Storm!''

However, before he could lunge at her, a disc of black energy hit him, causing a minor explosion, with smoke covering his surroundings. Ladybug glanced at a nearby tree, seeing Chat Noir leap off it and land on the other side, across her, with the Mime standing between the two. However, before she could say anything, something came flying out of the smoke, hitting her square in the chest and causing her to stumble back, her staff falling out of her hands, and knocking the wind out of her.

''Ladybug!'' Chat Noir called out for her just as the Mime stepped out of the smoke and turned his attention towards him, miming the sledgehammer again and charging at him. Chat Noir assumed a battle stance, dodging the attack and striking back with his claws, barely missing clawing across the Mime's chest. However, he managed to land a kick in the chest, only for the Mime to respond with a punch to the face, finishing off with a sledgehammer to the gut that sent him flying.

Ladybug, who felt as if a car had hit her, got into a crouch just as the Mime turned towards her and did a backsault, grabbing the staff that was lying on the ground behind her and charged again at the Mime, hoping for a lucky hit. She knew that she needed to finish this fight as soon as possible.

Unfortunately for her, Chat Noir had the same idea.

''Black Hole!''

He pressed his hand against the ground, his ring sparking with dark energy, just as the Mime charged at Ladybug. The issue was, Ladybug was much faster, and she found herself stepping into a black hole that appeared right below her, causing her to sink into it.

''What the hell?!'' She glared at Chat Noir, who gave her a shocked look, clearly having not expected this to happen. The Mime, on the other hand, appeared to be perfectly fine with it, grinning as he slammed the sledgehammer downwards at Ladybug.

She managed to block it by using her staff, gritting her teeth as she felt sinking deeper into the black hole.

''Black Storm!'' Chat Noir yelled, with Ladybug realizing what he was up to.

The moment he sent a disc of dark energy flying, Ladybug pulled her staff back, turning it into a shield. However, the Mime managed to dodge Chat Noir's attack and stepped away from the two, the disc hitting Ladybug's shield. Ladybug then turned the shield into a yo-yo, glaring at Chat Noir, who got up, as she threw it at a nearby tree, wrapping the string around it and pulling herself out of the black hole. They turned towards the Mime, who reached for something behind his back, some kind of cylindrical canister. He ripped the top off with his teeth and threw it at the two, smoke exploding all around them.

Ladybug and Chat Noir started coughing, unable to see anything. However, Chat Noir's ears twitched as he picked up the sound of steps, realizing that the Mime was getting away. Not only that, but he could hear someone running towards them and, the moment the smoke cleared a little, he lunged at Ladybug, picking her up bridal-style and jumping onto a nearby tree, hiding in the foliage.

''Chat, what are you-?!'' Ladybug cut herself off when she saw people approaching the spot she and Chat Noir were at a moment earlier. She was breathing heavily, her heart racing, and, given how tightly he was holding her, with his arm wrapped around her waist, Chat Noir didn't seem to be in any better condition. She waited for a bit to recover, giving Chat Noir a side-eye when she realized that he still had his arm wrapped around her waist. Chat Noir caught on, letting go of her. Ladybug took a deep breath, sighing. ''We should better leave before we get caught on video again.''

''I wholeheartedly agree,'' Chat Noir replied, adding in a sheepish tone, ''I apologize for the mess, M'lady. I guess it was just bad timing on my part.''

''Next time, be more careful with what you're doing,'' Ladybug replied in a frustrated tone, glaring at him. Her expression made it clear to Chat Noir that his fighting skills certainly did not impress her as he hoped they would.

Once the two made sure that the coast was clear, they used the trees as a way to get back on the street, leaping onto a nearby street lamp and landing on the building closest to them. Ladybug turned back towards the park, her brow furrowed as she stared at it thoughtfully.

''Honestly, it kind of felt as if he was testing us,'' she said.

''Why would he do that?'' Chat Noir asked, with Ladybug frowning.

''Unfortunately, I don't know, but I have a bad feeling that we eventually might find out.''