I'm sorry for taking so long, I was busy IRL.
Anyways, I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter, as well as the introduction of a new villain who'll be a mainstay in this story. Please, leave a review and let me know what you think! X3
Entry 7
The Thief Among Us
''Let's make striking accusations, running from the future will only lead to regret. As you're facing forward, as you're starting to sweat, let your tears out with a shout – Objection! Let's make a turnabout on justice, when you're driven into a corner, that's your chance. Any kind of love, any kind of dream, you can fulfill them, surely – Surely, you can emerge victorious!''
– Gyakuten Winner by Ace Attorney
xXxXxXx
Ladybug landed on a rooftop, with Chat Noir landing right next to her, giving her a mischievous grin, his tail flicking.
''So, is this it? Are we done with the patrol?'' he asked. Ladybug sighed, taking another look at her surroundings.
''I guess it is,'' she replied. Chat Noir's ears perked up as he smiled happily.
''Do you want to hang out for a little longer?'' he asked.
Admittedly, Ladybug wanted to leave, as she had school tomorrow and she needed to get some sleep, but looking at Chat Noir, at the eager gaze he was giving her, she figured that it wouldn't hurt if she stayed just a little longer. After all, she did tell him that she wanted to evaluate their partnership and, as Chat Noir put it, this also meant that they would have to get to know each other better. Still, while Chat Noir wanted to learn more about her on a personal level, Ladybug was more focused on learning about him on a professional level.
''Fine,'' Ladybug said, with Chat Noir doing a fist-pump. ''I did agree to this, after all. However, I won't be answering any questions that I'm too uncomfortable with.''
''That's completely okay,'' Chat Noir told her, placing his hand on his chest. ''I'm just glad that we get to hang out with each other. We do have a lot to talk about.''
''Yeah,'' Ladybug muttered, falling silent for a moment and closing her eyes. She hadn't been upset or anything like that, but tried to calm down her mind and find the right words to express herself. She opened her eyes and looked at Chat Noir, who had his head slightly tilted, giving her a look that appeared to be a mix of curiosity and concern. He reminded her of a lost kitten. ''You're right, we do have a lot to talk about.'' Chat Noir's ears twitched as she turned towards him. ''It's probably annoying that I'm bringing it up again, but I still have some questions about your bad luck powers.''
''Oh,'' Chat Noir mumbled, a little surprised, then gave Ladybug an assuring look. ''I don't mind it. What do you want to know?''
''You told me that you know how to deal with your bad luck,'' Ladybug stated, with Chat Noir nodding.
''Yes, but I'm not claiming that I have complete control over it,'' Chat Noir replied, crossing his arms. ''There will be times when something unpredictable will happen, and I will take full responsibility for it. As I had told you, I don't want to get in your way and I'm willing to improve myself as a superhero.'' He gave her a soft smile. ''I have to admit, your determination did really inspire me to work on myself.''
''I did…'' Ladybug was stunned, feeling a strange warmth surging through her body. Chat Noir's words were incredibly sincere, making her feel flustered. She lowered her head shyly. ''I-I'm glad that I could help you.'' She then took a sharp breath, trying to ignore the strange feeling of fluttering butterflies in her stomach and continued in a more assertive tone, ''However, I'm still far from perfect. You're not the only one who has to work on improving yourself.''
''That's understandable,'' Chat Noir replied. There was a strange twinkle in his green eyes, especially after seeing Ladybug getting flustered. He placed his hand on his hip, ruffling his already messy hair with the other. ''Honestly, I kind of wish our partnership had started under different circumstances. I know that I left a bad impression, especially after getting rather bold and flirting with you, as well as not telling you about my bad luck curse.''
''If you ask me, I'm glad that you actually did leave a bad impression on me,'' Ladybug told him, with Chat Noir giving her a perplexed look. ''Nevertheless, I'm glad that you're owning up to it.''
''So, am I forgiven?'' Chat Noir asked sheepishly. Ladybug crossed her arms, tilting her head and giving him a pointed look.
''The trial is still ongoing,'' she added. ''But, so far, you don't have to worry. Trust me, if I get annoyed by your antics, I will make that loud and clear.''
''That is something I really love about you, Ladybug,'' Chat Noir replied. Ladybug was stunned for a moment, partially due to Chat Noir's boldness, partially due to the fact that he didn't call her 'M'lady' as he usually would. ''You don't play around and you make your point clear. The more time I spend with you, the more I'm fascinated and pleased that I had met an amazing person like you.''
''I- Thanks,'' Ladybug said, a little flustered by his compliment. However, she managed to quickly focus again on the matter at hand. ''In any case, about our partnership, the main point is that we still have a lot to work on. We have conflicting powers, which won't make this easy for either of us.''
''True, but we won't know for certain whether things are going to work out unless we try,'' Chat Noir replied. ''However, I'm sure that with you in charge-''
''No,'' Ladybug cut him off. When Chat Noir gave her a questioning look, she elaborated, ''If either of us is in charge, we might create an imbalance. It doesn't matter whether it's too much luck or too much bad luck, if we're going to work together, we both have to put effort into our teamwork. This would obviously include knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses, as well being able to trust each other and be able to act on our own in case the other party is incapacitated.''
''Essentially, we're acting together, not against each other and we will have to learn to anticipate a situation where one's power would be more useful than the other's,'' Chat Noir said, with Ladybug nodding enthusiastically.
''Exactly!'' she said, feeling rather happy that he was genuinely listening to her. Maybe this partnership won't be as bad as I thought. He did try to help me in the battle against the Mime, even if his bad luck caused him to mess up. Not to mention, he did leave me alone during my last fight against the latter, so perhaps we can work things out.
''I do have one request,'' Chat Noir said, holding his clawed finger up. Ladybug stared back at him, confused. ''May I continue flirting with you?''
''Eh?'' Ladybug blinked, stunned. It took her a moment to process his words. ''What?!''
Chat Noir just gave her a mischievous grin. ''I promise I won't keep you distracted. You said yourself that being Ladybug is your priority. Still, that doesn't mean that we can't have fun during our free time, right?''
''You're hopeless, Chat,'' Ladybug groaned, feeling completely exasperated.
''Yeah, I'm a hopeless fool who has a crush on a beautiful and mesmerizing lady,'' Chat Noir replied, shrugging. He then winked at her. ''You look absolutely adorable when you're flustered.''
''Well, I guess the reason for that is because I'm not used to have someone flirt with me like this,'' Ladybug replied in a firm tone, crossing her arms on her chest. Admittedly, she was still flustered, but she managed to remain calm enough to retain a neutral expression.
''Really?'' As Ladybug looked up, she saw a baffled Chat Noir. ''I'm surprised that someone as lovely as you isn't getting the attention you deserve.''
''That's how it is,'' Ladybug replied, shrugging. Her ahoge lowered as she thought about Félix, but quickly pushed him out of her head. ''I mean, you said that you aren't exactly the social type, yet you're shamelessly flirting with me.''
''It might be because of the mask,'' Chat Noir replied, lowering his head a little. A few pigeons flew above them. ''After all, I don't have to act like my usual self when I'm wearing it. That's the perk of anonymity.''
''Don't let it get to your head,'' Ladybug replied. ''Only because you wear a mask doesn't mean that you can escape the consequences of your actions.''
''I know,'' Chat Noir replied, his ears twitching as he heard wings flapping. He and Ladybug looked around. ''Why are there so many pigeons?''
''No idea,'' Ladybug replied, her ahoge taking the shape of a question mark. The pigeons were twitching, turning their heads towards them, making Ladybug feel nervous. ''It's kinda creepy.''
''Are they… judging us?'' Chat Noir said, rising an eyebrow. More and more pigeons landed on the rooftop, all of them staring at the two.
''Maybe it's because of you,'' Ladybug suggested in a deadpan tone. Chat Noir's ears lowered and he gave her an annoyed look, even though he had to admit that the birds probably didn't like the idea of being around a cat superhero. He suddenly shook his head.
''Wait, what are we even talking about? Those are pigeons! They're just-'' Chat Noir tried to make sense of the situation, but quickly cut himself off when a huge flock of pigeons flew over them and surrounded the two. ''What is going on?''
''I have taken you as my captives! Ro-roooo!''
Ladybug and Chat Noir stared with completely dumbfounded looks on their expressions and dropped jaws at the flock of pigeons flying up to them, revealing a man in a grey, pink and black bodysuit standing atop of the birds, his arms crossed on his chest.
''This has to be some kind of dream,'' Ladybug said dryly, stunned by the reveal.
''To be honest, I can understand the Mime, he has interesting powers, but a Pigeon Man?'' Chat Noir said, not looking particularly impressed.
''The name is Monsieur Pigeon, you simpleton!'' Monsieur Pigeon yelled indignantly.
''Great, he also talks,'' Chat Noir added in a deadpan tone. Monsieur Pigeon lifted his head up high, glaring at the two.
''Don't you dare to mock me!'' he yelled at Chat Noir. ''I will teach you a lesson, you insolent cat!''
''What about her?'' Chat Noir pointed with his thumb at Ladybug, who rose an eyebrow, giving him an incredulous look, her ahoge frizzled.
''Don't worry, I will deal with her later, but my top priority is to eliminate any strays,'' Monsieur Pigeon replied, lifting his hand up, with the pigeons that were sitting on the roof suddenly flying up and surrounding the two.
''Hey, wait a second!'' Ladybug interrupted him. ''Why are you even attacking us? We don't even know who you are.''
''Don't worry about that,'' Monsieur Pigeon replied, holding up his hands in a theatrical manner. ''All I need to know is who you are. Take them down!'' he commanded, with the pigeons suddenly flying towards the two.
''Black Storm!'' Chat Noir formed a disc of dark energy on his palm and fired it at the pigeons, causing them to scatter and create an opening. He and Ladybug ran through it, leaping off the building and landing on another, with the pigeons following them. Chat Noir sent another dark energy disc at them, causing them to scatter, before glancing at Ladybug and asking, ''Now what?''
''I'm not sure,'' Ladybug replied, with the two running towards the edge of the building and leaping off, landing on another one. ''What do we even know about this guy?''
''Aside from the fact that he's calling himself Monsieur Pigeon, that he controls pigeons and that he's after us for some reason, nothing,'' Chat Noir replied, his ears picking up the flapping of numerous pigeon wings from behind and above them. ''Well, we could also add persistent to the list.''
He and Ladybug jumped away to the side as a flock of pigeons charged at them and hit the rooftop. Ladybug looked up, seeing another flock charging at her and quickly turned her compact into a shield. The pigeons pecked and scratched it madly, trying to get through it, only to scatter away when Chat Noir threw another energy disc at them.
''Thanks!'' Ladybug said as he joined her. Chat Noir smiled at her.
''I guess that this is where we try to figure out how to work together,'' he said, only for Ladybug to suddenly turn her shield back into a yo-yo and throw it behind him, scattering another flock of pigeons that attempted to fly into them.
''I absolutely agree,'' Ladybug replied. ''For now, we need to find a shelter, then we can discuss our battle plan.''
''That won't be easy,'' Chat Noir told her as they continued with their run on the rooftops. ''We're surrounded by pigeons.''
''Then let's go underground,'' Ladybug told him, looking down. Chat Noir followed her gaze, his tail flicking in excitement when he saw the entrance to the Paris metro at Varenne. He then glanced at Ladybug. ''I need you to cover us.''
''Got it!'' Chat Noir was a little startled when Ladybug suddenly grabbed his other hand and threw the yo-yo at the trees that surrounded the entrance to the metro, securing it around a branch. Chat Noir then turned back to the flock that had been following them and sent an energy disc at them, causing them to scatter again. The two then jumped off, with Ladybug letting the yo-yo pull them towards the entrance.
Once inside, they quickly walked down the staircase, both hoping that the pigeons wouldn't follow them. They sighed in relief when, fortunately, they couldn't hear the birds anymore.
''That was close,'' Ladybug said.
''I do agree that we are quite close,'' Chat Noir told her, smirking as he gave her a pointed look. Ladybug looked down, only to realize that she was still holding Chat Noir's hand and quickly let go of him.
''In any case, we now have to figure out how to take Monsieur Pigeon down,'' Ladybug added.
''That won't be easy, especially if he keeps staying airborne,'' Chat Noir commented. ''I doubt I'll be able to engage in a fight with him, since cats can't fly.''
''True, but ladybugs can,'' Ladybug replied, with Chat Noir giving her a confused look. ''My compact allows me to create bug wings, but unfortunately, I still have issues with it. Not to mention, even if I figure this out, I cannot get close to him with all of those pigeons flying around.''
''That's true,'' Chat Noir muttered, placing his hand under his chin. ''Still, if your good luck kicks in, then you wouldn't have to worry about that.'' His ears lowered. ''However, this means that I'd have to stay out of this fight.''
''Not necessarily,'' Ladybug replied, with Chat Noir staring at her curiously. ''You said that you're capable of controlling your bad luck power and I believe you. So, let's work together. If we do this right, I'm confident that we can win the battle.''
''Thank you, Ladybug,'' Chat Noir replied, giving her a determined look. Both of them looked up as they suddenly heard someone yelling and exchanged glances. ''This is our cue.''
Ladybug nodded, with the two walking back up to the entrance. As they poked their heads outside, they saw people running, being freaked out by the pigeons who were flying too low for their comfort and randomly attacking them.
''First of all, we need to get Monsieur Pigeon's attention, so he'd focus on us rather than attack random people,'' Ladybug said, her eyes narrowing.
''How about luring him to the Eiffel Tower?'' Chat Noir suggested. ''We're not too far from it and there's enough space for us to fight without letting our powers influence each other. I'll distract the pigeons, while you deal with Pigeon Man.''
''We could try that,'' Ladybug nodded. ''Let's go!''
xXx
''Where are they?'' Monsieur Pigeon looked around, ignoring the people below him, who were confused and freaked out by the strange behavior the pigeons exhibited. He was simply here to take care of business as he was instructed by the man he considered his boss. Given how his co-worker hadn't have any luck with taking down the self-proclaimed protectors of Paris, he decided to give it a go.
''Black Storm!''
The pigeons that carried Monsieur Pigeon moved suddenly, dodging Chat Noir's attack. Monsieur Pigeon looked down, finding the black cat superhero giving him a cheeky grin.
''What's up, Pigeon Man?'' Chat Noir asked, his tail flicking. ''I thought you wanted to teach me a lesson. However, I guess that you're too much of a chicken to confront a bird's natural predator.''
''You will pay for that! Get him!'' Monsieur Pigeon growled, pointing at Chat Noir, with the flock of pigeons that surrounded him flying straight towards the black cat superhero. Chat Noir somersaulted backwards, disappearing behind another building, with Monsieur Pigeon following him. ''Don't let him get away! Ro-rooo!''
Meanwhile, Chat Noir smirked as everything went according to plan. He made sure to hide in the shadows and between the buildings and balconies, popping out from time to time to make sure that Monsieur Pigeon and his flock of birds hellbent on probably killing him would know where he was. Whenever they would get too close, he'd send another dark energy disc flying at them, often missing them unfortunately. However, he didn't mind that, as his main goal was to lure them to the Eiffel Tower, where Ladybug was awaiting them.
Hopefully, nothing will go wrong. Chat Noir frowned as he landed on another building, crouching down, his ears twitching at the sound of hundreds of birds getting closer and closer to him. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he glanced at the ring on his finger. At least, let us win this battle.
While Chat Noir was busy acting as the bait, Ladybug was standing on the ledge on the Eiffel Tower, biting her lip as she felt nervous about her plan. She took a deep breath, calming down, her fingers wrapped tightly around her compact.
It will work. It has to.
Ladybug could see from afar the flock of birds flying towards her, with Chat Noir keeping them at a distance with another well-placed attack. There was also another, smaller flock carrying Monsieur Pigeon, and she knew that once he got close enough, she'd have to enter the battle.
The Mime was already a difficult opponent, but this guy is a different story, having advantage over us in the air. I'll have to clip his wings if I want to win this.
She inhaled sharply and placed the compact on her back. It grew bigger, the red elytra opening up and revealing a pair of blueish insect wings beneath it.
''I wish you luck,'' Tikki told her, sounding a little concerned about her plan.
Ladybug focused on her wings, which started to flap at rapid speeds, causing her to start hovering. She let out a cry of surprise as she looked down, feeling a little dizzy when she realized that, if she fell from this height, she'd be nothing but a red splatter on the ground. Leaping from building to building is nothing compared to this. She tried to remain stable, leaning forward a little, her earrings shimmering. Okay, Ladybug, you can do this. She leaned forward a little further, using her body and mind to take a position that let her fly towards the oncoming flock of pigeons. It works! She smiled in relief and her eyes narrowed as she flew towards the ongoing battle.
Chat Noir had meanwhile landed close to the Eiffel Tower, turning around and seeing Monsieur Pigeon still following him.
''Now I have you cornered! Roo-roooo!'' Monsieur Pigeon exclaimed, hovering above Chat Noir. ''Any last words, you mangy cat?''
''Yeah,'' Chat Noir smirked, ''Look up, dumbass!''
''Huh, wha-?''
''Take this!''
Monsieur Pigeon was startled when he suddenly heard someone screaming at him and turned around, only to see Ladybug flying towards him at rapid speed, landing a punch on his face and flying away. Monsieur Pigeon stumbled, almost falling off the flock that was holding him up and turned around, seeing Ladybug do a loop as she still hadn't figured out how to break and flying back towards him. She managed to almost knock him over again.
''Hey, pea brain!''
Before Monsieur Pigeon could recover, a blast of dark energy was sent flying at him and he dodged it at the last possible second. As he looked up, he realized that Chat Noir used the moment of distraction Ladybug had caused to climb the Eiffel Tower so he'd be at a similar height as the former two were.
''Why you-?!'' he growled, with a flock of pigeons flying towards Chat Noir, while another flock gathered above him into a huge ball, which he sent flying towards Ladybug.
''Black Storm!'' Chat Noir sent a disc of energy flying at the flock that attacked him, while Ladybug dodged the ball of pigeons sent after her. Since her compact had been turned into wings, she had no other weapons other than her fists.
''Woa, that was close!'' she muttered to herself, realizing that her and Chat Noir's plan was falling apart. Admittedly, they had no idea whether it would work in the first place. Another disc of dark energy was sent flying at the pigeons, causing them to scatter, while Ladybug turned to Monsieur Pigeon, hovering around his height. ''I bet you can't knock me down!''
''I'll get you! Go, my lovelies!'' Monsieur Pigeon yelled, with Ladybug flying towards the Eiffel Tower. She briefly glanced back, realizing that Monsieur Pigeon was following her.
That's it! Now, we just have to knock him off! Ladybug looked back, focused on the task at hand, hoping that she wouldn't collide with anything. ''Chat Noir, your turn!''
''Black Hole!'' Chat Noir held up his hand, the ring on his finger glowing as a huge black hole appeared behind Ladybug like a shield. It caused the pigeons that were following her to scatter, with Monsieur Pigeon panicking.
''Stop! Stop! No!'' As the pigeons that carried him tried to dodge the black hole, Monsieur Pigeon was suddenly flung off, landing on a steel ledge on the Eiffel Tower, feeling the wind knocked out of his lungs as he held onto it.
Chat Noir grinned victoriously, only for his eyes to widen when he saw the pigeons suddenly flying at him, causing him to take several steps back, covering his head with his arms as the pigeons attempted to pluck out his eyes and scratch him till he bleeded. Suddenly, he lost footing, falling over the ledge.
''Chat!''
Desperate, Ladybug flew towards Chat Noir, extending one hand to grab him and reaching with her other for the wings on her back. The wings vanished, turning back into a compact and causing her to fall alongside Chat Noir. ''Hold on!'' Once Chat Noir wrapped his hands around her waist, she threw the compact which she turned into a yo-yo upwards, the yo-yo wrapping around a steel beam, with her and Chat Noir, who kept one hand wrapped around her waist and the other on the string of the yo-yo, safely swinging down on the street below them. Both breathed a sigh of relief as Ladybug's yo-yo returned to her. ''That was close.''
''Yeah,'' Chat Noir exchanged glances with her and the two looked up, only to realize that Monsieur Pigeon was gone. They could still see several pigeons flying around, but their master was nowhere to be found. ''I guess it's over.''
''I wouldn't be so sure,'' Ladybug replied, taking a deep breath as she felt her heart racing. She wasn't sure whether it was because of the rush of adrenaline… or the fact that Chat Noir still had his hand wrapped around her waist. Her eyes narrowed. ''You know, you can let go of me now.''
''Sorry-'' Chat Noir pulled his hand away, giving her a sheepish grin. ''Still, you saved my life,'' he added, a seductive smile forming on his lips as he leaned close to her. ''You earned a kiss for that.''
''A simple 'thank you' is enough,'' Ladybug replied as she did a quick side-step, with Chat Noir tripping and falling over. Ladybug winced, giving him a look of concern. ''Are you okay?''
''Well, I am, but I'd feel better if I got a little peck from you,'' Chat Noir replied, with Ladybug's ahoge lowering as she gave him an exasperated look.
''You're fine, just walk it off,'' she told him as he got up. The two suddenly turned around, with Chat Noir's ears twitching as he heard someone yelling, as well as a police siren.
''We should leave before someone finds us,'' he told Ladybug, who nodded. Both took off, as people started arriving, either curious about or shaken by the events, eventually stopping on the rooftop of a nearby building.
''That was… unexpected,'' Ladybug muttered, catching her breath.
''You mean the fact that we ran into another villain… or the fact that said villain is capable of controlling pigeons?'' Chat Noir asked.
''Both, I guess?'' Ladybug shrugged, then shook her head. ''In any case, I'm too tired to deal with this now. I guess we can talk about what happened tomorrow.''
''Really? So, have I finally passed your trial?'' Chat Noir asked excitedly.
''Hey, I'm still thinking about it,'' Ladybug told him, with Chat Noir's ears lowering in disappointment. She smiled sympathetically. ''Nevertheless, I do look forward to meeting up with you.'' Chat Noir perked up, with Ladybug waving at him. ''Bye!''
Chat Noir waved back as she left, doing a fist-pump once she was out of his sight. ''Yes! Seems like I managed to convince her to let me stay.''
''Didn't Ladybug say that she was still thinking about it?'' Plagg asked him.
''I'm not worried about that,'' Chat Noir replied. He knew that he had managed to redeem himself, feeling certain that it was just a matter of time before Ladybug finally falls for him.
xXx
''Plagg, de-transform me!'' Chat Noir said after landing on the balcony on the upper level of his room. A bright dark light engulfed him, revealing a moment later his civilian self, with Plagg hovering next to him.
''What a night,'' Plagg sighed as he and Félix went inside, with Félix closing the door behind them. ''It seems like you could've done a lot more progress hadn't Pigeon Man decided to interrupt you so rudely.''
''Right,'' Félix muttered, walking over to his private library and searching for something. ''I guess I could chalk this up to my bad luck as well. Nevertheless, I still got what I wanted.''
Plagg observed him as he pulled out a black leather-bound journal from the shelf and walked down the stairs to his desk. He then rummaged through the drawer, taking out an expensive-looking ink pen.
''What are you doing, Kid?'' Plagg asked. ''Don't you want to go to bed? I mean, you have school tomorrow.''
''Not yet,'' Félix replied, opening the journal and started writing something in it. Plagg shrugged and flew over to his cheese stash, grabbing a piece before returning back to Félix. He looked over the teen's shoulder, curious about what his holder was writing. Sure, Félix loved to write, but what was so important to be written down at this hour?
''…'Ladybug's favorite colour is rose gold'…'' Plagg muttered as he read the entry. ''You're writing notes about Ladybug? Why?''
''These notes should help me win her over,'' Félix replied, briefly glancing at the kwami. ''The more I know about Ladybug, the better my chances are with her, even if it's something trivial like her favorite colour.''
''Still, one would think that you would've just used a notepad and a normal pen for keeping notes, not this.'' Plagg nodded towards the journal.
''I had planned to use this journal for important notes and trust me, this is important,'' Félix replied, then continued to write down notes. He tried to remember every single detail about Ladybug's personality, about her likes and dislikes, like the fact that she preferred to be called 'Ladybug' and even 'Mini Menace' over 'M'lady'. Félix stopped writing for a moment, tilting his head as he stared at his notes. ''She's quite headstrong, isn't she?''
''I'd rather call her 'stubborn','' Plagg hummed, taking a bite out of the cheese. Félix ignored the comment, furrowing his brows.
''She also tends to get quite flustered when complimented or flirted with,'' he added. ''Sure, I could use that to my advantage, but what are the chances that she'll get angry at me for cornering her. I should keep the flirting at a moderate level.''
''You're really putting a lot of thought into this,'' Plagg commented, sitting on a stack of books, only for the book on the top to suddenly slip and fall over. Félix shot him an annoyed look, with Plagg giving him a sheepish smile. ''Sorry?''
Luckily, it was only one book, which Félix picked up, realizing that it was the one with Bridgette's note. He stared at it for a moment, reading it again and again.
I understand that there is something troubling you and that you need your space. Still, I will be there for you if you need someone who'd listen to you. Love, Bri.
The letters were written in a rose gold marker, with a little heart in the same colour being drawn next to it. Félix's eyes narrowed for a moment as he fell silent, before shaking his head.
It is just an aesthetic choice, nothing else.
Nevertheless, he placed the note into his journal.
xXx
''Tikki, de-transform me!''
Bridgette sighed in relief as she flopped on her bed, feeling exhausted, but also pleased with how things had turned out. She and Chat Noir were obviously still far from being the dream team, but the had a lot less issues this time than in their battle against the Mime.
''Maybe I did make the right choice,'' she muttered to herself as she placed her hands behind her head, with Tikki hovering next to her.
''While this is indeed your choice, I think that you should remain careful around Chat Noir,'' the kwami told her. ''You never know what can go wrong.''
''True, but maybe I should have a bit more faith in him… In both of us,'' Bridgette replied. Tikki gave her a thoughtful look, but didn't reply. Different than Bridgette, she was still at unease about this team up, but she still wanted to support her holder.
I have a really bad feeling about this.
xXx
''Say, Bri, have you even slept last night?'' Claude asked Bridgette as she yawned, with the two walking up to the school. She ignored the slightly amused look on his expression. ''What kept you up?''
''Pigeons,'' Bridgette replied, yawning again. Claude rose an eyebrow, only to remember something.
''Now that you mention it, there was a news report about pigeons acting strange last night,'' he said. ''I heard that they were attacking people and that the Mini Menace and Alley Cat from that video appeared again.''
''They're calling themselves Ladybug and Chat Noir,'' Bridgette replied tiredly, with Claude giving her a confused look.
''How do you know?'' he asked.
''I was on the roof last night when Ladybug passed by. She introduced herself to me and told me she was on a patrol,'' Bridgette explained.
''That's cool!'' Claude looked impressed. ''I don't think anyone got to even meet either of these two.''
''I guess I just got lucky,'' Bridgette replied, smiling. Admittedly, she didn't want to lie to her childhood friend, but she figured that people should finally learn her and Chat Noir's names rather than call them Mini Menace and Alley Cat.
''So, how was she like?'' Claude asked her.
''Well, she's-''
''How was who like?'' Both turned around, seeing Sophie and Allan approaching them.
''Hi, Sophie, hi, Allan,'' Claude greeted them. ''I assume you guys know about what happened last night.''
''Yeah, there were all those pigeons who were acting strange,'' Allan replied. ''Some even tried to get into my room after I left the window open.''
''Well, it turns out that the person responsible for that mess was a man with the ability to control the pigeons,'' Bridgette told him. ''I had also met the Mini Menace, or rather, Ladybug; Claude and I were just talking about her.''
''Really? That's awesome!'' Sophie said, only to raise an eyebrow. ''Wait, there's a villain running around the city and his ability is to control pigeons?''
''Yeah, it is a weird power,'' Bridgette said, shrugging. ''Honestly, I don't know much about it.''
''At least we have someone who'll defend us against people like this Pigeon Guy,'' Claude said, with Bridgette nodding.
''Hey, guys!''
Bridgette and her friends looked up, seeing Allegra approaching them accompanied by another teenage girl. Her companion was slender, with long black hair and dark green eyes, dressed in a form-fitting red flannel shirt, dark blue skinny jeans and black ankle boots, with a black backpack with golden flower prints hanging from her shoulder.
''Who is your friend?'' Sophie asked Allegra when the two approached them.
''This is Carmilla Brigante. She had recently transferred to our school and is in the the neighboring class. I met her when she had auditioned for the school band.'' She then turned to Carmilla. ''Carmilla, these are my friends: Sophie Renard, Allan Durand, Claude Savard and Bridgette Cheng.''
''Nice to meet you,'' Carmilla said, smiling. ''Any friend of Allegra's is my friend.''
''Same here, Carmilla,'' Bridgette replied. ''You said you auditioned for the school band. What kind of instrument are you playing?''
''The flute, but I'm not in the school band,'' Carmilla replied, noticing the questioning look Allegra's friends gave her. ''I had realized that I wouldn't have time for my hobby, so I decided to drop it.''
''I guess your hobby takes priority,'' Allan commented, with Carmilla nodding.
''It's kind of unfortunate, since she's really good at it,'' Allegra said.
''Oh, please, I'm average,'' Carmilla said, gently nudging Allegra with her elbow in an attempt of showing faux humility.
''Nevertheless, you're welcome to join us whenever you want,'' Allegra told her.
''Ugh! Out of my way! You're blocking my path!''
''Watch where you're going!''
The group winced when they heard a familiar shrill tone, followed by a splashing sound, Carmilla being the only one with a look of confusion on her expression. They turned towards the source of the commotion, which turned out to be Amber who had rammed into Félix, causing him to drop the cup he was holding and spill the coffee all over the ground.
''Who's that?'' Carmilla asked.
''That's Amber Bourgeois,'' Sophie answered. ''She's in our class. The guy with the spilled coffee is Félix Agreste; he's also in our class.''
''I see, it seems that-'' Carmilla cut herself off when Bridgette suddenly walked past her, approaching Félix, who was checking his suit for any coffee spots and glaring at Amber, who was yelling at him.
''If my bracelet got dirty from that stupid coffee of yours, you'll be paying for the cleaning!'' she told him angrily. Félix scoffed, feeling relieved that his clothes were still spotless and cranky that he'd have to buy another coffee to keep himself awake through the school day.
''If you had a sense of awareness, you wouldn't have ran into me,'' he replied in an irritated tone, annoyed that his day had to start out like this.
''Félix!''
Why am not surprised that this day would get only worse? Félix sighed as he saw Bridgette approaching him.
''Are you okay?'' Bridgette asked him, her ahoge taking the shape of a heart. She completely ignored Amber, who was suddenly flicking her wrist at her. ''I saw what happened and thought that maybe I could bring you another coffee. I mean, there is a vending machine in the hallway and-''
''I'll go get it myself,'' Félix cut her off, walking past Bridgette, who looked a little disappointed.
''W-Wait, I was going to get myself a drink too,'' she said, following the latter. Bridgette's friends observed the situation with bemused looks on their expressions, while Carmilla was more puzzled by her behavior.
''What's up with Bridgette and the Office Boy?'' she asked. Sophie snorted.
''She has a crush on him,'' she explained. ''However, Félix… Well, you saw him how he acts around her.''
''Frankly, he's not the kind of person I'd hang out with,'' Carmilla said. ''I wonder what Bridgette even sees in him.''
''Who cares?'' The group turned to Amber as she approached them, holding up her hand. ''Feast your eyes on this peasants!'' Around her wrist was a silver bracelet with diamond pieces on the chain. ''My parents bought me this yesterday.''
''Why are you showing this to us?'' Allegra asked her in a deadpan tone.
''To brag, obviously,'' Amber replied haughtily. ''That's what gifts are for.''
''I thought that gifts are there to make people happy,'' Claude commented dryly.
''Exactly,'' Amber replied, completely missing his point. ''I get to brag about my gift, which makes me happy.'' She turned her head, seeing best friend heading into the building. ''Oh, Jeanne, you'll never guess what my parents got me!''
''Man, she's insufferable,'' Carmilla commented as Amber left.
''Tell us something new,'' Sophie replied, sighing. ''She just loves to flaunt whatever expensive gift she gets from her parents and she will shove it into your face.''
''I see,'' Carmilla muttered, smirking sinisterly. I guess she needs to be taught a little lesson.
xXx
Most of the school day passed rather quietly, at least for Bridgette, as Félix was giving her the silent treatment after refusing her offer to treat him to a coffee. She figured that she probably shouldn't have insisted on buying him anything, as he looked quite embarrassed when he left for the classroom.
I just had to mess up. Bridgette lowered her head, her ahoge drooping.
''Oh, no!'' Everyone in the classroom looked up suddenly when the heard Amber crying out loudly, almost tearing through her white and yellow messenger bag, searching for something. ''It's gone, someone stole it!''
''Amber, what is going on?'' Mme. Cartier, their teacher, asked.
''M-My bracelet! I left in in a box in my bag and now it's gone!'' Amber cried in frustration. Her classmates started whispering and looking around, as if trying to figure out whether it fell out somewhere or if someone had taken it. ''Someone stole it, I'm sure! Someone stole my precious diamond bracelet!''
''Amber, please calm down,'' Mme. Cartier told her in a firm tone, only for the conversations in he classroom to get louder. The only exception to this was Félix, who wanted nothing to do with this drama.
''Do you really think someone stole Amber's bracelet?'' Claude asked Allegra.
''She was shoving that stupid bracelet under everyone's nose. I wouldn't be surprised if someone took it,'' Allegra replied, feeling annoyed.
''I demand that this theft gets investigated!'' Amber yelled.
''Everyone, quiet!'' Mme. Cartier rose her voice, successfully silencing the classroom. She then turned to Amber. ''Amber, are you completely sure that you hadn't lost your bracelet or misplaced it?''
''Of course I am! I had my bracelet on me for most of the day and I put in a box at the locker room, which I then put in my bag, which I then left at this classroom,'' Amber replied furiously. ''Someone probably took it while I was outside!''
''Is it also possible that you had accidentally left it at your locker?'' Mme. Cartier asked her. Amber stared at her teacher for a moment, dumbfounded.
''Well, yes, but that's not the point! I'm 100% sure that it was stolen!'' Amber protested. Mme. Cartier sighed, turning to Allegra.
''Allegra, could you please accompany Amber to the locker room so she can check whether the bracelet is there?'' she asked, with Allegra begrudgingly nodding.
Considering how she was the class president, it wasn't surprising that she'd be the one to investigate this case and while she didn't mind fulfilling her duty, she was annoyed that she had to deal with Amber, who still maintained that she hadn't misplaced her bracelet and that someone stole it after she left it in her bag in the classroom.
''I swear, I hadn't left it in my locker,'' Amber muttered furiously as she and Allegra made their way to the locker room, annoyed that no one was taking her seriously.
''We're just checking whether it's there. If not, we're taking this to the headmaster and probably the police,'' Allegra told her. Amber scoffed, but thankfully remained quiet.
Once they arrived at the locker room, they found Carmilla exiting it, holding a book under her arm.
''Carmilla, what are you doing here?'' Allegra asked her.
''I forgot my book and I asked the teacher to let me out so I can get it,'' Carmilla told her. ''What about you two?''
''Someone stole my bracelet, but everyone thinks I have left it in my locker,'' Amber told her. ''Can you believe it?!''
''Actually, I can,'' Carmilla replied dryly, earning Amber's ire. She stepped away, letting the two enter the room and followed them. ''You should take better care of your stuff.''
''Oh, shut up!'' Amber snapped at her, then walked over to her locker, muttering under her breath as she opened it. ''Huh?'' Her eyes widened in shock. ''Impossible!''
''So, you indeed left it inside your locker,'' Allegra said in a deadpan tone as she peeked into the locker, seeing a small red box on the top of Amber's books and then glared at Amber.
''No, I swear I didn't!'' Amber protested. ''It was in my bag the whole time!''
''Then, how did it end up here?'' Carmilla asked, humming.
''I-I don't know, but I didn't leave it here,'' Amber replied. She was furious and bewildered about the discovery and the fact that no one believed her.
''Maybe you should get your head checked out, just to make sure that you're not suffering from memory loss,'' Carmilla suggested, leaving an exasperated Allegra and an irate Amber.
Neither of them saw the mischievous smirk on her lips.
xXx
''Sometimes, things are just too easy.''
The slender teenage girl who was dressed as a stage magician chuckled. Her outfit consisted of a black jacket over a white button up shirt, with a black cape, that was crimson on the inside, hanging from her shoulders. She was also wearing a short black skirt with a black leather belt and white tights, as well as black knee-high lace boots. On her head was a black top hat with a crimson ribbon around it and her black hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and on her hands were white gloves. To complete the look, she also had a crimson bowtie tied around her neck, which was decorated with a lavender rosebud brooch, and her face was covered in a black domino mask with gold rims, only revealing her lavender eyes. She extended her hand, revealing a lavender orb of light, which turned into a black magic wand that was a bit smaller than a twirling baton and had golden tips on each end.
''They could've made this a little more challenging,'' she muttered to herself, her voice having a slight Italian accent, as she walked through the jewelry store she had broken into. It was quite simple, as all she had to do was to disable the alarm system and unlock the front door. The fact that she also had genuine magical powers helped her case.
She was known as Phantom Thief Belladonna, a phantom thief who found thrill in breaking into facilities and stealing whatever valuables she could find. However, half of the fun was in having someone find her and try to hunt her down, only to be baffled by the magic spells she'd use to escape them. Unfortunately, there wasn't any security at this building, so she knew that she'd get away without anyone ever knowing who stole the jewelry.
''I guess I should congratulate myself on my success,'' she added in a dry tone, groaning, ''This is so boring!''
Nevertheless, she knew that the night was still young. There was always the possibility of her running into someone who'd be an actual challenge.
