Marinette walked into her room, and sat in her office chair. She was at her wit's end with the akuma. And, on top of the akuma, she was running on sugar dust to get everything done with the bakery. She loved the pace, but was learning that she needed more than just luck to run a bakery. She spun in a few circles, searching for answers in the textured ceiling paint. As a child she had always found things there. Clouds. The shapes of a fair maiden and a handsome prince, a castle. A runway. Clothing and beautiful gowns. But, no answers. She could still make out some of the imaginary shapes, but there were no answers. She sighed before she stopped spinning and looked down towards her computer screens. They were currently dancing with patterns of the stars and dimly lit moons. There was something about space that calmed her. Maybe it was the way the moon changed every night, or the way the stars spun around in the sky. Maybe it was that the stars hid behind the sun during the day, but twinkled brightly in turn all night long. She absentmindedly picked up a pencil and started to twiddle it between her fingers. Every so often she would twirl the pen up and around her fingers, and then catch it expertly in her fingers again, where she would twiddle it until the urge struck her to spin it around her fingers.
She couldn't stop thinking about La Papillon, and the strange behavior he had been showing. It seemed so strange that he would come back after seven years. It hadn't been a few weeks or even a few months. It had been almost a decade. Why seven? Why now? Why had he stopped? Why had he started again? What was she going to do? She looked at Tikki. She could have guessed that Tikki staying with her meant that La Papillon would eventually resurface. But it was more than that. Not only had he resurfaced, he was getting angry. The villains that he created had more deep seated reasons to need powers, making them more willing and desperate to get her earrings and Chat's ring, and more open to being re-akumatized. But why did it have to be now?
"Tikki, it's happening again." Marinette sighed.
"You're overthinking something that shouldn't be so deeply thought about?" Tikki hummed, and picked up a chocolate chip from the bowl Marinette kept on her desk.
Marinette glared, "No."
Tikki looked up from her spot near the mousepad, "What is it, then?"
"They're getting smarter. The akuma. This has happened before. La Papillon tried to get at us with brutish and powerful akuma. But, after dozens of failed attempts, he started getting smarter. And so did the akuma. And it's happening again." Marinette stuck the end of her pencil in her mouth. She chewed the eraser lightly.
Tikki hummed, "I suppose you're right. But remember that you're getting more powerful too. You've been honing your body for years. Being Ladybug now, should be even easier than before. And, as you get stronger, you gain more power and you understand how to better wield your miraculous."
"The physical demands are easier. I am more flexible and more agile. My muscles are faster and I am more alert. My martial arts training and meditation have made me calm. But I'm talking about difficulty." Marinette swiveled again in her chair, "The akuma hides inside a person's personal possessions. It has to be on their body to work, but La Papillon is getting more and more clever. Like this last akuma, it was hiding in his belt. That was tricky to get to. So they are more strategic."
"And more aggressive." Tikki commented.
Marinette put her feet up in her desk and leaned her chair back. She folded her arms across her stomach and closed her eyes, "Something must have happened. Both times. Something must have happened to make him stop wanting the miraculous stones, and then something must have happened to make him want them again. And this time, he seems desperate. Almost vicious." Marinette crossed her legs.
"The akuma attacks are getting more and more frequent." Tikki mused, "I guess La Papillon hasn't been just sitting around either."
Marinette groaned, "I so don't need this right now. Between running the bakery, learning to replace Haley, the threat of a new akuma every minute, I'm working on convincing my parents again that I really don't want to inherit the bakery. I don't have time to psychologically break down La Papillon's personal life. Even if it would help me fight him better. But I wouldn't really know how to find that out, because I don't know who he really is."
Tikki grinned, "Speaking of hidden identities, I noticed you looking at a certain devilishly handsome hero earlier. Chat Noir has found himself an in. He has waited for you all this time. Now that you aren't distracted by Adrien, or by Andrew, the pure love he offers you seems pretty tempting, doesn't it?"
Marinette blushed, and screeched, "Tikki!"
Tikki laughed, "I know what you think, and I know how you feel. I literally become a part of you on a regular basis. Not to mention, we've been together long enough for me to read you like a book."
Marinette's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red, and she put her face in her hands, "But we don't know each other's real identities, and I can't build a whole relationship with someone I don't know outside of saving Paris." Marinette put her hands in her lap, and swept her feet off the desk. She put her elbows on the desk and set her chin on her hand, "I could always just ruin everything and tell him who I am."
Tikki's eyes widened, "After all the whining you did as kids? He would be so mad."
Marinette sighed, "I know."
Tikki frowned, "I know it's hard, Marinette. But you have me, and now you have Alya and Nino back. You also have Chat Noir, but you have to decide how far to let him in."
Marinette frowned, "Everyone knows you don't feed strays, or let them in. If you feed them, they never leave. I made that mistake before too."
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"This is just so unfair. How am I supposed to apply for a job when the best bakery in Paris let me go? No one wants someone who didn't get hired after their internship. This is so dumb!" Hayley shouted and sat down in the grass in the park. She flopped back into the soft green foliage, and looked up at the cloudy sky.
"It doesn't quite seem fair does it?" A voice called to her.
Hayley sat up, and looked around. There was no one. She raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me? Who's there?" She called out. After a moment she felt silly for asking. Of course there wasn't anyone out here this time of day.
"My name is La Papillon." the voice cooed.
Hayley's eyebrows shot up, "La Papillon? Why are you talking to me?"
"I've come to help you get revenge on the people who wronged you. You should be a great baker, and you could have inherited that bakery. Their designer daughter doesn't even care about the bakery. But they chose her over you."
Hayley blinked, "Marinette?"
La Papillon sighed, "Yes. Marinette."
"But I like Marinette. And I like the Dupain-Chengs. I'm frustrated right now, but I don't really want to hurt them. They have their reasons." Hayley frowned, "Now leave me alone."
La Papillon growled, "I'm going to give you the power to open your own bakery. To be better than the Dupain-Chengs. You would be the best baker in Paris. You could destroy them."
Hayley growled, "I said no thank you!"
"But my dear, you have already let my akuma into your heart. You have already made your choice, my sweet Sugar Rush." he hummed.
Hayley's ears rang for a moment, and the name settled down into her soul. What a fitting name it was. She felt her mouth pull up into a smile, "Sugar Rush, huh?"
La Papillon grinned, "Yes. You will be the greatest baker in Paris, and the Dupain-Cheng's will realize how wrong they were to let you go. Eventually those two idiots, Ladybug and Chat Noir will come to stop you. When they do, make sure you get their miraculouses for me. And when we both have what we want, there will be no one to stop us."
Hayley felt a warm sensation come over her as she started to think of all the ways she could get back at all of the people that passed her over, "It would be my pleasure, Papillon."
She stood up off the grass and looked down at her hands. They were yellow, and her mixing bowl that was sitting next to her in the grass seemed to glow. She picked it up, and wished for a whisk. A whisk appeared in her hand, and the bowl started to fill with batter. She smiled, and put the whisk in the batter and beat it for a moment before she pulled the whisk out and dolloped the batter in thin air. The blob of batter formed into a fluffy lemon tart, and it grew frosting and powdered sugar fell out of the air. Sugar Rush smiled, and she walked to the edge of the park.
A table appeared, and she started to make all kinds of desserts. She laid them out on the table, hiding the bowl under the table.
"Excuse me?" A small girl came up to the table.
"Yes, my sweet?" Sugar Rush smiled.
"Can I have one of those?" her small hand pointed to the lemon tarts.
Sugar Rush picked up on of the treats with delicate fingers, and handed it to the little girl, "Only if you promise to be careful, and take a napkin." She winked at the girl.
The little girl beamed, and ran off back to her parents.
Her mother raced back to the table. She looked distressed, "I'm so sorry. I think my daughter stole this from you. How much do I owe you for it?"
Sugar Rush waved a hand, "I gave it to her. Would you like something?" she gestured to her table full of goodies. The mother let her daughter's hand slip from hers, and looked up at Sugar Rush.
"R-really?" She hummed.
"I don't want your money, only to share my superior baking skills with anyone who will try my treats." She beamed.
The mother laughed, "Well then, I would love a slice of that cake." she pointed to a thick chocolate cake with fudge frosting. Sugar Rush snapped her fingers, and a perfect slice of the cake slid up from the rest of the cake and onto a plate. Sugar Rush grabbed the plate, and passed it to the woman.
"Bon Appetit." Sugar Rush grinned.
The mother rushed off with her daughter, but waved back, and Sugar Rush smiled. This was going to be great. She would prove who the best baker was.
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Gabriel sat behind his desk, thinking for the millionth time that day that he really needed to tell Nathalie to schedule him for a massage. He could feel his shoulders tightening by the moment. There was a pile of paperwork on his desk, and it was only building. Every time he turned around or left his office for even a moment it seemed to be getting bigger. He hated paperwork. He would ask Nathalie to handle it. She was good at that sort of thing.
He leaned back in his large chair, looking at the monstrous painting on his wall of himself with Adrien just before his career as a model and actor had taken off. It hung next to a painting of his wife. Looking at the painting made him incredibly angry. His blood boiled, and he wanted to smash the desk in half. Or perhaps throw the desk through the painting. He smoothed his jacket, such rash behavior wouldn't do anything for him. He had built an entire empire for his son, and Adrien had simply dropped everything and left. Gabriel didn't even know where Adrien was. He'd asked Nathalie to look, and to track him down. But she didn't really have time, and Adrien had turned off the GPS tracking on his phone. At the same time that he wanted to tear the painting from the wall, he also felt his heart tightening inside of his chest.
He had now lost everyone he cared for. First his wife, and now Adrien. All he'd ever wanted was to work hard and to have a family. To achieve his dreams and share his success with the woman he loved, and when Adrien was born, provisions were made to include him. He had fought hard for his dreams, and now sat at the head of a multi-million dollar company. But he was alone except for Nathalie and his bodyguard. Gabriel was coming to realize that you couldn't have both things, and that he may have chosen incorrectly. He had only been trying to provide for his family.
After losing his mother, Adrien had changed. He'd become more submissive and subdued. He seemed to cling to Gabriel, looking to his father for guidance and attention, and Gabriel did everything he could to keep Adrien entertained and cared for. He supported him financially, and always made sure that he was fed and made all of his appointments and jobs. He'd even put Adrien in a place where he could meet other kids like him. Gabriel had set up many of Adrien's jobs with the specific purpose of him meeting other actors and models his age. Adrien had been so adamant about going to school, that Gabriel had hoped that filling his career with the same age group would help him. It had worked. Adrien had thrived in the world of modelling and acting. He was quite well known, and had even had a few requests for his services. Gabriel had been proud of him.
And Adrien had thrown it all back in his face. He started to question what had been so clearly laid out for him. He'd disrespected everything he'd been given. He'd come home one afternoon and started talking about what he wanted to do with his future. What had started as a fairly promising conversation ended with nothing other than a horrible discussion about him leaving modeling to become a high school guidance counselor. Gabriel wretched at the very idea. But after he'd dismissed him, Adrien had grown more rebellious and left without even saying where he was going. He'd stolen a car, and left everything in his room except for his laptop, which he had bought for himself.
Gabriel had sold his apartment on the spot and emptied all of his bank accounts, only to find that Adrien had already closed the accounts, and that the apartment complex had already been notified that Adrien wouldn't be coming back. Gabriel had hoped that the draw of his left possessions would eventually bring Adrien back. So far, it hadn't. On top of all of that, Adrien had broken the heart of the most wonderful girl Gabriel had ever known. Robyn Handen.
Adrien and Robyn had met at a modeling show, and they had hit it off immediately. She was sassy and gorgeous, and Adrien was famous and the heir to the Agreste Empire. They were a perfect match. Being together made Adrien more willing to do things where Robyn would be, and Robyn gained a hand into the Fashion World that no other girl had, she was dating the son of the most famous designer in France. It was wonderful to see them together. In fact, when Adrien had come into his office that fateful afternoon, he had been hoping that his famous son was going to tell him that he was going to ask Robyn to marry him. Nathalie had warned him that it might happen, since Adrien had planned an American getaway with Robyn. Gabriel had been almost giddy with the thought that a lovely girl like Robyn would be a part of the Agreste empire. However, when Adrien had lost his mind, he'd also ended a two year relationship with Robyn, and left her crying in the dining room.
Gabriel's anger bubbled again. Adrien had shown nothing but disrespect and entitlement since Fashion Week, and he'd had just about enough of it. He sat up and opened his computer, but got distracted by all of the email notifications and the large pile of paperwork. He growled, and stood up. He pushed the intercom. He didn't need this.
It beeped and Nathalie's voice answered promptly, "Yes, Sir?"
"Get my emails answered. And get this paperwork off of my desk and completed. I don't want to see it here in the morning."
Nathalie nodded, "Yes, Sir."
He pressed the 'end' button angrily and stormed into his private study, where sketchbooks and large design posters hung from the walls. His anger with Adrien was getting in the way of his creative process and making it hard to concentrate. He needed someone to take Adrien's place, to make Adrien realize that he wasn't needed. Replaceable. Maybe then, he would come back because he would need his father to help him. Or, Gabriel would find someone that deserved to be in his family. He grinned to himself. Why hadn't he thought of it before? It was a perfect idea.
He marched back out to the desk and slammed the intercom button down again.
There was a beep and then Nathalie's voice, as always, "Yes, Sir?"
"Get me Robyn Handen. I want her in my office as soon as possible." He barked.
"Yes, Sir."
He pressed the 'end' button. He retreated again to his private study. He needed to do some thinking away from his piles of paperwork.
Nathalie heard the increasingly familiar slam of the door to Gabriel's private study. She sighed. Adrien being gone was hard on him. He cared for Adrien in his own strange way, and was upset over his leaving. No one except for her, and probably his bodyguard, would even really know that Gabriel was so upset over it. Gabriel himself probably didn't even understand the strange emotion.
She walked into Gabriel's office, and picked up the large stack of paperwork she had put there this morning. She rolled her eyes. She should just stop even bringing it into his office. Gabriel didn't know what half of the paperwork was about anyway, and he always asked her to do it. She set the paperwork down on her own desk and walked around to the chair. If she started now, she would be done by dinner. She crossed one leg over the other and plucked the first folder off the top of the stack. She flipped it open, it was a request for rights to advertisement in the next month's issue of Fashion Forward. Nathalie signed her name at the bottom of the page. Fashion Forward had made a deal with them long ago, but still requested access to the company name every month. Nathalie sealed the envelope and stamped a first class mail stamp. Legal hoops always had to be jumped through.
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Adrien burst into the precinct and raced to his locker. He was in so much trouble. He was later than normal, and only getting later by the moment. He swung open the door, and threw his bag into the small space and slammed it shut again. He took off for the training room. He stopped at the door and took a deep breath. He pushed the door open.
"Bonjour, Monsieur Agreste. How nice of you to join us." Cherlie shot him a look.
Adrien bowed, making his shaggy hair fall out of place, "I'm sorry, Madam. I couldn't find my keys. My cat had hidden them under my bed."
Cherlie made a noise in her throat, "You need to get rid of that cat, and get a better alarm clock, Sugar."
Adrien relaxed. He wasn't in trouble. This time. He rushed to his seat in the far row, and set his coffee and bag down on the table. The girl that had positioned herself next to him leaned over, "Oh, your coffee smells amazing. Can I have a taste?" She smiled.
Adrien looked to her right, seeing that she already had a coffee. He smiled shyly, and pushed the coffee further away from the girl, "I would let you, but I, uh, I really need this coffee today." He tried to be polite. He knew the coffee smelled wonderful.
"Myrielle! Adrien!" Cherlie snapped, "Would you like to share with the class why you aren't paying attention?"
Adrien sighed, and shamelessly threw Myrielle under the bus, "My apologies Officer Charron, Myrielle is trying to steal my coffee even though she clearly has her own." He gestured to her coffee cup.
Cherlie raised an eyebrow at the girl.
Myrielle blushed, and lowered herself into her seat, "Pardon, Madam."
Cherlie shot Adrien a knowing look, and he made a face. He had thought that leaving his father's realm would be hard. And it had been. But now he was stuck in a training room for eight or more hours a day with every female cadet trying to buy him lunch or bringing him breakfast. He was the butt of all the handsome cop jokes, and he was getting sick of it. And the girls were almost unbearable. They tried to take his coffee, which usually was just like their coffee, and they all secretly fought over who got to sit next to him. It was only the first week of training, and he was already in over his head in girls that wouldn't leave him alone. He'd forgotten what it was like not to have the excuse that he had a girlfriend.
Cherlie cleared her throat, "Due to the rowdy nature of this training class, we are going to enforce a seating chart. I mean, it's like secondary school in here. The chart is up on the blackboard, if you can't see come up here and look. You have two minutes to be seated." She mumbled.
The girls whined, but the boys of the group didn't seem to care. Adrien prayed to sit between two men instead of being sandwiched between two chatty girls. He jumped up out of his seat and checked the board to make sure he was in the right place. Front and center. He frowned. Probably so Cherlie could keep an eye on him, and make him work. He set down his paper bag, which was warm from the muffins inside, and leaned back in the chair. He sipped at his coffee. It was better than it smelled. Good thing Myrielle hadn't gotten it from him.
"Hey!" A voice called, and Adrien sat up and looked, "You're the mysterious guy that was recruited in the park. Right?"
Adrien smiled, "I guess that's me."
The other cadet laughed, "I signed on a few weeks ago but had to wait for the training class to start. The name is Bellamy Jones. You can call me Lam." he held out his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Bellamy. Uh," Adrien stopped, "Lam. I'm Adrien Agreste." Adrien set his hand into his, and Bellamy shook hard.
"Looks like we're table buddies." Bellamy sat down, "I know you'll be tempted to, because I'm such a good student, but try not to copy my answers."
Adrien looked shocked, "I would never."
Bellamy snickered, "I'm just kidding. You'll probably fail if you copy my answers."
"Lam," another voice groaned, "Would you not?"
Bellamy grinned, "Hey, welcome to the cool table, buddy."
The other man made a disgusted face, "Please don't ever say that again."
"I'll say whatever I want." Bellamy stuck his tongue out, "Adrien, that stick in the mud is Rondel. He's not as lame as he seems."
Rondel looked to Adrien, "And Lam is exactly as annoying as he seems."
Adrien relaxed. No girls.
"It's nice to meet you, Rondel." Adrien smiled.
Rondel smiled a small smile.
"Enough chit chat, kids." Cherlie shouted, and the room quieted immediately, "We're going to be watching a training video about gun and knife safety today. There will be a quiz at the end. If you fail you have to stay after." She huffed, "I could teach high school after doing these."
She walked over to the lights and switched them off, and the projector turned on, showing a menu for a training video. Adrien sat back in his chair, and opened the brown bag with the gold sticker. His stomach felt so empty.
The smell of sweet batter and fresh blueberries wafted from the bag and into his nose, and he reached into the bag. He plucked one of the muffins from the paper, and focused on the training video. They were explaining all of the parts of a gun. Adrien already knew all of this from his personal training. But he pretended to be paying attention.
His thoughts wandered to the bakery. He could die of embarrassment. He should have known that it was Marinette's family bakery. He had spent a fair amount of time there during his brief public school experience. Not to mention he had been to Marinette's house more than once. He was sure not to forget again.
And then there was Marinette. He had seen her at fashion week, and her passion for design had driven part of his choice to leave the world of fashion behind. She had shone so brightly on that stage. And she had quit? He munched the last bite of the muffin.
Though he couldn't really judge her. He had essentially done the same thing. A strange feeling of deja vu pulled at him. He felt like he had felt that way about someone else, but couldn't place it. He knew how free he felt now, maybe Marinette had been craving change just like he had. Whatever she had been up to, she had grown quite lovely. Adrien stopped with his hand partially in the bag. He thought Marinette was lovely.
He plucked the muffin from the bag, and continued to munch while the video rattled on about the importance of gun mechanics and safety. She had been pretty in school, with her pretty blue eyes and dark hair. But there was something about her now. He'd felt it at the fashion show and he'd felt it again this morning during his hurried trip to the bakery. Something light and genuine. To his surprise, the more he thought about it, the more she seemed to be at home in any place he seemed to find her. School. Fashion Week. The Bakery. She was always charming. It was refreshing. Perhaps he would make a habit of going to the bakery after all. It would be nice to see a familiar face.
Adrien folded the paper bag quietly, and tossed it across the room in the dark. It landed square in the trash, and Adrien smiled. Cat-like reflexes strike again.
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Marinette sighed, and looked down at her watch. It had been ten minutes since she checked her watch what seemed like an hour ago. While it was true that there was always something to do in the bakery, today seemed to be an exception. She had come into work that morning with every intent to conquer the difficult task of managing the bakery. Granted, she was getting better at managing constant mixing and constant baking and decorating, she knew that it shouldn't have been this easy.
She had been running around getting things done, filling orders and shipping things, decorating cookies and cupcakes when she realized that no one had come into the bakery that day, except for Adrien this morning. She was starting to get suspicious. They were normally slammed until two hours from now. Regulars and coffee seekers alike usually flooded the small cafe space until after the lunch rush. It was only then that she could normally work on orders and decorating. She felt an uneasy feeling settle into her stomach, and walked from behind the counter to look out the door. The park near her house was filled with people. She raised an eyebrow. That was odd. Usually park days meant the bakery was busier. Not to mention that she hadn't seen anything on the schedule for the park today. She spared a glance into the bakery, and then walked over to the park.
The people were all gathered around something, and they were all chattering on about wanting just one more, and so delicious. Marinette raised an eyebrow, and pushed her way through the crowd.
"Who wants some more?" A voice called.
The crowd cheered.
Marinette stepped into the clearing in time to see what could only be an akuma, a girl with yellow skin, accented with pink designs. She was wearing an apron, and holding a mixing bowl in her arm. Marinette stepped back into the crowd, but stayed to watch for a moment.
"Tell your friends," she smiled, "call your families and tell them. Sugar Rush has set up shop and is giving away the best baked goods you've ever tasted."
The crowd cheered again.
Marinette ducked back through the crowd and raced back to the bakery. She locked the door behind her and flipped the open sign around to say "closed" and darted back into the kitchen. She glanced around, just to be sure, and then looked down into her large apron pockets.
"Tikki it's showtime, we gotta go." Marinette smiled.
Tikki yawned, and then beamed up at her, "Say the word, and I'm there."
Marinette pushed her hair behind her ears, "Tikki, Spots on!"
As soon as the transformation was over, Ladybug was out the back door of the bakery and into the park. She climbed up into a tree and watched from her hidden place in the trees. She needed Chat Noir. She unclipped her yo-yo and pressed the middle dot. A screen sprang up, and Chat Noir's face showed up with a large red "X" through it. Ladybug growled.
She pushed the call button anyway and hoped that somehow the message would get to him. She watched the screen for a moment before the signal cut off. She sighed, and she put her yo-yo back around her waist. She would have to find a way to get out of this mess by herself. She settled in, and watched the spectacle in the park. More and more people were gathering to try the treats of this new akuma. But they didn't look like they were in any danger. She had time to watch. Time to figure it out before she ran in, guns blazing.
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Adrien almost yelped. His ring was burning him. He looked down at it. It didn't seem any different. It was still just silver, and looking as innocent as it always had. He touched it with his other hand, and wasn't hot to the touch. But it was almost like it was stinging him. He rubbed at the metal, thinking maybe it was a trick of his skin.
He was glad for the darkness of the training room, so he could examine the ring without drawing too much attention. The ring stung him again, and he shook his hand. It was like the vibration of his phone, only it hurt. His eyes widened. Maybe that's exactly what it was. He stood up quickly and walked to the door, and leaned to Cherlie.
"I think I ate something funny. I already know about gun safety, I'll be back as soon as I can." He smiled.
Cherlie held up a hand, "I don't need details."
Adrien quietly slipped from the room and out the doors without being noticed, and ran around the back of the building, He opened up his pocket, "Plagg?"
"No." Plagg huffed.
Adrien growled, "Perhaps you'd like to stop being lazy for one moment and tell me why my ring is burning."
Plagg sighed, and flew to Adrien's shoulder, "Your miraculous is tied the other miraculouses, it's nothing to worry about. It's probably just your precious Ladybug trying to get ahold of you. She doesn't have your phone number, so the only way would be through your miraculous."
Adrien could scream. If only Plagg told him things like this when he needed to know them, "Plagg, Claws out!"
Plagg whined, but flew to the ring anyway.
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Ladybug heard a beeping noise and immediately reached to her ears, but realized that it was coming from her yo-yo. She smiled, relieved and pressed the middle dot. The screen popped up and Chat Noir's face appeared in the circle.
"My Lady, you called?" He smirked.
Ladybug scowled, "Can't you be serious for a minute?"
Chat Noir grinned, "I could be serious."
"Ugh," Ladybug turned the screen around, "I have a problem. I need you. How soon can you get to the park by that cute little bakery?"
Chat Noir's eyes narrowed, "You need me? I'll be there in a heartbeat."
Ladybug groaned and slid the yo-yo shut. She turned her attention back to the akuma. She knew that she was making treats, specifically the baked kind, and was handing them out for free. She huffed, that would be why they hadn't had any customers in the bakery all morning. Why pay for the best bread in Paris when an akuma was handing out tarts for free? She blinked, and realization hit her. The people weren't being hurt at all. They were just enjoying the free food. There was maybe a little bit of a frenzy over the magical creation of the treats, but there didn't seem to be any kind of repercussion other than a sugar rush. She had been wondering what the akuma's objective had been.
She was keeping customers from the surrounding restaurants and cafes. Ladybug squinted, and looked harder. But why? She set her hand to her lips. Why would someone want to go after restaurants?
The tree where she was hiding wiggled and Chat Noir appeared in her peripheral vision.
"You called?" He smirked.
She felt her heart leap a little, but quickly squelched the feeling, and pointed at the akuma, "She calls herself Sugar Rush. She is making tarts and cakes and sweets, and giving them out for free. So far I don't see anything wrong with the people eating the food, so I can't figure out what to do."
"Free food is always good food." Chat Noir hummed, thinking of the free muffins and coffee he'd enjoyed a few hours ago.
Ladybug groaned, "This isn't free food. This is akuma food. Which is exactly what we're gonna be if we don't figure out where her akuma is, and how to get it from her."