Scene 16 - Ladybug in Battle(s)

Ladybug tossed her yo-yo, pulling herself up to the rooftops. It didn't take long to find today's villain. A giant stick figure made of lollipops, at least 50 meters tall, was lumbering down the Champs-Élysées. Neither the sentimonster nor it's young akumatized master had seen Ladybug yet. She ducked behind a chimney wall to call Chat. She flipped her yo-yo to open the communicator, but paused.

She knew where Chat was. Chat was Adrien, and Adrien was at fencing practice right now. She didn't need to call his miraculous phone and wait for him to transform. She could call him right away.

I guess that's one good thing that has come out of this revelation, she thought. Ladybug still felt uncomfortable around Adrien. She had never imagined that the boy she spent so much time obsessing over was, well, the same boy that spent so much time obsessing over her. She just couldn't imagine sweet, kind Adrien to be the flirty, risk-taking Chat Noir.

She tried to take Luka's advice to heart. Adrien wasn't a different person now. He was the same person he'd always been. Ladybug just knew more about him now.

Her thoughts on her partner were interrupted by screams from tourists as the sentimonster had wandered into the nearby gardens. Ladybug swung in to restrain one of its arms, while simultaneously calling Adriens regular cell phone.

"Meet me at the Arc de Triomphe," she instructed.

"Tout de suit, m'lady," came Adrien's reply.

Chat Noir arrived quickly, and, having fought the lollipop sentimonster several times before, they had no trouble coordinating a tripping attack that brought it down. Ladybug was glad that he had not reacted poorly to her not revealing her identity.

Chat was actually in an excellent mood today. He was not overly flirty, but he had cut back quite a bit on the romantics since Ladybug's outburst complaining about them being named Paris Couple of the Year. No, Chat was nothing but a gentleman, but he was clearly pleased with himself that she knew who he was. He made a joke about a gaudy poster for Adrien, the Fragrance, which he had done several times before, but this time Ladybug understood the self-deprecating humor, and actually laughed. Chat was pleased by that for sure.

Ladybug purified the amok and akuma like always, and Chat quickly found baby August's mother to return her child. Ladybug explained to the woman how the magical charm worked, emphasizing how important it was to keep it near her son at all times.

"Well, until next time, m'lady," Chat said to her, giving a little salute. "If you need me, you know how to find me." He couldn't hide his grin as he said those last words.

Ladybug appreciated that he didn't press her for her identity. She had never intended to reveal it, after all. She had never intended to reveal his either, at least not permanently, but her shock and curiosity had gotten the best of her, and now there was no going back.

She did feel guilty for having deceived him, but she knew it was far too dangerous for them both to know each other's identities. She couldn't tell Chat Noir she was Marinette. She had other reasons as well. Chat trusted her blindly in battle, but how would he feel when he discovered that his 'fearless Ladybug' was actually clumsy, bumbling, crazy Marinette? Would he even still trust her as guardian?

Would he still love me? She thought.

Ladybug pushed the last thought from her mind. It didn't matter if he still loved her because she was not in love with Chat Noir. She couldn't be.


Papillombre was stepping up his attacks. It wasn't uncommon for them to face two villains a week before, but now the frequency had almost tripled. He was getting desperate. Aside from Marinette's own family, he had not yet broken any more of her magical charms. Ladybug was grateful that the charms at least somewhat worked, if only that it gave Parisians a sense of security that they wouldn't fall victim to his akumas again and again.

Chat Noir and Ladybug were a stronger team than ever. It definitely helped that she could call him to the scene much faster now, although there were a few awkward times where he arrived first and had to wait on Ladybug, since he had no way of contacting her while she was de-transformed.

In their latest fight, Aqua-bug and Aqua-chat were fighting a reakumitized Syren in the flooded Gare de Paris-Bercy. Chat was sparring with the villain using his baton as she wielded a no-stopping sign, when Aqua-bug saw it.

He's a fencer. She thought. Of course.

Watching Chat Noir fight, she was reminded of watching many of Adrien's fencing matches. He was… graceful, almost. Chat caught her staring, and gave her a cheesy grin, before knocking the swimming bracelet of Syren's wrist and freeing the akuma.


Three days later, and after twice as many attacks, they were back in the water. Not underwater this time, but instead fighting in a pouring thunderstorm.

They were facing Mylene's father, re-akumitized as The Mime. It had been a long time since they had fought him, and they had grown a lot together as a team. Their increased cohesiveness, combined with the heavy rain revealing the Mime's invisible objects, helped them to defeat him quickly.

As Ladybug purified the akuma, Chat extended the umbrella option on his baton, holding it above her head. It was just a gesture - they were already soaking wet - but Ladybug appreciated it nonetheless. She looked up to meet Chat's eyes, and in the distance, lightning struck.

The quick flash of light startled Ladybug and brought back a distinct memory, from the very first week of school. Adrien. He had held his umbrella out for her, in a rainstorm. And she fell in love all over again.

She was still in love with Adrien Agrest. She was in love with Chat Noir.