CHAPTER 24 – CAT NOIR

Adrien felt the raw, wild energy of his miraculous flow into his body as he transformed into Cat Noir. The tired, worn-out feeling that had consumed him disappeared within seconds. His heightened cat senses took in his surroundings, and his muscles twitched with the anticipation of vaulting over the rooves of Paris as he leapt through the window.

As he headed towards the Champs-Élysées his sensitive ears head the sounds of shrieks coming from his school. He changed course slightly and soon crouched on the roof of Collège François Dupont.

Cat tried to call Ladybug with his staff, but got her voicemail.

"My Lady, get to Collège François Dupont as quickly as you can! We've got an akuma." Cat hung up and scanned the courtyard below.

White-clad figures with fencing masks ran amok. Suddenly he spotted the villain. She threw out some sort of bobbin at one of the students, whose suit turned multicoloured. He stopped running, started singing a happy song and strolled towards the exit.

"Where is Adrien Agreste?" said the villain, snagging another victim with her bobbin. "He has certain personality traits that need … fixing," she said.

Cat glanced at his staff. Still nothing from Ladybug. He shrugged his shoulders and dropped silently to the floor, twirling his staff as he did so.

"Whilst I'm normally purrrfectly happy to aid any damsel in distress, I must claw a line in the sand when that damsel is destroying Paris in the process," he said, bowing to the villain.

"Cat Noir, I've got no beef with you. Everything I have in mind for my dear, sweet Adrien will be an improvement, I assure you," said Seamstress.

"Adrien, Adrien, Adrien. Why is everyone always so hung up with that guy when I am far more purrfectly proportioned than him, and more charming too? You might even say I'm the cat's whiskers!"

Cat Noir easily dodged the bobbin that was flung in his direction in frustration. As he landed on his feet he spotted Félix hiding in the locker room. Adrien had his own bone to pick with Félix, but that could wait until after the akuma had been defeated. He assumed his fighting stance. Where was Ladybug? Without her the akuma couldn't be purified. He prepared to attack.

-000-

Seamstress dodged yet another attack by Cat Noir, landing on her feet at the far side of the courtyard.

"Be careful Seamstress. Cat Noir will try to stop your quest," sounded Hawk Moth in her head.

"Don't worry, it's only a matter of time before I snag him with my bobbin," Seamstress thought back.

"No. That's a mistake. Cat Noir is happiest when he is with Ladybug, fighting evil. How could you make him any happier? I don't think your bobbin will have any effect on him, except perhaps to bring Ladybug here. Might I suggest your other power?"

"Repair him? Aside from his awful cat puns I don't see what can be repaired or how that will help me defeat him."

"Really Seamstress? A hero who is so ashamed of his civilian self that he hides his identity all the time? A personality so weak that it has to hide behind a mask? Cat Noir's civilian self clearly needs some building up, by stripping away his powers you would give his real identity the chance to shine … and you would be helping yourself at the same time. Once he is a civilian take away his miraculous, his ring, so he can be a true hero without relying on fancy tricks. You keep it. As promised, all I want is dear Adrien repaired."

Hawk Moth smiled at his Machiavellian scheme. Once Seamstress had convinced Félix to right his wrongs he would remove her akuma and recover the miraculous from her directly. There was no need for her to know that now though.

Seamstress smiled. "Dear Kitty, I've a new plan for you. A plan to make your civilian half as heroic as you are now. With this patch the hero will be gone, replaced by its opposite – the real you. But don't worry, it's for your own good!"

Seamstress hurled a patch at Cat Noir, who batted it away. "Missed me!" he said.

Seamstress dipped her hand into her bag, throwing a second patch at Cat Noir, who leapt over it.

"Sorry Seamstress, seems I'm like a cat on a hot tin roof today." Cat Noir smiled at his own witticism. He glanced down at his staff. Where was Ladybug? She had never been this late before and without her the best he could hope for was a draw.

-000-

It was at this point that Alya decided to make her move. She had been silently watching the battle. "Marinette needs my help," she thought as she ran across the courtyard.

"Save me Cat Noir!" she called out.

Cat Noir recognized Alya and leapt in front of her, twirling his staff. "Get back Alya! Run!"

Alya ran … towards Cat Noir, ploughing into him from behind and knocking him to the ground. "I got him!" she cried triumphantly.

"Now that's a helpful friend," said Seamstress, throwing a patch at the fallen Cat Noir.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Cat Noir started to stand up. The patch moved closer. He started to arc his back, sliding out of the way. His body inched to the right, moving to safety. But as it did so, so the patch moved closer and closer until … it clipped his leg.

The patch stuck fast. He watched in horror as his costume started to disappear around the patch. Soon he would be revealed to all the world as Adrien Agreste, and given Seamstress's earlier comment that would be just the first of his problems.

"Ladybug, where are you?" he thought.