"...Mister Pigeon." Marinette giggled upon remembering that particular Akuma. Adrien grimaced at his own recollection.
"Too many feathers." Marinette suddenly facepalmed.
"Stupid...how did I not notice...can't be more than one fifteen year old blonde haired green eyed guy with feather allergies in Paris." She mumbled to herself, Adrien laughed lightly, patting her shoulder comfortingly.
"I was just as blind as you, Bugaboo." Marinette snorted and lightly pushed him away.
"Don't call me Bugaboo, Chaton." Adrien pouted.
Marinette rolled her eyes and pressed play.
Scene: Miss Bustier's classroom. Mr. Damocles is addressing the class.
Mr. Damocles: You only have one day to work on your fashion piece, and it must be your own design. In ten hours your fittest presentation will be judged by none other than the great fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, the father of our very own student Adrien Agreste. In fact, Adrien will model the winning design in his next photoshoot. And now, to announce this year's theme: derby hats.
"One day really wasn't long enough for designing, and making a hat." Adrien said, just loud enough to be heard by the three others on his row.
"Eh, it worked out in the end, right Marinette?" Alya said, putting her elbow into her best friend's side. Marinette shrugged lightly.
"I would have preferred a little longer to make it, especially since I would have had more time to make my hat, rather than just barely make it on time." Alya gave her a raised eyebrow.
"Girl, you would have been down to the wire either way." A dusting of pink coated Marinette's cheeks.
"You don't know that."
Marinette: Derby hats? (Chloé looks at them and makes a thumb down motion.)
Scene: Collège Françoise Dupont. Marinette paces in a hall, looking at her sketchbook and talking to Alya.
Marinette: Derby hat, derby hat, derby hat, derby hat...! I don't have any derby hat designs. I've got top hats, caps, even two-horned hats! Need a beret? I'm your girl. A sombrero? No problem-o. But a derby! You know what? It won't even matter, 'cause I'm probably going to make a total fool of myself at the event. Most likely trip over my stupid derby and collapse on Mr. Agreste; give him a full-blown concussion and Adrien will hate me! I'll never be a world-renowned fashion designer. MY LIFE IS OVER!
Adrien blinked at the screen, then looked over at his partner, "Are you always like this under pressure outside of the mask, Marinette?" He asked confusedly, Alya smirked and answered for her, a teasing lilt to her voice.
"Only when it involves you." Marinette's face turned a very dark shade of pink and she began slapping Alya around the head.
"Sh-Shut up Alya!" Alya's laughter continued to echo, even through her best friend's beatdown.
"Actually," Max spoke up, looking up from his calculator that he had pulled out when the episode was paused. "There's a 1.2453863215374 percent chance of her actually giving Mr. Agreste a concussion, human emotional responses cannot be properly predicted through math, unfortunately." Kim smiled at his friend and gave him a pat on the back, while Alix groaned.
"We get it Max, can we continue please?"
Marinette nodded a little too enthusiastically and pressed the play button a little harder than strictly necessary.
Alya: All this over a derby hat? Let me see your sketchpad, girl. There must be something in here.
Marinette: Forget it, I'm a disaster zone. I'll probably mess everything up in the end. (Adrien walks over.)
Adrien: Wow, Alya, (Marinette panics and hides behind the bench) those are some awesome designs. I didn't know you had such mad skills.
Alya: Uh, thanks Adrien, but I can't take the credit. These sick designs belong to Marinette. (Marinette gives a weak, embarrassed wave.) Off the chain, right?
Adrien: You're super talented, Marinette. You seriously have a good chance of winning.
Marinette: Well, um, yeah! I... like- um, designs that- um, (Alya makes motions to Marinette, who tries to interpret them) go upwards... while stopping... I mean, uh- thanks?
The class laughed at Marinette's response, while Alya simply facepalmed and smiled lightly at her BFF's stuttering.
Adrien: Sure, and uh- good luck. Maybe I'll be wearing your derby at father's next photoshoot. (Adrien leaves.)
Alya: Girl, you gotta get a grip next time. But did you hear? Adrien thinks you're good enough to win! (They cheer.)
Sabrina: Did you hear how impressed Adrien was with Marinette's desi-
Chloé: Of course I heard! Her? Win the contest? As if. When Adrien sees my design he'll convince his father to award me the winner.
Sabrina: I'm sure he will, Chloé. You're a born champion. Your design will blow everyone else's out of the water.
Chloé: Yeah, it will. As soon as I can get my hands on the sketchpad.
"Is that your way of saying Marinette's designs are really good, Chloe?" Alya asked, a teasing tone giving away her intentions. Chloe hmmph'd and ignored her.
Alya: (back at the bench; checking her phone) Only have nine hours until show time.
Marinette: Yikes! I'm off to my secret garden of inspiration. I'll see you later. (She runs into a wall.) AH! I'm okay. I'm okay, I'm okay. (Alya chuckles.)
Scene: Hawk Moth's lair. Hawk Moth talks to himself as his window opens.
Hawk Moth: The time has come for us to find our next victim, my wicked little akumas. And to prey upon Ladybug and Cat Noir. Their Miraculouses must be mine!
"Uh, does he stand there in the dark all day, waiting for someone in Paris to be mad enough to get akumatized?" Alix asked, her arms crossed, an unimpressed look across her face.
Marinette and Adrien stifled their giggles at the thought of Hawk Moth just standing in the darkness, his only company a bunch of butterflies.
Scene: Park. Marinette is trying to get inspired to draw some designs. She draws something and then rips the paper out.
"But, Marinette, those were all amazing!" Adrien protested, watching her rip out design after design.
"You're just saying that because they didn't have feathers on them." Adrien shrugged.
"That's part of the reason, but seriously Mari, those hats were all beautiful." Marinette blushed prettily at the praise, especially when different members of the class agreed.
Adrien took the moment to admire the way her blushes highlighted her freckles.
Marinette: Geez, it's hard to be creative under pressure.
Tikki: Marinette, you save the world under pressure. I think designing a hat should be a piece of cake.
Marinette: Hm, a cake derby hat. Stylish and tasty. (They chuckle. Marinette keeps drawing new designs and ripping them out. After a while, she gets tired and looks up. A man walking like a bird sits down on a bench ahead of her. He takes out a brown paper bag and blows a bird call. A cluster of pigeons approaches.)
Xavier: (throwing food for the pigeons) Well, happy day, happy day. Splendid is the afternoon day. Ah, Edgar, you fancy one. Fantastic, dazzling performance. (A police officer approaches him.)
Roger: Scram, you winged brats! How many times do you need to be told, Mr. Ramier? NO FEEDING the pigeons! It's strictly forbidden. If everyone feeds them, they'll leave their waste everywhere!
Xavier: But, who's going to feed my poor pigeons?
Max pushed his glasses up his nose and huffed, "Pigeons can live just fine off their own natural diets, they don't need people to feed them, they'll leave waste everywhere regardless."
Roger: All the park keepers know about you, Mr. Ramier. You've been banned from every park in Paris. Leave now or I'll call the authorities. Oh, wait. I'm the authorities. GET OUT! (Mr. Ramier walks away sadly.)
"Although," Max continued, "Sabrina's dad could have handled that far better." Sabrina nodded sheepishly in agreement.
Marinette: Sheesh, I almost feel sorry for that man.
Tikki: What a unique character! He was like a human bird. All he needed was a feather jacket to complete the look.
Marinette: A feather jacket, hmm. Nice thinking, Tikki. (She starts drawing again.)
Adrien smirked, looking over at Tikki and Marinette, who were now looking at him warily. "Does that count as divine inspiration?" Marinette groaned, and Tikki facepalmed as Plagg snickered at the joke and high fived his holder.
"You're worse than Plagg…" Tikki muttered.
Scene: Park. Xavier sadly sits down on a bench.
Hawk Moth: Poor Mr. Ramier, (scene switches to Hawk Moth's lair with the window opening) the feeling of injustice, such easy prey for my akuma. (He takes a butterfly in his hand and converts it into an akuma.) Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize him! (The akuma flies to Mr. Ramier and infects his bird call.) Mr. Pigeon, I'm Hawk Moth. Neither this police officer, nor any other park keeper, should stop you from taking care of your friends. What would Paris be without pigeons, what would pigeons be without you?
"Perfectly fine…" Max muttered to himself. Kim laughed, putting an arm around his best friend's shoulders.
"You're just saying that because you hate pigeons." Max flushed angrily.
"Can't blame me, stupid sky rats." He mumbled in response.
(Xavier chuckles, and is transformed into Mr. Pigeon, who flaps his arms, makes pigeon noises, and runs off.)
The entire class broke out into laughter.
"Wh-What w-was that?!" Nino choked out through his gales of laughter.
"Th-That had to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen!" Alya agreed, falling into her boyfriend's side as she struggled to breathe.
This seemed to happen to most of the class, as Adrien and Marinette joined in on the laughter, and for the next few minutes, this continued, until finally the last person laughing, Kim, calmed down enough to get his laughter contained at much more manageable levels.
With a happy sigh, Marinette rewound the episode before pressing play.
(Cut to Chloé secretly watching Marinette as she is drawing. She signals Sabrina, and Sabrina goes behind Marinette and takes a picture of Marinette's design from her sketchpad.)
"So that's how you got my design…" Marinette muttered to herself. Adrien shook his head in disappointment.
Marinette: Yes! (She holds up a drawing of her finished design, which Sabrina snaps a photo of.)
Tikki: Now that's a derby.
Marinette's eyes widened.
If Sabrina had taken that picture on the other side of her, then they could have seen Tikki.
Worse, there would have been photographic evidence of kwamis!
Tikki seemed to notice this too, as she was looking much more pink than red at the moment.
Marinette: Thanks, Tikki.
Sabrina: (showing the picture on her phone to Chloé) We're so awesome.
Chloé: (coldly) We? (snatches the phone)
Sabrina: (With a small hurt look) Oh right, sorry! You're so awesome, Chloé. When are we- um, you, going to make the hat?
"Chloe! If you're going to steal someone's design, at least give your accomplice some credit!"
"Why are you friends with her?"
Sabrina had a feeling she'd be getting asked that a lot today.
Along with asking it to herself.
Chloé: And ruin these nails? Of course not. Daddy'll pay someone to do it. (She walks off. Sabrina follows her.)
"So not only did you cheat by stealing Marinette's design, you also had someone else do the work for you." Alya said, wishing she had her phone so she could record the evidence of Chloe's crime.
Chloe huffed angrily, refusing to answer the question.
Scene: Bakery. Marinette is in her room, working on her hat.
(When the hat is almost finished, Marinette seems to realize something is missing. She looks under her desk.)Tikki: What are you looking for?
Marinette: A feather! I forgot to pick up a pigeon feather for the hat! It has to have a feather!
(Marinette runs back to the place where she was drawing before.)
Marinette: (picking up a feather) Yes!
"Couldn't you have just used a fake feather?" Adrien whined, "It would have been easier, hypoallergenic, and more hygienic!" He gave her kitty eyes (he refused to let them be called puppy dog eyes! Kittens were way cuter!). Marinette laughed softly, hoping no one noticed the blush on her cheeks from just how cute Adrien looked with that expression.
"I was panicking, and when was the last time you saw fake pigeon feathers in a fabric, or arts and craft store?"
His Lady had a point there, but he really didn't want to admit it, so he settled for sulking.
(As she leaves, she accidentally runs into the police officer from before.)
Marinette: Uh, sorry mister officer, sir. (She leaves.)
(As Roger walks away, a swarm of pigeons descends on him and attacks him. He cries out.)
Mylene shrieked at the sight, and Max flinched slightly.
"Yet another reason to hate pigeons." He mumbled to himself.
Scene: Streets of Paris. Marinette is on the bus, presumably returning home, but the bus is not moving.
Marinette: (Impatiently) Ugh, Come on! Can't we go any faster?
Bus driver: Sorry folks, we have a situation here. (Cars are being held up by a cluster of pigeons.) You'll need to get off the bus now.
Marinette: Ah, this is weird. (As Marinette gets off the bus, she sees the streets littered with pigeons. She walks down the street and sees a bunch of people gathered near a screen.)
Alya looked at her best friend with a raised eyebrow. "You're a superhero who transforms with the help of a godlike being, and you think a bunch of pigeons causing havoc in Paris is weird?" Marinette shrugged.
"To be fair, the superhero thing is normal for me now, I can hardly imagine how I managed to live without Tikki." Tikki smiled at the compliment and hugged her holder's cheek.
"Thanks, Marinette." Marinette smiled and kissed her kwami's head.
"Anytime, Tikki."
Nadja: [from screen] Pigeons have taken over Paris. This is just one of the many alarming situations giving the authorities cause of major concerns. Yes, I've just been told that someone named Mr. Pigeon is making an announcement.
Mr. Pigeon: [from screen] Oh, dreary day, poor Parisians. (pigeon noises) Sorry to ruffle your feathers, but Paris now belongs to the pigeons! Flap flap! (pigeon noises)(Marinette runs down to a subway entrance to transform.)
The class once again broke down in hysterical laughter.
"Ho- How did anyone take him seriously?! He's the most ridiculous akuma yet!" Alya sputtered out, almost rolling on the floor as she fell out of her beanbag.
"I- I mean seriously though!" Nino forced out, "He- He's like the most nonthreatening one ever!" Nino howled louder. "I was more intimidating than him, and I looked like a clown!"
Marinette: Paris needs us!
[Transformation Sequence]
Marinette: Tikki, spots on! Yeah!(Marinette turns into Ladybug.)
Adrien sighed dreamily at the sight of his Lady transforming. He doubted he would ever get used to it, and he found that he was okay with that.
Scene: Rooftops. Ladybug is jumping from roof to roof looking for Mr. Pigeon.
(Ladybug sees airplane shapes made out of pigeons flying through the sky.)
Ladybug: Now this is weirder than weird.
"I'll agree with you on that one, I mean, Pigeon planes? Really?" Alya asked incredulously.
Cat Noir: (from a ledge above her) Birds of a feather, flock together. (sneezes and falls down to where Ladybug is) I'm allergic to feathers. (sneezes again)
Ladybug: That's helpful.
Cat Noir: Tell me about it. (almost sneezes, but stops himself) These birds are only part of the problem. The park keepers in Paris are vanishing without a trace.
Ladybug: What? We have to track down Mr. Pigeon ASAP.
Cat Noir: Where are we going to find him?
Ladybug: Hmm, I don't know where we can find him, but I do know where he can find us.
Scene: Park. Cat Noir is wearing a park ranger cap and pretending to be a park ranger, while Ladybug hides behind a tree nearby.
Cat Noir: (starts to whistle and then starts to dance)
Nino broke out into laughter again. "Du-Dude! What is that?" He leaned back, laughing loudly.
Adrien shrugged, "You're just jealous cause your moves have got nothing on mine." He boasted, Marinette smirked up at him, as her chest shook with suppressed laughter.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Chaton."
Ladybug: Act natural or he'll never show up!
Cat Noir: What do you mean? I am acting natural. (a pigeon sees him and flies to where Mr. Pigeon is)
A giggle ran through the class. Adrien shrugged and muttered defensively, "I was acting natural." Marinette squeezed his hand lightly.
Then remembered they were still holding hands.
She tried to hold in her squeal.
She succeeded- barely.
Mr. Pigeon: Ladybug and Cat Noir? Job well done, buddy-boy. Pigeons will reign supreme! Power to the pigeons! (He jumps off his ledge, and the pigeons form a platform to carry him off. Back in the park, Ladybug and Cat Noir are still waiting.)
Ladybug: Where is he? He should've been here by now.
(Pigeons start flying overhead. Cat Noir sneezes. A bunch of pigeons form a big ball and start carrying Cat Noir away.)
Ladybug: What the- (Ladybug runs after them. The pigeons reach the roof of the Le Grand Paris hotel and drop Cat Noir off. Cat Noir sneezes again, and the pigeons look at him. Ladybug arrives.)
Cat Noir: Where's that bird-brain Mr. Pigeon?
Ladybug: He's gotta be here somewhere... (Mr. Pigeon is lifted by a swarm of pigeons behind them.)
Hawk Moth: [from his lair] If you want to give Paris back to the pigeons for good, you must first rid the city of those two pests. (Mr. Pigeon sounds his bird call and the pigeons start to circle around Ladybug and Cat Noir.)
Ladybug: Call me crazy, but I feel like bird seed all of a sudden. (The pigeons form a shield to keep them in.)
Cat Noir: Got any bright ideas, bug?
Ladybug: You're the cat, don't you eat these things for breakfast? (A gigantic cage is brought down over them, imprisoning them.) Look!
"My cat can't even cat right." Marinette said miserably, to the laughter of the people near her.
Adrien leaned over, "There are many things I can do correctly, My Lady." He purred into her ear, Marinette couldn't hide her blush this time if she tried.
Mr. Pigeon: (bird noises) Turpy day, I'm so ruthless. (chuckles)
Hawk Moth: [from his lair] Excellent. Now take their Miraculous!
Mr. Pigeon: (bird noises) Your Miraculous, give them to me or face the wrath of my feathered friends. (He sounds his bird call and some pigeons start banging on the top of the cage, while others turn around and point their behinds at Ladybug and Cat Noir.) Dada-dee, on the count of three, my beloved pigeons will commence fire. You can still save your sorry skins by handing me your Miraculous. One, two…
The entire class shuddered, Max did so violently.
All of a sudden, Pigeon planes sounded much scarier.
Ladybug: Cat Noir, the bars!
Cat Noir: CATACLYSM! (Cat Noir uses his Cataclysm superpower to destroy the bars of the cage they were trapped in. Mr. Pigeon cowers back toward the edge of the rooftop while Ladybug and Cat Noir advance on him) Well, well. Looks like the pigeon's really a chicken.
Mr. Pigeon: (bird noises) Me? I'm not flying away. I'm just killing two birds with one stone. (He sounds his bird call and jumps over the edge of the roof. Some pigeons catch him, lift him back up and take him away.)
The entire class groaned.
"You and him would get along so well if he wasn't trying to take your Miraculous." Nino said, a teasing smirk on his face. Adrien looked slightly insulted.
"I'll have you know my puns are purrfection compared to his clawful attempts at humor." Marinette smacked him on the head once again.
Mr. Pigeon: Merry Christmas! (a group of pigeons dives towards Ladybug and Cat Noir, who run inside and close the door behind them to stop the pigeons. A bulge forms in the door as pigeons slam into the other side.)
"D-Did he just escape on a sled made of pigeons?!" Max asked incredulously, Kim nodded dazedly.
"I can't decide if that's cool, or just plain weird."
Ladybug and Cat Noir: Ah!
Mr. Pigeon: I'm not done with you yet! (He rides his pigeons away. Ladybug and Cat Noir start running downstairs. Cat Noir's ring alarm sounds. He only has four minutes left.)
Cat Noir: I've gotta get out of here before my secret identity is revealed!
Ladybug: Yeah, you wouldn't want to let the cat out of the bag.
"Seriously, My Lady, you pun almost as much as I do, and you never get flak for it! Why am I the one known for the puns?" Adrien asked, part humorously, part curious.
"Because most of mine are only heard by you and akumas, not Alya and all the major news networks in France."
Cat Noir: Ha ha, very funny. (Ladybug and Cat Noir make it to the first floor and start to head out the building. On their way out they see a crowd gathered on the entrance.)
André: Ladybug, Cat Noir! I'm in great danger of losing big bucks if my guests leave Paris! You are going to get rid of those pigeons, aren't you? (Cat Noir's alarm sounds again and he's getting nervous.)
Marinette rolled her eyes. "Of course he cares more about his money than his city, Chloe's a real chip off the old block."
Cat Noir: Of course we are, but before we do I have an urgent need.
André: An urgent need? I see, head to the royal suite. There's paper in there, but perhaps you would prefer... a litter tray?
The class snickered.
"In hindsight, I could have phrased that better." Adrien muttered to himself.
Cat Noir: Oh right, no need for litter. But, um, could I have some camembert?
Scene: Royal suite. Cat Noir is being taken by a butler.
Cat Noir: 'Scuse me, sorry. (He slams the door.) Emergency. (There's a knock on the door. Cat Noir opens it.)
Butler: How do you like your camembert?
Cat Noir: Runny! (He slams the door again. There's another knock and he opens it again. The butler is holding a tray.)
Butler: Unpasteurized camembert, matured for two years. (He hands Cat Noir a silver tray)
Cat Noir: Thanks! (He slams the door again. His transformation runs out and Cat Noir turns back into Adrien. Plagg gets out of the ring and lands on a bed)
Plagg: Oh the exhaustion! My poor aching body, I can't move a muscle.
Adrien: You wanna bet? (Adrien walks over to Plagg and opens the tray to reveal the camembert.)
Plagg: Ah, my gooiness. (Plagg starts devouring the cheese.)
Tikki, along with most of the class shivered in disgust as he devoured the stinky cheese like it was his first meal in weeks.
"Could you at least learn table manners, Plagg?" Tikki asked disgustedly. Plagg stuck his tongue out at her.
"Like you're any better when you hurry." Marinette shook her head.
"Tikki is impeccably neat, even when she has to scarf down a cookie." She defended her kwami, Tikki nodded in agreement.
Adrien smiled at the opportunity, "First thing we do when we get home buddy, is teach you how to use a cheese fork." He snickered.
Plagg looked horrified at the very idea.
Adrien: Eat up buddy. Ladybug needs help.
Scene: Grand Paris Hotel. Ladybug is in a dining hall with large glass windows.
Ladybug: Great, I can get a much better view from here. (She walks up to a window.) Odd, pigeons are flying in the same direction. Better go follow them. (The elevator dings. Cat Noir is inside.)
Cat Noir: Ready when you are, LB.
"Dude, that was smooth, How did you know where she was?" Marinette rolled her eyes.
"Our weapons tell us where the other is. He was just trying to look suave." Adrien covered his heart dramatically.
"Are you saying I'm not smooth as glass, My Lady?" Marinette smirked at him.
"I'm saying you're a dork Chaton." Adrien smiled at her.
"Guilty as charged, LB, but," he leaned close to her, a flirtatious smile on his lips, and a look Marinette couldn't quite place in his eye. "I'm your dork."
Marinette blushed to the tips of her toes.
Ladybug: Let's go!
Scene: Building. Ladybug and Cat Noir follow the pigeons to a building. They look inside and see a big cage full of park keepers.
"This is too easy…" Max mumbled, "It's clearly a trap."
Ladybug: So that's where Mr. Pigeon is keeping the park keepers he abducted.
Cat Noir: The Grand Palais. (He starts to sneeze; Ladybug stops him.) My pigeon radar is on high alert.
Ladybug: Either your radar is on the brink or Mr. Pigeon's left the park keepers unattended.
Cat Noir: Let's set the cat among the pigeons.
The class groaned again, and quite a few wished they had something to throw at him.
Ladybug: Hold up kitty, it's too easy. I've got a plan. (They run around the outside. A pigeon flies into the building.)
Mr. Pigeon: Perfect timing, hootie ho! We're ready to greet them, aren't we? They're going to fall right into my trap. It won't be long before you get your Miraculous, friend.
Hawk Moth: [from his lair] I can't wait, my dear Pigeon.
(Cut to the roof. Ladybug and Cat Noir are running up on the roof of the building.)
Ladybug: If we can destroy that bird call, we'll be able to capture the akuma. Okay, you open the window, I'll grab him and yank him up onto the roof, then you snag his bird call away from him.
Cat Noir: Let's go, early bird gets the worm! (Cat Noir opens a skylight on the roof, but a draft of feathers hits him and he sneezes, so when Ladybug throws her yo-yo, she misses Mr. Pigeon.)
The entire class facepalmed.
"Out of all the sneezes you held, you couldn't stop that one?" Adrien raised his hands in surrender.
Ladybug: So much for the element of surprise. (They jump inside to next to Mr. Pigeon, who jumps back and lets the pigeons carry him. They chase Mr. Pigeon until he sounds his bird call, and the pigeons form two spheres where his hands are.)
Mr. Pigeon: Deedle-dee, come closer, I have a bone to peck with you.
"That pun was better than most of yours, bro, and it still sucked." Nino pointed out, Adrien stuck his tongue out at him.
Cat Noir: I'd be honored. (Mr. Pigeon hits Cat Noir and Ladybug back towards the cage.)
Park keeper: Get us out of here, Ladybug!
Ladybug: LUCKY CHARM! (Ladybug's Lucky Charm superpower gives her a coin) A coin? What am I supposed to do with this? (Ladybug's thinking vision shows her a beam, a vending machine and the coin)
Mr. Pigeon: You can't buy yourself out of here! (Mr. Pigeon throws a sphere of pigeons at them. Ladybug starts running towards him, slides, and uses her yo-yo to wrap around his left ankle. She jumps up to the beam and back down, making a pulley. She runs to the vending machine at the far end, gets a bag of popcorn with the coin and throws it in the air.)
Ladybug: Cat Noir!
Cat Noir: Yeah! (Cat Noir throws his staff, which opens the bag.)
Ladybug: Snack time, pigeons! (Ladybug pulls on her yo-yo and lifts Mr. Pigeon up by the ankle. His bird call falls to the ground.)
Mr. Pigeon: My bird call! Nooo!
Ladybug: Cat Noir, grab it! (He grabs it, but then he sneezes and throws it upward. Ladybug runs to get it, dropping Mr. Pigeon, who also runs for it. When Cat Noir recovers, he runs toward it too. They all lunge for the bird call. Mr. Pigeon's hand lands on it first, then Cat Noir's, then Ladybug's. Ladybug hits Cat Noir's hand, breaking the bird call.)
"Couldn't you have just held Mr. Pigeon there, and let Cat Noir get up?" Alya asked, Marinette blushed in embarrassment.
"Well, you see…" Marinette tried to think of something, "I got nothing." Alya nodded victoriously.
Ladybug: Yes! (The akuma flies out of the broken bird call) No more evildoing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize! (She captures the akuma and purifies it.) Gotcha! Bye bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug! (The miraculous light fixes the bird call and returns the park keepers to their parks. Mr. Pigeon is converted back into Xavier Ramier.)
Xavier: What happened? Where am I?
Ladybug and Cat Noir: Pound it!
(Cut to Hawk Moth's lair)
Hawk Moth: Wretched pigeons, wretched Ladybug. I'll destroy every one of you!
"He sure changed his mind on pigeons fast, didn't he?" Kim asked innocently, Max shrugged next to him and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Villainous flattery does not an opinion make, Kim." Max said intelligently, before shuddering slightly. "Though he is evil enough to like the treacherous little things." Kim laughed slightly at his best friend's answer and shrugged, accepting it.
Scene: Marinette's room. Marinette gets back to work on her hat.
Marinette: There's no time to lose. I have less than an hour. (Marinette keeps working on her hat)
Adrien's eyes widened, "You had less than an hour, and you finished it that fast?" Marinette nodded sheepishly.
"It's not that difficult, honestly, besides, I had help from Tikki." She nuzzled her kwami slightly. Adrien smiled at her.
Scene: Collège Françoise Dupont. Everyone is getting ready to present their hats. Alya calls Marinette but she doesn't respond.
Alya: Where is that girl?
Nathalie: Hello, Mr. Damocles, I'm Mr. Agreste's executive assistant Nathalie.
Mr. Damocles: Hello, miss. Pardon me, but where is Mr. Agreste? (She holds up a tablet)
Gabriel: [from tablet] I'm here.
"Not really…" Adrien muttered. Marinette once again squeezed his hand reassuringly.
Mr. Damocles: Ah, uh, hello Mr. Agreste. Welcome to our school.
Gabriel: Adrien, take Nathalie around.
Chloé: Ah, there's Mr. Agreste. He's coming this way. (Mr. Damocles, Nathalie and Adrien go up to see Juleka and Rose's hat)
"I loved all of them!" Marinette said happily, "They were all awesome." Rose beamed at Marinette, and Juleka smiled lightly.
Mr. Damocles: As you'll see, Mr. Agreste, our students have poured their hearts and souls into their projects. (Marinette rushes in and carries her box over to Alya.)
Alya: Where have you been? You got your hat?
Marinette: Yep, here.
(She takes off the lid. Alya marvels at it, then her expression darkens.)
Marinette: What?
Alya: But, it's the same as Chloé's.
Marinette: What?! (The judges walk over to see Chloé and Sabrina's hat.)
Chloé: Um, hi Mr. Agreste. I'm Chloé Bourgeois. You know my father, André Bourgeois, the mayor?
"Of course that's her opening line." Alya said. "I bet that's how she introduces herself to everybody." She huffed, "Someone should just give her a shirt that says "My Daddy is the Mayor!", and leave it at that." Alya seemed to be joking about it, but it gave Marinette an idea for when they got back.
Marinette: Ugh, that thieving little brat!
Alya: Do you want me to take care of it?
Marinette: I think I can handle this. (The judges reach Marinette's hat.)
"Careful Marinette, your Ladybug is showing." Alya smirked, Marinette shook her head.
Gabriel: Hm, turn the tablet back to Ms. Bourgeois' hat. (They do so.) Is this a joke?
Chloé: No fair! Marinette copied my design! It's scandalous, how could you do that? (fake cries)
Adrien let out a groan at Chloe's underhandedness. "Chloe, you do realize that if Marinette hadn't proven that the design was hers, that you would have ruined any chance of Marinette EVER getting into the fashion industry?" Chloe shivered slightly, for the first time ever, her Adrikins was actually mad at her.
Still, she had an image to maintain, so she simply huffed. "As if she could even get into it in the first place."
Adrien shook his head, wondering where his childhood friend had gone.
Marinette: I apologize for the situation Mr. Agreste, but I can prove that this derby hat is MY original design.
Gabriel: Go ahead.
Marinette: Um, everything on my derby hat is hand-made. From the embroidery, to the weaving of the band, to the stitching of the brim. All done by myself. And last there's a special design element, that only the true designer knows about. I signed mine. (Chloé knocks over her hat and it shows Marinette's signature. She runs out crying)
Alya snickered, "Did you not notice that Marinette's name was on the hat?" Marinette smirked at her best friend.
"It's a design quirk, every one of my more exquisite creations… unlike Adrien's scarf... has it sewn in somewhere, due to how I designed my stitching." Marinette looked proud of herself as she explained it, glad she got a chance to explain one of her more clever ideas.
In her own humble opinion, of course.
Chloé: Daddy!
Gabriel: Very exquisite creation. You definitely have the labouring hands of a hat maker, miss…
Adrien whistled, "I'm seeing it a second time, and I still don't believe it." Marinette raised an eyebrow at him. "My father never compliments anybody. He was seriously impressed to have complimented you that highly, Marinette."
Marinette's blush was almost luminescent.
Adrien: Marinette.
Gabriel: Congratulations on your demonstration, miss Marinette. You're the winner.
Marinette: Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Gabriel: Adrien will wear your derby on our next advertising campaign.
Adrien: Awesome job, Marinette. (He starts putting on the hat and sneezes.) A-achoo! Sorry, I'm allergic to feathers. (sneezes again)
Marinette: Gesundheit!
Marinette groaned again. "How did I not get suspicious!?" Alya smirked at her.
"For the greatest superhero ever, you sure can be dense girl."
Marinette groaned.
Adrien: (sneezes) Thanks.
THE END.
Marinette finally, reluctantly, let go of Adrien's hand as the episode came to an end, on cloud nine as she realized that she and Adrien had held hands for over half an hour! She stood up and stretched, waving Tikki towards the buffet, where a pile of cookies was sat prominently above the others, where no one save a kwami or Ladybug and Cat Noir could get them.
Adrien stood as well, and Plagg, without any prompting flew towards the buffet, phasing through a silver lid that Adrien assumed hid the smell of camembert from the rest of the class.
He was very grateful for that.
Marinette turned to address the class, "Alright everyone, bathroom and snack break, we'll pick up the next episode in…" she glanced at a convenient analogue clock on the wall, after a few seconds of remembering how to read an analogue clock, she turned back to the class and continued, "ten minutes." The class shrugged and nodded, and Marinette walked off towards the bathroom as the rest of the class followed her, or went to the buffet to load up on food.
A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you look forward to the next episode, which is….
Going to be revealed with the next update!
So long for now!