Chapter Eleven: Puppet (Part One)
Ladybug manages to stop Puppeteer from possessing her partner. When she is forced to de-transform to keep from being controlled herself, Chat Noir must trade his Lady for his Princess, teaming up with an out-of-costume Marinette.
Ladybug stood impatiently outside the doors of Channel TVi's main soundstage, poised to burst through them. She knew an akuma was on the other side, armed with the power to manipulate others against their will, able to recruit her former foes against her - and her most trusted ally as well.
Speaking of whom, she was waiting on Chat Noir, who had already used his special attack and now had to let his kwami recharge. He had called her to find out the location of the akuma, promising to be there soon, but he still wasn't here yet. She danced anxiously on the balls of her feet, straining to forge ahead. The longer she hesitated, the more likely she was to lose her partner to the opposing side! Not only that: as Manon's babysitter, she felt a certain responsibility. Because she had given the little girl one of the dolls she had so persistently begged for, she had indirectly caused this akumatization. As she pictured Manon's endearing puppy-eyed expression, her patience finally wore out. Gathering her resolve and stepping back for a run-up, she hurled herself at the doors, charging into the studio beyond.
She was confronted by a line-up straight out of her own rogue's gallery. With a pang, she saw Lady Wifi glowering back at her with Alya's gaze. Nathanael sneered at her from behind Evillustrator's mask; Lieutenant Raincomprix stared impassively back at her through Rogercop's visor.
Presiding over them all was Puppeteer. In her guise as a villainess, Manon's precocious smile had been transformed into a sinister leer. Ladybug clenched her teeth and balled her fists in rage. If she ever met Papillion in person, the first thing she would do was aim her yoyo directly at his face for making her fight so many people she personally knew - people who were important to her. She braced herself as Puppeteer eyed her maliciously, letting out a shrill giggle that was spookily like Manon's innocent laughter.
"Ladybug, you came, and you brought the doll! Give it here so I can win the game!"
Ladybug suppressed a shiver as she caught sight of Puppeteer's eyes, which were purple with gold irises. If she tried her puppy-dog look with those, it definitely wouldn't work! "Manon, this is not a game!" she tried to reason, knowing it was probably futile - she had enough trouble managing the mischievous child under normal circumstances. "Papillion is trying to-"
"Yes, it is a game!" Puppeteer instantly retorted, stamping her foot in an all-too-familiar gesture. She had done the exact same thing last week, when Marinette had insisted she have milk instead of soda with her after-school snack, as Ms Chamanck had instructed; faced with the threat of a full-on tantrum, she had relented and let her have a very small glass. "I say we're playing, and since it's my game, I should win!"
Ladybug winced, remembering how Manon had complained that she always lost their games when she was given the villain dolls to play with. Now was not the time to let her win - not with stakes this high!
"Give me the doll," Puppeteer commanded, "or I'll send Chat Noir to get it for me!"
The bottom dropped out of Ladybug's stomach when she saw the Chat Noir doll in the little girl's hand. She only had a few seconds to get the puppet away from her before she could cast her spell on it - and there were no less than three foes standing by, ready to fight her if she attempted any such thing. Lady Wifi had been difficult enough to face, even with Chat Noir there to help - facing four powerful combatants on her own would stack the odds far too much against her!
She swept her eyes over the scene as quickly as she could, searching for inspiration. Should she use her Lucky Charm? Chat Noir wasn't even here yet - though considering the way Puppeteer gleefully clutched his miniature with malicious intent, maybe that was a good thing! Still, she wanted to save up her special attack until she absolutely had to use it. If she could just distract the akuma somehow, perhaps she could grab-
"Hm-?" Speaking of distraction, Ladybug spied something on top of a nearby packing case that looked very familiar. It was only a tiny plastic stick, the kind usually left discarded from a piece of candy, white and green in colour; but the instant she saw it, it reminded her of-
"Ha, this could work," she murmured to herself. A moment later, she threw herself across the room, moving as fast as she could.
She felt something whoosh past her, heard a microphone stand behind her rattle, then become eerily still as Lady Wifi's pause-icon struck it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Evillustrator touch his stylus to the tablet mounted on his wrist; but before he could draw anything, his view was blocked by Rogercop who strode forward, firing manacles at her. She dodged them, deflected a few with her yoyo, side-stepped another pause symbol, then sprung into a hand-stand atop the packing case. Fingers curling around the tiny object, she hurled it in Puppeteer's direction.
None of the villains had predicted this move; they couldn't shield their manipulator in time. Puppeteer squealed as it struck the doll in her hand, almost knocking it from her grasp. However, she retained her grip on it, righting herself with a triumphant smirk. "Stinky cheater!" she accused. "If you won't play fair, I'll just have to make you play against your friend! Chat Noir, come to life!"
"NO!"
Chat Noir chose that exact moment to arrive. He lunged at the doll that now hovered in midair over Puppeteer's head. But it was too late: her wand was raised and a flash of blue light pulsed at its star-tipped point, enveloping the puppet.
Chat Noir ran at the villainess for all he was worth. He kept running, and kept running. At last he slowed and came to a stop, looking uncertain. He raised his arms and waved them experimentally, as if he were checking for invisible shackles. Evidently finding nothing, he turned to his partner with a gleeful grin.
"Hey, I've got no strings to hold me d-" he began, in a sing-song voice.
"No." Ladybug held up both hands, as if to ward off his words; her head was bowed in a plea for mercy that no akuma so far had managed to elicit from her. "No, don't you dare. You are not allowed to recite Disney lines while we fight akuma! If you ever start singing a Disney song in the middle of a battle, I am never going to be seen in public with you ever again! Promise me that you'll never so much as paraphrase a Disney song again. Promise."
"Uh... okay?" Chat Noir was a little taken aback by the strength of her protest. He dutifully placed his hand over his heart, making a not-so-solemn pledge. "I promise, no strings attached." Ladybug huffed at the pun, but otherwise seemed to have been placated.
Puppeteer, meanwhile, was implacable. Emitting a high-pitched whine of fury, she zapped the doll repeatedly with her wand.
Ladybug struggled not to wince. Each of those dolls had a lot of work in them, especially the Chat Noir one with all the little details in its costume, and she already had one puppet to repair. To her great relief, the doll didn't burst at the seams; it simply turned over a few times in the air, then flopped to the floor, landing flat on its back. Chat Noir rubbed his head in sympathy, but otherwise seemed unaffected.
Puppeteer let out another angry scream. "Why won't it work! Papillion, why won't it work? You promised I would have powers that would make me win the game!" A purple visor momentarily flared around her eyes; when it cleared, she glared straight at Ladybug, pointing her wand for good measure. "You cheated! What did you do to my doll?!"
Ladybug chuckled, unable to resist the smug smile that spread across her lips. Perhaps it was cruel to use such a trick to beat a child. But under the circumstances, it was more than justified - and it certainly satisfied her competitive streak! "Serves you right for stealing toys that weren't yours," she retorted. "For your information, it didn't work because that is no longer a Chat Noir doll: it's a Copycat doll."
Puppeteer lifted the doll from the ground. A white-and-green lolly stick was attached to the corner of its stitched-on mouth.
Chat Noir stared at it for a moment, then doubled up laughing. "Of course, it looks nothing like me anymore! Was it your handiwork, my Lady? That is sew clever!"
Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Give me a chance and I'll fix your mouth as well; it could use a few stitches to keep it closed."
Meanwhile, Puppeteer snatched at the lolly-stick and tried to pull it off the doll. It seemed to be stuck fast; after a few exasperated grunts, the it remained firmly fixed in place. At her angry howls Evillustrator stepped forward, the eraser-end of his stylus at the ready. However, Puppeteer held up a hand, halting him.
"No, I'll keep this doll, even if it's broken." The heroes watched her warily as a sly smile appeared upon her face; a kid that young should not be able to look downright evil like that, even if they were possessed by an akuma. "I'll just have a Copycat puppet instead!"
A shudder and a muffled squeak came from across the room. Chat Noir realized, to his dismay, that a figure was crouching in the shadow of a catering table over against the wall. "Oh no, is that-"
"Theo?!" Ladybug had spotted him too. "What is he doing here!"
Judging by the headset he wore when he half-crawled out from under the table, he was working as part of the tv production crew. He emerged from his hiding place, looked beseechingly at Ladybug, glanced fearfully at the akuma, and then took off towards the studio doors.
"Copycat, come to life!"
"No!"
The heroes each took two steps towards Puppeteer, then halted. They were too late: Theo was wrapped in a piercing blue light mid-run. A moment later, Copycat turned away from the doors and stepped into a defensive crouch, barring the exit. A lolly-stick was clenched between his teeth as he grinned maliciously at the pair.
"Oh no, not again!" Chat Noir moaned.
"Multiply that times four," Ladybug reminded him. Lady Wifi, Evillustrator, and Rogercop were also shaping up for a fight, the ring of villains surrounding them on all sides.
Chat Noir twirled his staff up into a guard position. "Five against two isn't fair. Though at least you still have me," he added, giving his partner a sidelong wink.
Ladybug smiled wryly to herself. Yes, at least there was that. "Just as well; I didn't really want to have to knock the stuffing out of you."
He sidled up to her, his eyes never leaving Copycat, who was brandishing his own baton menacingly. "Any idea where the akuma is?" he asked in a whisper. Ladybug had been on the scene longer than he had (damn Plagg for having to savour his cheese!), she might have had time to notice something he hadn't.
Ladybug scrutinized Puppeteer carefully, secretly using how well she knew Manon to search for the talisman. The wand caught her eye; Manon had one just like it, she always brought it along to the bakery in case Alya was there to play 'Unicorn Princess' with her. "The wand," she whispered back. "I'm pretty sure the akuma is in her wand."
Puppeteer brandished the item in question at them. "Give me the doll!" she demanded. "I want your Miraculous!"
Chat Noir stuck his tongue out at her; Ladybug counted herself lucky to have an equally-childish ally on hand to help her with negotiations. "Nyah! You didn't say please!"
"I said give it!" Puppeteer shouted back at him. Acting upon her will, the four villains darted foward as one.
Ladybug readied her yoyo. "You want it, squirt?" she asked, purposefully employing a nickname she knew Manon hated - sorry, but it wasn't like she intended to use it under any other circumstances! She held up the doll in her own likeness, dangling it temptingly for Puppeteer and her minions to see. "Come and get it!"
Lady Wifi was closing in on them, Evillustrator and Rogercop not far behind. Ladybug loosed her weapon directly at Lady Wifi's feet; the villain, surprised, stopped in her tracks. The yoyo struck the floor and bounced upward, latching onto the lighting rig above. Having anchored her line, Ladybug swung across the room, forcing Lady Wifi and Evillustrator to hastily dodge out of her way. Her trajectory took her straight towards Rogercop; he tried to fire shackles at her, but they ineffectually sprayed either side of her. She used her momentum to slide between his feet. She was past all of them, except for-
Copycat was running at her, his baton raised, ready to strike. Shoot, her yoyo was still secured to the rig-
A second baton extended sideways, forcefully sweeping Copycat aside. Ladybug winked appreciatively at her own cat, as she snatched up a tape-dispenser she had noticed earlier atop the packing-case. Then she sprinted for the studio doors, disappearing through them.
Lady Wifi, Rogercop and Evillustrator instantly took off after her. Chat Noir started after them, intending to back up his partner.
A baton was flung in his path. Copycat shook his head at him, switching the lolly-stick from one side of his mouth to the other. "You and I are having a cat fight," he said.
Behind them, Puppeteer giggled. "If you won't be my puppet, I'll just have your Miraculous!" she declared, Copycat mimicking her words as she spoke.
Chat Noir grimaced. It looked like his Lady was on her own; hopefully she had big plans for that roll of tape. "I guess this is why they say to never work with children and animals." He faced Copycat, his staff held poised and ready. "If you want a rematch, step right up to get beaten again!"
The two cats circled each other, each waiting for an opening. After a tense few moments, Copycat lunged at Chat Noir's side; he parried the blow, searching for any difference between this and the last time he had fought his opponent. As far as he could tell, Copycat's moves were just as quick, agile, and accomplished as they had been back then (not that he would ever give his doppelganger any such compliments out loud). The only alteration this time around was the little controller-imp sitting on his shoulder.
Hm, interesting. Over Copycat's shoulder, he could see Puppeteer watching them both attentively. Though Copycat seemed to be using his own battle prowess to engage in the fight - there was no way a little kid could know his abilities this well, it was bad enough that an adult like Theo could effectively imitate them - it must have required some concentration from his manipulator to keep him active. Perhaps he could take down the pawn by distracting the queen...
He traded a few more blows with Copycat, discreetly drawing a little closer with each strike. While his opponent was still set slightly off-balance by his last riposte, he pounced at him, ditching any sort of swash-buckling in favour of a direct tackle. Caught by surprise, Copycat was knocked over backwards. The two combatants rolled, tussling together; the lolly-stick went flying. The pair finally lurched to their feet and sprung apart.
"Huh-?" Puppeteer looked carefully from one cat to the other. They were absolutely identical; she couldn't tell which one was hers. "Copycat, which are you?"
"I am!" both cats said as one, whirling around to salute her. They turned on each other in unison. "No, I am!" they said again in a single chorus, both pointing at themselves with one claw-tipped finger.
Puppeteer gave an exasperated growl, gaze switching back and forth between them in confusion. "I'm only controlling one of you; I command you to tell me which it is!"
"It's me!" both cats declared, raising their hands like a pair of students competing for the teacher's attention.
Puppeteer's growl turned into a angry scream. "Fine! Whichever of you is lying, I'll beat you up all the same! Go, my Copycat!"
At her words, both cats leapt at each other. Their actions were perfectly mirrored. Chat Noir was thankful that Adrien got so much sparring practice during his fencing lessons; his reactions were just quick enough to be able to read his opponent's moves and replicate them almost simultaneously. He was copying Copycat - what an irony! As they both kicked out, their strikes met and deflected the other's; the following swipes of their batons locked their weapons before they roughly shoved away from each other, landing in matched stances.
"This is so unfair!" Puppeteer complained. "Copycat, whichever one you are, use Cataclysm!"
Chat Noir held his claws up ready, watching Copycat do the same. He had seen the akumatized version use his own signature attack before; he knew that he was capable of it, and would have no qualms about using it on a person under Puppeteer's direction.
"Catacl-"
Before either cat could finish uttering the word that summoned up their greatest power, a baton hurtled across the space between them, slamming into a set of black-clad solar plexus. The victim was thrown backward by the impact, slamming into the wall behind him; he dropped limply to the floor, knocked out cold.
The victor caught his staff on the rebound, casually spinning it in triumph. "That's why you don't send a copy to do a cat's job!" he jubilantly declared, admiring his own gleaming claws.
Puppeteer frowned at him, evidently trying to command him; when it didn't work, she realized this was the real Chat Noir. She screwed up her eyes, clenched the wand in her fist and stamped her feet, in a very good approximation of an evil fairy. "No fair, no fair!" she hollered. "I was supposed to win!"
"I won fair and square," Chat Noir firmly pointed out. "Who dares wins - and I dare to take that wand as my prize!"
He leaped at Puppeteer. Now was his chance to get her talisman, while none of the other villains was here to protect her. He could snatch the wand away from her, breaking Papillion's hold on her; then all that Ladybug needed to do was-
Just when he didn't need it, he was interrupted by the studio doors slamming open. He changed direction mid-leap, landing on the floor and adopting a defensive stance.
"Chat Noir...?" Ladybug asked, looking uncertainly between him and Puppeteer.
He smiled ruefully. Hadn't she learned to recognize him yet? "Your one and only, Buginette!"
She relaxed visibly at the nickname, which only he knew to use for her. Chat Noir grinned back at her; his smile disappeared as he noticed that the loop of cord at her waist was empty. "Where is the-"
"The doll is off doing some sightseeing," Ladybug informed him, turning her attention upon a very nervous-looking Puppeteer. "While it's away, I think it's time Puppeteer let us borrow her w-"
Before she could take another step towards their unprotected foe, the doors swung open again, and Lady Wifi appeared. The Ladybug doll was clutched in her hand.
Ladybug whirled her yoyo, sizing up the doll-thief. "No you d-"
She was forced to duck a red-and-blue streak that barely missed her; Rogercop had returned. Chat Noir raised his staff just in time to ward off a spinning buzz-saw, drawn for him by Evillustrator. While they were thus preoccupied, Lady Wifi zoomed over to her mistress on a glowing icon. Kneeling at Puppeteer's feet like a loyal vassal, she offered up the Ladybug puppet.
The villainess took it, chortling gleefully. "I'm the one who won!"
"She knows how to pun," Chat Noir muttered under his breath. He glanced worriedly at his partner.
Ladybug, seeing the likeness of herself in Puppeteer's grasp, froze where she was. Chat Noir also tensed. Would he be forced to fight against his partner? Sure, it was probably fair trade, since she had faced him while he was under the control of a villain once before - he still didn't know what he'd done while influenced by Dark Cupid, wasn't sure he ever wanted to know - but he'd never had to face off against her before, not while he retained his own sense of awareness.
Could he...? He wasn't sure if he... if he'd be able to-
He'd have to find out soon enough. Puppeteer tossed the doll in the air, wand upraised.
"Ladybug, come-"
Before she had said so much as a syllable, Ladybug was already moving. She abruptly whirled round and ran away from Puppeteer. The other villains didn't make any move to stop her; they didn't need to, she would become one of them soon enough. Chat Noir could only watch on helplessly as Puppeteer finished her spell.
"-to life!"
On the akuma's last word, the studio doors slammed shut behind Ladybug. A flash of rosy light was visible beneath them.
They waited, and waited... and waited. The doors remained closed. No one reappeared through them, neither hero nor villain.
Chat Noir slowly let out the breath he had been holding. Where was she? Shouldn't she be bound to come back to Puppeteer? Hadn't that flash of light... no wait, Puppeteer's spell created a blue light, not pink. He had seen that flash before, through the gap around the door to the Paris Grand's cloakroom. That had looked more like the light made by Ladybug's own Miraculous powers; hers were rosy-red, just like his own were his personal shade of green, his Cataclysm and his-
-transformation. He suddenly understood what she had done: she had de-transformed as soon as she was out of sight. The spell cast on Ladybug wouldn't matter if there was no Ladybug; it wouldn't apply to... whoever was under the mask. That person must now look quite different from the doll in Puppeteer's grasp.
Puppeteer had been waiting expectantly for her newest toy-soldier to appear. As the seconds ticked by and no one came, the silence was broken by her angry screech. "Where is she?! I won! She's supposed to do what I say, she should be here giving me her Miraculous! She cheated, she cheated again! Papillion, you broke your promise! She was supposed to let me win, I want to w-"
Chat Noir sincerely hoped that, like most kids her age, Puppeteer was afraid of the dark. He aimed his baton across the room, striking the main power switch with purr-fect accuracy. The soundstage was instantly plunged into pitch-black darkness.
His strategy had been sound: Puppeteer now seemed to be wailing in fear instead of rage. The other villains might have been able to give her a light - Evillustrator could draw her a lamp, Lady Wifi likely had a light on her phone, and Rogercop was, uh, kind of glowy - but she was too busy panicking to make use of them, leaving them standing passively in the dark.
Darting a glance at the opposite wall, Chat Noir saw that the neon-green shape huddled on the floor seemed to be stirring, likely roused by his mistress' shouting. Copycat was coming round. Not giving the only one besides himself who had night-vision time to recover, Chat sprinted across the studio, easily dodging equipment and flailing super-villains. The room was briefly illuminated as the doors swung open, admitting the brightness from the hall; then his black silhouette slipped through them and they snapped shut again, blocking out the light. Chat snatched up a broom from a nearby cleaner's cart and passed it through the door handles for good measure; it wouldn't do much if Copycat used his Cataclysm on it, but it just might buy them some much-needed time.
With that much accomplished, he turned to face the corridor. Where did Ladybug go? he worriedly asked himself. She was currently wandering the building out of costume, with five villains on the hunt for her - he needed to find her, fast! But how would he know when he had found her? He didn't know who she was under the mask! Since the building had been evacuated, the only person left who wasn't Puppeteer, her puppets, or himself, must be Ladybug. That meant he would know her instantly when he found her... and so would the akuma.
His sense of urgency redoubled itself. Time was of the essence - he had to locate her before Puppeteer's minions did, and she could be anywhere!
He surveyed the deserted hall. Which way would she have gone? The lifts were to the right, but he doubted she would have left the building, or even gone as far as another floor - though she might be deprived of her powers, Ladybug was no quitter! Hadn't she come back to free him from Antibug, even though her kwami hadn't yet had enough time to recharge? Now it was his turn to help her out. Perhaps he could offer her kwami some of the spare cheese he carried... even if Plagg wouldn't be happy about it later.
He turned left and walked along the corridor, going as quietly as he could, listening out for telltale signs of any presence beside himself. She wouldn't know if he was him or Copycat when she saw him, so she would likely stay hidden; it was up to him to find her.
As he passed a nearby door, he heard the softest possible intake of breath. His cat-ears instantly swivelled in the direction it came from. The door was ajar; he could just make out a single eye peering at him through the gap. It disappeared as soon as she realized he had spotted her.
He smiled to himself. He knew she wouldn't have gone far. He sidled up to the door, leaning against the wall beside it.
"My Lady?" he addressed the unseen girl. He heard a gasp and a slight clatter, as if something - bottles perhaps? it sounded kind of like glass - had fallen over. Whoops, he was scaring her! Time to prove that he was him, not his mangy doppelganger. "It's me, Buginette," he informed her. He received only cautious silence in reply, as he had expected; luckily, he had an extra ace up his sleeve. "I'll leave you alone if you want, though I'm here to help. May I remind you that only your wishes are my command?" That was what he had said to her, just before he parted from her earlier, to give Plagg his refill. He really hoped she remembered his words!
A relieved sigh came from behind the door. "It's you," a familiar voice said, barely speaking above a whisper. "Thank goodness."
"No imposter here," he warmly reassured her. "And no puppets either, I'm guessing. Did you de-transform before her spell could take?"
"That's right." In an uncharacteristically self-conscious tone, she added "I'd, uh, come out and prove that she didn't get me... b-but, I, um, I'm not in costume, s-so..."
"I can take your word for it." He paused, wondering if now was the right time to ask her to confide in him. The last time he had suggested it, when they been fighting against Lady Wifi, it had been the closest she had yet come to having her cover blown. This instance had gone even further than that; given the circumstances, perhaps now wasn't exactly the best time for trust-building exercises. Still... "Um, if you want, I can keep your identity a secret. I mean, you don't have to, it's up to you, only if you want to-"
She heaved a great sigh. "There's not much point in me coming out of here. I can't purify the akuma like this, and I can't transform without her controlling me. Looks like I'm stuck this way, possibly for good. I'm really sorry, Chat Noir, I stuffed up and I-"
He was sorely tempted to throw open the door and give the girl on the other side a comforting pat on the shoulder, a strong hug, a breath-stealing kiss - whatever would make her feel better. He hadn't heard her express doubts like this since their very first battle.
"Hey, it's okay," he told her, smiling kindly at the crack in the door. "You did really well - you were quick enough to get out of there and de-transform before she could get to you. And you already stopped her from getting a hold on me. Together, we still have a chance."
Another sigh issued out of the darkened room. Despite his night-vision, he could see no trace of her; she must have been standing directly behind the door, blocked from his view. "Not 'together'. I'm afraid you'll have to do this one on your own, Chaton. I'm completely useless without my transformation, I can't-"
"Don't worry," he told her, "I can handle it. Think of it as payback for having to do all the heavy work against Dark Cupid."
"That was different." He could hear the frustration in her voice; whether it was brought about by the current situation or his mention of the past akuma, he wasn't sure. "You took a hit-"
"It's not so different," he insisted. "You defended me, didn't you? You set this up by turning her Chat Noir doll into a Copycat doll. I mean, that was pure genius!"
To his delight, a chuckle drifted through the doorway. "I'll be the first person to ever win a Noble Prize for throwing a lolly-stick!"
He chuckled in agreement. "You got it! You must have a whole lot of luck, to have the change to the doll take as much as it did. She tried to pull it straight back off again, but it just stuck there. Do you think that was because of your creation powers or something?"
"Uh... maybe..." she said. Something about her voice sounded unconvinced.
He pondered it some more. They talked briefly about their powers to each other now and then, but they hadn't really gone any more in-depth than when they had first met, learning to use their abilities in the field - literally. Now, he was rapidly forming a theory in real time. "Perhaps you constantly have a strong creative ability, even out of costume? Though it's not like I go around destroying things when I'm not suited up. Maybe it's just luck that the stick-thing worked? You didn't have to change the doll that much, all of them were already made to look and be just like their counterparts."
He grinned to himself, thinking of his earlier exchange with the dolls' creator. He had known for a while now that Marinette was an exceptional designer and seamstress, but this had taken her talents to a whole new level. He could say first-hand that her Chat Noir doll was very accurate!
"It's just a blessing that you could make it work," he said out loud. "You'd think the only one who would have that kind of influence over the dolls would be their maker, Marinette."
A faint clatter came from behind the door, followed by a loud thud. Chat Noir immediately straightened, startled by the noise. "Ladybug? Are you alright in there?"
There were some scuffling sounds; then her voice said, a little breathlessly "Y-yes, I'm fine! It's not like I fell over or anything... I'm not clumsy, I j-just-"
He couldn't help but smile. It was kind of strange, talking to someone who was his partner, yet not; the girl behind the Lady. It might be because he had just been talking about her, but the way she had fumbled and stammered kind of reminded him of-
"Of course," he added, jokingly, "if you are Marinette, it makes perfect sense."
Deafening silence. That was all he got following this statement. He slowly began to worry; had she slipped in the dark and bumped her head without his noticing?
"Uh, my Lady?" he asked, concernedly. "Are you... sure you're alright? You went really quiet all of a sudden. Sorry if I annoyed you with my joking, I just..."
He trailed off, still getting no response. Had he said something wrong? Had he offended her? He couldn't see how could have done, because really, there was nothing offensive about the possibility of her being Marinette - quite the opposite, in fact. She already knew Marinette, didn't she? She must, seeing as she'd sent him to protect Marinette from the Evillustrator, and had gotten to her house before him earlier today. Surely she knew that any comparisons to Marinette could only be a compliment? So why was she acting weirdly? Why did she-
A new thought caught him unawares, stunning him. Was the reason she was upset because... he had gotten too close to the truth? What if she... could it really be possible that she was...
"You, uh... y-you're not... really Marinette... are you...?"
More silence. The lack of any kind of reply was beginning to sound more and more like unspoken confirmation.
"...Princess...?" he dared to try, experimentally.
He finally got something, even if it was only a startled squeak; a very familiar startled squeak. He made no sound in reply, it was his turn to clam up completely. He remained standing by the door, flabbergasted, with absolutely no clue what to do next.
Had he just... accidentally guessed who she was...? Could she be...
A slim hand, bare without its red-spotted glove, appeared in the doorway, just a little below his head-height. The door slowly swung open, revealing a face with two blue eyes that watched him warily. It dawned on him how momentous this was, to be seeing them without their red-spotted mask for the first time.
No wait, this definitely wasn't the first time...
The gap widened, and the girl who was his Lady came into full view.
"It's me," Marinette said, heaving a weary sigh. Seeing the stunned expression on Chat Noir's face, she attempted a smile, quirking an eyebrow at him. The gesture was so familiar, yet so unexpected here and now; if that wasn't enough to send him into another level of shock-induced paralysis, her next words certainly did it.
"Shouldn't you be bowing before your Princess?"
Author's note: did anyone here order a reveal with a side of Marichat? ;)
I've spoken with others on this site who are a bit tired of Chat constantly getting possessed by the akuma. Three times was a bit much, wasn't it? In some other tv series, forcing the heroine to fight against her trusted partner might be close to the climax, if not the actual climax, saved up for the big finale. In Miraculous, it's almost becoming a commonplace occurrence. Which is great in terms of being unpredictable and breaking cliche, but... I feel really sorry for Chat.
In light of that, I took a great deal of pleasure in imagining how the battle with Puppeteer might have gone differently, if Chat Noir had stayed on Ladybug's side; also, it was fun to give him a rematch with Copycat. For all we know, Theo could have really been hiding under a table throughout the fight; he was shown working on the set of Alec Cataldi's show during Kung Food, and he must have pretty good technical skills to be employed by XY.
I have to admit, I took quite a few liberties with this chapter, more than I would usually take. I already had Rogercop and Evillustrator present when Ladybug arrived at the studio; I only went back and watched the episode this is based on after I wrote that bit, realizing that they weren't there until after Chat Noir got possessed. By then I couldn't be bothered writing them out, so I left it as it was, despite the inconsistency. Also, I had Puppeteer remain in the same studio when Lady Wifi returns to her with the Ladybug doll; it made sense for her to stay and watch Chat/Cat fight each other. I then had her immediately cast the spell on the doll, rather than allowing time for Ladybug to use her Lucky Charm, meaning the awesome five-way fight no longer takes place. This is probably the chapter where I changed events from the official cannon most drastically so far, sorry about that - I only messed with it for a bit of fun!
Speaking of which, I got a review from a reader who found one of the previous chapters too implausible, according to them. In this particular case, I was playing around with a certain concept and manipulated events to fit it a little bit; though I think I still managed to keep everyone reasonably in-character.
My aim with this series of one-shots is to give readers as much variety as possible. I try to alternate between which hero finds out the other's identity first; Chat was the forerunner this time, it's been Marinette other times, and I occasionally have them realize simultaneously. I also try to switch the tone from drama to angst to comedy from one chapter to the next, not reusing the same themes back to back. I can understand if people like one chapter more than another, that is only natural. If a particular chapter doesn't tickle your fancy, perhaps an upcoming or previous one will please you more.
I only post things that I wouldn't mind reading myself, though perhaps my taste is a little eclectic! The only rules I gave myself for this series of one-shots were 1) feature a lost object, 2) include a reveal, and 3) try to make it believable. I'm just exercising my creativity, having fun while remaining respectful of the original series; I hope everyone who comes along with me enjoys the ride!
I guess I should start writing Puppet: Part Two.
~ W.J.