Chapter 3: The Bubbler

"Chloé, are you sure Adrien's birthday is coming?" Alya asked. "I didn't receive an invitation to his party. Is it because he barely knows me or something like that?"

"If I know Gabriel Agreste, there will NOT be a party." Chloé sadly answered. "He might be a fashion icon but he is a killjoy."

"That's not fair!" Alya shouted in protest. "Can't you just pull some "Mayor's daughter" thing like some of our classmates say you usually do to them?"

"It's not that easy, Alya." Chloé replied.

"That's right." Sabrina added. "Gabriel Agreste is so rich and powerful it wouldn't work on him."

"Not to mention our families have been friends for a long time." Chloé said. "That's how Adrien and I became friends in the first place back when being homeschooled prevented him from having friends outside what his Dad considers an acceptable social level."

"Poor Adrien." Alya commented. "But honestly, you make Gabriel Agreste sound like somebody who wouldn't let his son use the gift you bought him."

"For as long as Adrien doesn't go outdoors for anything his father doesn't approve, it'll be okay." Chloé explained.

After that conversation ended, the three girls took Chloe's limousine to reach Agreste Manor. Once the limousine stopped, they noticed Marinette Dupain-Cheng leaving something at the Agrestes' mail drop. "What was that?" Alya asked. "Is she giving Adrien an umbrella big enough for the two of them?"

"Don't give her ideas, Alya." Chloé ordered and the three girls stepped out. "Dupain-Cheng? I'm surprised. I thought I was the only one at school who felt comfortable enough to give him a birthday present."

"Well, you're not." Marinette replied. "And where's yours?"

"It's already coming." Chloé answered as she saw a delivery truck approaching. Once it stopped, she approached the driver. "Excuse me, is that the gift ordered by Chloé Bourgeois to Adrien Agreste?" She asked.

"Yes, Ms. Bourgeois." The driver answered, recognizing Chloé.

"Perfect!" Chloé exclaimed and rang the doorbell. "Nathalie, it's Chloé. Open the door so my gift to Adrien can be delivered." She commanded. After Chloé, her friends and the gift entered, Marinette left, feeling her gift would be ignored by whatever was inside that crate. To the trio's surprise, they saw Nino walking out of the manor. "Let me guess: you tried to convince Gabriel to let Adrien have a party, right?"

"What's it to you, Chloé?" Nino asked with a frown.

"Hey!" Alya said in defense of her friend. "You know Chloé and Adrien have been friends for longer than you ever knew him, don't you?"

"Sorry, Chloé." Nino hesitantly said. "It's not your fault Adrien's Dad is such an…"

"I know." Chloé said and Nino left.

Inside the manor, the Agrestes' chauffeur, understandably nicknamed as 'The Gorilla', was opening the crate when a bubble suddenly caught him. Looking around, Nathalie, Adrien and the three girls saw something that looked too weird to be anything that looked like an akuma. "Let's split up!" Chloé shouted. "The akuma will only be able to get one of us!"

"I'm only looking for the adults, Chloé." The akuma said. "I'm Bubbler." But the teenagers were already running away in different directions while Nathalie placed herself between them and Bubbler.

Once Chloé left the manor, she saw something that terrified her: several people were trapped inside bubbles floating in the sky. "Chloé, you know what to do." Tikki said after leaving Chloé's purse.

"If those bubbles burst and people fall to… can your power undo that as well?" Chloé asked out of worry.

"Yes!" Tikki shouted.

"In that case, Tikki, spots on!" Chloé shouted and turned into Superbug.

Meanwhile, Sabrina hid herself in another part of the garden and drew a piece of camembert. "My precious."

"Are you talking to the cheese or to me, Plagg?" Sabrina asked.

"To you, my beloved camembert." Plagg answered and ate the cheese.

"Whatever." Sabrina muttered. "Plagg, claws out!"

Meanwhile, Alya returned to the manor and tried to film the newest akuma. "Nino, how about an interview for the Bugblog?"

"The name's Bubbler but sure, babe." Bubbler answered.

"So, what do you want with the adults, Bubbler?" Alya asked the akuma.

"Adults keep ruining our fun." Bubbler complained. "Gabriel Agreste, for example, is the reason his son Adrien can't have a birthday party but not after I'm done with him so I'm sending this messages to Adrien's friends: come here to enjoy the party because I'll make sure no parents will get in the way."

"Not so fast, bubble boy!" Superbug demanded as she and Catgirl showed up. "Adrien Agreste might deserve a birthday party but he's already lost one parent too many. Lucky charm!" The charm gave her a polka-dotted red camera. "Uh, am I supposed to take pictures to remember the party?"

"I've got an idea!" Catgirl exclaimed upon taking a look at Superbug's and Alya's cameras. "Yo, Bubbler, when you said "parents", did it include hers as well?" She asked while pointing at Alya?"

"It sure did." Bubbler happily answered, not understanding Alya wouldn't like it.

"What?" Alya was enraged. "How dare you? You'd better bring them back or…"

"Calm down, babe." Bubbler asked while showing his hands in a surrender position, which allowed Superbug to use her yo-yo to pull his weapon from him. She then crushed it, releasing the akuma and turning Bubbler back into Nino Lahiffe.

Superbug then de-evilized the butterfly and tossed her camera up. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She shouted and several butterflies brought Bubbler's captives back to safety. That included Nathalie rejoining them.

"What happened?" Nino asked, not remembering anything from his time as Bubbler.

"You were akumatized over your friend not being allowed to celebrate his birthday." Superbug explained. "I'd say more but the clock is running." She then ran away.

"Wait for me!" Catgirl screamed as she hurried away in spite of not needing to since she didn't activate her Cataclysm this time around.

After the two superheroines left, Adrien came out of hiding. "Adrien, were you here all along?" Nathalie Sancoeur asked. "I thought you ran away with the girls."

"Yes but I decided to return but then I was too scared to show up." Adrien sadly explained. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Adrien." Chloé replied as she and Sabrina returned.

"Were you hidden as well?" Nathalie asked.

"No, Nathalie." Chloé answered. "Sabrina and I saw the ladybugs freeing everyone from the bubble prisons and figured out it was safe to return. But really, Adrien, there's no shame in hiding while heroes do their job. We're civilians after all, not superheroes."

"Or cops." Sabrina felt the need to say in defense of her father and his fellow officers,

"Alya is neither a superhero nor a cop." Adrien argued, still feeling ashamed about his perceived cowardice.

"Then don't become a reporter so you won't be expected to enter this danger without superpowers." Chloé advised her friend. "Well, now that bubble boy…"

"Bubbler." Alya corrected Chloé.

"Whatever." Chloé shrugged. "Now that he's been dealt with, how about you open my gift?"

To everyone's surprise, the gift was an arcade game. "Awesome!" Adrien exclaimed. "Nino, would you like to play with me?"

After the 'party' ended without even starting, Chloé and Sabrina were back in the former's room with their kwamis. "Two classmates in a row?" Chloé asked in worry. "Should I be concerned that Hawkmoth suspects the heroes' identities?"

"There's only so much distance Hawkmoth can put between him and his akumas and yet maintain control over them, Chloé." Tikki tried to reassure her wielder.

"So, is Hawkmoth sending his akumas from somewhere within the school's radius?" Sabrina asked. "That can help us locate him.

"Assuming he's sending his butterflies from a same place, kitten." Plagg replied. The more the camembert-loving kwami would love to rescue the kwami who's being forced to help Hawkmoth, he wouldn't dare hope it'd be that easy.

"We can think about it when the next akuma shows up." Chloé said. "I just wanna rest."

At that moment, a butler showed up and brought cookies and camembert. After he left, Plagg quickly helped himself to some. "I thought he'd never leave." Plagg commented.

"But he only stayed here for a few minutes." Chloé commented, glad she's not the one stuck with the cheese lover.

"I just hope Nino's alright." Sabrina commented.

"Of course he is." Plagg shrugged. "The akumatizations don't leave any residual effects."

"Physical ones, perhaps, but I'm still worried about psychological ones." Chloé replied. "I won't be surprised if Ivan still has nightmares from his akumatization."

'Chloé, if you really were as selfish as you believed yourself to be, you're improving.' Tikki happily thought.

"Tikki, exactly how does the lucky charm work?" Chloé asked. "Are the items random or are you aware enough of Superbug's surroundings to choose what it creates?"

"Lucky Charm gives an item that can be used to save the day or at least clue you to what you'll need, Chloé." Tikki answered. "You must figure out how to use the item."

"Or have a partner who does it for me like today." Chloé replied while ashamed of herself for not figuring out on her own.

"Creation and Destruction must balance each other." Plagg said. "That's what makes sugarcube and me such a couple."

"Plagg, you know kwamis don't fall in love like humans do." Tikki berated Plagg.

"Keep telling yourself that, sugarcube." Plagg teasingly replied.

The next school day, Chloé noticed Adrien wearing a new scarf. "Nice scarf, Adrien." She commented. "Was it a birthday gift from Dupain-Cheng?"

"No, Chloé." Adrien happily replied. "It's from my Dad."

"Wow, he's finally becoming more personal with the gifts if he gave something other than the pens from past birthdays." She commented while looking at Marinette and Nino and noticing the former was shocked upon hearing Adrien's answer. "Well, if you excuse me, I need a word with another friend of mine." She then walked towards Marinette and Nino's hiding spot. "The scarf was a gift from yours as I guessed. Right, Dupain-Cheng?" She asked, startling Marinette.

"What? No!" Marinette unconvincingly answered. "You heard Adrien saying it came from his father, didn't you?"

"He might believe what he said but I know Gabriel Agreste better than you do and you are so bad at lying I believe that's your reason to hate liars." Chloé pointed out. "Please don't let it make you upset enough to be akumatized."

Nino frowned. "Do you really think it'd happen?"

"Maybe not to her but, after the first and second akumas came from this school, can you blame me for fearing the third one will come from here as well?" Chloé asked.

"Well, I suppose not." Nino hesitantly answered.

"Well, sorry for making a storm on a teapot but I'm worried." Chloé replied, shocking Nino and Marinette. "Now, to change subjects, the weatherperson contest is now at the final stage. Have you decided who you'll vote for?"

"Not yet." Nino answered.

"Me neither." Marinette added.

They eventually entered the classroom, where everyone but Ivan Bruel was watching footage presented by Alya. "Did I really say that?" Nino asked in horror upon hearing what he said about Alya's parents.

"It's not your fault, Nino." Ivan commented. "You were under Hawkmoth's control just like I was."

"Thank you, Ivan." Nino replied. It meant a lot from someone who knew what it was like.

"Adrien!" Alya called the model. "What did Superbug mean by already losing a parent too many?"

"Ugh, I can't believe she asked that." Chloé commented, already regretting bringing it up as Superbug.

"Uh, my mother disappeared a few months ago." Adrien sadly answered.

"And how did Superbug know about that?" Alya asked, making Chloé and Sabrina worried.

"She must be a fan." Adrien guessed. Chloé couldn't tell what her biggest regret was: opening that wound or risking a clue to her secret identity.

End chapter.