Chapter 4: Stormy Weather

Chloé Bourgeois was watching TV inside her suite when her best friend Sabrina Raincomprix was allowed in. "Thank you for inviting me over, Chloé." Sabrina said.

"Actually, I had a miraculous motive, Sabrina." Chloé explained once she made sure nobody but her friend and their kwamis could hear it. "As you know, a new weathergirl is about to be chosen and announced on TV."

"I know!" Sabrina giddily exclaimed. "I voted for Mireille!"

"Me too but that's not the point, Sabrina." Chloé replied. "I'm afraid whoever loses will end up being akumatized."

"Really?" Plagg asked in annoyance. "Is that why you called us? I thought it was something important like replenishing Sabrina's camembert reserves."

"Plagg." Tikki scolded her fellow kwami. "This is important."

"Honestly, Chloé, with so many people in Paris, why're you so sure Hawkmoth will akumatize a finalist of this contest?" Sabrina asked, making Plagg feel validated.

"Because both finalists are students at Françoise Dupont, Sabrina, just like Ivan and Nino." Chloé explained.

"That's just a coincidence." Plagg dismissed the concerns of her sugarcube's concerns.

"Ridiculous!" Chloé complained. "Utterly ridiculous! Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action."

"Did she google the saying or something like that, sugarcube?" Plagg asked Tikki.

"Tikki, don't answer that question." Chloé replied.

"Okay, you already did anyway, Chloé." Plagg said, having actually figured the answer but also not wanting Chloé to know she magically bounded Tikki into not answering the question.

Mireille was announced as the winner, which Chloé and Sabrina expected. What really surprised them was the difference. "Almost makes me regret voting for Mireille." Chloé commented. "But there's no time for that now." She then opened a cupboard and retrieved a cookie and a slice of camembert.

"At last!" Plagg exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Adrien Agreste was at the park for a modeling gig. "Eat the spaghetti." The photographer told Adrien, who was looking upwards and suddenly saw Superbug and Catgirl moving around. "Look!"

"Yeah!" The photographer said. "That's the smile I want!"

By the time the two superheroines arrived at the TV station, lighting was coming out of the building and an akuma whose hairstyle reminded them of Aurore Beauréal, the finalist who lost to Mireille. "Aurore?" Superbug asked.

"Aurore Beauréal was taken away by a breeze." The Akuma replied. "I'm Stormy Weather."

"Are you that upset over losing the weathergirl job?" Superbug asked while fighting the urge to say Chloé's catchphrase.

"How could Aurore have lost by such a difference?" Stormy Weather asked in return. "Someone must've rigged the contest."

"Or most people who chose you over the semifinalist who competed against you for a spot at the finals are people who'd rather chose Mireille Caquet over you."

"Go away!" Stormy Weather demanded and tried to freeze Superbug and Caigirl but both superheroines dodged.

"Where's the akuma?" Catgirl asked.

"Probably the parasol!" Superbug answered. "But we need to distract her."

Stormy Weather then noticed a Mireille balloon and decided to follow it to a vendor who was distributing them. A kid was about to take a balloon noticed Stormy Weather and ran away. "What happened to the Aurore balloons?" Story Weather asked the vendor.

"I never had any." The vendor pleaded.

"They probably knew you'd lose." Superbug taunted Stormy Weather. "I knew it'd happen."

"Impossible!" Stormy Weather replied. "I'm the one who can tell the weather."

"I'm the one who can tell the weather." Superbug mockingly replied.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Stormy Weather angrily demanded.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Superbug kept mocking her enemy.

"STOP IT!" Stormy Weather ordered, so distracted by Superbug's teasing she failed to notice Catgirl approaching until the latter shouted "Cataclysm!" and touched her parasol, releasing the akuma.

As Stormy Weather was turned back into Aurore Beauréal, Superbug caught and purified the Akuma. "Mira…" She then remembered she hasn't conjured any lucky charms yet. "Lucky Charm!" She shouted and got a red towel with black dots. Not paying any mind to what she received, she threw the towel into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

"What happened?" Aurore asked.

"You took your loss very badly." Superbug answered.

"I'm so sorry." Aurore pleaded. "I've tried to shoo away the black butterfly but it didn't work."

"I'm glad to hear it." Superbug replied and then noticed a spot disappearing from her earring. "We'd listen to more but Catgirl and I have identities to protect. Bye!"

Right after the two superheroines left, Alya approached Aurore.

Later on, Chloé and Sabrina were at the former's room with their kwamis. "Beauréal's comment left me wondering." Chloé commented. "Is it possible to resist being akumatized?"

"Yes, Chloé." Tikki answered, happy her wielder was interested on it. "With the proper meditation technique and/or a particularly strong will, a person can resist being akumatized."

"Look!" Sabrina called her three friends. "Alya posted an interview on her blog."

As they noticed where the interview took place, Chloé was horrified. "She was there? What was she thinking? We could've been caught on camera while we detransformed! And now it seems we'll have to learn some meditation techniques just so we can teach people."

"I don't get it, Chloé." Sabrina commented.

"Sabrina, it's one thing when Hawkmoth akumatizes people who don't see his butterflies coming but to learn it takes more than seeing them coming to prevent akumatization might make people lose hope, which'd make them even more vulnerable to Hawkmoth's influence." Chloé explained.

"Nothing bad for someone not sure of their worth as a wielder." Plagg commented.

The next day, at school, Alya was proudly showing her classmates the interview Superbug and Catgirl gave to her blog. "Isn't that awesome?" She eagerly asked.

"Yes." Marinette answered. "My Mom even taught me some meditation poses she learned back in China."

"Just watching that interview made me feel better." Chloé commented. 'Since it probably calmed people down.' She mentally added. 'I don't want to fight extra battles, no matter how much more adoration I get for it.'

Miss Bustier then arrived and classes began. After she dismissed the students, they checked on their phones and Chloé learned she missed a call from her father. She decided to call him.

"Hello, Chloé." Mayor Bourgeois answered.

"Daddy, you've tried to call me before." Chloé said. "What's happening?"

"Great news!" The Mayor happily replied. "The sculptor I hired to make a statue of Superbug and Catgirl said there are only some finishing touches and the monument will be ready within one week! I've just called because I wanted you to first hear from me before it went on media."

"Wonderful!" Chloé exclaimed. "Uh, do you have a picture of what he did so far?"

"I'll send it to you, Chloé!" The Mayor said. "Bye."

Seconds later, Chloé's phone pinged to signal the arrival of the picture. "Nothing bad." The Mayor's daughter commented.

"I don't think the sculptor's got the right hair length for Catgirl." Sabrina said.

"Nothing bad taking into account he's sculpting people who didn't pose for it." Chloé argued.

"Point taken, Chloé." Sabrina conceded.

Meanwhile, Marinette and Nino approached Adrien. "Adrien, we've heard that you were at the park during Stormy Weather's attack." Nino said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Adrien answered. "Fortunately, Superbug and Catgirl saved everyone."

"Speaking of Superbug and Catgirl, have you heard the Mayor's going to unveil a statue to their honor next week." Nino said and showed the news on his phone. "Would you like to watch it with us?"

Excited about news regarding Superbug, Adrien looked at the post but then his smile dropped. "Sorry, guys, I'm having fencing practice by then." Adrien sadly replied.

"I could watch the practice with you!" Marinette blurted. "I mean, practice with you!"

"Good idea, Marinette!" Adrien replied. "With all those akuma attacks, learning a new fighting skill might come in handy."

After the students left school, Chloé gave Sabrina a ride before returning to her own home. "Thank you for the ride, Chloé!" Sabrina said.

"And for the camembert!" Plagg added, prompting Sabrina to shush him. Fortunately, Chloé's chauffeur didn't hear the cheese-obsessed kwami. Sabrina and Plagg entered her home. "Plagg, I know you love camembert but that's no excuse to be reckless." Sabrina scolded her kwami.

"Sabrina, you obviously don't appreciate the finer things in life as my sugarcube's wielder and I do." Plagg teasingly commented.

"I bet you probably even have a song dedicated to camembert." Sabrina said.

"I sure do!" Plagg proudly replied. "Camembert! Camembert!"

"Sabrina?" Sabrina's Dad called, interrupting Plagg's cacophony.

'Thank you, Dad.' Sabrina thought.

"What's going on?" Officer Raincomprix asked.

"I was singing." Sabrina lied.

"Then stop!" Her father ordered. "The only thing worse than your singing was your theme." He said and returned to his room.

"I'll cataclysm every non-cheese he tries to eat." Plagg angrily said. "Nobody disrespects camembert like that and gets away with that."

"Plagg, don't." Sabrina pleaded, not aware that she magically bounded Plagg into obeying.

"Spoilsport." Plagg muttered.

Later on, at Chloé's room, she and Tikki were watching more news about the statue. "I think I've seen that sculptor somewhere at your school." Tikki commented. "Is he a teacher there?"

"No, he's a student, Tikki." Chloé answered.

"Old enough to have that goatee but still a student?" Tikki asked in surprise.

"Theo Barbot is actually around my age but pretends to be older so potential customers would take him seriously as a sculptor." Chloé explained.

"Does the Mayor know about it?" Tikki asked.

"Daddy and I never discussed his age." Chloé answered.

"I hope it doesn't cause any problems." Tikki was worried.

"Don't worry, Tikki." Chloé reassured her kwami. "If Theo Barbot decides to express his love for me, I already know the truth anyway."

Tikki sighed but decided to stop the conversation.

End chapter

Author's Note: I'm neither confirming nor denying the contest was rigged.