Thank you to Khanofallorcs for beta-ing!
Chapter Thirty-Two
EonsAway: Just a heads up, I have a new username in-game.
needsCoffee: get banned again?
EonsAway: Unfortunately.
BlackCat: Wait, why would you be banned?
Ladybug: because eons is a cheater cheat xD
EagleWing: says the one that wins every match
EonsAway: I thought I had adjusted my battle style enough, but it seems I have more fine tuning to do.
BlackCat: ?
mecha47: if you think you're going to get answers you won't
EagleWing: Eon just has a very rigid play style, and she's been accused of using cheats many times because of it. sometimes we're able to appeal, but more times than not we just have to make her a new account
BlackCat: But all your points! And ranking! That's just gone now?
EonsAway: I can just grind overnight to get my points back up.
needsCoffee: every heard of sleep?
EonsAway: Isn't it past midnight where you're at?
needsCoffee: yes, but I have coffee.
BlackCat: Actually I probably should get to sleep, I need to get up early.
Ladybug: gotta get your beauty sleep?
BlackCat: I knew you thought I was beautiful, Bugaboo.
Ladybug: I haven't met someone that hasn't thought you were beautiful.
BlackCat: :(
mecha47: why the frowny face? xD
EagleWing: so blind to her feelings that LB just assumes that everyone thinks Cat is handsome smh
BlackCat: she's right though everyone does :(
mecha47: so modest
Ladybug: no, it's pretty much an official fact here in paris, Cat is beautiful
BlackCat: it's a curse, you know, being this handsome
Ladybug: I said beautiful not handsome
BlackCat: kdkljdsflj?
BlackCat: you don't think I'm handsome?
BlackCat: I'll set my fanclub on you
Ladybug: you wouldn't dare
EonsAway: Why are you responding to that like it's an actual threat?
Ladybug: you know who is handsome here in Paris though?
Ladybug: Crimson Beetle.
mecha47: we would have never guessed
mecha47: it's not like your username name gives anything away
Ladybug: shut up you
BlackCat: wait
BlackCat: wait wait wait
BlackCat: You think Crimson Beetle is handsome, but not me?
Ladybug: you're my beautiful sunshine child
BlackCat: You'd say Crimson Beetle is more handsome than me?
needsCoffee: lol made the poor boy jealous, Bug
BlackCat: I'm not jealous! Just trying to wrap my head around this!
EonsAway: What is there to? Isn't this just a matter of opinion?
EagleWing: I mean don't you have a crush on the other hero? Your username is based on her.
BlackCat: Crush?
BlackCat: Nah, I'm just a fan. Lady Noire is the best.
BlackCat: And I will fight anyone that says differently.
Ladybug: So you're going to fight all of Paris?
BlackCat: All of Paris is wrong
Ladybug: Crimson is the best hero
BlackCat: he's overrated, Lady Noire for life.
Ladybug: Crimson Beetle literally heals everyone in the city! repairs every single thing the akuma wrecks!
BlackCat: pretty magic sparkles doesn't equal best hero
Ladybug: you take that back!
BlackCat: Lady Noire has gone through and done more for this city than any other magic wannabe has done. She is wonderful, amazing, and deserves far more than what our pathetic excuse of a city has given her!
needsCoffee: and he says he doesn't have a crush lol
Marinette stared at the flower on her locker.
The white camellia was beautiful, with many thin petals, almost rose-like with the way they were arranged. There was a single ribbon wrapped around the stem– and no possible hint of who it could be from. She picked it up, looking it over to see if there was possibly a name on the ribbon, but there was nothing.
"Oh my goodness, girl," Alya squealed as she saw the flower. "Who gave that to you?"
"It was just taped to my locker," Marinette said. "No name– um, maybe it was meant for you? From Nino?"
"'Fraid not," Nino said as he walked past them. "Not too bad of an idea, though. Hey, babe, what's your favorite kind of flower?"
"Aren't flowers supposed to be a surprise?" Adrien asked as he came in, his fencing gear slung over one shoulder.
"Adrien, my dude!" Nino said, grinning. "Happen to know anything about the flower on Marinette's locker?"
Adrien blinked. "...Someone left Marinette flowers?"
"Guys, don't make such a big deal about it," Marinette said, flushing. "It could just be a thank you, or something."
Alya was pulling out her phone, tapping away. "Let's see... Camellias represent affection, love, and affirmation," she said, grinning up at Marinette. "White ones specifically mean adoration."
"Give me that," Marinette muttered, snatching Alya's phone, reading the words for herself. She turned pink, shoving the phone back into Alya's hand, opening her locker, staring at the flower.
"And you don't know who gave it to you?" Adrien asked, sounding slightly urgent.
"No," Marinette said, touching the petals. "But... but it was really nice, whoever did it." She hesitated for a moment, before looking up at Adrien. "Um... could I ask you something?"
"Of course?"
"Last night," Marinette said, shifting slightly. "In the group chat... was everything you said about Lady Noire true?"
Adrien stared at her. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"Well, um, you do mess around in the chat a lot, and so I was just wondering–"
Adrien turned so he was completely facing her. "Maybe I can be a bit more teasing with a screen between me and everyone– but not one thing I said in the chat was a lie. I hold a lot of respect for Lady Noire, and seeing how everyone treats her... I get very defensive because I know there's not a lot of people that see how wonderful she is."
Marinette swallowed, nodding her head swiftly. "I... I see. I think that hearing you say that would mean a lot to her. Lady Noire, I mean."
Adrien smiled, turning back towards his locker, putting his fencing gear inside. "If I ever get the chance to meet her, that's the first thing I'd say to her."
"I don't hate Lady Noire," Marinette said quietly, and Adrien glanced over his shoulder. "Crimson Beetle is my favorite hero, but that's because I've gotten to meet him before... I feel like I know him. Better than most people, anyways. But I don't hate Lady Noire."
Adrien smiled. "I'm glad to hear it."
"So, if everything you said in the group chat is true..." Marinette began, and Adrien's eyes widened slightly. "Does that mean you're really going to set your fanclub on me?"
Adrien smirked. "I won't– but I wouldn't let them catch wind that you don't think I'm handsome."
"What?" Nino cried, turning towards them. "Are you crazy, Marinette? Adrien is like the most handsome dude on earth– and I'm not even into guys!"
"Adrien is beautiful," Marinette said.
"Very true," Alya agreed with a grin.
"Can we not have this conversation again?" Adrien muttered, flushing slightly.
"Sorry, pretty boy," Alix called from across the room. "Can't ignore the facts."
"Y-you don't even–!"
"Honestly I'm surprised you're not the one with flowers everyday," Nathaniel said, shrugging.
"I mean, the data is quite clear," Max remarked. "If you like, I could run the statistics, just to double check."
Adrien buried his head in his arms, muttering something unintelligible, face red.
"We're going to be late for class if we keep this up," Marinette said, shaking her head. She was about to put her flower in her locker, but after a moment of thought she closed the door, flower still in hand.
The next day there were two flowers on Marinette's locker– both of them white once more. One being a gardenia, the other being an anemone. They were both tied together with a red ribbon. Alya grinned at her as she walked into the locker room, having spotted the flowers before Marinette had even arrived, and she flushed slightly as she saw eyes falling on her. She picked them up, touching the petals, slightly startled that she had received more.
"Gardenia symbolizes purity," Alya declared happily as they gathered their things. "Took me a bit longer to figure out what the other flower was– but white anemones mean anticipation."
"Or maybe they're just going for a white flower theme?" Marinette said uncertainly.
"Can I see the flowers?" Lila asked, having made her way across the room towards them, and Marinette handed them over. Lila turned them over in her hand, smiling. "Oh, they're so pretty, Marinette– do you have any idea of what boy is giving them to you?"
"No idea," Marinette said.
"That's a shame," Lila said, a frown tugging on her lips. "Well, maybe they'll leave more tomorrow? Maybe if you get here early, you can see who left them?"
"That's a brilliant idea!" Alya said, sitting straight up. "We can camp out before school starts, and then when they walk in–"
"Good luck getting Marinette up that early," Nino said, grinning.
"Shut up," Marinette muttered– but this only made him laugh.
"We used to all have sleepovers when we were little," Kim said, a smirk on his face. "We used to move her and her sleeping bag to random places in the morning because she wouldn't wake up no matter what you did. One time me and Nino drew all over her face one morning and she didn't notice until–"
"Kim– shut up!" Marinette snapped, face bright red.
Nino was snickering. "I'd nearly forgotten about that!"
"Oh, oh– do you remember when she–" Kim began, but went quiet when he saw the glare Marinette was giving him. She leaned forward slightly, voice a low whisper.
"The noodle incident," Marinette said threateningly.
Kim's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."
"You keep telling stories, then I'll just have to do the same."
He turned toward his locker– falling silent, despite Alix's pestering for an answer. Marinette and Nino caught each other's eyes, both of them grinning, while the rest of the class shared confused looks.
"You humans should exchange food as a gift more often," Plagg muttered as Marinette entered the bakery, peering out from her purse. "I mean, what's the point if you can't eat it? Especially if it's not cheese!"
She had the flowers from school in her hands, the bottom wrapped in damp paper towels from the bathroom, but she now intended to get them into a vase of water alongside the one from yesterday. She smiled at Plagg, the small Black Cat letting out a yawn like he was ready to take a nap, despite having probably been sleeping the entire school day.
"Because it's pretty," Marinette replied, reading up the stairs to her room. She raised the flowers to her nose for a moment. "And they smell nice."
"Well, if my Sugar Cube tried to give me something that wasn't cheese, she'd know how useless of a gift it is!"
"Useless, huh?" Marinette said with a small smile. "So I guess the purse I made for you is useless, since it's not cheese."
"What?"
"And the rice bags I sewed for you too," Marinette mused, trailing off. "The shelf you made into a den, my old pincushion you use to sunbathe... all useless– right? I guess I should just throw them away..."
"I didn't say that!" Plagg cried, waving his arms. "They're– they're cheese eating spots, I use them for cheese! They're not useless!"
"But if you don't like gifts like that, then I shouldn't bother..."
"No!" Plagg cried. "Gifts are wonderful! Straight from the heart! Um– fluffy and sweet and gooey and all that stuff. Your flowers are an okay gift, I guess," he zipped out from her purse and up to the blossoms. "Er, they smell... like a scent. Just like you said. How... smelly?"
She snickered. "That's not how you describe a flower's scent."
He crossed his paws. "They have a smell. Therefore they're smelly."
"Your cheese is smelly."
"Yeah? I know." He paused for a moment. "Speaking of cheese, we're running dangerously low, you know. We're only down to one wheel of brie!"
"I can't stockpile a ton of cheese and you know it; my parents already think I'm obsessed thanks to you," Marinette said, shaking her head.
She only kept three wheels at a time, which Plagg saw as not nearly enough– though everyone else only stared strangely at Marinette when she told them not to eat any of it. That hadn't stopped someone from sneaking a few pieces before, though, and while Marinette wouldn't have noticed, Plagg had a meltdown every time. She would've kept them in her room, but a miniature fridge was out of her budget and she was not just going to have cheese lying about her room in the open, especially with Plagg's preference for the smelly variety.
Fortunately, he was happy with anything with cheese in or on it, which their bakery had to offer. People tended to stare less at a variety of baked goods compared to a wheel of plain cheese.
Marinette arrived at school the next day with a small box of gougères for Plagg throughout the day, running late thanks to having slept through her alarm. Her heart sank slightly when she saw there was no flowers on her locker today, though maybe Alya had grabbed them? She didn't have time to wonder though, racing upstairs towards her home room; but was startled to find commotion within the classroom, her class gathered near her desk.
"What's going on?" Marinette asked as she entered the classroom, and several heads turned her way.
Lila rushed forward, pulling Marinette into a hug. "You shouldn't look!" She said, embracing her tightly. "Some people are just horrible!"
She blinked. "What's—?"
"Who did this?!" Another voice thundered, and she instantly recognized Alya, her tone laced with anger. "Someone had to have seen something!"
"It was here when I got here," Nathaniel said. "And I was the first one here."
"Maybe Miss Bustier saw something?"
"She would have had it cleaned up."
Marinette made it past her classmates, and was finally able to see her and Alya's desk. It was covered in flower petals, not fresh or dried, but half dead ones, black and withering. It looked like several eggs had been smashed on top of it, shells and yolk dripping down the sides, and a note sat in the goop. She leaned forward to read it, but Alya's hand caught her shoulder.
"Girl," she whispered, anger in her voice. "Don't. It's not worth it."
That didn't stop her from reading the note, though. The paper typed out: Did you really think someone wanted to leave you flowers?
"…Ah," Marinette said after a moment, not sure how to respond, a small pit forming in her stomach. "Guess we're sitting in the back today?"
"…So were those other flowers from this person too?" Kim asked, blinking.
"I need to know who did this!" Alya growled. "Because whoever thought that this was a prank has another thing coming!"
"Betcha it was Chloe," Alix said.
"She wouldn't do this," Adrien said.
Max wrinkled his nose. "The chances of Chloe touching those petals and eggs are quite low."
"Then Sabrina must have done it."
"Sabrina must have done what?" A voice sneered, and Marinette closed her eyes– but sure enough Chloe was waltzing into the room, Sabrina by her side. "Sabrina hasn't done anything, because unlike all of you, she's not a worthless low life– ew! Who put that there?!"
Chloe shrieked as she saw the desk, stumbling back into Sabrina, who immediately tried to steady her.
"It smells awful, utterly awful!" Chloe cried. "Get rid of it get rid of it get rid of it!"
"On it, Chloe!" Sabrina said, but before she could step forward Chloe latched onto her arm.
"No! Don't go near that– it's disgusting!"
The class was sharing glances, but they all knew Chloe wasn't exactly an actor. The reaction was genuine, something they didn't see often from Chloe, and for Marinette that was enough to know that it wasn't Chloe or Sabrina. If it was just the note, then maybe she'd still think that– but this was far beyond what the blonde was willing to do.
"Class, what is going on?" Miss Bustier asked as she walked in, looking about in worry, having heard the shouts. "The bell is going to ring any minute… oh my."
She stared at the graffitied desk for a moment, eyes wide. She then stepped forward to read the note, eyes flashing towards Marinette for a moment, pity in her gaze. Her throat tightened– yes, it did hurt that the flowers had apparently been from no one, but she didn't have her heart set on them being from anyone in particular, anyways. The only one she was interested in wouldn't be leaving flowers for a civilian, and she would've turned down anyone else. She didn't need pity or apologies.
She was fine.
"Everyone, let's go down to the gym for today, while I have the janitor come clean this up. Everyone get your things, don't leave anything behind…" Their teacher stood by the door, guiding the class out of the room.
"How dare they," Alya growled as they entered the hall, hands curled into fists.
"It's okay," Marinette muttered.
"Okay?" Alya said. "Okay? No— no one gets to just, just act like that was a joke! No one gets to play with my best friend's feelings!"
She gave a small smile. "I was going to turn down whoever it was if it was real, anyways."
"That doesn't change the fact that someone was trying to hurt you," she had never seen Alya so mad before. "And if it wasn't Chloe…"
She trailed off, because there wasn't really a place to go from there. Marinette didn't exactly go making enemies; it was really only Chloe and Monarch she considered foes, and she doubted that Monarch was the one egging her desk.
But there was no way Chloe had touched those eggs, and honestly, she doubted that she had Sabrina do it. Marinette didn't like Chloe, but at least the blonde was good to those she called her friends… which was only Sabrina and Adrien, as far as she knew, but she knew that they wouldn't be doing her dirty work. It seemed the rest of the class agreed as well, because unlike last time, no one was pointing fingers towards her.
Their class was awkwardly standing in one corner of the gym, bags slung over their shoulders, not sure what to do, as Miss Bustier had provided no further instructions nor had accompanied them to the gym. Marinette was aware of the glances being thrown their way, but she wasn't sure if it was pity for her or caution for Alya– who looked ready to rip something in half.
"Babe," Nino said as he reached for her, and Alya threw his hand off of her shoulder.
"No," Alya growled. "Don't you dare tell me to calm down."
"I wasn't—"
"Someone's had it out for Marinette," Alya's eyes were flickering suspiciously across at their classmates. "First her ruined gift, and now this. The school didn't do anything last time, and I bet you they won't do a thing again."
"Are you okay, Marinette?" Adrien asked softly.
She shrugged. "Feel a bit stupid, I guess, but I'm fine."
His eyes flashed slightly. "You're not stupid, whoever did that, they…"
He paused, trying to find the word, but he didn't get to finish his thought. A cry from Nino drew all their attention, and Marinette turned just in time to see a small butterfly descending down onto Alya's phone. Her eyes widened, but by then, dark energy was already churning about Alya, covering her entire form.
Her outfit was a deep purple, almost black. On her shirt there was a glowing lavender wifi signal, mirroring the stripes on her arms and legs. She wore a mask, as if she were a hero. Her phone was gripped tightly in her hand, energy humming from it. Aside from her outfit, she looked the same as always; it looked like it was Alya standing there, at least until she opened her eyes— her hazel gaze now a deep purple.
The akuma slid two fingers along the screen of her phone, sending a glowing symbol flying from the device. It connected with one of the doors of the gym, the symbol hovering in front of it, revealing the glowing shape of a lock. The class instantly scattered, Marinette didn't even need to see Mylene and Rose pulling at the door to know that it wouldn't open, and the akuma was now firing the same symbols at the other doors, trapping the class in the gym.
"No one is going anywhere," the akuma growled, sending the lock symbols out towards the other doors as well. "Not until I know who did this– so if anyone wants to confess, now is the time."
"Alya," Nino stepped forward, and instantly her eyes locked onto her boyfriend– sharp and angry, as if thinking he were about to confess. "Alya, don't do–"
"It's Lady Wifi now," she growled, fingers pressed against the phone once more. "Now, Nino, tell me– did you hurt and humiliate my friend?"
"I would never!" Nino cried. "You know that, babe."
All eyes flickered to the glowing symbol appearing at the top of her phone, waiting to be launched again. It was aimed right at Nino as Lady Wifi took another step forward, her harsh gaze unrelenting.
"Do you know who would do such a thing, then?" Lady Wifi hissed. "Who has it out for Marinette?"
"Ch-chloe is the only one I know who–" Nino didn't get to finish his sentence, as he was shoved aside by Lady Wifi– who began stalking towards one of the locked doors that Chloe and Sabrina were attempting to open. It rattled as they pulled away, as if someone on the other side were trying to get in, probably having heard the commotion coming from within.
"Stay away from me!" Chloe shrieked, glancing over her shoulder to see the akuma approaching.
"You'll have to go through me if you want to get to Chloe!" Sabrina said, stepping between the two of them.
"What are you doing, you idiot!" Chloe cried.
"That's fine with me," Lady Wifi said, firing a symbol straight at Sabrina– who froze up upon contact. Unlike the lock, the shape on this one was that of a pause symbol, hovering right in front of Sabrina as she stood as still as a statue. "Now, why don't you start talking, Chloe, before you end up like your friend here."
"Let her go!" Chloe shrieked, clutching at Sabrina, the shrillness of her voice causing several people to wince, but Lady Wifi stood undaunted. Another pause symbol was forming above her phone, fingers resting on the screen as she aimed it towards Chloe.
"You've had it out for Marinette since the first day I got here," Lady Wifi snarled. "You take every opportunity to insult her and belittle her, ruin her projects– so give me one good reason why this latest thing wasn't you."
"I didn't ruin any of Dupain-Cheng's things!" Chloe growled, hands curling. "I didn't touch the stupid bag, and I most certainly didn't cover her desk in eggs! As for everything else, it's not my fault she doesn't have thick skin!"
"Unless you got someone else to do this to her," Lady Wifi said, eyes narrowing in thought.
"I have better things to do than give Dupain-Cheng more attention than she gets!" Chloe growled, still huddling behind Sabrina, holding her friend's stiff form tightly. Lady Wifi didn't seem too happy with Chloe's words, and Marinette was quickly realizing she might be the only one who could possibly reason with this akuma.
Marinette took a step forward. "Alya, stop," she said, and those purple eyes flickered towards her. "This isn't solving anything– let Sabrina go, please."
"No," Lady Wifi replied stiffly. "Even if they didn't do this, they have still hurt you in the past– and they won't go unpunished."
With that, she fired off the next pause symbol, this one hitting Chloe– rendering her stiff and frozen as well, arms wrapped around Sabrina. The akuma turned towards the rest of the class as she drifted past Marinette, and all the students immediately pulled away, which only instantly captured Lady Wifi's attention. She rushed towards the one nearest one scrambling back, Mylene looking horrified as Lady Wifi grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward.
"Why are you running?" Lady Wifi hissed. "Got something to hide?"
"Stay away from her!" Ivan snarled– but before he could rush forward, he too was hit with a pause symbol, going still. Mylene's eyes widened, tears brimming her panicked gaze, and Lady Wifi pulled her forward so they were face to face.
"Start talking or else you'll end up like your boyfriend."
"I don't know!" Mylene cried. "I don't know who would hurt Marinette– she's the sweetest person out there!"
Lady Wifi let go of Mylene, and turned towards Nathaniel instead. "You! Is this payback for her not going out with you, isn't it?"
Nathaniel didn't get a chance to defend himself, immediately 'paused' along with the others. Mylene was pressing close to Ivan's stiffened form, looking absolutely terrified. Marinette hesitated, before moving towards her. Mylene looked up at Marinette, tears in her eyes. Stepping in front of Mylene, Marinette once again turned towards Lady Wifi– who was now turning on Kim and Alix.
"Was this a joke that got out of hand or not?!" Lady Wifi bellowed– before freezing them both in place despite their assurances that it hadn't been them.
"Alya!" Marinette called, and Mylene let out a yelp as those eyes turned towards them. "Alya, you can't go around accusing everyone!"
"Look at you," Lady Wifi sneered. "You always let people push you around, Marinette, and I'm tired of watching you go through this." She looked out at those who remained. "I'm sure everyone here has done something to you at one point– they deserved this."
Marinette scowled. "My best friend wouldn't talk like that."
"Marinette," Adrien hissed– because agitating an akuma was never a good thing– but that only drew Lady Wifi attention to him.
"How about you, Sunshine?" Lady Wifi asked in a low voice. "Is this because she won't notice you?"
Adrien's gaze hardened, and unlike their other classmates, he didn't seem frightened by the approaching akuma, looking her in the eye. "You know me, Alya– and you know I'd never let anything happen to Marinette."
"It's Lady Wifi!" She snarled– and her phone began to glow. Those who hadn't been frozen quickly retreated, and now Adrien was taking a few steps back. "And no secrets will be kept from me. I'm going to find out the truth, and make sure that everyone knows it!"
With that, she turned into a burst of purple light, looking as if she were glitching away– and then she was gone. They all stood there for a moment, eyes flickering about the room, as if she were about to reappear– but all was silent. Marinette's eyes flickered towards the doors, but all were still locked with the glowing lock symbols. She made her way towards the farthest door as everyone was pulled out of their stupor, mutterings of those who hadn't been frozen rising to a frightened chatter. Their focus was on the lock and pause symbols that still remained, fingers prying at them, trying to free the doors and class from the paralyzing grasp.
Marinette ran a finger along the symbol on the far door she was by; there was no way out unless she wanted to climb to the windows– and with an akuma on the loose she needed to get out of here as soon as possible.
A loud chime filled the room, the sound of all their phones going off at the same time with a notification– one that wasn't an Akuma Alert. Marinette reached into her pocket and pulled out the phone, which immediately opened up to a video without her prompting. She wasn't surprised as she might have once been– but Cameraman and Prime Queen had possessed similar abilities to manipulate technology. So when she saw Lady Wifi on screen in the principal's office, she wasn't surprised at all.
"Plagg," she whispered. "Any way you can help me get out of here?"
"Welcome everyone, to the MonarchBlog!" LadyWifi declared, leaning up against Mr. Damocles, flashing a smirk towards... the camera? Her phone was still in her hand, but with her powers, Marinette wasn't surprised that she was still recording. "We have several exciting stories coming up tonight– including unmasking some Miraculous users– but first we're going to hear from the principal here at Collège Françoise Dupont and how he has mismanaged the school– not even keeping proper records of things, hmm?"
"I already told you Mlle. Ce– er– Wifi, we only have cameras in the hallways. The events you're referring too took place in the locker room and a classroom respectively, which are lacking–"
Plagg phased out of her bag, sparing one glance about before turning his focus towards the door. First he phased through the door, but as he came back through it still remained firmly in place. He stared at the magic lock for a moment, before giving a small shrug.
"Looks like we're sitting out for this battle," he said.
"Plagg!" Marinette hissed. "We can't do that– Alya needs us to save her."
Plagg paused to consider this, looking out at her classmates for a moment, before giving another shrug. "Well... I suppose it would be a waste of an opportunity not to fight the blogger girl. Let me see what I can do– though you might wanna step back."
That was all the warning Marinette got, before Plagg zipped back towards the lock symbol– and blew on it.
It seemed that Plagg put the 'blew' in 'blew up', because his small puff of air instantly made the symbol crack, along with the entire door. Marinette scrambled back as the door and the wall above it trembled, and the magical lock shattered– bringing down the door with it. The shaking of the crash caused Marinette to fall to the floor, and she covered her head as everything came crumbling down.
"Marinette!" Several voices called, footsteps running towards her, and she looked up in time to see Adrien standing above her, worry on his face. She looked up at him, giving a small uncertain smile. "Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?"
"Um... I got the lock off?" She said uncertainly, looking at the giant hole in the gym as Adrien helped her to her feet. "But, er, it... exploded?"
"No one else touch the symbols from Lady Wifi!" Max called to the rest of the class, him having been right behind Adrien. "Especially those connected to someone– they're dangerous when they break!"
"At least we have a way out now?" Lila said, looking at the hole in the school. No one seemed exactly eager to walk through the hole that did not look structurally sound, but Marinette wasn't going to waste her opportunity. She hurried forward before anyone could be the voice of reason, and Adrien was right behind her.
Marinette thought that he was going to stop her, or maybe follow her– but he darted down the opposite hallway as her as soon as they passed out of the gym. She blinked, but of course wasn't going to question her luck, and hurried away for a place to hide before her other classmates followed her or asked her any questions.
Plagg reappeared as soon as she tucked herself into an empty classroom, and she was ready to ask him what exactly he had been thinking with bringing the entire wall down– but the kwami was beaming at her, looking downright proud.
"Did you see that?" He said, paws curled in excitement. "Most of the wall is still standing! I barely destroyed anything!"
Marinette blinked, not sure what to make of this statement, but the kwami was watching her, ears flicked towards her as he waited for a reply, so she offered a small smile. "Heh, as long as we don't make a habit of it."
"Hey, it could get you out of school..."
"I'll keep that in mind for the next test," she replied, holding up a hand. "Now, Plagg– claws out!"
Nino probably should have found somewhere to hide like the rest of his classmates (he swore that Adrien knew how to vanish into thin air), but instead, as soon as he found himself no longer locked in the gym, he hurried straight for the principal's office, where Lady Wifi had been live streaming. He was glad, though somewhat surprised, that the door hadn't been locked, able to push it right open.
On the other hand, both Mr. Damocles and Miss Bustier were frozen in place, a glowing pause symbol hovering right in front of them. His eyes widened slightly at the sight, but he knew better than to touch them, seeing what had happened to Marinette when messing with one of the symbols, and he couldn't help but feel a bit helpless looking at his teacher.
His phone began vibrating in his pocket, and he pulled it out; probably his mother calling to see if he was okay now that an another akuma alert had been issued for his school–
But instead, he was greeted by a projection of purple light, which quickly began to materialize into the familiar form of his girlfriend, who landed on the principal's desk, kneeling down as she smiled down at Nino.
"Hey, gorgeous," Lady Wifi said, and he could only stare– not sure what he was feeling at the moment. Because yes, that was his girlfriend, who looked and sounded just like her– just in a costume and mask. "I could use your help."
That of course didn't change the fact that she was akumatized, and had been threatening to freeze him just ten minutes ago. And the fact that Monarch could see through her eyes did not make the sudden flirting comfortable.
"Er, um," Nino began, backing up slightly, but Lady Wifi's hand snatched out, grabbing the front of his shirt as she slid off the desk. "Alya–"
One thing he loved about Alya was her boldness and courage, and he would be lying if he said a part of him would not be more than happy for his girlfriend to drag him into a kiss like this– but this was not his girlfriend. His hand wrapped around hers, silently asking her to let him go, but unlike Alya, Lady Wifi did nothing of the sort.
"What's wrong?" She asked, those purple eyes boring into him. "You and Marinette have been friends for a long time, don't you want to help her? Don't you want to help me bring whoever did this to her to justice?"
"Of course I want to find out who did it–"
Lady Wifi grinned. "I knew you would."
He took in a deep breath, sitting up slightly, which did get Lady Wifi to let go of his shirt, though she did not back off from looming in front of him.
"Are you going to let those not involved go?" Nino asked, leaning his head towards the teacher and principal– and Lady Wifi's gaze hardened.
"They failed Marinette, they don't deserve to go free," Lady Wifi replied, and she pulled out her phone. "I went to talk to her parents, but they didn't know anything, either. They say that Marinette's been down lately, but she's been quiet as to why." Her hand gripped her phone tightly. "And now her phone keeps going straight to her voicemail– so I can't teleport to her to ask her what's going on myself!" Those violet eyes returned straight to him. "Do you know where she's hiding?"
"No?"
"You don't sound too sure about that," Lady Wifi growled.
"Um, maybe she went to the nurse's office?" Nino offered uncertainly. "She was fairly close to the explosion–"
"Explosion?" Lady Wifi bellowed. "She was hurt?"
"Er, she looked just fine–" Nino said hurriedly, but he was too late. He had just told an akuma that their obsession had been in danger, and the panic and rage in Lady Wifi's eyes was clear. He decided not to mention that it had been her powers that had been the cause of it– because who knew how she would react to that.
Lady Wifi shoved him to the side, the phone in her hand looking like it might shatter from the grasp she had on it. Nino was sure she was going to freeze him in place, but if she would have, he never found out.
The window behind the principal shattered– Crimson Beetle and Lady Noire bursting into the room as glass rained across the floor. Lady Wifi turned, while Nino backed towards the door, because it seemed like every structure was going to shatter and collapse today. Lady Wifi sneered at the heroes, taking up a defensive position as they scanned the room. Their gazes locked on the principal and teacher for a moment, before returning to Lady Wifi.
"I'm going to deal with you later, Crimson Beetle– so why don't you and your sidekick run along, I have more important things to take care of first," she growled.
"Hand over your akumatized object and I promise we won't get in your way," Crimson Beetle replied, spinning his yoyo about.
A purple mask appeared around Lady Wifi's face, a scowl covering her face as Monarch spoke in her mind. The akuma grabbed the side of her face for a moment, voice a low growl. "N-no. I need to help Marinette first."
Monarch's mask didn't fade, and Lady Wifi winced slightly. Her fingers went to her phone, ready to launch the symbols from her screen. Nino opened his mouth to warn the heroes, but they were already leaping to the side as the pause symbols were fired. Crimson Beetle darted away, running up the side of the wall, landing behind Lady Wifi, striking her before she could turn, sending her stumbling straight where Lady Noire could pounce– who knocked the akuma to the ground.
Lady Wifi simply tapped on her phone moments before she was pinned, turning herself into a burst of purple light as she teleported herself away.
"Dang it, this is going to be Prime Queen all over again, isn't it?" Crimson Beetle muttered.
"Yeah, but at least Prime Queen was actually trying to seek us out. This Lady Wifi seems to have her own goals, separate from us," Lady Noire said.
"Hopefully Monarch keeps her focused on us," Crimson Beetle replied.
And with that, the heroes climbed out the window, going off in search of the akuma, leaving Nino alone with the frozen school staff.
Lady Wifi never stayed in one place for long.
As soon as Crimson and Lady Noire would arrive on scene she would fight them, never head on, but in ambush attacks, hoping to strike them with her powers. But when that would fail, or whenever they were able to draw close to her, she would teleport away with her phone, leaving them at square one in regards to where to find her.
They were currently heading to Le Grand Paris Hotel, several police officers having informed Crimson Beetle that the akuma had showed up there and that the mayor was in a panic. If Crimson had to guess, Lady Wifi would be going through Chloe's things, looking for any hint that could prove she had been the one to set Marinette up.
"Been awhile since we've been here," Lady Noire muttered as they landed on Chloe's balcony, and Crimson held back a wince– the mayor's words about Lady hadn't been knd when Evillustrator had been on the loose.
"Looks like she's definitely been here," Crimson replied as they walked though Chloe's room– which had been torn apart in Lady Wifi's search. Of course, the most telling sign was Chloe's butler, who was frozen in place with a glowing pause sign in front of them.
They fell silent as they approached the door, both tensing– before rushing and rolling through the opening, turning so they were standing back to back, weapons in front of them as they prepared for an attack, as several of Lady Wifi's ambushes came when they passed through a doorway.
Nothing happened– but a few frozen staff in the hall showed them which way Lady Wifi had headed.
"Come on, before she decides to teleport somewhere else," Crimson Beetle said, breaking into a run, and he hurried after her. They followed the trail of those with the pause symbols on them, leading to an elevator– leaving them unknowing if she would go up or down, and splitting up was not the best idea.
"Let's head down to the kitchen," Lady Noire said after a moment. "Her mom works here, doesn't she? That's the only destination I can think of, aside from Chloe's room."
So they entered the elevator, Lady Noire stuck her baton up at the camera in the corner, breaking it before they pressed any buttons, and they headed down in silence. Her action made sense, he wouldn't be surprised if Lady Wifi could control the camera or at least access them, and if she knew where they were heading, that would ruin any element of surprise they could possibly have. Crimson Beetle rocked back and forth on his feet silently, watching as they slowly headed down towards the main level, the elevator feeling painfully slow.
The doors opened up, and immediately purple symbols were launched at them.
Crimson Beetle leapt up, running up the side of the walls, while Lady Noire darted forward on all fours. They burst out of the elevator so they weren't cornered. Lady Wifi gritted her teeth, and turned and ran down the hall, towards the kitchen just like Lady Noire had predicted. They raced after her, and Crimson was surprised that she hadn't already teleported away after the failed ambush.
Lady Wifi raced into the kitchen, pushing through the swinging doors. They burst in after her to see the kitchen staff had already been hit with pause symbols, the doors swaying behind them from the momentum. Lady Wifi launched another symbol at them, but they had far grown used to dodging them, both jumping out of the way.
Lady Wifi let out a cackle of glee, one that did not suit Alya, and Crimson glanced behind him to see that it hadn't been a pause symbol she fired this time, but rather a lock that was now lacked onto the doors– Lady Wifi having been planning on using their dodge to lock the kitchen doors without them realizing. He gritted his teeth, eyes glancing about, but there were no windows.
"Okay, clever," Crimson admitted, slightly on edge, spinning his yoyo about. "Are you actually going to stay and fight us this time, or run again like a coward?"
"Being smart isn't being cowardly," Lady Wifi replied, summoning two pause symbols, firing them one right after the other. They both ducked, and Lady Noire extended her baton, using it to knock Lady Wifi off balance.
Crimson ran forward, throwing his yoyo– only for it to be hit by a lock button midair. The end of his yoyo being locked in place, the sudden stop yanking on his arm, his momentum forcing him forward, swinging him through the air. Lady Wifi swiped her hand across her phone, deleting the lock symbol, and he was sent crashing through the door of the freezer.
He grunted as he hit the metal shelves inside, shuddering at the sudden change in temperature. Crimson rolled to his feet, running to the door, but of course it didn't shift, meaning that he was locked inside. He stood there for a moment, banging on the door as he tried to force it open, but he was only able to leave a few small dents in the metal. He could hear clashing on the other side, Lady Noire fighting on her own.
And he was trapped within.
"N-no no no," he whispered, eyes widening, and he could feel Tikki in his mind as his panic rose. She was trying to calm him, he was sure, but nothing could calm him with the only exit locked in place.
In the kitchen he hadn't processed that he was truly trapped, it was roomy enough and adrenaline had been high, but with him now locked alone in this dark frozen room it all became ten times worse. He was trapped, and he couldn't get out. He was locked in a room that was locked in another locked room and he couldn't get out–!
He could summon his Lucky Charm, but if that didn't work, that would risk him detransforming, and judging by the way frost had formed all across the room, it probably wouldn't be good for him to be here without his suit. However, leaving Lady on her own was just as risky.
"Take out the leader and everything falls apart, huh?" Lady Wifi said from the other side of the door.
"Hand over that phone!" Lady Noire's voice bellowed, and the sound of clashing metal was probably that of her baton hitting everything in the kitchen as they fought.
"Agh!" Lady Wifi cried, and Crimson hands curled as he knew Lady Noire was getting the upper hand– only to hear the sound that he knew was that of Lady Wifi teleporting again.
She was free and he was trapped.
"Cataclysm!" Lady Noire cried, and Crimson's eyes widened.
"Lady, wait–" He began, as she didn't know about the explosive force of the symbols, but he could already feel the surge of churning energy as she called upon her powers. He retreated back to the corner of the freezer, holding up his hands as he waited for the door to blow.
But instead, it just swung open after a moment, the lock gone, Lady Noire looked in at him worrying as her ring let out a small chirp. "Crim? Are you okay?"
Her Destruction must have destroyed all of the lock, including the explosion that Marinette had unknowingly released in the gym. He gave a forced smile, giving a short nod, hurrying out of the freezer and into the kitchen. He glanced about the room, seeing that the lock was still on the main doors to the kitchen, along with a new symbol in the corner of the room– that of a camera, and he had a feeling that it was watching them now. Watching as they were locked in this small room, and–
He was out of the freezer. He had to breathe, he couldn't worry, not now.
"Y-you're going to detransform soon," he said in worry, grabbing her hand to look at the ring. "You should have destroyed the other lock and gotten yourself out of here."
"That would have left you vulnerable," Lady replied, looking up at him– as if the choice had been simple.
"We need a way out of here," he said, holding his yoyo. "I think it's time for a Lucky–!"
"No, wait," Lady Noire said, and she pointed to the wall. "We can get out through the service elevator. Might be a bit of a squeeze but that's better than both of us being stuck on a timer."
He glanced at the camera symbol, sure that Lady Wifi had heard every word, but he gave a nod. At first he wasn't even thinking as he climbed into the shaft, the thought of the way out being the best possible thing in that moment. Lady Noire was right behind him– and thankfully both of their Miraculouses helped them when it came to climbing. But that didn't change the fact that he was now in an even smaller space than before.
Crimson Beetle felt like his heart was about to hammer itself out of his chest, but he couldn't focus on that. Nor on the four walls that snugly wrapped around them. He just had to keep climbing and get out of here, he was okay, he was okay–
He practically threw himself at the nearest opening, huddling and shivering on the ground as he took in gasps of air, the hallway feeling like the vast outdoors. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he grasped at Lady Noire, trying to root himself back into the present.
"Are you okay–?"
"We need to find somewhere for you to recharge!" He said, leaping to his feet. "Er, come on, before she comes back."
"We should head downstairs to the basement," she said. "There's poor signal down there and she might not be able to teleport through anyone's phone if she can't connect to them."
He didn't dare take the elevator again– usually such a small space was fine, knowing that the doors would open again real soon, but with an akuma running about that could lock them in at any moment... he much preferred the stairwell with access to countless levels, and therefore countless doors. They hurried down towards the lower floors, baton and yoyo smashing any camera just in case Lady Wifi could see through them too.
"Here, I'll keep guard," Crimson Beetle said as they went past a closet as Lady's timer beeped more urgently. He opened the door, and she hurried in without complaint, saying the detransformation words as soon as he shut it behind her, a flash of green coming from within.
"Come on, you haven't even thrown one punch at the blogger girl yet?" Came her kwami's voice.
"Plagg!" Lady Noire chided. "Don't say things like– hurry up and eat your gougères."
Crimson wasn't too surprised at Plagg's attitude, the kwami seemed grumpy at all times– and it made complete sense that he didn't seem to like Alya, considering some of her more negative articles regarding Lady Noire. Was... was that why Plagg didn't like him? Because he was friends with Alya?
"This one isn't cheesy enough."
"You already ate the extra cheesy ones, this one was supposed to be mine."
"Do... do either of you have any idea how to stop this akuma?" Crimson asked– figuring they should get a kwami's input while they had the chance. "She just keeps slipping away."
"I wish she'd teleport herself to the other side of the world," Plagg grumbled. "Save us the trouble."
"Plagg, don't talk about Alya like that!"
"I'll talk nice as soon as she does!"
Crimson Beetle sighed, before looking down at his yoyo. A Lucky Charm created both an object and a solution... and he had no ideas right now. Now would be a good time to use it, when he could recharge and neither of them were trapped. He threw his yoyo up into the air, pink light surrounding it.
"Lucky Charm!" Crimson Beetle cried, and a framed photo fell down.
He caught it in his hands, the frame red and spotted like all Charms, though the photo inside looked normal– showing a picture of a forest. He tilted it slightly, completely confused on what this was supposed to mean, only to blink as he watched the image of a fox shimmer into view. He tilted the picture back and forth a few times, the picture shifting between the forest theme and the fox, looking almost holographic. The lenticular picture was strange and almost 3D– but it was quite clear what it was asking of him.
"I think I know what we can do!" Crimson Beetle said, clutching the photo. "I'll be back– you keep Lady Wifi distracted, okay?"
"Of course," Lady Noire said. "Plagg, claws out!"
Knowing that she was transformed and safe, the door cracking open, Crimson Beetle ran for the stairs, not wanting to waste a single moment.
"Adrien!" Tikki hissed as their detransformation fell. "You shouldn't have left Lady Noire out there alone."
"I know, but I don't think we can handle this alone, Lady Wifi is impossible to corner," Adrien said, opening his shirt for her to hide in, along with some food for her to recharge. "I'm going to keep this quick– um, do you remember the way to the shop?"
"You're two blocks away," Tikki said after a moment as she glanced about, before hiding away. Adrien gave a short nod, before breaking out into a small jog as he ran down the bank of the Seine. It was always jarring to go from running with magical energy to running as a civilian, and his lungs were burning by the time he came to a stop in front of the small shop. Even if his timer hadn't been low though, he would have still been forced to detransform and make his way on foot.
The bell of the massage shop rang as he entered, the door closing behind him– and he hoped that there were no consumers about. He looked at the empty desk, and a few moments later Marianne came in from the back room, blinking as she saw him.
"Is everything alright?" She asked. "The akuma didn't follow you– right?"
"Lady Noire is keeping her busy," Adrien said, still breathing heavily. "I don't want to leave her alone for long though– but I need to talk to M. Fu."
Marianne tilted her head towards the main section of the massage shop, and Adrien hurried through the door. He could hear Marianne behind him, and he was thankful to see that it was only the Guardian in the massage shop, poring over the Grimoire with his kwami on his shoulder. He looked up as Adrien came in, and Tikki zipped out to join them.
"We need your help, sir," Adrien said, stepping forward. "This akuma can teleport and she just zips away every time we get close– and not only that, but she can trap us as well, she almost did several times. My Lucky Charm gave me this picture of a vanishing Fox, and I think we need your illusions to turn this battle in our favor."
Fu nodded as he shut the Grimoire, stretching slightly as he pushed himself to his feet. "Of course, just give me a moment, I–"
"Oh no you don't," Marianne said, storming past Adrien and grabbing Fu by the shoulder. "Your back cannot handle that!"
"I can cast a few illusions–"
"You say that now, but you'll join the fight as soon as you can!"
"I'm not just going to leave them hanging," Fu snapped.
"You are too old to play hero!" Marianne growled. "Don't you even think about going out there!"
"I could go," Trixx said with a grin, drifting forward. "Cast a few Mirages myself..."
"You can do that?" Adrien asked, surprised– but it made sense, it was their powers after all. He glanced at Tikki, but the kwami's eyes were wide at this suggestion. Trixx let out a cackling laugh, doing a flip in the air, but offered no explanation..
"You know that's not an option," Fu said, brow furrowed in thought. They all watched him as stood there, looking pensive, and after a moment he took off the golden chain that hung around his neck, holding the disguised Fox Miraculous in his palm. He traced it for a moment, looking up at Trixx– whose gaze softened slightly.
"Fu, they're too young for unification," Marianne said. "That's too dangerous."
"That's not what I had in mind," Fu said as he stepped forward, grabbing Adrien's hand, and he carefully placed the Fox Miraculous in his palm. Adrien was able to catch sight of the metallic pendant shaped as the Chinese hanzi for 'fox', before it gleamed with a faint golden light. The Miraculous turned back into the shape of a fox tail, Trixx being drawn back into the Miraculous as soon as Fu let go of the Miraculous.
"If illusions are what you need, then you may take this for a time," Fu said, closing Adrien's hand about it. "However, you must return this straight to my hand as soon as the akuma is defeated– is that clear?"
"I–" Adrien looked down at it, then back up at him.
"Find someone you trust to be an ally," Fu said. "Explain to them what they need to know, and what exactly will be expected of them."
Adrien's eyes were wide. "Wait, you want– you mean– Are... are you serious?"
"You are responsible for keeping their identity hidden and making sure they understand they need to do the same. The only one you can tell is either Marianne or I. No one else, not even Lady Noire."
"What?" Adrien cried. "That's not fair–"
"You need to hand this Miraculous to someone you trust, Adrien, not a stranger. Lady Noire learning of someone you know could endanger your identity, which in turn could endanger you and her." Fu said. "If the time comes when she needs to select an ally, she will be subjected to the same rules– and you would not be allowed to know whom she chose."
Adrien hesitated, the Fox Miraculous warm in his hand, and he nodded. "I– I understand. How... how do I know who is a good match for a Miraculous? How do I pick?"
"That is for you to decide," Marianne replied. "But consider carefully."
"In my experience, I find that someone who contrasts with a Miraculous' concept creates a good balance for when it is in use," Fu replied. "For example, Lady Noire: she is naturally very creative and sharp, a good choice to temper Destruction. Meanwhile you're bold and impetuous, a good drive when paired with Creation. Together, the four of you create a well balanced yin-yang with your abilities– a flow and connection, not opposing forces."
"Don't overthink it," Marianne said with a smile. "Go with what feels natural."
Tikki zipped in front of him, seeing his hesitation. "Just trust yourself, Adrien, and make a choice that feels right."
"And remember– return the Miraculous as soon as you finish," Fu said.
"...Got it," Adrien said, hesitation in his voice. He forced himself to take in a deep breath as he turned to leave. He carefully tucked the Miraculous away, shutting the door behind him.
