"Rise and shine everyone! Today is Heroes Day. A day when you too can be a hero!" The news rang in lieu of a proper alarm.
"Marrrinnn." Tikki mumbled in her sleep, wanting her partner to turn off the alarm clock as she snuggled upon his pillow. But quickly grew more cranky as it was clear that her partner wasn't going to do it.
Opening her eyes, her annoyance turned to worry as she saw her usually sleep-happy partner was nowhere in sight despite it being before dawn. She looked around in worry, carefully phasing through the various rooms of the house until she finally saw her partner, already dressed for school save for his blazer. He was wearing his pink apron as he took a tray of mini quiches out of the oven.
"Good morning." She said, hovering before his face as Marin was started by his Kwami, almost tipping as he glanced up at her with a sheepish smile.
"Morning sugarcube, I thought you would still be sleeping." He said playing the tray on the cooling rack.
"That's my line." She remarked looking at all the parties and goodies that Marin had spent days baking down the last second. "What's all this."
"It's Heroes day, a day where everyday citizens perform a good deed for other people's benefit," Marin said simply as he placed his apron back on the hook. "Everyone's doing their part to put in the extra effort to make this city better, I'm just doing my part as well.
"And the fact that you spend every day saving Paris isn't enough of a good deed?" Tikki inquired as Marin chuckled, poking her cheek playfully as he started packing the food inside boxes.
"All that is Ladybug's good deed, I want to do my best as Marin." He informed. "But you could be my hero and help me pack all this before my parents have to use the bakery." He smiled as Tikki nodded, already placing the macaroons in their boxes.
Adrien was crushing his teeth as Plagg flew up to him with a pout on his face.
"Adriennnn, I need more cheese, I'll starve without my previous camembert!"
"Plagg, it's not my fault that you decided to finish off an entire week's supply in a day. We need to keep a spare wheel if we need to transform." Adrien sighed as he could see his Kwami was about to throw a tantrum. But was surprised when Plagg let the matter go, simply crossing his arms and flying into his laundry.
"I'll bet you more after school, alright?" Adrien said, but heard only a series of muffled complaints as he couldn't help but chuckle at his dramatic Kwami. As he walked out of the bathroom, something caught his eye. Looking out at the garden, he grew sad looking at his father in front of his mother's statue. When he walked out of his room Nathalie was already waiting for him.
"The fencing hall is booked for 6:05 p.m. and the Chinese classroom for 6:35 p.m. just as you wished, and remember that you have to make an appearance in the Agreste Foundation's Heroes Gala."
Adrien sighed shouldering his messenger back over his shoulder. "I'll be there for sure."
Marin sighed heavily as he placed the final box of baked goods within the chemistry room at the teacher's permission, enough to feed an entire class and then some.
"I'm very proud of you Marin, going above and beyond like this." Miss Bustier remarked with a smile as he placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you ma'am. I hope everyone likes it." Marin said as he glanced up at his teacher nervously.
"Well, I'm sure that they'll all appreciate it. Why don't you go on ahead and I'll finish up in here." She recommended as Marin said his thanks. As he walked out of the room he almost bumped into someone, but luckily didn't fall over this time.
"Hey Marin." Adrien greeted as he was passing by. But he looked past Marin into the chemistry room, growing intrigued as Marin immediately shut the door. "No one's allowed in there." He said with a playful smile on his face, clearly curious.
Marin chuckled nervously, folding his hands behind his back as he hung his head trying to avert his gaze. "Let's say, you'll have to just wait until later?" He chuckled nervously as he saw Adrien smile.
"Alright, but whatever's in there smells delicious." He remarked as he two walked to class together.
Adrien couldn't help but cringe as he saw Lila on the large screen of the classroom. He didn't want to think badly of her, he was sure she probably had a reason for the way she acted. But the way that she disappeared after turning into Volpina, and now facing the class with a bright smile on her face...it was strange to say the least.
"We can't wait to hear what you've been doing since our last video chat. Tell us about your week in the Kingdom of Achu." Miss Bustier requested with a smile on her face, as everyone in the class looked at her with expectation.
"It's absolutely amazing! Prince Ali invited me and my parents to his gorgeous palace." Lila said, apparently sitting in front of a pool before a palace as the sun began to set. "I miss you guys so much. It's so hard being away on this magical trip so far from my friends, and especially on Heroes Day." She said with a sad expression as everyone ate this up. Adrien turned behind him for a moment to see that even Marin was captivated bu their classmate. Though it wasn't surprising, only he knew what kind of person Lila truly was.
"Lila, what good deed are you planning to do on this special day?" Miss Bustier asked.
"Today I'll be meeting up with Prince Ali to show him an idea I came up with. During our world travels, my diplomat parents have helped me convince the leaders of several nations to agree to reduce world pollution. And I'm very optimistic that the prince will jump on board!"
" That's incredible, Lila!" Miss Bustier praised as Adrien simply shook his head in disappointment at how far Lila was willing to lie just to make herself look good. "Thank you on behalf of planet Earth."
"Well sure. Superheroes like Ladybug might save lives, but even he can't go so far as to look out for the entire world. It's during times like that that people like us have to rise up." Lila said, her voice dripping with honey as everyone agreed with her words.
"I'm sure Ladybug would be very impressed by what you're doing." The teacher praised. "Thank you so much for calling us, Lila. And good luck with your project."
"Thank you for your encouraging words." Lila said thankfully as the call then ended.
"Well, it isn't going to be easy living up to Lila's standards, "Miss Bustier said as Adrien slapped his forehead. " but let's not forget that we can all be heroes for this one day. We may not have Prince Ali as a friend but we do have imagination. This year, Ladybug and Chat Noir have been all of our heroes, protecting us from the terrible Hawk Moth. They've shown us that heroism is beyond comic books and fairy tales. Heroism is real, and it is up to you to show us how Ladybug and Chat Noir brought out the best in all of us by being everyday heroes. So why don't we go around and exchange what heroic deeds have you all planned? Nino?"
I gotta admit, I've never used to do anything for anyone before, but Ladybug and Chat Noir have shown me what being cool is really about." Nino said as Adrien couldn't help but smile at his best friend. "So this year, I'm going to visit the elderly residents at the local retirement home and play them all their favorite songs."
"Adrien?" The teacher prompted as Adrien stood up.
"Today I plan to give my fencing classmates a lesson in Chinese and my Chinese classmates a lesson in fencing."
"Alya?"
"Last year, I wrote an article about equipping public buildings with disabled access. But after seeing Ladybug and Chat Noir going that extra mile every single day, I decided that I, too, can do better. So I got the mayor's approval to improve facilities so that handicap kids can actually attend our school." Alya remarked proudly, exchanging as high-five with Marin as she sat down.
"What about you, Marin?" Miss Bustier asked, all eyes on him as Adrien looked up at his friend with expectation. But then he grew worried as Marin looked nervous, not even standing up as his face quickly grew red.
"Uh...so I, uh, yeah. I have...macarons-" He mumbled but was quickly interrupted.
"Wow, like every year? Chloé scoffed. "You obviously went above and beyond, Dupain-Cheng."
"Hey! He did what he could, and that's better than nothing." Alya tried to defend as Marin placed his head on his desk.
Chloé scoffed. "Even I'm doing something this year." she remarked standing up. "Now that I'm a superhero myself, I'll be signing autographs for anyone who wants one." But the class slowly tuned out the more she talked; well, everyone except Sabrina, who looked up at her best friend in awe.
At the end of class, Adrien picked up his bag, preparing to leave, noticing that Marin left the room first as the lunch period began. But he froze as he saw that his Plagg wasn't sleeping inside as he usually would.
"Oh no." Adrien murmured as he ran out of the room, having a bad feeling as he raced back towards the Chemistry room, standing outside the door as he heard a yell of shock. He flinched back as he saw his Kwami phasing out of the wall and into Adrien's back quickly.
"Plagg, what did you do?!" Adrien snapped in a harsh whisper, glaring into his bag as Plagg looked away guiltily.
"I was trying to hold myself back, honest...but it smelled so good." Plagg explained, as his mouth started to water at the thought of those pastries. "I got too excited and well..."
"Ugh, you and your stomach." Adrien groaned into his hands shamefully.
Marin's face was red as he walked out of the room at the end of class. Just as he was about to announce the picnic that the had planned for the class, Chloé just had to undermine him.
But it wasn't a big deal, after all, he had the rest of the day to tell everyone about it.
He waved to Alya, as the lunch period had started, deciding to start setting up for the evening. But as he walked into the Chemistry room he saw that the dozens of boxes of pastries were gone, the only thing that remained was a familiar-looking black dust that was scattered around the ground. He hung his head in defeat.
"This is fine."
Adrien sat at the base of the staircase as he groaned into his hands. Even though his Kwami was acting out, he was the one in charge of looking out for Plagg. Somehow this feeling felt far too familiar as he then saw Marin walked past him with a sullen expression on his face.
"Hey, Marin, I uh," Adrien said nervously as Marin looked back at him. "how're...things?"
Marin sighed heavily, resting his head in his hands as he sat down next to him. "Well, I spent weeks planning, days baking, but I can't prepare for the universe deciding that I can't do nice things for my friends.
"What?" Adrien asked.
"I was planning a picnic for the entire class, you know, because everyone's worked so hard, and deserves to be recognized for it." He said sincerely. "But I can't redo everything in a day on my own."
"Maybe you could..." Adrien faltered as he tried to think up a solution, but couldn't as his guilt didn't even allow him to console his friend. So instead he only glanced at his friend who sulked in his own misery.
"You know what, don't worry about it." Marin sighed, "It's not like anyone knew so I'll just try again next year-" But just as he stood up, he stumbled for a moment holding his head; looking as though he had a headache.
But before Adrien could ask if his friend was feeling sick, Adrien suddenly was jolted to attention as he heard screaming. Looking up he saw hundreds of red Akuma accending upon the school, heading towards all the students. Adrien tackled his friend, pushing Marin tp the ground as a few of their friends were Akumatized, turning into villains as the rest of them swarmed around.
"It's okay. No need to panic. I know what I have to do!" Chloé remarked, not being affected by the Akuma's as she ran out of the building.
Adrien spotted Ivan, Mylène, Max, and Rose getting hit with the Akumas. He was certain that there were more that he hadn't seen, unsure of where of what to do. Suddenly, he was surprised as Marin yelled out.
"Don't let fear control you, Juleka!" He called out as Adrien helped him to his feet. Both saw that once Juleka calmed down, the Akuma then ignored her.
Adrien saw the chaos unfolding and felt overwhelmed. But saw Marin glance around. He reached out for a moment towards one of the red Akuma but Adrien immediately grabbed his hand. "What are you doing!?" He asked, flabergasted at his friends'...stupidity? It didn't seem like the right word to associate with Marin of all people, but he had his moments.
"Wait, look." Marin said, taking off his Heroes day button and placing it on the Akuma. But the insect didn't possess the item. "I think they're only after people who've been previously Akumatized..." He thought for a moment.
"How can you be so sure?" Adrien asked.
"Because I'm terrified, and they're not attracted to me at all." Marin chuckled as Adrien noticed his friend's entire body trembling but still smiled nonchalantly. "Hey, wait, wasn't your bodyguard-"
Marin was about to say, but both of them both looked up with to see Gorizilla looking down at them, at Adrien most specifically.
"Uh, yeah." Adrien nodded as reflexively grabbed his friend's hand, ducking for some cover in the locker rooms, out of sight as people ran around in a panic.
"Well, on the bright side, I don't feel so bad about the picnic being destroyed anymore," Marin remarked as Adrien glanced at his friend with mixed emotion. Marin was known for looking at the bright side, but he could really be depressing sometimes.
"I'm gonna try and distract Gorizilla, if he's like he was before then he'll just be after me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it's not as crazy as reaching for an Akuma." Adrien smirked as he, didn't wait for his friend's response to run out of the locker room. Marin ran directly towards the back exit. Closing the door behind him
"Too many people have been akumatized. It'd be foolish to try to fight them all. We must go see Master Fu right away." Marin remarked as Tikki nodded. "Tikki, spots on!"
Adrien struggled in Gorizilla's grip, until he saw Plagg hovering nearby looking worried. He gave his Kwami an approving nod as Plagg flew away, preparing for impact as Gorizilla then tripped on the ground caving in under him. Adrien jumped out of his hand, tumbling to the ground as he then sprinted away, ditching his white shirt as he needed to get Gorizilla off the scent for a few moments.
Running into an alley, he crouched near a remarkably disgustingly smelling trash can as Plagg flew towards him.
"See that? I barely destroyed anything this time." Plagg remarked as Adrien could help but smile at him in amusement, patting his head.
"You're my hero, Plagg." Adrien remarked, "but you're still in trouble from earlier."
Plagg shrugged his shoulder, digressing as Adrien held out his hand.
"Plagg, claws out!"
Ladybug narrowed his eyes for a moment as he had a gut feeling that someone was following him. With all the Akuma flying around, there was no doubt that his head was being messed with, but this was different. He jumped towards a sewer grate, making sure to close it behind him as he hid behind a corner. He closed his eyes for a moment, his mind being more clear as he at least got some distance from the Akuma's from above.
Once he heard the sewer grate open up and close again without anyone on the ladder, he knew who he was dealing with. Stepping out of his hiding place he threw his yo-yo, destroying Vanisher's glasses in one move; releasing and purifying the Akuma as Sabrina turned back to normal.
"Ladybug?" Sabrina asked as she looked up at him in awe. "It's really you? The real Ladybug?"
"Of course-" He said but was taken aback as she suddenly hugged him tightly.
"We all saw you akumatized! You destroyed Chat Noir and you took his Miraculous to Hawk Moth. It was..." Sabrina explained as the pieces started to fall in place in his mind.
"An illusion." He said, only knowing one person who had the power to do this. It appeared that Lila was back in town, though to what end, he couldn't be sure.
"I'm going to tell the world not to lose hope because the real Ladybug is still going strong." She remarked with a smile as Ladybug hummed for a moment, looking at her thoughtfully.
"I think I can help with that. Do you have your cell phone on you?" He asked as he took a selfie with her, getting the new out there faster that he was alive and well. Social media was something he could always rely on Sabrina to be proficient in. At least this way, maybe more people wouldn't lose heart.
Ladybug transformed back a few blocks away from Master Fu's shop, taking special caution on this day especially. As he knocked on the door, Master Fu looked up at him as though he were already expecting him, no surprise there.
"I always knew that one day Hawk Moth would realize just how powerful he could be." He said, walking over to the table as the Miracle Box was already lain out. "Marinus Dupain-Cheng, you must pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission. Once the mission is over, you will get the Miraculous back from them and return it to me."
Marin looked down at the Miraculous placed before him, already knowing what to choose as he picked up the fox and bee Miraculous.
"Be especially careful Marinus. Hawkmoth's ability-"
"I know Master." Marin remarked as he took Wayzz's Miraculous from Master Fu's hand. "I promise, I won't fail you."
Chat Noir looked over the amass of growing enemies as his baton started to beep. A smile drew on hips lips as he answered, hearing his partner's voice on the other side.
"Bugaboo." Chat Noir greeted playfully.
"Chat Noir, where are you?" Ladybug asked from the other side.
"Oh you know, hanging around. No way I was gonna miss this party, especially with this celebrity guest list."
"How big are we talking?"
Chat Noir hummed to himself, "How does almost every villain we've ever faced sound? No sign of the Moth though." There was a pause in the call. My La-NYAH!" Chat Noir suddenly yelped as someone landed behind him. And only one person could evade his sharp ears. As he looked up at him, Ladybug looked down towards him with a surprised expression.
"Did you just-"
"NO."
"But I heard-"
"YOU ARE MISTAKEN." Chat Noir remarked standing up as he tried to retain his dignity.
"Right..."Ladybug said, feeling a little guilty as a small smile of amusement drew on his face as Chat Noir glared at him with flattened ears. But he was surprised as Ladybug held out a Miraculous before him, taking out from his yo-yo. "We've got work to do." His partner said as Chat Noir grinned in excitedly.
"When this is over, I swear I'll take you to the movies." Alya promised as she and Nino hid in the locker rooms at the school.
"No, I'll take you to the movies." Alya argued as they both tried to keep a light mood as they were slowly being surrounded by
"How about we take a raincheck on the movies?" Ladybug remarked as he jumped in from the window as his two classmates looked up at him in shock.
"Ladybug? The real Ladybug? But...?" Nino questioned as Alya ran past him to immediately hugged her favorite hero.
Ladybug smiled down at his best friend, returning the gesture as he gently pushed her back, his expression turning more serious. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. I know I'm revealing your secret identities but I don't have time to find a good excuse to give them to you separately. Rena Rouge and Carapace, I need you both."
Nino looked at his girlfriend in shock. "You're...Rena Rouge?"
"Of course I am." She said as-a-matter-of-fact like, opening the Miraculous box as an orange sphere materialized into Trixx, looking around in confusion as he saw a new unfamiliar face.
"I thought we were supposed to be a secret." The fox Kwami asked.
"It's an emergency." Ladybug clarified as Alya placed on her necklace.
"Trixx, let's pounce!" Alya said as she transformed into Rena Rouge.
It took all of Ladybug's will not to smile at how adorable his friends were, noticing Nino looking at his girlfriend in awe.
"So awesome!" Nino swooned as he took his Miraculous. "But aren't you at least a bit surprised that I'm Carapace?" He asked as Rena Rouge chuckled, holding his face in her hands.
"My sweet clueless boy. Just transform." She cooed as Nino took a step back, opening up his Miraculous to release a green light. One that transformed onto Wayzz who flew towards his partner.
"Yo!" Nino greeted with a smile as he and Wayzz greeted each other with an informal handshake.
"Wayzz, shell on!" He said, transforming into Carapace.
Upon Palais de Chaillot Queen Bee and Chat Noir were seemingly bickering.
"Why don't we fly in there and fight already?" Queen Bee asked in annoyance.
"And what would we do between us and over 50 villains?" Chat Noir asked.
"I don't know but ti's better than waiting for something worse to-" Queen Bee began to say.
"We won't be able to defeat them if don't know what they're planning." Ladybug interrupted as he landed on the roof with Carapace and Rena Rouge beside him.
"Lovely of you to join us bugaboo." Chat Noir remarked as they all crouched down on the overlook, scanning over the scene before them; almost every villain he and Chat Noir had faced before in one place. To make matters worse, the three heroes that he had made allies were vulnerable to the scarlet Akuma's. But so long as he could keep an eye out...
Ladybug took out his yo-yo, scanning over all of the villains present using his zoom feature, takin in every villain in sight, looking for a few in particular.
"Higher priority villains; Princess Fragrance...Despair Bear...Dark Cupid...Maldiktateur...any villain that could make us turn on each other with one hit." Ladybug as noticed not every villain they had faced were down there. But then all were shocked as someone else stood on the tower, broadcasting to all of Paris using Prime Queen.
"Ladybug, Chat Noir, Behold my powerful army and have no doubt that today belongs to Scarlet Moth!" Hawkmoth, now Scarlet Moth said. " Ladybug. Chat Noir. I can feel your close presence. If you want to save Paris and all its people, I'll give you one last chance. Give yourselves up and bring me your Miraculous."
"Blast from the past, wouldn't you say?" Chat Noir asked as he and Ladybug exchanged a glance. "Same place, same villain, just a few more guests." He remarked, remembering the last time they had come across Hawkmoth.
Back when it all began.
"Is..is this bad? Now that the main bad is here?" Carapace asked, looking towards Ladybug with uncertainty, surprised as he saw the hero's eyes light up for a moment.
"No, this is good." Ladybug remarked as all eyes were on him in confusion. "Now we can take out the source himself rather than just taking out his troops one by one."
"Well, thank goodness for a villain's ego I guess." Rena Rouge shrugged.
"Well can you blame him," Chat Noir remarked, "He assembled an entire army just for us. A little desperate if you ask me. So, what's the plan m'lady?"
"A misstep will end in our defeat. We have to be careful." Ladybug remarked as he started to feel the tension from this entire scenario. One misstep, they lose their allies, one misstep they lose Paris, one misstep they lose their miraculous, one misstep and he would lose...
"Hey."
Ladybug was shaken from his thought as he turned to Chat Noir placing his hand on his shoulder. Looking at him with a knowing expression, somehow already knowing how he was feeling. "We've already fought them all and we won! And there are five of us this time." His partner said somehow confidently.
There were a number of things he could pick apart with what he had just said. But Ladybug nodded, trusting his partner.
"All right, let's do this." Ladybug said as Chat Noir suddenly stood up.
"Hawk Moth! I hope you enjoyed Volpina's illusion because there's no way the real Ladybug will never hand you over our Miraculous! And we've got a better idea! You're gonna give us your Miraculous!" Chat Noir called out as all eyes were on him.
" You may have an army of akumatized warriors-" Caprapase called out.
"-But we're a whole team of superheroes!" Rena finished, the two exchanging a nod as Queen Bee stood up.
"You're going to wish you never wore that utterly ridiculous costume in public!"
A chuckled escaped Ladybug's lips, "Well, that's one way to make an entrance." He said, standing up alongside his team just before the hit the ground running. "Don't forget our main objective. We want to get to Hawk Moth. Any villain that's taken out will eventually get re-akumatized, so we need to watch out for the heavy hitters." He said as they all nodded in agreement, hitting the first wave of villains.
"Simple plan then. Go for the big bad boss." Chat Noir summarized as he took out his baton.
All of them looked towards the first approaching horde of villains, quickly approaching as Stormy Weather was using to her power to gain an advantage over them.
"Lightning!" She cried out, sending bolts of electricity towards Ladybug's way.
"Carapace!" Ladybug called out as Carapace threw his shield, defending his friend as Ladybug then quickly took out Riposte, kicking her sword as it cracked, releasing the Akuma.
He quickly captured is as he didn't have time to check on Kagami.
"Chat Noir, Carapace, hit them low. Rena Rouge, Queen Bee hit them high.
"On hit!" Chat Noir remarked as he and Carapace took out The Mime and Rogercop while Queen Bee destroyed Pharaoh's pendant, releasing the Akuma.
Just as Pharaoh fell, Princess Fragrance used her perfume to gain some lift. "Rena Rouge! Rescue!" Ladybug called out as Rena Rouge caught Jalil, then followed up by throwing her flute at Princess Fragrance's bottle.
Queen Bee had caught her just in time as Carapace and Chat Noir destroyed their targets as well, everyone transforming back to normal just as Ladybug destroyed Stormy Weather's Akuma, then collecting all the Akuma's.
"Good aim, Chloé!" Rena Rouge complimented as Queen Bee pouted.
"It's Queen Bee to you, fox!" She remarked as they pursued further.
"Your days of attacking innocent people will soon be over, Hawk Moth. Lucky Charm!" He called out, throwing up his yo-yo as a tennis racket fell into his hands. Looking around for a moment "Get ready! I'm gonna need all of you!" He called out, prepared for whatever was thrown at them.
But he then felt a spike of negative energy as he turned around, as he turned around, Chat Noir defected an attack, both them seeing all the villains that they had purified, retransform back into villains.
"What?"
Chat Noir's ears twitched as he looked up towards the building tops, spotting the cause. "Hawk Moth is using Dark Cupid to create all the negative emotions he needs!" he said as chaos erupted. A horde of scarlet Akuma descended upon them as they had to be cautious of almost everything around them.
"Form up!" Ladybug ordered as ll the heroes stood back to back against the enemies surrounding them.
"It's a nightmare!" Carapace said as he held his shield up, however, it was knocked out of his hands as Pharaoh grabbed his arms, almost overpowering him as Carapace tried to stand his ground, knocking him back. But failed to notice the shot lined up towards him as Dark Cupid shot his arrow.
"Carapace!" Queen Bee warned, but was too late, as Rena Rouge took the shot for him. Rena? No! Not you!
Rena Rouge growled at him, trying to escape his grip. "Hands off! You are not cut out to be a hero! Let go of me, you weakling!" As the two were vulnerable, Queen Bee deflected Princess Fragence's attacks with her top.
"You don't have to worry about me, Ladybug! I'll never let my emotions get the better of me!" She remarked as she protected her comrades. But the words were taken out of her mouth as she heard familiar voices.
"Chloé!" They heard as Style Queen & Malediktator appeared before them already Akumatized.
Queen Bee flinched back, her guard dropping as she saw her parents. "Daddy? Mommy?" But snapped back to attention as Ladybug called out towards her.
"Queen Bee! Focus!" He said, as she tried to evade her parents' attacks.
"No!" Ladybug hear Carapase call out as Rena Rouge fell to the negative emotions, her Miraculous becoming possessed as she accepted the Scarlet Akuma.
"I am now Rena Rage!" She cackled as Carapace lost hope, not even fighting back as an Akuma possessed his Miraculous as well.
"Carapace!" Ladybug called out as two of his friends had fallen.
"There is no more Carapace." He remarked, turning red as he picked up his shield. "There is only Shell Shock!" He stated as he threw his shield at Ladybug, who narrowly dodged.
Chat Noir back up into his partner as he saw that Queen Bee was immobilized by Despair Bear, clutching her leg. Freezing her in place as Dark Cupid shot her. "Queen Bee!" He called out as she glanced at him with a disgusted expression on her face.
"That's Queen Wasp to you, Cockroach!" She said throwing her top at him as Chat Noir deflected it with his baton.
"This might be a good time to use that Lucky Charm of yours, don't you think?" Chat Noir recommended as they were surrounded by enemies, hearing Ladybug's Miraculous beep.
"I need all of us to make it work! I can't do anything with it now!" Ladybug informed as being surrounded by negativity was starting to give him a headache. But as he glanced back at his partner, an idea sparked in his mind. "Chat Noir, hit the road."
Chat Noir glanced at him flabbergasted, "I don't see how hitting the road is going to-ohhhhhh," He said in realization as he hed his hand over his head.
"Cataclysm!" He said, activating his power, then placed his hand on the ground beneath them. The ground started to shake as cracks formed, with both of the heroes falling as the villains had to back away to avoid getting sucked in.
In the sewers they sprinted, trying to gain as much distance between themselves and the villains as they could. But Ladybug's Miraculous started to beep again as they came to a fork in the road.
"I'm about to transform back. I'll go this way. You go that way." He said as they both jumped to different ends.
Ladybug hung his head as he detransformed back into Marin, taking a breath as he took out a macaroon for Tikki. Overhearing Chat Noir's voice echo on the other side, hearing him transform back and then share some Camembert with his Kwami.
"You okay, Ladybug?" He asked as Marin placed his hand over his mouth, trying to process what happened.
"Hawk Moth has never re-akumatized so many people in one go. Something's changed, to do that, he'd need...an ally." Marin said with realization. "Ugh! Of course, he has an ally!" Marin said in frustration. "He'd need someone whom he could trust with the power to amplify his own abilities. Then, he could release as many Akuma as he wanted without any limitations. Someone who he'd know to hide from our reach so he could lead the attack without worry!"He said, kicking himself as he didn't realize it earlier.
"You still think we can win?"
"I don't know," Marin admitted as he rested his back on the wall, sliding down to the ground as he placed his hands on the back of his handing head in defeat. "I thought because I didn't see Dark Cupid that we might have gotten lucky, but that was dumb. I should have thought out every scenario, I shouldn't have left anything up to chance. Now 3 Miraculous are lost." He said in frustration. "Our team's crumbled, and now we're all that's left between saving everyone and defeating Hawkmoth..."
Adrien turned towards the wall that divided them, placing his hand on it, in lieu of actually being beside his partner. He could feel his hopelessness, his worry, his grief. A pot of heavy emotions that he always had to bare, something like this was his worst nightmare.
His eyes widened for a moment in remembrance. Ladybug's worst nightmare was...
"You're not going to lose me, Ladybug." He said clearly, as Marin lifted his head. "No matter what it's always been you and me against Hawkmoth, and every time we've come out stronger at the end; this time is no different."
"If people like us give in, then the bad guys win." Ladybug remarked under his breath, recalling the words that had inspired him not to turn away when he wanted to the most as he rested his head against the wall that separated him and his partner, a smile drawing on both of their faces.
But Marin's smile soon faded as he heard footsteps echoing through the halls, sensing a negative energy approaching. "They're coming!" He warned as both of them stood at attention.
"Hope they like water rides!" Adrien remarked as they both took out their magic power-ups. Both of them closed their eyes as they jumped off the ledge as their Kwami's consumed the potions.
"Tikki!"
"Plagg!"
"Power up!" They both said together as they transformed into their Aqua forms, diving into the water below.
Ladybug and Chat Noir glanced at each other as Ladybug then looked forward, sensing an Akuma as he spotted a villain.
"Syren!" He warned as Chat Noir took out his staff. Behind them, Animan had warped into a large catfish, charging towards them as Syren did the same.
"Better get fishing." Chat Noir remarked as he aimed his staff, towards Syren's bracelet while Ladybug hit Animan's bracelet, both items releasing Akuma's that Ladybug caught.
Both heroes reacted quickly as Ondine and Otis transformed back, using their rebreathers to help them breathe. But as they approached the riverside, they saw the large body of water start to freeze. They swam away as fast as they could, then reaching the surface just as the river froze. Transforming back to their normal forms just as they hit the ice.
"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called out as Chat Noir used his staff to elevate him towards the top of the tower, enabling him to take out Frozer. As Ladybug descended, he released all the captured Akuma's into the city, taking out Glaciator and Gamer as he and Chat Noir acted as decoys for the two of them. Landing inside the tower, Ladybug threw up his yo-yo.
"Lucky-Charm!" He cried out, receiving what looked to be a Miraculous box. Just as they were surrounded by enemies trying to pursue Hawkmoth, Ladybug just his yo-yo to wrap around the tower, trapping all three of them inside the cage.
"There's no escape Hawkmoth!" Chat Noir said the two approached the trapped villain who was backed into a corner as the two heroes drew closer.
"Are you sure you're not making a serious mistake?" Scarlet Moth asked. "How would you know if the wish I was planning to make with your Miraculous wouldn't have been beneficial to everyone?"
Ladybug grew annoyed at his response. "No benevolent wish should ever come at the cost of hurting others. You've already proven what kind of person you were the moment you decided to use your Miraculous for evil, Hawkmoth." Ladybug said, holding up his lucky charm.
Scarlet Moth smirked at his response. "That is the response I would expect from a child. How lovely it is, to see the world in black and white, and never for the true color lurking underneath. Unlike you, I'm not afraid to use these powers for more than simply errands. Since you claim to be so good, why not bother to try and change the world for the better?"
"For the better?" Ladybug asked furiously, now glaring at the villain standing before them. His anger was reaching ahead as he couldn't believe the arrogance of the man standing before them, the arrogance of a man...without a reflection, Ladybug noticed as he looked down at the ice. Closing his eyes for a moment, he could sense the multiple Akuma's around him, but the few that were in range were far too familiar.
His eyes widened in surprise as he saw another Hawkmoth in the reflection of his Lucky Charm, pushing Chat Noir out of the way just as they were about to be hit with one of Dark Cupid's arrowed.
Chat Noir threw his baton towards him, hitting Dark Cupid's pin as he fell on top of Horrificator who cushioned his fall.
"How cowardly are you?!" Chat Noir demanded as the turn turned towards the real Scarlet Moth who glared at the two of them.
Using teamwork, Ladybug managed to knock the cane out of Scarlet Moth's hands and towards his Chat Noir who destroyed it with his Cataclysm. The reaction detransformed Scarlet Moth back into Hawkmoth, transforming everyone back to normal.
"It's over Hawkmoth." Ladybug said, but was taken aback as their enemy only chuckled.
"Very well, impudent children. Watch what a man who's got nothing to lose can do!" He remarked as suddenly Hawkmoth punched Chat Noir in the gut with a greater speed and strength than either he or his partner could be compared towards. Knocking him back against the wiring as Ladybug narrowly avoided his attacks, using his agility to stay one step ahead, but couldn't keep up against Hawkmoth's raw skill. Suddenly, Ladybug slipped on the ice as Hawkmoth grabbed his neck, pinning him to the ground as Ladybug was certain that the villain could easily destroy him if pressed.
An amused expression danced on Hawkmoth's face as he looked down at the hero who only a few moments ago, dared to speak out against his will. "You were never going to win. Not today or any other day." Hawkmoth remarked. "It appears that your master was gravely mistaken when he chose children to face a man with ambition."
Chat Noir lifted his head, stunned, but then gritted his teeth as he saw Hawkmoth squeezing his partner's neck, smiling down at him sadistically. Realizing that the person before him was a true villain, the person whom his partner was always worried about. Chat Noir stood up on his feet, dashing towards the villain who knocked him away.
He released Ladybug who coughed as he tried to catch his breath back.
"If you wish to fall first, I cannot hold you back." He remarked as Chat Noir flexed his claws, but smirked as his ears twitched. Almost immediately, he ducked as Hawkmoth was hit with a shield, knocking him away from the two heroes.
"Need a hand?" Rena Rouge called out, as she, Carapace, and Queen Been jumped down towards their allies, transformed back to normal. Rena Rouge quickly helped Ladybug to feet as he nodded his thanks.
"Venom!" Queen Bee called out as she activated her power. "Once I paralyze him, then he'll be all yours, Ladybug!" She said as all of them approached the villain. But something changed as Ladybug lifted his head, sensing a new presence as he spotted a blue feather possessing Hawkmoth's broken staff.
The villain fell to his knees, as before him, a giant purple monster materialized. It flapped it's wings, blowing away the hero's as well as breaking the bindings of Ladybug's yo-yo.
The black-spotted hero managed to grab his yo-yo, throwing it to attach to the monster's stinger. But just as he was about to attack the monster it disappeared before his eyes.
"Ladybug! Hawk Moth!" Queen Bee called out as the villain disappeared without a trace, she knelt down towards the fallen cane, handing it to Ladybug who looked down at it within his hands.
"He must've escaped when that monster appeared." Chat Noir pointed out as the cane disappeared, only leaving behind a feather that flew out of the staff. Ladybug quickly grabbed it, looking at it in shock as he recognized the shape from the one from the grimoire.
"There goes our last chance of finding him." Rena Rouge remarked as Ladybug narrowed his eyes.
"The second Miraculous that was lost..." Ladybug murmured as he released the feather, watching it float away against the wind.
"A feather?" Chat Noir questioned as he glanced at his partner. "What is it?"
"A huge clue to who is working alongside Hawkmoth." Ladybug explained as his and Chat Noir's Miraculous started to beep. "We need to go, but first." Ladybug said as he threw up his Lucky Charm in the air, returning everything back to normal. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
Back at Master Fu's shop. The Guardian of the Miraculous locked away the returned Miraculous.
"You did well today Marinus." Master Fu said, but noticed his apprentice lowering his head. "What's wrong?"
"I know we saved a lot of people today Master...but I was so close to getting Nooroo back." He said sullenly. "Not only that, but we found out that Hawkmoth is allied with someone who is using the Peacock Miraculous; In combat, Hawkmoth is stronger than both Chat Noir and I combined, and he believes that he's justified in whatever he does."
Master Fu hummed for a moment, stroking his beard, "From what you say, it appears that he was far more dangerous than we originally anticipated. However, and more importantly," Master Fu said as he sat down before his student. "How are you doing in all of this?"
"Huh?" Marin looked up at him in surprise.
"Marinus, it appears all you are seeing is your mistakes, when in fact your accomplishments are just as worthy of praise."
"But Master-" Just as he was about to remind his master of everything he had done wrong this day, but was cut off by Master Fu raising his hand.
"No buts." Master Fu remarked, "You and Chat Noir did accomplish something great today. You two should be very proud of yourselves. The stars are always present, even within the darkest of nights."
Marin averted his gaze as Master Fu brought up his partner. For a moment, he troubled but then built up his courage. "Master...I think there's something I need to talk about with him, with Chat Noir I mean." He said as Master Fu smiled knowingly at him, sipping his freshly brewed tea.
"Oh?"
Just as the day reached into the evening, Alya had insisted that she and Marin linger around the school for a little longer. He wasn't sure why she was acting weird, but he didn't question it as it was Alya. All of a sudden, Alya had removed his tie, not answering him as she tied it around his eyes without much notice.
"Alya!" Marin cried out as his friend guided him by carefully holding his hand, not wanting him to trip on anything. "What's going on?" He asked now growing worried as he could only hear Alya giggle. She walked with him for a while, but then as they seemingly reached their destination, Alya pushed him forward as she then removed his blindfold.
"Surprise!" His entire class called out as Marin's blindfold was removed. He looked around in surprise at a picnic set up in the park with all of his class in attendance. There was a bunch of food sitting on a table nearby followed up with a few gifts sitting beside them, along with a bunch of blankets assembled as a sitting area. There was even some decorations lain out almost everywhere, as well as small lanterns that were meant to light up as if it got darker.
"W-What is this?" Marin asked, still stunned as he looked around in confusion.
"Now we know it's not actually your special day." Alya said as she placed her hands on his shoulders, pushing him forward towards the crowd. "But a little birdie told us what you were planning. So, we all pitched in and voila, a pseudo-birthday for our precious class rep." Alya smiled, looking up at her friend's face red with embarrassment.
"A little bird?" He questioned for a moment but didn't have time to linger as Chloé pushed a gift into his arms. She scoffed at him, crossing her arms. However, she stood there for a few moments, mumbling under her breath.
"Um-" Marin was about to question until she snapped at him.
"Be grateful!" She remarked before retreating to her corner next to Sabrina who held up cookies for her to try, but then started crying as she rejected them. Marin exchanged a glance with Alya as everyone started digging into the dishes they had brought to share with everyone else. Everyone was smiling and laughing, enjoying themselves as the sun began to set. Marin couldn't help but smile as he sat on a nearby bench a good distance away from the crowd, enough to give him privacy. He carefully opened up Chloé's present. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw a brand new smartphone, the newest model in a pastel pink case.
It was completely like Chloé to skip over any kind of verbal apology, but this was probably her version on it.
"Trying to get away from us that badly?" Adrien lightly teased as he glanced down at his friend.
Marin immediately lifted his head as his friend approached, but looked down for a moment, growing more frazzled, "You guys didn't have to go through so much trouble-"
"We did though," Adrien said as he sat next to Marin. "You're always helping people. One way or another, you've helped everyone in this class. Like that day you helped Juleka overcome her class photo curse. Or when you partnered Nathaniel and Marc together to make that comic book. Or when you helped me get to the movies so that I could see my mother on the screen. That's why everyone jumped at the chance to help out when I told them what happened with the picnic you planned out. Today probably won't make up for all the time you've made for us, but I'd like to think it's a start." Adrien said with a soft smile, noticing his friend was overwhelmed by all the attention.
"You set this up?" Marin questioned, blushing.
Adrien nodded, "I just, gave everyone a little push. It's the least I could do for you." He said, staring at his friend for a moment before he backtracked, "For such a good friend of course.
Marin's expression dropped slightly, but it returned just as fast.
"I have to head out. My father wants me to attend the Heroes gala tonight." Adrien said, standing up, even though he was sad to leave so early, he was glad that he got to see his friend smile at least once today. "See ya, Marinus."
"Adrien." He heard Marin say, as he felt his hand being held to stop him for a moment. Marin looked down at him for a moment before averting his gaze as usual. But he didn't let go of his hand as Adrien looked up at him.
The next moment came as a complete surprise to the two of them as Marin kissed his cheek, obscured from any audience. It only lasted for a moment, but Adrien was stunned as Marin immediately drew back,
"Right, so- thanks for being a good friend!" He said hastily, backing away so quickly, he almost tripped over his feet as he tried to rejoin the crowd. He ended up sitting in between Alya and Nino as the two greeted him happily, surrounding him in hugs as he laughed along with his friends.
Adrien lingered for a moment, touching his cheek as he felt a warm feeling in his chest. As for once, he didn't have to be Chat Noir for his friend to notice him.
Ladybug landed atop of the roof of the news building overlooking the city as night fell and the full moon rose.
"Calling me out so forwardly Bugaboo?" Chat Noir asked as he arrived. "What would people think if they heard about this?" Chat Noir said playfully. But his lighthearted tone dropped as he saw a serious expression on his partner's face. "Is something wrong?" He asked, now growing in worry.
But Ladybug shook his head as he faced his partner, stepping into the moonlight as he took a deep breath.
"There are a few things I've been hiding from you, and some of those things need to stay hidden. But we need to have this talk, " He started to say. "I think it's time you finally learn about the Guardian of the Miraculous."
Notes:
-They're just friends, calm down.
-Season 2 is done, time for the next season, filled with Angst. :3 (If you think Marin's situation is bad now...boy do I have some news for you.)
-I think what I have planned for a season 3 will be more, depressing and sad. Or at least I will try my best to make it so.
-Hawky's willing to kill some kids, will probably be more of a jerk.
-I wonder if Adrien will ever realize what his "friend" means to him, probably not. But maybe...
-Thanks for sticking around if you like the series Please comment or review, it really helps.