A/N: I'd like to give an extra-special thanks to KagamiPINKAgreste for inspiring this story. She once sent me a clip from Season 4 showing Ladybug and Zoe riding around on a moped, so I thought, "what if Ladybug rode a motocross bike?", and since I'm a fan of motocross, this was born.

It was a sunny Friday afternoon in Paris, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng was at home watching TV.

"Don't be bemused; it's just the news! I'm Nadja Chamack. In today's news, the Motocross World Championship is coming to France, and among the riders is France's very own Albert Royer, who has won four consecutive championships riding with Team Yamaha. Royer, a favorite to…"

Marinette's eyes widened, and she gasped when she saw Royer – a tall, lanky man with blunette hair like hers, only short and wavy – on the screen.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe Albert Royer of all people is coming to France again!"

"Why do you seem so excited about this, Marinette?" asked Tikki.

"Tikki, Albert Royer is a distant cousin of mine. It's been years since I saw him last, and I've been meaning to catch up to him, but this is the first time in years the championship's been held in France!"

Tikki put her hand up to her cheek. "Are you sure they'll even let you in to see him?"

Marinette smiled. "Relax, Tikki! From what relatives have told me, Albert has a great memory, so I'm sure he'll remember his Cousin Mimi!"

Tikki tilted her head slightly. "Cousin Mimi?"

"That was his nickname for me when I was a little kid!"

"Awww, how adorable!"

"Besides, I'm looking forward to telling him about the motocross bike I just got!"

Tikki frowned. "Marinette, are you sure that that bike is a good idea?"

Marinette smiled. "Tikki, I've ridden bicycles and I've ridden mopeds. How much harder can a motorcycle be?"

Tikki shook her head. She enjoyed her bond with Marinette very much, but sometimes, she was at a loss to explain the blunette's life decisions.

In contrast to American students, French high school students had to go to school on Saturdays, but only half a day, being that they had half a day of school on Wednesdays. This was most providential for Marinette, who was looking forward to showing off her new motocross bike to her friends. She was looking forward to it so much that she went into school holding her hands out in front of her as if she were holding handlebars, and also making motorcycle engine sounds. A certain boy took notice, too:

"Wow, Love Song, you're on a major key today! What are you so excited about?"

Marinette waved at Luka Couffaine. "Hey Luka! So, the Motocross World Championship is coming to Paris tomorrow, and a distant cousin of mine is going to be in the race!"

"Really? How interesting! I had no idea you were into motocross!"

Marinette shrugged. "Well, it's a more recent interest of mine. I was hanging out with Adrien and Nino, and they were watching this motorcycle racing documentary called On Any Sunday, which included some motocross segments, and I got so into it that I even saved up some money to buy a bike of my own!"

Luka frowned. "Are you sure? I don't want you to get into an accident and get hurt."

Marinette smiled. "OK, I know I can be clumsy at times, but really, I know all about motorcycle safety! Besides, I rode bicycles and mopeds before, so how hard can this be?"

Luka smiled weakly. "OK, I trust you. Just be careful, OK?"

Marinette gave a thumbs up. "OK!"

Just then, Adrien Agreste and Kagami Tsurugi appeared.

"Hey Marinette! Hey Luka!" Adrien waved at them.

"Hey Adrien! Hey Kagami!" Lukanette waved back.

"Marinette, is it true you got a motorcycle?"

Marinette nodded. "Yep! A distant cousin of mine is taking part in the Motocross World Championship, so I bought a motocross bike to impress him!"

"Wow! I can't wait to see you ride!"

Kagami smiled. "I have been a long-time fan of motorcycle racing, especially motocross." She frowned. "Having said that, I do hope that you're careful with the machine."

Marinette gave a dismissive hand flap. "Relax, Kagami! I know all about motorcycle safety! Besides, how hard can riding a motorcycle be compared to…"

"Excuse me, Dupain-Cheng, but did I hear you got a motorcycle?"

Marinette turned around. "What do you want, Chloé?"

Chloé Bourgeois smirked. "Oh, I just wanted to see Clumsinette wreck herself in her latest folly!"

Marinette returned the smirk. "Well, I doubt you'll have any luck seeing that, but if you are interested, then please, come on down to Elite Motocross in Saint-Witz after school!"

"Oh, I will, and I'll see how utterly ridiculous you look trying to ride one of those things!"

Chloé went the other way, laughing all the while, while Marinette flipped her off behind her back. Luka put a hand on Marinette's shoulder.

"Come on, Love Song; let's get to class."

After school, Marinette and the rest of Miss Bustier's class were gathered at Elite Motocross in Saint-Witz, a commune about 21 miles northeast of Paris. With assistance from Jagged Stone, Marinette was able to bring her bike up. The bike in question was a 1978 Honda CR250R. Known as the "Red Rocket", it was quite possibly one of the best bikes ever built. Marinette had a red Bell Moto-3 helmet with a white stripe running down the middle.

"All right, everyone ready?"

Marinette's friends cheered her on, while she strapped the helmet on and hopped into the seat, no mean feat considering she was only 4'5". Nevertheless, she managed to get a good footing on the foot pegs and was able to reach the kick starter. In contrast to other Japanese bikes – but consistent with European brands – the 1978 CR250R had the kicker on the left of the bike. Marinette gave a good, solid kick, and the bike zinged to life on the first try, spewing a cloud of blue smoke from its exhaust and treating everyone to the distinct smell of two-stroke oil. Feeling cool and confident, Marinette revved the engine a couple of times before pushing the shift lever down into first gear. After applying some throttle, she let off the clutch and screamed as the bike pulled a wild wheelie. She managed to travel a few yards before the Elsinore threw her off like a wild bull. The bike itself fell on its side, the engine shutting off due to its fuel supply being sharply cut off. Everyone rushed over to Marinette, except for Adrien and Kagami, who were too busy making out to notice.

"Marinette, are you OK, girl?" asked Alya Césaire.

Marinette dusted herself off. "Yeah, just some unexpected acceleration lololololol!"

"Marinette, are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Luka. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Relax, Luka! I've got this!"

Marinette stood the bike up again, put it back in "neutral" and kicked the engine over again. Yet again, when she tried to ride it, the bike did another wheelie and threw her off.

"Marinette, I really think you should at least get a smaller bike if you want to practice," said Luka.

"Or maybe not ride at all!" said Alya. "You coulda broken some bones!"

"Ha!" said Chloé. "I guess this just proves that your idea was ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"

Marinette sighed and removed her helmet. "Chloé's right; I'll never be good at riding a motocross bike."

Luka wrapped an arm around Marinette. "But you're good at other things, and that's what's important. Besides, think of how much you're looking forward to seeing you cousin."

Marinette smiled. "Thanks, Luka."

"You're welcome."

Luka and Marinette gave each other a big hug and kiss, happy to have each other no matter what.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.