Meanwhile in Collège Françoise Dupont...
Marinette couldn't go back to sleep after what happened last night. Luckily Ember didn't even notice her acting weird, but Alya did seem a bit curious as to what was going on with her. Marinette couldn't tell her back in her bedroom with Ember around. All she could think about was One for All all throughout the day, even during classes.
She couldn't focus on school work as she wrote down some notes. She wanted to call Midoriya so much, but she knew that he was busy with hero work and training. She knew that his hero training was important, but she had no idea as to why this even happened to her.
One for All was now back with Midoriya. She shouldn't even have it anymore, and yet she could feel a very subtle energy flow as she touched her earrings. She didn't even dare to transform until she understood what was going on. She felt like she was drawn to her phone and wanted to call Midoriya so badly.
Marinette noticed Alya looking at her funny, so she went back to notes. She didn't want to get into trouble with Ms. Bustier. Then she noticed Ember sitting with Sabrina across from her. She was actually taking notes this time around. Something about her seemed more open to staying here. At least, until she can get back home. Something about her looked more determined to get home however.
Marinette just hoped that she wouldn't take things too far. Whatever was going on with Ember, she could tell that she missed her Japan. Marinette didn't understand how she even got here in the first place. She didn't even make a wish or anything like that. Something about it felt off to her, and Cat Noir wasn't even around to confirm things with her.
She knew that she needed to talk to him and Midoriya about this sooner rather than later.
Once classes were over, her and Alya were ready to head over to the cafeteria. Marinette stood there as she grabbed her backpack and noticed Ember looking a little nervous. She knew right away that she was still shy about eating with everyone in her class. She was still the new girl after all.
"Come on girl. I'm starving," Alya said to her.
Marinette hesitated to leave Ember, but then noticed Sabrina talking to her. Something about her seemed determined to be friends with her, which made Marinette smile. She wanted to keep an eye on Ember, but knew that she wouldn't go running off this time around. For now, she let Ember eat lunch with Sabrina. Besides, Sabrina looked like she really wanted her to join her for lunch.
Marinette left the classroom with Alya and took out her phone. She noticed that she didn't have any missing phone calls, messages or voicemails. She bit her lip, wondering if she should call Adrien or Midoriya at this point. She hadn't even gotten the chance to talk to Alya about this. One for All had acted up, and she didn't know if she should worry about this or not.
"Marinette? Are you okay?" Alya asked her with concern in her eyes.
Marinette hesitated to put her phone away. Before she could put it away, some notification came up. She looked at it to see a Breaking News font coming from the news. Nadja Chamack was reporting near the art museum, which caught Marinette's attention.
"Don't bemused, it's just the news. There's been a robbery at the art museum. Witnesses say that they spotted two of them robbing a couple famous and rare paintings. The police tried to stop them, but they were able to get away. If anyone spots them, keep your distance until Ladybug and her teammates catch them," Nadja Chamack announced.
Marinette looked at Alya, and they knew that they needed to go after them. With Ember around, she figured that she would be fine with just Rena Rouge for now. She didn't want Ember being suspicious of her and her teammates. They noticed Ember and Sabrina coming over to them as they made their way towards the cafeteria. Before they could notice them, they ran into the locker room.
Marinette was hoping that Ember didn't see her looking suspicious. They both closed the door behind them, making sure no one was in there.
"We're clear. Whatever's going on with Ember, we can figure it out later," Alya told her, "We can't let her knowing who we are. At least, not right now."
"I agree. Ember might be from their Japan, but we still need to be careful around her," Marinette said to her.
Marinette and Alya transformed and soon stood there with confidence. Once Marinette turned into Ladybug, something about her felt a little off. She felt a weird energy coming off of her. It was subtle, but it was there. She didn't seem to look any different from her regular hero outfit. It still looked the same as usual.
No wings or antennas anywhere to be seen.
Still, something about it seemed a little disappointing that she didn't have One for All back. She wouldn't mind having that boost of power right about now. Something about it felt like she was more connected to Midoriya, but was still out of reach. She shook it off for now as Rena Rouge got ready to leave.
"Come on. Let's go after those thieves," Ladybug said to her as she took out her yo-yo.
Rena Rouge nodded and launched out of a half open window along with Ladybug. They both went after the thieves as they headed in the art museum's direction. Ladybug noticed that she felt a little refreshed as she felt the wind flowing all around her. It felt like she could fly as the wind wrapped around her. It felt like she had never lost her wings for a moment.
"Ladybug. Focus," Rena Rouge said to her, "We need to find those thieves right away."
She snapped out of it and kept going towards the art museum. She scanned the area as they headed towards it. There was no sign of them anywhere as they got closer. If anything, it was pretty empty around the streets of Paris. Then again, it looked like it was going to rain soon. The sky was cloudy and grey as they headed over there. For a moment, Ladybug thought she felt a raindrop hit her nose.
Then she spotted the art museum, and they launched towards it. They both looked around as they landed on the rooftop. Ladybug looked around, but couldn't find any sign as to where they left.
"Where could they have gone?" Rena Rouge asked her, "They clearly aren't very smart for thieves robbing an art museum in the daytime."
Ladybug looked around for a moment, but didn't see anything suspicious. Nadja Chamack noticed them looking around, but she couldn't talk to her right now. She then noticed a billboard sign of her and Cat Noir looking over Paris. Something about it made her stomach tie in knots. She missed him so much, wishing that he was here with her.
Ladybug tried to shake off this feeling and focused on the thieves. She noticed police cars heading towards the left, so they decided to head in that direction.
"Come on. Let's follow the police cars. Maybe they know where they went," Ladybug told her.
Ladybug launched her yo-yo, feeling that subtle energy again. She tried to ignore it for now as she and Rena Rouge made their way towards the thieves. They both launched through the air, following the police cars. Ladybug looked around, but couldn't find them anywhere. Clearly they knew which direction they went, but lost track of them around here somewhere. Ladybug wondered if she should've grabbed someone else to help split up and find them. Right now, she needed to rely on Rena Rouge to help find them.
"Rena Rouge, I think we need to split up," Ladybug told her, "You go follow the police cars. See if you can find them. I'll scope out this area, make sure they didn't run off."
Rena Rouge looked like she was against this plan, but nodded anyway. She headed over towards the police cars, and Ladybug landed onto a nearby building. She looked around as Rena Rouge followed them. She held her yo-yo, knowing full well that Rena Rouge can contact her at any time. She even wondered if Cat Noir was using his Miraculous right now. She shook it off, knowing that he was busy with hero work and training.
Ladybug scanned the area, not sure where the thieves could've ran off to. She swung her yo-yo around like a lasso, ready to launch towards them at any point. Soon enough, she felt a couple of raindrops hit her face. She had to find them soon or else those paintings were going to get ruined in the rain. They were rare and famous paintings, she couldn't allow them to get away with them.
Ladybug ran across the building and soon leaped across towards the next one. She couldn't find them anywhere, but then realized that they could've been hiding from the rain. She looked around the alleyways, hoping that they might be trying to avoid the police cars.
Nothing in the first one.
She kept going and leaped across the next one. Ladybug felt the rain hit her face, but it wasn't anything that worried her. She kept going and noticed something moving in the corner of her eye. Her head whipped down to see the two thieves carrying a couple of paintings as they ran through the alleyway. They wore ski masks and jackets that hid their identities pretty well. One was clearly a young lady and the other was a guy much older than her. Ladybug hesitated to call Rena Rouge considering they were right there. If she called her right now, she might lose track of them. She had to stop them right now before they got away with the paintings. Ladybug swung her yo-yo around and launched right at them.
It wrapped around the guy, stopping them in their tracks. Ladybug held one of them with her yo-yo as she landed onto the ground with determination. She held them tightly, hoping that they wouldn't put up much of a fight. They were thieves after all, and not very smart ones for robbing paintings on a rainy day.
"Drop those paintings and maybe I'll go easy on you," Ladybug demanded.
"I don't think so Ladybug," the young lady said back.
Ladybug felt the guy trying to get out of her yo-yo's grasp, but she could easily hold him back. Then she noticed something that he had around his hand. Before she could even respond, he went in for a punch. She barely had any time to react and got hit so much harder than she expected. Something about it felt stronger than it should've been, causing her to drop her yo-yo. She skidded across the alleyway, feeling the wind get knocked out of her.
She gritted her teeth as she tried to get up. Her eyes widened in shock when she spotted the guy's hand. He wore a gauntlet that looked similar to Midoriya's, but had different adjustments to them. She didn't understand how they even had stuff like that as she forced herself up onto her feet. The guy walked up to her and grabbed her yo-yo off of the ground.
"You're not the only one who took inspiration from those japanese exchange students," The guy said to her with a smirk, "You shouldn't have broadcast their quirks and strengths live. You never who might get the wrong idea from these guys."
Ladybug gritted her teeth as she felt the rain pick up a little bit. Even the two thieves noticed it as well as the girl tried to keep the paintings dry.
"Come on. Finish this quick before the paintings get ruined," the young lady said to him.
"Don't worry. I'll finish this quickly," the guy told her with a smirk.
Something about his smirk reminded Ladybug of Bakugo back in Japan. She clenched her fists, hoping that she could use One for All at this point. She needed some sort of power at this point. If this gauntlet was really that strong, then she needed all the help she could get. She tried to focus on One for All, but didn't feel anything. That subtle energy wasn't there right now and right when she needed it most.
Before she knew it, this thief came charging at her with his gauntlet. She tried to avoid him, but also needed her yo-yo to stop him. He kept it gripped in his hand as she flipped over him to avoid getting hit. She felt pain surge up her stomach from the hit, which caused her to wince. Right when he was about to hit her again, she avoided it only mere inches away from her face.
Ladybug spotted her yo-yo and quickly grabbed his arm that was easy enough to grab. She flipped him over and grabbed her yo-yo as it landed on the ground. Once she grabbed it, she targeted the young lady who was backing away from the fight. She flinched as Ladybug made her way towards her.
"Just leave the paintings alone. The police cars are all around here. You won't be able to get away without getting caught," Ladybug said to her, "Just make this easier for all of us."
Ladybug was ready to take them to the police, but then she noticed the young lady smiling. In the corner of her eye, she noticed the guy launching his fist right at her. Ladybug clenched her fist and instinctively went in for a punch as well. Something inside of her felt a familiar feeling, but it wasn't enough energy to activate One for All. It felt like something was missing as she went in for a punch.
The moment she made contact with the gauntlet, she felt that wind pressure coming from it. She suddenly felt herself fly across the alleyway and hit against the building wall. Her eyes widened in shock, feeling pain go up her back and all around her. She had never felt something so strong since Midoriya or Chrysalis. She fell to the ground with a hard thump with the yo-yo skidding across it.
Ladybug felt the rain start to pick up as the thief walked up to her with a smirk on his face. She could barely get up with her back hurting her really badly. It throbbed as her vision blurred from the impact. She wasn't expecting this fight to go like this, let alone even have a fight with a couple of thieves. She tried to reach out for her yo-yo, but he picked it up.
"This yo-yo of yours. It's pretty useful," He said to her, "Almost as if it were magical."
He held it with his gauntlet and crushed it rather easily. Ladybug's eyes widened in shock, not able to understand how these two had an invention like this. She never came across anything like this before in Paris.
"Come on. Let's go before the police arrive," The young lady said to him, "The rain's picking up."
Ladybug tried to get up, but her back hurt so badly. The impact caused her to get a little dizzy as her vision got blurry. She felt rain hit her face and noticed the thieves leaving her behind. She laid there on the ground, not sure how to contact Rena Rouge. Her yo-yo was broken, so she couldn't get through to her. The rain picked up as she tried to stand on her feet. She could barely push herself up onto her feet and soon fell to the ground. She felt so dizzy and out of it as her vision blurred.
She knew that she needed help as she felt herself losing consciousness.
"T-Tikki... S-Spotts off..." Ladybug said under her breath.
Soon enough, Ladybug detransformed into Marinette. Tikki looked worried about her holder as the Kwami placed their hand on her face.
"Marinette. You've gotta get up," Tikki said to her.
"T-Tikki... G-Go... Go get Rena Rouge..." Marinette said to her.
Tikki didn't hesitate and flew across the streets of Paris to find her. Marinette smiled at her Kwami and tried so hard to get up. At this point, she couldn't even lift her arms. Her vision got blurry as she felt the rain hit her face. As she felt herself slipping away, all she could think about was Adrien. How much she missed him and how much she missed his warm embrace. Something about the cold air and rain made her want that even more as rain soaked her clothes and hair.
"A-Adrien... I need you..."
In the streets of Paris...
Rena Rouge ran across the buildings and soon found herself talking to the policemen. She even talked to Sabrina's father about the situation. She knew that he wasn't the greatest cop in situations like this, but she knew that he saw them go in this direction. She had to at least find them before they ran off with the paintings. She noticed the rain picking up quite a bit as she talked to him.
"Those thieves aren't very smart for robbing in an art museum on a day like this," Sabrina's father said to her, "Don't worry Rena Rouge. We'll find those painting thieves in no time."
"Yeah, but we may not have a lot of time before those paintings get ruined. Those are very rare and famous for a reason," Rena Rouge told him, "I can't imagine how much money they cost."
Sabrina's father looked a little worried that she was right. Rena Rouge watched him take charge of the policemen around the city, telling them to look all around Paris. She hoped that Ladybug found them or at least caught them in the act. She looked down at her flute and noticed that she hadn't called her yet on any sort of update.
She thought that she would've called her by now.
Rena Rouge couldn't help but worry that something wasn't right here. Before she could call her, she noticed something in the corner of her eye. It was Tikki, and they were guiding her away from the policemen. Her eyes widened, realizing that Ladybug had detransformed. She instantly worried about Marinette and snuck away from Sabrina's father. She noticed Tikki looking really worried about something, which didn't help her relax.
"Tikki?! What're you doing here? Where's Ladybug?" Rena Rouge asked the Kwami.
"It's Marinette. She needs help," Tikki said to her with worried eyes, "Something happened with the thieves. I don't know what, but they were definitely stronger than she expected."
Rena Rouge's eyes widened in shock, confused as to why these thieves were even this strong to begin with. Miraculous gave them enhanced powers, so she didn't understand how Marinette had trouble with them. Somehow they had gotten the upper hand in this fight. Rena Rouge didn't hesitate and followed Tikki right away. The Kwami flew across the streets of Paris, clearly worried about her holder. Rena Rouge picked up the pace, knowing full well that Marinette needed her.
She never used her yo-yo to contact her, so clearly something happened to cause her to detransform. Rena Rouge ran as fast as she could, worried for her friend. Whatever happened with those thieves, she had to put it aside for now. Her friend came first before anything else. She followed Tikki and soon found herself heading towards an alleyway. The rain picked up as she kept an eye out for any sign of Marinette.
Once she headed down the alleyway however, her eyes widened in shock. Her heart skipped a beat, seeing her best friend laying down on the ground. She was soaking wet, and her hair was all wet from the rain. Tikki flew over to Marinette, trying to wake her up. Tikki's eyes formed tears as she kept nudging her.
"Marinette! Wake up," Tikki cried out.
Rena Rouge felt her knees shaking as she ran over to her friend. She knelt down, noticing that she was knocked out cold. Whatever happened, this fight really got to her. She felt her hands shaking as she tried to wake her up.
"Marinette. Please wake up," Rena Rouge said to her.
She didn't respond, but she noticed Marinette stir a little. Rena Rouge had to get her out of this rain right away. She carefully picked her up and launched up in the air. She landed onto the rooftop so that she wouldn't scare or grab anyone's attention carrying Marinette. Tikki followed her as she ran towards Marinette's place. She looked down at Marinette and noticed that she wasn't waking up as the rain hit her face.
"Hang in there Marinette. We've got you."
Another amazing chapter!
I actually really like this chapter! I just wanted to do something different for a chapter, but it has some significance to the story. These thieves aren't really a big deal, it was more about introducing One for All again. Also, it was also about the fact that some people took inspiration from these japanese exchange students. I just really liked this idea, so I just went with it. Marinette didn't expect this to happen so it threw her off a bit. Rena Rouge is here to help out her friend!
What's going to happen next??
More to come soon!