Hyper! (Vol.1)

Runaway Muse

Nathaniel remembered it better than most.

To him, it was something of a lucid dream. Not so much different than his regular flights of fancy at sleep-inducing Science classes. His costume even looked similar to the ones he'd drawn—a black beret, striped skin-tight suit, and a magical drawing pad which could somehow alter reality. Only the name changed. Instead of the apt and unoriginal Super Nathan, he was bestowed with a much cooler title.

The Evillustrator.

He was certain; he couldn't have come up with a better name.

Despite all his guilt, he considered his time as a temporary villain as the best birthday gift he ever received. As plain old Nathan, he wouldn't have dared speak a word to Marinette Dupain-Cheng, let alone ask her out on a romantic boat ride down the Seine. Most importantly, he wouldn't have had a chance to attack Chloé, that self-contained brat, with a giant flying hairdryer. He'd better thank Hawk Moth for that.

Contrary to similar experiences shared by his fellow victims, Nathaniel knew he wasn't blinded by rage. Not exactly. He didn't vandalize the streets of Paris for the thrill of it, or anything. If he were to be honest, he'd say he felt like himself, but better, with added shots of much-needed confidence. He felt unstoppable.

If he had a choice, he would've kept it all for himself. The glory, the power, minus the shrill whispers in his head. Heck, he didn't even care about where those Miraculous went. What was so special about them, anyway? He wasn't interested in serving any shady evil mastermind. He wanted to do his own thing. Unbound.

But it's impossible. Or is it?

"Um, hello? Earth to Nathan?"

He snapped back to the present. "Y-yeah?"

He was sitting in Room 33, on a chair by the window, stylus in hand. Across sat Marc Anciel, his thick journal spread wide open before him. It was late afternoon, and the other members of the Art Club had gone home by now. The art teacher was busy arranging cans of spray paint on the side table, occasionally wiping out remnants of Alix's stray graffiti on the wooden floor.

"So," Marc said, ruffling his shaggy black hair in confusion. "Who is it going to be?"

"Ah." Nathaniel stared blankly at his tablet. "I'm thinking it's time for us to break the formula," he said. He gave the screen a light tap. "So far, Ladybug only has to fight the Akumatized villains, either one or two at a time. What if we do something different? What if..." He flipped his tablet so that it would be visible to Marc. "What if we have her fight her own partner?"

Marc let his jaw drop. "Of course! How come I didn't think of it first?" He clicked his pen and jotted down some ideas, not minding his own scrawled handwriting. "Ladybug versus Chat Noir... for real this time! Now that's something the editor will love."

"You'll need to come up with a convincing plot," reminded Nathaniel. "We can't just evilize Chat for no reason except to get a good battle royale. Maybe we'll have Ladybug betray him? Like, leave him out on a mission or..."

"Ooh, I have a much better idea," said Marc, shoving his journal forward. "Ladybug lied to him so she could go on a mission with the Mightillustrator. As we both know, Chat's jealous of his powers and overall looks and charm" —Nathaniel couldn't help but laugh at this point— "so he's afraid that he'll replace him as her partner. Actually, Ladybug wants to protect him because she knows the villain they're going to face, Copycat, has Chat's ultimate weakness. She's doing this because she loves him more."

"Not bad," said Nathaniel, "but don't you think it sounds a bit like a soap opera?"

Marc huffed. "True," he admitted. "But that's all I got."