Chasing Ladybug 📸 (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic)

A Retelling: 7 | Starbolt

"Listen up, class!" Miss Bustier claps her hands three times to get the class's attention as everyone's phones rings with a new akuma alert.

Shadowmoth's newest villain—Starbolt, an astronomy professor—was akumatized after his plans for a new planetarium was cruelly rejected by Mayor Bourgeois. Now? He wanted revenge.

"You know the drill, we're evacuating the school! Make sure to get to safety!" 

Adrien jumps up from his desk and instinctively goes to grab Marinette to bring her to safety when his eyes widen. An idea strikes him. Now's the perfect opportunity for Multimouse's first battle! Well, with me at least. 

Marinette meets his eye. She wants to make sure Adrien was safe before she transforms into Ladybug. Before she can even say anything, the model runs out of the classroom. That was weird.

"I'll distract everyone," Alya whispers to her best friend, giving her the look. "Go and save Paris, bug."

"Thanks, Al." The pig-tailed girl smiles as she side-steps out of the room and down the hall. She finds the art room empty and peeks inside first before locking herself in. "I wonder why Adrien ran out like that..." She wonders to herself out loud. "Oh well, Tikki, spo-ahhhhhh!"

Cat Noir dives in through the open window and somersaults towards her.

"H-Hey, hi, hey... what are you doing here, Cat Noir?" Marinette spits out, thankful she didn't transform and reveal her identity to her partner. How did he find me so fast? "Shouldn't you be out with Ladybug... fighting the akuma?"

"We can meet up with Ladybug later."

"We?" She repeats, confused. "What do you mean—"

Cat Noir grabs her hand with wide, excited eyes. "This is it! This is your chance. We've been training every day, working on your powers, and now someone's been akumatized!" He pauses. "I didn't mean to sound so happy about that."

"Wait, you want me—Multimouse?!" Marinette shouts with wide eyes. No, I can't. I can't! Ladybug needs to purify the akuma. "Cat, I don't think I'm ready."

"Of course you are." He cradles her face gently and all her worries seem to melt away. "I know it. You faced Kwamibuster before. You can handle anything, little mouse." He leans down and kisses her nose. "Now let's go kick some ass."

She smiles at his sweet words and ignores the two kwamis headbutting her side from her purse. "O-Okay," She whispers, unsure of where this battle is going to turn to. "Mullo... get squeaky!"

Multimouse takes Marinette's place.

"Come on. I saw Starbolt going towards the mayor's hotel," Cat Noir explains as they jump out of the window and to a roof. "Mayor Bourgeois must have pissed off this new villain somehow."

Marinette had a plan. Of course she had a plan; she always did. She just wasn't sure if she can execute it properly, especially without raising suspicion from Cat Noir. Every few minutes, she planned to switch back and forth between Multimouse and Ladybug, with enough time for her boyfriend to see her in action and for her to be able to purify the akuma and repair any damages. Marinette had enough food on her, for once, to be able to keep the kwamis charged; she just didn't know what she'd say if her partner started questioning her absences.

Cat Noir and Multimouse land on the roof of the hotel, thankfully free and empty of guests. He expected his other partner here, who was usually on time, but there's no bug in sight.

"Huh, that's weird," The cat notes as he opens his staff. "Ladybug's not here."

"Maybe she's inside?" Multimouse offers with a nervous smile. "You know what? Why don't I go check?"