Future Tales of the Miraculous

Chapter 1

"Chat Noir, NOW!" Ladybug screamed.

No later than the desperate words echoing throughout the deserted floor did Killer Klown, the latest of akumatized creations from HawkMoth, catch the heroine into a vise grip, smirking as she clawed desperately at the hulking fist threatening to  snap her neck like a frail twig.  The monster caught the glint of a red and black yo-yo right before it whipped at his right eye, blinding him for a moment.  In a rage, he flung the heroine clear across the dead space and into a concrete wall. The impact of the wall sent Ladybug into a daze, threatening to steal her consciousness.

Lying on the cold concrete floor, the soft rush of blood filled her ears, and a hazy spotted fog was all she could make out as she tried to open her eyes. It wasn't long before Killer Klown lumbered his way over to her, albeit one eye down, pulling her back up off her feet with a firm grip clamped back around her throat. The fight had all but left her now; groggy but still squirming, Ladybug fought to get her vision back. She felt the blackout nearly take her over, but not before she caught a glimpse of the glowing butterfly outline appearing before the monster's eyes, commanding him to steal the source of her powers: her red earrings.

"Cataclysm!" A dark leather clad figure growled in a low tone, drawing a destructive, bubbling cloud of magic into his raised hand. From the exposed metal beams above, the now visible scrapper somersaulted down into an adrenaline fueled sprint towards the imposingly large monster. Chat Noir's immediate instinct was to employ his imbued hand directly onto the monster's body, which would instantly destroy him. But years of training restrained this impulsiveness in favor of more thoughtful execution in employing his many abilities. 

Instead, Chat extended his baton into a staff and vaulted over to his target's side. With a hard flying kick, the monster was sent across the abandoned building's floor and into a mound of concrete bricks and metal vats. The blonde feline stole a quick glance at his freed partner, relieved to see her crumpled figure was moving; she was worse for wear, but thankfully still alive.

With glowing green eyes flashed back onto Killer Klown, Chat Noir made no hesitation to lunge at him while the dazed monster was pulling himself out of the heavy pile of concrete. The clown's monstrous and deformed arms sloppily barreled towards the blonde feline, who all too easily evaded his attacks with the fluid movements of a professional acrobat. With a backflip over the monster's lunging arms, Chat Noir tucked and rolled right into the front of Killer Klown's torso. He delivered a swift and precise slash to the bright red metallic nose on the clown, which was quickly rendered to rust.

A small, marble black butterfly emerged from the rust, fluttering around for only a moment before being stolen inside a red and black dotted yo-yo. Once she released the butterfly, now cleansed of its corruption, Ladybug invoked her restorative spell reversing the heavy damage of the fight across the city and thankfully to the victims that stood in Killer Klown's warpath earlier that evening. A heavy blanket of destruction was laid across their city before the heroic duo was able to draw him to this deserted construction building. This and an increasing count of badly injured victims seemed to be the disturbing trend as of late with these almost nightly battles against HawkMoth's attacks.

PThe monstrous form dissapated and left behind a frightened, portly, middle aged man who had no recollection of what transpired while he was transformed. Ladybug helped the confused entertainer to his feet, and reassured him everything was alright while leading him out of the abandoned building. It wasn't long before the police arrived to take the man from the duo's custody, leaving the two heroes to quickly retreated to a nearby rooftop. Softly landing on the moonlit tiles, Ladybug breathed in a long sigh, joining Chat Noir's side and raising her arm to share a weary but well earned fist bump.

The moon hung low that late summer evening, softly illuminating Paris's glittery cityscape. The eighteen year old heroine never grew tired of the nighttime view of her city, or the many nights she and her partner spent saving it from certain disaster.

"You scared me for a second there, bugaboo," Chat mused, wearing a tired smirk that curled one corner of his mouth. "Why don't you stick to being the brains and leave the baiting to the beauty?"

He pointed a claw to himself and shot her a wink before circling her once, inspecting her figure for any lingering injuries. Ladybug's skin tight suit was no longer speckled with dots but had evolved into a solid black one with a red gradient that became opaque at her arms and legs.  The suit was also now fashioned with light armaments around her shoulders and knees, and a red and black sleek polka dot corset plated around her front torso. While both their suits had evolved to compliment their growing abilities, they were not immortal nor would they leave the battles unscathed. Hands on her hips, Ladybug watched her partner's eyes during his inspection, clearing her throat when they lingered a little long on her figure.

"What? You can inspect me too, if you want. I might have a boo-boo or two I need you to kiss and make all better," Chat Noir teased, smiling widely when Ladybug's heavy sapphire eyes grinned back at his.

Over the four years of fighting crime together, the indigo haired heroine watched the flirtatious and playful teenage boy mature into a beguiling young man with striking handsome features that exuded beyond his mask. It was easy to imagine that with his tall, muscular physique, smooth silver tongue and his mesmerizing emerald eyes, Chat Noir must have been quite the heartbreaker when he wasn't saving Paris. Even she had found it increasingly challenging to maintain her indifferent façade around his playful and magnetic charm.

"You look just fine to me, kitty cat." The indigo haired woman then feigned a yawn and gracefully stretched her limbs before reaching out to lightly scratch under Chat's stubbly chin. The black leather suit had lost its playful bell, which she would have otherwise stroked, in exchange for similar armaments around his shoulders and a series of sleek, armored plates extending across his broad chest and slender torso. His staff had also changed; it was no longer carried as one piece but evolved into two batons carried on his back and fused into an extending staff when needed.  

Normally, this reassuring gesture eased Chat Noir's worries and elicited a deep hum similar to a purr, but not this time. Ladybug's eyes widened with her own raised worry when he suddenly caught her hand into his own, and clasped it down on to his armored chest. His jade eyes lowered in thoughtful hesitation before meeting hers with stark seriousness.

"We need help. At the rate that Hawk Moth's been amping up to, we won't be able to keep up for much longer."

Ladybug knew he was right, but she still needed to retain hope in Master Fu's last request of her.  Before his death, he told her that the next guardian was chosen and already  tasked with finding worthy holders to aid in their future battles.  She did not know who the new guardian was, and who would be chosen as their new allies, but she had to keep faith that person would step up when the time came. The heroine smiled at Chat's worried gaze, shaking her head gently and placing her free hand over his.

"We've got to hold down the fort.  I refuse to believe that Master Fu's sacrifice was in vain.  The others will awaken and help us when the time is right."

"If we don't get help soon, our next battle could end with you getting hurt badly.  I can't take that chance," he replied back in frustration.

Lately the akumatized villians ravaged the city with a horrifying level of violence not seen before. Defeating Hawk Moth's champions were becoming much more difficult, almost impossible at times, and forced the heroic pair into perilous situations, many times with acquired injuries that the Miraculous Ladybug magic was unable to completely wipe away. Despite increased trainings and patrols, the heroic duo seemed ill equipped to face the unexplained new uprise of terror he was raining down upon Paris. He had to be receiving help, Ladybug surmised, but from a powerful source that was still unknown to them.

The flickering black ring under Ladybug's hand caught her gaze at the same time that Chat noticed her earrings' last black dots flashing away. Perfect timing; she didn't want another argument about all this.

"Guess it's time to call it a night. Until next time, Chat."

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