She recalled what Tikki had once said: the "creation" and "luck" that she represented.
"Call me… Ladybug," she announced loudly. The moment the name left her lips, a wondrous sense of power and responsibility filled her heart.
"Ladybug," Cat Noir savored the name, his smile widening. "A good name, befitting a miraculous lady. So…" He struck an even more exaggerated, runway-model-like pose for Alya's camera, one hand on his hip, the other resting his metal staff on his shoulder. "You can call me, Cat Noir."
"Ladybug… Cat Noir…" Alya excitedly repeated the two names, her fingers flying across her phone screen, as if afraid to miss a single letter. "This is amazing! This is definitely going to be headline news! Can I ask one more…"
Beep! Beep!
A crisp, slightly urgent electronic alert suddenly sounded from Ladybug's earring. Immediately after, the cat paw pattern on Cat Noir's ring also began to flash, emitting the same warning sound.
"Oh-oh," the dashing expression on Cat Noir's face instantly crumbled. "Looks like our party time is over. Our transformation is about to expire."
Ladybug was also startled; she knew what this meant. Once their energy was depleted, they would revert to their original forms in front of everyone. She anxiously glanced at Alya, who was still thrilled about getting an exclusive scoop, then at Ivan, who was slowly getting up nearby, looking bewildered, and at their classmates who were still gathered together.
"We have to go!" she decisively told Cat Noir.
"I completely agree, My Lady," Cat Noir dropped his playful demeanor, his tone becoming serious. "It was a pleasure fighting alongside you."
"Me too," Ladybug nodded sincerely.
Without needing more words, the two instantly reached a consensus. Ladybug flicked her wrist, and the yo-yo string shot out, wrapping around a steel beam above the gymnasium. With a powerful swing, her entire body flew up as lightly as a red swallow, passing through the roof and disappearing into the sky. Cat Noir, on the other hand, propped his metal staff on the ground, and his entire body shot up like a black arrow, also choosing to leave through the roof, but in the opposite direction from Ladybug.
Agreste Mansion, I'm back. Cat Noir leaped swiftly across the rooftops of Paris, his heart filled with bitterness. The taste of freedom he had just experienced was so sweet, but the thought of returning to that gilded cage immediately weighed his heart down like lead. He had to return quietly before his father or Nathalie discovered his disappearance; otherwise, an even stricter confinement awaited him.
Meanwhile, Ladybug traced a large arc in the air, circling to the other side of the gymnasium. Her plan was clear: sneak into the girls' locker room through a back window, de-transform, and then pretend to be shaken and just having run out, returning to Alya and the others. This way, no one would suspect her identity.
Just as the two heroes were making their hurried escape, the main entrance of the gymnasium was pushed open from the outside.
"Chloé! Chloé! My precious daughter, are you alright?!"
A man in a well-tailored suit, slightly plump, rushed in. It was Mayor Bourgeois, the mayor of Paris. Behind him followed a squad of heavily armed special police, as well as Principal Damocles and Ms. Caline.
Mayor Bourgeois had been frantic. When he received the principal's incoherent phone call, hearing that a monster had appeared at the school and was heading straight for the gymnasium, he felt his heart leap into his throat. His darling daughter, Chloé, was having gym class inside! He immediately used his privilege to dispatch the nearest special police unit, rushing to the scene.
But when they arrived, they found the main entrance of the gymnasium completely blocked by huge architectural debris, making entry impossible. He had even ordered a helicopter to be dispatched, when at this critical moment, that mountain-like pile of debris suddenly vanished into thin air in a gentle pink glow!
The blocked passage became perfectly intact, as if it had never been damaged. Although Mayor Bourgeois was shocked by this supernatural sight, his urgency to save his daughter was paramount, so he rushed in with his men.
"Dad!"
As soon as Chloé saw her father, she cried, "Dad! You're finally here! It was terrifying! There was a giant stone monster just now that almost crushed us all!"
"Oh, my sweetie, don't be scared, Daddy's here," Mayor Bourgeois looked at his precious daughter with tenderness. After confirming she was unharmed, the weight in his heart finally lifted. He looked up, scanning the group of shaken students in the gymnasium, and Ivan, who was still kneeling on the ground in the center, looking bewildered.
"What… exactly happened here? And where is that monster?" he asked with authority.
Principal Damocles and Ms. Caline also rushed over, counting the students.
"Mr. Mayor," Ms. Caline's voice was still trembling, but looking at Ivan, who had returned to normal, she replied, "The monster… has disappeared. The students… are the students all right? Is anyone injured?"
The classmates looked at each other; aside from being frightened, no one seemed to be truly injured.
After confirming everyone was safe, Mayor Bourgeois breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the group of pale-faced children and immediately announced, "Alright, children, after what happened today, everyone must be terrified. I declare that Francois Dupont High School will be dismissed early today. The police will escort everyone safely home. Please return home as soon as possible and get some good rest."
"Great!" "We can go home!" The students let out a cheer, as if granted a great amnesty.
Under the guidance of the police, students began to leave the gymnasium in succession. Ivan, meanwhile, was helped up by Ms. Caline and the principal. He was still asking, "Teacher… why am I here? I… I think I just had a very long, very scary dream…"
Seeing Ivan's completely unaware expression, Alya, Kim, Jaden, and a few other informed classmates exchanged glances. They gathered together without a word.
"Should we… tell him the truth?" Marc asked quietly. He glanced at Mylène nearby, who was surrounded by Juleka, Rose, and Alix, being softly comforted, her shoulders still trembling slightly.
"Of course we have to tell him," Alya said decisively. "Otherwise, he'll live in confusion forever. But…" Her tone shifted. "About Kim lying to him, I think… maybe we shouldn't mention it. Otherwise, it would be a secondary trauma for both Ivan and Mylène." As the knots in their hearts loosened, a gentle breeze brushed their souls.
Kim hung his head in shame, his voice as faint as a mosquito's hum: "It's all my fault. I took the joke too far." He walked up to Ivan, bowed deeply, "I'm sorry, Ivan! I shouldn't have written that note to mock you! I… I truly know I was wrong!"
Ivan looked at him, then at the surrounding environment, which, though restored from its disarray, still carried a lingering tension in the air. The blurry, anger-filled fragments in his mind began to sharpen. He remembered that uncontrollable rage, that tempting voice, and the cold sensation of his body being covered in rock.
"So… that monster… was really me?" he asked incredulously.
"You were just used by a very, very bad villain, Ivan," Lino stepped forward and patted his shoulder. "That villain put a black butterfly into your… uh… note, making you lose your mind. But it's okay now, two superheroes defeated that villain and saved you."
"Superheroes?" Ivan was even more confused.
So, Alya, Lino, Nathaniel, and others, all talking at once, recounted what had just happened, omitting the key details of Jaden's suggestion and Kim's lie. They told him that Ladybug and Cat Noir had saved everyone and freed him from that terrible state.
After hearing all this, Ivan fell silent. He lowered his head, his massive body looking somewhat dejected. He didn't get angry again, only softly saying, "Thank you... for telling me this."
On the other side, Jaden slowly walked over to Mylène's small group.
Julie, Rose, and Allie stopped their comforting when they saw him approach. They had all witnessed firsthand how this black-haired young man calmly analyzed the situation and proposed that brilliant plan, saving everyone. At this moment, their eyes, besides pity for Mylène, held a hint of admiration and curiosity for Jaden.
Seeing Jaden, Mylène buried her head even lower, her voice thick with sobs and self-blame: "It's... it's all because of me... If it wasn't for me, Ivan would have..."
"It's not your fault."
Jaden's voice was very soft, yet it carried an undeniable calmness. He stood in front of Mylène, his gaze gentle, yet seemingly able to see through everything.
"Why did Ivan get angry?" He didn't comfort her directly, but instead asked a rhetorical question.
The girls were all stunned.
Jaden answered his own question: "Because of Kim's prank. Because his stupid note angered Ivan. The cause of the entire incident was Kim's actions, not your existence. You did nothing wrong from beginning to end."
His logic was as clear as a straight line, directly cutting through the tangled mess of 'self-blame' in Mylène's heart.
"But... he... he was because of me..." Mylène looked up, her eyes teary.
"That's because he likes you and cares about you. So, when someone used you to make fun of him and humiliate him, he reacted so intensely," Jaden's tone remained calm. "This isn't your fault. Is it a sin for someone else to like you?"
That one sentence completely stunned Mylène. Oh, right, someone else liking me... isn't my fault.
"The entire incident, from beginning to end, was a tragedy caused by Kim's prank alone. You and Ivan are both just victims," Jaden concluded, his voice softening a bit. "So, don't impose responsibilities that aren't yours on yourself. You don't need to feel any psychological pressure; you're not the one at fault."
After speaking, he even reached out and gently, as if brushing away a fallen leaf, patted Mylène's still slightly trembling shoulder.
That warm and steady touch, transmitted through the thin fabric, was like a warm current that instantly surged into Mylène's cold heart. She could no longer hold back and burst into tears, but this time, it was no longer suppressed and self-blaming sobs, but a full-blown wail of emotional release.
Rose and Julie quickly hugged her, gently patting her back. Allie gave Jaden a look full of gratitude and admiration.
"Thank you..." Allie whispered, "You're right."
Jaden only nodded almost imperceptibly, then stepped back two paces, leaving the space for the girls. He watched Mylène fully vent her emotions in her friends' embrace, knowing that the knot in her heart had been untied.
A gentle breeze blew in, lightly rustling his slightly upturned hair. At this moment, in the hearts of Rose, Julie, Allie, and even Alya and Marinette who were secretly observing from not far away, Jaden's image had changed. He was like this refreshing breeze, seemingly formless, yet capable of dispelling the gloom in people's hearts at the most crucial moment. That faint sense of goodwill, like a feather caught by the wind, quietly drifted down, creating subtle ripples on the lake of their hearts. Video as proof, undercurrents surging.
Alya, on the other hand, was like she was on adrenaline. She didn't go home immediately but rushed to Mayor Bourgeois.
"Mayor Bourgeois! Mayor Bourgeois! I have something to show you!" She held up her phone like she was presenting a treasure. "I recorded the entire battle just now!"
"Oh?" Mayor Bourgeois was very interested. He was troubled by the lack of firsthand information to report this bizarre incident to his superiors. He had his secretary take Alya's phone and open the video.
The video began with the imposing sight of Stoneheart's massive body appearing in the gymnasium, full of oppression. Immediately following was the scene of Cat Noir grappling with him. Cat Noir's agility contrasted sharply with Stoneheart's clumsiness, but clearly, Cat Noir was at a disadvantage.
"This Cat Noir kid... is a bit flashy and not very practical," the Mayor commented.
Then, the scene shifted, and Ladybug appeared like a divine soldier from the sky. Her appearance instantly turned the tide of the battle.
The video clearly recorded how the two heroes cooperated and discovered that physical attacks were ineffective. Alya's camera shook a lot, but not a single key moment was missed. The Mayor watched with bated breath, and when he saw his daughter Chloé also appear in a corner of the screen, trembling with fear, he broke out in a cold sweat.
The video didn't show Alya arguing with Chloé, nor did it show Jaden and Kim's conversation; there was only chaos and the battle of the two heroes. Then, the most crucial scene arrived.
The Mayor clearly saw that after confronting the boy named Kim, the monster suddenly attacked him in a frenzy, and then a small, black paper ball flew out of its body.
Immediately following was Ladybug's miraculous grab. After she destroyed the paper ball, a black butterfly flew out. And as the butterfly was purified, the massive stone monster vanished into thin air, transforming back into the student Ivan.
Finally, there was the breathtaking "Miraculous Restoration." Watching everything that was destroyed on the screen instantly restore in a pink glow, Mayor Bourgeois was completely stunned.
He pondered for a moment, his mind becoming active.
"This black butterfly..." He pointed at the screen. "It's clearly the culprit. The student named Ivan is at most a victim who was used. Paris has a new... super villain who can turn ordinary people's negative emotions into monsters."
His secretary was taking notes beside him.
"But," the Mayor's face showed a approving smile, "we also have new heroes. And they are the best kind."
He had seen too many hero movies and comics. In them, heroes and villains fought to the death, cities turned into ruins, and finally, a mess was left for the government to clean up. But these two today... they not only defeated the villain and saved the hostages, they actually... could even restore all the destruction to its original state!
These were simply perfect, zero-cost city Guardians!
"Investigate," the Mayor ordered his secretary. "Use all resources. I want to know everything about 'Ladybug' and 'Cat Noir.'" The secretary prepared to act, but the Mayor's tone shifted. "No, don't disturb them yet. We just need to announce their existence to the citizens and portray them as the protectors of Paris. This will not only calm the public but also deter that villain hiding in the shadows!"
Alya's eyes lit up as she listened. She knew that her newly prepared "miraculous Blog" was about to become a huge hit!
... Agreste Mansion, top floor.
In front of the huge circular window, Gabriel's face was so grim it could drip water. On the giant screen in front of him, Alya's video was playing on a loop. As soon as it was uploaded, he paid attention, after all, Stoneheart caused such a big commotion that any new news was flying everywhere.
"Ladybug... Cat Noir..."
He squeezed these two names through clenched teeth.
It failed.
His first Akumatization did not retrieve the two miraculous.
"Master... We..." Nooroo, at his collar, felt his surging anger and timidly tried to say something.
"Shut up!" Gabriel snapped coldly.
He stared intently at the screen, at Ladybug and Cat Noir's final victorious fist bump. A flame of anger burned in his chest.
He turned, his back to the screen, his gaze falling on the other side of the room...