The Fearless Kitten | Miraculous Ladybug

Chapter Two - How to Become a Hero

It takes me a whopping 3 second before I stumble and fall on my ass. I thought instincts would take over, that the powers of the Miraculous would just come to me naturally.

My extremely sore tailbone begs to differ.

"Tikki, how the hell do I use this thing?" I groan, clutching the baton that failed me with an iron fist.

"I'm not here to give you any kind of tutorials, miss Emma. You should go right back inside, and tell your parents you're sorry! They'll forgive you!" The small Kwami pleads with me, her eyes wild and nervous as though she's expecting danger to pop out of no where.

"I'm fine, Tikki. What's the likelihood anything bad happens? Not like there is a supervillain on the loose. If my parents did this when they were younger than I am now, so can I! If you won't teach me, I'll figure it out myself-"

"Okay! Okay, fine. But only because I don't want you to get hurt." Tikki sighs, rubbing her little nubby paws down her face. "There is a level of instinct that will kick in, but maneuvering the staff has to come from you. When you press the button, you'll open it up to be used as other things. Such as a telephone to communicate with the other Miraculous holders, a map, and even a tracker."

"And this," Tikki leans in, showcasing me with her hands how to hold it, "will help you extend or retract the staff so you can either fight, or use it to fling yourself forward. Think of pole vaulting but minus letting go and falling."

"It's a staff? I've always thought of it as a baton."

"You can call it both, it doesn't really matter. Essentially the same thing. Did you understand anything I said?"

"Yes, yes. Alright, let's practice this then!" I extend the baton (staff my ass), startled by how quick and powerful it works. When I retract it, the baton snaps back into the smaller device in my hand. Doing this a few more times, I get comfortable with moving it around, twirling it fast back and forth between both hands.

"The powers of the Miraculous give you increased speed, strength and stamina. It will also help you with absorbing impacts from hits when fighting someone, but you'll still feel it. Think of a bulletproof vest, it stops the bullet but it still knocks the wind out of you. So be careful, and avoid fighting. You're not prepared for anything of the sort." Tikki continues to babble on, making me laugh loudly.

"Tikki, who would I even be fighting? There's nothing to worry about." I pat her head lightly, tapping my earrings. "Hide, or something. Let's go."

I take off, feeling light as a feather. I'm still extremely wobbly, stumbling and falling rather ungracefully here and there, but overall I'm not half bad.

I take to the roof tops, running with all my might. I can understand why my parents loved this, it feels amazing. Like I'm an untouchable force, flying through the streets, seeking out people in need of help.

That's what a hero does, right? They help those in need. Even without a supervillain on the loose, I can maybe help someone if I come across anyone who needs it. Like an elderly lady trying to carry her groceries. Or a kid being picked on.

But at this time of night, I doubt I'll come across such things.

So as I'm eyeing the streets, pretending I'm seeking out a monster that's terrorizing Paris, I imagine what this was like for my parents. Thanks to Aunt Alya, I've gotten to see many videos of their Akuma fighting days. There are even documentaries that have been made about my parents, using many clips from Aunt Alya. Honestly, it made everyone a ton of money, from what I know.

But none of that really felt real, until now. It was hard to imagine a reality where such heroes and villains existed.

I stumble a little on the roof, slowing to a halt when I see a little dispute happening nearby. Hopping to a roof a little closer, I try to listen in on the conversation.