MariChat: Chat Out Of The Bag

Powers That Be

A dark, cold room, Hawkmoth found himself in, alone, along with the myriad of thoughts and plans, in deep contemplation. Both his hands rested atop the walking stick he twirled as a cane, his head bowed slightly, as he stared at his hands atop his staff, and in deep silence, only the fluttering of the moths around him being of any form of acknowledgement. A small crack of sunlight creeping in through the window shone upon the masked villain. He came here primarily when he planned to create another Akumatized subject to do his whims, to cause chaos to draw out, and to steal the miraculous' belonging to Ladybug and Chat Noir.

As of the past week though, he hadn't needed to do that.

He had the identity of Chat Noir. The entire city had that information. He had even gone into several news studios and answered many, many questions that were asked of him about his identity. Adrien Agreste.

One of the most unlikely people Hawkmoth could have ever expected. Many a time had he seen Agreste and Chat Noir in the same place, thanks to his telepathic powers. It had seemed impossible for them to be one in the same, but that must have been due to coincidence, and chance, allowing the young boy to change into his superhero alter ego out of sight of the villain through whom Hawkmoth looked though.

Possessing this knowledge had been key to his fight against the super hero duo, as it allowed him to launch attack after attack on them without having to worry about losing their location, and having to draw them out with more and more of his Akuma.

But the information he now had... Was different.

What could he do with this? Adrien Agreste, a famous model for a famous designer, living in Paris and going to a public school. None of those gave the villain a particularly large amount to work with. An average student who didn't stand out would have been a perfect target, no someone who was a famous face, and especially not when that face has been broadcasted to the entire world. Eyes would be on him at all times. He still needed his Akuma, as without them, separating Agreste from his classmates would be basically impossible. 

Not to mention that the Agreste boy had not returned to his home in days. He had kept a close, but quiet eye on the movements of the model and his home. And at home, he was nowhere to be found. 

But the powers of Hawkmoth, the power to sense the emotions of others, his Empathic powers, hinted at anger. Suppressed feelings of regret. Of loss. Of disbelief, and of fury.

Ingredients needed to Akumatize a person.

He had not attempted to Akumatize another miraculous holder, and was convinced it did not work that way. His own Akumatizations did not work on him, so he doubted it would work on another miraculous holder. Miraculous holders held an immunity to their own powers, so as not to destroy themselves when using them. Certain elements of that traced over. Miraculous' were tools for good, and thus, could not directly affect one another. While a direct attack from Chat Noir's Cataclysm attack would not hurt him, the same logic applied to him. Hawkmoth should, in theory, be unable to Akumatize another individual who possessed a miraculous.

Then again... Did that apply to their civilian forms? Was it not worth the chance to get hold of those items of power?

"I don't want to be treated any differently to how I already was before." The boy had said on camera, many times, punctuating the point again and again. He was used to interviews, and in front of people. He looked like a regular when he answered the various questions thrown at him, but he focused purely on saying that. "I only want to be treated as Chat Noir when I am Chat Noir."

The villain knew what the hero wanted. He knew what he desired the most. To blend in. To not stand out in the crowd. He wanted to be seen as a regular student, like any other child his age. He didn't want to be looked at like he was superior, different, better or worse for something he did. He was a humble person.