A Few Notes

Prospects

"Chat, watch out!" Ladybug cried, pulling her partner out of the way just as the roof crumbled beneath him, creating a gaping shaft that would have sent him tumbling twenty-four stories to the ground. The two heroes crashed together, and Ladybug scrambled to her feet before either of them could experience any deja vu.

"Thanks!" Chat replied, following her. He brandished his staff, taking up his protective position just in front of Ladybug and searching the skies for Mystarot.

"It's the end of the world as you know it," the akuma sang, "But I feel fine." A flick of her cards sent Paris into a devastating earthquake that opened the streets into one large, treacherous maw. Ladybug, grabbing Chat by the waist, hoisted them to another skyscraper just as their previous tower crashed, creating clouds of debris and dust and likely destroying more than a few lives. Then, the sky darkened, and was suddenly lit by the fiery approach of an incoming asteroid.

Ladybug's jaw dropped, her grip on her yo-yo tightening. "We have to fix this, fast!" She threw her spotted weapon in the air. "Lucky Charm!"

Squeaking, the hero rushed to catch a heavy crystal ball before it shattered at her feet. The smooth, perfect sphere sparkled in the crimson light of the flaming asteroid that was still making its way through the atmosphere. Ladybug looked to her partner.

"Follow my lead."

Chat quirked a brow as his partner sat cross-legged on the rooftop, visibly taking a breath as if steeling her nerves. Kneeling beside Ladybug, he listened silently as she began oohing and aahing at the crystal ball, pretending to be seeing images inside.

"Don't worry, Chat," Ladybug exclaimed loudly, "I can see it now! Everything Mystarot has been casting is a complete illusion, totally fake. Only this crystal ball can tell the real future!"

"Wow, M'lady," he replied, "I knew Mystarot was a phony!"

Screaming in anger, the akuma flew towards them, stomping through her landing. "I can tell the future," she roared, "And you have no business using that crystal ball! Give it to me!"

Ladybug scooped up the item and held it closer to her chest. "That's not a fair trade." She shook her head. "Give me your cards in return."

Hawkmoth attempted to reason with his monster, but Mystarot brushed him off with a laugh. "This child doesn't even know how to use my cards! If she wants to trade, then a deal's a deal." Like leaves from a tree, her tarot cards floated down to rest by Ladybug, who in return pushed the crystal ball towards the akuma. And while she was busy prodding the ball, Ladybug stacked the cards and ripped the entire pile in half. Nothing happened.

"Honestly, Ladybug," Mystarot cackled, looking up, "Did you honestly think I'd be so stupid as to give you my akuma?" She wiggled the card box in the air. "Idiotic girl. Now, to return to my scheming- huh?" Gasping, the akuma swiped at the crystal ball, which remained clear and blank. "This thing is a total fake!"

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir called, rushing forward to pinch the card box from Mystarot's claws.

The akuma howled in despair, her form dissolving into purple bubbles as Ladybug caught her butterfly. Looking up, the hero snatched the crystal ball and hefted it into the air just before the asteroid cleared the sky, standing in awe once more as her red and black ladybugs swarmed the entirety of Paris.

Chat hooked an arm over her shoulder. "Another battle won, Bugaboo."

Ladybug looked over with a smile, extending her fist. He quickly reciprocated.

"Pound it!"

The akuma turned out to be Celeste Pichard, a local psychic who owned a small shop downtown. She had fallen under Hawkmoth's control due to a scathing review from a customer denouncing her as a fake, and since her family had already been flippant about her work for quite some time, it had been easy to agree to be evilized. Chat made a quick conversation with Celeste, his ring beeping in warning, and Ladybug had already flitted back to Francois-Dupont.

Marinette detransformed as soon as she landed behind an inconspicuous corner. Sighing in relief, the girl fed Tikki with cookies from her purse, then leaned against the wall for just a moment. Her heart was still pounding from fear and adrenaline and she needed a bit to cool down.

So many lives had almost been lost. So many had been, saved only by the Miraculous Cure. Marinette shuddered to think what would have happened if the asteroid had hit. The entire world might have been lost.

The sound of a rushed landing and a bright green flash caught Marinette's attention. Someone was panting just around the corner from where she was standing, behind the school building. She clapped a hand to her mouth and, without looking back, sped in the opposite direction to the front staircase.

As Adrien shoved some cheese toward Plagg, his ears picked up on a muffled squeak. Peeking around the wall, he scanned the area right and left, but there was no one in sight.