In the two days following Gabriel's private declaration to his captive kwami, he was disappointed to find that no one else had the required negative emotions. Seeing as he now had the desire to find the Guardian of the Miraculous, it was understandable that he was growing impatient to make it a reality. Fortunately for the secret supervillain, a chance to akumatize someone new would present itself at the start of the school week... which just so happened to be a certain teacher's birthday as well.

After Syren's attack, both Marinette and Adrien's remaining weekend was rather relaxing after the amount of chaos the water-themed akuma had brought onto the city. While Adrien was enjoying the quiet, Marinette had a few things to do before school started again on Monday, starting with filling in her brother on the power-up potions. Despite not being able to show them how her new 'magic-aroons' worked in fear of depleting her supply, Jim and Toby were mesmerised by the news and voiced their desires to maybe try it out themselves at some point. The designer was greatly amused by their reaction and promised to eventually let them use a Miraculous and power-ups at some stage if they remained patient for a little longer. Thankfully, her request went over well with the two boys. Even telling them about integrating her new pixies into her garden went better than she expected, especially when she mentioned how they swarmed around her to hug her after thoroughly exploring the space.

But now that the weekend was over, Marinette had bigger things to worry about with Ms Butsier's birthday that very same day. This is how she found herself dashing towards the locker room at Collège Françoise Dupont Monday morning, her heart racing with excitement and nerves. Said nerves only quieted when she finally reached the door, bursting through it and finding all of her classmates filling the space inside.

"What are you giving Miss Bustier for her birthday, Rose?" Juleka inquired, her quiet voice cutting through the crowd as Marinette passed by her and Rose.

"I made her a scrapbook," Rose replied cheerfully, holding up a beautifully crafted album adorned with colorful stickers and ribbons to Juleka just as Marinette glanced over and saw it too. From there, Marinette continued to walk over to her locker and spotted how all of her classmates had their gifts for their favorite teacher. Seeing the amount of care the others had for Ms Bustier, brought a smile to Marinette's face as she reached her locker, spotting Alya standing next to it.

"Hey!" Marinette greeted Alya, opening her locker to put her backpack and gift for Ms Butsier inside.

"Let me guess, you just finished your gift?" Alya asked, playfully nudging Marinette gently with a smirk on her lips and making her blush.

"No, I finished it last night. I really hope Miss Bustier likes it." Marinette replied, followed by her turning to the others eagerly. "What about you guys? What did you get for Miss Bustier?"

Immediately, some of her classmates took the chance to talk about the inspiration for their gifts for Ms Bustier. It started with Nathaniel and his superhero painting, his mind drifted back to a warm day in the school courtyard where Ms Bustier solved a conflict with him and another student. Then Mylène regaled the story behind the calming braid of hair she was going to gift their teacher, going on to commend her for the calming classes Ms Bustier held for them. Rose finished the praise by chiming in when she recalled another aspect of their beloved teacher, bringing up how the class started the day with daily kindness exercises in Literature class. After hearing their stories, it was undeniable how much all the students of Ms Bustier's class appreciated her.

Ever since they became 9th graders, Ms Bustier actively helped the students of her class with their work outside of their schoolwork, facilitating their access to achieving their goals. In addition, Ms Bustier also gives her students the freedom to do activities as she's accommodating in anything they do if it helps them flourish, while also creating methods of teaching perfect for each of them. She even serves as some sort of psychiatrist for them sometimes now that Hawkmoth appeared, helping her students with their problems so that they wouldn't be akumatized. This was especially true after when one of them was freed from corruption. And after hearing how heartfelt her peers' gifts were, made Marinette feel inadequate about her own.

"Compared to those gifts, mine's going to be super lame." Marinette sighed softly to Alya, turning to face the inside of her locker as she got her books ready for the day.

"Don't worry, Marinette. There's no pressure." Alya reassured her bestie with a smile, placing a comforting hand on Marinette's shoulder and seeming to cheer her up a little.

"How 'bout you, Marinette? I'm sure you've come up with something awesome, as usual." A voice to the girls' left asked, causing them to turn and see Adrien; ever polite and curious, and a few classmates approaching them.

"Oh, me? Uh... It's nearly reffing at all. Uh! I mean... It's really nothing at all!" Marinette stammered nervously as she grabbed the present, giggling nervously she opened it and made the other students gasp in awe. " 'If we wish to change the world, we must all learn to love each other.' That's one of the first things Miss Bustier taught us when we first met her at school. I always keep it in mind." the designer warmly said after reading the writing on her cosmetics bag present, prompting the students around them to coo in admiration due to being touched by Marinette's heartfelt gift.

"Aww!" they chorused... unaware of Chloé not doing so as she slammed her locker shut, scowling at the attention Marinette was receiving.

"I also added this tube of lip balm. It's Miss Bustier's favorite color!" Marinette added as she pulled out the aforementioned cosmetic, nobody seeing Chloé's glaring in her direction due to her showing them the extra bit to her present.

"Come to think of it, Miss Bustier is probably why we all get along so awesomely." Alya reflected aloud.

"I'm so lucky to have a teacher like her for my first year in school." Adrien sighed fondly, grateful for his luck before turning to Chloé. "How about you, Chloé? What did you get Miss Bustier?" the model asked Chloé curiously, only for the heiress to hesitate and glance away uncomfortably at the others. With the lack of a reply, the other students moan disappointedly, knowing what Chloé's answer was.

"Nothing. Just like every year since kindergarten." Marinette remarked, filling the silence that briefly hung around the room before Chloé frowned at the critique.

"How come?" Adrien asked, looking back at Marinette for clarification since this was the first he had heard of Chloé forgetting a birthday.

"We don't know. Chloé just doesn't like birthdays." Marinette replied, not interested in getting to know Chloé enough to find out while the blonde brat's frown deepened.

"It's more like she never remembers them. Just like her mom, actually." Sabrina added absentmindedly, prompting Chloé's eyes to widen in surprise and irritation while her mouth briefly gaped open in shock.

"Yeah, well, you don't have to tell 'em my life story, either." Chloé hastily spoke up, pushing Sabrina back behind her so that she could address the masses. "And all that stuff about compliments and love? It's ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" the heiress declared, definitely crossing her arms over he chest while Marinette turned her head toward Alya

"This girl's got no heart." Marinette whispered to her bestie, frowning at Chloé's attitude.

"Uh, of course, I have a heart! Daddy will even buy me a second one if I want." Chloé retorted defensively, acting confident after overhearing them from across the room. Fortunately, the bell rang seconds later, signaling the end of their break.

"What's our next lesson, again?" Kim piped up to Max, trying to change the subject.

"Physical science." Max answered promptly, followed by the students dispersing from the room while chattering to themselves.

Eyeing Chloé, Marinette puts her present in her locker and slams her locker door, not noticing that it doesn't latch shut before she leaves with Alya, glaring and growling at Chloé. But when Sabrina left with them, Chloé grabbed a permanent marker from her locker and went to open Marinette's locker with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Don't have a heart, huh? Well then, how about I prove otherwise?" Chloé murmured to herself, uncapping the marker. "I do have a present for you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." the blonde brat evilly announced to herself, soon taking deliberate strokes as she defied Marinette's gift for Ms Bustier. If she couldn't give her teacher a gift for her birthday, then the small act of retaliation to Marinette's words would do the trick in making her feel better.

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(Time skip)

Unaware of Chloé doing her usual cruelty towards her, Marinette enjoyed a full day's worth of lessons with her friends. Said lessons included physics experiments when she wasn't lovingly staring at Adrien while he made that stupidly cute face when he concentrated, followed by cafeteria lunches, hallway conversations, and art projects. The school activities ended with Mr. D'Argencourt's energetic P.E. session capturing the essence of Marinette's daily life at school. But with all the other classes done for the day, there was only one last class left... Ms. Bustier's!!

"At last, it's Ms. Bustier's class! This will be her best birthday ever!" Marinette excitedly declared to Alya after they hurriedly retrieved her gift from the designer's locker, quickly heading to the exit just before the bell rang. Following that, the two girls made their way to the Literature classroom, where they saw a festive array of wrapped gifts awaiting Ms. Bustier on her desk as they arrived.

"This is for you!" Alix exclaimed to the nearly tearing up teacher standing next to the large desk, ahead of Alya and Marinette a few steps as she placed her gift on the pile with a grin.

"Happy Birthday, Miss Bustier!" Rose chimed in after Alix walked away, becoming the next one to add her gift and an apple to the growing pile while Alya and Marinette followed behind her.

"Good morning, Ms. I hope you like your gifts." Marinette happily greeted the elated teacher, both her and Alya smiling as they placed their gifts with the others before making their way

"Oh! Thank you!" Ms Bustier beamed warmly, the students continuing to shower her with well-wishes while the last of the students sat in their seats.

"Happy Birthday, Miss Bustier!" echoed the chorus of students, bringing tears of joy to their teacher's eyes.

"You're all so sweet!" Ms Bustier joyfully remarked as she wiped a stray tear from her eye, her heart warmed by the thoughtful gestures before she picked up the first present from the pile.

"Marinette made that one," Alya informed the teacher proudly when she saw the familiar gift, making the girl in question blush as Ms Bustier began to eagerly unwrap it to see what her diligent student had prepared.

But as Ms. Bustier uncovered the gift, her expression shifted from joy to surprise in a matter of seconds after pulling it out of the box.

Immediately, the ginger-haired woman was greeted by the message Marinette had written on the pink makeup bag being defaced, her heartfelt words scribbled out by permanent maker. As an added cruel bonus, the crude drawing of a stick figure blowing a raspberry above the scribbled message left Ms Bustier further shocked. Upon seeing Ms Bustier's reaction, Marinette scrambled out of her seat and went over to grab the gift from her teacher's hands to see what was wrong.

"What..?" Marinette gasped in shock when she saw the vandalism, immediately becoming enraged as she turned to glare at the one person she knew was responsible. "I know you did this, Chloé Bourgeois!" the pigtailed girl angrily accused Chloé, her voice trembling with indignation while the whole class erupted in an uproar of agreement before the heiress smirked to herself in satisfaction.

"A 99.56% certainty." Max spoke up from the crowd, checking his phone to confirm his assessment.

"So uncool, Chloé." Alya snarled, offended on behalf of both her best friend and Ms Bustier.

"Seriously lame." Marinette agreed, the rest of the class still talking over each other in agreement before Ms Bustier decided to break up the conflict and clap her hands rhythmically to catch her student's attention.

"Calm down, everyone. I don't want you getting upset on my account." Ms Bustier told the newly settled students, waiting until they had all stopped talking before taking the defaced present from Marinette. "While I didn't expect the crude drawing on it, I think this present is still wonderful. It'll be my new cosmetics bag and I'll be able to think of both of you every time I use it." the kind-hearted teacher assured the class president, taking the lip balm out of the bag as she spoke while Marientte gawked at her.

"What!? You're gonna let her get away with this, are you?!" Marinette questioned Ms Bustier, not believing that Chloé was getting away with her latest cruel deed.

"That girl is worse than Hawkmoth!" Alya exclaimed, nearly standing up from her seat as she sternly gestured at the blonde brat.

"At least half the city has gotten akumatized because of her!" Alix added, causing the other students to start loudly talking before Ms Bustier clapped her hands again to get their attention.

"Students, please, calm down now! The classroom is not a place for insults and defamation!" Ms Bustier intervened gently but firmly, attempting to diffuse the escalating tension and managing to get the talking to die down a bit. "That's better. Now, Marinette, would you come with me, please?" the ginger-haired teacher asked once the class calmed down, hoping to address the issue delicately before it could escalate anymore.

"W-What? Why me!?" Marinette questioned, her voice filled with frustration as she watched Ms Bustier walk to the exit and open the door.

"Just come with me, please." Ms Bustier reiterated gently, prompting Marinette to reluctantly follow her and step out into the hallway, head hanging low. "Alya. I'm relying on you to ensure things don't get out of hand while we're gone." the kind-hearted teacher asked as she turned to Alya with a reassuring smile, hoping she would keep the peace for a little bit.

"Okay, Miss." Alya agreed, her expression serious as she nodded her understanding before Marinette and Miss Bustier left the classroom.

As soon as she and Ms Bustier were in the hallway, Marinette seethed with anger, her hands trembling as she tried to contain her emotions. The betrayal cut deep, not just because of the defaced gift, but because it seemed to mock everything Marinette cherished—her kindness, her efforts to make Ms. Bustier's birthday special. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have let Chloé get under her skin... but this had crossed a line!!

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Unbeknownst to the enraged Marinette, her emotions were once again becoming a blaring beacon to the city's resident supervillain. Ever since Marinette squished his akuma a little while back, Hawkmoth had done some digging on how his akuma could have been rejected like that. After interrogating Nooroo, he found out it was possible if the intended target had a strong handle on their emotions and an even stronger sense of willpower, then they'd be able to destroy the akuma. Needless to say, he had been eager for another chance at akumatizing Marinette and was elated to sense her negative emotions from his atelier... which were slightly more devastating than the last time.

"That feeling of injustice! What could be worse than being punished for someone else's wrongdoings?" Hawkmoth rhetorically wondered as his lair window opened, having raced down to his inner sanctum as soon as he sensed the negative emotions. But now that his fluttering butterflies surrounded him, he opened his palm and let one of the white-winged creatures land on it before covering it with his other hand and turning it into an akuma. "Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her!" proclaimed Mr Butt-erfly, letting the akuma fly away from his palm and head out through the lair window opening.

Now free from Hawkmoth's lair, the corrupted bug flew through the skies of Paris and made its way towards Collège Françoise Dupont. Fortunately for the akuma, it wasn't much distance to cover due to the Agreste Mansion being so close to the school in question, leading to it arriving just as Ms Bustier and Marinette began their private conversation.

"But Miss Bustier, it's so not fair!" Marinette exclaimed, her voice echoing off the hallway walls while her frustration was deeply etched across her face. "It was Chloé, pulling another...Chloé! She's the one who vandalised my work and I'M the one who's getting in trouble?! That's so unfair!" the red-tipped-haired girl ranted in a trembling mix of anger and hurt, looking at the ground in frustration before Ms Bustier laughed at Marinette's reaction.

"Oh don't be silly, Marinette! Of course, you're not in trouble, don't worry!" Ms Bustier assured her student, her expression one of gentle understanding as she knelt beside Marinette and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"But you ARE punishing me. You're giving Chloé credit for MY gift. MY time, energy, and hard work! THAT'S punishing me!" Marinette argued, looking up from the floor with pleading eyes and unaware of the akuma zeroing in on them.

"I know it's not fair of Chloé to have done this to your gift for me and I completely understand where you're coming from. Believe me, there have been times when I wanted to bash my head into a wall with how frustrated her behavior makes me." Ms Bustier admitted with a pout, tiredly looking at the ground to her left before taking a deep breath and looking back at her star pupil. "However, I also believe that while there are much worse people in Paris right now, people like Chloé are capable of great things. But the problem is that they only think of themselves and don't understand the meaning of love. So while we can't force them to change, perhaps we can show them by setting a good example." the ginger-haired woman explained softly, giving Marinette a soft smile while completely unaware of Marinette's frustration starting to boil over.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WHY WOULD ON EARTH WOULD I DO THAT?!" Marinette exclaimed as she jerked her shoulder away from her teacher's hand, her voice rising in disbelief and leaving Ms Bustier surprised by her reaction.

"Marinette, please calm down." Ms Bustier urged gently, reaching for Marinette's shoulder again to try and calm her down while the akuma started to circle them from above.

"NO! I don't get why you want me to forgive her, Ms Bustier. Chloé is the meanest person I've ever known!" Marinette snapped, her fists clenched at her sides as she stepped away from Ms Bustier's hand. "She did this maliciously and isn't even sorry for it! All 'forgiving' her does is tell her that she's getting away with her antics no matter how awful she is. She's even being praised for it when she doesn't deserve it!!" the designer declared, neither noticing the akuma circling high above them in wait. While its original target was Marinette, the girl's sudden outburst had triggered Ms Bustier's emotions to start getting out of control too, confusing the akuma.

"That's-" Ms Bustier began after taking a deep breath, trying to defuse the escalating tension.

"And why does Chloé matter more than me... THE WRONGED PARTY?! What about my feelings?! Why should I ever do nice things when I'm told to suck it up when my efforts are spat on?!" Marinette interrupted, her voice wavering with emotion and not even wanting to listen to her teacher's words. "Not to mention the constant bullying and tormenting she subjected me to for three years before this year! If anyone should get an apology, it's me!" the pigtailed girl continued, pouring out her frustrations while her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Now, listen here-" "And if you don't want to punish Chloé for not just today but everything she's done, then fine, I can't make you. Just like you can't make me pretend that Chloé is the meanest, rudest, most despicable person I've ever met!" Marinette's voice trembled exclaimed, her righteous indignation once again interrupting Ms Bustier.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" Miss Bustier's voice finally rose, a mix of admonishment and concern after being interrupted again.

"No! I'm done! I'm not going back to being that meek and frightened girl I used to be! I'm tired of being the bigger person when it comes to her!" Marinette announced before turning abruptly and starting to walk away, her steps echoing in the hallway's silence. But when she was a few feet away from her teacher, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. "You know, someone close to me once said that 'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good people do NOTHING." the red-tipped-haired girl hissed, her back to Ms Bustier while her words hung heavy in the air, making the teacher start to squirm in discomfort.

"And you, Ms Bustier..." Marinette began, quickly turning her head back to her teacher and glaring at her. "... did nothing." the designer finished.

Ms Bustier meanwhile couldn't help but feel her heart beat faster and her throat tighten, she had always believed in the inner goodness of her students, striving to help them achieve a healthy connection with each other. But Marinette's words struck a chord with her, making her feel the weight of the situation pressing down on her even more. As she thought about it, Ms Bustier realised that it was because of Chloé that she was unable to make the relationship between her students healthy. Chloé was always a source of conflict among the students, which this latest stunt proved as she was the one who was seen as mainly responsible for the issue.

At the realization, Ms Bustier's warring emotions continued to fester within her as her guilt for her part in the conflict grew alongside it. And unfortunately for her, her negative emotions triggered the akuma to fly closer.

But instead of whatever Hawkmoth expected, the teacher took a deep breath and sat down on a nearby bench, surprising Marinette, "I really fucked up, didn't I ?".

At her student's look of shock, Caline allowed herself a smile, "Ah, I guess hearing me swear can be surprising, but yes Marinette, I understand what you're feeling."

"For you, Chloé is this peer, someone of your age, but to me she has always been a simple young girl, a child in my eyes." Ms Bustier began, her hands wrapping around their opposite's wrist as she tried to keep herself grounded by the familiar touch. "You are the babysitter of Nadja Shamak's daughter if I remember, right? Well, that's how I can't help but see Chloé." The teacher admitted, standing up from her bench and giving a sad smile to her student.

"I thought, hoped that my methods would be useful now that there's such a threat as Hawkmoth in Paris, I admit, my way of seeing you all blinded me. Even now I do not want to be harsh, but if my failures at being a teacher have caused this to escalate so much, then..." Ms Bustier tapered off as she began getting choked up, taking a moment to let her frustrated tears fall before taking a deep breath to collect herself and continue speaking.

"From your point of view, I can see how I've seemed to be favoring Chloé all this time, but that's the farthest thing from the truth. I fully intend to reprimand and give an actual punishment to Chloé for her actions today." Ms Bustier assured her star pupil, prompting her to look down at the ground below the bench.

"However, I ask that you accept that it will be in my own way, barring any harsh punishment since, well... you know well enough already." the ginger-haired woman said, knowing she didn't need to further elaborate for Marinette to understand hers and the school staff's situation.

"I get it. Her being the Mayor's Daughter isn't an easy thing to work around. Especially since she'll just call her 'daddy' to get her out of trouble again and most likely get you fired." Marinette reflected, her gaze turning from looking at her shoes and back at her teacher. "And that's the last thing I want, Ms Bustier. You might not have helped much with Chloé's antics in the past, but you've been a great teacher otherwise." the pigtailed girl praised, bringing a smile to Ms Bustier's face at her kind words.

"Thank you, Marinette. It means a lot to hear you say that. For what it's worth, I promise I'll do all I can to not let the situation fester again." Ms Bustier said, wiping away the leftover trail of her tears from her cheeks while Marinette sighed, happy that at least there would be some justice. Unfortunately for the both of them, however, Ms Bustier still was sad and emotionally tired, meaning Hawkmoth could still establish contact with her.

And so he did, making the akuma touch the woman.

"Ms Bustier!" Marinette shouted in horror, looking at her teacher.

"Ms Bustier, I am Hawkmo-" "No !" The professor interrupted him, "I will not let you of all people have any influence over me! I do not need you for anything!"

This took the man aback, meanwhile, he could feel his hold over the woman weaken.

But he hasn't supported the obnoxious chatter of people like Audrey without learning a few tricks.

"Please, do you truly think anything you'll try will be useful?" he asked, his amused tone visibly confusing Ms Bustier.

"The Little Miss Bourgeois has been my most useful asset, and wasn't it she who got the father of her so-called 'best friend' fired because he didn't want to break the law? What do you think he'll do to a simple teacher like you? It would ruin your life, and only a few months before the beginning of your... planned pregnancy? Oh, well, no wonder you were so worried about troubles at your job."

Caline almost felt ill at the realization that the supervillain could see so thoroughly in her worries.

"And even if the mayor grows some kind of moral backbone, what do you think your oh-so-arrogant pupil will do to you once, and I do say once, she is akumatized?"

"No!" Ms Bustier yelled, anger momentarily taking over her unease, "Chloé has far too many flaws to not be seen as worrisome, but she wouldn't fall under your influence a second time, nor would she do something so awful!"

At this moment, Gabriel almost felt his hold break, but this only angered him more.

If that woman thought she could beat him, then she sorely misunderstood what kind of Miraculous Holder he was.

"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT'S IN THE HEART OF YOUR CHARGES, CALINE BUSTIER?!" He bellowed, feeling the power of his miraculous... change "IF YOU ARE SO CONFIDENT, THEN SEE THEIR HEARTS, SEE ALL THOSE YOU CARE FOR YET FOR WHOM YOUR LESSONS OF LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE WERE WORTHLESS!"

In that instant, Gabriel remembered all the students of this class who were akumatized because of Chloé or whatever other circumstance, the emotions they felt, and he knew the teacher felt them.

The shame of Mylene, the outrage of Alya, the anger of Ivan, the heartbreak of Kim, that and more she felt, drilling into her heads as she felt not just their emotions that led them to their akumatization, but the madness that inhabited them when they were in their akumatized state.

While this rush of emotions caused Caline to fall on her hands and knees, gasping for air, the supervillain was left confused.

Was it... an unknown power? Regardless of how he managed that and how confused it made him, it left him... Oddly at peace, and pleased when he realized the mental and emotional defenses of the woman had crumbled.

"Truth be told, I agree with you, Ms Bustier," Hawkmoth admitted, "Love is the greatest of strength and something that must be sought and preserved, and it must be fought for with all the strength you can muster."

Caline meanwhile was still shaken, yet she could feel the supervillain's emotions, and no matter how much this hopefully temporary bond disgusted her, she was shocked as she felt he was completely sincere.

"And yet, the strength of one person is not alone to defend what we love, at least unless we use powers far beyond that of simple humans, which is what I'll offer to you, so long as you help me defend what I love most. Are you interested?"

"You've got yourself a deal, Hawkmoth." she said, just as her breath finally returned to normal.

Marinette watched in horror as her teacher straightened up and finally gave into the akuma's influence. At the horrible sight, the designer's eyes widened in shock and fearfully covered her mouth, followed by her racing down the stairs to the locker room. Meanwhile, Hawkmoth ignored the girl's escape, deciding to leave her be for now before he began to give his latest minion the usual rundown.

"Zombizou! I'm giving you the power to spread love and compassion. Thanks to you, the whole world will be one big embrace!" Hawkmoth command, his voice echoing through Miss Bustier's mind as she looked up from the floor and happily smirked at the possibility becoming a reality. "In return, bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous." the super-terrorist demanded, his voice cutting through the haze while Ms Bustier became further enthralled by the offer.

"I won't stop until everyone on Earth feels the love." Ms Bustier declared, her voice now filled with a strange serenity as she picked up the akumatized lip balm and applied it to her lips, turning them black."Starting with Chloé Bourgeois!" the ginger-haired teacher concluded, the sinister smile appearing on her lips completing her transformation into .

But while Ms Bustier was being turned into an akuma, Marinette had reached the locker room and burst through the doors. Her heart hammered within her chest as Tikki flew out of her purse, trying to get her breathing under control as she processed what just happened in the hallway. Unfortunately, she had a job to do and needed to focus on that, letting the horror filling her head be exchanged for determination as she pressed her back against the closed doors.

"I will not let Hawkmoth succeed!" Marinette vowed, her fists clenched in determination before she pulled her runestone necklace out from under her shirt, donning her hero disguise before saying... "Tikki, spots on!" the pigtailed girl exclaimed, transforming into Ladybug with a brilliant flash of light.

"Zombizou has to be stopped," Ladybug declared firmly to herself, her mind racing with plans to save her teacher and protect Paris from the akumatized threat. With a swift leap and a swing of her yo-yo, Ladybug propelled herself out of the locker room window and into the blue sky The fate of Paris hung in the balance, and she would stop at nothing to save both her teacher and her city from Hawkmoth's sinister schemes.

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While Ladybug was on her way to face off against the newly created Zombizou, the akuma in question had zeroed in on her civilian self's classroom and made her way over to the door. Once she did, Zombizou opened the door and entered the classroom with a dance in her step, surprising her students before she hopped on top of the desk with her back towards them. Only after she twirled her lip balm in her fingers and reapplied it on her lips did she finally turn to face them, leaving them further shocked.

"I have got some great news for you, students! From now on, everyone will hug and kiss and feel the love!" Zombizou declared, the hand holding her lip balm waving in the air as she gestured towards the whole class. "Especially you, Chloé." the zombie-based akuma added sinisterly as she faced the girl in question.

"Me?" Chloé swiped out in shock, followed by Zombizou placing her fingers to her lips and extending them out towards the heiress, sending a literal flying kiss her way. "Ah! Yuck! Ew!" the blonde brat squealed in appal, pulling Sabrina in front of her as the flying black kiss grew closer and closer. Unable to pull herself away from Chloé, Sabrina found herself helpless to stop the kiss from landing dead center on her forehead, leaving a pale black kiss mark.

"Oh! What is that thing?" Sabrina cried, trying to wipe the kiss mark away while Chloé pushed her away at the sight of it. When seeing Chloé avoid her kiss, Zombizou snarled in frustration and struck a pose as she reapplied her lip balm, ready to try and send another kiss. But much to her annoyance, Ladybug had finally arrived and appeared in the classroom doorway, quickly throwing her yo-yo to wrap her around Zombizou's hand, stopping her.

"Please, Ms Bustier! You've gotta snap out of it!" Ladybug begged, holding her ground to keep Zombizou from attacking anyone else.

"I'm not Miss Bustier anymore! I am Zombizou!" Zombizou declared as she grabbed Ladybug's yo-yo with her free hand, pulling on it to throw the heroine against the classroom's wall of windows.

With her enemy disoriented, Zombizou quickly attacked Ladybug while she was still on the floor, leaping from her desk and at the heroine. Immediately, Ladybug was quick to dodge the attack, contorting her body to flip up and off of the ground before planting her feet onto the window and propelling herself to the desk Zombizou was previously perched on. From there, the fight between the hero and akuma continued, focusing on the other and missing the students hurrying outside the classroom.

"Get out, quick!" Adrien urged the students while holding the door so everyone could escape, looking back after Alya left just in time to see Zombizou sending another kiss in Ladybug's direction.

Fortunately for Adrien's nerves, Ladybug was quick enough to deflect it with her yo-yo, taking on the defense against the love-spreading akuma. She continued to keep Zombizou busy while the last of the students ran out of the classroom, allowing Adrien to shut the door behind him after Sabrina passed by him. But when Ms Bustier's students ran down the stairs to the school's courtyard, Sabrina was the only one lagging and weakly limping down the stairs. Thankfully, Alya had noticed when she reached the bottom of the stairs with the rest of the class, concern appearing across her features when seeing Sabrina struggling to get to the bottom.

"Sabrina, are you okay?" Alya asked the ginger-haired girl, worried about her trailing behind the rest of the class.

"I...feel... It's suddenly gotten very warm in here." Sabrina gasped out as she finally reached the bottom of the stairs, the rest of the class surrounding her as she sat down on the bottom step. "I don't know what's happening, I..." the bespeckled girl panted while she tightly grasped the stair rail, her other hand holding her chest to try and soothe her sudden warm spell.

"Uh, what is wrong with you?" Chloé snootily questioned as she walked up to Sabrina, stomping her foot in annoyance at her ex-servent's behavior. However, the answer to Chloé question came in the most unexpected way when Sabrina turned to face her, the heiress and the rest of the class witnessing the kiss mark on her head suddenly disappearing. And as if that wasn't enough of an answer, Sabrina's eyes suddenly glowed purple and changed her iris color from cyan into a brilliant magenta.

"Chloé..." Sabrina dreamily drawled out, sounding as if she were in a trance just seconds before she suddenly jumped onto Chloé, trying to kiss her.

"Ugh! Get away from me!" Chloé cried as she backpeddled away from Sabrina, only to end up on the floor and needing to resist her advances by pushing her face away from hers after the possessed girl crawled on top of her.

Thankfully, Chloé didn't have to do so for long before Adrien pulled her out from under Sabrina, saving her just in the nick of time before she was infected too. But when she saw her target gone, the bewitched Sabrina started crawling towards the other students in search of a new target.

"Look out!" Adrien shouted when Sabrinaclosed in on the others, hoping they would avoid her searching stare. Unfortunately, Adrien's warning wasn't fast enough to save Mylène from being targeted.

"Kissou!" Sabrina chanted as she drew closer to Mylène, quickly jumping on her and sending them both to the ground in a heap of tangled limbs.

"Mylène!" Ivan cried when he saw his girlfriend in trouble, quickly dashing over to pull Sabrina off Mylène. "Are you okay?" the gentle giant asked the disoriented Mylène, holding Sabrina mid-air to prevent her from kissing him or anyone else.

"I feel...feverish... I can't—" Mylène groaned as she turned to look up at Ivan, inadvertently showing a kiss mark on her cheek matching the one Sabrina had earlier. But before Mylène could rise to her feet, the mark disappeared seconds after being applied to her cheek and her eyes glowed purple. "Kissou..." the rainbow-braided girl cooed as her irises changed color to match Sabrina's, making Adrien's eyes go wide at the sight.

"They're contagious! Don't let yourselves get kissed!" Adrien quickly warned the others, prompting Ivan to let Sabrina go and join the remaining students as they tried to flee from the newly made kissing zombies.

"Kissou!" Mylène drawled out as she rose to her feet, Sabrina joining her as they chased after the others heading to a flight of stairs heading to the library. Fortunately for the students, most of them were able to reach the stairs and start climbing. But Lila wasn't as lucky, finding herself lagging behind the others as she reached the first step... only for Mylène to grab her arm and pull her away from the steps altogether.

"AH!! GET OFF OF ME!" Lila wailed as she struggled to get free from Mylène, immediately catching her classmates's attention with her cry for help.

"LILA!" Alya and Rose shouted in worry, quickly trying to adjust their course to go back down and try to help her. However, they were soon held back by Nino and Juleka respectfully, stopping them from possibly getting infected as well. From there, the two girls and the remaining students were forced to watch as Mylène pulled Lila towards her and landed a kiss on her cheek while Sabrina held her still.

"ACK! GA-ROSS!!" Lila whined, immediately trying to wipe the kiss mark off of her cheek with the back of her hand. Unfortunately, it does nothing to remove the mark nor does it stop her from stopping her turning into a kissing zombie like Sabrina and Mylène, her olive-green eyes turning the same magenta as theirs. "Kissou!" Lila cooed, prompting Sabrina to let her go now that she was on her and Mylène's side before they continued to chase the others. Quickly, the students went back to running up the stairs to the second floor, hoping to hide the library while Ivan suddenly stopped at the midway point.

"Run! I'll hold them back!" Ivan yelled to the others, holding his arms out to guard the retreating students from Sabrina, Mylène and Lila as they collided with him. "Stop it! No, you're tickling me!" he wailed as the three girls peppered any of his uncovered skin with kisses, unable to see Adrien guiltily looking back at Ivan for a moment before joining the others. He needed to think of a way to break away from the group and find a place to transform... FAST!

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While the students were looking for a place to hide, the atmosphere in the literature classroom crackled with tension as Ladybug faced off against the menacing Zombizou. And after jumping from desk to desk avoiding the akuma's attacks and landing back on top of the teacher's desk, Ladybug got ready to finally take the offence. However, the love-zombified Ivan, Lila, Mylène, and Sabrina burst through the door, their matching magenta eyes nearly glowing as they surrounded the surprised heroine.

"Kissou!" Ivan, Lila, Mylène, and Sabrina dreamily drawled out, reaching for Ladybug amid their love-filled trance. Fortunately, Ladybug was fast enough to jump out of their way, prompting them to follow after her and unintentionally allow Zombizou to go free.

"I'll leave her in your hands, my lovelies." Zombizou cooed as she skipped out through the door, leaving a trail of eerie laughter behind her as she made her way through the school to spread 'The Love' and begin her search. Her first stop was the science classroom, where Zombizou forcefully kicked the door open and let herself in, surprising everyone there.

"Is Chloé Bourgeois in here?" Zombizou demanded as she walked to stand in front of the class, her voice echoing with an unsettling calm.

"How dare you interrupt my class?! Who are you?!" Ms Mendeleiev shouted back from her desk behind the akuma, her voice tinged with both anger and fear.

"No?" Zombizou observed, seemingly disappointed for a moment when not seeing the girl before quickly shaking it off. "Oh well. Smoochies, my poochies!" the love-bassed akuma cheered with a wicked grin, unleashing a swarm of flying kisses towards the startled students.

One by one, everyone in the classroom was hit by one of the black kisses and transformed into another kissing zombie for Zombizou to control. Even Ms Mendeleiev was struck by one of them, stumbling back against her chalkboard in shock as she became enthralled by the akuma. This continued to the art studio, which provided the backdrop for Zombizou's next cascade of blown kisses towards the students, who cowered behind easels and canvases fruitlessly. Following that, every classroom and occupied area of the school was invaded by Zombizou until every student she encountered was brought under her influence. All the while, she kept searching for Chloé, hoping to find her soon and bring her into the 'loving embrace' of her control.

The last stop in Zombizou's relentless search was the principal's office, the akuma kicking down another door and storming in on Mr Damocles. After a quick kiss on the principal's forehead, he was also under her thrall and joined the rest of Zombizou's sweethearts as she kicked down the school's front door, freeing the zombified students to the whole city.

"Kissou! Kissy-boo!" the students chanted mindlessly, their eyes glazed over as they stumbled down the steps and went out to infect the unsuspecting civilians in the streets.

"Chloé! I'll find you, sooner or later." Zombizou called out ominously, her determination palpable as she joined her sweethearts and disappeared into the streets of Paris. The school grounds fell silent in her wake, the lingering echoes of her eerie laughter haunting the empty corridors while a good amount of kissing zombies remained inside.

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Unbeknownst to Zombizou, her take over of the school had missed Ladybug herself and her civilian self's students who had escaped when their akumatized teacher first made her debut. Speaking of Ladybug, she had just finished swiftly taping Ivan, Lila, Mylène, and Sabrina to Ms Bustier's desk, preventing them from infecting her.

"There! That should hold you for a while." Ladybug declared while the enthralled students made kissing noises at her, quickly dashing out of the classroom to find Zombizou. However, as soon as she exited the classroom and entered the hallway, she was shocked to find the hallway and courtyard overrun with infected students. "Oh, great! More kissing zombies." the spotted heroine groaned as their haunting cries of 'Kissy! Kissy-boo!' echoed through the halls, quickly pulling out her yo-yo and using it to swing out of the area.

After that, she began searching the school for any uninfected students, hoping that her friends were among the possible survivors. The first spot she looked in was the school's dimly lit basement, where she entered cautiously and was met with eerie silence when calling for any unaffected students... until zombified students lunged at her from the darkness. With agile grace, Ladybug dodged their attacks and swiftly retreated from the boiler room, slamming the door shut on a few unfortunate kissing zombies before continuing.

The next place Ladybug went to was the seemingly deserted lunchroom, once again cautiously entering the room in her search. And yet again, the heroine was met with more zombified students as they rose from under the tables, aiming to infect her with Zombizou's influence. Thinking quickly, Ladybug knocked over a tray cart to block the sweethearts's path to buy herself precious moments to escape. Said escape had the superhero sliding the room door shut behind her, barricading it with a push broom before taking a few moments to catch her breath.

Following that, Ladybug searched the rest of the school and had about the same amount of luck as she did in the first two places. The only place she hadn't looked in was the locker room... the entrance of which was blocked by a kissing zombie-infested courtyard. Fortunately, Ladybug's earlier request to Draal to work on her stealth skills had paid off, allowing her to slip past the zombified students with ease and finally enter the empty locker room.

"Anybody here?" Ladybug called out as she scanned her surroundings, spinning her yo-yo in preparation for any hidden sweethearts.

But as she crept further into the room, a locker quietly creaked open behind her and the inhabitant emerged from within when seeing the red heroine.

"Ladybug!" the locker inhabitant exclaimed while rushing towards Ladybug from behind, causing the heroine's hair-trigger instincts to come alive. Said instincts had Ladybug instinctively grabbing the assailant's hand and throwing them over her shoulder, sending them right into an open locker in front of her. However, she was shocked to discover that her attacker wasn't a kissing zombie... but a now startled Chloé looking up at her while facing upside down.

"Oops! Sorry! Uh... Reflex." Ladybug apologized, the tension in her body easing as she helped Chloé to her feet while more familiar voices reached her ears.

"Ladybug?! Yeah! We're saved!" Alya exclaimed as she came out of hiding, hugging the heroine in relief.

"Ladybug Thank goodness!" Nino cheered as he joined the three girls, grateful to see her while Rose, Juleka and Alix appeared as well.

"Are you all okay?" Ladybug asked the group just as Kim and Max left their hiding spots, prompting Alya to look behind her and double-check.

"Looks like it." Alya announced.

"Wait... Adrien still hasn't come out of his locker!" Nino exclaimed, causing everyone's concern to grow while Ladybug directed her attention to the closed lockers and ran over to open the one Adrien was hiding in.

As soon as she reached the locker, Ladybug yanked it open as fast as she could, quickly greeted by the sight of Adrien standing listlessly inside with closed eyes.

"Adrien?" Ladybug worriedly questioned the boy, Nino and Alya appearing at her sides as they stared at the boy with concern.

"...Kissy-boo..." Adrien suddenly cooed, looking up at Ladybug with half-lidden eyes as his voice sent a chill down everyone's spines.

Immediately, Ladybug slammed the locker shut while the other students wailed in anguish, with Rose and Juleka hugging in fear while Max clinging to Kim piggyback-style. Unknown to them, their cries had caught the kissing zombies' attention outside in the courtyard, drawing their collective gaze to the locker room. However, the inhabitants of the locker room had other problems on their minds.

"Oh, man. He must've gotten kissed on the stairs when he was saving Chloé." Alya recalled, panic spreading among the group while the danger outside was growing closer. It wasn't until the sound of the gathered love-zombified students' eerie moans grew louder outside the locker room that Ladybug decided...

"We need to head to the roof." Ladybug told the students, her voice determined as she sought a haven for the remaining few with her.

"Kissou! Mwah! Kissou!" the sweethearts' voices echoed from the courtyard, the horde of enthralled students doing their best to break into the locker room while Ladybug rushed to open a window.

After she did, the heroine in red hooked her yo-yo onto a ledge hanging from the roof above and swung onto the roof before she started bringing up the others. Thankfully, the evacuation went quickly and she had begun pulling Max up just as zombified students broke into the locker room, getting him to safety mere seconds before they could catch him. However, neither the retreating students nor the invading zombies were aware of a certain blonde model still in his locker hideaway.

Obviously, Adrien was faking it! He wasn't even close to getting infected on the stairs and knew that the only way to get away from the others to join Ladybug was to make it seem like he was. Sure he felt bad about deceiving his friends, but he knew that stopping the akuma would ensure they would be safe in the long run. But that didn't stop Plagg from having his own thoughts about Adrien's tactics... knowing there had to be some ulterior motive for the route he chose.

"Admit it. That was all just a ploy to try and get a kiss out of Ladybug." Plagg mischievously teased Adrien while they were still hidden inside the locker, having had a front-row seat to watch his holder's plan to break away from the group.

"Come on, don't be ridiculous. How else will we work under the radar?" Adrien retorically questioned his kwami, rolling his eyes at Plagg's remake while pulling his disguise rune necklace out from under his shirt. Following the quick donning of his hero disguise, all that was left for Adrien to do was say... "Plagg, claws out!" the green-eyed boy exclaimed, transforming into Chat Noir with a flash of green light from within the locker before opening it and stepping out into the kissing zombie-infested room.

"Sorry, guys, no autographs this time!" Chat Noir declared while darting out of the locker room, swiftly closing the door behind him as the zombified students clamoured to follow and were thwarted by the closed door.

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Now transformed, Chat Noir quickly made his way through the courtyard and used his staff to propel him onto the roof where the others were hiding. As he did, the feline was able to get a bird's eye view of the zombified students trying to reach up to get Ms Bustier's students, as well as the streets becoming filled with even more sweethearts. Needless to say, Chat Noir was left unsettled by the sight and could feel the tension buzzing among the roof occupants as he landed.

"Hey guys, I'm all for our French greetings, but let's hold off on the kisses for now, huh?" Chat Noir greeted the students and Ladybug with his usual flair, trying to lighten the mood despite the dire situation as he approached his relived partner.

"I'm glad you're here, kitty. I don't know where I'd be without you here." Ladybug said with a smile, not seeing Alya backing away from previously watching the broadcast on the heroine's yo-yo to let them have their moment. "Check this out." the red hero said, pulling Chat Noir close to show him the newscast she and Alya had been watching seconds before his arrival.

"Hordes of kissing zombies are spreading throughout Paris!" Nadja Chamack's voice narrated the unfolding disaster, the feed showing the spread of kissing zombies across the city while the heroes watched the news broadcast. "Let's go over to our Mayor, Mr Bourgeois, live from City Hall." the newscaster continued after the feed switched back to the studio, which quickly changed again to show Mayor Bourgeois at City Hall.

"We advise all Parisians to remain inside at this time." Mr. Bourgeois stated on the broadcast, hoping to ease everyone's concern.

"While we are not sure of what's causing this outbreak, we must-" "Kissuo!" an infected Lutenient Roger interrupted, chaotically jumping onto the mayor and making him topple over along with his podium to kiss his cheek. Seconds later, the City Hall feed became scrambled and quickly cut back to Nadja in the studio, who became more worried about the city's current crisis.

"Mr. Mayor? Mr. Mayor?" Nadja frantically called to the mayor, her voice cracking amid the broadcast as she tried to maintain composure amidst the chaos.

"Daddy?!" Chloé exclaimed in fright, rushing over to the heroes and pushing Chat Noir away to stare at the newscast in horror. But by the time she got there, the City Hall feed was cut off and Nadja was shown trying to wave off a Zombizou kiss with her tablet.

"It looks like... we're having a slight... technical issue!!" Nadja stammered, trying to assure the audience they were safe while keeping safe herself. But after missing the kiss with her tablet, Nadja was hit and slumped over on herself, letting Zombizou enter the shot with a chilling smile.

"I took care of your father, Chloé. Show yourself so that I can bring you into the light of my love!" Zombizou's eerie voice echoed from Ladybug's yo-yo, sending Chloé scrambling away in fear. "Then, Ladybug and Chat Noir? I'm coming for you, too." the love-based akuma declared, her words sent shivers down everyone's spine as a grim-faced Chat Noir returned to his partner's side just in time for Zombizou to kiss the camera lens and leave a mark on the screen.

"Unless, of course, my sweethearts get hold of you first. Because very soon, the whole city will be hot on your heels!" Zombiziou exclaimed, her evil laughter filling the air as Nadja lifted her head and revealed her newly changed eyes before Ladybug swiftly ended the feed, putting her yo-yo away. However, the damage had been done and the whole class turned on Chloé in anger.

"Chloé! It's always Chloé! You only think about yourself!" Alix snarled as she marched sternly towards the heiress, backing Chloé onto the rooftop's edge and pinning her between her angry classmates and a fall into the horde of kissing zombies below.

"I don't know why we don't just give them what they want." Alya remarked as she stomped over to join Alix's inquisition, the frustration on her face evident.

"Yeah! Good idea!" Nino chimed in, joining Alya's side while the others came to surround Chloé as well.

"Is it my fault if I'm better than all of you?" Chloé retorted, trying and failing to defend herself against her classmates' hateful suggestions.

"Sorry to disappoint you guys, but Chloé doesn't deserve to get hit any more than you." Ladybug intervened, her tone firm while Chloé crossed her arms, smirking at her idol coming to her rescue. "Plus, we'll need her as bait to lure Zombizou when the time is right." the heroine in red sneakily added, smirking at the way Chloé's face fell at her words.

"Uh...thanks?" Chloé responded nervously, taken aback by Ladybug's plan.

"What about Marinette? I haven't seen her at all." Chat Noir reminded them, the concern he felt for his friend bubbling to the surface of his thoughts and grabbing everyone else's attention too.

"If that's the case, we need to find her!" Nino exclaimed, worried about the girl he considered his best gal pal.

"Yeah! She'd do the same for us!" Alix added, earning nods of agreement from the rest of the class except for Chloé.

"Don't worry. I saw her after taking care of some of your infected classmates and she filled me in before I took her to a safe place. Zombizou won't find her at all." Ladybug reassured the class, greatly reliving them to the point that they didn't see when Chat Noir gently grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.

"Where exactly is this safe place?" Chat Noir quietly asked as he and Ladybug stood on the other end of the roof, his concern evident.

"Stone Arc." Ladybug replied calmly, immediately making Chat Noir's eyes widen in shock.

"You took her there!? Are you nuts?" Chat Noir yelped, his voice rising slightly in worry as he grasped Ladybug's upper arms in a half-attempt to shake some sense into her.

"Don't worry, she won't say anything to expose the Trolls." Ladybug assured him, gently prying his hands from her arms before he accidentally extended his claws.

"That's the least of my concerns." Chat Noir quickly admitted, running a hand through his already messy hair out of nervous habit. "Are you sure it's a good idea for her to be down there? You know Trolls aren't exactly tolerable to humans that don't have powers like us." the feline pressed, his worry for Marinette being in such a place without protection palpable.

"Oh trust me, they didn't have any objection to her being there." Ladybug responded cryptically, causing Chat Noir to look at her with confusion and earning a small sigh from the heroine. "I can't tell you why yet, but it will make sense eventually." the red hero promised, trying to allay his concerns so that Chat Noir could focus.

"I'll hold you to that promise." Chat Noir said firmly, accepting her explanation for now and knew that the quickest way for Marinette to leave Stone Arc was to defeat the akuma. However, their conversation had taken up more time than they thought and allowed the zombie sweethearts to make good headway in climbing up to the remaining students.

"They're coming!" Rose suddenly cried, drawing the heroes' attention as the girl in pink pointed at the zombified students climbing onto the roof.

"We've gotta evacuate!" Ladybug exclaimed, followed by her looking down at the streets for a transport vehicle big enough for their group. Thankfully, her search wasn't in vain. "Over there!" she exclaimed when she saw an empty bus on the street behind the school, knowing it would be perfect.

"Chat Noir, do you know how to drive?" Ladybug questioned her partner as they asked as they prepared to evacuate, the urgency palpable as hoped to get Chat Noir to spring into action.

"You should know the answer to that, M'Lady. I can do anything." Chat Noir replied confidently, ready to help make Ladybug's plan a reality.

"Kitties first, then." Ladybug quipped, prompting Chat Noir to leap from the roof and into the air, spinning his baton above him as he went.

"Woo-hoo!" Chat Noir cheered, his voice ringing out as he somersaulted effortlessly through the air and landed on the bus with a flourish, followed by extending his baton back towards the school's rooftop.

Once the staff was secure on the highest point of the school, Chat Noir quickly threw his belt tail back to Ladybug while she stood at the edge of the roof in wait. Ladybug soon caught the belt with a smirk and jerry-rigged it to the staff, her red and black costume gleaming in the sunlight as she did. But as the students gathered, the usually haughty and composed Chloé now looked pale and frightened, unsure of placing her life in the hands of a hastily made zipline while the eerie chants of the zombies echoed around them. A quick look down from the roof and Chloé's hesitance was further confirmed when she saw the chaos of the zombified students had thrown the school into disarray, making her feel more afraid.

"Max and Kim, you go first," Chloé instructed, her unsure yet commanding tone another drop into the pandemonium around them.

Upon receiving the command, Max and Kim angrily and defiantly crossed their arms over their chests, not liking how Chloé ordered them to sacrifice themselves for her benefit. Fortunately, Ladybug decided to send Rose down first, securing Chat Noir's belt around her waist before hooking it around her partner's staff and sending the pixie-hair-cut girl down to the awaiting bus. With a shriek of excitement, Rose slid down the baton, her legs gripping tightly to the pole as she went before Chat Noir caught her and lowered her safely into the bus through the roof. Next came Juleka, then Alya, each descending swiftly under the watchful eyes of Ladybug and the protective stance of Chat Noir. But just as Nino was getting ready to go down, the relentless zombies managed to find an open window to the roof, their love-sick moans growing louder.

"Hurry up!" Ladybug urged Nino, pulling out her yo-yo and throwing it with precision to fend off the encroaching threats, the string creating a wire cage to block the kissing zombies's path.

When hearing Ladybug's warning about the kissing zombies, Nino took heed of her words and slid down Chat Noir's baton, joining his friends already there while Kim stepped up to go next. However, more zombified students had finally climbed onto the roof, shouting 'Kissou-kissou-kissou!' as they grew closer to the group. After seeing the zombified sweethearts coming closer, Max immediately came to shield Chloé from the oncoming zombies, letting her back away just as the oncoming threat piled onto the resident genius. Max wailed when the sweethearts started covering him in kisses, prompting Kim; who was ready to slide down Chat Noir's staff, to halt and turn to see his buddy being overtaken by the zombie students.

"Max!" Kim cried in a mixture of shock and urgency, leaving an occupied Ladybug visibly shaken when she turned to see what was happening with the others. But due to being occupied with keeping the other zombies away, Kim was the only one who could do anything to help the evacuation continue.

"Come on, Chloé!" the jock pushed the heiress, voice strained with emotion as he grabbed Chloé and brought her to the zipline setup.

But when he did, Kim let his eyes dart fearfully between the zombies and his friend, witnessing as the zombified students let Max go. As soon as the resident was released from the sweethearts' embrace, he turned towards his friends with an unsettling calmness, revealing the telltale signs of zombification. Despite seeing his friend corrupted, Kim pushed down his despair and continued to help Chloé get on the staff-zipline setup.

"Play the hero as much as you like, Kim, but you won't be getting a kiss out of me." Chloé retorted sharply after Kim lifted her towards the staff, her pride still evident even in the face of danger as she wrapped her legs around the feline hero's weapon.

"Just go, before I change my mind." Kim shot back, his voice resolute as he sent Chloé down the baton with a push.

Seconds after he did, Kim was attacked by the zombified students who turned Max, landing kisses on his cheeks and arms as he used his strength to keep them from pushing him to the ground. Ladybug quickly pulled her yo-yo away from keeping the other sweethearts off of the roof and used her weapon to pull Kim out of the kissing zombies' clutches. From there, she caught Kim in her arms and leapt with him to safety to the highest point of the roof, hoping to keep away from the zombies for the remaining time Kim had before his corruption.

Meanwhile, Chloé continued sliding down Chat Noir's baton, yelping in fear as she grew closer to the awaiting feline hero on the bus roof. However... she was going too fast for the hero to catch her safely.

"Slow down, Chloé!" Chat Noir urged Chloé, only for her to descend past him and collide with a street sign behind him. After shaking her head to clear her scrambled thoughts, Chloe looked down and nearly jumped 10 feet into the air when she saw more kissing zombies trying to reach her.

"Hello?! Who's going to come and save me?" Chloé rudely demanded as she clung to the staff, prompting Chat Noir to jump down from the bus and land on the ground beside it.

"Yoo-hoo! Kissy-kissy-kissy!" Chat Noir called to the sweethearts, waving his arms to further catch their attention away from Chloé and lead them towards a pile of overturned cars. In the meantime, Rose used the opportunity of Chat Noir's distraction to help Chloé get inside the vehicle, pressing the 'open bus doors' on the control panel and leaving the bus they hissed open.

"Rose, no!" Juleka pleaded, following after Rose but stopping just at the exit while the girl in pink continued towards Chloe.

"I can't just leave her by herself!" Rose told Juleka as she ran to catch Chloé. However, the belt buckle finally gave way and Chloé suddenly fell from the staff, her landing less than graceful as the impact jarring her ankle.

"Ow! Great! Now I've twisted my ankle because you weren't fast enough!" Chloé snapped at Rose, who had rushed to pick her up and bring her to the bus.

Meanwhile, on the school roof, Ladybug knelt beside Kim, concern etched across her face as she observed the purple kiss marks on his cheek, a chilling reminder of the danger they all faced.

"You take care of Chloé. Besides, you'll save all of us, like you always do, right?" Kim requested from the heroine, his voice hopeful as he trusted in Ladybug's unwavering resolve.

"Yeah. That's a promise." Ladybug assured him with a nod, her determination steeling her features before she lept off of the roof and aimed her descent towards the others.

But as she sored through the air, his gaze went to the street below. Down on the aforementioned street, however, Rose struggled under Chloé's weight as the zombies closed in, their grasping hands reaching for any foothold. And as Rose was about to reach the bus's doors, a zombie crawled out from under a neighbouring car and grabbed Rose's leg, making her scream at the contact.

"ROSE!" Juleka's voice carried from the bus, desperate and fraught with worry as she nearly ran out to save her best friend.

Upon seeing the danger, Ladybug landed on another overturned car and pulled out her yo-yo once more, throwing it at Rose and Chloé and snatching them from the danger just in time with mechanical precision. As the two girls sailed through the air, the red heroine lept into the air and caught them before landing on the roof of the bus while Chat Noir kept taunting the zombies from atop a nearby van.

"Na-na-na-na-nah! Kissy-kissy-kissy!" Chat Noir baited the zombies, his playful taunts a deliberate distraction and drawing their attention away from the escaping group before jumping down from the pile of cars. He then leapt up onto the top of the bus again, landing next to Ladybug after she had helped Rose and Chloé into the bus through the roof hatch. "Hurry up; we gotta go now!" the hero in black urged, his voice urgent as he retrieved his baton and prepared to leap back onto the bus.

But before they were about to join the students, the two heroes glanced back towards the kissing zombies on the school roof, spotting Max and Kim among them. At the sight of them, their anger and sorrow grew as they realized the full extent of the danger they faced. However, time was running out and the safety of everyone depended on their swift escape from the zombified school grounds, prompting them to join the others and get ready to leave the school.