With everyone inside the bus, Chat Noir took the driver's seat and started up the vehicle, the bus engine roaring to life as it began to move. However, the vehicle was lurching and swaying as it made its way through the chaotic streets, the once-familiar urban landscape now overrun by zombies. At the front of the bus, Alya and Nino cling to each other with mirroring faces filled with worry as they rode through the unpredictable jerks of the bus, glancing up at Ladybug gripping the nearest seat for support.

"I thought you said you knew how to drive!" Ladybug snapped at her partner over the engine's roar, shooting a glare at Chat Noir as he desperately tried to keep the bus under control.

"I've mastered every car and racetrack in Extreme Racing 3, but there are no buses in that game." Chat Noir bashfully replied, his usual confidence wavering as he looked back over his shoulder at Ladybug with a sheepish grin.

But after taking a deep breath to center himself, Chat Noir readjusted his grip on the wheel and stepped on the gas, making the bus lurch forward with renewed speed and outrun the kissing zombies. Now far ahead of the zombies and the roar of the engine drowning out their groans, the rest of the students in the back of the bus took the time to process what they just went through. Unknown to them, there was trouble brewing at the farthest end of the bus... particularly with the shaken-up Rose being comforted by a concerned Juleka.

"So, what now?" the feline asked Ladybug while keeping his eyes on the road, his confidence in controlling the bus growing the more he drove.

"Let's take Chloé to the top of the Eiffel Tower. There'll be fewer zombies up there, and fewer places for all of Zombizou's disciples to run to." Ladybug suggested, looking determinedly at the road ahead and taking note of the lack of zombies in the bus's path.

"Less places for us to hide, too." Chat Noir countered, knowing that while the idea was good it was also a double-edged sword for them before leaning closer towards Ladybug. "What about Stone Arc? We can at least get the others to safety there while we take care of the akuma." the feline quietly supplied, hoping to get his classmates to safety before heading out to defeat the akuma... even if the Trolls would be hesitant to welcome more humans in their home.

"It's too risky. We can't expose the Trolls to anyone else," Ladybug replied in the same volume, deciding it would be too dangerous to execute Chat Noir's idea and would most likely take too long to settle the Trolls's assured unrest.

"Besides, going to the Tower is the only way if we want Zombizou to show up in person—" "AAAAHHH!!" a voice at the back of the bus screamed, causing the heroes and their civilian friends to turn around and see what was the compassion.

Imagine the surprise on their face when they saw it was Juleka who had cried out, her eyes wide with horror as she clapped a hand over her mouth and stared at Rose standing in front of her. At first, it wasn't clear why Juleka was so scared... until the girl in pink turned around and faced the others, her eyes glowing the telltale magenta while her once-innocent face was now twisted into a creepily wide smile. While panic erupted within the bus, Ladybug quickly scanned Rose to see where she was marked, quickly seeing the clear sign of her infection with the prominent black kiss mark on her leg.

Immediately, a wide-eyed Chloé bolted to the front of the bus in a desperate to try and escape Rose's advancing presence after she set her sights on the heiress. Rose quickly followed after Chloé, her movements jerky but determined before Alix attempted to stop her in a rush of bravery, soon being enveloped by Rose's relentless approach as a result. Even though it killed her to do it, Ladybug used Alix's sacrifice and swung her yo-yo at the space behind the skater girl, the indestructible wire creating a blockade to protect the rest of the passengers. However, it didn't stop Rose from being able to further trap Alix in her embrace, taking the opportunity of the girl being trapped with her to her advantage.

"Kissou!" Rose exclaimed, her voice tinged with the remnants of her former self as she clung to Alix and planted a zombie-like kiss on her.

"I totally trust you, Ladybug!" Alix assured the heroine, looking over her shoulder at Ladybug while trying to mask her fear with bravery.

"Ogh! People need to stop invading my personal space!" Chloé shouted from her new spot in the front, exasperated by the number of times her life was in danger that day and earning frustrated grunts from Alya and Nino. But despite the chaos going on now that Alix and Juleka were infected alongside Rose, the bus continued its harrowing journey, its passengers clinging to hope and each other as they sped towards their uncertain destination.

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While the bus was making its way through the sweetheart zombies, a certain love-bassed akuma was hopping along the rooftops of Paris while being bathed in the mid-afternoon light. However, Zombizou's graceful and eerie journey across the roofs was interrupted when she spotted the bus passing through the streets below her, soon smiling at the sight of it.

"Don't forget our agreement, Zombizou." Hawkmoth reminded his akuma, the butterfly outline appearing across Zombizou's face as his voice spoke through the link between them and resonated with his dark promise.

"No one can escape my kiss!" Zombizou assured her benefactor with an unsettlingly perfect smile, reapplying her lip balm with methodical precision before leaping away after the escaping bus.

But while Zombizou took the series of tremendous leaps towards the Eiffel Tower with alarming speed, the bus full of students finally rolled to a halt beneath the iconic structure. Once the bus stopped, Chat Noir got up from the driver's seat and scooped Chloé into his arms just as another horde of sweethearts began to converge around the newly arrived vehicle. When the doors opened, the determined feline stepped out and carefully carried Chloé from the bus, the girl's face was a mask of worry compared to Chat Noir's resolute gaze.

"Stay together and follow me!" Chat Noir instructed urgently, prompting Alya and Nino; the last two students aside from Chloé, to follow the hero.

As they left the bus, Ladybug stepped to the exit while keeping the wire blockade up while the group made their way to the ground entrance of the tower. Once Ladybug saw they were inside and were spotted by more kissing zombies, she quickly pulled back her yo-yo and pressed the bus door button. The red heroine then leapt out past the closing doors, trapping Rose, Alix and Juleka inside as she ran inside the Eiffel Tower to join the others. After passing the threshold, Nino slammed the door shut behind Ladybug with a forceful shove, blocking the pursuing sweethearts from following and pressing all his weight against it.

"Nino! The vending machine!" Ladybug exclaimed to the DJ, pushing a vending machine to the door to block it after looking for a way to help keep the zombies from getting in. Once it was in place, Nino was free to join her in catching up with the group waiting for them at the elevator. "Quick! Everybody, inside the elevator!" the heroine in red urged as they joined the group, prompting Alya to begin frantically mashing the elevator button so that it would open.

"Faster, faster!" Alya muttered anxiously, the metal box seemed to groan as its doors began to slide open.

But the group's hopes of a clean getaway to the top of the tower were dashed as the elevator doors creaked open, revealing a horde of zombies inside, their eyes glazed and lips shimmering with an eerie, seductive glow. Due to the sudden surprise, the heroes didn't have a chance to do anything when Alya was the first to be attacked, the zombies pushing her to the ground.

"ALYA!"Ladybug cried out, her heart sinking as she and Nino rushed to fend off the zombies away from Alya. With swift and decisive moves, Ladybug and Nino wrestled the zombies away, pinning them down and pulling them off Alya and letting her sit up from the ground. Unfortunately... the damage was already done.

"Oh...no!" Nino uttered, his voice laden with dread when he and the others saw the purple kiss marks covering Alya's exposed skin.

"There's nothing we can do for her. Come on!" Chat Noir urged the group, pushing down his own dismay while keeping his grip tight around Chloé as he stepped into the now-open elevator. Ladybug was about to protest, but a still-sane Alya stopped her by placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, offering the red heroine a small smile alongside it.

"He's right, you know." Alya said softly, her voice trembling as Ladybug hesitatingly turned to face her. "Just go, and save us all, okay?" the reporter requested, making Ladybug scan the chaotic scene and realise she was right.

"Okay," Ladybug finally said, rising to her feet and stepping into the elevator. However, her gaze fell upon Nino when she turned to face the elevator door and realised that he had yet to join them. "Nino? What are you doing?" the spotted heroine asked the bespeckled boy, her voice cracking in dismay as she saw Alya slump over herself as the infection started taking over her mind.

"I'll only slow you down. Go save the day, Ladybug." Nino farewelled, giving the rest of their group a somber tip of his hat.

"NINO!" Ladybug cried as the elevator doors began to close, her hand reached out as she rushed back to him.

But it was too late, the doors slid shut, sealing her and the others inside as the carriage started to ascend towards the top of the tower. Once it was gone, Nino turned to face his girlfriend and gave her a tired smile.

"This isn't the first time we've been in trouble together. But I won't leave you, Alya." Nino said to Alya as more kissing zombies started surrounding them, opening his arms towards Alya; now zombified, as she looked up at him with a hauntingly affectionate gaze.

"Kissou." Alya murmured, her voice a ghost of its former self as she embraced her boyfriend. Nino quickly returned the hug, his expression one of sorrowful acceptance as he let himself be infected and looked up at the elevator rising higher into the monument.

'Good luck you guys.' Nino thought to himself, his mind quickly becoming inducted into Zombizou's fold.

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Up in the elevator carriage, Ladybug's frustration was palpable as she pounded her fist against the elevator door, her anger reverberating through the metal. Needless to say, both Chat Noir and Chloé were further unnerved by the sight of the heroine in what one could assume was... mourning.

"Bugaboo..." Chat Noir tentatively began, looking at Ladybug with concern while still clutching Chloé in his arms.

"WHY!? Why did they have so much faith in us to save the day!? We've lost all but one of their group and they still think we can win!" Ladybug vented as she placed her palms against the elevator door, her voice cracking with emotion while her breath came in sharp, frustrated bursts as she tried to contain her emotions. "AH, I HATE THIS!!" the spotted heroine growled, looking down at the metal floor beneath her feet.

"Well, it makes sense that they expect you to save the day. Only the best remain." Chloé proclaimed, her voice cutting through the tension and adding a biting reminder of their dire situation.

Immediately, Ladybug turned to shoot a heated glare at Chloé, her frustration boiling over at the blonde brat's heartless remark. But before she could do anything she would regret, Chat Noir calmly set Chloé down and stepped over to Ladybug as she turned her gaze back to the floor.

"Hey..." Chat Noir started as he placed a reassuring hand on Ladybug's shoulder, his tone gentle in trying to calm her from her anger. "I know it seems like it's going to be impossible to defeat Zombizou. But we can do this. We'll fix it all in the end like always."

"How can you be so sure?" Ladybug questioned her partner as she turned and looked up at him, searching his eyes for any trace of doubt.

"Because that's how awesome we are." Chat Noir replied, his grin infectious and making Ladybug's lips curl into a small, grateful smile, sparking a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos surrounding them.

"Thanks, kitty. I needed that." Ladybug sighed, her voice now softer but filled with a small amount of relief. However, the calm was put on hold when they heard the elevator start grinding to a halt, signaling their impending arrival at the top of the Eiffel Tower. "But get ready. We're not out of the woods yet." the red heroine ordered, prompting the feline to quickly scoop up Chloé in his arms again just as the elevator doors opened, determination burning in the heroes' eyes as they prepared themselves for a fight.

Soon enough, the elevator doors slide open with a resounding clang, revealing the pathway to the peak of the iconic tower. Thankfully, the halfway was free of zombies, allowing Ladybug to step out and survey the area before Chat Noir followed closely behind with Chloé in his arms.

"The coast is clear. Where to now?" Chat Noir asked, uneasy about the silence surrounding them.

"Straight ahead. Gustave Eiffel's office!" Ladybug decided, heading to the end of the hallway and opening the door to the observation deck.

Upon reaching the door, Ladybug flings it open and they step outside... only to find themselves immediately surrounded by a swarm of kissing zombies, their chants of 'kissou' filling the air with an eerie symphony. Their presence quickly alerted the threat, forcing Ladybug to deftly dodge the advancing sweethearts' grasping hands, her movements fluid and practiced as she jumped past a trio of them. However, Chat Noir found himself struggling with the relentless tide of zombies due to carrying Chloé, quickly overwhelming him and the heiress.

"CHAT NOIR!" Ladybug exclaimed.

With her partner in trouble, Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo and turned around to dash over to them, quickly using her weapon to push the sweethearts away from Chat Noir and Chloé. Path now clear of obstacles, the trio ran to Gustave Eiffel's office and threw open the door, making it to the safety of the room with a powerful heave of the door behind them.

'Whew... that was close." Chat Noir breathed in relief, letting Chloé out of his arms to walk further into the room while turning his attention over to an exhaling Ladybug.

"Yeah. too close." Ladybug grimly reflected, watching as their current charge hid herself under a desk next to the wax statue of Gustave Eiffel. Sensing her unease, Chat Noir placed a comforting hand on Ladybug's shoulder, pushing the sounds of the sweethearts' footsteps climbing up the tower stairs to the back of his mind.

"Hey, we're going to get through this. We've got it, M'Lady." Chat Noir encouraged, his voice almost a mere whisper as he made sure only Ladybug heard him.

"I know. It's just been a hard day." Ladybug replied, placing a hand on her forehead to soothe her pounding headache before taking a deep breath and looking over at Chloé. "You need to stay hidden, Chloé. Zombizou is still after you." the spotted heroine explained as she and her feline accomplice walked over to the hiding girl, kneeling to her level once they were close enough.

"I won't leave this spot. Good luck!" Chloé well-wished as she peeked out from her hiding spot, keeping herself bunched up in a ball.

"At least she won't get in the way while under there." Ladybug said, taking the positive while they heard chants of 'Kissy-boo' and 'Kissou' drawing nearer, giving the heroes the bad feeling that Zombizou was not far behind.

"Yeah, but we still need to separate Zombizou from her forces to defeat her. Otherwise, we'll be in trouble trying to keep ourselves safe from the zombie sweethearts and trying to take her akuma while avoiding her turning us into more of her minions." Chat Noir pointed out, standing up from the floor with Ladybug following close behind. "How are we going to do that?" the hero in black wondered, pointing at a nearby window and drawing their gaze to see the sweethearts crowding around in wait outside the office. At this rate, if they didn't come up with a plan soon, they'd be surrounded and unable to escape being turned into kissing zombies.

But before Ladybug could say anything, the sound of Zombizou's cackling laughter echoed through the office windows, her voice dripping with malicious glee as the heroes walked to the office windows. They then walked over to the center of the office, quickly being greeted by the sight of a group of sweethearts pressing their faces against the glass and Zombizou standing on the tower's guard railing behind them.

"Hand over Chloé and your Miraculous, Ladybug and Chat Noir. Then I might just let you witness the final triumph of love!" Zombizou taunted from her side of the glass, her voice filled with twisted excitement as Hawkmoth took in the fact of how close he was to getting what he wanted. Unfortunately for the resident supervillain and his latest minion, Ladybug had enough of the feeling of helplessness inside her and took out her yo-yo to summon her...

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, summoning the magical burst of light of her powers to materialize...

"Make-up remover? How are you going to save my life with that?" Chloé questioned the heroine when the dispenser of make-up remover landed in Ladybug's hand, coming out of her hiding place and standing behind her idol while looking at the object inquisitively.

With a sigh, Ladybug ignored Chloé's selfish question and looked around the office with her Lucky Vision for inspiration for her plan to strike. Her search quickly led her to find a crucial detail to her plan... the scarf worn by the Gustave Eiffel statue. But before she could even rush over to get it, however, the sound of breaking glass rang out around them, followed by glass from the windows raining onto the office floor. From there, the sweethearts started making their way into their hideaway, prompting the uninfected trio to group in the middle of the room for safety in numbers.

"Oh no!!" Ladybug exclaimed when seeing the kissing zombies pouring into the office through the broken windows by the scores, both her and Chat Noir getting in a fighting stance in preparation for a fight.

"Kissou." the sweethearts purred, revealing his determined eyes glowing an unsettling shade of purple before he lept at Ladybug in an attempt to grab her.

Quick as a flash, Ladybug, Chat Noir and Chloé ran away from the possessed civilians, the chase ending up with the heroes going around the room in circles. But while Chloé decided to hide from the zombies, Chat Noir and Ladybug were still pursued by them, soon getting split up and needing to avoid their own sets of pursuers. Fortunately for the red heroine, she used the opportunity presented to finally grab Gustave Eiffel's model's scarf, still running around the office to evade the sweetheart's corrupted grasp just a little longer. Her tactics soon changed to leaping into the middle of the room just as Chat Noir reached that point as well, coming back together.

Now together again, Chat Noir pulled out his staff and used it to push the zombies away from him and Ladybug while she applied the makeup remover to the scarf. Once the scarf was ready, Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo and wrapped the scarf around her weapon, so focused on executing her plan and saving the day when...

"I'm sorry!" Chloé's meek voice apologized from under her table hiding place.

"What?" Ladybug questioned in surprise, her focus being monetarily pulled away from her task when hearing Chloé's words.

"Oh, this is all my fault! If I hadn't let my jealousy get the better of me again, none of this would have happened!" Chloé wailed, her voice filled with regret.

"While it's awesome that you feel bad about this... now's not exactly a good time." Chat Noir said as he kept pushing away more kissing zombies, letting Ladybug finish wrapping the scarf around her yo-yo and tying it off nice and tight.

Just as she finished doing so, a rapid glance back at the zombies had the heroes seeing them closing in on them. However, before the heroes could do anything to stop them, Chloé came out of her hiding spot and started waving her arms in the air.

"HEY!! OVER HERE!! ZOMBIZIOU IS LOOKING FOR CHLOÉ BOURGEOIS, RIGHT?! WELL HERE I AM!!" Chloé yelled at the kissing zombies, drawing their collective attention away from the heroes and onto herself instead.

Immediately, the sweethearts abandoned their pursuit of the heroes and surged towards Chloé, the girl not even moving an inch as she used her own body as a sacrificial shield for the heroes. At the sight of Chloé's actions and the sweethearts clinging to her, Ladybug and Chat Noir were shocked still and mouths agape as they processed the scene in front of them.

"Save us all, Ladybug and Chat Noir." the mayor's daughter solemnly requested the pair, followed by a series of frantic kisses being planted on her body by the sweethearts.

While shocked by the display, Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped up through the hole Chat Noir made in the ceiling and landed on the topmost observation deck. However, the moment of no threats didn't last long and the heroes found Zombizou on the observation deck with them, standing on the guardrail after jumping up to face off against her adversaries.

"It's over, Ladybug and Chat Noir. The city is mine! Accept my love, and give me your Miraculous!" Zombizou demanded from across the observation deck, her voice dripping with malevolent delight as she prepared to send a kiss towards the heroes.

"This is not true love!" Ladybug retorted, her voice steady and fierce as she let some of her buried rage rise to the surface before she finally threw her soaked scarf-wrapped yo-yo at Zombizou.

On the weapons' return, the yo-yo wiped off Zombizou's lip balm, inhibiting the akumatized villainess from sending the kiss and leaving her surprised by the discovery. However... she didn't seem all that affected by it, her surprise morphing into a sadistic grin before she suddenly burst into laughter.

"Oh, my! Tell me you didn't think that was going to work in defeating me!" Zombizou chortled, her words leaving the heroes surprised by her confidence despite the assured defeat.

"Without your lipstick, you can't infect us and turn us into kissing zombies. Your power is gone!" Chat Noir proclaimed, followed by him pouncing towards Zombizou now that they had the opening to do so.

But as he pounced, his strike was met with an unexpected resistance when Zombizou, standing with an eerie calm, caught Chat Noir's punch with one effortless hand. The clash of their energies created a sharp, discordant sound like metal scraping against metal before she hurled Chat Noir backward with a practiced twist of her wrist. He crashed into the intricate metalwork of the spire behind them, a grimace of pain crossing his face as he slumped against the cold, unyielding structure.

"CHAT!" Ladybug cried out, rushing to her partner's side while her heart pounded in her chest. "Are you okay?" she asked after skidding over to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as he sat up with a groan.

"I'm okay, M'Lady. Just got bonked on the head," Chat Noir mumbled, his voice strained but determined before he glanced up to see Zombizou approaching, a malevolent smirk stretching across her lips.

"Did you really think Hawkmoth would give me such a basic power to defeat you two? Oh, how naive you are." she taunted, her voice dripping with disdain while her smirk widened into a cruel smile. As she spoke, a pink glow began to surround her, pulsing with a rhythm that grew more intense with every passing second, the light warm but sinister as it cast an unsettling aura over the deck.

"The true force of love isn't how it can be spread, but what one is ready to do if in love," Zombizou continued, her tone almost reverent as she took a step forward towards the heroes, her eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction. "As such, I have been absorbing the life energy from my sweethearts and using it to strengthen myself in preparation for this fight."

Upon hearing Zombizou's reveal, the heroes readied themselves for what was to come, Chat Noir pushing himself to his feet while his eyes narrowed at Zombizou's self-assured stance. Meanwhile, Ladybug's grip tightened around her yo-yo, her determination hardening into a steely resolve as Zombiziou reached the halfway point between herself and the heroes, her presence now almost overwhelming. Suddenly, the akuma paused, her gaze locked on them with a predatory intensity.

"See, what you don't realize is that I'm not stuck here with you... You're stuck here with me." Zombizou lunged at the heroes, starting the fight.

The battle erupted into a chaotic flurry of action, the akuma's movements fluid and terrifyingly precise, each blow exchanged accompanied by the clang of metal and the whoosh of shifting air. As the battle progressed, Zombiziou's power clashed with Ladybug and Chat Noir's agility and teamwork. Ladybug did good work in swinging her yo-yo with expert precision, deflecting and dodging Zombiziou's heavy-hitting attacks while Chat Noir engaged in a fierce close-quarters struggle.

But despite their best efforts, Zombizou's strength and cunning were formidable, which came to a head with a sudden, brutal move that she managed to use in throwing Ladybug aside, sending her skidding across the deck. Without his partner, Chat Noir was now isolated and soon found himself pinned down by Zombizou's relentless assault, the villain's power palpable as her pink aura intensified. She was now prepared to deliver her final blow. Upon the dreaded realization, Chat Noir struggled beneath Zombizou's weight, his attempts to break free growing increasingly desperate as he saw her reaching for the lip balm.

"Now then, let's finally show you the real power of love," Zombizou purred, holding the lip balm aloft with a malicious grin as she leaned down towards the hero, her intent clear as she aimed to kiss Chat Noir's forehead. But in that critical moment, Ladybug sprang back into action.

"NO, YOU DON'T!!" she shouted, launching her yo-yo once more with a determined cry. The indestructible wire quickly wrapped around Zombizou's hands with precision, the sudden pull yanking the akuma towards the hero and disrupting her balance.

Ladybug seized the opportunity, leaping from her spot with remarkable speed and charging at Zombizou, swiftly kicking the lipstick out of the villain's hand. The action sent the tube skittering across the metal surface of the observation deck, followed by Zombizou tumbling backward as her aura flickered uncertaintly now that she lost her footing.

Reacting with quick reflexes, Ladybug snatched the falling lip balm from the air, her movements a blur of red and black before she pulled the plummeting Zombizou back up to the top of the tower. While doing so, the heroine dropped the lip balm and let it be shattered by Zombizou as she landed on the deck again. The shattered remains scattered around as the akuma inside flew free, the corrupted insect fluttering into the bright blue sky.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma." Ladybug said as she ran her finger down the middle of her yo-yo, revealing the sparkling pool of cleansing energy inside of it. "Time to de-evilize!" the spotted heroine shouted before she threw her yo-yo toward the akuma, catching it within her yo-yo and pulling it back to her.

"Gotcha!" Ladybug cheered when the yo-yo was back in her hands. A second later, she released the purified akuma, setting the white butterfly free. "Bye, bye little butterfly," the heroine in red said as the butterfly flew away, right before throwing the Lucky Charm into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug cried out, summoning the cleansing cure and letting her miraculous power do its thing.

The wave of magic ladybugs swept through the city, their light fixing all of the damage caused by the sweetheart zombies amid their rampages. It also released the city from Zombizou's influence, starting with Chloé and the kissing zombies down in the office below them, stopping them just before the corrupted minions of the akuma could kiss each other. Following the disgusted Chloé pushing a random away from her, the light then cured Rose, Juleka and Alix on the bus, the three of them hugging each other after being freed. The rest of the city followed, ending with Mylène and Ivan as they sat on a park bench, kissing before the Miraculous wave cured them and kissed again freely after it passed by them. Once again, Paris has been saved!!

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Unfortunately for the heroes, however, while any other day their nemesis would have been outraged, this time he was as happy as they were.

"It seems that no matter how strong love is, the weak can never become truly worthwhile, yet, today's akumatized was the most beneficial," he said, smiling as he took back his civilian attire.

"Now, my dear Nooroo, time to talk more about this new power."

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Now that the akuma was defeated and Hawkmoth retreated to his civilian life, things on the very top of the Eiffel Tower were finally quiet as the defeated Zombizou turned back into Ms Bustier. Like the victims before her, the ginger-haired woman was confused to find herself not at Francoise Dupont but instead on the city's most famous monument. However, as soon as she saw Ladybug and Chat Noir doing their post-battle 'Pound It' in front of her... she had some semblance of what happened to her.

"Ladybug?! Chat Noir? What on earth—?" Ms Bustier began to ask, assuming she had been taken control of by the latest akumatized victim as they turned around to face her.

As they did, the heroes were in time to witness the growing realization across her face as she looked around and saw no one else with them, meaning...

"Oh no... The akuma overtook me! I... I let my negative emotions get the upper hand! How terrible! ...I'm terrible." the school teacher wailed, her usual composure shattering to pieces.

"That's not true! It wasn't your fault. Hawkmoth is the one to blame." Ladybug protested as she and Chat Noir stepped forward, her eyes filled with empathy as she knelt to Ms Bustier's level and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"But I hurt a lot of people..." Ms Bustier countered, her voice barely a whisper as her gaze dropped to the floor.

"No... I did!" a very familiar yet sharp and self-reproachful voice interrupts from behind the trio, causing them to turn and see it was Chloé, her face and posture filled with guilt as she stood in front of the tower's center structure.

"I forgot your birthday, once again. And when I saw everyone had prepared a gift for you, I totally lost it because I, too, would've liked to offer you something." Chloé elaborated, her gaze darting everywhere and nowhere at the same time while struggling to maintain her composure as she explained herself.

"I'm so sorry, Ms Bustier." the heiress apologised, finally looking at Ms Bustier and truly feeling remorseful for her earlier actions. But after saying her piece, Chloé looked down at her feet as she awaited her reprimanding, only to miss when a moved Ms Bustier rose to her feet and walked over to her. Only when Ms Bustier placed her hands onto her shoulders did Chloé finally look up at her again, seeing her teacher's soft eyes and warm smile.

"Thank you, Chloé. Your apology means so much to me." Ms Bustier said as she knelt to Chloé's eye level, the tension in her body melting away and replaced by her soft deposition when she heard her students' sincere apology.

"However, this doesn't excuse you from an actual punishment for your actions today, Chloé. You will be receiving detention for the next couple of days." the ginger-haired woman declared, earning a gawking stare from Chloé and a pleasantly surprised smile from Ladybug.

Instead of what Marinette expected, Chloé merely sighed and nodded.

"Oh, alright. I guess I'll be grateful and let it slide just this once." she said, assuming an aloof posture to convey her usual attitude.

Without wasting another second, Ms Bustier rose to her full height and pulled Chloé into a tight hug, stunning the blonde girl for a moment before she hugged her back, forgetting herself for a moment. All the while, Ladybug and Chat Noir smiled at the scene, having only seen Chloé be open and soft around her auntie and Sabrina on rare occasions. But the moment didn't last long and Chloé quickly remembered herself, once again adapting her usual behavior while still being hugged by Ms Bustier.

"Uh, yeah. Okay then, we're all good." Chloé told her teacher while tentatively patting her shoulder, having enough of the show of affection.

With that, Ladybug and Chat Noir turn to leave the tower, the feline unable to contain his excitement as he threw his arms up in the air while shouting 'Woo-hoo!' as they lept away. The sound of his cheer mingles with the distant hum of the restored city below, creating a moment of jubilation after the high drama that took place mere minutes ago. All was finally calm once again...

Or was it?

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Nathalie Sancoeur used to hate her name and life.

Sancoeur may have been amusing or grandiose as a name for her father to give himself, but for her young self, it was just an endless source of mockery.

Up to her early to mid-20s, she has struggled to find something to do that would truly satisfy her while keeping her away from need.

That changed when she began to work for the Agrestes, and she was now with a well-filled bank account, quite respected by those who knew her and in a place she genuinely enjoyed being at.

One of the more simple examples of her positive situation was her ability to eat expensive pastries from the best places in Paris whenever she wished, which she was doing at the moment.

But it did not mean she was free of annoyance, and Gabriel's new defeat was fitting in that category, knowing him, he would rant and ponder ways to win until he was exhausted.

'And these children not only seem to grow stronger and more skilled by the day, but they have gotten more numerous,' the hope Nathalie felt when the young wielders first revealed themselves was fading, much as she wished it to not be so.

If only Gabriel allowed her to use the damned thing. Emily had needed months before being condemned, but if Gabriel and her fought together only once, perhaps...

No, it hasn't reached that point yet.

'Forgive me, my friend.'

Maybe she should check on Adrien. With that mess with his teacher, he probably-

"Nathalie, I have excellent news!" said Gabriel as he entered the room brusquely with Nooroo in tow, who looked somehow more scared than usual.

"I've discovered a new power, the ability to transfer negative emotions of previous akumatized onto people!" Gabriel declared, the sheer joy that was present in his words and on his face almost leaving Nathalie unable to understand his message.

"That's... incredible! An entirely new power of the Miraculous!" Nathalie praised, eyes wide in amazement.

"Have you ever heard of anything like this in your studies? Anything at all that was even close to this new power?" questioned the moonlighting supervillain, hoping to perhaps get more insight to this new tactic he discovered.

"As much as I would like to say otherwise, my studies were focused on harnessing my own magic, not on the Miraculous. And even the small bits I found said nothing of this." Nathalie revealed, her hand rising to their eye level with a flourish as it became surrounded in a dark blue aura.

Yes, Nathalie was a magic user, more specifically... a witch. Her father was responsible for that, being a warlock; the male equivalent of a witch and much rarer than their female counterparts. But while most magic users in her category were on the weaker side, Nathalie was far stronger than them thanks to her father's tutelage, which helped her quite a bit in her youth. She used her magic skills many times on her adventurer days, eventually leading to her meeting and becoming employed by the Agreste family.

During that time, they found out about her magical abilities. But rather than shunning her away magic as she expected, Gabriel and Emilie were all too willing to accept her into their good graces even further, hiring her as their secretary, bodyguard, and more. And now that her boss was moonlighting as Hawkmoth and discovered this new power, her talents were required even more than ever.

"That may be so, but do you know what it means?!" the fashion mogul inquired, his elation never diminishing despite Nathalie's words.

"It means that if your miraculous got you a power that is not of the same type as those that Ladybug and Chat Noir got, then you have a possibility to learn new powers in a way wholly unique to you." Nathalie replied, knowing full well what this could mean for Gabriel, should he go about this correctly.

"Indeed! We must find out more." Gabriel proudly announced... followed by him glancing back curiously at Nathalie. "Any ideas on how to do that?"

"Again, I don't know anything about this power. But if there's any information on it, it'll most likely be in the Grimoire." Nathalie reminded her boss, tiredly rolling her eyes out of reflex.

"Which we can't find out unless we find the Guardian." Gabriel grumbled, his earlier joy starting to simmer down at the potential roadblock.

"Or perhaps... Nooroo, have you any ideas of how this happened? What are the chances that Ladybug and Chat Noir get these powers?" Nathalie questioned the purple kwami, turning to narrowly glance at him after having mulled over possible alternatives to learn what they wanted.

Whatever defiance the kwami was about to give faded at Gabriel's look as he joined Nathalie's matching one, "Ladybug and Chat noir cannot get such powers naturally due to their youth unless they are natural users of..."

"Tell us everything Nooroo!" Gabriel ordered brusquely, causing Nathalie to once again ask herself what kind of person managed to make the kwamis so easily bound to human will.

"Unless they are natural practitioners of magic, like Lady Nathalie, and if they were, they would already have made use of such powers, because these powers are part of the spells created by the miraculous holders, millennia ago, as they were allowed to combine our powers with the arcane." Nooroo reluctantly explained, head hanging low.

"I do not know exactly how, considering he isn't a practitioner of magic, Master could obtain new powers, besides the fact that one way or another, my powers should be mixed with magic to learn to do things beyond what he already learned."

Gabriel and she exchanged a look, and Nathalie knew what needed to be done.

"Nooroo," he began, startling the kwami slightly, "From now on, when I'm not requiring your presence, you shall obey Nathalie and help her in all the ways you can to get a way for me to learn these new powers."

Nathalie meanwhile finished her pastry, knowing that for a while, she likely wouldn't be able to enjoy them while being wholly at ease.

She then went to Gabriel's lair, the kwami beside her, and once they were in the dark space, she drew a knife, slashing at her hand.

"It will have been 14 years since I used magic to a level requiring self-harm, I must admit, I did not miss it," she said out loud, while the kwami looked somewhat worried at the sight of her blood spilling from her hand, "Now, tell me Nooroo, what would be the closest equivalent for a Kwami to bleed?"

The Kwami gave her a frightened look, "It... It would be to drain us of our life force, Lady Sancoeur."

'Ha!' somehow, that got a chuckle out of her, "You cheeky little bastard, you did that on purpose, did you? But that's fair game, no matter how unpleasant it will be for me, it seems that it shall be worse for you."

If when she was done, Gabriel didn't use his Miraculous to heal her, friendship and professionalism be damned, he would be lucky to only get a few bruises.

'Ah, the things you do for love.'

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After leaving the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug and Chat Noir went their separate ways and headed back to their respective homes after the akuma that disrupted the end of their school day.

At least... that was what Chat Noir did.

Ladybug, on the other hand, had taken a different route than her partner and found a place to transform back into her civilian self a little ways away from the monument. But when Tikki came out of her holder's Miraculous and looked up at Marinette from the girl's hands, she saw her doing a thousand-yard stare to nowhere. Greatly concerned for the girl, Tikki tried to ask Marinette what was wrong but only received silence from the girl before she took out a purple 'magic-aroon' and held it out to her kwami. A perplexed Tikki took the 'magic-aroon' and ate it, transforming into Cosmic Tikki before Marinette transformed once again and turned into CosmoBug. Now in her new form, CosmoBug wasted no time in activating her flight powers and zooming into the Parisian sky above her, beginning her journey to the one place she needed to go more than her own home.

She was heading to Arcadia.

The flight didn't take very long since CosmoBug entered the atmosphere and used the rotation of the earth to make her journey shorter, but it still felt like an eternity to her. Fortunately, she made it in record time and zoomed through the streets of the sleepy town, her form illuminated by the silvery light of the moon above her as she headed to the canals. Upon reaching the canal bridge, CosmoBug pulled her Horngazel out of her yo-yo and drew the entrance to Heartstone Trollmarket into the stone wall. As soon as it opened up, she immediately continued on her path and zoomed into the cavern where the crystal staircase resided, only waiting for the door to close behind her to make sure no one followed her. When the door closed, CosmoBug continued on and dove down the stairs' central opening and finally entered Heartstone Trollmarket.

Upon her entry, the Ladybug Miraculous holder received many amazed stares from the residing Trolls as she flew above them. But CosmoBug paid no mind the them as she continued on her way, heading towards the Heroes Forge in the hopes of finding her brothers and their Troll friends. Unknown to her, the mentioned group was among the many witnesses of her arrival while coming back from patrol, staring at her retreating form with slacked jaws.

"Wait... was that, MariFairy?" Toby wondered aloud, he and the four others in the group tracking the flying red heroine with their eyes.

"It looked like it. But since when could she fly?" Draal questioned the group, not having been caught up on the most recent developments the current Miraculous Holders have achieved as he looked to them for answers.

"Long story short, Master Fu figured out how to do the power-up potions. And it looks like she's using the Space power-up." Jim absentmindedly replied, not taking his eyes off of his sister's form as it grew smaller.

"That's cool and all, but what's she doing here? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that she's here but shouldn't she be in school right now?" Toby asked the others, wondering if he missed a mention of Marinette's visit by accident. But by the looks on the other's faces as he turned to look at them, Toby realized that they were just as surprised as him.

"Let us go and find out." Blinky declared, prompting the group to race after CosmoBug and soon entering the Heroes Forge just as she landed in the center. As they approached, the group of humans and Trolls were in time to witness as CosmosBug powered down back into Ladybug, her back facing them as the last of the pink light faded away.

"Mistress Ladybug! It's so great to see you again! What's the occasion?" Blinky cheerfully greeted the heroine, happy to see the young Ladybug again. However, she still doesn't turn to face them, her shaking shoulders acting as her response instead and concerning the group.

"Tiny girl?" Aaarrrgghh!!! questioned as well, not understanding why she was acting so strange.

"Mari... is everything okay?" Toby asked, his and the others's worry growing as Ladybug finally turned to face them. But while her face remained neutral, Jim immediately knew something was wrong.

"Sis, what's going on?" Jim pressed, causing Ladybug to walk over to him and suddenly wrapped her arms around her brother.

"Spots off." Ladybug said in a horse whisper, quickly turning back to Marinette with tears leaking out of her eyes as she did and leaving the group shocked. "I... I just... I just needed to see you guys." Marinette finally spoke, snuggling her face in the crook of Jim's neck.

"Marinette, what happened? Why are you crying?" Jim lightly interrogated his sister, his fury threatening to surface at the sight of her crying.

"It's a long story." Marinette whimpered, prompting Jim to hug her back and was followed by the others coming in to join the hug as well.

"Take your time. We have plenty." Jim assured Marinette, letting his protective rage simmer down as he hugged her even tighter.

After Marinette had let herself cry all her tears, the group moved away from the Heroes Forge and went to the scenic point to see the Heartstone. Once there, they all sat together while Marinette told them what happened with Zombizou. Needless to say, it left the Trollhunters shocked by her story, Jim especially when she got to the part about Chloé.

"And then we left the tower, going our separate ways." Marinette concluded, followed by her wiping away her remaining tears before they went down her cheeks while sitting in between Toby and Jim.

"So let me see if I have this right... you and Chat Noir... just stopped a love zombie apocalypse!?" Toby questioned from Marinette's right, earning a confirming nod from the girl as they all sat along the wall of the scenic spot. "That is so freaking insane! What the heck was Hawkmoth thinking on that one?" the rounded boy exclaimed incredulously, not believing the news despite just hearing it from the source itself.

'On another note, this is another entry to add to my lists.' Toby thought to himself, deciding to update his little side project afterwards.

"I don't know the answer to that one, but yeah... it was incredibly intense." Marinette agreed, looking down at her lap while fiddling with her fingers. "After that, I came here to see you guys. I knew that if I stayed in Paris, it would put me in more danger than it should have to work through... all of this I'm feeling." the red-tipped-haired girl admitted, her shoulders coming in close to try and hide her shame.

"Sis, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I can't even begin to imagine how that must have felt." Jim comforted from her left, placing a supporting arm around his little sister's shoulder and pulling her closer to him.

"It's okay, Jim. But today was a lot." Marinette sighed, her hand coming to rest on her brothers as she enjoyed the comfort. "The fact that this was such a huge threat alone was enough of a heartache today. But this was the first time my Lucky Charm almost failed and I should have known that Zombiziou could draw power from her minions. Why would Hawkmoth create such a basic akuma when he's trying to get our Miraculous? All of my friends had so much faith in me and Chat Noir to win the day, and I almost let them down!" the designer vented, her hands coming up to her eyes in an attempt to keep her tears from coming again.

"That doesn't mean that it was your fault, Little Ladybug. You couldn't have known until that point." Draal remarked from his spot on Aaarrrgghh!!!'s right, adding his two cents to the conversation/comforting.

"Draal is right, Lady Marinette. It wasn't until the final confrontation that she revealed that power and this latest akuma was hardly an easy advisory from the sounds of it." Blinky agreed, sitting on Jim's left side and craning his head to look past his young charge and at Marinette.

"Thanks guys, I appreciate the effort." Marinette said, looking up from the ground and smiling at him as she patted his hand. "But this akuma wasn't like the others. She was so... tricky in the end." She kept ranting.

"Hasn't that happened before with other akumas, though? No offense, Little Ladybug, but why are you beating yourself up about this one?" Draal questioned the human girl, not understanding her need for self-hatred. Marinette sighed, letting her hands drop from her face.

"Yeah, this has happened a bit with other akumas. But today was different." Marinette replied, bringing her knees up into her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"Why do you say that?" Toby asked.

"You know how I told you guys why Ms Bustier was akumatized?" Marinette began, looking down at the top of her knees while they kept her mouth hidden from the others.

"You mean when Chloé 'My Father is the Mayor' Bourgeois destroyed your gift for her? Yeah, we remember." Jim spat, still feeling sour towards the blonde brat for her part in the latest chaos.

"Personally, I don't see why you're so hung up on this mortal girl. She can't be that bad." Draal grumbled, finding the information beneath him even if he had grown to care for the hero siblings.

"Oh, she's the absolute worst, Draal. Chloé's been tormenting MariFairy for years now." Toby sighed absentmindedly, waving off the matter after having dealt with it for years now. However, he had no idea the reaction his words would get from Draal, the crystal-backed Troll soon growling furiously as he stood up from his seat on the wall, fists clenched in anger.

"WHAT! WHY IS THIS THE FIRST I'VE HEARD OF SUCH ATROCITY?! OH, WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THAT LITTLE FLESHBAG, I'll- " Before Draal could finish his sentence, Marinette raised her hand, bidding him to stop.

"OKAY, big guy! Calm down. I appreciate the anger on my part, Draal, but I honestly don't care about Chloé's latest stunt right now."

The teenager's words only caused the troll to look baffled at her.

"Why not? Her actions led to you seeing all your friends, herself and almost your partner fall under Zombizou's thrall, making you the Hail Mary to save them all! If that's not enough of a reason to be hung up on Chloé's usual BS, I don't know what is." Toby ranted, not believing that Marinette was being so blasé about what happened.

"I'm inclined to agree, Lady Marinette. You shouldn't let her get away with such deplorable actions." Blinky chirped, saying his piece on Toby's remark.

"Stand up to her." Aaarrrgghh!!! agreed with a nod, making Marinette smile at their joint concern.

"Thanks for the advice, guys. But while I normally would be so mad at her and would put her in her place, after what happened to Ms Bustier today, I have bigger things to worry about." Marinette explained, returning to her previously bunched-up position and once again hiding the bottom half of her face.

"I don't understand. People get akumatized in Paris all the time. Why are you so hung up on Ms Bustier if you don't care about Chloé shenanigans?" Jim asked, now concerned for the answer after witnessing Marinette's indifference to Chloé.

"Because Ms Bustier's akumatization was much more violent than the others." Marinette revealed, her voice trembling slightly.

"What do you mean?" Aaarrrgghh!!! asked, his and the others' collective curiosity piqued.

"While I don't know how Hawkmoth usually akumatizes his victims, my understanding from past accounts is that it was more peaceful than what I witnessed today. And when he first made contact with Ms Bustier, it was like normal akumatizations." Marinette's voice faltered, the memory clearly distressing her. "But then when Ms Bustier looked like she was about to break away from his hold, Hawkmoth..." she froze, the words stuck in her throat as the memory made her shiver the more she thought about it.

"Hawkmoth did what?" Jim prompted, his concern deepening as he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly.

"I... heard him." Marinette finally admitted, her voice barely a whisper.

"Wait... WHAT!" The group exclaimed, their collective shock evident and prompting Marinette to keep going.

"When Hawkmoth didn't like that Ms Bustier was about to break free from his hold, he somehow strengthened his hold on her and I heard him speaking to her... outside of her mind." Marinette's eyes were wide with fear as she continued, "The whole 'hearing him outside of Ms Bustier's thoughts was scary enough. But what he said and how it brought her to her knees and gasping for air... it was horrifying to witness."

"What exactly did Hawkmoth say to your instructor when that happened?" Blinky asked, his voice tinged with apprehension.

"Whoa, Blink! As much as I want to get to the bottom of this, I don't think Mari's up for reliving that moment any more than she already has." Jim interjected, glaring at his mentor while rubbing Marinette's shoulder with his thumb.

"Jim..." Marinette said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder in return. "I appreciate the protectiveness, but it's fine. If it can give some insight into what happened, then I can handle it." the designer decided, gently taking his hand off of her shoulder before taking a calming breath and turning her attention to Blinky.

"As much as I'd like to say otherwise, Hawkmoth's voice has been echoing in my mind since then, so I remember every word. He said exactly, and I quote..." Marinette cleared her throat and deepened her voice, trying to mimic the haunting tone she had heard, " 'DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT'S IN THE HEART OF YOUR CHARGES, CALINE BUSTIER?! 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!' "

"Bad man. No like him." Aaarrrgghh!! growled, his anger palpable alongside the others while Marinette patted his large forearm.

"Me neither, big fella." Marinette added, her face set in a small smile before looking back at the ground. "And on top of that, I could feel some sort of negative presence as he spoke. It felt like the world went cold around us and I... I was so scared when that happened. I had no idea he could do something like that." the pigtailed girl admitted, wrapping her arms around her to escape the feeling of helplessness threatening to encompass her.

"Great Grumbly Gursome..." Blinky murmured, his expression serious and earning the rest of the group's attention.

"What is it Blinky?" Jim asked, sensing the gravity in Blinky's tone and turning to face him like the others were doing.

"I've only heard tales of this, but never in my wildest thoughts could I have expected it to be real." Blinky said, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Okay, you're scaring me, Blinky. What are you talking about?" Marinette asked, her voice tinged with worry as she let her legs drop away from her chest.

"In the time of the last generation of Troll Miraculous Holders, it was said that the holder of the Butterfly Miraculous, Metamorphosis, had a special ability. He could share emotions; whether good or bad, among others, acting as a conduit between the two." Blinky finally explained, regaling yet another riveting tale of Marinette's predecessors that left her and the rest of the group speechless.

"Wait, 'share emotions'? As in, he could... make others feel another's emotional pain?" Toby asked, his face growing pale alongside Marinette's while just thinking of the notion.

"Indeed. However, he only ever did that once in a time of great need for it. No one knows what called for it, just that he did it and it became such a legendary feat of his." Blinky continued, only for eyes to quickly become somber as he approached the dreaded implication of the history lesson. "And unfortunately, it seems like Hawkmoth has discovered how to do it."

"Which in his hands, is a bad thing, I'm guessing?" Jim asked, his concern evident as his gaze flicked back over to his little sister.

"Obviously, if he brought Ms Bustier to her knees with it. And... Before Ms Bustier explained herself and said she would punish Chloé, I was the one who was angry, what if the Akuma came because of me?! OH, GOD HOW ARE CHAT AND I EVEN GOING TO COMPETE WITH THAT!" Marinette wailed, her voice trembling as she began to go down a panic spiral and buried her face in her hands again.

"Hey now, calm down. I'm sure that it's not as bad as it sounds." Toby said as he and Jim placed the arms closest to Marinette around her shoulders, trying to reassure her and bring her back to reality. "Right, Blinky?" he tensely questioned the six-eyed Troll, hoping that he'd get the underlying message to help him and Jim out since he was the one to make Marinette start panicking in the first place.

"Of course, Tobias! While that power is devastating, it would only work in certain situations. Hawkmoth could only use it on people close to previous victims, and depending on the reason for the negative emotions, akumatizing them could be far too dangerous for his own safety. Akumatized are fickle beings after all, even in the best of circumstances." Blinky explained, hurriedly amending his earlier words after getting the hint from the boys. Fortunately, it seemed to work and Marinette slowly lifted her head out of her hands to look back at Blinky.

"So... it's not a win-all?" Marinette asked, her voice hopeful.

"Look like it." Jim confirmed.

"OH, THANK GOD! CHAT AND I AREN'T SCREWED OVER AFTER ALL!" Marinette slumps over in relief, leaning mostly onto Jim's shoulder. "But that doesn't mean it's not something to worry about. The fact that Hawkmoth discovered a new power is still a problem." the red-tipped-haired girl realised, soon finding herself slumping over and resting her chin in her upturned palms.

"But he can't do it all the time. At least you got that going for you." Toby said, trying to offer some comfort.

"He's right. You still have a chance to defeat him if you and Chat Noir continue to get stronger." Draal spoke up, his voice filled with encouragement a nice change from his earlier anger.

"It's not over yet, sis. Besides, I'm willing to bet money that he stumbled on this by accident. Why else would this be the first time he's supposedly used it?" Jim added, a hint of optimism in his tone as he gently lifted Marinette's head by the chin to look at him again.

"Hmm... you have a point there, bro." Marinette agreed, feeling a bit of relief and smiling the more she mulled over Jim's words.

"Yeah! Plus, you and Chat Noir are getting better every day, not just getting lucky like old Hawky did. That's worth more in the end." Toby said with a determined grin, the group sharing a collective nod.

"Not to mention, we've got your guy's backs." Jim added, placing his hands comfortingly on his sister's shoulders and pulling her in for a hug. "Anytime you need our help, we'll be there in no time." the blue-eyed boy declared, earning a grateful smile from Marinette before she and the boys were quickly pulled into another group hug by the Trolls.

"Thanks, guys. I needed to hear that." Marinette breathed out in relief, hugging them all as she sank into the tight embrace around her.

"Anytime, sis." Jim replied, followed by the Trolls releasing the hug and stepping back to let the humans breathe again. "But seeing as you're here... care to join us for some training before the sun comes up?" the Trollhunter asked, eager to spend some more time with his sister before she went back to Paris.

"Why not? It saves Draal a trip to Paris and I've been meaning to see if I can beat you in a fight now that we have powers." Marinette slyly admitted, giving Jim a smirk as she grew giddy about the idea.'

"Ooooooh, I would love to see that!" Toby cheered, jumping up and down in his excitement while the Trolls's collective delight grew.

"Well, I've been getting pretty good. So I might be as easy to defeat as you think." Jim warned as he crossed his arms over his chest, amused by the challenge as well.

"We'll see." Marinette baited, now even more excited to start their little duel.

"Well unless we get to the Heroes Forge, we won't be seeing anything. So let's get going." Draal urged the siblings, smiling at their friendly competitiveness.

"Race you guys there!" Marinette cheered before quickly running off down the path towards the Forge, leaving the others flabbergasted by the action.

"HEY, NO FAIR!" Toby cried after he and the gang recovered from their shock and ran after her laughing, the rounded boy getting a ride from Aaarrrgghh!!! so he could keep up.

As they went, their resolve strengthened with each passing moment as their renewed determination flooded through their veins. They all knew that despite the challenges ahead, they had each other to rely on. But while the shadow of Hawkmoth's new power loomed large, they knew they'd faced it together, ready to confront the darkness with the light of their unity and courage.

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(Time Skip)

Following a good few hours of training with her brothers and their Troll friends, Marinette headed back home to Paris, feeling lighter than she had when leaving Paris to visit Arcadia. Due to Marinette giving the boys her usual recap during her visit, she didn't need to call them that night and found herself going to bed early. As such, Marinette was feeling much better and walked into class feeling almost lighter than air, smiling as she walked into the classroom well before the bell rang... the first time in a while, at that. However, before she could join the chatter of students settling into their seats, she soon saw that everyone's attention was centered on an ongoing, heated exchange in front of the teacher's desk.

"Me? You want me to apologize to the entire class?" Chloé questioned the accusing Alya with Sabrina standing behind her, arms crossed defiantly while her face was flushed with a mix of indignation and frustration. "Ridiculous! They should be thanking me for saving everybody." the heiress exclaimed, turning her head away from the blogger with an indigent huff.

"I happen to have several accounts of what went down, including my own, and they don't exactly match your version." Alya argued, stepping over to get into Chloé's personal space with an air of quiet confidence, her tone firm but not unkind while not backing down from her accusations. But before the blonde brat could say anything in retort, Marinette stepped forward to the pair and placed a calming hand on Alya's shoulder.

"Okay, Alya. I think that's enough." Marinette chided her friend with a knowing smile, followed by her turning her attention to Chloé. "By the way, Chloé, I heard you helped Ladybug and saved Ms Bustier yesterday, is that true?" the designer asked.

" Uh? W-well of course!" Chloé answered, "Why do you care, Dupain-Cheng?"

"Really? Well, that was cool of you, I guess there really is a heart beating in there after all. I'm sorry I said there wasn't." Marinette apologized, followed by her beginning to guide Alya to their desk before she could respond, a playful giggle escaping her lips.

"Uh, but—!" Alya began, only to be cut off by Marinette's soft laugh as she turned her attention back to the surprised Chloé and Sabrina.

"Keep that going, Bourgeois."Marinette said, her eyes sparkling warmly as she turned on her heel and walked toward her desk.

Chloé, initially taken aback by the unexpected exchange, looked at Marinette in surprise before she glanced at Sabrina for an answer. When the bespeckled girl had no answer, they shrugged off the tension and took their seats while Alya and Marinette followed suit.

"Marinette? Girl, are you Zombizoufied, or what? Why are you letting her off the hook?" Alya questioned her bestie, not believing Marinette was letting Chloé off the hook for the previous day.

"No, I'm not, Als. I've just realized that Ms Bustier is right in a way and that Chloé has a heart, too. The only problem is that she just doesn't know how to use it." Marinette explained, smiling at Alya's reaction while the earlier disagreement was momentarily forgotten as they prepared for the day's lesson. "And besides, I really don't want to think of yesterday, so hopefully, she'll learn if we continue setting a positive example." the pigtailed girl added, pulling out her books and placing them on the desk in front of her.

"Who knows, girl." Alya replied, following her best friend's actions and placing her books on her side of the desk before looking at the board in anticipation of Ms Bustier's arrival.

However, at that exact moment, the two girls were just in time to see Chloé quickly putting something on Ms Bustier's desk and behind the computer monitor, then acting nonchalant about it before heading to her desk. At the sight of the action, Alya gasped in surprise while Marinette smiled and looked around to see if anyone else saw what happened. Her search seemed to be in vain and Marinette didn't see anyone else notice Chloé's act before Ms Bustier finally entered the classroom just as Chloé sat down at her desk.

"Good morning, everyone!" She greeted the classroom after the students quieted down, her cheerful demeanor lighting up the room.

"Good morning, Ms. Bustier!" The students responded in unison, happy to see her after the previous day.

"Glad to see you all! As usual, we'll start the day by giving a nice compliment to your neighbor." Ms. Bustier announced, her eyes sparkling before her gaze flickered to her desk, where something shiny had been hastily placed behind the computer monitor.

Everyone's eyes except for Alya, Marinette, Chloé and Sabrina's widened in surprise as they noticed the small gift, having not seen who had placed the gift there. But before anyone could comment, Ms Bustier's voice cut through the murmurs after she grabbed the jewelry box and opened it to see the beautiful engraved gold bracelet inside.

"Whoever's behind this thoughtful gesture, thank you! It's a wonderful way to start our day." the ginger-haired teacher praised, greatly moved by the gift as she clasped it around her wrist.

As she did, Chloé, trying to look as nonchalant as possible, shifted in her seat, a subtle smirk on her lips while Marinette let her own smile broaden before giving Alya a reassuring nod. In response, Alya grinned back, their earlier tension dissolved in the shared moment of understanding. After that, the class settled back into their routine, the atmosphere lighter and filled with a newfound sense of camaraderie as Ms. Bustier began her lesson. But for a moment, it was clear that the day had already started on a note of unexpected but welcome harmony.