The First Victim - Part Five

Eraser stabbed the books that covered him. It seemed like there were hundreds. Hawkmoth struggled to move under the shelf that had fallen on top of her.

"Hurry up and get me out!" she shouted.

Ladybug watched as dozens of books were being erased.

"I don't think it's enough," Ladybug worried.

"Really?" Cat Noir wondered, "What should we do?"

Ladybug turned warped her yo-yo around a bookshelf and threw it onto the pile. Cat Noir extended his staff that sent a shelf flying.

Eraser used his staff to clear a way out of the pile. It was difficult to do, since the books were small and kept filling in gaps.

Ladybug and Cat Noir kept tipping over shelves and adding to the pile until the room began to shake violently. Cat Noir Noticed cracks in the walls and ran to Ladybug.

"We need to go!" he grabbed her hand tightly and dragged her out of a door.

"At least we'll be ready for them when they get out of that mess." Ladybug said.

The rest of the school collapsed and sent dust flying. Ladybug and Cat Noir moved out of range and watched for any sign of Eraser or Hawkmoth.

"They better hurry," Ladybug said, "I'm going to transform back soon!"

Cat Noir ran towards the debris and noticed a figure stand up. He readied his staff and watched as Hawkmoth ran at him. He swung his staff, which collided with hers. Ladybug caught up to Cat Noir but instead through her yo-yo at Eraser, who had emerged from behind Hawkmoth. The four fought intensely, and Ladybug worried about her blinking earrings while looking for a good chance to get Eraser's staff.

Hawkmoth noticed Ladybug and knocked back Cat Noir. Ladybug was forced to fight both villains until Eraser ran towards Cat Noir with his staff ready. Cat Noir stood up just as Eraser pointed his staff at him. Cat Noir extended his arm and grabbed the end of the staff where the Eraser had been eliminated from so many uses.

Eraser gasped in shock as Cat Noir smirked and said, "Looks like someone needs to do some back to school shopping."

He kicked Eraser back and held the staff firmly. With a swift motion, Cat Noir swung the staff at the cemented ground where it shattered upon impact.

"No!" Eraser shouted as the darkness melted away from him.

Hawkmoth turned and gasped.

As her earrings flashed intensely, Ladybug through her Lucky Charm into the air and shouted, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The school was rebuilt and students appeared outside.

Many were confused and shocked to see Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Hawkmoth standing in front of the school.

Mr. Damocles stood up and shook his head, "What happened?" he wondered.

"You are Akumatized," Cat Noir explained, "Apparently there's a new Hawkmoth running around."

Hawkmoth gave Ladybug one last glare before running off. This had been a lot of work.

"A new Hawkmoth?" Mr. Damocles questioned.

"Cat Noir, I'm about to transform back!" Ladybug reminded him. She took off running towards a couple of buildings.

"I'm sorry, but my lady needs me," Cat Noir ran after Ladybug and followed her to an alleyway. She entered an old storage closet and immediately transformed back.

"That was a close call," Cat Noir noted as he transformed back as well.

"We need to find out more about this new Hawkmoth," Marinette said, "We're back where we started."

"True," Adrien agreed, "Except this time, we're closer and more experienced."

"You're right. We should get back to school, though." Marinette walked to the door and opened it.

"The new Hawkmoth doesn't stand a chance against us. Neither did the old one." Adrien smiled and grabbed Marinette's hand. The two walked back to school without another word.

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Mira transformed back in the bathroom. She said nothing and stood silently at the sink, looking down. Duusuu was shocked by this silence.

"Is everything okay, Mira?" she asked.

"Yes."

Her response was quick and did not sound true.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir can obviously handle things themselves. I could trust them if they would learn to trust me."

"It isn't their fault. They just don't know who you are," Duusuu reassured Mira.

"I don't know who they are. I don't know how they got a hold of Miraculouses!"

"They might know a Guardian."

"If there was a Guardian somewhere in Paris, I would know it."

Mira walked to the door, "I need to get back to class. We can talk about this later."

"What will happen the next time a supervillain attacks the city?" Duusuu wondered, "You'll have to fight them with Ladybug and Cat Noir again."

"There won't be a next time."

"What do you mean?"

"They can handle it themselves. They don't need me."