The Paragon

Chapter 3

As the sun set, the Eiffel Tower lit up, shining brightly over the City of Light. Marinette looked over to the tower, and then back up at the Hôtel de Ville.

A small red creature flew out of Marinette's bag and hovered next to her face. "What are you going to say to the mayor?"

"Well, he's the one that invited me, isn't he?" Marinette replied. "I'll let him start the conversation."

"You'll want to be careful what you say," the creature pointed out. "He may be Chloé's dad, but he's also one of the most powerful people in the city. Not somebody you want to get on the wrong side of. And you also don't want to reveal your secret identity, do you?"

"Of course, Tikki. I already know all that, you don't need to tell me."

"Yes I do," Tikki insisted. "Because if I say nothing, you won't be careful."

"Fair point," Marinette sighed. "Do you see anybody watching?"

Both Marinette and Tikki looked around the area. "Nope, all clear," Tikki determined.

"All right then. Time to transform. Tikki, spots on!"

And moments later, Ladybug swung towards the door of the Hôtel de Ville.

The mayor looked up as he heard a knock on his office door. "Ladybug, is that you?" he asked.

Chat Noir pushed the door open. "No, it's me. Hello, Mr. Mayor."

"Oh, Chat Noir!" the mayor said, looking somewhat startled. "Good evening."

Chat Noir seemed to notice the mayor's hesitance. "You were expecting us, weren't you? You said to drop by any time during normal visiting hours."

"Yes, yes, of course. Come in, Chat Noir."

"You were only expecting Ladybug," Chat Noir realized.

The mayor nodded. "But of course I'm happy to see you as well, Chat Noir. Will Ladybug be arriving soon?"

"Any minute now."

And moments later, Ladybug entered the office. "Hello, Chat Noir; good evening, Mr. Mayor."

"Please, sit down, both of you," the mayor offered, directing them to a small table with two chairs. He pulled a third chair over from behind his desk. All three took their seats.

"So, let's talk," the mayor began. "My city—our city—is under threat. As the mayor, I need to know the nature of this threat, and I need to know how it can be stopped. Since you two have significant experience in this area, it will greatly benefit me if you share what you know."

"The entity behind all these recent attacks is a man who is known only by the name of Hawkmoth," Chat Noir explained. "We don't know who or where he is, and we don't know what he wants, but we know how he operates."

"And how exactly does he operate? By creating the supervillains that have been attacking us, correct?"

"That's right," Chat Noir replied. "Hawkmoth preys on negative emotions. He encourages them, amplifies them, and exploits them. Any negative emotion can lead to anger. Once he's found this anger in somebody, that's when he moves in, and infects them with a black butterfly—an akuma. And once somebody's possessed by one of those, then they become Hawkmoth's plaything. He can control their actions and give them deadly powers."

"And how can these villains be stopped? That's what you do, Ladybug, is it not?"

"We do it together," Ladybug answered. "Chat Noir and I will fight the villain and determine their weaknesses. And once we know that, we can break the object containing the akuma. Once I catch the akuma and purify it with my yoyo, then Hawkmoth loses his control of the villain, and they lose their powers."