The New Butterfly

-Chapter 7: Pythagoras Part 1-

"Alya Cesaire, Nino Lahhiffe, Will you two take the responsibility of Rena Rouge and Carapace full time?"

"It would be an honour, thank you Ladybug, Cat Noir!"

"Thank you, dude and dudette!"

"Just remember, don't let the cat out of the bag."

Ladybug handed Nini and Alya the jewellery boxes containing the turtle bracelet and the Fox necklace. They opened the boxes and Trixx and Wayzz popped out respectively. They put on the jewels.

***

"No! I can't believe this! I lost my record!... How is that even possible!??!  I can't believe this, and not even by a small amount, 70% only!!! Something must be off, this can't be!"

"I'm sorry Mr.Bernard, I can't do anything about it, I've checked and double-checked and checked again but, you have the lowest score.  Maybe you need a break, I can definitely give you a resit for the exam but it's not  changing the score on the database."

"Ms.Addams please, I can't lose my record of a perfect score after 3-years of hard work!"

"Maybe that's the problem, Bernard, you look at tests quizzes and exams as a way to prove yourself, and maybe not realise how big of a mistake you are making in not paying full attention"

"What do you mean not paying full attention?  that's how I get full scores on exams"

"I meant the big picture. Now, unfortunately, since you don't fit into the top 3 scores, you won't be taking part in the mathematics competition."

Bernard ran away in tears, off to the library where he looked for Ezra, a friend of his who could actually understand his pain, on his way to the library, he heard rumbling in one of the corridor garbage bins. 

While Bernard investigated a glowing black moth flew into a pen in his backpack.

"Well well well, a failed mathematician whose self-respect has reached the negatives. Pythagoras, I am Hawkmoth. I shall give you a new face and satisfy your equation for full mathematical strength.  In return, I want you to subtract Ladybug and Cat Noir from their jewels and bring them to me."

"I think that adds up!"

Pythagoras stood, wearing a greek style robe whiter than clouds, his hair shined more than a golden diamond and his pale skin was adorned with grey symbols, numbers and equations. The backpack had remained unchanged but the pen became a golden staff with a right-angled triangle on the top. 

Pythagoras walked to the staff room and proceeded to use a glowing rectangle to cover all the exits.

"My, My, look at this. Hmph, what a room. The room where the downfall of Bernard occurred. Oh well, Now there is Pythagoras Lord of Mathematics and now I shall rule! Just look at the power you created!"

With that Pythagoras puffed away in a flash of light. The school was evacuated and as per usual,  Ladybug and Cat Noir were called, this time Rena Roughe and Carapace followed. Ms.Addams explained Bernard's situation constantly stammering and shivering with fear.

The 4 heroes went to search for the mathematical villain and scoured all of Paris.  Pythagoras, on the other hand, was too busy flying in the sky, when you control numbers and the logic of the universe, there's a lot one can do. He began constructing a huge platform using clouds that were somehow solid and gas at the same time.

2 days went by and nobody had seen Pythagoras, his parents were prepared to admit worst-case scenario but the heroes refused to give up. Marinette had searched the spellbook in hopes of finding something useful, and she did.

"As one may need to spy or find someone in a hurry, I have left a recipe to a spying spell. Boil in ocean rain an eye of each Land sea and sky along with the extract of the fire root fruit and an object of the one thou seeks and speak the name of the person.  Whom thy seeks shall appear in the brew."

underneath in red pen was written a translated version which asked for an eye of a land animal, sky animal and, water animal to be boiled in rainwater collected by the sea along with pepper juice and an item that belongs to who is being located.

Each item was available in a box of spell items left to Marinette by Master Fu. So the superheroes went to Alya's house when the twins were at a friends house, Anansi was at practice and her parents were at work to prepare the brew. Just before going to Alya's house, Cat swung by Bernards room and picked up a pencil.

When they boiled all the items, the red hot liquid went white and showed a scene, Pythagoras was in a palace, a floating fortress in the clouds, made of clouds. he was preparing an army of warriors, riding giant birds and wielding axes, swords and lances, made of triangles and rectangles. Each warrior was made of spheres and lines as construction lines used by artists.

The brew showed the heroes the face of Pythagoras, tattoed with mathematical symbols and equations. He spoke to himself about how excited he is to finish his army of shape beings and attack Paris, defeating Ladybug and Cat Noir and be crowned king of Paris by Hawkmoth just as he was told ever since he was akumatized. 

Something was strange though and even Ezra felt this, he never said he would make the boy king of anything. After consultation with Nooroo, he realised that the strength of Pythagoras was maddening the villain but Ezra decided to keep Pythagoras.

9 Days after Pythagoras' ran away, the Palace crashed on the Louvre leaving it as flat as a pancake. Pythagoras stepped out and demanded to see Ladybug and Cat Noir.