In the year that had passed since they had enrolled at Collège Françoise Dupont, or the CFD as many of the students came to call it, both Adrien and Marinette had been putting everything that they had. The first year for students had been General Studies, things that every single student in the country was set to know. The difference for people who took a Hero course, Valor course, Elite course, or any other course related to Heroics, this had to be crammed into a single year, whereas others would have four or five years. It had been tough work, but every student in their class had managed to do it. Determination and dedication were all a singular trait everyone shared, all aiming to be the very best that they could be.
Every Trait was unique, but the Hero course had some incredible people within it, and some incredible Traits to match. Many of them hadn't even used their Traits yet throughout their school life, which was frustrating to some. They had wanted to finish their General Studies as quickly as possible, but it had taken the entire year. The returning week of their second year was for everyone to get back to the routine, and to prepare for the end of week test they would have to complete. By the end of the week, once the final tests of the year were done and marked, they would go straight into the Heroic aspects of the course - Something everyone in the class was longing for.
The group had two teachers who taught them throughout their general studies sessions, although there was a universally preferred teacher regarding this. Miss Caline Bustier was the class favorite, due to her kindness and helpfulness towards her students, and her understanding of their frustration regarding the slow progress through General Studies. Her Trait was Angel Wings - From her back, she had two very large, and very beautiful, wings that resembled those of an angels. They were strong enough, despite their smaller size, to give her flight and aerodynamic capabilities. Her body was also adapted to deal with the requirements for flight. A downside was that they were prone to breaking if too much for was applied, and could take a long time to recover. Along with this, her bones were far more lightweight than most other Humans, meaning that her bones are fragile, and prone to breaking. Her wings were also huge, spanning up to a good fifteen meters from wingtip to wingtip when fully extended.
Then there was Ms. Mendeleiev. No one seemed to particularly care for her a great deal. She was strict, sharp tongued, and completely indifferent to the irritation of her pupils, demanding that they do the work, regardless of how tedious it was. Many students did as they were told however, thanks to her Trait - Paralysis. Willing it, and keeping her eyes on a certain individual for no more than five seconds, she could cause every single muscle in a person's body to freeze, making them totally immobile. She never hesitated to use it on unruly students.
One thing both their teachers had in common, however, were incredible Traits, but at the same time, totally mundane. Causing an opponent to halt in their tracks, and have wings, these were Traits that existed in many places, some of them far superior to their teachers. A famous case with wings, for example, was a Hero who had metallic wings, that were razor sharp, and yet, here was Miss Bustier, teaching, instead of that Hero. It was just another reminder, the person behind the Trait could make all the difference. A perfect fighter, a perfect Hero, could use whatever they had to hand to fight in the name of justice.
As the second year approached, and the General Studies were finally coming to an end, a test had been prepared for the students. This test assessed not only their skill at General Knowledge, but would help assess them for next year. Those who failed the course were dropped. Harsh credentials such as this helped the school focus on training the most promising students. The test would include not only written knowledge, but physical ability also. Many students struggled as the end of year came around.
Adrien Agreste however, wasn't one of them.
His issue was he was too helpful.
"Marinette, seriously girl. Go. Talk. To him." Alya pestered, nudging her friend with her palms to do it if she was going to, trying to literally push her into the room Adrien occupied.
Both the Broadband Trait user and Marinette were outside the gym room of the school. Currently, Adrien, Nino, and Nathaniel were inside, using the equipment. Adrien and Nino had persuaded Nathaniel to come along with them, in order to 'Toughen him up' for the next year, encouraging him to show off a little, and demonstrate his Trait. While it sounded Jock-and-bully-like, Nathaniel had expressed a desire to get better at using his Trait... Whatever it was, and Adrien was pretty much the guy to go to for that. Tough love, as it were.
It had been Marinette's idea to come here, knowing that Adrien was inside. She wanted to speak to him. About anything. Something. Whatever, just something to spark a conversation with him. After speaking with him on their first day, the blue haired girl had developed a huge crush on the model Dual-Trait user, to the point where she could hardly even string together a coherent sentence when merely in his general area.
For the previous year, it had been days upon days of Alya trying her damnedest to get the Conversion Trait user to talk to the blond boy, but to next to no avail whatsoever. Each time, something had gone wrong. Adrien's various commitments, Marinette's own inability to use coherent language, Chloe being... Chloe, or something else getting in the way.
Marinette peered from the window of the gym room, spotting Nino and Adrien encouraging Nathaniel to practice his Trait on them. Adrien was, as per usual, in her black vest which she was certain he had about seven of, and his gym trousers, which were a very dark blue often baggy. He was stood by Nino, who was in a sort of similar getup.
"Come on, Nathaniel!" Adrien shouted. "Come at us!"
"I uh... Really don't feel comfortable with this..." The red headed teenager replied, awkwardly. Marinette had never seen Nathaniel and Adrien interact before, so them both being here struck her as weird. Nathaniel was a shy person as it was, not really talking, or even interacting with other people much.
But then again, that seemed to just be the sort of person Adrien was. He was warm and approachable, despite being awkward himself.
"I promise you, man, we'll be fine. Bring it on!" Adrien yelled again, encouraging the shy student. "Don't worry about it, it's just us here! Show us what you can do!"
Nathaniel gave another worried look, but he sighed in resignation, and his index finger on his left hand glowed. On his exposed right forearm, he ran his glowing finger along the skin, and before him, a large, spinning ninja star appeared, firing itself at Adrien and Nino.
Nathaniel Kurtzberg - Trait - Sketch - Nathaniel is able to draw, and create, anything he desires. When using this Trait, his finger of choice will glow, and he must draw with this finger. He can only use this Trait on his own skin, and it will appear in front of him. Any creations he makes will follow his commands. However, a drawback to this Trait is, if he uses it too often, he will suffer the effects of arthritis, despite not actually having it. Additionally, when he begins a drawing, he cannot stop it, meaning he only gets one draft to complete something to his satisfaction, which can be difficult when in combat.
Adrien and Nino both ducked down, avoiding the giant spinning star. The contraption smashed into a wall before erasing itself from existence - The damage to the wall was irrelevant. It was already covered in burns and cracks and holes from various other Trait users practicing their abilities in this very room.
After skidding to a halt, Adrien smirked. "So that's your Trait..."
Nathaniel went red in embarrassment and looked away. He was very shy regarding his own abilities, heavily critical, and immensely humble. He truly did not think his ability was all too impressive. Being an artist as well outside his fitting ability, he was heavily harsh on his own powers, constantly scrapping ideas and wanting to take his time, but having to rush due to the very nature of combat.. "Not too uh... Great, is it?"
"Dude, are you kidding?" Nino asked in awe, patting the red headed Sketch Trait user on the back. "That's awesome!"
"Absolutely." Adrien said, clapping his hands together. "What're you embarrassed about?"
"I-I mean... Compared to you two..."
"Dude, I'd love to be able to use your Trait!" Nino said with a good humor. "Controlling liquid isn't exactly the funnest thing in the world."
"And my powers are dangerous." Adrien said with a smile. Reminders of his own powers were always present. Looking around him, he saw all sorts of powers he'd rather have as opposed to his lethal ones. "Yours is nice and clean."
"Thanks..."
"Don't be so harsh on yourself." Adrien laughed with a smile. "You've got a cool Trait there. Keep up with stuff like that, and you're golden." After he had said that, he heard the final bell ring throughout the school. "Looks like we're out of time. Come on. Let's get going."
Marinette blushed as she watched this all unfold. All things she loved about Adrien were basically played out right in front of her. He was strong. He was kind. He was selfless. He often went out of his way to help people, even when he didn't have to. He was encouraging. He was sweet. And he always pushed everyone around him to the best of their abilities.
She didn't mind admitting that part of the reason she had chosen to take the Hero course was because of Adrien. He had inspired her so much when he took down Terawatt, she had developed these feelings for him so quickly... Every day she had seen something about him that made her fall for him even further. The way he spoke. The politeness he showed. The kindness. His truly Heroic attitude and personality.
And God damn it, was he cute.
She blushed, before hiding behind the wall again. Her face was dark red and her heart refused to calm the hell down. "I caaaaaaaan't!"
"Girl, you've been watching him like this for a year now! You have to say something to him!" Alya pushed, trying to make sure her friend did not back out of this plan. She swore that Marinette's awkwardness was going to rub off onto her some day.
"I can't Alya! My heart... Ahhh, my heart won't stop beating this fast..." Marinette said, flustered, gripping where her heart would be with both her hands. She was struggling to breathe a little bit. She was always like this when it came to Adrien. Heart pounding, temperature rising, and lack of oxygen entering her lungs as she forgot how to perform the most basic human function known in existence.
Alya sighed in both humor and mild irritation, her hands resting on her hips. A bemused smile crept onto her face and she shook her head. "You're hopeless, girl. You really are."
Marinette sulked, blushing and hiding her face, disappointing once again at her lack of ability to talk to the blond boy of her affections. It just... Wasn't possible for her to talk to him, no matter how much she wanted to.
Just another failed attempt.
Standing up, Marinette quickly left the general area, trying to hide her blush as she made a rapid escape, followed by a simultaneously amused and disappointing Alya, whom shook her head as she followed her embarrassed friend.
They didn't notice a certain blonde haired female student, whom saw them exiting from that general direction as she herself walked down an opposing corridor. Chloe didn't need prior knowledge to know what it was Marinette was running from.
She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in a ball of rage. A year had passed, and she was still furious. 'You... She always said she would join the Design course... And then we finally get here, and you chose the Hero course?... You think because your Trait is halfway decent that you can play Hero?...'
Inherently, it was a hypocritical thought, not that Chloe even understood the meaning of the word. Her initial choice of course had been the Valour course, but she had changed it when she learned of Adrien's acceptance to the Hero course. She had managed to convince herself she had always aimed for this course. She hadn't made secret her 'crush' on Adrien either, and it didn't take much for the bitter girl to learn about Marinette's feelings towards the rich model in question.
'That's fine though.' She thought to herself, looking at her palms and smirking to herself. 'So you've got an impressive Trait. Mine will still knock you flat on your face, any time, anywhere.'
She looked forward to the chance to humiliate and defeat Marinette, once and for all, whenever it would present itself.
"Dude, you should focus a bit more on yourself." Nino told Adrien as the two of them left the changing rooms, Adrien still throwing on his jacket as they left. They had just separated from Nathaniel, and were headed home to leave the school grounds. Students surrounded them on all fronts, some coming in for just the first time that day, and others leaving along with them. All manner of appearances, Traits, and people went by about their business as Nino spoke to Adrien.
"What d'you mean?"
"I mean, I've barely even seen you focusing on your own studies lately."
It was true, Adrien hadn't really focused on his own work too much. With the upcoming Heroics year, Adrien had been helping the various students in his class with their training of their Traits, and their Heroic studies, so they would not fall behind. He didn't really gain anything from this, other than aiding his classmates in succeeding into next year alongside him. To him, anyone who wanted to be a Hero deserved to at least have a shot at making it, and seeing people lose hope in their dreams depressed him, so he went that extra mile to try and help them.
He was, however, seriously bordering the line between passing and failing himself. Pushing himself too hard at all times, he was becoming seriously close to passing out in classes. That was just the way he was. Prioritizing other people ahead of himself.
"Can't stop to rest." Adrien said, almost robotic at this point. "If I fail the final test, then I'm screwed."
"Then you need to focus on yourself and not others, dude." Nino told him. Despite his admiration of Adrien's personality, and while he didn't mind helping him train other students from time to time, Nino valued his friends success over Adrien missing out to train others like Nathaniel.
"Hey, Nathaniel and everyone else have been working hard too." Adrien defended. "They deserve to pass just as much as we do. I'm just giving them a helping hand."
"I'm not denying that. Just... Go easy on yourself. You aren't responsible for everyone, man."
Sighing, the Dual Trait user looked over to his Hydrokinetic friend. "I just..."
"Dude, you're stressing yourself out." Nino stopped him before he could say anything more. "Look, you need a break. There's one of those new movies out down at the cinema today. Big release and everything. One of those films where nearly everyone's Traitless and the ones that do have Traits are looked down on. We'll go watch that dude, you need a break."
Adrien bit his thumb in consideration for a few moments, before he relented, biting off a small piece of skin. "I'll have to call father..." He'd have to lie, of course. There wasn't a chance in hell his father would permit him to go and see a movie just because he wanted to go see a movie with a friend. The fashion designer was far too restrictive and controlling for that. He'd need an excuse. "... But... I guess a couple hours wouldn't hurt..." He smiled lightly. "I guess you're right."
Pulling out his cellphone, Adrian flipped through his contacts until he found his father's contact details, and called the number. He pressed his mobile device against his ear as he and Nino walked outside, seeing both Alya and Marinette outside, Marinette apparently flustered about something. Before he could begin to wonder what that was, he heard his father's voice from the other end of the line. "Adrien?"
"Father. I just wanted to let you know I'm going to be a few hours late home today."
He was met by a few seconds of silence, before Gabriel responded, curiosity evident in his tone of speaking. "For what purpose?"
His mind running a mile a minute, he came up with a quick, believable excuse. "Me and a friend are - We're going to do some additional training with some classmates for a few hours. To prepare to the end of year tests." Adrien spent a lot of his spare time training anyway, so it wasn't a stretch to believe he would go and practice with other people who actually could use their Traits against him.
After a few short seconds of silence, his father responded. "...Very well. I expect you back no later than 10PM. With your Trait, you have no excuses for being late. You have a photo shoot come Sunday - Remember that."
"Yes father." Adrien said, instinctively nodding his head despite being on the phone, and hung up. He then nodded at Nino, indicating it had worked.
"Awesome dude." Nino said, lightly punching Adrien's shoulder with a smile on his face.
Adrien punched back, equally as playful, with his own grin. It was a rare occurrence for him to have any sort of freedom from his father, and whenever he did, it was even rarer for him to have anything to do during those, hence his time spent training for being a Hero. Seeing an actual film with a friend was a first, and, despite his own need to work hard to pass the end of year term, he did have to admit - Just seeing a movie with a friend did sound like fun.
"You two look happy." Adrien heard Alya comment from a short distance away. Slightly behind her was a shy Marinette.
Since their first day, Adrien and Marinette had gotten along a lot better than anticipated, but she seemed to have a serious issue when it came to talking to him. He was convinced that it was to do with his stature as a model. She had mentioned her love of fashion, and how she had originally intended to join the Design course, but for some unknown reason, had changed her mind, and taken the Hero course. Adrien liked her well enough. She was a very talented individual, and he admired her Trait very much.
She also didn't seem to need help with her Heroics studies or Trait usage. When he had offered, she had refused, in a frenzy of appreciative denials.
"Poster boy here finally got the go-ahead from his father to have a bit of free time." Nino said, nudging Adrien with his elbow.
"Yeah, after I lied to the control freak." Adrien reminded him, a touch of sarcasm in his voice. "Nino's dragging me to see a movie to unwind a bit."
"You could probably use a break more than any of us." Alya commented. "Who were you helping today? Nathaniel?"
"Yeah. Guy's got an interesting Trait. He needs to show it off a bit more." He didn't want to say what the red-head's Trait was. Talking about another individual's Trait was fine, but some people preferred to keep their private. it was common social decency to not speak of a person's Trait in detail if they did not wish for it to be spoken of to people who didn't know anything about it. Nathaniel was an artist, and like many artists, he was shy. His Trait was literally his art, so he preferred it to be kept quiet.
"What're you gonna go see?" Asked the scarlet haired girl, referring back to the movie.
Nino blew out collected air from a hole in his mouth and tried to remember the name. "Oh... Something - Men?... Apocalypse... Something or other, I can't remember the name. I'll know it when I see it."
"Really glad I'm letting you choose the movie." Adrien muttered sarcastically. Somehow, if Nino couldn't remember the name of the movie, the blond didn't trust the Hydrokinetic's film choice. He couldn't help but smile though.
Alya, being the social girl that she was, didn't hesitate in asking, "Hey, you mind if we tag along? I think we could all use a break."
Stress was apparent for everyone in those few days, so it was incredibly believable. Nino certainly didn't think twice, and nor did Adrien. "Sure thing. The more the merrier, right?"
"Right." Adrien nodded.
By this point, Marinette was going a scarlet shade of red. She knew exactly what her best friend was doing. This was yet another one of her schemes to get her to spend time with Adrien. While she was always grateful her friend pushed her into these sorts of situations to spite her own nervousness and awkwardness...
Adrien smiled at Alya. And then at her.
She blushed once again.
While Marinette had made no secret, at least to Alya, how much she longed to be able to spend time with Adrien in spite of her crippling inability to do so. This even extended to doing something as simple as standing next to him in the lunch line, but Marinette could barely even manage that. A date would be the best possible occurrence in that spectrum, and would literally be a dream come true, albeit the most unlikely one also, due to, again, her own terrible shyness.
So this was the closest thing.
But oh boy, was she not prepared for something like this.
Alya had a habit of pushing Marinette to do things she really, really didn't want to. She'd do them without warning, without consulting Marinette. Like, for example; this exact situation!
The blunette was a stumbling, stuttering, socially awkward mess right now, incapable of making the most basic words sound like words, never mind stringing together a sentence! This was the closest thing you could call a date, wasn't it? Was it? Marinette didn't know, her mind was moving faster than her heart, brain, common sense and logic itself could keep up with.
"Straight line, girl. Walk in a straight line." The Broadband Trait user told her Conversion Trait using friend, putting a hand on her shoulder to help keep Marinette on the correct path.
A few paces behind Adrien and Nino, the young designer's ditzy actions had gone unnoticed, luckily for her. Had she been in their line of sight, there was no doubt that they would have called her out on her less-than-normal method of walking right now.
"Alya, I'm freaking out!" Marinette sharply hissed. "I can't do this!"
"It's a movie, Marinette, calm down." Alya reminded her. She pulled her friend into a one armed hug and dramatically waved her hand behind Adrien, like she was promising the blue haired girl the stars. "Just think - After today, you'll have your excuses to talk with him."
The logic was there. After a bit of social interaction, enough to call one another friends, the barrier of their lack of social interaction would be gone, making him more likely to be responsive to her if she engaged in conversation... But... "I'm too nervous to talk to him, that's the problem here!"
"Well you'd better get over that quick." Alya nodded, indicating a certain blond teenager slowing his walking pace, so he could engage in conversation with the two girls whom had been falling back. While shy, Adrien was a rather social person. He would engage in conversations with people, even start them, even if he did end up looking like a total dork in the process.
Marinette felt a small bead of sweat run down her forehead, and her heart skipped a beat, before making up for that missed beat a hundred fold. Alya patted her on the back, trying to encourage her to at least try to talk to the boy she liked.
It would be easy to shake off Marinette's feelings as just a childish crush. She had fallen for the cute boy in class. How cliche that would be. The truth was though, it was far deeper than that. Marinette hadn't fallen for the pretty face he had, but that was a nice bonus. She'd fallen for someone she admired. Someone who inspired her. Someone who was truly Heroic in all aspects of his existence. He was talented. He was skilled. He had an amazingly rare dual Trait, and he worked the hardest out of everyone she knew. But again, this could all be attributed to her childish feelings for him. But no. He was a model, and he did many activities outside of school, but what she loved about him was that he never once put himself above anyone else, when he, of all people, probably was above everyone around him. He went out of his way to help them, even when it risked he himself losing out on various activities, or free time. He put himself to their level willingly, and here he was now. A kind soul. A Heroic person. Someone she admired. Someone she loved - Not someone she crushed on - Someone she loved.
And someone who was currently trying to spark a conversation with her.
"So," Adrien started, once he was level with the two girls' walking pace, "How've you girls been doing?"
"As good as can be expected I suppose." Alya said, smiling at the blond boy. Unlike Marinette, Alya had no issues whatsoever speaking to Adrien, and the two even had a casual friendship. Adrien trusted her and her judgement, so that made it easier for her to cover for Marinette. "I think this one's running on empty though. She's a tad more awkward than usual."
In her head, Marinete both thanked and cursed Alya at the same time for the cover excuse.
"Oh? You doing okay, Marinette?"
There it was again - That genuine concern. That kind voice, and that kind tone. Whenever she heard him speak, it warmed her heart, as well as make her heart flutter. She could listen to his voice for hours, without saying anything, and for a brief, panicked second, that's just what she did, before sharply realizing that she was supposed to be responding to the owner of said voice. "Fine! Fine, I'm - I'm - I'm f-fine!" It had been a tad louder than she would have liked. Another strike on the board of embarrassments.
He was somewhat used to her awkwardness anyway by this point, though he still found it a bit odd. Regardless of that though, he choked her current state down to stress. "Hey, I don't know why you're worried about exams." He said, smiling. "You've pretty much got it down, don't you?"
"I - I guess..."
"Your Trait is awesome." Adrien complimented. What that cursed teenager would have given to have Marinette's Trait's instead of his own, evil abilities. His own abilities, so dark they literally made his arms go black and nerves go numb. What a lovely Trait someone like Marinette had. "You'll do fine."
"Th - Thanks..."
Despite the presence of Heroes, there never really was such a thing as peace. Particularly not in a city like Paris. A large, dense city, with over ten million people residing in the greater area, all with their own unique and powerful Traits. Villains were certain to rise. And if they weren't someone would snap and attack another person with their Trait out of frustration, anger, political difference, or just out of mind crushing boredom.
The downside to a society of superpowers, was that everyone was carrying the equivalent of a gun or a bazooka at all times. Even the most useless Trait can become dangerous and deadly if put into the right hands, and the correct creative mindset. A common example that was often taught in schools was the ability to create a pencil in the palm of one's hand - If placed against a person's temple and then activated, it would kill them, turning a basically worthless power into something terrifying.
It wasn't uncommon, therefore, for films in this society to conceptualize what life would be like without Traits. While universally agreed, it would be a far more boring existence, it would mean that everyone would be put on the same footing, and that they'd have to build themselves up from nothing. In a world of random powers, some were naturally far more powerful than others. In a world without them, you had to gain that power yourself. These sorts of films were very common, and were widely renowned. From high school students racing to get the most developed muscles to become the best fighters, to Humans without wings who dreamed of the ability to fly.
This particular film took the concept a stage further - A universe where some people had Traits, and some didn't. It was akin to the beginning of Traits - Heavy discrimination, conflict, prejudice, and eventually, a war. The war in the real world didn't last long - When an army of people who have nothing but spears, swords, and chamber-pots, go up against an army where one single member might be able to cause literal comets to rain down on you, you weren't looking at a very long battle. All things considered, that war, which marked the beginning of the Gregorian calendar, back in 0-BC, was very bloodless, with only 10,000 casualties being recorded. It could have been a lot more bloody. Since then, Traits had been accepted and welcomed into society.
In this film, however, Traits only occurred in the 1950's, and to a very small percentage of the overall population.
It was an interesting concept to Adrien. It looked at a world in which inequality reigned supreme above all other things. The kind of world he wanted to fight against. The kind of world where he wanted to make everything better than it already was.
That wasn't to say prejudice didn't exist in their world, but to a far lesser degree. When you had two people who could easily demolish a city because of racial, sexual, or religious differences, acceptance and tolerance were valued and nearly enforced with Heroes. The key was discussion. Debate, and respect for one another. Trying to convince the other of one sides arguments, without disrespecting the others very existence. That was the key to the near century of Peace Humanity had enjoyed after the end of the Great Trait Wars.
Adrien had found himself sat next to Marinette, while Nino had sat by Alya. Weirdly, Marinette hadn't sat next to the open seat next to Alya on her opposing side, but Adrien supposed it didn't matter all that much. He would occasionally see her looking at him, but shoot her head right back at the screen whenever he turned to look at her.
Strange girl, she was.
Still... She wasn't a bad person. Adrien had no problems with her. She was kind, and she seemed dedicated to becoming a Hero herself. What had made her change her mind about becoming a Hero rather than a Designer, he didn't know, but after seeing her Trait, he was glad she had chosen to become a Hero. Her Trait had so much potential and creativity, that Adrien would have killed to have that sort of power. Figuratively, of course. He'd had enough of killing for one lifetime.
As he thought about all of this, he noticed, that the lights in the cinema began to flicker, on, and then off again, each light doing this at its own leisure, independent of one another. Seeing as the lights weren't even supposed to be on inside the cinema anyway, this was easily noticeable.
It only got more noticeable when the movie abruptly stopped, and become no more than a giant, white screen. "What the hell?..."
"You uh... Seeing that bro?" Nino asked, nudging his friend.
"Yep. That's... Weird..." Adrien turned to see Marinette looking at him, curious as well. He then turned again, to face Alya. The dark-skinned girl had her eyes closed, and her wrists were glowing. A side effect of the activation of her Trait. She was able to process information being sent via the web at high speeds, depending on the WiFi signal around her. Currently, it was weak, so it took Alya a while to process any articles, livestreams, uploads, and the likes. "Hey, Alya, you seeing anything?"
A few seconds passed, and Alya's eyes shot wide open. "We need to leave. Right now."
"You find something?"
"Oh yeah. We need to go, right now!"
"Yikes." Adrien muttered. Not normally forceful, the scarlet haired girl could be a force to be reckoned with when she wanted to be. He trusted Alya's judgement however, and nodded. "Okay then, everyone grab hold of me, or someone else holding me. I'll Teleport us out." He declared, grabbing hold of Marinette's hand, and placing his hand on Nino's shoulder. Alya placed her hand similarly on Nino's other shoulder, linking them all together.
Had Adrien looked at Marinette, he would have seen an explosion of crimson on her face.
Having three passengers was something that caused a great deal of stress. His body wasn't adapted to carry a large number of passengers, his Trait only really developed to travel him from place to place. Due to his physical strength that he had earned via his own body training, he could carry one other person along, with little to no difficulty. Carrying two, or even three, put additional strain on him.
Despite this however, he was able to Teleport everyone out onto the streets, despite the action giving him a painful stitch underneath his rib-cage. Once outside, he immediately collapsed onto his knees, clutching his stomach, just underneath where his left lung would be located. "Rrrrrghh!
Kneeling down to check on him, Marinette tried to give what little comfort she could offer. She didn't think about her embarrassment right now. There was a better time for that later. "Are - Are you okay?"
"Just... Not used to carrying so many people... Puts a bit of pain on me when I use my Teleportation... If I go over my weight limit..." Adrien said through gritted teeth. "I'm fine... Rrrgh... Alya, what was so important that we needed to go?"
Alya glanced around, like she was looking for something. "The web... When I was searching, I found an article, a live feed one... And it said that there was a squad of Heroes chasing a Villain in this area... And that the live broadcast said it was headed for the cinema - Right now."
"Did they say anything about the Trait?"
"Only to stay away. And that it's extremely, extremity dangerous. And destructive."
"Okay... You guys get out of here."
"Come again?" Nino spoke up, looking down at his gasping friend, whom was struggling to stand up.
"You guys go. I've got to go back."
More of that Heroic bravado. Adrien's Heroic personality shining through once again. He wasn't thinking about himself right now. He wasn't thinking about what the law would tell him to do. He was thinking about other people.
"What - Are you insane, dude?!"
"There are still people inside who don't know about that Villain..." Adrien said, still clutching his abdomen. The strain his Trait put on his was enormous if he wasn't careful with it. "I... Can't leave them in there like that."
"Then let us - "
"I'm not in a position to Teleport you guys back in." Adrien reminded them. "I can take maybe one person at a time without suffering negative feedback from my Trait. Nino, your Hydrokinesis won't help here. Marinette's Trait isn't suited for this, and Alya's Trait is too weak because of the crap signal in there to help me Teleport anyone left inside back outside. I'm the best choice to get them out of there."
"W-Wait a second, you can't - " Marinette tried to protest, but before she could finish her sentence, Adrien was gone, in a puff of smoke.
"I swear he's insane." Nino muttered. It wasn't that he wasn't used to this sort of action from Adrien - He just couldn't believe it still. He swore Adrien had no concept of self-preservation. "We gotta go after him!"
As soon as Nino finished his sentence, there was suddenly a rush of people dashing past them, and a number of police officers taking to the streets, fending people off. The large number was, no doubt, in due to the destructive nature of this villains Trait.
"I don't think that's gonna be easy." Alya said, her fists pressed against her forehead. She knew there wasn't much choice, despite not liking it. "Come on, we have to get out of their way."
She wound up dragging Nino out of the area. Marinette didn't move though. She just stared at the occurrences happening in front of her. Adrien was still in there... And she didn't know if he was okay or not... She should have run with Alya and Nino.
But she couldn't.
Instead, she ran towards the barricade.
Teleporting back into the cinema screen showing room, Adrien was just about to get the last person out of the building. He had managed to evacuate the other people in the showroom, totaling at around 10. It wasn't a lot of people, but it was something at the least. The rest had already run out around the same time they heard the commotion outside.
Strain was taking its toll on the young Parisian's body. Teleporting was like running. Run too much, and you get pains. Carry too much weight while running, you can run less distance. A Trait, after all, was just an extension of the person. A body part. You could strain it. Hurt it. Ruin it. The previous trip had taken him five separate jumps in order to get the passengers outside.
"Last one... Come on..." He muttered to himself, as he scanned the room. No one was there. They must have already run out of the building in the interval it had taken for Adrien to get back. That was a tad on the annoying side that they hadn't thought to mention to Adrien that they were just going to run out, but it didn't matter too much. All Adrien had to do was Teleport back out again.
Attempting to do so however, didn't work. All he got was his rejection feedback, a sharp tensing of the muscles in his body. He needed to recharge his Trait a bit. He'd only need a couple seconds.
Helping these people get out was just another impulsive action he had been a part of. He hadn't felt there was a choice in the matter. He had the power to help. So he helped. There just wasn't anything else to it.
This was pretty much what he trained for, wasn't it? To be a Hero. Heroes did this sort of thing every day. It was their job to do this sort of thing. But he wasn't a Hero, at least not yet, so why had he done it? He just... Felt like he had to. Maybe he had Heroic blood in his veins. Or maybe the guilt he felt every single waking day was so strong it drove him to the most selfless act he could imagine to dissuade it.
As he thought about this, he felt the ground shake around him, and as he grabbed hold of the nearest railing to support himself, he felt the gust of power, and the rubble fall onto him, heavy and hard, as the rooftop was blown into smithereens above his head. From the rubble, he saw the villain Alya had warned him about.
"Another empty building?" It was a woman's voice, and Adrien, glaring through the dust, could sort of make out her figure. Around her wrists were two semi-spherical objects, presumably to aid her in the use of this destructive Trait she wielded. Around her hips was a bulky, golden belt, and the rest of her was in a green jumpsuit. Just above her hand, was a sort of spherical object, hovering above her open palm. "Oh? No, there's one. You'll do."
"Will I now?" Adrien muttered, still glaring.
Molecular - Trait - Ectoplasm - This Trait allows its user to create a sphere of Ectoplasmic energy in their palms, which can be thrown or used as a melee weapon by its user. This Trait is very destructive, as it can be dangerous if a foreign object it touched by this power, as it can range from blowing it up, to melting it at an atomic level.
This woman wanted a hostage. That's why she was here. Had Adrien not gotten everyone out, she would have had an entire cinema to hold hostage. Now, she didn't have anyone.
Well, she had one person. It was just a shame he wasn't going to comply with her. He felt his Teleportation Trait recharge in his veins. He had enough power to get a few movements in. He moved, quickly getting in range of the Villain in front of him. He flared up his Destruction Trait at the same time, and began to reach out, aiming to destroy the woman's wrist mounted appliances. He didn't know just how strong her Trait was, but he assumed if he destroyed those parts of her costume, her powers would weaken alongside the destruction of her suit.
The woman, Molecular, seemed to care very little, backhanding him with a Ectoplasmic sphere, sending him flying across the street into another building. "What a pity."
'What the - ' Adrien thought as he was tossed casually across the street, feeling his back slam through a brick wall. Intense pain followed, which he kept quiet by gritting his teeth as hard as they would go. It freaking hurt. That Trait was something to be feared. It was incredible destructive, in close and long range. Adrien assumed that Molecular was a criminal whom used her Trait for violent Heroes and police must have caught her in the act, hence her attempts to take a hostage.
Just like Terawatt. Villains never learned, did they?
Picking himself up, Adrien looked around the shop he had been thrown into. His head was pounding, and he struggled to think straight. What was there he could really do against someone like Molecular? Then again, should he even attempt to? Saving civilians was one thing - That was the only reason he had fought Terawatt in the first place, to help save that kid - But taking on a real Villain - A professional Villain- A real evil-doer - was a whole other story. Plus, his Teleportation Trait was weakening.
Not one to back down though, Adrien used his Trait and moved outside. He needed to at least see what he was working with before he made his call.
Marinette could not - Could not - Believe she was doing this.
Adrien was in trouble. He needed her help. That was what was making her do this. This isn't something she would do under any other circumstance she could even begin to consider. This was beyond stupid, and for someone like Marinette, doing stupid things was not in any way on the agenda. She was a smart person, and knew when to get involved. This wasn't one of those times.
But - If there was a Villain, and Adrien needed help...
She wouldn't forgive herself. Not if he got hurt.
Ducking into a closed shop, and finding a way inside, she quickly sought out some various clothes that she'd need. Technically speaking, this would be stealing... But she didn't have the time, nor the patience, to worry about that right now. She found some red and black cloth, and began to use her Trait.
This wasn't Marinette - This felt like someone else. Like some other part of her brain was now in control of her personality, directing her, telling her what to do, and where to go. She didn't feel like herself. She felt... Almost better than herself.
Skilled use of her Trait allowed her to create clothes - With a perfect margin for her exact sizes in the exact right places.
She needed to look the part of a Hero. She didn't want Adrien to know it was her - Mostly because she knew for a fact that if he did, she would never, ever live it down. But also, if she was caught doing this, she would certainly have to suffer the consequences for Vigilantism. At least if she hid her face, she could, maybe, get away with this...
When the hell did she start thinking of ways to skirt the law?
As she created the costume, now red with black polka dots she muttered to herself once again. "I can't believe I'm doing this..."
"Aaaargh!" Adrien yelled, throwing another flurry of swipes and strikes at Molecular. Every strike was open-palmed, a trick he learned from his various martial arts classes, that was a perfect fit with his Destruction Trait. Each swipe however was countered by a ball of ectoplasmic energy, casually deflecting the hard pressed strikes Adrien threw, over and over again. He struck endlessly, looking for some sort of weak spot in the villains guard and gap. Nothing. Molecular was an experienced combatant, that much was clear. He was in over his head.
He sure as hell couldn't back down though. There weren't any official Heroes to take over. All he was doing was stalling, until someone who was trained could tag out with him and finish the fight.
"Damn it!" He grunted aloud, swiping with a left hook, which only came into contact with a sphere of energy, clashing once more.
"Give it up, kid." The female Villain said, speaking calmly, monotonously pushing back against Adrien's attack. "I've fought hundreds of Heroes in my time. You won't beat me, I can promise you that much."
Arrogant as this woman was, Adrien knew she was right. This wasn't Terawatt. This was someone who knew how to fight. This was someone who was a real fighter. Someone who knew how to counter close-quarters-combat opponents.
This was a professional Villain. Someone who killed for a living.
Damn his own stubbornness. Virtuous as it may be, it was also one of his biggest weaknesses.
He was too worn out to use Teleportation again, using all of his spare energy on his Destruction Trait to counter these balls of energy coming at him.
And even that was starting to have negative repercussions.
Like all Traits, his Destruction Trait had a downside. Using it, rapidly, one strike after another without break, would cause his skin to peel off. It wasn't a gentle experience. He felt the pain in explicit sensation. And it freaking hurt. At this point, he was attacking with his bare muscle tendons.
But there was no way he was going to let that stop him...
"Stop!" A sharp voice, loud, crisp, and clear, even through the sound of battle, drew the attention of both the amateur Hero, and the veteran Villain.
Before them stood a girl, and it was very clear this girl wasn't very old. Maybe Adrien's age, perhaps a bit younger. She had dark blue hair, which she allowed to flow freely around her face. The suit she wore was skin tight, and lacked modesty in that department. Features were clear, where they were applicable. The clothing was completely red, and on the outfit, randomly, were black, scattered polka dots. Across the girl's face was an eye mask, with exactly five dots on it, arranged in a symmetrical pattern. Around the back of her head, randomly flowing with her hair, were two red ribbons. Across her hip, a yo-yo, of all things ridiculous in this world. The girl seemed nervous. Understandable, given the opponent she was speaking to.
Molecular just stared at the young girl, like she had just been slapped in the face. Like she had been insulted. "Is this supposed to be some sort of joke?" She looked almost insulted. "Are you supposed to be a Hero?"
The girl visibly gulped, but she didn't falter. "Re-Release that citizen, immediately!" She declared, apparently not even noticing Adrien was still fighting back. It was like she was quoting a poorly written superhero movie. She didn't care how awkward she looked right now though - She was facing someone who could probably kill her in a heartbeat.
Looking at this child, Molecular was reminded, well and truly reminded, why she despised children. This girl clearly thought herself better than her.
She didn't mind putting her in her place.
"Fine." She said, briefly pulling her power from Adrien, only to backhand him across the street once again with the same ball of energy. She didn't hold back. Adrien was across the street and slammed through a wall in less than three seconds.
"A-Adrien!"
"You know him? Molecular inquired, totally disinterested. Before the girl could respond, the Villain shook her head. "On second thoughts, I couldn't care less. What I do care about though... Is what the hell you think you're going to do now."
"H-Huh?"
"You intend to stop me, right?"
The teenage girl froze for just a moment before she responded. "Y-Yeah!"
That seemed to be the only inclination that Molecular needed before launching an attack.
Or at least attempting to.
Before she knew what was happening, a giant, steel cube surrounded her, preventing her from attacking, moving, escaping, or doing generally anything related to attacking the masked girl. She was now trapped, unable to move, unable to fight. Try as she might, the steel was resistant to her Ectoplasm Trait.
The girl sighed. It had been far too close a call for her. She had panicked, for just a second. Her Trait allowed her to build up a wall of steel, due to the small steel screw inside the yo-yo on her waist. It had come in more use than she had ever hoped for.
All of a sudden, there was a Teleporting puff of smoke, and out of it came Adrien, looking between the girl, and the steel cage. He didn't take long to figure out what was going on, and he just looked at the girl, like he had just spotted an angel. "How the..."
"Are- Are you alright?" She asked, looking him over. He was bruised and cut, injuries aplenty. He looked like he had been dragged through a hedge full of nails.
"I'm... I'm fine... How did you... Do this?" Adrien asked, tapping the steel cage. He could hear Molecular's fit of rage, as she slammed her Trait against the metal, to no avail whatsoever.
"M-My T-Trait!" The girl said abruptly, thinking quickly of a fake name. "L-Lucky Charm! I- I can make any object I want appear!" She lied, hiding her ability. "I-I just have to... Transfer the energy into my yo-yo!" Another lie. She had barely even used the yo-yo, but the more she distanced her Trait from her identity, the better. "A-Anyway! I should - I should be going now! Take care o-of yourself!"
Even behind a mask, even when he couldn't see who she was, she couldn't help but stutter around him.
"Wait!"
Her heart stopped. "Yes?..."
"...You're not an official Hero, are you? I don't recognize you... And I know pretty much all the Heroes in this city."
"..No... I'm not..."
"...What do I call you?"
He wasn't asking for her identity - Well he was... But that wasn't what he was referring to right now. He didn't mean that. He knew she wouldn't just give out her identity if she was a Vigilante. There was no way this girl was that dumb.
Marinette's heart raced. She hadn't expected this question. What did she reply with? What did she say? Her mind raced, before coming to an answer quickly. "M - ... Ladybug!"