Chapter 2:vol 1: Lady WiFi

In class, Alya held up a cutout picture of Overbug's face, closely examining it and comparing it to some of her classmates' faces.

She compared it to Kim, then to Chloé. Noticing this, Chloé pointed toward Ms. Bustier, who was handing out homework.

Walking up to Alya, Ms. Bustier handed her a homework sheet and asked, "Alya, have you seen Alex?"

Alya shrugged lightly. "I haven't seen him since the beginning of class, Ms. Bustier."

Ms. Bustier frowned slightly at her response.

"Well, if you see him, make sure he gets his homework," she said before walking away to dismiss the class.

Alya nodded and headed to the locker room.

As she put her backpack away, she noticed Chloé pulling out items with Overbug's color scheme. Startled, Alya quickly stepped back and hid before Chloé could turn around and spot her.

Shocked and suspicious, Alya rushed out of the school building to call Alex.

"Come on, come on, pick up, Alex," she muttered in frustration.

She spotted Nino nearby, grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward a bench.

"Why did you drag me here—" Nino began, but Alya silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"Shh," she said, quickly checking her phone to see if Alex had responded. She groaned when his calls kept going to voicemail.

"Ugh! I hate when he goes AWOL," Alya grumbled.

Nino shrugged with a slight smile. "Honestly, my bro Adrien does the exact same thing. But hey, you gotta be sneaky when you've got Mr. Control Freak breathing down your neck all the time."

Suddenly, Alya's phone beeped with a notification for a live news alert about Overbug and Cat Noir.

She opened it and saw Overbug smiling with his yoyo raised in hand.

Alya's eyes widened as she recalled seeing Chloé pull out an object earlier that looked almost identical to Overbug's yoyo.

With a triumphant grin, Alya leaned in and whispered to Nino, "I think I know who Overbug is. It's Chloé."

Nino blinked before bursting into laughter. "You're crazy, Alya! Chloé? Overbug? No way. She's way too selfish to care about anyone but herself."

Alya groaned, scribbling a note and slipping it into Alex's book bag, which he'd left behind at school.

"I'm not crazy, Nino. You'll see," she muttered, grabbing his hand and leading him along.

Meanwhile, realizing he was about to detransform in less than a minute, Overbug darted across the city, racing toward his destination two miles away.

He leaped through gaps, dashed across rooftops, and finally swung over a large building, landing behind a poster board just in time.

As he detransformed, Alex stepped out from behind the board and scanned his surroundings, letting out a sigh of relief when he confirmed no one was around.

Smiling, he glanced at his Kwami. "New record, Tikki—thirty seconds!" he said, feeling proud.

Tikki giggled. "That's because Miraculous holders constantly evolve and grow at an accelerated universal growth rate," she explained, munching on the macaron Alex handed her.

Alex frowned slightly. "I just hope Hawkmoth isn't getting stronger too. I already missed half a day of school—half a day without seeing Adrien."

"Yeah, this new villain sure keeps us on our toes," Tikki said, gesturing to her nonexistent feet.

Alex chuckled. "Tikki, you don't even have feet."

Grinning, he entered his family's bakery.

"Hi, Mom," Alex said, hugging Sabine.

"Hey, Alex. Alya left your book bag here. You've been so forgetful lately," Sabine said, handing it to him.

"I know," Alex replied, taking it back.

Sabine smiled knowingly. "You just need more exercise and sleep to help that growing brain of yours."

"Yeah, I'll make sure to do that," Alex said with a small smile as he headed up to his room.

Once there, he plopped down into his chair and pulled out his school pad from his book bag. As he did, he noticed a note stuck to it. Holding it closer, he read:

"Call me. I think I know who Overbug is."

Alex's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Do you think she actually knows who Overbug is?" Tikki asked, her tone tinged with concern.

Alex smiled softly. "Nah, Tikki. Alya jumps to conclusions all the time without solid proof. But it wouldn't hurt to find out what she thinks."

He grabbed his phone to call Alya, only to find there was no signal. With an irritated sigh, he climbed out the hatch near his ceiling and held his phone up in the air, hoping to catch a signal.

Still unsuccessful, Alex groaned in frustration. As he was about to head back inside, he noticed a maintenance worker near the signal box.

"Sorry, the building's under signal maintenance. It should be back up in a few hours," the worker explained.

Alex sighed again and went back inside, dropping into his chair. He turned to Tikki with a resigned smile.

"It's fine. I'll just ask her tomorrow at school," Alex said, pulling out his homework.

Tikki smiled warmly. "Good idea."

The next day, Alya was hiding behind a school pillar with Nino, waiting.

Chloé's private cab pulled up, and she stepped out, tossing her book bag at Sabrina.

"I like your fashion sense," Chloé remarked to one boy, then turned to Aurore with disdain. "Not yours, though."

She ascended the stairs toward class.

"You sure Chloé's Overbug?" Nino asked, unconvinced.

"Yeah… well, I think so," Alya replied hesitantly.

Nino sighed, shaking his head.

Meanwhile, Alex woke up groggily, glancing at his school pad to check the time.

"School starts in—wait, it started an hour ago!" Alex exclaimed, jumping out of bed in a panic.

He scrambled to get ready and rushed to school.

At school, Nino pressed Alya again. "Are you really sure Chloé's Overbug?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just stick to the plan," Alya said, pushing him toward Chloé.

Chloé noticed him and glared.

"Hey, Overbug, look!" Nino said, pointing toward a window.

Chloé stared at him, unimpressed. "What are you even talking about?"

"Uh, I mean, did you see Overbug yesterday? So cool, right?" Nino said, leaning in closer.

Chloé groaned, shoving him away. "Up too late DJing, Nino? Obviously, you didn't get your beauty sleep." She smiled faintly and went back to her locker.

Seizing the moment, Alya snapped a quick photo of Chloé's locker.

"Chloé! Alya's spying on your locker!" Sabrina shouted, pointing at Alya.

Alya quickly hid her phone behind her back, smiling nervously. "That's so not true! She's lying!"

Kim approached from behind and grabbed Alya's phone.

"Hey! Give that back!" Alya protested, jumping to reach it, but Kim held it out of her grasp.

With a huff, Chloé snatched the phone from Kim, scrolling through the photos until she found the incriminating one.

"Who's the liar now?" Chloé taunted, holding up the phone to display the picture.

Later, in the principal's office, Chloé tried to get Alya in trouble.

"Mr. Damocles, this is clearly a violation of my privacy! She should be punished!" Chloé said, feigning hurt.

"Well, Chloé, the school doesn't exactly have a policy on locker privacy," Mr. Damocles said in a stern tone.

Alya sighed, frustrated but internally relieved the punishment didn't escalate further.

"Oh, come on! Don't let Chloé convince you to punish me. It's just a measly photo!" Alya protested, her irritation evident.

"Well, she did break and enter!" Chloé exclaimed, trying to twist the situation against Alya.

"Oh, please! The locker was already open. I didn't steal anything!" Alya argued, defending herself.

"So… nothing was stolen?" Mr. Damocles asked, turning to Chloé for clarification.

"Only my very soul!" Chloé cried out dramatically, throwing her hands in the air.

Sabrina stepped forward with a smug smile, holding a clipboard. "Actually, Mr. Damocles, the school rules state that theft results in a one-week suspension," she said, reading aloud.

Mr. Damocles cleared his throat. "But if nothing was stolen, I can't punish Alya for something she didn't do," he said firmly.

Chloé huffed in frustration and pulled out her phone. "Let's see what my daddy, the mayor, has to say about this."

Mr. Damocles visibly paled. "C-Chloé, let's not bother your father—I mean, the honorable mayor—with something as trivial as a locker issue," he stammered nervously.

Ignoring him, Chloé began dialing her father.

Panicked, Mr. Damocles gave in. "Fine! Alya is suspended for a week," he declared reluctantly.

Satisfied, Chloé put her phone away, smirking.

Alya, fuming with anger, stormed out of the school.

Rushing to class, Alex didn't notice Alya leaving the school grounds in the opposite direction. Likewise, Alya didn't see Alex as she hurried past.

Alya eventually made her way to the canal, sitting on the wall with her head in her hands, upset.

In his lair, Hawkmoth sensed her distress and smiled wickedly.

"Ah, school—a place teeming with troubled children, overflowing with negative emotions," he said as he infused a butterfly with dark energy.

"Fly, my evil akuma, and evilize her!" he commanded, twirling his magical cane.

The akuma flapped its wings and flew to Alya, merging with her phone.

"Hello, Lady WiFi," Hawkmoth's voice echoed in Alya's mind. "I grant you the power to expose the truth about others. In return, I ask only for Overbug's and Cat Noir's Miraculouses."

A dark smile crossed Alya's face as she replied, "You can count on me, Hawkmoth."

With that, she transformed into Lady WiFi. Her outfit turned black and white with a WiFi signal on her chest, and a black mask formed over her face. With newfound power, Lady WiFi took off for Principal Damocles' office.

Meanwhile, Alex sneaked into class and quietly took his seat. Noticing Alya's absence, he tapped Nino's shoulder.

"Hey, Nino, do you know what happened to Alya?" Alex whispered.

"Oh, yeah. She got suspended," Nino replied casually.

"WHAT?!" Alex exclaimed, standing up in shock.

"Alexander, if you're going to come in late, at least do it quietly," Ms. Bustier said sternly.

"Sorry," Alex mumbled, sitting back down.

Leaning closer to Nino, Alex whispered again, "Why did she get suspended?"

"Well… she, uh, broke into someone's locker—I mean, Overbug's locker," Nino said, trying to correct himself.

"WHAT?!" Alex blurted out again, louder this time.

"Alright, Alexander, to the principal's office now!" Ms. Bustier said firmly.

With a sigh, Alex grabbed his bag and made his way to the principal's office.

As Alex opened the door, he froze at the sight before him: Mr. Damocles was stuck mid-motion, with a giant pause button embedded in his chest.

Alex rushed to check on him, his eyes scanning the room. On the computer screen, he saw a video featuring an akumatized figure. Looking closer, he noticed the Overbug pendant on the figure's phone and realized it was Alya.

Alex's heart sank.

"Oh, Alya…" he murmured, his voice filled with worry and sadness.

"Tikki, we have to help Alya—she's been akumatized," Alex said with determination.

"Oh no, you're going to have to fight your best friend," Tikki said, her voice laced with worry.

"No, Tikki. We're going to save her," Alex replied with a confident smile.

Tikki nodded, her worry easing as she returned the smile.

With resolve, Alex transformed into Overbug.

"Hey Nino, what was that all about?" Adrien asked, curious about the situation.

"Nothing big. Alya thinks Chloé is Overbug, which is why she got suspended," Nino said in his usual nonchalant tone.

Adrien glanced over at Chloé. "Overbug, huh?" he murmured, sounding unsure.

Before Adrien could think further, a sudden video played on the classroom's projector.

On the screen was an akumatized villain.

"I'm Lady WiFi, and our principal has a little tidbit of information to share with you," Lady WiFi said smugly, standing beside Mr. Damocles, who sat still at his desk, looking disheartened.

"So, Principal Damocles, is it true that you wrongly accused a student named Alya today?" she asked, her tone dripping with mockery.

Looking defeated, Mr. Damocles nodded. "Yes, it's true."

Lady WiFi smirked. "So, you admit to being biased, unfair, and completely unjust?"

"Yes, I do," Mr. Damocles replied, sounding disheartened.

Lady WiFi's wicked grin widened as she swiped her phone screen. A glowing pink pause button emerged, shooting toward Mr. Damocles and freezing him completely.

Turning back to the camera, she announced, "Alright, everyone! For my next scoop, I will reveal the true identity of Overbug!"

The video cut off, leaving the classroom in stunned silence.

"Alright, kids! For your safety, head home immediately!" Ms. Bustier instructed, her tone urgent.

The students didn't need to be told twice—they grabbed their belongings and quickly left the classroom.

Adrien used the commotion to slip away unnoticed and find a quiet spot to transform.

"Plagg, someone's in trouble, and we need to help," Adrien said, pulling out a piece of Camembert for his Kwami.

Plagg devoured it quickly and grinned slyly. "Are you sure this isn't just an excuse to see if Chloé is really Overbug?"

Adrien sighed. "Maybe a little, but that's not the point right now. Plagg, claws out!"

With that, Adrien transformed into Cat Noir and leapt off to investigate.

Landing on a rooftop near Chloé's room, Cat Noir used his enhanced vision to peer inside.

Through the window, he saw Chloé wearing an Overbug costume and clumsily swinging a toy yo-yo.

"Could she really be...?" Cat Noir muttered, starting to second-guess himself.

Suddenly, Overbug landed beside him with a knowing smile.

"You don't seriously believe Chloé is me, do you?" Overbug asked, clearly amused.

Cat Noir glanced back at Chloé, who had now tangled herself in the toy yo-yo and fallen over. He turned back to Overbug, his doubts instantly vanishing.

"Yeah… definitely not," Cat Noir said with a sheepish chuckle.

"I mean, come on. I'm a boy, and her personality is nothing like mine," Overbug said with a confident smile.

Cat Noir glanced back at Chloé, still fumbling with her toy yo-yo, and sighed in relief.

"Yeah, you're right," he said with a grin.

"She's just a superfan—a copycat, you could say," Overbug added with a light smirk.

Later that day, as night fell, Lady WiFi emerged from Chloé's phone.

"Alright, Overbug, let's see who you really are!" Lady WiFi announced, her tone sharp as she prepared to pause Chloé with her powers.

Before she could strike, Cat Noir swiftly kicked her out of the way while Overbug grabbed Chloé and whisked her to safety.

"Oh, thank you, Overbug! That wretched villain almost got to me!" Chloé exclaimed in a mix of whiny gratitude.

Rolling his eyes, Overbug muttered a quick "No problem," before dashing off to assist Cat Noir.

Cat Noir skillfully dodged Lady WiFi's pink energy blasts, closing the distance between them. As he landed a solid hit, Lady WiFi was thrown through three walls, crashing into a painting.

"How's that for good signal? Purrfect bars, right?" Cat Noir quipped with a mocking smirk.

Lady WiFi stood up, visibly frustrated. "You're infuriating!" she snapped, unleashing another energy attack.

Cat Noir deftly deflected the blast and rushed forward, but Lady WiFi used her phone's teleportation power to vanish.

Confused, Cat Noir scanned the room. "Where did she go?"

Unbeknownst to him, Lady WiFi had reappeared behind him. She fired a pause attack at his back, but Overbug swooped in just in time, pulling Cat Noir out of harm's way.

The sudden motion sent both heroes crashing to the ground. Cat Noir ended up beneath Overbug, grinning mischievously.

"You know, this position really suits you, Bugaboo," Cat Noir teased with a flirtatious smirk.

Overbug groaned, rolling his eyes. "Now's not the time, Cat Noir," he said, standing and dusting himself off.

The heroes turned their focus back to Lady WiFi, who attacked with relentless energy blasts. Overbug dodged her strikes and launched toward her, only for her to disappear just before he could land a hit.

Overbug quickly adjusted, flipping into a defensive stance, but Lady WiFi caught him off guard with a well-placed kick. The impact sent him crashing through two walls.

Distracted by concern for Overbug, Cat Noir let his guard down and was struck by an energy attack, sending him flying toward Overbug. Both heroes tumbled through the floor below, landing in a dusty kitchen.

Coughing from the dust, Overbug pushed Cat Noir off him and got to his feet. He spun his yo-yo to create a protective shield as he scanned the room.

"Hey, Cat Noir, you see Lady WiFi anywhere?" Overbug asked, his voice tense.

"No, I don't see her anywhere!" Cat Noir called back, looking around warily.

The two heroes remained alert, preparing for Lady WiFi's next move.

I groaned in annoyance and continued to search for Lady WiFi.

As I looked around, Lady WiFi emerged from a phone, catching both me and Cat Noir off guard.

Lady WiFi then kicked Cat Noir, who was caught off guard, into the kitchen's freezer and paused the doors, causing his ring to fall off and roll under the shelves of frozen food.

Transforming back into his normal form, Adrien frantically searched for his miraculous.

"Cat Noir!" I yelled, surprised. Using this chance, Lady WiFi sent two pause energy attacks towards my arms, sticking me to the wall.

Hawkmoth's voice crackled through Lady WiFi's mind. "Yes! Expose Overbug's identity!" he said with a feeling of victory.

With a grin, Lady WiFi walked towards me, sending out a recording energy to the side, broadcasting everything live to the people of Paris.

"Now let's see who Overbug really is," Lady WiFi said with a wicked grin.

I started to worry and frantically moved my head around.

Lady WiFi tried to grab my mask, but my constant head movements made it troublesome for her.

She let out a huff of annoyance. Finally, she managed to get her hands on my mask but couldn't pull it off.

"Jeez, why isn't this coming off?" Lady WiFi complained.

"Well, maybe because it's magic," I said sarcastically.

"Don't go for his mask! Pull off his earrings!" Hawkmoth's voice crackled again, visibly annoyed at Lady WiFi's mistake.

"Oh, yeah! Great suggestion, Hawkmoth," Lady WiFi replied, feeling victorious.

As she reached for my earrings, I frantically moved my head, trying to stop her from taking my miraculous. "No!" I yelled, desperate to protect it.

Lady WiFi finally touched my earrings and was about to pull them off when a sudden burst of pinkish-red magic erupted from me.

"No means no!" I yelled, lifting both my legs up and double-foot kicked Lady WiFi across the city. She crashed through several buildings, cars, and streets until she slammed into the rail of the Eiffel Tower, leaving a path of destruction in her wake.

I found myself free from her pause attacks and saw the recording energy was gone as well. Sighing in relief, I rushed to check on Cat Noir.

"Cat Noir, you okay!?" I called out in concern.

Still searching for his miraculous, Adrien was beginning to freeze.

"Y-y-yes, just hurry up, milady!" Adrien shivered.

"Just hang on a little longer. I'm going to get you out soon!" I said, quickly scanning for a way to help. Spotting the microwave, I came up with a plan.

Infusing the microwave with magical energy, I shoved the cart it was on towards the paused door and started it up.

As the magic-infused microwave heated up, the pause energy from Lady WiFi began to melt away. Soon enough, the energy was completely gone.

Seeing this, Overbug quickly pushed the cart out of the way and opened the freezer door.

Finding his ring and transforming back in time, Cat Noir collapsed into Overbug, who caught him and gently rested him on his lap.

"Oh no, are you okay, Cat Noir?" Overbug asked, his voice filled with concern as he looked down at the shivering hero.

Cat Noir winced in discomfort, still trembling in Overbug's lap.

Overbug's thoughts raced. He recalled reading about a magical fairy tale earlier that day, where a prince saves a frozen princess with a kiss.

Overbug mentally groaned. This will be the only time you ever experience this, he thought to himself.

Sighing, Overbug leaned down and pressed his lips to Cat Noir's.

As their lips met, a burst of magical energy infused from Overbug into Cat Noir, warming him and helping to restore his strength. The kiss seemed to melt away the effects of the freezing energy, and after a few moments, Overbug pulled back, waiting for Cat Noir to wake up.

With a light groan, Cat Noir blinked his eyes, clearing away the blurriness. As his vision focused, he stared up at Overbug in awe, a thankful expression on his face.

"You know, your lap feels really good, Bugaboo," Cat Noir said with a grin.

Overbug smiled in relief, wiping away the small tears that had threatened to escape.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" Overbug said, pulling Cat Noir into a tight hug.

Cat Noir wrapped his arm around Overbug's neck, hugging him back.

"So, what'd I miss?" Cat Noir asked with a smile.

Overbug stood up, helping Cat Noir to his feet, and explained the situation to him.

"Alright, so what's the plan to beat her?" Cat Noir asked, his tone suddenly serious and determined.

"First, we need to lead her back here, but it looks like that part is already taken care of." Overbug said with a smile.

Both heroes turned their attention to a phone lying on the floor, from which Lady WiFi emerged, visibly bruised and huffing in frustration.

"Alright, Cat Noir! To the roof!" Overbug declared. Without wasting another second, he and Cat Noir dashed toward the roof with Lady WiFi hot on their heels.

Once they reached the rooftop, Overbug summoned his Lucky Charm, and a rope materialized. Just as he started to think of a plan, Lady WiFi interrupted them.

"You'll pay for that, Overbug!" Lady WiFi yelled, shooting energy attacks towards him and Cat Noir.

Overbug quickly formed a plan and sprang into action. He dodged and deflected Lady WiFi's energy blasts, moving rapidly until he reached the signal receiver. Infusing it with his magical energy, he threw the rope, wrapping it around Lady WiFi's ankle.

Overbug then infused the rope with even more magical energy, connecting Lady WiFi to the signal receiver.

Frustrated, Lady WiFi was quick to react, but just as she was about to use her pause attack on Cat Noir, it didn't work. She looked up, confused, but before she could process what was happening, she saw the signal receiver was broken.

For a split second Lady WiFi's attention wavered. She then realized that Overbug had connected her phone to the signal receiver, and that by breaking it she would lose her powers. And in this timeframe, it gave Cat Noir the opening he needed. With a swift shout, he charged forward. "Cataclysm!" He destroyed Lady WiFi's phone before she could react, The explosion of energy released the akuma from the now broken phone, and Alya fell down, slightly disoriented.

Overbug, realizing this, quickly went into action and descended from the signal receiver and captured the akuma. "Bye-bye, little butterfly," he said, releasing it. He then walked over to Cat Noir, giving him a fist bump. "Pound it!" they cheered, their camaraderie evident.

Overbug then turned his attention to Alya, who was slowly coming to her senses, looking slightly dazed. "What happened?" she asked, her voice filled with confusion.

With a reassuring smile, Overbug replied, "You were akumatized."

Cat Noir glanced down from the roof and saw the massive path of destruction left in the wake of the battle. "Jeez, what happened here?" he asked, his voice full of awe and disbelief.

Overbug chuckled softly, his relief evident. "A battle happened." He then raised his Lucky Charm and threw it into the air, calling out, "Miraculous Overbug!" As he did, his magical ladybugs swarmed around, fixing and restoring everything to its original state, undoing the damage caused by the battle.

As the restoration completed, both of their miraculous began to beep, signaling the end of their transformation. Hearing the signal, both heroes quickly ran off, knowing they had to return to their civilian identities before anyone noticed their absence.

Alya quickly tried to take a picture with the two heroes before they left, but as she turned around, phone in hand, she saw nothing but the roof and the vast cityscape stretching out before her. She sighed, her excitement fading, and headed back home.

As Overbug was about to enter one of the storage closets on the building's main floor, he was stopped by Cat Noir's hand gripping his wrist.

"Stay. I won't tell anyone who we are," Cat Noir said with a slightly serious and heartfelt expression. "It could just be us."

Overbug's expression softened, but a small frown tugged at his lips. "I wish it was that easy, Cat Noir. You know we both have to keep our identities secret." With that, Overbug entered the storage closet and began to detransform.

Cat Noir stood there for a moment, his hand hovering over the door handle of the closed closet. He hesitated. Before slowly pulling his hand back, and with a sigh he leapt away.

"Hey, so why didn't you open the door? I know you wanted to," Plagg said, popping out of Adrien's jacket as he flew up to his shoulder.

"Because me and Overbug trust each other," Adrien replied, his tone warm. "I wouldn't want to break that trust. And besides, there will be plenty of other chances for us to reveal our identities to each other." With a smile, he began walking home.

The next day at school, Alya and Chloé were summoned to the principal's office first thing in the morning.

"Alya, I've realized the error of my ways," Principal Damocles said with a firm smile. "So, I've decided that you will not be suspended for a week, and you can stay."

Chloé, angry at this turn of events, tried to mask her frustration with a wicked smile. "Let's see what my father, the mayor, has to say about this," she said, pulling out her phone to call him.

But as the phone rang, it went straight to voicemail. Her anger boiled over as she hung up.

"Ugh, this is ridiculous!" she muttered, storming out of the office. Sabrina, who had been eavesdropping from outside, hurried to console her.

Alya smiled and said a quick "thank you" to Principal Damocles before returning to class. She sat next to Alex, who grinned at her.

"So, you're not suspended?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not anymore," Alya replied with a smile.

Both of them then stared to smile, then faced towards the talking teacher, both of them relived.