Remind me why you're suddenly taking an interest in fencing all of a sudden?

"I don't. I'm more used to guns," Rudi said as he stuffed the Mask in his bag. "Besides, I got a bet going on."

And what is that?

"I made a bet with Nino that Adrien would lose in the final round."

Rudi met with Marinette and two other students in the courtyard. The teacher was someone Rudi knew before. Back when he was Akumatized and turned into a knight villain and tried to take over Paris. "I am the fencing master, Mr. D'Argencourt. As I'm sure you're aware, we have only one open spot on the team this year. So, in order to select the best possible candidate, I will observe the beginners performing a number of attacks on the experienced students."

"Where's Adrien?" Marinette wondered out loud.

"Adrien, Adrien, Adrien," Rudi said. "That's all you ever think about. There are other fish in the sea, you know." Marinette chose to ignore the peanut gallery.

"Get into position," Mr. D'Agencourt said.

One of his students approached Marinette. "It seems like you're looking for someone," he said.

"Yeah, I thought Adrien was here. You know, a boy this tall, blond, nice, super handsome?"

The student took off his mask. "Thanks for the compliments!" Marinette yelped when she saw Adrien's face. "I didn't know you were into fencing, Marinette."

"A-Adrien! Nice to fencing, I'm totally into you! Uhh, I mean, nice to see you! Yeah, I'm totally into fencing."

Adrien just chuckled. Marinette blushed.

"Get into positions!" Mr. D'Argencourt called out.

Marinette awkwardly put her helmet on and got into position. If you could call it that. "Bend your knees, then stretch your left foot back, turned outwards," Adrien said. "Perfect! Now put your saber forward like this." He moved to her side, putting his arm around her to have her lean forward, using his other hand to guide hers so her saber was pointing out.

"Greet each other," the teacher called out. He crossed his saber arm over his chest and then snapped it out to his side in the traditional fencing greeting. Adrien and Marinette did the greeting. "En garde! Prêt, allez!"

The fencing began. However, while most of the students were busy clashing their swords, only two didn't make any movements. Adrien was ready and waiting, but Marinette was frozen. Adrien called for a time out and lifted his helmet. "Go on, Marinette. You're supposed to touch me."

"Touch you? Yeah..."

"NOT THAT WAY, LOVER GIRL!"

Marinette's face blushed and she squeaked. Mr. D'Argencourt loudly said, "Ahem! Keep it down so the others can focus!"

"Oh, sorry!" said Rudi.

Adrien lowered his helmet and lunged the sword forward. She dodged, then struck back, her blade touching Adrien's chest. "Attaque! Touche. Point!" Mr. D'Argencourt said, gesturing to Marinette. "Continue."

"Thanks," said Marinette to Adrien.

"All I did was lunge," he said. "You have good reflexes." He got ready again. "En garde!" Marinette got ready as well. "Prêt, allez!" The match ended with Marinette blocking Adrien before striking him in the chest. "Attack, parry, riposte, counterattack. The point goes to you, Marinette."

Marinette lifted her helmet. "I don't get it. You hit me first."

Adrien lifted his helmet and explained, "With saber fencing, the attacker doesn't necessarily win the point even though he touched his opponent first. You took the initiative, so we say that you had priority. I can only parry or riposte, so I lose."

"But everything's happening so fast, I mean, how can you know who won the point?"

"We don't always know for sure. That's why you can also abstain. Shall we continue?"

Marinette nodded, starting to understand. They were about to resume the duel when someone let out a shout. "HEY, YOU!" Approaching Mr. D'Argencourt was a female fencer garbed in red gear and carried a matching saber. "Are you Mr. D'Argencourt, the fencing master? I wanna join your team." She was of Asian descent judging by her voice.

The fencing teacher scoffed. "Only the best are admitted here, you knave."

"And I was, everywhere I went."

Mr. Dargencourt scoffed. "Part le fer! This whippersnapper has nerve! All right! I may consider your admission, shall you defeat one of my students."

The red fencer pointed her sword at the students. "Which one of you is the best combatant?!"

None of the students wanted to challenge her. They shuffled their feet and looked around nervously. Then Adrien stepped forward. "Adrien, please give our visitor a lesson in chivalry."

"I shall, Master."

The two put on special suits plugged into a scoreboard. Adrien touched his saber to the red fencer's shoulder, and she touched him with hers to test the box. Both duelists bowed and walked apart. Adrien bent his saber blade while his opponent swung hers around. It was obvious she was very skilled.

Marinette groaned. "Great. There goes any chance I had of making the team. This guy's obviously better than everyone."

"It's not over yet, he still has to beat Adrien," said one of the students.

From his spot, Rudi raised an eyebrow. "Don't they see that's a girl?"

Must be the underdeveloped...

"Shut up, Mask."

"Prêt... allez!" At the teacher's command, both Adrien and his opponent lunged at the same time, resulting in a draw. "Simultané! Par un toucher!"

Rudi made an interested hum. "Well, well. She's got moxie."

Poor Marinette couldn't keep up with both fencers' movements. "I could have sworn Adrien touched him first..."

"Not sure. Anyway, you never question the referee's decision," said another student.

"En garde! Prêt... allez!"

At Mr. D'Argencourt's command, both fencers lunged again. This time, not even Mr. D'Argencourt could tell who won. "Uhh... Abstention!"

"What's happening?" Marinette asked the student on her left.

"Mr. D'Argencourt isn't sure who won, so he's chosen to abstain. This is a tight bout."

"En garde!"

The red fencer held up her hand. "Wait. I request that we do it the old-fashioned way. We'll be much more at ease without the machine."

"Adrien?"

"Fine with me," Adrien said as he unplugged his suit from the scoring machine and his opponent followed suit.

"But how will we know who touched the other one first?" Marinette asked.

"By watching very closely," the student on her left said.

"En garde... Prêt... allez!" Mr. D'Argencourt shouted.

Adrien and the red fencer lunged at each other a third time, sabers clashing. Adrien hit a post dodging her and the fight made its way upstairs. The red fencer jumped ahead up to the second level. Rudi jumped out of the way and pressed his back against the wall as the two fencers jumped onto the railing and continued to fence while keeping their balance.

"Is that all you can do?" the red fencer asked.

Adrien responded by using his saber to forcer her off and the two continued to clash, taking their duel into the library. Rudi raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure this counts as an out-of-bounds." He suddenly heard a rumbling behind him. He turned and saw a stampede of fencing students, running to watch the fight. He screamed and pressed his back against the wall again as the students ran past him.

Inside the library, the two duelists continued their duel, not caring that they were making a mess of things. Books were flying across the room, carts were being knocked over and tables were being upturned. Nobody seemed to care.

Finally, the duel ended with both fencers pointing their swords in the chest.

"Who got the first hit?! Who?!" the red fencer demanded.

At that moment, Mr. D'Argencourt came into the room, panting heavily. "Who touched first? Tell us now!"

"What are you, blind?" Rudi said. "Red hit Adrien first! You all saw that, right?"

"No!" exclaimed Marinette. "Adrien won!" Marinette knew that if Adrien lost, she would never be on the same team as him.

"Well, which one was it?!" the red fencer asked, sounding angry.

Rudi sighed. He stepped forward between the two duelists and took a coin from his pocket. "Only one way to settle this. We must let fate decide."

"Fate? Ha!" Mr. D'Argencourt scoffed. "Fate does not decide a winner! Only the one with the superior skills!"

Rudi glared at him. "Do you have a better way of doing it?"

"We'll go for a rematch," the red fencer said. "We can duel for all eternity until there's a clear winner!"

"Sorry," said Rudi. "But these kids have other classes to go to. Now then. Heads, it's Adrien. Tales, it's Red." He tossed the coin up into the air. Everyone watched with anticipation.

Marinette crossed her fingers. "Please let it be heads. Please let it be heads."

The coin landed in Rudi's palm and he slapped it down onto his other hand. He checked it and said, "Heads."

Mr. D'Argencourt cheered. "Ah-ha, wonderful! This victory is an honor to D'Argencourt Academy!"

The red fencer sighed in defeat. Adrien walked over to her and they shook hands. "I guess fate has spoken," she said sadly. Then she left the room, dragging her saber behind her.

"I still say I lost," Adrien said.

"You can't fight fate," Rudi said.

Adrien shook his head. He went after the red, who was in the middle of leaving the school. She stabbed her saber into the ground and left it, striding out of the school.

The circular window to Hawk Moth's lair opened and butterflies swarmed around him. "A champion whose victory has been stolen by fate... Crushing defeat is the ideal steel with which to form a blade of revenge." He grabbed one of the butterflies and turned it from white to purple. "Fly away, my little Akuma, towards this spite and petulance, and evilize that fencer!"

"Come on," Adrien said, grabbing Rudi by the wrist. "We have to go after her!"

"But, you won! Fate decided..."

"I don't believe in fate!" The two boys ran down to the courtyard where they found the red fencer's saber. "Hey! Wait! Your saber!" Adrien grabbed it then they continued to chase after her. They found her outside a red car, putting her mask and gear into the trunk. She heard their voices and turned to face them. She was definitely of Asian descent, with pale skin, visible freckles, sharp yellow-brown eyes, and short dark black hair swept to the left.

Adrien was momentarily stunned by her appearance before he cleared his throat. "Let's do a... decisive match?"

But she brushed off his offer. "What's the point? You won. There's no such thing as a second chance in my family. Goodbye."

"Wait, about the coin toss..."

She gave Rudi a cold glare. "You can't fight fate, right? Fate made me lose."

She jumped into the passenger side of the car which then took off.

"Hey, what's your name?" Adrien called out. She didn't even hear him. He grunted and dragged Rudi to the car where his gorilla-like bodyguard was waiting. "Follow that car!"

As the car followed the red fencer's, nobody noticed the black butterfly chasing after them.

Inside her car, the fencer made a phone call. When it went to voice mail, she left a message. "Mother, you thought I was good enough, but... I lost. I won't be joining the D'Argencourt Academy." She hung up the phone and exhaled sadly.

She didn't notice the black butterfly crawl in through the barely open window and absorb itself into her ring. Her face went blank as a baritone voice rang in her mind, "Riposte! I am Hawk Moth. I'm giving you a second chance to prove that fate was wrong and that you are the best fencer of all, but in return, you must bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous."

She suddenly smirked. "On my honor, Hawk Moth, I shall be victorious!"

The poor sap driving the car was shocked to see his passenger be enveloped in black smoke and transforming into a warrior clad in silver samurai armor with a sword for an arm. Riposte sliced a new sun roof into the car before leaping out.

"Watcha doin'?" Rudi asked Adrien, who was looking at various Asian symbols.

"That ring on her finger, didn't you notice it?" Rudi shook his head. "It's the Japanese text for female. Only one Japanese clan has that symbol. The Tsurugi Clan. Here it is." The symbol looked like this: 女. "They are a family of prestigious fencers. Her mother and grandfather were both world champions. I've read about them before! She and her mother just moved to Paris! How incredible!"

"Did you meet them before?" Rudi asked.

"No. But I have seen video footage of her mother in fencing class."

Before Rudi could respond the car was suddenly cut in two, sending the boys flying out of their seats. They both rolled to a stop in the middle of the street just as traffic around them screeched to a halt. A samurai clad in silver armor suddenly appeared and pointed her sword at them. When Rudi saw the Japanese symbol for "female" on the samurai's helmet, he said, "Hey, you're that Tsurugi girl! The one who challenged Adrien earlier!"

"I am not that failure who lost to fate! I am Riposte!" She pointed her sword arm at Adrien. "I'm taking you up on your offer of a decisive match!" She pointed to Rudi. "Now we will see whom fate will side with!"

Adrien tried to reason with her. "I- I can't fight you like this! You're not... yourself."

"FIGHT!" Riposte looked as though she was about to charge at and impale Adrien when Hawk Moth's voice stopped her. "Halt, Riposte! You make seek your revenge, but only after you take hold of Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous first."

"Understood, Hawk Moth."

Adrien and Rudi tried to make a run for it, but Riposte jumped ahead of them and blocked their path with her sword. "Where do you think you're going? Stay there. Nice and patiently."

Suddenly, a yo-yo wrapped itself around the sword. "How would you like to start a duel with me?" Ladybug shouted. She tugged on the yo-yo, hoping it would pull the sword out of Riposte's hand, only to find out the hard way the sword was her hand. Riposte sliced the sign post Ladybug was on, forcing her to jump onto the ground.

"Give me a moment, Adrien. I must finish her off, first! But don't worry- I haven't forgotten about you! I won't be long."

Riposte rapidly tried to impale the ladybird beetle heroine, only to be blocked by the latter's yo-yo.

"Don't let her close in on you! Fight back!" Adrien tossed Kagami's red saber to Ladybug, who caught it with her free hand.

"Thank you, but now get out of here. She doesn't deserve you." Ladybug countered Riposte's attacks, only to be knocked flat on her back.

"Watch out Ladybug!" Adrien pushed Ladybug out of the way before the silver fencer could stab her into the ground. He suddenly winced and he grabbed his left ankle.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

Ladybug carefully lifted him in her arms. "I need to get you as far away from that girl as possible."

"Sounds like a plan. Wait, what about Rudi?"

"Rudi? I didn't see him. He must have run off already." Ladybug threw her yo-yo around a chimney stack and pulled Adrien close to her. They both smile sheepishly at each other. Meanwhile, Riposte managed to get her bladed arm out of the road. She lunged at them, but Ladybug carried Adrien away. She picked up Adrien once landed and set him down out of sight behind the chimneys.

"What kind of fencing was that?" Ladybug asked Adrien.

"Nothing like I've ever seen before."

"It's going to be hard for me to fight and protect you at the same time." Ladybug attempted to call her feline partner, but all she got was a voicemail. "Where are you, Chat Noir?"

"Maybe he's busy?" Adrien suggested with a shrug.

Suddenly, Riposte found them and sliced their hiding place to pieces. "Allow me to explain the rules to you- you're not allowed to call it quits at any time! Adrien is mine! I will defeat you. Both of you! I am the best fencer!"

"Says who?"

Riposte turned and blocked a sword just in time. Big Head grinned at her. He was garbed in a musketeer outfit and carried a rapier. "Now, ye Akuma! Pray for mercy from..." He carved a B and H into another chimney. "Senior Big Head!"

Riposte took one look at him and started laughing. "You? You're nothing more than a pretender! A plebeian! You honestly think your skills are on par with mine?"

Big Head licked the rapier. "We'll see." He lunged at her only to have the sword blocked.

"Get away from him, Riposte!" Adrien shouted. "He's too dangerous!"

Not listening to him, Riposte charged at Big Head, knocking the two of them off the roof. "I'll go after them," said Ladybug. "You stay here."

"Got it," Adrien said with a nod.

Plagg flew out of his pocket. "You're sure taking some risks today."

"Don't really have a choice do I? Ladybug needs me. Plagg, CLAWS OUT!"

In a flash of black light, Adrien transformed into Chat Noir.

Meanwhile down in the streets, Big Head and Riposte were clashing their swords in the streets, slashing cars, trees and the sidewalks in the process. Riposte swung first; Big Head moved the blade to quickly block her and ducked out of the way. He swung at her, but she deflected it, pushed him back and advanced with a counter strike. He was too slow to dodge and she managed to cut into his left shoulder.

She swung again, but he blocked it and kicked her in the stomach. She grunted and stumbled back, giving her opponent enough time to strike at her stomach. She cried out in pain and put her hand on her wound. Big Head lunged forward, but she managed to dodge it and stuck her blade into the rapier's handle and flung it out his hand.

"Did you think you could match my skills?" she asked as she pointed the sword at him.

"No."

BANG!

Riposte let out a scream of agony as her right upper arm, her sword arm, suddenly started to bleed. Big Head smirked as he held up a pistol at her. "That's why I'm gonna cheat." Riposte covered the wound with her left hand and winced. He laughed at her. "Looks like I've cut your fencing career short! Or shot short in this case."

Hearing this, Riposte's heart jumped. Cut short? Black smoke started to envelope her. "No. No, no, no, no! You can't do this to me! My dream, my career! MY LIFE! IT CAN'T END THIS WAY!"

A yo-yo pulled Big Head out of the way and into the arms of an annoyed Ladybug with Chat Noir by her side. "You really know how to make people mad, don't you?"

"Eh, I'm a glutton for punishment, Ladybird Beetle."

Finally the smoke cleared and there stood Riposte's new form. She no longer looked like a silver samurai anymore and more like a silver skeleton whose left hand was a twisted and gnarled sword. It still had the female Japanese symbol, though. "Forget Adrien!" she snarled. "For trying to destroy my career, I will cut off all your arms!"

"Uh, Ladybug?" Big-Head gulped.

"LUCKY CHARM!" Ladybug twirled her yo-yo up in the air and its magic created... "A radiator?"

"Great. That should really heat things up. Ow!" Chat Noir rubbed the spot on his head where Big Head slapped it.

"That was lame even for me."

Using her Lucky Vision, Ladybug saw two objects sticking out: the radiator and Riposte's sword. "The Akuma has to be in her sword!"

"Then why don't we get to the point? Ow! Would you stop slapping me?"

"I will if you stop making those lame puns," said Big Head.

Riposte let out a roar and charged at the heroes. Ladybug blocked her attacks with the radiator while Chat Noir and Big Head countered with the staff and rapier respectively. Suddenly, Chat Noir winced and grabbed his ankle. Big Head blocked Riposte's next attack and pushed her off. "What's wrong with you, Black Cat?"

"I think I sprained my ankle!"

Ladybug had a plan after her Lucky Vision highlighted Chat Noir's belt, Riposte's sword and the radiator. "I need your belt, Chat Noir!"

"Get ready!"

He removed his belt as he and Ladybug rush Riposte again.

"En garde!" shouted Big Head, tossing the rapier at Riposte's injured arm, making her yell out in pain.

As Chat threw Ladybug the belt, she threw him the radiator, which he then held out so Riposte ran it through. Ladybug hooked Chat Noir's belt around the guard of Riposte's sword.

"Prêt! Allez!" both heroes cried out as they pulled back and yanked Riposte's sword to the side, snapping it and knocking her back. The black butterfly then flew out of the sword's remains.

"No more evildoing for you, little Akuma. Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug caught the butterfly in her yo-yo and turned it from black to white. "Gotcha!" Then she released it. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!" She tossed the radiator up into the air. "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" It exploded into a wave of black and red spots and undid all the damage and turned Riposte back into the red fencer.

She looked around, confused. "What happened?"

The Miracle Heroes fist bumped. "Pound it!"

Chat Noir's ring suddenly beeped. "Oop! Gotta go. Have a vet's appointment to get to. Take care of the young lady, will you?" He ran off.

"Well, looks like fate was on your side," Big Head said to the red fencer, who pushed him away. "Alright, alright! I know when I'm not wanted." He marched off, grumbling under his breath.

Ladybug put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay."

"No. It's not. I remember being shot in the arm! My dreams and career would have been over!"

"But you're healed. You can still follow it." Marinette's earrings started to beep. "Oop! I gotta bug out!" She swung away on her yo-yo and out of sight.

"Uh, excuse me?" The red fencer turned to see Rudi poke his head out from behind a corner. "Is this a bad time?" He approached the red fencer. "Listen, about the coin toss, that was a bad call on my part. I should have listened to you and let you and Adrien do that rematch."

"I admit, I was hurt when you did that, but I guess I overreacted."

"I think Adrien still wants that rematch. Don't you?"

The red fencer turned to see Adrien behind her. "I do," he said. He held out the red saber. "Perhaps you'll agree to take this back now?"

She looked at it, then turned away. "No. You keep it. You won."

"Why? Because fate decided it? Fate doesn't decide who wins or loses, our skills do! Personally, I think that point was yours."

"That's not what your other friend saw," the red fencer said.

"Who, Marinette?" asked Rudi.

"She can get flustered easily. She's kind and means well. She'd never cheat. Today was her first-ever experience with fencing," explained Adrien.

The red fencer faced him with small surprise. "You like her don't you?"

"Marinette? Yeah, of course! She's a very good friend, and you'll really like her too, once you get to know her." Adrien handed her the sword again. "Please, take it."

She looked at the sword for a minute before smiling. "I'll be happy to get to know your friend Marinette!"

Adrien nodded. "My name is Adrien. This is Rudi. What's yours?"

"Kagami," she said.

Kagami and Adrien shook hands. "Get ready for that decisive match!"

"I can't wait, Kagami."

Kagami nodded, then turned to Rudi who smiled and folded his arms. "Now, let's defy fate," he said.

"Yes, let's."