I saw a lot of positive reviews on the Ladybug movie this morning. Astruc must be overjoyed. I have to admit, the theater was a nice break from… the dreams. I just kept thinking why I was able to see the future. Astruc seemed to believe that I could change the course of history. But, how am I supposed to do that?

Well, until I think of a way, I should focus on my studies. Thanks to the visions in the middle of the lessons, it's been hard to concentrate in class.

After about an hour, I was finally done with the physics homework. Now, I only had the math assignments… and chemistry… aaand a colossal headache. You know what? Homework can wait. The weather looks great today so I might as well go for a walk.

Okay, let's see. I arrived in Paris the day Lila was akumatized into Chameleon, Astruc became Animaestro so the next supervillain should be…

My train of thought was interrupted by my ringtone.

"Hey, Nino."

"Hey, dude. Have you heard about the animated movie about Ladybug and Chat Noir? Alya and I have a couple of extra tickets."

"A couple?"

"Well, we were originally planning for Marinette and Adrien to come along…"

"…and have them sit next to each other?"

"Yeah. Alya wanted to do this for Marinette. She felt bad she made her sit at the back of the class without asking her first."

"I see. But they both watched it yesterday, right?"

"Exactly. Adrien's dad didn't let him watch the movie with his friends this time. He claimed that as he's already watched it, the focus should be on the piano lessons now."

Poor Adrien. He can't get a break.

"As for Marinette," Nino continued, "she told Alya she was at the premiere. Besides, she's gonna be busy today; It's her dad's birthday."

"Well, things didn't go according to plan but at least they watched the movie together."

"How did you know that?"

"I was there, too. Mr. Astruc gave me a ticket as thank you. He hadn't noticed the red on the traffic light and I stopped him at the last minute."

"Astruc. That was… the director, right?"

"Yup. Now about the movie, I've already watched it and since I still have lots of homework I'll pass. Sorry."

Nino said it was fine and we hung up. I kept walking aimlessly around the city trying to remember who was next. Chameleon, Animaestro,…

"Good morning, Michel."

"Oh! Hey, Marinette. How are you today?"

"Good. I was just about to go meet my grandpa. How about you?"

"Well, I got a headache from all the homework so I went outside for a walk. By the way, what did you think of the Ladybug movie?"

"It was really good. Mr. Astruc was kind enough to give me his own seat so I could watch the movie."

"And right next to a certain someone."

Her cheeks started to blush. "Well… I…"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Sorry, it's hard not to tease. Anyways, Imma get going. I guess your grandfather is expecting you."

"Umm…"

"What is it?"

"Actually… I've never talked to him."

"How come?"

"Because he hasn't left his home for over twenty years."

"Wow. Talk about an introvert."

"He has cut all ties with my dad, but no one will tell me why. Today is my dad's birthday and I have a special gift this year. I'll convince my grandpa to come over." Oh, that's right. Rolland Dupain! He was Bakerix. Nino even told me it was Tom's birthday.

She was now looking at the house next to us.

"Is this where he lives?"

"Yeah. I was about to ring the bell, but…"

"What is it, Marinette?" I asked.

"If I tell him who I am right away, he won't listen to me just like with mom."

She decided to ring the bell.

"What do you want?" Rolland said through the intercom.

"Uh, I'm… a… friend?" Nailed it!

"I don't have any friends."

"This won't be easy," Marinette remarked.

She tried again.

"What do you want?" her grandpa asked again.

"Hello, sir. It's the mail lady," Marinette lied.

"Do what you usually do. Throw the mail in the trash."

"Third time's the charm?" I tried to encourage her.

She tried once again, but to no avail.

"There's no use. It's hopeless." Marinette was just about to leave when Gilbert brought a flour delivery for Rolland.

"What do you want?"

"Your flour's here, Mr. Dupain."

"Oh, come in, come in! The door's open."

Marinette ran up to the gate and opened it for the delivery man.

"Hello, I'm Marinette, Mr. Dupain's granddaughter. I was just about to go in myself. You can give me the sack. I'll bring it to him. It will be a nice surprise."

"Rolland has a granddaughter?"

"He sure does."

Gilbert smiled and handed her the sack. She groaned under its weight.

"I should probably help you…"

"Oh, no! It's… light. Could I borrow your cap? I wanna play a prank on Grandpa."

He put his company cap on her head. "Say hi to Rolland for me! I'll grab my cap next time I come by!"

When he drove away I offered to carry the flour and we walked in.

"Put the sack down in the usual place, Gilbert!" Rolland said as he continued kneading dough.

"Oh! Uh, where's his usual place?" Marinette asked.

Rolland turned around startled. "You're not Gilbert."

"No... I'm, um, Germaine! His cousin!"

"Um, I'm Michel. I just saw this girl having trouble carrying this sack of flour so I offered to help."

"Hmm. I see. Aren't you a little young to be delivering flour?" Press X to doubt.

"I'm... an intern! I'm doing a flour delivery internship, because some day I wanna own my own flour shop!"

He seemed to believe it. "It's good to be ambitious. You can put the sack down now. Have a nice day. Soot!"

A mouse brought over ingredients. That reminds me of Ratatouille.

"So you're a baker then, huh?"

"Are you a flour delivery girl or a nosy detective? Go on! Put the bag down and be on your way!"

"That oven you have there, it's a '72 La Pegnole, Right? It's a rare wood fired model! They only made a few hundreds of them!"

"How did you know that?"

"My daddy- uh, um- My bready… bread history teacher taught us that."

"Well, that's new. You need bread history classes to become a flour delivery person now?"

"You bet! You have to study for ten years to be a delivery person these days!"

He threw his hands up not understanding the logic of that. "Good luck with your internship, Germaine. Now put the sack down and have a good day!"

"That's a weird looking computer you got there," she said looking at an old television.

"A computer? In my house? Are you insane? That's a TV!"

"Really? But... is it still working?"

"Nope. Turned it on one day and puff! Stopped working."

"It probably doesn't meet cable standards anymore. We just watch everything on the Internet now."

"Pfft! The Internet is just as crazy as cordless telephones! That's not how it's done!" I tried not to laugh at his catchphrase. "How can sound with pictures go through, if there aren't any wires?"He asked as he went back to kneading dough.

"Simple!" Marinette took out her phone "They're sent in wave form to relay antennas, which are connected to satellites. It's awesome! You can talk and see anyone you want, anywhere in the world."

"I don't need to speak to anyone! And besides, that's not how it's done, if you want to talk to someone! Now leave me alone! I've got work to do!"

Marinette puts her phone away, and goes over to a set of photos. She picks up one that has been pushed down, and discovers a wedding photo of her parents beside her grandmother.

"Do you live alone? Do you have any family?"

"Hapa papapa! You really are a noisy detective," Rolland snatched the photo from her hands. "Don't touch a thing, put the sack down, and leave."

"Oh! Nice bread dough!"

"Wait, no! Don't touch that! That's not how it's- !"

"Don't worry, I know how it's done." She started kneading it. "You take the dough and fold it in half, rhythmically, pressing it flat..."

"…snapping it slightly- oh! Huh?" They said together.

"It gives it elasticity and develops the gluten in the dough, so that it holds together well after it's been baked," Marinette continued kneading.

"Tch! You're just a school girl reciting a lesson. You don't really know how it's done."

"I do know my stuff. Maybe even better that you, old man."

"Better than me? Better than me? Better than me!?" He looks down at his mice. "Charlotte, Marie-Louise, Marguerite, do you hear that? Better than me!? We'll see about that. Get into position. Germaine! We're going to make some bread together! Then we'll see who's the baker, and who's only good for delivering flour! Michel will be the judge."

"Mm hmm."

As the two start baking, Rolland picks up a container.

"See this yeast? It's been grown for over two-thousand years by my family, ever since my indomitable ancestor, Loafamix the Gaul. We used to make bread in a small Armorican village, fell alongside Vercingétorix. To be precise, he was my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-" He scratches his head, and starts counting with his fingers. "Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather!"

"Phew..."

"But the Romans won. Puff! And started putting vegetables and cheese on their bread! Lulu lululu! And now it's pizza! Bleh, bleh, bleh bleh bleh!"

"I like pizza!"

"You like pizza? You, Germaine, like pizza!?"

"Yes, I do."

"Oh! She likes pizza! Oh! But that's not how it's done! You don't put cheese and tomatoes on bread dough! It's just like my son and his wife, who got it into their heads that adding rice to the dough, would make the inside of the bread lighter! That's not how it's done!"

"But what if it's really yummy? Have you ever tried your son's bread?"

"Tata, tatata! No need, I already know it's not going to be good. Making bread with rice flour. That's. Not. How. It's. Done!"

"You cannot know until you try it." I intervened.

"I don't need to try it!" he simply replied.

"So, your son's a baker, then?" Marinette asked.

"I don't have a son anymore. Not since he betrayed me."

"What, just because he put rice in the bread dough?"

"That's. Not. How. It's. Done."

"If my bread comes out tasting as good as yours, will you agree to do just one thing for me?"

"Why? What do you want me to do?" Seriously, can't he guess?

"Are you a baker or a nosy detective?"

"Ha! Your bread won't be as good as mine anyway." They shook hands to seal the deal and went back to kneading.

Marinette started singing a song to herself. The one she's singing with her father when they're kneading.

"That song... that's the song my son and I used to sing when we were... kneading... dough! There's no way you could know that song. Un- Unless- Unless you're- But no, that- that's impossible!"

"Yes, I'm your granddaughter, Marinette," she admitted taking off her cap.

"You're... my granddaughter? Liar! I don't have a granddaughter! Betrayal! Deceit! It's just like adding new ingredients to bread! Deceptive! That's not how it's done! Shoo! Get out! Get out! Out with the liar!"

"No! I'm not leaving, not until you've tasted my bread. You promised you would."

"Today's your son's birthday; don't you want to see him again?" I asked. "It's ridiculous that you hate him for trying something new with a recipe. If the whole world was rejecting new things like that, we'd still be living in caves."

"Whether you like it or not, you are my grandfather! And…"

"La la la, I can't hear anything! La la, lala la!" Real mature. "Just get out of my house." He said as he put the bread in the oven.

"That's not how it's done by the Dupain, the proud descendants of 'Loafamix the Gaul.'"

An akuma came through the window and went in the canteen of yeast. It seemed like Hawk Moth asked for the miraculous because the next thing Rolland said was "Of course! Would you like a butter croissant or a baguette to go with that?"

"Wait! Grandpa!"

"You can count on me, Hawk Moth."

"Grandpa!" Marinette screamed as Roland was transforming.

"There is no grandpa. I am Bakerix, and anyone who doesn't do things the way they should be done, will be served my indomitable wrath! Soon, Paris will look like it did before the modern world took over!"

He drank some magic potion from the canteen and his muscles expanded. "Yah!" He broke through the walls of the house, and leaped out into the city. Call me crazy, but I thiiink this is an Asterix reference.

"Grandpa."

"Don't worry, Marinette. I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will fix this."

"Um…R-right!"

Oh! Wait a minute. Ladybug can't go after him, if I stay here.

I looked at the time on my phone. "Oh, didn't realize how time flew by. I'll have to go. Sorry things went south with your grandpa."

"I won't give up. He hasn't tried the bread yet."

I wished her good luck with that and left.

As expected, Bakerix was defeated and Marinette texted me that her grandfather finally visited his son. All's well that ends well.