It had stopped raining when they reach the manor. Adrien let Marinette keep the umbrella; she had mentioned she lived out of town and she looked like she was already catching something of a cold with how red her cheeks had gotten. Adrien said his goodbyes, walked inside…and was immediately met by Nathalie and Murkrow.

Murkrow glared at him. He wished Nathalie would have glared back, showed any sign that she cared about him one way or the other. Instead, her gaze was unflinching.

"Your father is here to discuss your behavior the last couple of days." Nathalie said.

Adrien felt his breath hitch. His father? Now of all times?

Nathalie gave him no further explanation. She turned on her heel, and Adrien followed her to his father's office.

The office was just as big and cold as he remembered it being. His father sat at his desk, surrounded by paperwork, not even bothering to look up as they entered. Adrien tried to keep his eyes on the portrait of his mother that sat behind his father.

"Adrien." Father said. "Nathalie has informed me that you have been sneaking out of the house."

"Well…" Adrien said. "I wouldn't say I snuck out today. See, Oranguru wasn't there, and—"

"Adrien, this is no time for half-baked excuses." Father said. "What on Earth would make you think this was okay? You have a job to do here at Gabriel. Showcase season is coming up, and—"

"And what does it matter?" Adrien said. "I won't be able to compete, anyway. All my rental pokémon were stolen yesterday, too."

"Yet another reason why you should not be wandering through Lumiose City alone. Kalos is a dangerous place."

"But I want to be able to protect myself!" Adrien said. "I want to grow stronger, me and Plagg! And that's why—"

"Sir." Nathalie said. "There's…um…a guest here to see you."

Weird. Adrien had never seen Nathalie even a little flustered.

His father, on the other hand, remained unflinching. "Send them in."

"Bonjour, good day Mr. Agreste!"

Professor Sycamore strode into the office like he owned the place.

"Professor Sycamore. I don't believe I've had the pleasure. And I don't believe you've made an appointment." Father said, staring both of them down.

"Ah, we are both busy men, are we not?" Professor Sycamore said. "Still, you have not been responding to my carrier Pidgeys, so I wanted to speak to you face-to-face."

"Well, as you can see, I'm in the middle of a meeting with my son—"

"Whom this also involves!" Professor Sycamore said. "You see, earlier this month I had contacted Adrien about assisting me with my classes. You are aware of the classes I hold for the most promising trainers in the region, yes?"

"Yes." Father said. "And I don't see what this has to do with my son."

"You don't believe your son holds promise?" Professor Sycamore asked. "I thought he would be perfect to help me teach. There are many promising trainers who are looking to become Performers. The mayor's daughter-I know you know Mlle. Chloe-and there's Mlle. Marinette—"

"Professor." Father said. "I am afraid that my son made these plans without consulting me. They will get in the way of his other responsibilities. He will have to cancel."

"Oh, such a shame." Professor Sycamore said, and there was something in his voice that Adrien could not place. "And what a shame it will be when I have to tell my students. One of which is the mayor's daughter. And who knows what will happen once the word gets out…"

Even Adrien could recognize that threat. His father, to his credit, remained unflinching. He took a deep breath through his nose, and silence filled the air.

"I suppose." Father said through clenched teeth. "That certain…arrangements…can be made. It might be good for my son to not compete this season, after last season's humiliating loss—"

"I wouldn't call last season's loss humiliating." Professor Sycamore said. "He was up against better opponents. No shame in that."

"There will always be better opponents, Professor." Father said. "But the goal of a trainer, the goal of an Agreste, is to rise above them."

"Ah! What a fantastic answer!"

Father said nothing, but a small smirk crossed his features. Adrien could not tell if it was sincere or not.

The two talked some more, pouring over Adrien's schedule, but it was in one ear and out the other for the boy in question. Once he was dismissed from Father's office and saw Professor Sycamore off, he returned to his room, turned on his piano playlist, and went back to research.

Professor Sycamore and Coxyclaque had given him a few leads as to what had happened the other day, about Bond Phenomenons and aura. But the research Adrien had managed to pour through was still inconclusive, just as much myth as it was recorded history. What caused it to happen? Why him and Plagg? And just what was Team Prismillion?

"You have any ideas, Plagg?" Adrien asked.

Plagg let out a purr in his sleep.

Still, Adrien realized as he leaned backwards in his chair, that stuff was not what he was interested. He wanted answers, sure, but when it seemed that none were surfacing just yet, he could not bring himself to get mad about it. Because anything that allowed him to meet Coxyclaque was a good thing in his mind. Anything that allowed him to feel as free as he was as Mistigrix was a good thing, no matter the circumstances that arose around them. And if he also got to help people while doing it, all the better for him.

They had agreed to meet at Versant Road the next morning. Adrien had arrived first, even though it had taken some time to convince Nathalie that Father said he could go there for classes. He had wanted to arrive first anyway, since he knew the first thing that Marinette would advise him on: if he wanted to take on Viola, then he would have to capture another pokémon. There was no way Plagg could carry him through the gym alone with the type disadvantage.

By the time he had his new party member settled in, Marinette had arrived, charging in on a Tauros.

"Sorry I'm late!" She said, even though she was not all that late. "But I brought some croissants for us, and pokepuffs for your Meowstic!"

She dismounted from her Ride Pokémon and grabbed a pastry box. Before she even had the lid open, Plagg had grabbed a chocolat pokepuff psychically and pulled it towards him.

"Thanks, Marinette. Plagg says thanks, too." Adrien said.

"Your problem!" Marinette said. "I mean—no problem! You're welcome!"

Poor girl must be nervous about teaching. Adrien didn't blame her; he also had no idea what he could train Marinette with. But he still wanted her feedback.

"How about a quick spar, and then if your Ledian is feeling up to it, you two can show me what you've been working on with your Performances?" Adrien said.

"Mmh-hmm." Marinette said, still blushing bright red. "If you show me what you want plan to do against Viola, then I can help you create some more counter-strategies. Bug type pokémon can be tricky, and Viola is no pushover."

"That's right. You're a bug catcher, right?" Adrien said. "You probably know better than anyone how to fight bug pokémon!"

"I wouldn't go that far…" Marinette said, blushing again. "But I do have a few ideas on what Viola could pull on you. Especially if you use Plagg."

"Well, I won't need to use Plagg…" Adrien said. "I happen to have caught the latest addition to my team, and she's gonna help me not just get through Viola, but get through you!"

"Oh?" Marinette said. She took a few steps backward, giving them enough distance to make a field. "Alright. Let's see this new pokémon."

"Neufchâtel, I choose you!"

"Nya!"

The newest addition to him team unleashed from his pokéball and took her place on the field.

"A Skitty?" Marinette asked.

"Yup! Caught her all by myself!" Adrien said. "And it only took 6 pokéballs!"

"Well I just thought…" Marinette trailed off. "In all of your Performances, you've always used Eeveelutions…I'm sure your Flareon and Glaceon could carry you through the gym just fine…"

"Well, that's the problem…They weren't really my pokémon. Father rented them out from a private company. Besides, they were all stolen by Team Prismillion the other day, too."

"Oh. I'm sorry—"

"No need to worry!" Adrien said, trying his best to put on his model smile again. "Like I said, they weren't my pokémon. And I want to take on the league my way, with my own pokémon!"

Marinette said nothing. She was blushing again. Honestly, he didn't think that asking him about his Eeveelutions was too intrusive, he had expected it—

"W—why name her after cheese?" She finally asked, stammering over her words.

"Why not?" Adrien asked. "What else should I have nicknamed her?"

Marinette's mouth opened, then closed again. Maybe she couldn't think of anything better.

"Alright. Let's see what your Skitty can do. Tikki, I choose you!"

"Ledian!"

"We're going to have to think like Viola for this one, Tikki!" Marinette said. "So…let's keep things easy and chase Skitty down with Comet Punch!"

"Keep your distance, Neufchâtel, and use Disarming Voice!"

Tikki was fast, but Neufchâtel had the advantage. She jumped backwards, barely dodging Tikki's fists, and let out a high pitched meow.

"Now remember," Marinette said, and it took Adrien a moment to realize she was talking to him. "Skitty's primary ability is Normalize, which means that any of her moves are going to do normal damage. Even if you use Flamethrower or something, the type won't be in your favor."

That's right…he would have to rely on some of Skitty's other tricks, then. Just a shame he hadn't bothered to look up many of Skitty's other tricks.

"Neufchâtel, let's try hitting her with a Double Slap!"

"Keep her away with a Bug Buzz, Tikki!"

Neufchâtel dashed forward, but was knocked off-balance by the wave of sound that came her way. That was Tikki's chance.

"Good job, Tikki! Now let's finish her off with a Swift!"

Neufchâtel struggled to her feet, but by then it was too late. Rays of light struck the Skitty head on, and knocked her out. The battle was over.

"That wasn't too bad for a first battle with a new pokémon!" Marinette said, ever trying to raise his spirits. "But you should try and learn more of Skitty's abilities. Bug type pokémon try to keep the battle away from them, so you should probably work with Skitty to learn something like Double Edge…"

"I'm surprised you know that much about Skitty, considering you're a bug type trainer." Adrien said.

"I'm not just a bug-type trainer! I have Longg…"

Marinette trailed off. Adrien could guess why.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I—Coxyclaque and Mistigrix will bring them back. I have to believe that." Marinette said.

"Still," Adrien said, trying his best to change the subject. "Why did you decide to focus on bug-type pokémon?"

"Well…I guess I've never thought of that before." Marinette said. "My mother, I guess. She used to be a bug-type gym leader in Ryuuto before she moved here. But I raised Tikki all on my own. And I raised Longg and Wayzz all on my own, too. That's what makes bug pokémon so great. They're easy to understand, easy to train, but if you really put in the work to understand them and make them stronger, they can take on anything."

That…wasn't the answer Adrien had been expecting. Almost every Performer he had met had the odd bug type pokémon on their team, usually a Vivillon. But it was not because of their hidden strength, it was because of their popularity. Father had started his fashion line with suits themed after Vivillon patterns. Mother had won Master Class with her Vivillon partner. No Performer would have thought to use a bug-type pokémon because of their potential in battle.

"If that's the case, then I would love to see what routines you've made up with Ledian to show off her strength!" Adrien said.

Marinette flushed, but nodded strongly, a determined twinkle in her eyes.

It was a different routine than what Adrien was used to. Most Performers with bug-types liked to use powder attacks and whirlwinds to enchant their audience. But Ledian had none of those moves. Instead, it was more of a brawl than a dance, with Marinette sparring against Ledian's punches with a mixture of karate and dance moves.

It was…different. It would certainly capture the judge's attention. And yet…

"It's still missing something…" Adrien mused out loud. "I mean it's good but…it's lacking aura."

"A—aura!" Marinette said, jumping out of her skin.

"Sorry, I guess that's more of a modeling term…" Adrien said. "I guess you could think of it kind of like your confidence, or your soul. It's how you represent who you are. If you look back to some of my shoots, you'll see how they always try to capture my bright smiles and friendly stance. They make me out to be Kalos' golden boy."

Nevermind the fact that he didn't really feel like Kalos' golden boy, but that wasn't going to help Marinette here.

"When I watch your routine, I could tell that you wanted to show me all the hard work you put in with Ledian, but you're not letting your aura shine through. It's too muddled in how nervous you are." Adrien finished.

"Oh…it's that obvious, huh?" Marinette said, casting her eyes down.

"But there's still plenty of time before the season starts! You'll have plenty of time to get over pre-show jitters and let your aura shine through!" Adrien said.

Marinette looked up at him, eyes wide. But before she could say what was on her mind, they were interrupted by the dual rings of their Holo Casters.

Marinette pulled hers out first. In a flash, the hologram of Malva filled the space between them.

"This just in: there is a situation occurring at South Boulevard of Lumiose City." Malva said, her voice slightly shaking. "We have identified four masked figures attacking Professor Sycamore's lab. While we cannot confirm that they are a part of the mysterious Team Prismillion that attacked the city a few days ago, we are advising extreme caution and for anyone to avoid that area of the city as much as possible…"

"You should probably head home." Adrien rushed to say. "If they are Team Prismillion, then I don't want you to lose anymore pokémon."

"But what about you?" Marinette asked.

"Don't worry." Adrien said. "I'll be safe."

It was time for him to prove that he was more than just Kalos' golden boy.

There were four people currently stalking the outside of Professor Sycamore's lab. Three girls, one guy, each wearing a bright purple suit and a Vivillon-shaped mask over their eyes. There was no doubt in his mind—those had to be Team Prismillion. But what were they up to?

More importantly, how could Mistigrix make his grand appearance?

He glanced around from the bushes where he was hiding. The people and pokémon had taken Malva's advice to stay off of South Boulevard, but there was still signs of the life that had been there; abandoned taxi cabs, cafe tables and chairs, trash cans…

He could make this work.

The grunts paid no attention to him until after he had managed to climb up the taxi cab, not until he cleared his voice.

"Hold it right there! The Messenger of Truths and Ideal, Mistigrix enters! I cannot allow your mischief!"

The grunts stared back at him, their faces unreadable under their masks.

"Who is this kid?" One grunt asked.

"Who cares? Take him out like the others." Another said.

They released their pokémon. A Zigzagoon, a Bunnelby, a Zubat, and a Hoothoot, each with a dark aura looming over them. Professor Sycamore had said something about that, how that was the sure sign that these pokémon had been stolen. Well, they were fairly simple pokémon, easy enough to battle…

And then Mistigrix realized that he couldn't use Plagg in this fight, and all these pokémon were aiming towards him.

"Knock 'em down with a Mud Shot, Bunnelby."

Mistigrix jumped out of the way of the hurled mud, only to tumble down on the pavement. He pulled himself to his feet quickly, his hands sparking with psychic energy he did not know how to channel.

"What?" One grunt said. He tightened his face and turned to the Zigzagoon. "Take him out with a Swift!"

Mistigrix braced himself, willing for a Quick Guard, but a Light Screen ate the attack for him.

"Sorry I'm late." Coxyclaque said.

"I've missed you every moment, my lady." Mistigrix said.

Coxyclaque blushed a bright shade of red that matched her costume. She turned her attention to the grunts.

"Think we can take on these clowns?" She asked.

"With you by my side, I know we can."

Now it was the grunts' turn to look flustered. They turned to their pokémon, but it was Mistigrix's turn. He rushed towards the closest, towards the Bunnelby. A Fake Out, one quick slap, was enough to send it backwards, too stunned to strike back before Coxyclaque came in with another attack. Comet Punch, if he was not mistaken.

The Bunnelby was taken care of. And now the grunts were starting to piece together the mess they had gotten themselves into.

"Hoothoot, Peck on that girl!"

Not on his watch. Mistigrix moved in-between the attack, knocking Hoothoot into Zigzagoon with a blast of Confusion.

"Zubat, Leech Life!"

Another Light Screen from Coxyclaque covered him from the attack. It gave Mistigrix just enough time to set up another Confusion attack that sent Zubat spiraling.

"What—what was that?" One grunt stammered.

"Maybe these pokémon we stole are busted…" Another said.

"Come on, let's go back to the boss!"

The grunts blew past them. But Mistigrix was too stunned by what they said to give chase after them.

"Pokémon they stole? These were someone else's pokémon?"

"That lines up with what Professor Sycamore said yesterday…" Coxyclaque said. "What matters is that we were able to keep them away from Team Prismillion for now. Come on, let's go check on Professor Sycamore."

The lab was just as empty as it had been the night before, but now there was an extra sense of panic to it. Papers were scattered, furniture had been flipped…this was more than the four grunts that had waited outside for them. The two rushed through the three floors of the lab, checking as many rooms as they could, until they reached Professor Sycamore's office on the third floor.

There was Professor Sycamore alright, standing between some heavy machinery and another Team Prismillion member. But this member was different. Her outfit was flashier, more of a costume than a uniform, with a fluttery skirt and silvery trim. She barely turned her attention to them, Mistigrix only catching the light shift on her silver mask.

"You've called for backup?" She asked Professor Sycamore, sarcasm thick in her tone.

"Only Kalos' finest!" Professor Sycamore said, smiling with utmost sincerity. "But do not make any mistakes; I could have taken you on just as easily."

"Don't underestimate me!" The girl growled. "I'll made my way up to the top of Team Prismillion, I can take down trash like you! You'll regret having ever stepped in our way!"

She tossed out a pokéball, releasing a Wigglytuff. Professor Sycamore responded in kind, releasing a Charizard. But the then girl turned to them, a wicked smile on her face.

"You two have a long way to come before you'll have the honor of dueling Team Prismillion's elite. But you can play with the trash we've got instead."

She released two more of the dark pokéballs, releasing a Dottler and a Vibrava. The dark aura around them was palpable. Coxyclaque let out a noise, somewhere between a gasp and a sob, and Mistigrix knew that she recognized these pokémon. How she knew, whether they were hers or a friends, did not matter. All he knew was that he had to get them back.

Professor Sycamore had said something last night about stealing them back. But he had taken the prototype pokéballs back…so now what? Mistigrix glanced around the lab. They had to be around here somewhere…and then he realized what Professor Sycamore was blocking.

Mistigrix felt the noise before he heard it. A Sonic Boom attack coming from the Vibrava. Right. He still had the battle.

"Think you can hold them at bay?" He asked his partner.

"Maybe?" Coxyclaque squeaked. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to save them."

He rushed past the Dottler's attempts at a Psybeam, through the battle between Professor Sycamore and the Team Prismillion admin. He dove between Professor Sycamore's Charizard and the machine behind them. Based on how he was guarding it, that had to be the Snag Machine he was talking about. That had to be how he would save those pokémon.

But…how did he use it?

"Need help, dude?"

Mistigrix jumped at the new voice. In everything that was going on, he had yet to realize Nino covering in the corner.

"Ni—uh…" That's right. Coxyclaque did not want anyone to know who they were just yet. "Uh…Concerned Citizen! What are you doing here?"

"Professor Sycamore asked me to help out with his project. Didn't realize this was what he meant, though…" Nino said. "You are the good guys, right?"

Mistrigrix nodded, trying to let his aura shine through.

"We're here to help." He said. "Now, can you get this machine to work?"

Nino gave a curt nod, turning his hat backwards to show he meant business.

"Wigglytuff, deal with them!"

There was another sonic attack, this one higher pitched than Vibrava's Sonic Boom had been. A Hyper Voice, Mistigrix realized, coming from the Wigglytuff. He stepped in the way of the attack, hastily throwing up a Light Screen to absorb the damage.

"Charizard, Dragon Rage! And be careful not to target our friends!" Professor Sycamore ordered.

Mistigrix held his shield up. He could only watch Nino out of the corner of his eye as he inserted two empty pokéballs into the machine, as if it were a healing station. He could only watch the battles in front of him, Professor Sycamore's Charizard doing his best to keep the Wigglytuff at bay without spreading his flames to Coxyclaque, and Coxyclaque creating Light Screen after Reflect to absorb the brunt of the shadow pokémon's attacks, only occasionally lashing back out with a Silver Wind.

"Here." Nino said, delivering the two pokéballs.

At first glance, there was nothing too un-ordinary about them. But then Mistigrix caught a glimpse of their aura inside, bright and powerful.

"Thanks!"

The second Dottler and Vibrava were in sight, through the battle with Wigglytuff and Charizard, Mistigrix threw the pokéballs.

Wiggle…

It had taken him six tries before he successfully caught Neufchâtel. If this didn't work, then who knows how long he would have to wait before Nino could make another set.

…Wiggle…

But he had to believe in them this time. No, he could do more than just believe. He trusted Coxyclaque to be able to hold her own against them, weaken them down to make them easier to catch.

…Wiggle…

They were a team. Together, they could do anything.

…Click!

Mistigrix breathed a sigh he did not realize he was holding as the locking mechanism of the pokéball went into place. The Team Prismillion admin was shaken out of her battle, and she seethed.

"What did you do to my pokémon!" She growled.

"Your pokémon?" Coxyclaque said. "You stole them!"

"We stole them fair and square, for the glory of Team Prismillion! Wigglytuff, turn your attention to these twerps!"

"Wiggly!"

Mistigrix dashed over, ready to protect his partner from the incoming attack. But it never came. Instead, a hologram from a Holocaster filled the space between them. His outfit was different than both the grunts and the girl's, more of a suit, with a heavier metal mask that fit more like a helmet.

"Melodie. That's enough." He said, voice cold and calculating. Mistigrix knew he recognized that voice. It had been the same voice that had come out of the PR TV screens that day. "We have obtained the information we need. It's time for you to retreat."

The girl, Melodie, alternated glaring at the hologram in front of her and glaring at them. But she finally settled and gave a curt nod to the hologram, who vanished just as quickly as he had come.

"This isn't the end of this." She said as she scooped her Wigglytuff into her arms. "You haven't seen the last of Team Prismillion!"

She took a step backwards, then another, then before anyone could think to do anything she had jumped out the window of Professor Sycamore's office. Mistigrix dashed to the window just in time to watch the Team Prismillon admin fly off, hands firmly gripped onto her Wigglytuff's feet as the balloon pokémon puffed up higher and higher.

"Should we try and follow them?" Coxyclaque asked.

"Have you learned Fly yet?" Professor Sycamore asked. "Not this time. By the time you get out of the building, she'll be out of sight. No, it's better that we know they are using the Holo Caster to communicate with each other. I'll let Malva know."

"That was awesome, dudes!" Nino said, finally emerging from his hiding spot now that the battle was over. "You guys are like real superheroes!"

Coxyclaque brushed a bright shade of red. Mistigrix flashed a model smile at him.

"It was thanks to you to make the Snag Balls, you know." He said.

"That's right!" Professor Sycamore said "And that's why I'll be relying on you in the future, Nino! Now, how about I teach you how to trace Trainer IDs?"

Nino and the Professor went to work. Mistigrix, not quite sure what to do, took a seat and watched the two intently. He only got a few glimpses of the computer screen between them, a few words and phrases he understood in a sea of jargon. But soon enough, Professor Sycamore had pulled them over to the computer screen to watch as the two pokémon were traded back.

"These were Nette's pokémon?" Nino asked. "I guess they looked kind of familiar, when they weren't blowing up the lab…She must be relived to get them back.

Coxyclaque gave a enthusiastic nod. Her smile was just as wide Mistigrix's model one, but it was more sincere. Her aura shined through it.

"I mean, I'm sure anyone would be happy to get their pokémon back!" She said, nearly tripping on her words. "And that's our job!"

Still, he wondered why Coxyclaque would have recognized the Dottler and the Vibrava. There was no way Coxyclaque could be Marinette, right?

…Yeah, there was no way. He would have recognized her by now.

Author's Note: Professor Sycamore is Adrien's real dad change my mind (you can't).

Me: Alright, since I made the last chapter entirely Marinette's focus, I'll make this chapter entirely Adrien focused so we can see how he's coping.

This chapter: *has the verbal sparring match between Professor Sycamore and Gabriel, as well as how Marinette's coping with her new crush*

Adrien: *has a perception of -2*

The idea of aura being a modeling term, plus how I'll be depicting it, comes from Smile Down the Runway. I'm not sure if it's an actual term models use. Likewise, the name of the China region Sabine is from comes from Lapis Re:Lights, a cute idol show set in a fantasy world where singing is magic. Both are cute shows to watch if you get the chance!

If you don't know by now, the original premise for Miraculous Ladybug had Ladybug and Chat Noir as part of a team of superheroes called the Quantic Kids. The Quantic Kids concept was largely scrapped (although Sparrow was later retooled into Jessica Keynes in the comic and New York special). Unfortunately for them, they're great stand ins for generic evil team admins for my purposes.

I'm surprised that no one guess that Longg was going to be a Vibrava! Although Vibrava is a ground/dragon type, it is themed after a dragonfly and has a few bug-type moves. Also, Flygon is my favorite dragon type (Sorry Appletun).

Starting next chapter, I'll start including a list in the beginning notes of every pokémon that Adrien and Marinette have in their party. Right now, the current lineup is:

Marinette: Tikki (Ledian), Wayzz (Dottler), Longg (Vibrava)

Adrien: Plagg (Meowstic), Neufchâtel (Skitty)