Hello readers. I wanted to inform you, Gang of Secrets will be slightly different. One of the girls will meet the Guardian and learn Ladybug's identity, but it won't be Alya for creative reasons.
In the country of Turkmenistan, a gentleman wearing red and black robes gazed at the town of Artyk. It would be a good place to open another portal as long as he avoided contact with people unless he needed to.
The people of this country were extremely hostile to outsiders. The people in the town, Gushgy, had tried to arrest him for not having something called a travel visa. They had openly laughed at him when asked what those were.
They ceased laughing once they found themselves unable to move and with their feet broken.
"The world has become an even stranger place during my enchanted slumber. To think the world is still ravaged by wars and plagues is unsettling. None of this should have happened," the man told himself out loud.
"As the Celestial Guardian, it is my duty to right the wrongs committed by Master Zhu's mistake. The old man should have known better than choosing Fu as his Apprentice."
The man pulled a magical staff out of the sack he was carrying. Holding it out, he chanted a spell that made the sphere glow pink. He pointed the staff at the town and did a magical scan.
There was a pocket of highly concentrated magic on the outskirts. According to the staff, the power level of the site was five. That was one level below the highest. Only intersecting ley lines produced that much magical energy.
The concentration of magic was probably from the remains of an ancient temple or shrine, destroyed eons ago. Accessing the magical energy would be child's play for the Celestial Guardian.
With a little luck, he would make his way to the city of Kum Dag. From there he would jump on a train for a free ride to Turkmenbashi. Then he would be making his way towards the border on foot until he was ready to open a portal into Kazakhstan.
It took him two hours to descend from the slope. The Celestial Guardian marched forward. The heat and his thirst didn't slow him down. Neither did his shoes which were falling apart. He couldn't rest right now.
To get to the magic source, he would have to go through the city to reach it on the other side. He would stop only long enough to get a small meal then continue on his way.
The sounds of the city assaulted him as he walked down the streets. Buses chugged down the streets. People walked down the sidewalk. Large stores were selling all kinds of wares.
He ignored the people he passed by. He even shoved past a few seniors which got everyone's attention. In Turkmenistan, it was considered very rude to disrespect elders.
About half an hour later the Celestial Guardian came across a small restaurant and took a seat. A server came over and asked what the man would like to eat.
The Celestial Guardian blinked a few times indicating he didn't understand what was being said to him. The server repeated his message slowly hoping that would help.
Again the Celestial Guardian blinked. The server started to say the message in Russian when the patron said he would like some melons and water.
The server wrote down the order and left. Once the man was out of sight, the Celestial Guardian took a map out of his pocket to plan his route. Once he reached Kazakhstan he needed to know what cities he should look for.
The closest one to the border would be the town of Aksu. He would have to walk for a few days before he reached the city of Aqtau. If he was reading the map correctly he could take the train to Atyrau.
From there he could walk halfway to Oral before making a portal to the city. Once he arrived he would check the map again to find the safest route with the most magical hot spots.
The journey would take several weeks, but he was very determined. No matter what it took, he was going to get to Paris and secure the Miraculous Box from Fu!
In Paris, Master Fu was talking with Marianne over the phone. They had considered using the computer, only to remember her network wasn't as secure as Ning's.
At least on the phone, they could use code words to speak without anyone knowing what they meant.
"How is life in London, my dear Marianne?"
"Delightful, my love. The past few weeks having nothing, but sunshine and fluffy clouds. I very much enjoy walking through the streets without having to carry an umbrella."
She heard her love chuckle on the other end. The sound of his laughter made her very content. "My love, I have a surprise for you. I'm planning on visiting France sometime in the next few weeks."
On his end of the line, Fu's eyebrows furled. As much as he loved Marianne, he didn't want her to become a victim of Shadowmoth again. "Are you sure that you'll be safe? You left Paris after the magical terrorist used you."
The words that he would akumatize her again to make her reveal his identity went unsaid.
"I know it's a risk, my love. I'm prepared to take that risk. Paris was my home for many years, and I'm homesick. Besides, I have yet to meet your daughter. I want to meet her."
The words about meeting the next Great Guardian went unsaid.
"She travels a lot because of her job. I'm not sure when she'll be Paris again."
"Then let me know when she is. I would love to have some quality time with her. I hope she likes me."
That translated to I want her to accept me as part of the family. Maybe even her future mother.
"I'm sure she will. After all, you have captured my heart."
"Just as yours has captured mine. I'll call you in a few days my love to talk more on this subject. I love you."
"I love you as well, my dear Marianne. Goodbye."
Turning off the phone, Master Fu exhaled as he slipped into his seat at the table. His eyes looked out the window, but he saw nothing. Marianne had been on his mind most of the day.
"Master Fu? Are you all right?" Honorra asked the old man.
The Guardian didn't respond. He was thinking too hard, he didn't hear what was going on around him.
Honorra was about to ask again when she was tapped on the shoulder by Wayzz. He shook his head slowly and led her back to the bedroom where the ECMC was playing Go-Fish.
The only ones not present with the group were Starry and Flitter. The Kwamiis of Earth and Wind were with the heroes. Starry was being taken care of by Marinette while Adrien kept an eye on Flitter.
Wayzz and Honorra observed as Howller asked if anyone had a two. Raah did and handed it over. Howller's eyes lit up as he laid down his cards.
"That was the card I needed, I matched all my cards. I win!" the little wolf-like kwami howled. The others covered their ears as Honorra put her hand/paw over his mouth.
"Knock it off! You want to give Shadowmoth our address?" she hissed. Howller shook his head and she removed her hand/paw.
Swimmy rubbed her "brother" on his shoulder. "I know how hard it is for you to keep your joy in. In this case, you need to try harder."
"Swimmy is right. We must take the proper precautions if we are to avoid becoming hostages for Shadowmoth to use," Jaggy solemnly reminded her "brother."
Rocco cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention. From his tiny perch on Master Fu's pillow, he declared, "Howller is not our main problem. The one who most likely will draw attention to us is the Guardian."
"He hasn't had a good night's sleep for some time. In his exhausted state of mind, he might let something important slip. Our safety depends on helping the Guardian sleep."
Griff looked over at his "sisters" Furra and Glitter. Both of them were whispering to each other. He floated over to talk with them to find out their opinions.
"Sisters, why are you over here instead of joining our other "siblings". I'm sure your brilliant minds can help us figure out the Great Guardians sleeping problems."
Furra sternly told her "brother" to lay off the charm because it wasn't working.
Glitter kindly told him that perhaps he should work the cunning part of his personality instead of the charming side. Seeing her "brother" was about to cry, she did her best to reassure him that she still loved him.
Cappri had moved to the dresser top to get some quiet time from his more boisterous brethren. Perhaps, the Great Guardian needed help blocking out the noises from the city.
What would help in making it quieter in here? Replacing the curtains might help. They could muffle sounds while also preventing thieves from seeing inside.
There was a tiny space between the door and the floor. Repositioning the hinges would solve that problem. Then little noises from the rest of the home wouldn't bother the man then.
Cappri tapped his horns to help him think of more possibilities. Flammer landed next to him and dozed off. All this talk about sleeping had made him sleepy.
While the ECMC discussed how to help their Great Guardian, Marinette was in the middle of literature class. She was tapping her foot impatiently.
The girls had asked if she was interested in going to lunch with them today. Once again, she couldn't. For the past three weeks, she had to bail on any plans with the girls.
It wasn't just because of her hero duties. Her parents had been receiving giant orders lately. Numerous weddings and conferences were going on in the city, and they needed additional help.
She had also been busy with mending used clothing for the clothing drive the Student Council was holding at the end of the week. Thankfully, she wasn't the only one doing the mending so she still had time to do her homework.
Any free time she had left was for practicing the martial art moves Master Fu had shown her. She was getting better but still needed to practice until it became muscle memory.
In her purse, Tikki was narrating what was going on in the classroom. Like her animal counterpart, Starry had blurry eyesight. It wasn't as bad as a real mole's was. If she had some glasses then she would be able to see properly.
"Do you think your wielder will be able to make me some glasses before I have to return to my box?"
"I'm sure she can Starry. Right now, she's too busy. She had to do her morning homework during lunch hour because after school she has to help her parents with an order for five dozen macaroons that need to be ready tomorrow morning."
Starry let out a little whistle showing how impressed she was by Marinette and her family's work ethic. To complete such a momentous task in one day was a skill none of her wielders.
Her wielders were steady and strong. When given a task, they were patient and endured any problems that would arise. It was amazing how many different types of humans could wield the powers of a Miraculous.
The two Kwamiis continued to talk until the bell rang for lunch. Tikki floated over and started to pull the tiny amount of zipper closed when the purse swung widely.
Tikki fell back and slammed into Starry. The mole-like kwami let out a tiny wail. A wail was heard by the girls who had surrounded Marinette.
"What was that Marinette? What are you hiding in your purse?" Alya asked.
"It's just a squeaker I bought. I was planning on adding it to one of the dolls I'm making for Manon."
"So you have time to make dolls for the kid you babysit, but don't have any time for us?" Alix stated sarcastically.
Marinette fidgeted as she tried to explain how Manon wasn't more important than her friends. She was just a little overwhelmed right now because of her responsibilities.
Rose and Mylene pointed out she always had made time for them before. Would having lunch with them cause her a problem? She didn't have to spend the whole period with them.
"I really need to do all the homework that was assigned to us for the day so far. I'm going to be up for hours to help my parents with making the macaroons. Not only do we have to bake them, but we're also responsible for packaging them, labeling, and delivering them," Marinette replied as she counted off with her fingers.
"What if we went to your home instead for lunch and worked together to get the homework done. We could spend time together then," Juleka suggested.
Marinette waved her arms in protest. "No, that wouldn't do. My room is a mess right now. If you come home with me, my parents will feel obligated to make lunch for us, and I don't want them to spend their energy on us."
"I promise, I'll be able to hang out next week. Got to go girls, bye!" The girls watched their pig-tailed friend rush off to her home. They all felt abandoned by their girl.
"Is it just me or do you think Marinette is ditching us these days?" Alix remarked and the others nodded.
Rose's eyes started watering as she clutched her hands together. "You don't think Marinette hates us, do you?" she asked the others.
"Of course she doesn't hate us. Don't be silly," Mylene said as she hugged Rose. "Marinette is too lovable to hate anyone."
"Then why does she keep making excuses? According to my brother, she hasn't spent much time with the guys either. Even Adrien hasn't seen her recently. She even canceled two dates with him," Juleka informed the group.
This shocked all the girls. When Adrien and Marinette first got together they were inseparable. They would hold hands in the hallways or pass notes to each other in class.
While they couldn't go on a date every week, they always made time to hang out at least once. To hear that she was canceling her dates was a sign something was very wrong.
Each girl had a different idea of what might be wrong. Alya worried that her best friend had moved on from them. Alix was concerned that Marinette had gotten herself in some dangerous financial trouble.
Rose fretted about Marinette being extremely sick and she was hiding it from them. Juleka was worried that someone might be abusing the bluenette. Mylene couldn't stop thinking about scenarios of threatening Marinette to stay away from them.
The girls were all looking down at the friendship bracelets Marinette had made them. Each one had a special bead on it that Marinette had custom-designed for them. Each bead was a symbol of their friendship with their special friend.
In his lair, Shadowmoth sensed their worries and despair. "The concern for a friend is a powerful emotion. One strong enough to create multiple Akumas to fight Ladybug and Chat Noir."
He powered up one of his butterflies and released it. He was anticipating the moment the akuma made contact with one of the beads from the group's friendship bracelets. Because the beads were from the same set, he spoke to all five girls at once.
"Gang of Secrets, I am Shadowmoth. Your friend is hiding a secret from you. A secret that is ruining your friendship with her. I'll give you all the powers you'll need to learn it."
"In exchange, I ask each of you to retrieve Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses. Can I count on you girls?"
The five girls confirmed that he could and they were transformed into the Akuma identities: Lady Wi-Fi, Timebreaker, Princess Fragrance, along with Reflekta and Horrificator.
"Come on gang. Let's go find out what's Marinette's hiding from us," Lady Wi-Fi commanded. They all laughed as they strode across the street ready to trap Marinette in her own home.
In her room, Marinette was making headway on her literature homework. Starry was up in Marinette's bed playing with the Ladybug doll. "I'm the greatest heroine in France. Nobody can beat me. I'll use my…"
Starry felt strong vibrations making their way to the bakery. She rushed off the bed and called out, "Tikki! I felt strong vibrations! Can you check what's outside?"
Tikki hurried over and gasped at the sight of the Gang of Secrets making their way across the street. "Marinette! Five Akumas coming this way! We need to get out of here."
"What?" Marinette screeched as she raced over and saw the Akumas practically on her doorstep. "Tikki! Spots On!" she shouted. She couldn't go out of her skylight or she would be seen.
Hurrying down the steps she headed straight for her parents' room. They had a window that faced away from the school. She jumped out of it and swung away just as the Gang arrived.
Timebreaker kicked the door in, startling the lunch crowd and Marinette's parents. "Where is Marinette?" she demanded. The patrons tried to rush past her only for Lady Wi-Fi to freeze them in their tracks.
Tom grabbed his wife and tried to run to the side door only to be caught by Princess Fragrance's perfume gun. "You're going nowhere! Tell us where Marinette is?"
"She's in her room doing homework," they both sang.
"Reflekta, check her room! Timebreaker, search the rest of the building. Princess Fragrance, look to see if Marinette's hiding in the back of the bakery or storage room. Horrificator, be ready to lock down the building with your slime," Lady Wi-Fi
The girls nodded and started searching the premises. The Akumas searched the entire building and came up empty-handed. They all let out a growl of frustration.
"I can't believe she lied to us," Timebreaker snarled as she clenched her fists.
"She could have seen us coming and took off. Horrificator is easy to spot," Reflekta remarked. Outside, Horrificator roared in annoyance.
"Then we need to split up and find her. We'll search the entire city if that's what it takes to find Marinette!" Lady Wi-Fi declared. The others all cheered as they went their separate ways.
None of them noticed Starry escaping through the skylight and speed in search of where Ladybug went. "I hope Flitter felt those vibrations. Her skills could come in handy."
Ladybug was on her way to the training center. Chat Noir and her had agreed that anytime an Akuma was targeting their civilian selves, they were to wait in the training center for the other.
"This is bad. How am I going to stop five Akumas at once?" she asked herself.
The only warning she got was a clicking sound. She slid down the left side of a roof as a blast of light buzzed past her. Pulling out her yo-yo, she flicked it out and swung out of Reflekta's reach.
"You're not going anywhere, Ladybug! Hand over your Miraculous!" the Akuma yelled. She fired multiple blasts at the heroine, who used her weapon to deflect the beams.
She sensed someone behind her and did a flip before Lady Wi-Fi could pause her. Only the roof was now covered in slime causing it to be slippery. Ladybug was falling off the roof towards Horrificator's waiting hands.
Right before Horrificator could catch her, the monstrous Akuma wobbled and lost her balance. She then crashed on all the cars parked on the street. Chat Noir was a blur as he jumped to catch his lady before running off.
Timebreaker and Princess Fragrance hustled after them. Timebreaker stole time from everyone she could touch. Those she didn't, were turned into Princess Fragrance slaves. She told them to spread out and find Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
Chat Noir didn't put Ladybug down until they were a good distance from the Akumas. "Nice to see you're okay My Lady. Care to explain how there are five Akumas after our Miraculouses?"
"I don't know! I went home to do my homework because I've been busy these past few weeks at the bakery. I have also been very for getting the school clothing drive organized. I don't know why they were turned."
"Perhaps they were merely concerned about you," a new voice said. The heroes looked up and saw Starry holding paw/hands with Flitter. The moth-like kwami dropped closer to the heroes' faces.
"The Akumas are all your friends, right, Ms. Ladybug?" Seeing the heroine nod, she continued to speak. "I believe your friends were akumatized because they were concerned for you."
Ladybug pointed out she told them why she was busy, and she hadn't been lying. She didn't understand why they couldn't accept the truth.
"Your friends might believe you're hiding something. You did mention some of your habits have changed lately," Starry reminded the girl.
Chat Noir interjected it didn't matter right now. They had to figure out what the item was that kept them linked with one another. Before he could ask her thoughts, a cloud of pink smoke started to descend into the alley.
"We need to get out of here!" Chat shouted as they both ran from the cloud. Starry followed them, but Flitter held her ground.
"Time for the winds to change," she sang to herself. Flapping her wings, she created the tiniest of breezes. It wasn't big enough to blow the cloud away. It did make the cloud move in a different direction.
"That should give them some breathing room!" Flitter sang before flying off. She wasn't about to become a slave to an evil wielder.
Princess Fragrance and Timebreaker arrived on the scene thirty seconds later. Seeing the alley empty, Princess Fragrance stomped her feet in frustration. "This is not fair! My perfume should have made them my singing slaves!"
"Don't worry, I'll run them down and get their Miraculouses." Timebreaker took off laughing in glee.
Timebreaker easily caught up with the heroes who were still on the ground for some reason. She reached out to touch them. Before she could, a small pebble got lodged between her right skate wheels.
Her feet shot out from under her and her back hit the sidewalk hard. Her friendship bracelet had broken upon impact. The beads were scattered everywhere.
Starry quickly scooped them up before giving them to Ladybug. The teenager saw the possessed one and smashed it. Black smoke rose in the air and not an Akuma.
"Look!" Chat pointed as Timebreaker reverted to Alix. He walked closer and helped the girl to her feet. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, what happened?"
"That's what we would like to know," Ladybug asked. "Do you remember why you were akumatized?"
Alix explained the reasons and that she believed the beads on the bracelets were where the akuma was hiding. "I don't remember who has the original bead. It could be any of the other girls."
Chat looked at Ladybug. "We don't have time to go from one akuma to the next. We need to de-akumatize them all at once. It's the only way to avoid putting more people at risk."
"I agree, but we will need some assistance. Chat, I need you to do your best to corral all the Akumas into one place. While you do that, Alix will come with me to pick up her Miraculous," Ladybug explained, ignoring Alix's face brightening hearing this. "Can I count on you?"
"Always, My Lady," Chat Noir replied. He jumped up to the roofs and started running in the opposite direction of the Guardian.
Several minutes later, Ladybug and Alix landed in the backyard of Master Fu. Hiding behind the tree, Ladybug got ready to drop her transformation. "Alix, I am trusting you with a big secret. I'm choosing you because your family is tied to the Rabbit Miraculous."
"You need to promise me you won't reveal my identity or the Guardians unless I tell you to. No one can know these secrets."
"I promise, Ladybug. Nothing gets past the lips ever," the punk girl promised.
Ladybug nodded and called off her transformation. Alix couldn't believe who Ladybug really was. She would never have suspected Marinette as the real Ladybug!
Marinette ushered Alix into the apartment, calling out for Master Fu. He replied he was in the main room.
The old man arched a single eyebrow when he saw Alix with Marinette. "Hello, Marinette. I was not expecting another guest. Still, it is nice to meet you, Alexandria Kubdel."
The pink-haired girl muttered her name was Alix. She was embarrassed her dad decided to name her after the Library of Alexandria. Remembering her manners, she did extend a greeting to the Guardian.
Marinette explained what was going on and why she needed Alix's help. Master Fu went to his room and retrieved the Miraculous before placing it in Alix's hand.
Fluff popped into existence. "Mini Alix! It's nice to see you again. Or have we not met yet? I am always a little discombobulated after being returned to the human world."
"We've already met Fluff. It's time for Bunnyx to rescue everyone. Fluff, Clockwise!" A minute later she was transformed.
Slapping a hand to her face, Marinette made the teenager crawl on the ground until they were hidden behind the tree. "First rule about visiting the Guardian. We always drop or transform far from his home. It's a safety precaution to prevent Shadowmoth or Mayura from discovering his location."
Bunnyx sheepishly nodded. The heroines hurried back to the battle to aid Chat Noir. When they caught up with him, the hero had trapped himself in a dead-end street with the Akumas advancing.
"What the plan?" Bunnyx asked.
"First, we need my Lucky Charm!" A red and black spotted float ring dropped into Ladybug's hands.
Ladybug looked around and her vision showed her Bunnyx's metamorphic gel, Chat Noir's claws, along with his baton, and her yo-yo and the floating ring. The answer came to her at once.
"Come on I know what to do." The girls jumped down brandishing their weapons.
"It's nice to see you finally show up Ladybug. Your kitty was just about to lose his Miraculous," Lady Wi-Fi cooed.
"Now we can get yours and bonus Miraculous for Shadowmoth," Princess Fragrance said with a smile on her face.
Horrificator was ready to throw her slime on them. Reflekta got ready to pounce on the heroes.
"That's not going to happen," Ladybug said. She quickly dodged the slime as Bunnyx used her morphometric gel to form a wall. Now they had time for Ladybug to create a giant slingshot.
"Be ready to drop the wall!" Ladybug called out as she placed the floating ring in the sling. Both she and Chat Noir pulled back as far as they could.
"On the count of three. One, two, three!"
Bunnyx dropped the wall. At the same time, Chat Noir poked a tiny hold in the floating ring. Releasing the band, the floating ring was propelled, forward.
As it flew through the air, it leaked air causing it to go a bit off course. That was intentional as it flew into Reflekta's stomach. As she fell, she accidentally changed Horrificator into a clone.
The sudden change in height caused Lady Wi-Fi to drop her phone. The phone blasted out a pause button on Princess Fragrance with her arm outstretched.
Bunnyx jumped into action. She quickly removed the friendship bracelets before tossing them to Chat Noir. Catching all of them, he used his power to destroy them.
The akuma flew out of Alya's bracelet. Ladybug purified it. Calling on Miraculous Ladybug, she was pleased to see her friends return to normal. The other girls were surprised to see Bunnyx pounding it with Ladybug and Chat Noir.
That night, Marinette curled up in her bed with Tikki and Starry. The kwami was happily wearing her new glasses. They were black and heart-shaped.
It had been simple to take a pair of doll glasses and insert two tiny corrective lenses inside them. "I may never see clearly, but I'm glad I can see clearly more than a foot in front of me," Starry said in thanks.
"You're welcome, Starry. I'm glad I was able to help you." Even though she was smiling on the outside, inside the teenager was brimming with worry.
She had taken a very big risk when she brought Alix to meet Master Fu. She always believed she would bring Alya to him first. Instead, she had gone with her gut, and choose Alix because she was a legacy Miraculous Wielder.
Had she made the right call? Alix was the least likely to spill a secret out of the five of them. Alya was still working on improving her journalistic ethics, while Rose would gladly share a secret with anyone.
It would be easy to frighten a secret out of Mylene. Juleka would eventually give in if someone threatened her family. Alix was the smart choice. So why was her stomach still in knots?
Tikki noticed her wielder's worried face. "Marinette, what's wrong?"
"Did I make a mistake by choosing Alix to be the first person to meet the Guardian?" Before Tikki could respond, Marinette continued to babble.
"I always thought the first person I would tell after Adrien, was Alya. She's my best friend. What does it say about me that I chose to share with someone else? Alix is my friend, but were not besties like Alya and me."
Tikki interrupted the teenager, "Marinette, you made the best choice under the circumstances. It could have been any of the girls, save Mylene, you told your secret to."
"In my opinion, you made the best choice when you chose Alix. As a legacy holder, she knows what's at stake. It was also smart because her Miraculous is one of the most powerful. If something goes wrong, she'll know where to find Master Fu to ask for help."
Marinette knew her kwami was right. She hoped Adrien agreed with her.
At the Agreste mansion, Adrien was practicing the piano. Plagg and Flitter were on his desk playing a game on the teenager's computer.
Flitter pushed Plagg aside as she started tapping the keyboard to match the colorful crystals together. She enjoyed hearing the ding noise. "Yes! Bonus score!"
"Move over, Flitter. It's my turn," Plagg hissed as he took over the controls. Pressing the keyboard, he made three rows disappear instantly. "I knew I could get the number of red and white crystals lined up with only one move left."
Flitter's antenna twitched. "I could have done it if you didn't keep taking my turn."
Plagg whined that she took too long. In Frozen Crystals, you only had so many moves to achieve the objective.
"What were you going to do? We didn't have any power-ups left and you couldn't get close enough to cause the campfires to keep jumping."
"I was the one who spotted the way to make the crystals fall in the right place. We would have lost that level if I left it for you."
"You could have trusted me. I'm getting better at video games."
The piano music stopped as Adrien hissed at them to speak quieter. Nathalie was resting nearby, and he didn't want her getting up, to see what was going on in his room.
The Kwamiis quieted down. After another minute of playing, Adrien covered up the keys again. He looked at the little gods for a few moments.
"Plagg, was Marinette right in taking Alix to see Master Fu? I thought when we both decided it was time we chose either Nino or Alya. Instead, she chose Alix."
"Hey, if you're going to be an emergency Keeper, you need to learn to trust your gut when it comes to picking people who you have faith in. Am I surprised that she chose punk girl?"
"Yes, I'm surprised, but I get why she choose her during the attack today. The question you have to ask yourself is, would you make the same choice if you were in her shoes?"
Adrien thought about that. Out of the girls' akumatized, Alix had the most common sense. She also handled the weird events of Paris with ease. "I would Plagg. Indeed, I would."
Plagg smiled, and Flitter asked if she could hear a modern song played on the piano. Choosing one of Jagged Stones' latest hits, he lifted the cover and continued his piano practice.
Three days later, in the United States, Ning started reviewing all the reports she had received about the mysterious stranger. In the span of two and half weeks, he had covered a distance of 3,762 miles.
The pins on the map marked where the portals had been opened. This had left a trail that she hoped would help anticipate his next move.
After leaving Kazakhstan, the man had opened a portal into European Russia, arriving in the town of Volgograd. He had marched two days to the town of Rostov.
Satellite images had caught the man hopping the train and head into Ukraine. He had disembarked in the town of Donets'k. The cameras lost track of him until he reached the border between Ukraine and Slovakia.
An hour ago, she had gotten new footage. For the first time, she had a clear image of the man. A portal had opened in the town of Brenzo, situated in the middle of the country.
The video footage showed a man of East Asian descent. Besides being bald, he had large eyebrows, and his eyes were very dark. She estimated his height to be 6'2.
He wore the same clothes in all the videos. Funny enough, they never showed any wear or tear, despite how far he walked. The shoes were opposite. The toes of the shoes were starting to give way.
What frightened Ning was the staff the man carried. It looked similar to her own magic staff. Only it was much bigger and more ornate. She had zoomed in to look for the symbol of the Guardians but couldn't find it.
Nor did she have any luck with finding the symbol for the Exiled. "Who are you, mister? Why do you have a staff?"
Freezing the image, she ran a facial recognition scan to see if the stranger popped up in any databases. There were no hits in any database.
Putting her mask on, she looked at a map of every country he had been to. Activating the magic filter, she finally figured out how he picked his route.
"Concentrations of magical energy. A natural source would help augment someone's magic without tiring them out too much. I bet I know his final destination."
He would go through Austria then Switzerland before making it to France. Then eventually making his way to Paris. "The Security Council needs to know this ASAP. I also have to warn father trouble is heading his way."