Chapter 41: Draco
Nooroo pokes his head out from behind the table. He calls "master" quietly. There's still a charge of energy in the room. However, as Nooroo timidly looks around, he realizes he's the only one moving. Both Gabriel and Emilie Agreste are unconscious, slumped back in their chairs. They're holding hands; fingers intertwined. And they're not waking up. Nooroo pokes them, but they don't respond. Nooroo also notes that Tikki and Plagg are nowhere to be found. (Gabriel is no longer Absolute.)
Adrien Agreste raises his head and sits up. He's confused. He doesn't know where he is, how he got there, or what happened. He just knows it feels as if he's been asleep for a long time. He isn't alone; there's one other person in the room with him: his bodyguard (who came in after the classmates and Adrien's parents left). His bodyguard smiles with relief. A few tears actually trickle. Adrien starts to ask what's going on, but he's cut off when his bodyguard hugs him. Adrien sorta laughs. His bodyguard puts him down, embarrassed, and then runs into the hallway to get a nurse.
Adrien runs through events in his mind. What happened? Then he remembers being captured by Hawk Moth. He looks down; the ring is missing. Adrien slumps and then jerks upright. Ladybug?! What happened to Ladybug?! He's halfway out of bed. He has to find her. As far as he can guess, it's possible that Hawk Moth tried to poison him anyway. If he, Cat Noir, was poisoned, then maybe Ladybug was too! Did Hawk Moth lie and poison us both anyway?! Or did Ladybug refuse to give up her miraculous, and he just poisoned me?!
However, at that moment, a nurse and a doctor enter, asking questions and insisting he sit back down. They start to take his vitals, trying to figure out what's going on. Adrien insists he's fine. He can barely get a word in edgewise though. He knows he can't actually fight off a doctor, so he resigns and tries to answer them quickly so he can figure out if Ladybug is okay. And then I need to find Plagg! He's a bit hurt by the fact that maybe, just maybe, Ladybug did risk him to protect her miraculous—but if she's safe, he would gladly be poisoned all over again.
No matter what Nooroo does, neither Agreste will respond. Nooroo realizes that this is a result of Gabriel's second wish. Neither he nor Emilie are going to wake up. Nooroo sinks a bit; his master is gone. Wait, does that mean…he's free now? Nooroo cautiously looks around. No one is there to tell him what to do. He can make his own choices. But…what should he do? As a kwami, he does have limits and loyalties.
Nooroo looks at Gabriel once more, seeing the ladybug earrings, the black cat ring, and his own butterfly brooch. Nooroo can also hear voices of patients, visitors, and doctors in the hallway outside. As a kwami, he can't let the miraculous fall into the wrong hands—he needs to get them away. But he's small, he can only carry one at a time. Which miraculous should he pick first?
If Nooroo picks the butterfly brooch, he will be completely free. But the ladybug and black cat are very powerful. Too powerful to be kept together. Nooroo makes up his mind. Instead of freeing himself, he steals the ladybug miraculous. Nooroo glances out the door (he can't travel through walls with a miraculous). When the coast is clear, he flies off, determined to take the ladybug earrings as far as he possibly can.
Unfortunately, it's not far enough. After only going a short way, Nooroo gets stuck. He realizes he is still trapped under Gabriel's command to "never leave his side." Nooroo's eyes dart everywhere. He knows he has limited time. What should he do with the ladybug earrings? He has to hide them so no one bad will get them—since he can't take them to the guardian of the miraculous. Nooroo spots a box labeled Lost and Found. Gambling on chance, Nooroo buries the earrings there and then darts back to the room where Gabriel and Emilie are unconscious.
The doctors are finishing up with Adrien. They're still baffled why he was unconscious in the first place and why he woke up, but they're thrilled he's awake. They're calling it a "unique case" and a "miracle." Adrien asks if he can go now—but that's when his entire class (as well as several students from other classes) burst in, shouting and crying and talking happily. Adrien is genuinely overwhelmed after being a lonely kid for so long. Everyone is talking to him at once; they're all thrilled he's awake. That is, everyone except Marinette. She is internally very happy he's healthy, but she can't bring herself to enter further than the doorway because she has her own emotions she's dealing with. Alya encourages her to enter, but she just can't. It doesn't help that both Chloe and Lila worm their way forward.
With the ladybug earrings removed and hidden, Nooroo grabs the black cat ring off of Gabriel's finger and ducks into the hallway again. However, it's even more crowded this time, causing Nooroo to have to hide frequently while he searches for a place to stash the ring. Since the butterfly kwami has been disconnected from Master Fu and the other wielders entirely, he has no idea whom he should trust—so he banks on no one.
However, Nooroo once again runs out of "leash" and finds he can travel no further. That's when he notices Nathalie Sancoeur down the hall. He knows she's going to head for the waiting room Gabriel likes to use. With his time gone, Nooroo does the only thing he can do—he shoves the ring on the bottom shelf of a passing cart and races back to Gabriel and Emilie. Nathalie stops to talk to a nurse. Nooroo prays it's enough time for him to save his own miraculous.
It's still a cacophony in Adrien's room. Chloe Bourgeois is hanging on him, making Lila Rossi and Kagami Tsurugi both jealous. Nino Lahiffe tells them to give Adrien some space to breathe. Le Chien Kim comments that his (Adrien's) parents are going to be thrilled too. Has anyone told them yet? Adrien asks—don't you mean my dad? Not as if he'd have the time to show up; he's always too busy. Alix Kubdel tells him that his father has barely left the hospital at all he's been so worried. Adrien is surprised as he didn't think Gabriel cared that much. However, Alix gets cut off by Chloe, who boldly and loudly declares that Emilie Agreste is back.
That drives all other thoughts from Adrien's mind. "My mom's back?! Where is she?!" The class all tries explaining, making things even more chaotic. But they do confirm to Adrien that, yes, they have all seen his mother. She and Gabriel asked for some time alone while he was unconscious just less than an hour ago. Adrien won't be stopped this time. He pushes his way through the crowd and into the hallway and takes off looking for his mother.
Nooroo reaches for the butterfly brooch when he hears the door open. Nooroo darts for a hiding place as Nathalie enters. She doesn't even finish greeting Gabriel when she gasps in alarm, seeing both Gabriel and Emilie unconscious. She tries to wake him and then her. Neither respond. Nathalie is heartbroken; she knows exactly what happened. Gabriel and Emilie sacrificed themselves for Adrien. She hides her emotions inside.
Nathalie kneels beside Gabriel, pleading softly for him to wake. No luck. Nooroo considers calling out to her, but he remains hidden and quiet. The hallway bursts into noise. Nathalie can hear Adrien calling out for his parents. In a swift motion, she grabs the butterfly miraculous and conceals it in her palm.
The door bursts open, and Adrien races inside, his friends at his heels. He doesn't even stop. He throws himself around his mother's neck and dry-sobs. Then he realizes she isn't responding. Adrien is confused. He tries to wake Emile, but she doesn't respond to his voice either. Adrien calls to his father but also gets no response. He's confused. What happened?
Nathalie explains that she doesn't know. She only entered the room right before he did; neither Agreste responded to her either. The happy cacophony of the students dies into somber quiet as they realize that Adrien's parents are not okay. Mylene Haprele is the first to realize that they should be doing more than standing around, watching; she scampers off to find a nurse.
Nooroo peeks out to watch her leave. What happened to the black cat miraculous? And what's going to happen to me now that Nathalie has the butterfly?
It pans to the cart where the black cat ring is still concealed. The cart hits a bump, and the ring bounces off. There's a lot of foot traffic, and the ring gets kicked around. Luka Couffaine thinks he hears something metal, but when he looks down, the ring has skated outside of his field of vision. The black cat ring winds up pushed out of the hospital doors and onto the outside sidewalk.
The doctors arrive quickly and urge everyone into the hallway so that they can examine the Agrestes. Adrien insists he has to be allowed to stay with them. His mother is alive! The doctors feel for him, but they need to be able to work without someone standing around, and they need to make sure the environment is sanitized for some of their tests. Nathalie says she understands and places a hand on Adrien's shoulder. They'll wait in the lobby. She's as every bit upset as he is; she's just hiding it better. She's also still hiding the butterfly in her other hand.
Adrien pleads that he doesn't want to leave his parents. Nathalie says that she knows, but in order for the doctors to work, they have to be patient. Neither like it, but they leave the room with the rest of the cast. (The doctors also imply they want Adrien to stay nearby anyway. He's not discharged yet, and if whatever was effecting him is now effecting his parents, they might need him nearby for tests and comparisons.)
The doctors encourage everyone to disperse. They say the group can wait in the lobby again. However, one nurse points out that the students have been there all morning and that it is lunch time; if they need to, they can go out and come back. Adrien insists on staying. Chloe insists on staying with him. Kagami counters, which sparks an argument between the two. Lila claims she knows an elite doctor and promises Adrien she'll ask him if he can help Adrien's parents. Adrien thanks her unenthusiastically. Nino offers to take Adrien to lunch to cheer him up, but Nathalie reminds them that Adrien has not been discharged yet. She tells them they'll have to wait in the lobby while she and Adrien see that the paperwork gets processed so he can leave. Adrien thanks them all for coming and says he'll see them when he can. But internally, he doesn't want to leave until his parents are okay—but then he remembers about Ladybug and Plagg. Since they finally have a moment to breathe, Adrien asks Nathalie about what happened in the stadium. Nathalie internally startles, but she handles the question well, omitting the first-hand account she has. Adrien insists Hawk Moth gassed him, but Nathalie assures him that wasn't the case. However, she does leave it implied that both Gabriel and Emilie were captured by Hawk Moth along with the rest. Adrien asks about Ladybug, but Nathalie says she doesn't know anything. He can't ask about his ring without giving himself away.
Meanwhile, the ring gets clipped by Mathieu Anciel's skateboard as he leaves the hospital with his girlfriend, Monique Imhof (Marc Anciel decides to stay a bit longer). It's sent into the air and then the street. A car nearly misses running it over and then another one. Andre's ice cream cart rolls by. There's a piece of gum stuck to the wheel, and the ring gets stuck in that. It rolls away with Andre not even knowing it's there.
The class waits in the lobby again, but Alya Cesaire catches Marinette and asks her what's going on. She can see Marinette is super depressed. She won't even smile around Adrien. What's wrong? Is everything okay? Marinette insists she's fine, but it's clear she's not. Alya concludes it's trauma as a result of being captured by Hawk Moth and having her life threatened and then seeing Adrien injured. Alya internally curses herself; if only she had been faster as Rena Rouge, all of her friends wouldn't have had to suffer. Alya tries to cheer Marinette up by taking her mind off of things. She offers to treat her to ice cream or pizza. Marinette insists that's not necessary. Internally, Marinette is wondering what she should do next as Ladybug; she's still overwhelmed about her responsibilities and priorities as well as not knowing where to start.
That's when Alya notices that the earrings Marinette always wears are missing. Alya asks what happened. Marinette says she lost them. Alya offers to help find them. Marinette says that it's okay; she doesn't know where to even look. However, Alya insists on helping. She knows Marinette had them on in school. So that narrows the places they could be: school, the stadium, the hospital, or her home. Alya says that since they're at the hospital, they should check here. Marinette knows the earrings won't be here, but since she can't say so without revealing herself, she lets Alya lead her to the receptionist to ask about the lost and found.
Meanwhile, Andre stops to sell ice cream to Xavier Ramier. One of the pigeons that always follow Mr. Ramier around notices the sparkle of the black cat ring stuck on the gum. It pries the ring off with its beak. Then it takes off to the sky, still carrying the ring.
Alya escorts Marinette to the receptionist. She encourages Marinette to speak, but Marinette is still pretty withdrawn. Alya sighs and explains on Marinette's behalf. Her friend lost a pair of earrings, and she was at this hospital the other day as one of the rescuees who got examined. Were any earrings turned in to the lost and found then?
The receptionist doesn't think so, but she offers the lost and found box for the girls to look through anyway. Marinette holds up a rather manky knit hat. Alya digs deeper—and dons a huge smile. She holds up a round earring. "Look what I found." Marinette's eyes go wide as she recognizes it. She has no idea how it got from Hawk Moth's chute at the stadium to the hospital lost and found. But she doesn't care. Marinette dives in to find the other earring and emerges with it a moment later.
Alya is glad to see her friend animated again. Marinette Dupin-Cheng throws her arms around Alya for a hug. She then runs off to the bathroom to "put them on" (as she wants to be somewhere private before Tikki appears). Alya chuckles and lets Marinette run off, but she yells after her to make sure she disinfects them before putting them in her ears.
Inside the bathroom, Marinette locks the door. She puts the earrings in, and Tikki forms. The kwami forms sprawled out across the countertop, barely able to move. Marinette whispers her name and then gently scoops Tikki up. Tikki's eyes cracks open, and she whispers Marinette's name. "You kept your promise…" Marinette has no idea why Tikki is so exhausted, she just thinks it goes back to Hawk Moth. She tries to get a few more words out of Tikki; her own vision is blurry with tears. Tikki opens her eyes slightly, breathing hard, but she can't really speak.
Marinette hugs her close, promising to take care of her, promising she'll never let her go again. Marinette takes some tissues and fluffs them up as a bed in her purse. She gently places Tikki inside and then uses another tissue as a blanket. She also breaks off a piece of macaroon and hands it to Tikki to snack on.
Marinette emerges from the bathroom, wiping her eyes. She tells Alya thank you for helping her find the earrings. Alya comments that Marinette looks more like herself already.
Meanwhile, the pigeon lands on its nests in the eaves of a building. It places the black cat ring miraculous on the edge of the nest. Its chicks peck at the ring. Realizing its not food, they throw it out of the nest where it tumbles down the downspout.
Solomon, the bodyguard, is driving both Nathalie Sancoeur and Adrien Agreste home. Adrien is officially discharged from the hospital, and Nathalie is still too exhausted to drive herself. She still secretly possesses both the butterfly and the peacock miraculous.
Adrien is asking a lot of questions about his mother. Often times, he repeats the same questions. Did she say where she was? Do the doctors know why she gets dizzy spells? How long ago was she awake? Did she say anything about me? Nathalie does the best she can, but it winds up with her apologizing because she has no answers. (She can't reveal her suspicions that it involves the miraculous.) Adrien apologizes and then goes silent for a bit.
Nathalie promises she'll do her best to look after him and make sure he gets to school and his lessons while his father is in the hospital (she does slip here and say "father" and not "parents"). She's serious but very formulaic in what she offers. She says that Adrien won't be attending classes tomorrow either as he needs more time to recover. Adrien asks if everyone else is missing classes tomorrow; Nathalie says it's probable given the stadium incident. Adrien asks if everyone who was there is safe, which Nathalie confirms they are. That has to mean Ladybug is safe too, right? Adrien needs to contact her; he realizes he could call—but then he also realizes he can no longer appear before her as Cat Noir without his ring. Should he call? Or shouldn't he? And what did happen to Hawk Moth? He asks the final question aloud. Nathalie confirms there hasn't been any arrests. That leaves Adrien even more baffled.
He decides the first thing he should do is contact Master Fu. He can admit to losing the black cat ring. Then maybe Master Fu can advise him on what happened to Ladybug and how he should talk to her. Master Fu would also likely know about the butterfly miraculous and what they can expect with Hawk Moth possessing the black cat ring. Adrien agrees to miss school tomorrow. He figures he can sneak out at talk to Master Fu that way. He doesn't realize that Master Fu is MIA.
Time passes into evening. The B Team is once again gathering in the cemetery. Alpha arrives first, and Dauphine arrives shortly afterward. They greet each other, and Dauphine eagerly asks if the message really means that Tsukuyomi is all right. Alpha doesn't know any more than she does. Firefly lands. With Dauphin having to share with Dauphine, this is the extent of their group at the moment unless Snow Leopard joins. Alpha and Firefly explain to Dauphine that Snow Leopard reemerged—she's as lost and confused as they once were, so they invited her to join the team. However, she hasn't entered the chat server yet. Dauphine is a bit surprised they made this decision, but then she remembers she had been captured at the time, so she accepts their judgment.
All three wait for a word from Tsukuyomi or Froppy; they talk as they do so. Alpha and Firefly fill Dauphine in on what she missed. She adds what she saw on the news (after she was freed); she asks them what happened to Ladybug and Cat Noir. Alpha and Firefly admit they don't know. They didn't see either hero in the stadium. They theorize both were confronting Hawk Moth elsewhere. Dauphine points out that any fight must be over by now. So what happened?
Firefly guesses that if Hawk Moth had won, Paris would be under his rule. That means Ladybug and Cat Noir won, right? Maybe they finally stopped him once and for all. Alpha points out that they probably won't know for certain unless Hawk Moth tries to akumatized someone else. Then there's that ominous message Hawk Moth left… "It's over." So that means Hawk Moth thinks he won, right? Firefly points out that it could also mean that Hawk Moth has given up. Dauphine states it doesn't seem like him, but they can't really be sure.
That's when two figures approach by simply walking. Alpha senses them approach first and insists they reveal who they are. A female voice tells him not to freak out. It's Froppy. Alpha, Firefly, and Dauphine recognize the voice. But they're surprised how Froppy showed up.
She's not transformed. She's wearing a frog onesie pajama with the hood pulled low over her face to hide her identity. Walking with her is Tsukuyomi, who is also not transformed. He has on a full-body concealing cape as well as a visor-style cap and a pair of sunglasses.
Dauphine blurts out that she's happy to see them again, and they all admit they're relieved Tsukuyomi is awake. Firefly wonders why Froppy went phone silent. Alpha asks why they didn't transform.
Froppy admits that what happened to Tsukuyomi happened to her. Her powers surged and locked her in a shell of water for 2-3 days. It was gentle—like falling asleep. (They were able to convince their parents that they, too, had been kidnapped by Hawk Moth and held at the stadium. Which oddly made the B Team's lie about Tsukuyomi's disappearance appear to be the truth). But now they know why it happened. Both Froppy and Tsukuyomi reveal that they didn't transform tonight because they have someone the B Team has to meet.
Dauphine, Firefly, and Alpha exchange confused looks.
There's a flashback that picks up from Tsukuyomi/Fumikage Tokoyami's point of view. He was laying on the floor of Tsuyu Asui's bedroom, still transformed. Despite having slept for days, he still felt exhausted. Something was beeping in his ears (it turned out to be his buttons). However, most of his attention was focused on the floating orb of water above him. It looked like some type of egg or cocoon with a crack in it. Tsukuyomi didn't know what to think; he was so groggy he just wanted to go to sleep right there.
The crack in the egg grew wider. Water droplets speckled his face; at that moment, the cocoon split open. Water dropped everywhere—but it instantly vanished before anything got wet. Froppy (still transformed as well) fell out of the center of the cocoon, sprawled out across his chest. That woke him up (with lots of blushing).
Froppy explains that she was also dead tired when her powers released her. And once she realized how close her face was to Tsukuyomi's, she hopped off, also blushing. (The two might leave out the blushing part when re-telling the story to the B Team.) However, she was so happy to see he was okay, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. She then asked what happened to him the moment he asked her why she was in a giant water egg.
Their questions didn't get answered. Their transformations broke unexpectedly at that moment. A small black creature and a tiny green one caught their attention, appearing from within their miraculous. This stunned Tsuyukomi and Froppy so much they were left speechless. (This ends the flashback.)
It's those creatures whom Tsukuyomi and Froppy want the B Team to meet, and they couldn't introduce them if they transformed.
Froppy and Tsukuyomi reveal their kwamis.
Dauphine squeals that whatever they are, they're adorable. Firefly is perplexed. It's Alpha who is floored as he recognizes kwamis and says as much. "When….where…how did you two get kwamis?!"
Tsukuyomi murmurs surprise that Alpha recognized what they are. He then introduces Dark Shadow, the crow kwami and Froppy, the frog kwami. Both were born from their inner strength and the power of the items they possess. When he and then Froppy cocooned up and then "hatched" a couple of days later, the kwamis hatched with them. He also adds that both kwamis had no names; Dark Shadow and Froppy are the names that he and Froppy picked out. (Yes, Tsuyu named her kwami after her hero alias.)
Dauphine and Firefly start on a dozen questions about what are kwamis and how do they work and how can they just get created out of the miraculous powers? Alpha asks some higher questions about if they need their kwamis to transform and if their powers have been changed at all. Froppy and Tsukuyomi do their best to answer the questions. (At one point, Firefly remarks that it's strange to see Tsukuyomi with a human mouth and not a beak. Tsukuyomi comments that he feels his superhero form is terrifying (He's still nervous about that since Hawk Moth brought it up). Firefly and Dauphine admit they think his crow form is cool and don't find it scary at all, which lightens Tsukuyomi's mood.)
Dark Shadow and Froppy the kwami also answer questions, which surprises Dauphine and Firefly that they can talk. Both are fairly new to the world, so they don't have too much of pop culture or current events knowledge, but they do feel tapped into older lore and magic: compelled to keep secrets, desire to help their masters, connected to their own magic-based powers and elements drawn upon by what concept they represent. (Which will be decided when all the canon concepts are revealed. Whereas Tikki is creation, Sass is second chance, and Liiri is liberty, Dark Shadow and Froppy will also represent something.)
Froppy the human then reveals more as to why she and Tsukuyomi came without transforming this evening. They discovered their powers are different, and they wanted to show the B Team. Froppy also says she suspects it's only a matter of time until they all undergo the same transformation. If she can provide more information to help her team, it's better.
Froppy and Tsukuyomi then both demonstrate their transformations. "Hop to it, Froppy!" "Dark Shadow, awake in darkness." Both get full on, standard miraculous transformations.
Alpha (who is Luka) realizes this is the exact same way his powers work when he's Viperion. Tsukuyomi, then as his fully transformed self, admits that he and Froppy have tried out their new powers. They now have time limits, just like Ladybug and Cat Noir, if they try to Abyssal Black Body or Camouflage respectively. He even shows them how his miraculous has changed to now have five segments which count down. Froppy confirms this to be true with her goggles.
Tsukuyomi is a bit nervous. Does that mean they are too different now to be considered a part of the B Team? After all, their powers now align with the main heroes, not the miraculous without kwamis. Alpha adamantly denies this—they're part of the B Team, through and through. They're a pack. Now, more than ever, they need Tsukuyomi and Froppy on the team. Especially if the theory is right and it means that they're all going to wind up indisposed for several days. Dauphine is nervous at that prospect.
However, before they get any time to further discuss things, the Akuma Alert app goes off. Firefly mumbles that it looks as if Hawk Moth is still alive and free after all as they examine their phones.
There's an attack on the downtown done by an antagonist with salamander-like powers. He seems to have some flames/heat about him as he sticks to the walls and destroys objects with his tongue. He then gets in Nadja Chamack's face and makes a bold statement: "Come out, Ladybug and Cat Noir. Come out, Hawk Moth. There's a new party in town, and you're all about to get upstaged." He also introduces himself as "Draco."
Dauphine comments that "does this mean he's not akumatized?" Alpha proposes that it's a villain attempting to move in on Hawk Moth's territory. He looks over his pack and smiles. "Since we're all here, why don't we all go together to take care of this?" After all, if Hawk Moth isn't involved, they have nothing to worry about. (And if Ladybug or Cat Noir show up, they can back down.) The B Team cheers, and all five of them head out.
Meanwhile, Draco is causing trouble downtown. Everyone is wondering where Ladybug and Cat Noir are. Draco is out-right demanding they show themselves. That's when the B Team swoops in and begins to deal with him. Dauphine and Froppy are pretty talented at redirecting water to deal with Draco's heat while Firefly battles light combustion against fire combustion. Tsukuyomi, unfortunately, has to stay back from that. Alpha strikes when he can with his spear and supports his pack. Nadja broadcasts every moment of it.
At home, Alya Cesaire catches the broadcast as her parents are watching the television. She stares at it intently, wondering if and when Ladybug and Cat Noir are going to show up. But as minutes pass and Draco tanks the B Team, Alya realizes that Ladybug and Cat Noir aren't going to make it. She has to do something. She hurries to her room—only for her mother to remind her that she's grounded. If she tries to sneak out again or do anything that isn't her homework, she'll never again see the light of day.
Alya grinds her teeth. What can she do? Inside her room, she asks Trixx. Trixx points out that Alya has earned Ladybug's trust—trust to do the right thing. Alya grumbles in frustration, grabs her textbook, and starts doing her homework at warp speed. Trixx is surprised and asks for an explanation. Alya explains that she's Rena Rouge. She can't be grounded when Paris needs her. So there's one thing she has to do—she has to rebuild her parents' trust in her. If she sneaks out now, it'll destroy any trust for a long time. So she has to do her homework and get better grades and do all her chores…and she has to trust that the other superheroes can handle this. It's hard. The hardest thing about being a superhero is sitting out. (This is the beginning of Alya's personal trait development. Her trait is responsibility.)
Giselle Winters-Blanchet also watches, turning her mother's bracelet over and over on her wrist. Should she help? What about her promise? Should she contact the B Team on their chat server? Should she try to find Master Fu? What should she do?
However, the B Team aren't out of allies. It's Carapace who is able to join them on the scene. They greet him, and he blends his moves right in with theirs. Alpha asks him if Ladybug or Cat Noir are coming. Carapace admits he doesn't know. Firefly points out they need Ladybug to purify the akuma. Froppy comments they're not even sure if it is an akuma. She points out how all akumatized victims have had unusual skin colors—Draco's skin is normal. There's also the way he's talking… Dauphine asks that if he's not an akumatized victim, then what is he? Tsukuyomi states a possibility "a hero gone bad." Alpha summarizes that this means they need to look for a miraculous, not an akuma? Draco winces. His reaction confirms they're right.
Marinette Dupin-Cheng also notices the akuma alert go off. She pulls up the fight to see what's going on. She's in her bedroom, and she has a tiny bed laid out for Tikki, who is still utterly exhausted. Marinette doesn't want to push Tikki or transform if she doesn't have to. She even has tiny cookies and a drink as she's trying to nurse Tikki back to health. Like Adrien, she also plans on visiting Master Fu tomorrow for advice on how to heal an exhausted kwami. Marinette still has no idea why Tikki is so exhausted except that it has something to do with Hawk Moth.
As Marinette watches the live broadcast, she's shocked to see Carapace on the scene. How did he get there? Is it the real Carapace? Does that mean Cat Noir called him in? However, Cat Noir hasn't been seen in public since Mad Hare. Marinette is very confused. She wants to help...but, Tikki. Marinette swings over to her computer and pulls up the recordings of what happened while she was imprisoned by Hawk Moth. She's surprised to see not only Carapace but also Rena Rouge helped the B Team in storming the stadium. How? How did Alya and Nino get their miraculous? Cat Noir—Adrien—(her chest hurts) was a prisoner the same way I was the entire time. Did Master Fu give them their miraculous? If not, who? Are they impostors? I need to talk to Master Fu! Realizing she can't wait until tomorrow, Marinette calls Master Fu. Her call goes to voice mail. As does the next call and the next call. What's going on?! Marinette watches Draco against the heroes again. What should she do? What are her responsibilities? She notes, like Froppy does, that it's unlikely that Draco is akumatized. If there's no akuma…maybe the other heroes can handle it… But, then there's no world-healing wave. She watches the screen like a hawk, wondering if she should transform at any moment. She just…she just can't bear to let Tikki suffer. She lost Tikki and let her get hurt. She lost Adrien/Cat Noir and let him get hurt. She can't go through that again. Tears leak.
Adrien Agreste is also watching the broadcast in his bedroom. He is frustrated beyond anything because he doesn't even have his miraculous. He can't race in and help. What's worse—Ladybug isn't appearing. Does that mean she's still Hawk Moth's prisoner? Is she comatose like he was? Adrien is frustrated and feeling anger like he hasn't before. It's anger born of helplessness. He calls Master Fu. Maybe Master Fu will have some answers or will loan him the snake miraculous. However, like Marinette, all Adrien gets is voice mail. It feels as if his world is coming undone. What can he do?! As Alya noted, the hardest thing for a hero to do is sit and wait in a crisis situation.
It's six on one, and Draco finally struggles with tanking everything. He climbs as high as he can and makes a bold statement. He is here for all the miraculous in Paris. The miraculous never should have been this active in the world, and he's going to end this (it may imply there are others like him). He declares himself an enemy not only of Ladybug and Cat Noir and their allies, but also of Hawk Moth and Mayura. Anyone with a miraculous is now fair game. The hunt is on.
He uses his tongue to pull out some crucial supports in a building, causing it to start collapsing with people inside. Carapace uses his Shelter Shock and places himself where the supports were. He tells everyone to hurry and save the people; his shield won't last forever. The B Team races in and gets everyone out. However, by the time they do so, Draco is gone.
Nadja Chamack comments that it's surprising that Ladybug and Cat Noir haven't shown up. This damage, along with the damage caused by Mad Hare, have to be repaired the old-fashioned way. Nadja tries to flag down the B Team to get some answers, but they refuse to explain anything about the golden duo and head out. Froppy and Tsukuyomi as well as Carapace have to find a place to hide before they transform back. Froppy and Tsukuyomi definitely find this strange. They feed their kwamis. All of them are wondering the same thing that the rest of Paris is. Where are Ladybug and Cat Noir? And what happened to Hawk Moth?
Nathalie Sancoeur turns off the news. She, like the other miraculous wielders, realize that Draco is not an akumatized victim. She obviously has insider information since the butterfly miraculous is within her possession. However, something Draco said got her thinking—"all the miraculous in Paris." Just how many miraculous are there? She has two, the B Team has seven, Ladybug and Cat Noir and their allies are another half a dozen. Now Draco shows up...that's a lot of miraculous. If the miraculous of the ladybug and black cat grant any wish at a cost—what kind of wish would be granted if she combined those two miraculous with all the others?
Nathalie puts on the butterfly brooch and calls both Nooroo and Duusuu forward. Nooroo acknowledges her as his new master. Nathalie says that she now has a goal. She will be the one to obtain all the miraculous—and she will use their powers to ensure Gabriel Agreste (and maybe Emilie Agreste) wake up, healthy, with no backlash from the price to be paid. Duusuu doesn't like that idea. Nathalie won't be able to withstand the power of holding so many miraculous. Nathalie pretty much says "it doesn't matter what happens to me as long as Gabriel is happy." Nooroo then, like Duusuu, realizes Nathalie is in love. They both are compelled to agree to help her despite their better judgment.
"Duusuu…Nooroo…Unify." Nathalie tests their combined powers and dons a new transformation. She steps into Hawk Moth's old lair and announces herself as the new shadow in Paris: Peacock Moth.
However, she isn't the only shadow. Draco retreats to a lair of some sort elsewhere in the city. An older woman scolds him for being so brash and revealing their intentions early in the game. Draco shrugs it off. Their ultimate plan is to reclaim all the miraculous in Paris and then wipe the memories of the entire city so no one knows anything about miraculous. So, since everyone is going to forget, what does it matter what he tells the press?
A teenage girl roughly his same age scolds him on being careless and biting off more than he can chew, especially since they know the heroes of the city have multiple allies. He says that they needed confirmation to find out if Ladybug and Cat Noir and Hawk Moth were still active. He then tells the teenage girl off, saying she botched her mission and that the guardian of the eastern miraculous box escaped right through her fingers—with the miraculous box itself! He was an old man! Both start bickering when another adult tells them to stop acting like children.
The older lady says that neither failure is truly a setback. Draco's attack is bait that sooner or later will reveal the ladybug, black cat, butterfly, and peacock wielders. The next step is to infiltrate the city so they can swiftly reclaim the eastern miraculous box.
To be continued in Chapter 42: Evil Empress…