It was a bright and sunny day in Shanghai. Amongst the hustling bodies, Fei Wu looked around looking for targets to steal from. Ever since her father died in the fire which destroyed their home two years ago she had turned to petty crime to get by.
A local crime boss named Cash had promised to tell her who set the fire if she gave him enough money. All she wanted was revenge on the person who destroyed her life and took her father from her.
As she walked the streets looking for marks she couldn't help but imagine what kind of stories the people she stole from had to tell. What were their smallest pleasures, their greatest joys, their disappointments, their successes?
Her father had taught her to see a person through their soul. Only then could she truly understand a person. Thinking about him made her look at her wrist and remember what she had failed to do.
"I only had one job. Keep the Sacred Key safe and I failed at that." She clenched her fists in anger. If she ever recovered the bracelet, she would make certain that the thief paid for it.
Looking up at the sun's position, Fei calculated how long she had before returning to her home. Despite not having the bracelet, it was still her job to keep the relic inside the Sacred Cave safe.
Determined to get that last of the yuan she needed for the information, the teenager hurried towards The Bund. It would be teeming with tourists. They were less observant and easier to steal from.
Fei tried to push down the feelings of guilt for her actions. Stealing was wrong, and her father wouldn't have approved. However, she was doing this to avenge his wrongful death and their family honor would be restored once her mission was complete.
Putting on a wig and sunglasses, she entered the crowd, ready to steal from unsuspecting targets.
Meanwhile, Wang was driving his niece and her chaperone to his restaurant/home. "It is wonderful to see you again, Marinette. You have grown more beautiful since I last saw you."
Marinette blushed. "Thank you. You're French has improved since last time."
"Yes, I wanted to be able to talk with you properly during your visit. I've been practicing very hard." Looking in the review mirror he saw Ning smile at the happy scene.
"I'm also honored to meet you as well Ms. Sun. I'm very grateful that you accompanied Marinette to Shanghai. It makes me feel a lot better knowing she has two people watching out for her."
Ning nodded and responded in perfect Mandarin. "I'm honored to meet the greatest chef in the world. You are a true artist with food I'm told. I fear that the dishes I've sampled in my world travels will be inferior to your cooking."
"Nonsense, I like adding new ingredients to my food. A chance to learn to make different types of food shall increase my restaurant's prosperity. More importantly, its reputation which is all the honor I need."
Ning was pleased to hear this. Knowing a person cared about honor and family. "I am looking forward to learning more about Marinette and your family's history."
My father and I have shared much about our family history with Marinette. It's only appropriate that your niece gets the same courtesy."
Marinette wished she knew Mandarin so she could understand what the adults were talking about. Whatever it was, it seemed to involve her.
Wang switched back to French to include his niece in the conversation. "I have heard that young Adrien is in the city with his father? Did you two coordinate for a romantic date at my restaurant?" he teased his niece.
Marinette blushed so hard Ning was sure that she had managed to create a new shade of red. "Uncle Wang! Adrien doesn't even know I'm here! Yes, I knew he was coming, but I'm not here chasing him!
"I already see my boyfriend enough at home, thank you. It was his journey here that gave me the courage to ask my parents if I could come to visit."
"Either way, it seems Adrien was the key to getting you to visit," Ning teased the teenager. If it was even possible, Marinette started blushing an even darker shade of red.
Both adults laughed enjoying the flustered teenager's antics. For Ning, it was refreshing to be able to talk freely and act as she wished. Despite the urgent mission, she was going to enjoy herself. The memories would help her remember why she did her duty.
In the hotel, Adrien gazed out the window amazed by the city below. Shanghai was very different than Paris. He couldn't wait to go exploring. "Father, do you think we can go see the sights together?"
Gabriel looked up from his computer. "Perhaps tomorrow after the store opening. I have a lot of work to do to ensure the grand opening is a success."
He noticed his son disappoint look. He reminded himself he was doing all this so his son could have his mother back. "I see no reason you can't explore The Bund with your bodyguard today."
Adrien tried to hide his disappointment. He wished his father would let someone else handle the final preparations for the store. His father was a perfectionist down to the tiniest detail.
"Father, I understand this store opening is important. I just want to spend some time with you exploring together before we have to go home. Who knows when we'll be able to visit a foreign country together again?"
Gabriel normally would have considered his son's words as little more than petty complaints. Looking into Adrien's face was like seeing Emilie begging him to take a night off and spend it with her.
"I promise that tomorrow night we'll go out for dinner together. This is more than a business trip after all." Seeing Adrien smile helped Gabriel feel less guilty about not spending more time with him.
Adrien knew by the tone of his father's voice that he was going to keep this promises. "Thank you, father. Perhaps I can pick something up for you while the Gorilla and I are out today."
"A gift? If you find something that is to my liking, I will be most surprised."
A short time later, the Gorilla and Adrien were enjoying a pleasant walk through The Bund. The massive man was keeping a close eye on his charge. He didn't want anyone getting too close to Adrien and taking advantage of him.
As they were walking the man spotted three teenagers coming closer calling out for Adrien. He stepped in front of the teenagers blocking Adrien from sight.
"Are you really Adrien Agreste? The best teenage model in Europe?" a bulky teenager in a dark brown sweatshirt.
"Do you really have superheroes in France?" a lanky teen in a dark vermilion jacket over his green and red shirt.
"Can we please take a photo with you?" an average height teen with glasses and a red shirt with a ghost from Pac-Man on it.
Adrien tapped his bodyguard on the shoulder. "It's okay. They just want to get a few pictures and ask me about Ladybug and Chat Noir. I'll be safe."
The Gorilla pointed his fingers to his eyes then at the boys indicating he would be watching them closely. He stepped back and let Adrien take a few pictures with the boys before telling them about the Heroes of Paris.
Gorilla looked around and spotted a teenage girl approaching. He noticed her eyes focused on Adrien's ring as well as his phone. Knowing that she intended to rob his charge, he went after her.
Fei saw the huge man coming towards her and knew she made a mistake. She quickly rejoined the crowd and switched her wig and put on some shades. She cursed her bad luck.
That ring had looked extremely valuable, and the teenager appeared to be a celebrity. Cash would have made some good money, and she would have finally been able to get the information about her father's killer.
She would have to keep looking for other targets to nick items from. There had to be people with valuables that weren't being monitored by bodyguards.
Back with Adrien, he was talking to the boys whose names were Lian, Kang, and Jiao. They were inspired by Ladybug and Chat Noir and had become street vigilantes'.
Simply, they would walk through the different areas of the city and help people or chase down the occasional thief to get a person's stuff back. It was inspiring.
"You should be careful. Dealing with bad guys can be dangerous," Adrien remarked.
"We know. That's why we only go after pickpockets or scare away bullies," the bulky one, Jiao, explained.
"Have you ever met the heroes yourself?" Kang, the lanky one, asked.
Adrien chuckled and admitted he had met them once or twice.
The one in red, Lian, said that was amazing. "I wonder if other magical heroes are saving the world on other continents."
Adrien shrugged. "Who knows? You can never tell when something magical will happen."
Meanwhile, Ning was borrowing Wang's car to go check on the dojo. She had left Marinette with her uncle. The man was sharing stories about their family history.
She promised to return shortly and escorted Marinette around the city so she could find the magical ingredient for tonight's birthday meal. It promised to be a wonderful evening later tonight.
Ning turned down the correct street and gasped. The entire dojo was burned down with only a few walls still standing. Parking the car she entered the building to search for clues.
As soon as she passed through the threshold, the U.N. agent knew that she wasn't alone. Someone was here watching her. Could it be Fei?
Better air on the side of caution for now. Just look around for clues and then leave. If Fei was here she might follow her out.
The young woman bent down to exam the damage. There were burn marks everywhere and the stone had scorch marks on it. The walls had partially collapsed.
Stone couldn't burn, but structures could break down if there were flammable items in between the stones. Also, if a fire was hot enough, stones could partially melt depending on their composition.
Walking around she tried to recall the layout from the dream/memory. Unlike her waking moments, her photographic memory didn't work as well when she was sleeping.
Checking the threshold she used her finger to get a pinch of stone dust and smelled it. Though it had been a long time, she smelled the faint scent of an accelerant.
Someone had purposefully set the fire. Surveying the layout, Ning remembered where Fei's room was and looked at the windows. Fei had come out of her room and called out for her father towards the back of the dojo.
Ning checked there and smelled more accelerant. The entire place would have been engulfed in a matter of minutes. The only way out would have been to jump out a window quickly.
Fei would have had time to jump out a window based on her youth and location. It would have been too hard for a man Shifu's age, especially if the accelerant near the back had been lit first.
There was no question. Shifu had been murdered. If the dream/memory was correct, then Fei had escaped. She might even have come back after the fire to live in the remains.
She checked the area where the girl's room had been. There was a cot, a few food items, and a picture of Shifu Wu on a stool. The incense candle was nearly burned out. That meant someone had been here at least last night.
The presence in the dojo was starting to feel unfriendly. Whoever was here, they weren't Fei. She didn't know what their intentions were, and she wasn't going to stick around to find out.
First, she had to make sure they didn't know Fei was still here. She dialed her father's number and he picked it up right away.
"Hello, Ning. Did you get to the dojo okay?"
"Father, I'm afraid that Shifu and his residence were destroyed in a fire."
Fu gasped on the other of the line. He knew it was likely that his friend was dead, but he had hoped that it wasn't true. Getting confirmation made a hole in his heart.
"What of Fei? Is she still at the dojo?"
"No, I didn't find the gift Shifu had meant to send you," she replied, puzzling her father. "I know how much it would have meant so much to you to have a memento from your friend before your treatments began."
Fu now understood that Ning felt it wasn't safe to communicate the truth. The gift was code for Fei. Memento meant the bracelet. Treatments meant eclipse.
Ning was saying she hadn't found Fei at the dojo, but she was still alive. She wasn't sure if Fei still had the bracelet. Ning promised to find her before the eclipse started.
"Who do you think is watching you?"
"I'll check with the local administration to find out who the property belongs to now. Perhaps, I'll get the full story of what happened here. I'll call you back once I know more."
The translation was that she felt the presence could be a local criminal, but she wasn't ruling out a foreigner working with a local criminal. She would find out who was watching her. If necessary, she and Marinette would protect the place should this enemy try to steal the relic.
"Be safe, Ning."
"Goodbye, Father." Ending the call, Ning left and didn't look back. She didn't want to tempt fate.
Gabriel watched the young woman leave the dojo. He had not anticipated anyone coming to the destroyed building. Especially someone who didn't know it had burned down more than a year ago.
He was lucky she hadn't found him. If she was looking into property records, she might have known about the Sacred Cave. He would keep an eye out for her in case she returned.
Marinette was enjoying listening to her family history. One of her ancestors had even been a designer! "I can't believe what our family has accomplished from generation to generation."
Wang nodded his head as Bastille (the family parrot) bobbed his head in agreement. "Our family has done wonderful things from generation to generation. Your mother has done our family proud."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Your mother has done many amazing things, Marinette. She traveled to a foreign country to be with the man she loved. She helps run the best bakery in all of Paris. She gave birth to you and she is very proud of your accomplishments."
That was pretty amazing when you thought about it. It took a lot of courage to leave your home to another country where you didn't speak the native language. Her mother was pretty amazing.
The door to the restaurant opened and Ning came in. Marinette asked if she had found her father's old friend.
Ning shook her head. "It turns out my father's friend passed away last year when his home/school burned down."
Wang closed his eyes and whispered some words of comfort to Ning. Marinette hugged her trying to make her feel better.
"My father was sad to hear the news. Shifu and he had been friends for years. Still, there is a bit of good news."
She explained to the Chengs that Shifu's daughter was still alive. "I found signs of her still living in her destroyed home. A freshly burning candle and some warm tea."
"Why didn't you wait for her return? I could have found something down the block for tonight's magic ingredient."
"Shifu's daughter has been avoiding local authorities so she can stay in her destroyed home. If she saw someone waiting around in the remains she would likely take off before I had a chance to explain who I am."
"I am very conflicted right now. A child should not be roaming the streets and living alone in a burn downed building. But I do understand her choice to stay near her family."
"I plan on checking if Fei's home tonight."
"Her name is Fei? That's pretty," Marinette remarked. Maybe it would be easy to find this girl.
"Yes, but Fei is also a common name for girls. There could be thousands of teenagers with the same name. Without a picture, my best chance to find her is to go back later."
"It sounds like we will need an extra special ingredient for tonight's meal to help you, Ms. Sun. You and Marinette should go now to find it. Thank you again for escorting her."
"You're welcome. I promise not to let her out of my sight."
Ning and Marinette walked towards The Bund. Marinette would move her head and ask Ning about the different sites. Ning would speak Mandarin and Tikki would translate to French.
Marinette had always wanted to learn to speak her mother's native language. The sad part was that while she could design with ease, languages proved difficult to grasp. Her English was good enough to understand and speak some of it but she still struggled to this day with it.
Sabine hoped that Ning could help Marinette get a better grasp of Mandarin. The young woman obviously was gifted with languages. She might have a better teaching method.
Once they reached The Bund Ning instructed Marinette to keep her belongings close to her body and check every few seconds to make sure she still had them.
"The Bund is one of Shanghai's busiest sections. Tourists are easy prey for pickpockets and thieves if you don't keep a sharp eye out," she told the teenager with a sharp tone.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful. Now let's look around for something special." Marinette made it only a foot away before Ning grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"No running ahead! We stick together. If we do get separated you stay where you are and I will come to get you. Under no circumstances are you to run off alone."
Marinette knew this was for her safety. Still, she was annoyed that Ning was treating her like a small child. It wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself.
The two ladies walked among the different stalls searching for something to bring back to Mr. Wang. Every few seconds they would check to see they still had all their belongings.
Fei spotted them and followed at a safe distance. The woman was very alert to her surroundings.
The teenager was less wary. She wasn't checking her surroundings as often and her attention was focused more on the stalls than the people around her.
The girl had what appeared to be a designer purse, a necklace, and a nice set of earrings. They had to be worth something.
Ducking behind a sign, she switched out her current wig for one that was shoulder length and purple. Putting on a pair of gold shades, she added on a small bit of lipstick, before stalking her target.
The woman and teenager had stopped at a corner. The girl was shouting to someone across the street, but they didn't hear her. The girl started to run across the street but got pulled back before a car could hit her.
The move dislodged the woman's bag. She bent down to pick it up. That's when Fei struck. She managed to snag the purse and the earrings. Fei was about to remove the necklace before she started running as the woman called out for her to stop.
"What's wrong?" Marinette asked urgently.
"Stay put! A thief took off with your purse! I'm going after them!" The young woman took off leaving the confused and frightened teenager on the corner.
Fei had no idea her pursuer was so fast and agile. The woman was weaving through the crowds as if they weren't even there. She needed to get rid of her disguise and into an alley quickly.
Ducking behind a stall she took off her wig and let it fall to the ground. She ran further and dropped the shades. Then doubling back, she wiped off the lipstick. She didn't hear her pursuer but that didn't mean she was still being followed.
Bursting into the crowd she stopped for a second to catch her breath. She spotted the girl she had stolen from still at the corner. Deciding to go further down The Bund she took two steps forward only to hear three voices calling her a thief.
Groaning, she took off running across the street. The three street vigilantes trailed close behind. She accidentally ran into her earlier target. The girl flailed and her necklace fell to the ground. Fei snatched it up and continued to run.
Marinette gasped as she saw the girl being chased. Without Tikki, she couldn't transform. Still, she was determined to help. Ignoring Ning's order to stay put, she went after the girl.
Fei knew her pursuers were getting close. She needed to get them to back off. Stopping, she turned around and kicked outward. A shock wave from her kick sent the boys flying. Turning, she ran again before they could get back up not realizing she had dropped the necklace.
Marinette saw the boys getting back up and quickly hid. She watched as one of the boys picked up something from the ground. The boys talked to each other for a minute then split up in search of the girl.
She was going to go after the boy in the red shirt. She unconsciously reached up to touch her earrings but was surprised when she felt nothing. Frantically, she touched both ears and realized that not only had she lost Tikki, but she had also lost her Miraculous.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she cried out as she sank to the ground. Losing Tikki was one thing, but to lose her Miraculous was the worst possible scenario.
Getting back to her feet, she decided to head back to the corner to wait for Ning. There was one problem with that. "Which way goes back to where I was?"
All the narrow allies had twisted her sense of direction. She headed back the way she thought she came only to end up in a different part of the city. She went back to where she believed she started, only to end up in the wrong place again.
Marinette hated to admit it, but she was completely lost. Without her phone, she had no way to contact Ning or her Uncle. Worse, without Tikki's help, she couldn't even read the street signs.
"Where am I going to find someone who speaks French in Asia?" she wondered out loud. With no choice, she walked towards the crowd to ask for help. Hopefully, people will understand her charades.
Fei finally managed to outwit her pursuers. She finally had time to check the purse. Inside was a phone, a school ID, and a small toy. She put the earrings in the bag and headed to Cash's pawn store.
The teenager had to hide her disgust as she walked past the badly lit and peeling storefronts. The stairs weren't as clean as the streets were. The air was smoggy.
Arriving in the store, she saw Cash, smirking behind his fan. "Well, if it isn't the beautiful Fei. I hope you brought something of value to me."
"I'll have you know I got plenty for you." She tossed the purse on the counter.
Cash opened it and pulled out the contents. The phone was a good model and would fetch a decent price once he removed the sim card. The ID was useless to him for obvious reasons.
The toy was strange-looking, but he could throw it in the crane machine and get a few yuan. The purse itself looked like a designer even if he didn't recognize the logo.
The earrings were a different case. They looked very old and polished. He couldn't identify the stone. Either way, he could make a huge amount of money from these.
"The items are rather plain. The purse and toy might earn me fifty yuan each. The phone maybe a hundred and the earrings possibly a hundred and fifty yuan. A total of three hundred and fifty yuan for you."
Fei slammed her fists on the counter. "I know that stuff's worth a lot more than that! The girl I stole them from had to be important. She had a female bodyguard that moved like the wind and agile as a tiger!"
Cash's grin grew and you could almost see dollar signs in his eyes. "A bodyguard you say? A woman who you claim to be very fast and agile. If you're making this up then you can forget your money."
"I'm not!"
Closing his fan, Cash leaned over the counter. "Then bring the girl you stole these from to me. If she's as important as you believe, then she should have no problem paying for her items."
Resisting the urge to punch Cash, Fei left the store determined to find the girl and finally find out the identity of her father's murderer.
Back with Marinette, she was walking around trying to find someone who spoke French and was having no success.
She had acquired a notepad and a pencil from some nice people who tried to understand what she was saying but ultimately failed to understand her.
A nice old woman had given her a pair of black earrings when she saw Marinette's drawing. The teenager had tried to give them back, but the woman had insisted.
"I never should have run off," Marinette muttered to herself. She hoped Tikki was okay. She had pretended to be a toy several times before and no one had discovered the truth.
If only I knew where Adrien was he could help me. He speaks Mandarin! Marinette's eyes looked at the ground as she realized even if she knew where he was she couldn't find her way there because she couldn't read the signs.
I can't give up, I need to find a way back to Uncle Wang's restaurant. He must be very worried about me right now. I just need to keep moving. I'll find someone who can talk with me.
She had only gone a few steps when she heard shouting. It was those three boys again and they were riding on a scooter. They were yelling loudly at her.
Marinette took off running as quickly as she could. Marinette stumbled into a section of alleyways and picked a path at random. She didn't look back too afraid of the boys coming after her.
Stumbling into an open space, she was surprised to see someone was already there. It was that girl from earlier!
"Can you help me, please? I don't know if you can understand me…"
"I can speak French and English. What do you need help with?" Fei asked.
"I'm lost, had my possessions stolen, and now I'm being chased by some angry boys."
"Follow me, I'll help you."
Fei led the girl through the narrow alleyways and out of the reach of the boys. She couldn't let those boys catch up with her otherwise they would find some way to convey that she was the thief.
They popped out of the alleyways near a rack of rental bikes. Fei paid for one and the girls rode off into the sunset leaving their pursuers behind.
"Thanks for helping me. How do you know French and English?"
"My father loved learning different languages. He taught me several of them. He taught me several things before he…died."
Abruptly she stopped the bike and indicated to a small bench. The two girls sat down.
Marinette waited patiently as her rescuer gathered her thoughts. It appeared that something was bothering the other teenager.
Finally, she spoke. "Sorry about that, I just needed a minute to get a handle on my emotions."
"You don't have to tell me anything. All I need is a ride back to my uncle's so we can start trying to track down my belongings."
Fei gave her a grateful smile. "It's fine. My father died in a fire last year that destroyed our home." Looking down at her empty wrist made her upset. She looked up at the other teenager.
"My father left me a bracelet that has been in his family for generations. It was the last thing that I had of him. Then someone came and took it from me when I was asleep one night."
Marinette gave her a gentle hug. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I also have a piece of jewelry that's precious to me. A pair of earrings that were given to me by my chaperon's father."
"They had also been in his family for generations. I was honored to be given them as a sign I was part of his family. I need to get them back somehow!'
Fei was still determined to get the information about her father's murder. He would be disappointed if she didn't help the teenager get back a family heirloom.
"We should check the pawnshops. Pickpockets often take their spoils to them to exchange for quick cash."
Marinette looked relieved to hear this. "Thanks for helping me. By the way, my name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng." She held out her hand and Fei took it.
"My name is Fei Wu. It's nice to meet you Marinette." She failed to notice Marinette's eyebrows arched for a second before going flat.
After all, what were the chances this was the Fei that Ning was looking for? Dismissing the thought, the two girls hopped back on the bike heading in the direction of Cash's pawnshop.
Up in the sky, the moon was starting to rise in the night sky. The magical eclipse was only a few hours away.