Summary: Marinette and friends have a difficult time in their Spanish class when their teacher's textbook is turned into the matador sentimonster, El Tutoro.
Main heroes:
Marinette as Ladybug
Adrien as Chat Noir
Alya as Rena Rouge
Seline as Tigresse Blanche
Featuring:
Kagami as Ryuko
Tikki rocked on Marinette's bed, clutching her aching stomach. It was the morning after Halloween in Marinette's overwhelmingly pink room. However, it had dashes of orange due to the Halloween decorations that were still up, like cute pumpkins and toy scarecrows. Marinette was at her vanity mirror, trying to brush her messy hair into its usual, silky look.
"Will this sweet, sugary pain ever end?" asked Tikki.
"I told you not to eat all that candy at once," teased Marinette as she pulled her brush through a knot. "I loved being the Pink Power Ranger, but next Halloween, I should pick a costume that doesn't give me helmet hair. How was I supposed to know I was going to fight a monster in it?"
"You have to expect the unexpected," said Tikki before groaning from the pain of her stomachache.
Marinette rummaged through her purse in search of a certain chewable. She pulled out a red gummy in the shape of a raspberry and broke off a small piece. She handed it to Tikki, but Tikki pushed it away.
"Here," said Marinette. "Take this."
"No more candy," mumbled Tikki.
"It's not candy," said Marinette. "It's medicine. Take it."
Tikki reluctantly ate it. Once she tasted the sweet gummy, her stomachache dwindled until it was gone.
"Mm!" said Tikki. "Delicious, and my tummy doesn't hurt anymore!"
"I've been meaning to ask you," said Marinette shyly. "How is Nooroo? Did he tell you who Papillon is?"
Tikki's smile from the pain relief sunk into a frown. She scratched her head, trying to find the words to describe the situation.
"Being in the clutches of evil has changed him," said Tikki. "He still won't tell anyone about what he went through. He's completely shut off."
Marinette hugged Tikki, feeling like she's made so much progress yet hasn't gotten anywhere at all. An alarm went off.
"I have to go to school," said Marinette, pulling away from the hug. "I forgot we have another showcase tonight!"
The tension hanging in the air at the Agreste mansion was overbearing. The only two people in the house were Gabriel and Nathalie conversing in the atelier.
"Last night was a complete failure, Nathalie," said Gabriel.
"My apologies, sir," said Nathalie, averting his gaze. "I tried making as big a spectacle as I could, but Ladybug was nowhere to be found."
"That was not your fault," said Gabriel. "It's even possible that Ladybug was one of the ones caught by Sparroween. No matter."
Gabriel opened his desk drawer and retrieved a fancy piece of stationery and a pen. He handed them to Nathalie.
"I have business to attend to," said Gabriel. "I need you to write an invitation for an aspiring fashion designer that I've been keeping my eye on."
"And who does this aspiring fashion designer happen to be?" asked Nathalie.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," said Gabriel. "She's one of Adrien's friends. Her work is rather inspired for someone so young."
Nathalie grimaced, trying to hide her disdain for this so-called talented girl. It hurt Nathalie to hear Gabriel say anything kind about someone other than herself.
"I suppose," said Nathalie, pretending to agree. "I will be right on it. Is there anything in particular you would like for me to write to her?"
"Yes," responded Gabriel after a pause. "But first..."
Gabriel approached his vault, zeroing in on the Peacock Miraculous that Nathalie had put back.
"We have to cause some more trouble before we leave," he continued menacingly. "Here."
Gabriel handed Nathalie the blue Miraculous, its surface shining in the morning light.
"I won't disappoint you this time, sir," said Nathalie.
Gabriel helped Nathalie to fasten the Peacock Miraculous on her person. Nathalie felt Gabriel give her a look of admiration.
Meanwhile, a client was on the massage table at Master Fu's apartment. The client was a brown-haired man in his thirties bogged by years of menial labour. Master Fu had a gramophone playing a vinyl record of relaxing nature sounds. Currently playing was a track of ocean waves crashing against the shore.
"I learned these advanced massage techniques in China," said Master Fu. "So they are guaranteed to make you relax."
"If you say so," said the client.
Master Fu began massaging him when the gramophone hiding the Miracle Box started shaking. The clacking of the wooden box was getting distracting, so Master Fu turned up the volume on the gramophone.
"Let the calm, tropical waves soothe your soul," said Master Fu, trying to speak over the sound of the shaking Miracle Box.
The shaking became so violent that the needle scratched over to a track of birds squawking. Master Fu turned the timer until it dinged.
"Well, that's the end of our session," said Master Fu quickly.
He gently urged the client to leave as the gramophone behind him was shimmying off the edge of the dresser drawer. Once the client was gone, Master Fu ran to catch the gramophone before it could fall.
"I wonder what they're doing in there," he thought.
In the Miracle Box, the other kwamis were trying to goad Nooroo into talking about what he saw. He was so adamant to keep his secret that he was whizzing around the box to avoid them but they chased after him.
"Dearest Nooroo," huffed Pollen, the bee kwami. "The fate of the people of Paris is at stake! You must inform us of Papillon's true identity."
Nooroo made a sharp turn to confuse them. The kwamis crashed into one another as they tried stopping. They gave chase once again.
"I can't tell you anything!" said Nooroo, crestfallen. "You don't know Papillon's villainy like I do. If he finds out I told you his secret identity, he wouldn't hold back!"
"Have faith in Ladybug and her friends," said Longg, the dragon kwami. "They are going to do their best to keep you, and us, safe."
"That's what I'm doing as well," said Nooroo, coming to a stop and almost colliding with the other kwamis who stopped themselves just in time. "I'll be ready to say who he is when he's finally defeated."
On the sidewalk of the school, Marinette was on her way to class when she saw a girl who looked very similar to her. It was Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien's good friend. She was in full fencing gear.
"Kagami," called Marinette. "What're you doing here?"
"I'm here for the talent showcase," said Kagami coldly.
"Really?" said Marinette. "That's so exciting! What are you guys showcasing?"
Kagami looked at Marinette sideways as though she wondered whether Marinette was worth talking to.
"Adrien and I are doing a choreographed fencing routine," said Kagami, making Marinette's heart break a little at the mention of her crush's name. "We will show everybody that the art of fencing is similar to a beautiful dance."
"Great," said Marinette, suddenly feeling intimidated. "I hope you do well!"
"I always do," said Kagami.
Marinette walked up the steps of her school, trying not to look jealous or angry. She stopped when she saw Luka sitting on the handrail, guitar in hand, jotting down some notes in his notebook.
"Maybe this can lead into D minor," thought Luka aloud as he strummed a chord on his guitar. "Hmm..."
"Hey, Luka," said Marinette. "What are you up to?"
"Just adding the finishing touches to my song for the showcase," said Luka. "I'm trying something completely different."
"What is it?" asked Marinette, absorbed by this conversation.
"I know it's crazy and totally different from what I usually do," he said a little nervously. "But it's actually gonna be reggae with this, like, shuffle rhythm. It's called 'Drifting,' and it's about that dreamy, hazy feeling you get in the summertime when you're just hanging out with someone you… love."
Marinette's face felt flushed. Who could he be talking about?
"Yeah, I know," he chuckled after seeing Marinette's reaction. "It's kind of lame and embarrassing."
"No," responded Marinette. "I think it's really romantic. I can't wait to hear it!"
Luka smiled, jotting down some more notes. She didn't know what she did, but it seemed to inspire him.
"So you're gonna support me tonight?" asked Luka coyly.
"Of course, I will!" she chirped.
"Well," said Luka. "I guess I'll see you tonight, then."
"See ya," sighed Marinette, trying to contain herself.
Marinette passed through the front entrance of the school, feeling more peaceful. There was something about talking to Luka that always gave her a sense of comfort.
A white limousine pulled up against the curb. Inside were Adrien and Nathalie, who was glaring at Marinette as she walked into the school. Adrien went to open the car door, but Nathalie stopped him.
"Wait, Adrien," she said. "You know a girl named Marinette, right?"
"Yeah," said Adrien. "She's a friend."
"Then give this to her," said Nathalie. "It's from your father."
As Adrien took the envelope in his hands, he began to feel worried for Marinette. What did his father have in mind for her?
"Will do," said Adrien reluctantly.
After finally stepping out of the vehicle, Adrien shut the car door behind him and met up with Kagami. Nathalie eyed Marinette through one of the windows of the school talking to Alya. As she glared at Marinette, an idea popped into her head that she thought her boss Gabriel Agreste would be interested in.
During the study hall period, the dance team rehearsed "When I Grow Up" in the open-air gym. Marinette, Alya, Sabrina, Chloé, Seline and Gérard were hitting their marks on time, but their moves were still a little unpolished.
"This is coming along perfectly!" said Gérard. "We know the whole routine. All that's left to do is refine it."
"You've caught on to the choreography so quickly, Marinette," said Seline warmly. "We keep improving so much together."
"Thanks," said Marinette. "That means so much coming from you."
Marinette was confused by Seline's sudden turn for the better. She had been so aggressive to Marinette when they first met, but she's softened up little by little ever since.
"I think we did pretty great, too," interjected Chloé with Sabrina in tow. "Right, Sabrina?"
"You're right, Chloé," said Gérard. "Sabrina was great!"
"Thank you," replied Sabrina, trying her best not to giggle as Chloé's face turned from smug to annoyed.
"That'll be it for today, guys," continued Gérard. "The next class is starting up, which for some of us is Spanish class."
"Easy A," said Seline. "That's one of the perks of being Peruvian."
"Lucky for you," whined Marinette. "The teacher's gonna eat me alive."
The Spanish classroom was the same as the rest; each row of desks and seats was on a higher level than the previous. In the middle row sat Seline, her head held confidently high. The teacher—a Spaniard with wavy, black hair and tanned skin—stood at the front.
"Can anyone conjugate the word 'manejar' for me?" said the teacher.
"I can, Señor Castillo," said Seline. "Yo manejo, tú manejas, el maneja, nosotros manejamos, y ellos manejan."
"You forgot one," said Señor Castillo.
"Right," said Seline, feeling a little embarrassed. "Vosotros manejaís. We don't use that one back home."
Seline shrank back into her seat next to her cousin Gérard, who was chuckling at her. Ivan was scribbling rock music lyrics onto his sheet of paper when the teacher called him forward.
"Ivan," said Señor Castillo. "Come solve this problem on the board."
Ivan slouched out of his seat and lumbered down the steps to the front of the class. He picked up the marker for the smartboard.
"Can you translate the phrase, 'I like to swim,' for me?" asked Señor Castillo.
"Uh," said Ivan nervously, marker in hand. "Me gusta… ayer."
"No, no, no!" said Señor Castillo. "That's wrong, Ivan! Why is it so difficult for you guys to get this?"
Señor Castillo turned to look at the class, being met with awkward stares from his students.
Across the street on a rooftop was Mayura looking in through the window, pleasantly surprised by happening upon this scene. She plucked a feather from her fan.
"Fly away, beautiful amok," said Mayura. "Make use of this man's perfectionism to destroy this place and reveal Ladybug to me!"
She blew the feather away until it flew into the classroom through the window, attaching itself to the teacher's textbook. The textbook morphed into a haughty matador, full with a paper cape and shoulder pads made of textbook covers.
"Soy El Tutoro!" said the sentimonster, turning to Ivan. "Dime, niño. Cuántos libros hay?"
"Azúl?" said Ivan with a thick French accent.
"Incorrecto!" shouted El Tutoro as he held his cape out to the side.
A wild bull made of paper appeared from behind the cape and charged straight at the kids in class, crashing through the back wall. They all bolted out of the classroom screaming. Gérard hid under his desk to avoid getting hit by debris but a pile of rubble landed over him.
"Gérard!" screamed Seline.
"I'm fine," he said. "I just can't get out. Go and save the day!"
El Tutoro morphed his cape into a big paper airplane, making it fly through the adjacent wall to the outside. Seline and Marinette bumped into each other when they ran for the empty girls' restroom at the same time.
"I'm sorry," said Seline. "You go. I'll hide somewhere else."
Seline ran off to a different part of the school. Marinette waited until she could no longer hear Seline's footsteps to let Tikki fly out of her purse.
"I'm starting to like that Seline," said Tikki.
"I don't know why she's so nice now," said Marinette. "But I'm not going to question it. Transforme-moi!"
Ladybug swung into a nearby courtyard where El Tutoro was destroying public property. Chat Noir, Rena Rouge and Tigresse Blanche were already there, in the middle of fighting El Tutoro.
"Señora Zorra," said El Tutoro, pointing at Rena Rouge. "Qué es el color del zorro?"
"I don't know what you're saying!" responded Rena Rouge as she swiped at him with her flute staff.
El Tutoro hopped over it and caught the end of the staff with his feet. He flipped backwards, flinging Rena Rouge off to the side. However, she landed on her feet. When El Tutoro landed on the ground himself, he focused his attention on Chat Noir.
"Gato Negro," said El Tutoro. "Cuantos pies tiene el gato?"
"Tiene cuatro!" said Chat Noir, pole-vaulting into a kick with his baton.
"Correcto!" said El Tutoro as Chat Noir kicked him in the gut.
El Tutoro fell back a few feet, landing flat on his back. The paper torero got back up, and with a flick of his cape sent a swarm of paper cranes into the sky. When Tigresse Blanche stepped up ready to fight El Tutoro, the cranes started attacking random civilians.
At the gym, Kagami was practicing her fencing routine when a small flock of cranes headed her way. She swatted at them with her sabre and ran out of the school.
Master Fu sneakily dropped a box on the ground in Kagami's path and hid behind the corner of the school. He peered around the corner to see if she would take it.
"I've seen this girl's sword fighting skills," said Master Fu to Wayzz. "I believe she will be a welcome addition to the team."
As Kagami ran to avoid getting hurt, she kicked a small box. She picked it up to get a better look at it. It was an octagonal black box with a large, red insignia snaking all over the top cover. She opened it and saw a necklace with a red bead sitting inside. A bright light emanated from it and a red, spiky kwami appeared from the light.
"I am Longg, the dragon kwami," it said. "Take the Dragon Miraculous to become the superheroine that Paris needs."
"But Paris already has superheroes," said Kagami.
"Well, one more couldn't hurt," reasoned Longg. "All you need to say is 'Longg, transforme-moi!'"
"Longg," said Kagami as she hooked the necklace onto her neck. "Transforme-moi!"
The other superheroes were struggling to fight the vicious cranes when the new Miraculous holder entered the arena.
"El Tutoro," she said. "I am Ryuko and I challenge you to a swordfight. Call off your minions."
El Tutoro snapped his fingers and the life left the birds, turning into motionless paper. He made a sword out of paper and clasped it in one hand. Ryuko made a sword out of water and took her stance.
"Let us duel with civility," said Ryuko. "To the end."
The battle was on. Ryuko backed away from El Tutoro's lunge and parried with her own attack. Both duelists missed—their form was too perfect. Ryuko was going to have to trick him. She faked left and struck El Tutoro with a right slice. It nicked him slightly, but the damage was severe: a big chunk of his left shoulder was gone.
El Tutoro became wild, but Ryuko kept her cool. He stabbed at her rapidly but each stab only hit air as Ryuko dodged each one. When he became exhausted, Ryuko took the opportunity to unleash a barrage of slices through him. Her water sword was moving so fast that water sprayed all over the courtyard, drenching the other superheroes nearby.
Ryuko came to an abrupt stop and El Tutoro seemed unharmed, completely dry save for his shoulder. However, water slowly seeped from inside of him to the outside of his paper regalia. He collapsed into a pile of mushy paper.
"Ladybug," screamed Tigresse Blanche. "Make with the leprechaun spell!"
"Got it," responded Ladybug, throwing her yo-yo high into the air. "Lucky Charm!"
It came back down as a rake.
"What if I do this?" she said as she removed the stick from the tines.
She broke the head of the rake in half and held a piece in each hand as makeshift claws. She dug into the pile of wet paper until the distinct indigo feather appeared.
"You've done enough damage today, little amok," said Ladybug as she caught the feather in her yo-yo. "Je t'ai eu! Bye-bye, petit plume."
Ladybug flung her yo-yo high into the air.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" she shouted.
Ladybug essence flew all over France, cleaning up the collateral damage and restoring it to its former glory.
"Bien jouée!" said Ladybug and Chat Noir as they fist bumped.
"Your name is Ryuko, is it?" said Tigresse Blanche. "You're very skilled. We're happy to have you working with us."
"Hey," said Ladybug, feeling insulted. "Is it really that easy to get on your good side?"
"What can I say?" teased Tigresse Blanche. "I'm unpredictable."
"Well done, everybody!" said Chat Noir, trying to ease the tension. "Until next time."
They all went away to their own hiding spots to de-transform. Ladybug re-entered the girls' restroom through the high, thin window and turned back into Marinette.
"We keep getting more heroines," said Tikki. "I see that as a good thing."
"I do too," said Marinette. "But I wish Master Fu consulted me beforehand."
Meanwhile, Ryuko hid in an alleyway and turned back into Kagami. Longg emerged from her necklace.
"So," he started. "How do you feel about your new responsibilities?"
"I am grateful that I've been chosen for this job," said Kagami. "But I worry that I won't always be available for it."
"That's alright," said Longg. "You have new friends to back you up in case you can't make it."
"I like you, Longg," said Kagami. "Come with me to the talent showcase"
The lights were dim, the seats in the auditorium were packed, and the audience eagerly anticipated the start of the show. The stage curtains parted, showing that there was a background with a beautiful, grassy field in rural Japan. From opposite sides of the stage were Adrien and Kagami, approaching one another.
They bowed to each other before getting into position on either side of the stage. Then they begin to mock fight like swashbuckling pirates. They then jumped and bounced off the walls as if they were in a martial arts movie, lunging at each other from deadly heights. They came back down and lunged at each other at the same time, their sabres making contact and flying out of their hands ending in a draw. They then bowed deeply to the awestruck audience.
As the curtains closed, Adrien and Kagami exited stage left. They happened upon the dance team, who were still clapping.
"That was amazing, guys!" said Marinette.
"Aw, shucks," said Adrien. "I couldn't have done it without the perfect fencing partner."
"You had a real musicality to what you did, Kagami," complimented Gérard. "Maybe you could join one of our performances sometime."
"Thank you for saying that," said a bashful Kagami. "Adrien and I trained really hard and it means a lot that you liked it."
"And up next," announced Madame Bustier through her microphone. "Luka!"
"What?" squealed Alya. "I didn't know he was gonna perform!"
"I did," said Marinette.
The curtains parted, and on the stage was Luka sitting on a chair, guitar in hand. Behind him was a purplish-red beach sunset with calm ocean waves making a perfect reflection of the sun. He began strumming a midtempo, somewhat lazy reggae riddim that completely changed the mood in the room: everyone was transported to a summer oasis. The verses of the song spoke of a love unrequited, the staccato melody almost sounding like a rap.
"Who could he be talking about?" asked Seline, looking to an entranced Marinette.
And then the chorus hit:
"We'll be drifting through the air / when there's no one else around," sang Luka in a soft falsetto. "We're floating up to paradise / and you're the only one who can bring me down."
The girls in the audience swooned. He continued playing his song which kept sounding more and more like a love poem.
In the audience was a visibly jealous Timothée seated beside Nino.
"I can play the guitar too, you know," whispered Timothée.
"Being jealous isn't cool, dude," said Nino, making Timothée cross his arms angrily.
The final phrase of the song came, and the guitar's reverb echoed in the auditorium. The crowd erupted in applause, making Luka turn beet red. All he could do was smile and wave as he exited stage left. On the left wing, the dance team were dressed in what Chloé kept calling "safari-scout chic."
"Why are we dressed like we work at Animal Kingdom?" groaned Gérard.
"You just don't understand fashion," said Chloé snobbily. "Alright, guys. Let's kill it!"
The dance team took their places on the stage, which now had a construction site backdrop. The music began and the coy vocals led the team into their dance. They hit each step with razor sharpness that exuded confidence. At the high note, the audience gasped. The team went into a dance break led by Marinette. The stomps reverberated through the auditorium, shaking the floor like an earthquake. They then struck a pose to finish the dance, claiming their victory. They went backstage to the sound of overwhelming applause.
"We were incredible!" said Sabrina.
"Marinette?" said Adrien.
He approached Marinette without anyone noticing. Marinette tried to will herself into not blushing.
"Adrien," she said. "What're you still doing here?"
"I wanted to congratulate you on a great performance," said Adrien. "I also wanted to give you this."
He handed her a very fancy gilded enveloped sealed with a red bow. Marinette shakily took it in her hands. Is this a confession… from Adrien?
"Go ahead," said Adrien. "Read it."
Marinette's heart pumped so hard that she thought everyone could hear it. She undid the bow and opened the flap. Ever so slowly, she pulled out the delicately folded letter from inside. When she opened the letter, the anticipation was almost unbearable.
"Dear Marinette," she read aloud. "We've been impressed with your work in fashion as of recent. We cordially invite you on a trip to Japan with us as part of an internship. All expenses will be paid. We hope you take this opportunity. Sincerely, Gabriel Agreste."
Marinette's voice became less enthusiastic with each passing word. It wasn't a confession of love from Adrien like she thought it would be. Adrien noticed her disappointment.
"Is something wrong?" said Adrien. "You don't want to go?"
"Of course I want to go," said Marinette. "It's just that I have so many things to think about, like school, my parents and babysitting. I'm not sure how I'll do it."
"Let me know when you've made up your mind," said Adrien. "Because I'll be going too and I want to know if you're going with me."
Marinette's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. This tidbit of information changed everything.
"In that case," said Marinette. "I'm definitely going! Now that I know my boyfriend is going—I mean a boy who's a friend who is you! I didn't mean you were my boyfriend! Never in a million years... but I don't mean that in a bad way!"
"What luck," interrupted Seline. "Your girlfriends are going, too. We're going to Japan for an international competition, remember?"
"What?" shouted Marinette. "Nobody told me!"
"But I told Gérard to tell you," said Seline.
"And I told Sabrina," said Gérard.
"And I told Chloé," said Sabrina.
They all turned to Chloé.
"You told me when I was getting my hair done," said Chloé. "Everybody knows not to tell me anything important when I'm getting my hair done!"
All of the kids laughed at Chloé's bogus excuse.
"Anyway," said Alya. "We're going to need a name and a song for our group."
"W-We already have a name," said Marinette self-consciously. "It's, uh… Miracle's Angel!"
"Ooh," said Seline. "I like it, and Gérard wrote a song for us."
"What?!" shrieked Marinette. "What do you mean?"
"I really like Perfume and AKB48," confessed Gérard. "So I wrote this synthy, bubblegum-pop song called 'Tamagotchi' for us to perform."
"Well, there you have it," said Alya. "We're going to Japan!"
They were all excited for the grand adventure that they were about to embark on.
Over at the Agreste mansion was Gabriel, awaiting Mayura's return to his lair. She descended the platform and de-transformed. Nathalie took off the Peacock Miraculous, handing it to Gabriel.
"You did well, Nathalie," said Gabriel.
"Thank you, sir," she said. "You have taken notice of that group of friends that Adrien has, haven't you? They are always around when the superheroes arrive. I suspect that one of them is Ladybug and that she has the Butterfly Miraculous. If we set them up to go to a different location and wreak havoc, it would prove our theory if they showed up."
"I hope this plan works," said Gabriel. "Every moment without my Miraculous is another moment that could've gone to rescuing Emilie."
At the mention of Emilie's name, Nathalie's heart sank. She knew that she would never replace Gabriel's wife, but that didn't stop her from hoping to be with him one day.
Later that night, Marinette opened the door to Master Fu's massage parlor, making the little bell attached to the door jingle.
"I heard you were going to Japan," said Master Fu.
"That's right," said Marinette.
"In that case," said Master Fu. "I should give you this."
He walked over to his gramophone, opening it up to reveal the Miracle Box. He removed it from its compartment and presented it to Marinette.
"You're giving it to me?" said Marinette, hardly believing it.
"If you ever need reinforcements," said Master Fu. "You will also need this. You have proven to me that I can entrust you with it. Please take it with you."
Master Fu removed his Turtle Miraculous ring and placed it in its appropriate slot in the Miracle Box.
"I don't know what to say," said Marinette. "Thank you. You won't regret this."
Marinette put the Miracle Box in her backpack and waved goodbye before returning home. On the walk home, thoughts of what was to come swam around in Marinette's head.
A/N: So… it turns out working on two fics at the same time wasn't the best idea. We're going to focus on writing the last two chapters of this arc and then we'll get to writing our Ilvermorny story full time. Still, we wanted to thank everyone who reads and reviews our stories because it means so much to us! Till then… see you guys in Japan!
