Chapter 86: Knave
It's the next morning in Paris. Ladybug and Cat Noir have sent out a notice to all their allies about the new Virgo wielder and her power to perfectly target anything "where the moonlight shines." They encourage their allies to keep the curtains drawn at night—just in case Angelica decides to target them too. Ladybug also sends a private message to Blue Ox, asking him if he ever encountered Oxforte before and what he think happened. This is all new to Blue Ox as he has never heard of Oxforte before and has no idea why the Taurus user would have it in for him. Blue Ox isn't able to draw parallels to Oxforte being the civilian who he saw with Ursa during Labyrinth.
Ryutsume asks Ladybug and Cat Noir if they're going to be more pro-active in hunting down Hawk Moth and the Western Order. Ladybug points out that that requires knowing where Hawk Moth and the Western Order are, which no one knows. However, their allies on the B Team are working on it. Ladybug opens the floor metaphorically, offering Ryutsume to suggest any ideas she has that might help. With the B Team investigating the city, Ryutsume suggests that they use the fact that the Western Order are also using miraculous against them. Cat Noir wonders what she means. Ryutsume points out that the Western wielders also get time limits when they use their powers. With Alpha as an ally, the Eastern users could restore their miraculous countdowns while the Western Order cannot. After that, it's simply a matter of ensuring the Western wielders don't escape until they transform back. It's not a perfect plan; there are chances of things going wrong. It certainly won't help against Hawk Moth. However, it is a plan nonetheless and it would allow more pro-action on their side. Ladybug and Cat Noir thank her and relay the idea to Alpha, who isn't online and thus doesn't respond immediately.
Ladybug and Cat Noir also push for continued meetings and practices with all their allies, since they are the first Order with a full roster of superheroes. Nom de Plume/Nathaniel Kurtzberg checks these messages before he heads out to school and sweats a little. Often times, the proposed practice dates conflict with the times the B Team practices, forcing him to choose between one or the other. Should he appear as Nom de Plume under Team Ladybug or Firefly with the B Team? He's been Firefly much longer, and Lucciola encourages him as such. However, Orikko argues that he also has a responsibility to the Eastern Order. Nathaniel, still torn, thanks them and heads off to school.
Also before classes, Giselle Winters-Blanchet has quickly eaten her breakfast and retreated back to her bedroom, taking a few minutes of privacy to read more of her mother's letters. She already knows that her mother had contact with someone in Canada and knew about magic—in fact, she was sent to France to study magic on behalf of "The Order." As Giselle continues to read, she pieces clues together to realize that "The Order" is actually The Western Order of the Miraculous. Giselle's blood runs cold. Mom was working with people like Draco and Tarantula? Why? She's unable to read enough to find the answer to that question before she has to go to school.
At Francoise Dupont High School, students are arriving. Chloe Bourgeois is in a better mood despite everything going on in her life as she is starting to forgive her father/is realizing he's not to blame for the divorce. When Lila Rossi attempts to passive-aggressively goad Chloe about it, Chloe is able to coldly brush Lila off without even batting an eye. This pisses Lila off, who again swears revenge and humiliation on her opponents.
Guy Nigels and Tristan Fortier strike up a conversation. Tristan happens to mention a mystery he just finished reading (though it did take him a while because of his dyslexia). Because of the book's western feel, Guy expresses interest in it, so Tristan loans him his copy. Tristan also express surprise that Guy is interested in reading as Guy is a known MMO gamer and doesn't seem like the type. Guy jokes it off, noting that Tristan doesn't seem like a reader either as he's the local boxer. But people are learning that Tristan volunteers at the library, and both play it off well.
Meera Pugliese and Raissa Deschamps start chatting before Giselle can arrive. They actually start to get quite toxic about Ladybug and Cat Noir. Tsuyu Asui finds her boyfriend, Fumikage Tokoyami. He's flipping through his phone. She asks what interests him, and Fumikage shows her a photo. "I thought that new girl at DnD looked familiar." Jean Duparc, who is also Chip Bluestone, is still lagging about his morning routine, torn with his superhero identity and where he truly belongs. He feels like he's betraying the B Team intentionally even though he's aware he was deliberately set up to betray them through no fault of his own. But the hardest to process is that Adamantus's team has been incredibly nice and welcoming to him. He also knows his powers are more akin to the birthstone team than the B Team. Plus, the B Team did get suspicious of him and start to turn on him… He doesn't know what to think, but it's hard for him to see Adamantus as strictly an antagonist any more. Rose Lavillant is busy texting Prince Ali while he has a free moment from his busy schedule, and Meg Delphinus meets up with her best friend, Rachel Beauchene. They get along great, not realizing that they are now enemies as Angelica the Virgo and Ursa the Garnet Bear respectively.
Le Chien Kim texts Ondine and then peeks at the Team B Discord. They're still trying to find a new place to practice after Queen Scorpion discovered them in the graveyard. Froppy has suggested the shrine to Lazare Carnot in the catacombs—the place where their items slept for two centuries. Kim types in as Dauphin, thrilled about the idea; he comments that he hopes that ghosts join them.
Lila Rossi is once again putting pressure on Lapinna to cause mischief so Lila can take credit for cleaning up after it. This time, she slips into Ms. Mendeleiev's classroom while Ms. Mendeleiev and Gilles Chastain are distracted. Lapinna opens a window, letting in a vicious breeze that scatters papers and experiments everywhere. Ms. Mendeleiev and Gilles scramble to catch things while Lila races in and shuts the window, asking if they're all okay. Of course, Lila doesn't actually help pick up even if she does wind up looking concerned. Ms. Mendeleiev thanks her, and Lila leaves. However, while Lila is glad her reputation is all but restored, she's still bitter and unhappy. She wants power. And somehow or another, she's determined to get it.
Luka Couffaine approaches Marinette Dupain-Cheng. They strike up a conversation, and Marinette's friends, including Mylene Haprele and Alix Kubdel, give them space as the couple is clearly hitting it off. Juleka Couffaine meets Marinette's eyes, which makes Marinette feel temporarily guilty, but she forgets about that when Luka asks her out a moment later. He makes it clear that this is to be a date. Marinette can't help but be thrilled to accept as she genuinely loves spending time with Luka. Not to mention it's something they would both enjoy as it's a local band's concert in the park. They make arrangements for tomorrow.
(Everyone's image is here: (( photos . app . goo . gl / cgLSrNi71rxfep9e8 )).)
The bell rings, and classes begin. It's getting increasingly hard for the student body to focus, and it's showing. After all, 10 students have had their personality warp by Nathalie, and nearly another dozen have had their memories tweaked by Dolores Gros. And that's before factoring things going on in their lives. Adrien is honestly doing his best to tamp down on his thoughts about "is Marinette Ladybug?" He realizes he's never seen them together—moreover, during crises, Marinette never seems to be around. Of course, Adrien can't confirm that for sure as he's also not around. Giselle is stuck pondering about her mother's connection to the Western Order and wondering if her mother was a bad guy; it's further compounded by the fact her mother had an item made by a previous Hawk Moth. Lila Rossi is trying to figure out a way to stab Ivory in the back while Chloe is plotting how to get the bee comb and wolf ear cuff for herself. Luka is daydream about his date with Marinette, and Alix is starting to sweat as she realizes what's going to happen today. Nicolette Lacroix is dealing with her unrequited feelings for Etienne Fontaine, knowing full well he's a narcissist and a lost cause. She can see threads from the corners of her eyes even when she's not transformed, and she catches a glimpse that her pink thread to Etienne (which represents a crush) is starting to grey (marking it as an unhealthy obsession). Nicholas Sancoeur is dealing with his own existential crisis, plus he has to deal with the fact that there's wards all over the city that can disable him or even destroy him. He has his pet senti monster, Dapple, in his pocket. Felix Graham de Vanily is still sulking about being stuck in Paris, but he's also planning on how to get stronger as Pride. He's not too happy about having to take orders in the situation even if one of the chief Western wielders is his own mother.
Meanwhile, at the Louvre, Jalil Kubdel has just arrived for his shift. He isn't looking forward to today, not at all. He had noticed a discrepancy in the museum's funds and kept his mouth shut while he investigated. And now, he has the results of his investigation. His coworker, Seth Bacri, has pocketed the money. Jalil has discovered Seth has a gambling addiction he's been funding with the Louvre's wallet. And now, Jalil has to present this information to his managing director.
However, when Jalil steps into the director's office, she's not alone. She's there not only with Seth Bacri but also with Jalil's own father, Alim Kubdel. It's worth noting that it's through Alim that Jalil was able to land his current job. Jalil nervously asks what's going on and states that he thought he'd speak to the director alone. The director tells him that that won't happen, and Alim urges Jalil to tell the truth and "come clean" and "don't make things worse." Jalil answers honestly that he has no idea what they're going on about.
The director then reveals that Seth brought a financial discrepancy to their attention. Upon investigation, they learned that Jalil was embezzling funds from the museum to fund his gambling addiction. This is serious enough to warrant the police, but if Jalil comes clean and repays them, he'll only get fired and not prosecuted.
Jalil stands to his feet and slams his hands on her desk, insisting he's innocent and that Seth was the one who was stealing from the museum. Jalil does his best attempt to explain himself and the evidence he gathered against Seth, but Seth feigns indignation and accuses Jalil of lying. They get into an argument about whom the evidence points to, but Seth is able to keep his cool while Jalil gets more and more worked up, making Jalil look all the more guilty.
Jalil looks to his father for help. "You have to believe me!" Alim averts his eyes; he doesn't believe his son.
This is what strikes Jalil the most, and his whole body language shows it. He always knew he was his father's unfavorite. But this not only confirms it, but also shows him that Alim believes Jalil actually would gamble and steal from his job to fund it. Jalil feebly repeats his innocence, but neither the director nor Alim believe him. Meanwhile, Seth just sits there with a cocky grin.
Seth stops smiling the moment Jalil is akumatized. Alim calls out to Jalil, alarmed and concerned. While he does see his son as irresponsible and obsessive at times, he does still care about him. However, it's too late because Jalil emerges as Knave. Knave was foreshadowed during Clock Maker as an akuma victim themed after the Knave of Hearts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland who has an unlimited deck of cards and the power to throw them to create explosions (a la Gambit from X-Men). Knave wastes no time in throwing his cards at the person who framed him and the two people who didn't believe him. All three are barely able to flee.
They scatter, and Knave decides to pursue Seth first. Alim ducks behind a pillar, mouthing unheard words of apology to his son, and sends out an Akuma Alert. Meanwhile, Knave stalks after Seth. No matter how quickly Seth sprints, Knave is right there. However, it is worth noting that even while akumatized, Knave takes care not to damage a single exhibit within the Louvre. Even being akumatized could not change that core aspect of Jalil's character. Also worth noting, being in the Louvre proper, other civilians see the conflict and send out their own Akuma Alerts. Security at the Louvre begins its automated, "This is not a drill. This is an actual akuma. Please remain calm and vacate the premises. I repeat, this is not a drill…"
Akuma Alerts go across the network, and people all over Paris get notified. This includes the students at Francoise Dupont High School. However, the Louvre is far enough away from the school that Principal Damocles decides the emergency is not enough to merit canceling classes; he urges the teachers to continue teaching. Miss Bustier passes this word onto her students, who by now have all checked their cell phones. Marinette blurts out surprise that they're not going to evacuate, and Miss Bustier urges everyone not to panic as the akuma is nowhere near them (as Miraculous does seem to have magic geography on top of magical time). Marinette and Alya exchange a panic look; Paris needs Ladybug. It does no good for Marinette to be trapped in class. Marinette is about to fake a stomach ache to flee, but Alya urges her not to, at least not immediately after her blurt out, as it might key someone about why she's trying to leave.
The girls don't notice an identical moment passing just in front of them. Adrien Agreste exchanges a panicked look with Nino Lahiffe. Paris needs Cat Noir; he can't be trapped in the classroom. Adrien whispers, wondering what he should do. Nino offers to distract Miss Bustier; he tells Adrien to look for a moment and then sneak out. Adrien wonders how well this'll work as he is literally in the first row, but they have no other choice. Nino stands up and attempts to distract Miss Bustier with a wild, irrelevant question. Miss Bustier doesn't fall for it and orders him to sit down. Adrien continues to sweat.
Of course, they're not the only classmates sweating. Just about everyone is. Nathaniel Kurtzberg is bouncing between the Team A and Team B chat servers on his tablet, hidden in his textbook. Chloe keeps looking at her phone for a message from Madam Gros; however, Chloe being glued to her phone really isn't anything new. Lila is also checking her phone on the sly. Everyone else is intuned to the Team A Discord, chatting fervently to each other to find out what's going on all the while making it look as if they aren't on their phones when Miss Bustier turns her head. If someone had an eye for timing, they would notice that a message appeared in the chat box just as a classmate finished typing. However, most of them aren't that observant.
Most of them. Not all of them. Alix Kubdel is alert as she knows what this means. She knows all her classmates' identities, and she knows she has to keep a secret. But she knows it's up to her to get Marinette and Adrien out of the building. She scribbles a note on scrap paper and slips it to Fluff, who is hiding in her backpack. Fluff acknowledges the note, fazes through her bag, and sneaks through the flooring. Fluff is a bit absentminded and gets lost a couple of times. All the while, she's muttering, "I'm late; I'm late; I'm late."
Alix herself is starting to sweat when Fluff finally finds the fuse box and trips all the breakers. The ensuing power outage is enough for Principal Damocles, and the teachers to halt classes. The escort their students to the internal courtyard, which is lit through the open roof. It's during this that Adrien and Marinette finally find their moment to sneak away. After all, Francoise Dupont lockdown procedures suck.
On his way out, someone shouts in a way that makes Adrien think he's been caught. He looks back. However, the shout wasn't intended for him. He breathes a sigh of relief. But then he realizes something. He didn't see Marinette with his class. Everything in his heart screams at him to turn around and look—to find out if the girl he loves has been so very close this whole time. However, one small voice rings higher. If I know who Ladybug is, she might not continue being Ladybug. I might lose her. Forever. I don't want to disrespect her like that. And in an enormous display of will-power, he does not glance back again.
By now, Seth Bacri has fled the Louvre and is racing down the streets of Paris with Knave right on his heels. He's getting pretty winded, and it's clear he won't be able to get away. As Knave catches up, Seth attempts groveling. He profusely apologizes (though whether he is sincerely sorry or just sorry he got caught is unclear). Jalil was the only one Seth could possibly blame; Seth can't afford to lose his job. With his debts, he'd lose everything else as well! Knave understands, right? After all, Knave has a family who has his back, a decent bank account, and a solid education.
Knave, however, doesn't listen beyond "family" as that infuriates him due to the fact Alim Kubdel didn't believe in his own son's innocence. Knave draws a card and throws it; he's clearly intending on blowing Seth up.
Ladybug uses her yo-yo to yank Knave's arm, throwing off his aim at the last moment. Knave snarls at her arrival. Ladybug orders Seth to run while she handles the akuma victim. Seth doesn't need to be told twice; he continues fleeing. Knave moves to follow, but Ladybug cuts him off. So Knave unleashes a full house of explosions against her, driving her back. When the smoke clear, Knave decides he's going after a different target: his father. He turns back to the Louvre before Ladybug can recover.
Now, (female) Hawk Moth is way more strategic than Gabriel Agreste ever was. She orders Knave to turn about and take on Ladybug before Ladybug gets allies. Knave argues that his revenge comes first. So female Hawk Moth (speaking through a synthesizer) sends a wave of pain his way, forcing him to obey her. However, by then it's too late. Cat Noir has arrived. Ladybug greets him as they both take a stance. Cat Noir, unlike his usual self, falls silent. He averts his eyes, marginally feeling guilty around Ladybug for his suspicions about her. Ladybug notices but doesn't get a chance to comment before Knave charges them again, throwing three of a kind to separate them.
((Addendum: This was written before season 4, and any parallels between Knave's powers and Rocketear's are strictly coincidental.))
Ladybug and Cat Noir exchange a look, and that's all it takes for them to understand the plan. They flank Knave, which leaves him only able to throw his cards in one direction. Knave attempts to evade them, but he still winds up caught in Ladybug's yo-yo as Cat Noir deflects the two of a kind cards. The heroes move in to find his akumatized item when Knave makes a desperate move. He pulls the joker. Ladybug and Cat Noir only have a moment of wariness before Knave blows up the entire immediate area. He, himself, is not immune and does not come out unscathed. However, in the chaos, he escapes and Ladybug and Cat Noir are scattered.
They reconvene quickly and debate about calling in someone to help them. Ladybug points out that they used to be able to handle one akuma victim between the two of them—but that was before Hawk Moth with his birthstone wielders and Ivory with her Western Order could ambush them at any time. Cat Noir suggests Bunnyx. They know from Clock Maker that Knave is her brother, so she would likely want to help in saving him. Ladybug agrees and contacts Bunnyx. However, Bunnyx replies back with "you're on your own with this one." Ladybug and Cat Noir take this as a sign and pursue Knave.
Of course, their allies aren't just sitting idle. Both the Eastern wielders and the B Team are on their phones, trying to coordinate. Alpha tells his pack that it's a perfect time to narrow down Hawk Moth's location, so he sends out Dauphine and Froppy and Tsukuyomi to survey the streets. Alya Cesaire and Nino Lahiffe cover for the fact that Marinette and Adrien are gone, respectively. Chloe and other Western wielders are impatiently waiting, wondering if Ivory is just going to let this go as well. They want action. However, Ivory does nothing; she doesn't see Knave as a threat worth pursuing. She doesn't believe he'll take down Ladybug. Plus, she has bigger things to worry about—she needs to make Master Fu crack. Of course, none of the birthstone wielders are called in either. After all, Nathalie doesn't want to reveal they're actually empowered by her, and she has yet to realize her enemies already know this fact.
Meanwhile, Ladybug and Cat Noir intercept Knave outside of the Louvre. Ladybug distracts Knave by summoning her Lucky Charm while Cat Noir attempts to move into Knave's blind spot to steal the akumatized item. However, Knave doesn't completely fall for it and evades Cat Noir while pelting cards at Ladybug. Cat Noir shouts to Ladybug that they can't let Knave into the Louvre. After all, it's clear someone whom the akuma victim is targeting is there. Ladybug looks at her Lucky Charm and has a eureka moment. She tells Cat Noir that that's exactly what they're going to do. Ladybug spins on her heels and enters the museum. This leaves Cat Noir confused and Knave convinced she's fleeing because he has her on the ropes. Knave follows, and Cat Noir follows Knave.
Fortunately, the Louvre has been evacuated by the Akuma Alert, leaving Ladybug to dodge through empty exhibit halls as she heads towards Ancient Egypt. Knave is behind her, and Cat Noir is behind him. And from there, Cat Noir realizes that Knave isn't using his cards any more. He then understands Ladybug's plan and buys her the time she needs by attacking and distracting Knave—and a large part of that distraction is terrible Egyptian puns.
Ladybug arrives in the Egyptian exhibit first and her "vision" lights up. She quickly rigs up a Rube Goldberg device around the exhibit using her yo-yo, Lucky Charm, and various museum paraphernalia.
Knave bursts in, ready to attack. From where he's standing, it looks as if he has Ladybug cornered. However, Ladybug points out that one tug of her yo-yo, she'll start her Rube Goldberg device that'll wreck the entire exhibit. The real Jalil breaks through Knave, shouting at her not to do it—there's priceless historical artifacts here! Ladybug smiles and tugs, just enough to be threatening, and orders him to hand over his akumatized item. That's when (female) Hawk Moth intervenes and overcomes Knave's sanity. She orders him to go after Ladybug before Ladybug can fight back.
However, Cat Noir anticipated this as well. He's standing opposite of them, claws raised. "If you won't do it, milady, I will. Cataclysm!" Cat Noir reaches for the exhibit. At that point, Knave can think of nothing else but protecting the artifacts. He lunges forward and places himself between Cat Noir and the relics. Cat Noir smiles and changes targets, easily swiping Knave's akumatized item. The akuma floats free, and Ladybug purifies it with her yo-yo, which has the unfortunate side effect of setting off her Rube Goldberg device. However, she easily catches her Lucky Charm from the midst of it and does her world healing wave, restoring the whole museum and the areas outside. "Pound it!" Jalil looks around, befuddled.
Alim Kubdel runs onto the scene a moment later, heavily relieved his son is okay. He hugs Jalil and expresses as much, but Jalil is still hurt from early and pushes him away. He calls out his father for not believing him, and the father issues strikes a chord within Cat Noir. He suggests to Ladybug that they give the family some privacy, and the heroes leave.
Alim attempts to stammer an apology to Jalil. He points out that the evidence does look pretty damning. Jalil counters that they didn't even give him a chance to defend himself. That's when the museum director finds them, and she's holding Jalil's folder. She tells them that she reviewed the evidence Jalil left behind while she was on lockdown in her office. And Jalil's evidence tells a completely different story from Seth Bacri. She apologizes for her hasty decision and has reversed all punishments for the time being, until she can conduct a proper investigation, which also implies she's going to be talking with an auditor. Until then, Jalil is still employed; however, she has changed his shift so that he and Seth will not see each other. She encourages them to remain apart until the right conclusion can be drawn. Jalil stiffly thanks her; it's awkward as he was hurt by how no one believed his innocence. The director sees this as professionalism and leaves Jalil and Alim alone.
And it's still tense between them. Alim appeals to Jalil, trying to apologize again. But Jalil cuts him off and reveals the true core of his discontentment. He feels his father sees him as nothing but a goof-up. And worse, he feels like an unfavorite, that Alim prefers Alix to Jalil. Jalil uses the fact that Alim passed on the ancestral pocketwatch to Alix, per family tradition the youngest gets it, while Jalil got nothing similar. He accuses his father of not trusting him, not with fragile antiques, despite his literal job. Alim's expression reveals that this is true, and he tries to explain that his son often comes across as irresponsible. Jalil admits he believes that Ancient Egypt reached its height due to alien technology—not because he's insane or stupid, but because that's what the evidence points to to him. He directly calls his father out on thinking he's stupid, and Alim can't really deny it. However, Alim looks deeply trouble by the accusations and sincerely apologizes for making Jalil feel that way; no matter what, he is his son and he loves him. Alim admits he has a hard time understanding Jalil; Jalil's theories are so far removed from what he knows that he struggles to wrap his brain around them. But that doesn't mean Jalil is unwanted. Alim says that he can see that this is all important to Jalil. So he suggests that they grab dinner together. Alim promises to listen, truly listen, to everything Jalil has to say—and he'll do his best to understand and mend the gap that he, himself, created. Jalil rubs the back of his head. He's still frustrated by the whole situation. Alim insists that regardless, he does want to have a good relationship with his son. Jalil does realize that if they never talk, never try to come to terms, things will never, ever improve. So Jalil agrees to dinner. It might be tense. It might be awkward. They might even yell at each other. But at least then, his father would be talking to him. And maybe they can take the first step of reconciliation together.
With the incident over and Principal Damocles able to find the flipped breaker, classes resume at Francoise Dupont High School. Cat Noir slips in through a window and changes back into Adrien. He quickly feeds Plagg before slipping back with his class. He notices Marinette is there, chatting with Alya. Maybe I was too hasty… Dauphine and Froppy also return to their schools, having discovered nothing about Hawk Moth's location except where he's not.
Classes are weird for the rest of the afternoon with the students being wired after an akuma attack. The day ends, and everyone scatters. Adrien Agreste and Kagami Tsurugi head to fencing practice while Felix Graham de Vanily heads off to his cello lessons. Guy Nigels heads home to participate in a Wrangler raid while Vivica slips into the school to join their DnD session. Nicolette Lacroix attempts to talk to Etienne Fontaine about the Western Order that they're both a part of, but he bluntly tells her that she's distracting him and basically orders her to leave. Their relationship thread turns a little more toxic. Lila Rossi has Lapinna steal a pink bracelet from Rose Lavillant's locker just so she can return it and look like a good guy. Tsuyu Asui and Fumikage Tokoyami spend some time in the library on a half date/half study session before DnD/half B Team discussion where they enjoy each other's company while trying to plan how to find Hawk Moth, help Chip Bluestone, and save the people Alpha saw trapped inside Hypnos. Speaking of Chip Bluestone, Jean Duparc heads to the park to perform his usual magic show, which is popular with retirees and tourists. However, his mind isn't in the game, and he makes a lot of mistakes. Luka Couffaine is humming to himself as he practices his guitar; he's on cloud nine that he has a date with Marinette tomorrow. Mayor Bourgeois contacts Chloe and asks if she'd like to join him for dinner; Chloe plays hard before replying with "I suppose I could let you do that." Giselle Winters-Blanchet tries to find a moment to read more of her mother's letters when her best friends, Raissa Deschamp and Meera Pugliese, find her. They take her aside, asking her seriously to reconsider working with Ladybug and Cat Noir. She asks why, and the best answer she can get is "they're up to something." Giselle notes that her friends don't sound like themselves. Many other students are also tending to their kwamis and/or itching to test out their own superpowers.
Viktor Vasiliev sets up his Star Wars DnD, complete with figures he made himself. Nathaniel Kurtzberg and Marc Anciel join him first with Vivica sneaking in a bit later. Fumikage comes alone as Tsuyu headed home after studying, and Giselle is the last to join them. Most of them have completed their character sheets and are eager to begin. However, before they start, Fumikage mentions he has something he wants to say to Vivica. He pulls up a picture from the internet on his phone and asks her, rather directly but rather poetically, if she's a guitarist for Jagged Stone—with the photo as proof. Giselle, who has long been Vivica's penpal, is floored by this. Vivica sheepishly admits it's true but then begs them not to tell anyone. She just wants to be treated like a normal teenager. Fumikage and the others promise to, and Giselle now understands about Vivica's "part-time job" and crazy work schedule.
Alix Kubdel heads home alone since her brother and father are out, attempting to bond with each other. And once she's alone, she has Fluff reveal herself. Alix transforms into Bunnyx and enters the Burrow. After all, she is responsible for ensuring the timeline, and she needs to know what's to come. It's a lot of information to process, so entering the Burrow has become a habit for her. Currently, she is viewing events in the not-so-distant future…about the time they're all in college. There's a huge clash of all four known miraculous orders. Ladybug finally finds a new heir to the butterfly miraculous, and the powers of the Northern Order are revealed alongside Eagle. However, the Great Sage never intended this much magic to clash, and as a result, magic mutated throughout the world. People without powers began developing them, completely free of any items. These came to be known as "Quirks." Of course, Fumikage and Tsuyu Tokoyam's daughter, Tsubasa Tokoyami, is the first case—but that's due to the circumstances of her birth. Bunnyx smiles as she sees toddler Poison Frog through the Burrow. However, other people she knows gain powers at that time. Francoise Dupont High School is particularly susceptible, likely because it was the home of the Eastern Order for so long. The location of the Northern Order also sees a massive surge of Quirks. Bunnyx watches people she knows gain their powers, and this includes but is not limited to: Yvonne Garnier, Genevieve Faucher, Gilles Chastain, Theo Barbot, Nora Cesaire, Prince Ali, Delmar from New York, Samidae & Satsuki Asui, Kendra Tenebrae, Guilliame Beaureal, Manon Chamack, and even Markov. Alix's own brother, Jalil, isn't exempt. In fact, the only one who seems exempt from the entire school is Suzette Rault, whom as Alix knows doesn't need powers to grow into the threat as Miraculous Thief.
Later that afternoon, Adrien Agreste heads to his parents' room. As always, Dr. Gerald Theroux has to tell him that there's been no change in their conditions. Adrien thanks him anyway and asks for some alone time with his parents, which Dr. Theroux is happy to oblige. Once alone, Adrien talks to them about his day at school and how he wishes he could have dinner with him and how, just once, he'd love to hear them say that they're proud of him. He talks about his friends at school, which includes Nino and Kagami and Alya and Marinette, and mentions his concern about Chloe in both her private life with her parents' divorce and her choices as Queen Scorpion. He wants to help her, but he knows he broke her heart, and he has no idea what to do in the situation. He tells Emilie he wishes she was awake; she understood people so well, he knows she'd have good advice. Eventually Adrien runs out of things to talk about and just sits there with them.
Then he begins toying with his phone. He sends a text to Ladybug, wondering if she's available to talk and not expecting much. He's surprised when she replies almost immediately. Under his Cat Noir screen name, he admits to feeling down but just "hearing" her voice makes him feel better. Ladybug asks him what's wrong. Adrien looks at his parents and then types, "Ladybug, you had both the black cat ring and the ladybug earrings in your possession at the same time. You could have made any wish you wanted. Why didn't you?"
Ladybug replies that firstly, Cat Noir should know better than that because they both know that miraculous wishes come with a price. And secondly, Ladybug is happy with her life now. Sure, it's crazy and stressful at times leading a double life. But no life is ever going to be perfect. She has her friends; she has her family. She enjoys school and every new experience every day from the mundane to the magical. "And, I'm happy that you're by my side, Cat Noir." No wish would ever change that. Adrien smiles and types back, "I'm also happiest when you're by my side. Thank you, milady."
He looks up from his phone and over at his unconscious parents. It's true; he's happier than he's ever been. Things with Chloe are broken, but he has so many other friends now. Nathalie Sancoeur grants him more freedom than his father ever did, and his home is so lively with his aunt and cousin living there. He also loves school and all of his new experiences. However, his parents are still unconscious. He literally can touch them, but they're completely out of reach. If he had the chance…would he make a wish for his parents to wake up? At the price the miraculous come with? At the cost of everything he currently has? At the cost of his time with Ladybug? Adrien hesitates for he has no answer, and that makes him deeply uncomfortable with himself.
To be continued in Chapter 87: Pearly White…