Chapter 5: Conversation Between Mentor and Apprentice (Adrien's POV)
Adrien sits down, unsure what Master Fu is going to talk about, as normally they say a few things about their day and go right into training. As after that whole Heroes' Day episode, Master Fu has been demanding he spend more time training.
And he's done it, albeit reluctantly. As Adrien wants to spend time with his friends, mainly Keith, as they haven't had the chance to hang out in a while.
But he understands the importance of training to be the next Guardian.
"Adrien, I have decided to step down as Guardian. You have already proved your worth…"
"But you can't step down!" Adrien cries, then he swallows, adding, "At least not yet."
"But why? Your training is complete except for a few things I need to mention before I officially transfer the Guardianship to you."
Adrien pouts, upset. Master Fu has been one of the constants in his life up until now and a good person to get advice from. But if Master Fu steps down, who will be there to help him when things go sideways? Who will give him good advice and nudge him in the right direction he should take?
"Adrien, I will lose my memories of who all the miraculous holders are. Or at least the ones I know of."
"But you can't lose your memories! If you do, then won't you forget who I am? Besides, I still need your guidance! Without Ladybug things are so much tougher, even though I'm a leader of a team. Not to mention I still have no idea where she and Marinette are! I can't lose you like I lost them!"
Master Fu looks at him and sighs. Adrien hopes he isn't mad at him, since he knows Master Fu has been planning to retire ever since he took him on to train as the Next Guardian.
"Very well, I'll wait until you are comfortable with me leaving. However just because I lose all my memories of the times where I am with the miraculous, that doesn't mean I'll forget you. My brain will probably invent some outrageous idea as to why I know you and the other miraculous holders. As the human brain can, if it wants to, change how we perceive what we see with our eyes, making us think something else is true."
"Like when people say this is how they remember a certain event but others remember it differently, creating a mandala effect?" Even though he understands where Master Fu is going with this, he can't help but feel sad that Master Fu will eventually forget the time they spent together and go off to live a normal life, free of worrying about Hawkmoth and all that other stuff.
Master Fu simply nods, "Yes. Now about the other things I need to mention. There is a certain set of rules that the Guardians follow. One of the rules is that the Guardian must never use a miraculous, however since I didn't complete my training I was forced to often wear the Turtle miraculous to keep the others safe. Another is that the Guardians must know the identities of each miraculous holder, so that we can intervene in their choices if the situation requires it. The third rule is that the Guardian must have training in various Martial Art styles to ensure that they can take on anyone if they need to and the fourth rule is that the kwamis, unless they are given to holders, should stay in the Miracle Box.."
He heard all of it, but the thing that struck him the most was that the Guardians weren't allowed to wear miraculouses. Which means if he becomes the Guardian he can't be Chat Noir anymore. Someone else has to. That doesn't seem fair to him, especially since Chat Noir was his escape from the confines of the Mansion if his father decided he couldn't go out to see his friends.
"Does that mean I can't be Chat Noir," his voice breaks, but he can't help it. Being Chat Noir is one of the joys in his life. However he understands that someone needs to be the Next Guardian. He wishes he didn't take on Master Fu's offer. But it was either that or let Honeybee or Marmora go through the training.
"No. It's stupid for me to ask you to give up being Chat Noir. However, giving the black cat miraculous to someone else while you focus on being the Guardian will reduce the amount of work you will be doing. Then again I can't train you in the fighting style of the Guardian as it incorporates fighting styles from every nation, not just Martial Arts. Which is why, I'm leaving it up to you to decide whether or not you want to continue being Chat Noir when you eventually become the Guardian."
Adrien sighs in relief. He wouldn't give up Chat Noir, as it's one of the things that fills his life with joy, even when Ladybug is gone now. Ladybug…Again he can't help but wonder where she is, and if she needs his help.
And Master Fu, frustratingly, refuses to talk further about Ladybug. As during one of their many conversations when he brought it up, Master Fu shot the topic down by saying, 'The past is in the past. Do not dwell on it, as the future should be your concern, considering Hawkmoth keeps trying to take your miraculous as well as the others.'
He agrees, but still, he can't help it if his heart misses her. As Ladybug was his first friend and first love. And it doesn't help that his mother died a year ago, so if Master Fu ends up leaving him, he doesn't know what he would do.
"Adrien, it will be fine. I know you don't think it's ideal, but you will still have the other members of Team Miraculous for support even if I'm gone."
Adrien looks at Master Fu and wonders if it's okay to keep letting him do this. Especially since the only reason Master Fu is still the Guardian and hasn't lost his memories yet is because he wants Master Fu to stay. So was it really the right choice for Master Fu to decide that Adrien should say when he can retire?
As Adrien doesn't think he'll ever be ready to let Master Fu go and live his own life for the rest of his days. Even if he's being selfish by keeping Master Fu here. And he doesn't think he's ready to just rely on his team for support as Master Fu knows him, like how Plagg knows him. He doesn't have to be the 'perfect child' his father wants him to be, he can be a little wild like Chat Noir while having a little bit of Adrien as well. Instead of just being either Chat Noir or Adrien, because being a mix of both instead of having two different personalities would be better. And that's how he feels around Master Fu as he doesn't expect him to act like the model he's supposed to be or act like his superhero self and instead expects me to be me.
So again, would he really be okay letting one of the few people who know the real him leave his life?