Chapter 3: Passing of the Torch
Author's note: I am pleasantly surprised to find myself posting these first few chapters so quickly, but I know that my speed will not last, especially once I have to go back to the final year of my costume course.
"Mr Agreste?" Marinette knocked on the office door after being let into the Agreste mansion. "You wanted to see me?"
The door was opened by the man, who stepped back to let Marinette in.
"Miss Dupain-Cheng, please come in." Gabriel told her. "Have a seat."
Doing as told, Marinette sat in the seat in front of Gabriel's desk while the man took his usual place.
Marinette shifted uncomfortably in her chair, feeling as if something was off with today's apprenticeship meeting.
"Tell me, Miss Dupain-Cheng. What do you think of Ladybird and Chat Noir?"
Marinette blinked as she looked at Mr Agreste in surprise, caught off guard by the question about Paris' resident heroes.
"Uh, I think they're really brave and do their best to protect Paris, even if it is from my classmates." Marinette answered, deciding that it was the safest answer.
"Don't you think we've had a bit too many close calls lately?" Gabriel asked.
Marinette bit her lip.
No doubt Mr Agreste was alluding to the previous day's events, and how Adrien was almost turned to glitter with seemingly only Ladybird to take down Style Queen.
"I guess that there have been." Marinette agreed. "But Ladybird and Chat Noir are trying their best, and they always have allies to call on if things get difficult.
"A ally." Gabriel corrected.
Marinette blinked in surprise again, she hadn't expected Mr Agreste to be one of the people subscribing to Alya's theory that all the temp' heroes were the same person. Though, Marinette herself was also one of the people who believed Alya's theory.
"Yeah." Marinette said. "But they've always been able to win in the end."
"Maybe they will, or maybe there will come a time where they will be too late." Gabriel said. "There may come a day where Ladybird will not be able to retrieve her ally, or that their ally will simply be not enough. What then?"
Marinette frowned slightly, not understanding why Mr Agreste was asking her such questions.
"I honestly don't know, sir." Marinette answered. "But I'm sure that something will happen to stop Iris and her Akumas. I think that the heroes just need a little more help, another ally, maybe."
Gabriel showed no visible reaction to Marinette's response.
"Miss Dupain-Cheng, are you aware of other heroes existing before Ladybird and Chat Noir?" He asked his student.
Marinette startled at the sudden shift in conversation.
"Sort of. Before Ladybird and Chat Noir I didn't really think about them. I've heard rumours online but didn't think they were true." Marinette answered.
"I assure you, some of them are more than rumours"
Gabriel took out a clipping from an old newspaper and handed it to Marinette.
'Quantic Team Saves the Day Again!' Screamed the headline.
The picture to go along with the article was slightly blurred but Marinette could make out a group of young men and women dressed in costumes battling something out of the picture, they were obviously superheroes from the costumes and powers they were displaying. The article went on about how the heroes saved the day and the damages done by the opponent they were facing.
"The Quantic Team? That name seems familiar." Marinette mumbled.
"The Quantic team had their beginnings here in France many years ago with just a few members, but as the years went by they travelled the world and brought on new members in their quest to end to end an evil different from Iris and her Akumas." Gabriel told her.
"Then, why aren't they here now to help stop Iris now?" Marinette asked.
If they heroes in the picture were there to help, Ladybird and Chat Noir possibly could have won by now.
"With the evil they fought against defeated most of us decided to retire and give up our powers or lost them completely." Gabriel explained further.
Those retired heroes aware of Iris likely believed that they could just leave her to the new guard to handle, especially with Ladybird's ability to undo all damage.
Marinette nodded in understanding, then fully computed the phrasing of Mr Agreste's words.
"Wait, you said 'us' and 'our'. You were a superhero?" Marinette gasped.
Gabriel simply nodded and handed over a photo.
In the image, a group of costumed heroes posed for the camera. The entire group of heroes looked beaten and worn, with torn costumes and some even having make-shift splints and slings. But despite their injuries, they all looked like they couldn't be happier, grinning at the camera and some of them either doing peace signs or thumbs-up.
"Sir." Marinette finally said after a few minutes to process what she had been told. "I don't get why you're telling me all of this."
"Because," Gabriel said as he retrieved a small jewellery box from the inside of his desk. "Ladybird and Chat Noir need help. Iris is becoming too much for just them to handle."
Marinette quickly picked up that by 'help', Mr Agreste meant her.
"But, Ladybird and Chat Noir already have their allies. I don't know them personally, my friend Alya is closer to them. So why would they pick me?" Marinette questioned.
"Ladybird and Chat Noir have only one ally, as I have already said." Gabriel pointed out. "No matter his form, it is always the same person underneath, just one person that Ladybird trusts enough to be an ally. Which could end in disastrous consequences when more than one ally is needed."
"I suppose." Marinette agreed. "But still, why would Ladybird choose me?"
"She's not." Gabriel said. "I am."
Opening the box, Gabriel placed it in front of Marinette.
Marinette stared down at the contents of the box, a Peacock-shaped broach.
She then stared back at the photo she'd been given, keen eyes picking out a man wearing that very same broach, his costume clearly themed after that of a Peacock.
Given that Mr Agreste had just handed her the broach, it was clear that the man in the picture had to be her mentor, even though Marinette struggled to connect the stern and emotionless man to the flashily dressed one in the photo.
Then, Gabriel's words clicked in Marinette's mind.
Mr Agreste was a former superhero.
Mr Agreste said that he had chosen her.
Mr Agreste had just put the broach he'd worn as a hero, a piece of jewellery like the heroes and villain of Paris wore, in front of her.
"Wait. You want me to take up your powers?" Marinette gasped.
"Yes." Gabriel answered simply.
"Why me? Why not become a hero again yourself? Do you know Ladybird and Chat Noir? Can you just give it to someone close to them-?"
Gabriel held up a hand to cease Marinette's ramble of questions.
"No, I do not know Ladybird and Chat Noir's identities, nor am familiar with them in any way." Gabriel answered Marinette's questions. "As to why I am not resuming my old mantle, I am afraid that I am permanently retired for reasons that do not concern you. But as something needs to be done to stop Iris before the heroes are overwhelmed, I require a successor, and I have chosen you."
"But…why me?" Marinette questioned again.
"Are you aware that, other than my son and another student, you are the only student of your class who has yet to be Akumatised?" Gabriel brought up.
"Yes." Marinette said quietly.
She was all too aware of the fact, and so were many of her classmates. The others were waiting for her, Adrien and Lila to 'join them' as it were, viewing the Akumatisation as an inevitability rather than a chance.
"But Adrien and Lila haven't been Akumatised yet, and neither have many of the other students at my school." Marinette pointed out.
"That may be. But I am also aware of the unique treatment you receive from Miss Bourgeois." Gabriel said. "Though your teachers may elect to ignore her behaviour, I know that much of her unfortunate behaviour is targeted towards you, as well as that Miss Bourgeois is responsible for the Akumatisation of many of your classmates. Yet despite this, you have yet to be Akumatised."
"I guess." Marinette shrugged.
Of course, there was also Lila's treatment on top of Chloe's, but Mr Agreste didn't appear to be aware of that.
"And I have seen for myself your skills, both as a hard worker, and in defending yourself during the attack on my home." Gabriel added. "I would not give my Miraculous to someone I believed unfit or unprepared."
"But why not give it to your assistant, uh, Nathalie?" Marinette questioned. "Doesn't she know how to fight? And she hasn't been Akumatised either."
"Are you aware of how old the heroes are, Miss Dupain-Cheng?" Gabriel responded with a question of his own.
"I don't think so." Marinette answered. "Though, Alya saw that Egyptian scroll that said Ladybird was thousands of years old.
"According to my research, they are much younger than that." Gabriel told her. "From the way they speak, the words they use, how they act; it all points towards Ladybird and Chat Noir being somewhere in their teens, like you. Their ally is harder to judge, but it's likely that Ladybird would chose someone in her age bracket."
"So, you chose me over Nathalie because we're possibly the same age?" Marinette questioned.
"Partially, yes." Gabriel answered. "Nathalie is an adult and is…not the best at interacting with younger people. If I were to send her to help Ladybird and Chat Noir, they would likely be wary of her and talk a long time to trust her. As someone of a similar age, you will be more successful at integrating yourself into their team."
Marinette guessed she could understand the logic, though Mr Agreste didn't need to make it sound like he was sending her in as a mole.
"Besides that, Nathalie is too busy to act as my successor. She is important to my company and would be incapable of just dropping what she is doing to fight the villains. And though I know that you are also busy, you are also more capable of leaving during a villain attack and are closer to the epicentre of the attacks as a student." Gabriel added.
Gabriel decided to leave out that Marinette being close to his son was also a factor in his decision.
"Okay." Marinette said hesitantly. "I'm still not sure I'll be a good hero. I mean, I only know the basics of defence, definitely not enough to fight Iris or her Akumas."
"That is why I will be training you." Gabriel said.
"Really?"
"The Miraculous may give subconscious knowledge of your weapon and how to fight, but I am not letting you fight against Iris and her Akumas until I believe that you are trained and full prepared. If you accept, that is."
Marinette looked at the broach lying innocently on the desk in front of her, apparently holding a similar power that Ladybird and Chat Noir had, and the potential to make her a superhero.
But did she really want that? Becoming a superhero meant being constantly under fire from Iris and her Akumas, her loved ones being put in danger if her identity was discovered, hiding the truth from everyone, and sacrificing who knows how much of her real life.
But, her loved ones were already in danger from Akumas whenever they got caught in the line of fire, Alya was already constantly placing herself in dangerous situations in order to get the latest scoop on Ladybird and Chat Noir; and if Marinette became a superhero then she could protect them, she could help in a very meaningful way.
Marinette slowly reached for the broach, her hand paused halfway and pulled backward slightly in hesitance before continuing the rest of the way and picking up the broach delicately. With the same slow hesitance, she pinned the broach to her shirt.
Gabriel said nothing as an orb of blue light appeared in front of Marinette, causing her to shield her eyes. When the teen was able to look again, she was met by a pair of large dark eyes and a small blue body.
"Ah!" Marinette flinched back.
"Don't be scared, I'm your friend." The small creature cheered. "I'm your Kwami, Duusu."
The blue creature then looked around the room, eyes widening when he spotted Gabriel.
"Gabe." Duusu burst into blue, sparkling tears, flying into Gabriel's chest.
"Hello again, Duusu." Gabriel said.
Gabriel didn't seem to mind the tears on his suit and cupped the Kwami to his chest with a gentleness Marinette had never seen.
Duusu then turned back to look at Marinette, who was still stunned.
"Are you really giving me to a new wielder?" The Kwami asked his former wielder.
Gabriel simply nodded, and Duusu nodded back in understanding but with a sad look on his face.
"She is also an aspiring fashion designer." Gabriel added.
Duusu suddenly brightened, a huge grin appearing on his face as he practically teleported over to Marinette.
"Really? Let me see your designs. Are you wearing your own designs right now? You have to be, you look so nice. I can tell you are going to look fabulous when we transform." He fired out in rapid succession.
Slightly taken aback by Duusu's one-eighty in mood, Marinette tried her best to take the entire scenario in stride, holding out a hand for Duusu to sit on.
"Uh, thank you." She said.
The two lapsed into silent, Gabriel himself also remaining silent as he allowed his student to acclimate to the existence of her new Kwami.
"So…" Marinette eventually spoke up. "What do I do?"
"Ooh." Duusu trilled.
Marinette had to smile, the Kwami's excitement contagious.
"All you need to say is, 'Duusu, Spread My Feathers', to unleash your powerful beauty!" Duusu spread his arms out and bounced on Marinette's hand.
Blushing slightly at her Kwami's words, Marinette looked to Gabriel for guidance, silently questioning whether it was okay for her to transform.
The man nodded, giving permission.
"Okay." Marinette said, standing up. "Duusu, Spread My Feathers!"
Duusu was sucked back into the broach Marinette wore as blue energy washed over her, feeling almost like tiny feathers against Marinette's skin.
As the transformation completed, a netted veil fell over Marinette's eyes, obscuring the top half of her face, though Marinette herself could still see though it clear as day.
"Woah." Marinette said, looking down to admire her new costume.
It was almost entirely blue, with the exception of some pink dots on her slit skirt, which had each section rounded to give the impression of peacock feathers.
Marinette quickly stepped over to a mirror that hung from the wall to gain a better view of her costume, noting that her hair was tied behind her head instead of her usual pigtails, and her veil came from a small hat on top of her head that sat at an angle and was decorated with peacock feathers to one side.
The teen frowned when she looked at the under-bust corset she now wore, feather-shaped fastenings down the front.
"Am I meant to fight in this?" She questioned.
She didn't have much faith in her ability to fight if she couldn't bend her midsection.
"Due to the magic of the Miraculous, usual costume impracticalities are…mitigated." Gabriel explained.
Marinette's mind drifted to the picture of her mentor's own superhero form, realising that he would have also had some issues fighting in his costume.
Testing out her mentor's words, Marinette quickly realised that she could bend, despite the corset clearly being stiff since no wrinkles appeared in the fabric.
Returning to admiring herself in the mirror, Marinette did a small twirl, smiling at how her segmented skirt flared out.
This allowed her to take notice of the fan attached to the back of her corset.
"I'm guessing that this is another, 'magic changes things' thing." Marinette said as she took her fan and opened it out, looking at the peacock-shaped segments that were topped with frilly ends.
"Yes." Gabriel confirmed. "You will be able to fight with your fan. Once you are fully trained."
With her mentor's reminder, Marinette gave herself one last look in the mirror and at how much taller she seemed, though she wasn't wearing heels and she was sure that she hadn't actually gained any height, before pulling away.
"Uh, so, how do I turn back?" Marinette questioned, tapping at her Miraculous.
Gabriel sighed.
If simple transformation was a hurdle, actually training his apprentice, in more than one way now, was going to be more of a hassle than he thought.
"You say 'Fall My Feathers'." Gabriel explained.
"Right." Marinette said. "Fall My Feathers!"
With another feeling of being brushed by thousands of feathers, Marinette was once again in her normal clothes, Duusu appearing beside her.
"I knew it. You looked positively elegant." Duusu trilled happily as he spun, spreading out his tail feathers. "Didn't she, Gabe?"
Gabriel didn't respond to the question but did give a slight nod of his head to show that he approved of Marinette's costume design, even though the teen didn't have an active choice in her look.
"Thank you." Marinette smiled at the compliment.
"Like the other heroes, as well as Iris, you get a power that is unique to your Miraculous, which can then aid you in fighting." Gabriel informed his apprentice.
"Oracle Eye." Duusu took over explaining. "When activated, it allows you to see the immediate future."
"Okay." Marinette said.
It sounded like a useful power, though also confusing. Would Marinette see the future and then be able to act on it afterwards, or constantly seeing the immediate future while also juggling her actions in the present at the same time?
"So, when do I start training?" Marinette asked.
"Tomorrow." Gabriel answered. "You may go home now, as I know things will need to settle in your mind first."
"Yes sir." Marinette said. "Uh…" She looked at Duusu and the broach on her chest.
"You will be keeping the Peacock Miraculous with you." Gabriel answered Marinette's unspoken question.
"Right. I'll see you tomorrow, then." Marinette said, leaving the office.
Duusu slipped into Marinette's purse as she left for home.
Once Marinette arrived home and reached her room, she opened her purse and allowed Duusu out.
"This is amazing." Duusu said as he looked around her room. "So much prettier than Gabe's place."
With Duusu's look and personality, Marinette guessed that the Kwami wasn't one for minimalism like her mentor was.
The Kwami quickly dove for the jewellery supplies Marinette had left out on her desk from her current project, admiring the prettiness of the work.
He then quickly switched attention to the box Marinette used for her fabric scraps and offcuts, rolling around in the different textures and comparing patterns.
Marinette watched her new Kwami's actions in amusement.
Then, Duusu caught sight of the various pictures Marinette had of her friends.
"Ooh, are these your friends?" Duusu asked.
"Yep." Marinette said. "That's Alya, that's Nino, there's my art club with Juleka, Rose, Alix, Nathaniel, Marc and Casey, this is Luka." She began naming the people in the photos.
Duusu gained a knowing grin as he took notice of how Marinette's voice lightened as she spoke the last boy's name.
"Is he your boyfriend?" He asked outright.
Marinette spluttered and turned red.
"What? No. I mean, I wouldn't be averse to it. But that doesn't mean that he is, right now I mean. That's not to say that he isn't cute, because he is, but that doesn't mean we're dating." Marinette vomited her words, looking around for something to make her stop as Duusu fixed her with an amused stare. "Oh, and this is Adrien."
Marinette grabbed a group photo and pointed at the boy she had yet to introduce to distract from the subject of Luka.
Duusu looked at the photo before suddenly bursting into tears.
"Woah, what's wrong?" Marinette asked, cupping the crying Kwami in her hands.
"He looks so much like her." Duusu sobbed.
Marinette looked at the picture, trying to connect the dots on why her Kwami was so upset, realising that it likely had something to do with Adrien's absent mother.
"Um, how about some food to cheer you up? What do you like to eat?" Marinette suggested.
"Ooh, grapes, please." Duusu suddenly snapped out of his crying.
Marinette sighed, knowing that Duusu would probably have mood swings like this all the time. Still, she went downstairs and came back up with some grapes, setting them down for Duusu to happily dig into.
"So, what's been going on since I was asleep?" Duusu asked before eating another grape.
Marinette gave a quick overview of the situation to her Kwami, explaining Iris, Ladybird and Chat Noir, the villain's seeming lack of motivation beyond defeating the heroes, Iris gaining another power, and the multi-hero ally that sometimes showed up to help save the day. Using Alya's Ladyblog to help add some visuals.
"Oh no. Poor Nooroo and Trixx, being used like that." Duusu shook his head sadly, dropping the grape he had been holding.
"Who are Nooroo and Trixx?" Marinette asked.
"They are the Kwamis of the Miraculous this Iris hold, Nooroo for the Butterfly Miraculous and Trixx for the Fox Miraculous." Duusu explained. "Over the many millennia the Miraculous have existed we have mostly been used for good, but there have been times where we haven't, and it is never nice."
"Well, I promise to use this for good." Marinette said, tapping the Miraculous on her shirt.
"I know. Gabe wouldn't have chosen you otherwise." Duusu smiled.
The Kwami then frowned again.
"Though, something confuses me. How did Iris get her hands on both the Butterfly and the Fox Miraculous." Duusu questioned.
"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.
"Uh, well." Duusu tried to figure out what to explain. "I belong to a group of Miraculous, watched over by a Guardain. And many years ago, two of my group was lost during a catastrophe."
"The Butterfly and Fox?"
Duusu shook his head. "The Butterfly was one of the ones lost, and the Bee was the other. The Fox remained with my group and our Guardian. So, it doesn't make sense that Iris would have one lost Miraculous, and another that shouldn't be lost."
"Do…do you think Iris attacked this Guardian person?" Marinette wondered, startled by her own theorising. "Wait, if Iris stole the Fox, would that mean she has the other Miraculous too? How many are there in your group."
"No, I don't think Iris found the Guardian." Duusu was remarkably calm, and even serious, as he talked. "If that was the case, then Ladybird, Chat Noir and their teammate wouldn't be around. Besides, last I checked, Trixx and his Miraculous weren't with the Guardian."
"Really?"
"Well, I've been with Gabriel for a while, instead of being returned to the Guardian. Though, I should have been returned to the Guardian when not in use, I need to bring that up with Gabriel tomorrow. Similarly, Trixx's wielder never returned the Fox Miraculous to the Guardian, as far as I'm aware, and I find it hard to believe that she did it during the time I was sleeping."
"So, Iris stole the Fox Miraculous from them instead?"
"It would seem so." Duusu said. "Though, I still find it unlikely. Since Sion isn't the type to easily steal from. I'll have to ask Gabe if he knows anything about her tomorrow as well."
"Well, no matter how Trixx ended up with Iris, I'm sure the heroes will save both him and Nooroo." Marinette assured her Kwami. "And once Mr Agreste has trained me, I'll be joining the fight too."
"Yay." Duusu cheered. "And we'll look absolutely fabulous doing it. You'll have to be careful not to outshine the others with your outfit, since you clearly have the best of the bunch."
"You're comparing our outfits." Marinette raised an eyebrow.
"Of course." Duusu said. "Your look is your first impression after all.
Duusu opened the Ladyblog to a picture of the heroes and Iris.
"Starting with Iris." Duusu directed Marinette's attention to a picture of Iris from when she first appeared. "Her first costume is alright, and her wing cape is a nice touch, but it's also trying too hard to seem like an anime magical girl with the skirt and bow in her hair."
Marinette pulled a face and looked at her Kwami, weirded out that the magical being knew that Anime existed.
She also didn't see Duusu's criticism in Iris' original costume.
"And Iris' second costume." Duusu's face morphed into disgust. "It just clashes so horribly. Purple and orange are not a good colour combination, and all the orange is focused too heavily in the body."
Marinette definitely did see Duusu's criticism here. When she'd first seen Iris's new form, how much of an eyesore it was had caught her attention.
Duusu then turned his attention of the heroes.
"Chat Noir is minimalistic, and the tail belt is stylish. But there's just not enough detail to his costume. From a distance, his costume is just a black bodysuit. Nothing to stand out with." Duusu judged.
Marinette frowned, since she liked Chat Noir's suit. Though she could see the Kwami's point about the lack of detail.
"I like Ladybird's cape, it makes her seem dignified." Duusu moved onto the heroine. "And she has a good ratio of red to black. It is a costume that will grow with her, which is more than I can say for Chat Noir. Still, I feel as if more could be done for her, as I feel like the bright red is the only reason she'd stand out in a crowd of heroes."
For this criticism, Marinette felt as though Duusu was just trying to make up faults so that he could say Marinette's costume was better.
Marinette decided to put a stop to Duusu's critical rampage before he could move onto Ladon, Phoenix and Krait's costumes.
"Okay, I get it." Marinette placed a finger over the Kwami's mouth.
"Sorry." Duusu laughed. "I can get carried away."
"I saw." Marinette said.
She was glad that her transformation seemed to take her background in fashion design into account, or she could have possibly ended up in nothing but a blue bodysuit with some peacock feather designs, which would not have made Duusu happy.
"So, what was the date when you went to sleep?" Marinette changed the subject as she sat down at her computer. "We should get you caught up on everything."
Acclimating her Kwami seemed like a good start for Marinette.
She could worry about her training to become a hero later.
Author's note: Please comment
No damaged Peacock in this story, so don't expect Marinette to get sick.
I've also changed the powers of the Peacock, partially to stick with the Foresight powers I had given it in my original story back when the powers were unknown, and partially because I think that Marinette being able to summon Senti-Monsters wouldn't fit into the story as much; Iris having to hunt down the Sentimonster's item would just be too much hassle for the villain to do.
As shown, in this version of events, it was the Bee that got lost alongside the Butterfly, instead of the Peacock. Fu handed out the Peacock and Fox at some point in the past and both Gabriel and Sion decided to keep them rather than hand them back once the fighting was done. Then, for reasons that have yet to be shown, the Fox Miraculous ended up with the grimoire in a collection, which was then stolen with Iris ending up with the Fox Miraculous.
(This explanation originally wasn't meant to occur until Chapter 13, according to my plan, but I realised that it would be too long a wait.)
Visit my DeviantART at DreamVixen2511 or my Tumblr at Asexual Individual for a rough draft of Marinette's Peacock costume.