Chapter 74: Inverse

It's a school morning, and the cast is preparing. Marinette Dupin-Cheng is once again staring at the text message Alya Cesaire sent her the previous night. Tikki tells Marinette not to read too far into it. But Marinette wonders if Alya suspects she's Ladybug. And Marinette is wondering if she should tell her best friend the truth. Tikki points out the importance of secret identities. If Alya got captured or akumatized, she could be forced to reveal who Ladybug is—Alya already knows about Giselle Winters-Blanchet and Nino Lahiffe (not to mention being Rena Rouge herself)…if Ladybug got found out, it would be bad. Marinette acknowledges that Tikki makes a great point. But if anything did happen to her, to Ladybug, the only people who would know would be Master Fu and Marianne Lenoir—and Master Fu has gone radio silent. Furthermore, why shouldn't she trust her best friend? Marinette admits she's a bit jealous of the B Team and their secret keepers; they always have someone to watch their backs. Daizzi likes the idea of closer friendships and encourages Marinette to trust her heart. Tikki reminds Marinette about how superheroes in the past operated; there's a reason for it. Marinette once again agrees, but she also points out how things have changed now with the Eastern Order fallen and its final guardian in hiding. Then there's the invasion of the Western Order. Tikki says that she ultimately trusts Marinette but advises her to consider everything before acting. Roarr adds that Marinette should trust her gut instinct.

Marinette ties up her hair and lets her attention wander to Master Fu's newest, and likely final, riddle. But she still has no solution for it. Then there's concern about Snow Leopard being trapped in a shell and Alya as Rena Rouge having to bounce between houses to cover for her… Marinette checks her clock; she does have time to spare. So she decides to leave for her school early and make a few stops along the way. She says good-bye to her parents and leaves like a normal girl. Then she finds an alleyway, transforms into Ladybug, and swings away.

At the Agreste manor, Adrien is spending his morning browsing around the computer for abandoned areas in Paris. He's still trying to find a good place where he, Ladybug, and all their allies can meet up to practice. However, many of the abandoned lots and factories don't look safe, and a lot of the open spaces are just too visible. Adrien confides in Plagg that he does want to find somewhere to practice soon. First the Western Order gathered six members to explore the catacombs, and then Mayura has those insectoid senti monsters… Plagg chimes with a "don't forget about finding the master and solving his last riddle." Adrien sighs and gives up his computer search to study the riddle more, but he still can't figure out an answer.

Felix Graham de Vanily knocks on the door to tell Adrien it's time for them to head to school. Plagg hides as Adrien gathers his stuff and joins his cousin. He notices that Felix seems sullen and distant—even moreso than usual. So Adrien tries to talk to him to cheer him up. Felix remarks that the only thing that would "cheer him up" is going home—back to London. And maybe he will. Soon. Adrien wonders what Felix means, but Felix doesn't elaborate.

Ladybug swings by Raissa Deschamps' apartment. She takes a position where she can see inside Raissa's window. From there, she can still see the giant floating snowball. Everything seems to be okay. When Ladybug turns around, Rena Rouge is there. Rena Rouge reports to Ladybug that she had just covered for Giselle to her father that morning and had been on her way to check on the real Giselle when she saw Ladybug sitting here. Ladybug thanks Rena Rouge again for everything she's doing as most of the burden of this masquerade falls on her.

That's when Rena Rouge nudges Ladybug and discreetly points out that there's a spyder hidden in the eaves. Realizing that it'd be suspicious if the spyder saw into the window, Ladybug and Rena Rouge simultaneously rise and leave, leaping from roof to roof, to lure it away. They coordinate expertly without even communicating. This includes dropping flour to make it visible when it goes invisible. They double back and loop around, leaving the spyder disoriented. It tries to follow them, gliding down to street level. It looks all over an alleyway and then climbs up the wall having lost them.

Ladybug and Rena Rouge peek out of the dumpster they're hiding in. Ladybug uses her yo-yo as a mirror to confirm it's gone before they both fully emerge. Ladybug thanks Rena Rouge for her assistance, and Rena Rouge says she's happy to help. But she does need to get to school. Rena Rouge starts to leave, but Ladybug calls out for her to wait. When Rena does, Ladybug tells her that she's made her decision; she wants to tell Rena the truth.

"Tikki, spots off." Ladybug transforms back into Marinette.

Rena Rouge jaw drops for a moment before she whispers, "Trixx, let's rest."

Alya admits she's not fully surprised Marinette is Ladybug as she had started to piece things together. It does explain a lot: why Marinette is often late, why she sleeps in class, why she disappears randomly… Marinette apologizes for keeping such a huge secret. "The master" forbid her from telling anyone in case that person got akumatized. But things have changed now, and… Alya's face falls as Marinette talks as she's also worried about Master Fu. Alya then wonders why Marinette is telling her now. Marinette replies with "trust."

The two walk the rest of the way to school together, discussing things are great length, comparing notes, and building comradery. Marinette admits it feels like a huge weight is off her back, having someone she can trust like this. And Alya promises to watch her best friend's back and do what she can to help cover for her. (Again, this emphasizes Alya's personal growth in responsibility. Other characters are growing in their own ways such as Juleka learning to speak up, Alix is secret keeping, Sabrina's in true friendship, and Aurore's is kindness.)

At Francoise Dupont High School, Alya and Marinette arrive just as the Agreste limo pulls up. Marinette freezes and blushes when Adrien exits. Alya remarks about how awkward it must be when Marinette/Ladybug obviously feels so strongly about Adrien and yet Cat Noir won't get the hint and stop pursuing her. If only he could see her now, maybe he would get the idea that Ladybug is in love with someone else. This causes Marinette to stammer and sweat as she mumbles her agreement with Alya's assertion. But she makes Alya promise not to tell anyone, which Alya said she had already promised herself. "And don't get akumatized!" Alya admits she has no intention of getting akumatized ever again. Alya nudges Marinette, wondering if she's going to try to talk to Adrien. Marinette says she's "not quite there yet." She's conflicted over Kagami Tsurugi's break up with Adrien as well as the fact she's keeping it a secret that she knows Adrien is Cat Noir.

However, Raissa Deschamps has no problem approaching the Agreste limo, which surprises everyone from Alya to Chloe. Raissa greets Nicholas Sancoeur so happily he's just about shaken off of his feet. She waves a piece of paper around, revealing she got back their grade on their group project. A solid A. She has never gotten a grade this good outside of working with Giselle and Meera. And this time, it felt good—like she had actually contributed. She thanks Nicholas profusely for his help. "I feel I can really stay on task with you around!" And makes him promise to be her partner again in the future. She takes it as a true promise before he can even say "yes" or "no." Raissa hustles away as fast as she came, leaving Nicholas baffled. He looks confused at Adrien and Felix. Adrien tells him not to worry; he made another friend. Nicholas mulls this over. I'm making friends? Adrien encourages Felix to do the same; it'll make his time in Paris go better. Felix remarks he doesn't plan on sticking around all that much longer.

Also at the same school, Etienne Fontaine bumps into Meg Delphinus without any acknowledgment as he's too busy re-styling his own hair. Meg rolls her eyes in disgust. Jean Duparc heads to the courtyard. He's looking around, on alert, after the warning the B Team received yesterday about active senti monsters. And he actually spots a spyder in the rafters. He pulls out his cell phone to take a photo and update his allies. But then his eyes glaze over and he tucks his phone away, forgetting the spyder is even there (it's looking in the direction of Nicholas). Le Chien Kim gets a text from Ondine, saying she's safely at her school. This thrills Kim as it's something Ondine used to normally do before she got mega-grounded. Ondine replies that she's still mega-grounded from her parents, but with the help of her friends, she's able to get online a bit during school hours. So she's texting him to say she loves him and she misses him, and to wish the best to Finn the dolphin kwami. She also mentions she going to log in and check the chat files on the Team B Discord to catch up—but it'll likely still be a while before she can act. Until then, she is working hard to re-earn her parents' trust.

Raissa Deschamps pulls Meera Pugliese close and fills her in on what happened to Giselle Winters-Blanchet, including showing her a photo on her phone. Meera is also stunned that this happened. "I thought for sure she'd encounter a djinn first!" Raissa tells Meera that they have to cover for Giselle until she's free, and Meera promises to do so. Then Raissa pretends to be Leon Blanchet and calls Giselle off sick. Unknown to them, Aurore Beaureal spaces out at her locker, mentally stuck on the same dilemma. Snow Leopard is trapped now. That just leaves me and Chip who have yet to undergo this 'metamorphosis.' But how do I possibly explain to my family what'll happen? Or that it's because a former Hawk Moth made the comb? It takes Mireille Caquet calling her name to snap her out of her thoughts. Fumikage Tokoyami and Tsuyu Asui walk to school together, still very happy in the wake of their date to the aquarium the prior day. They come across Fumikage's friend, Viktor Vasiliev, and strike up a conversation with him. It comes up their thoughts on superheroes both real and fictional. Viktor winds up confessing, "Ladybug and Cat Noir? …I think I hate them." Which surprises Fumikage and Tsuyu. Fumikage remarks that that doesn't sound like Viktor at all and wonders what's going on. Viktor insists everything is normal.

(The whole student body is depicted here: (( photos . app . goo . gl / cgLSrNi71rxfep9e8 )).)

The bell rings, and students filter to their classrooms. Madam Gros heads towards Mr. Haprele's room to select one of the remaining students for her mental health screening. However, Principal Damocles catches her first and requests that she come to his office with him. Madam Gros internally grumbles but puts on a fake front and complies.

Once they're inside and the door shut, Principal Damocles says he's reviewing Dolores Gros's effectiveness as a guidance counselor. He admits he had expected better, but students at the school are still being akumatized. And worse, there was massive structural damage the prior day due to Panther Noir.

Madam Gros politely argues back, stating that akumatization had dropped dramatically. The last (confirmed) akumatized students were Uglifier and La Belle Vampire. And she can hardly be held responsible for a stray cat sneaking onto campus and getting akumafied.

Principal Damocles counters that he still expected better and that the events from Panther Noir, the level of destruction caused, are simply unacceptable (even though Ladybug did fix everything). In fact, he's having a hard time remembering why he even hired Madam Gros in the first place. He doesn't recall an interview, and…

"Trumpet, Ellie." Madam Gros transforms into Ivory on the spot.

Principal Damocles leaps to his feet, shocked, and demands to know what's going on. That lasts all until Ivory hits him with "Oblivion," causing him to forget all suspicions of her, all inklings she's been doing a poor job, and of course all memories of her owning a miraculous. Ivory transforms back into Dolores Gros. Principal Damocles tells her to "keep up the good work," and she leaves his office. She grinds her teeth once she's out as he wasted her time in finding her remaining six pawns.

Lunch time rolls around. Jean Duparc takes time to check the Team B Discord; he's surprised to see that he has another email, stating that "you have been logged in on another device." I changed my password. Didn't that solve the problem? He posts a message, wondering if anyone else is having the same "glitch." (This is, of course, due to Nathalie Sancoeur accessing his account.) Marinette Dupin-Cheng and Alya Cesaire happily talk some more about the morning's revelation, but they shelf that topic when they join up with Alix Kubdel, Rose Lavillant, Juleka Couffaine, and Mylene Haprele. Le Chien Kim joins up with Max Kante and shows him Ondine's message. He's thrilled to have some contact with his girlfriend again. Max wishes Ondine the best. In the background, Kaalki is trying to teach Finn how to accessorize. Markov sees neither. Rachel Beauchene heads to the bathroom. She studies her garnet nails, flexing them viciously in the mirror. A sadistic smile spreads across her face. Lila Rossi breaks out a tower of cupcakes, insisting she baked them herself to cheer everyone up (her mother bought them). Sabrina Raincomprix, Yvonne Garnier, and Genevieve Faucher do take her up on that and help themselves.

After lunch, Madam Gros calls Meg Delphinus into her office for yet another mental health screening. Per the usual, it's questions about grades and hobbies, family and friends. Meg reveals pretty early on that she's not interested in romance right now as she views her male peers as too immature. She also hates how people try to push being a couple with someone on her and patronize her with "just wait until…" (Meg likely falls on the aro spectrum). Now, she is happy when people find each other. Her best friend, Rachel Beauchene, who is dating Tristan Fortier is a good example of that.

Madam Gros insists it's not "patronizing" to tell a beautiful young lady that she'll change her mind when "the right man sweeps her off her feet." It's the truth; she's seen a dozen woman who insist they want to remain single who change their minds when they grow out of that "phase." She adds "You're pretty enough, you'll find someone." In part, it'll be clear to the reader that Madam Gros is talking about herself for unknown reasons. Meg is justifiably indignant and accuses Madam Gros of patronizing her as well. "What do looks even have to do with true love? Are you saying ugly people deserve to be alone? And who are you to tell me how I feel about romance?" Madam Gros argues that she does know better as she is the guidance counselor. (As Madam Gros has proven to have aphobic tendancies, as seen when she interviewed Marc Anciel.)

Meg calls Madam Gros a "fake counselor" and even wonders aloud if she should report her. She then grabs her bag and goes to storm out of the room when she hears "Trumpet, Ellie." Before Meg can turn around, Ivory hits her with "Oblivion." Meg returns to class, mildly dazed, also convinced she has had a normal interview.

Ivory transforms back into Dolores. Ellie wonders why Madam Gros felt the need to use her powers again Meg. Madam Gros explains that she can't risk her position at the school. Principal Damocles has already gotten suspicious. She cannot afford any rumors at this point. She then makes a note about Meg's hostility in her folder.

Once again, it's not only Marinette's grade level that Madam Gros interviews. She's interviewing all grades—about one student from each grade in the morning, and one in the afternoon. So this afternoon, we see her interview one of the older students, Theo Barbot. He's a senior, a year older than Luka Couffaine and Mathieu Anciel. When he sits down across from her desk, Madam Gros is surprised as he looks so mature; she actually thought he was a college-aged student teacher, an adult.

Theo admits he gets that a lot. Madam Gros dives into her questions, wondering about Theo's hobbies and interests and family life. Theo admits to being an aspiring sculptor, but he currently has three part-time jobs and has had many more in the past in order to afford the supplies for his craft as well as rent in a shared studio to work from. Madam Gros wonders about his dedication and if it wouldn't be better if he saved his money for college. Theo says his investing into his sculpting is investing in college as he's aiming for an art scholarship. It also comes up that he's an only child and that his parents don't really approve of his sculpting as they see no future in it. However, he gets a lot of support from his grandparents, especially since his statue of Ladybug and Cat Noir was chosen by the city of Paris itself.

Madam Gros notes that he was once akumatized into Copycat, and Theo replies with shame for how he handled that whole situation. He admits he was completely wrong in giving into his negative feelings like that. He says his new girlfriend, Mireille Caquet, has helped him to become a better person and that he refuses to ever make a mistake like that again. Madam Gros is surprised that he's dating a younger classmate who is a local celebrity and wonders how it works when they're both clearly busy (him with art and her with work). Theo says it just means they cherish their time together all the more. However, because he looks older than he actually is (he had to start shaving just after he turned fourteen), he gets a lot of criticism as people think he's a college student dating a high schooler rather than a high schooler dating another high schooler who is only slightly over two years older than her). Random meddlers and busybodies have called him "gross" and "inappropriate," and he admits to being a little afraid that someone will call the cops on him if he tries to take Mireille out to a nice restaurant for her birthday.

Madam Gros veers the topic into how Theo handles stress, which he replies by focusing on sculpting. He admits sometimes this causes him to lose focus and he doesn't get his homework done. She asks him about his thoughts on Hawk Moth, and Theo admits that the thing that pisses him off the most is that Hawk Moth victimized Mireille when he turned her into Prediction. When asked about Ladybug, Theo admits to once having a crush on her, but he has moved on. Madam Gros thanks him for his time, sends him back to class, and rejects him as a miraculous wielder.

School lets out that afternoon. Meera Pugliese asks Raissa Deschamps if she can head home with her to check on Giselle. Raissa agrees, and they both head that way as fast as they reasonably can to see how their friend is doing. Raissa waves to Nicholas as they leave, surprising him again that his fellow students are willing to be friendly with him. Guy Nigel starts up a game of soccer while he and some other students wait for their rides (or just with classmates who hang out a bit before walking home or taking public transportation). This includes Ivan Bruel, Cameran Tyler, Tristan Fortier, Le Chien Kim, and Gilles Chastain. Guy lets some Western slang slip into his dialogue as they have fun, and Cameran trips up between English and French at one point. Lila Rossi waves good-bye, insisting she would love to stay but she has to hurry and meet her mother at the embassy where she works (as a low-level secretary, not anyone as important as Lila makes her out to be). Adrien tries to talk to Chloe before she leaves, trying to repair the damage to their friendship. Chloe tells him she doesn't want to hear it and gets in the limo, ordering the driver to circle the city as she continues her search for a private practice ground. The radio news reports the mysterious collapse of an abandoned hotel the other day. Chloe doesn't even bat an eye.

Felix Graham de Vanily heads immediately for the Agreste manor (Nicholas is in the limo too, but Adrien stays for fencing practice). Felix props up his tablet and phone to ignore Nicholas, which is fine for the Sancoeur boy. He's lost in his own thoughts about his own identity and purpose.

Once at the Agreste manor, Felix seeks out his mother. He finds her in a spare room that she has turned into her office so that she can run the Graham de Vanily film brand from Paris. (He also doesn't even bother to visit his comatose aunt or uncle.) Amelie is surprised to see him immediately after school—and with such a serious expression. Felix says he has a proposal he wants to discuss with her. Amelie raises an eyebrow at his professionalism but agrees to hear him out.

Felix lays out paperwork, research, articles on his tablet, and cost analysis on his phone. He explains his desire to return to London and live there in the Graham de Vanily manor. He says he calculated the costs, which include room and board, a private tutor, and travel expenses. It is well within his family's budget. And it would be perfectly legal as long as (insert some stuff about European law that the author is unfamiliar with). He further adds that he could live independently if his mother is so intent on staying in Paris until Emilie is conscious. He insists he'd be responsible with all his studies: education, cello, martial arts, and foreign languages. He further outlines his argument by saying he could be a contact for the company in London, learning the family business and alleviating his mother's workload while she's still in Paris. It is a very well-constructed argument, done up like a business proposal, but it is also apparent that Felix is homesick and has no intention of opening his heart while he's in Paris.

Amelie is actually silenced for a moment as she is impressed yet saddened by her son's proposal. Amelie says she is very impressed by all the thought and hard-work he put into this. However, they're both going to stay in Paris. Felix demands to know what it's so important for him to be here. He's not a doctor, he can't do anything to cause Emilie and Gabriel to wake up. Amelie explains that she wanted to get him out of London in order for him to reconnect with his cousin, Adrien. Felix is surprised by this and wonders why. Amelie tells him that she knows he's repressing all his grief about his father's passing. He refuses to mourn. She feels he needs to grieve in order to heal, but instead he's just bundling all his emotions up. And she's worried about him; that's not healthy. She thought by getting him out of England and reconnecting him with family, especially a formerly close cousin who had been a confidant and friend, would allow him to open up and mourn. But Felix has been so resistant to everything in Paris that he simply isn't. She also admits that in part, it's for herself too. She needed a change of scenery as being in the home she shared with her husband was crushing her. She came to heal as much as she wants Felix to—and to see her twin sister healed too.

Once Felix gets over being dumbfounded, he straightens his vest and says he appreciates his mother's concern, but her logic is faulty. He has already come to terms with his father's death. So, as he just outlined, it's best if he be allowed to go back to London. Amelie just shakes her head. She will not approve such a thing. Instead, she wants Felix to take the afternoon off from his cello lessons, calm down, and focus on all the good things that are around him. Loosen up, talk to Adrien, enjoy school, make new friends, play some games. Felix insists he doesn't need such nonsense. Amelie smiles sadly and says that by giving such an answer, he has only proven all of her points. "The answer is 'no.'"

Felix gathers up all his things and very professionally thanks his mother for listening to his petition. He leaves composed. But once Amelie is out of sight, his face becomes a storm cloud of rage.

And it's those intense emotions that Nathalie Sancoeur picks up on. She's almost bowled over by how powerful they are—and by how close she's detecting them. Nathalie hesitates for just a moment. Should she akumatized Gabriel's nephew? But then she recalls how Gabriel couldn't stand his in-laws. If I akumatize someone else in this household, it'll further drive off suspicious. She heads into the secret lair where she transforms using just the butterfly miraculous.

Moments later, an akuma flutters down the hallway, where it finds Felix who is simmering and sulking in his room. He doesn't even see the akuma coming until he hears Hawk Moth's voice (again put through a synthesizer) and the ensuing promise for power in exchange for any and all miraculous. Felix readily agrees and is immediately akumatized into Inverse. Hawk Moth whispers in his ear, claiming he (actually she) has a very special power in store for Inverse—all Inverse has to do is follow the plan.

Inverse leaps out the window and across the streets of Paris. He jumps from rooftop to rooftop, finally landing in the middle of a parking lot. He announces his presence by kicking an entire car into a stone wall (his stance is very obviously drawn from the particular style of martial arts he studies). This catches several people's attention. Some flee, some film him, and most activate their Akuma Alerts, pinning the location through GPS. Inverse lets out his rage on a few more cars before walking into the busy street where drivers have to swerve to get around him. This results in even more akuma alerts (one of which comes from Wayhem) as well as Inverse walking coldly by, simmering just underneath his stoic expression.

Of course, with multiple confirmed Akuma Alerts, this gets everyone with a miraculous in all of Paris scrambling to communicate with allies. The B Team is not only down Dauphine and Snow Leopard, but Honey Bee and Chip Bluestone are also still benched due to the risk of them "going red." Dauphin asks if it's okay for him to act without a secret keeper now that he has a kwami. After all, Dauphine is his secret keeper, and with her grounded, there's no way she can watch his back. Alpha tells him to stand by until they're certain what this new akuma victim can do and if Ladybug and Cat Noir need someone's specific talent and/or help.

Ladybug and Cat Noir are the first to confront Inverse (with Cat Noir not even recognizing that the victim is his cousin at first). Inverse darts into close range and engages them both in martial arts. This not only surprises the golden duo as Inverse isn't using any special ability, but it catches them off guard as Inverse is skilled enough to not only deal with them and their weapons barehanded, but he's also able to steal Cat Noir's baton and used it against him. Cat Noir begins to get an inkling at that point about Inverse's identity as he's seen these martial arts before. But since he is a fencer not an MAA-er, he's not fully certain.

He's not even given much time to figure things out when Inverse begins weaponizing the items in the surroundings, such as kicking an entire car towards Cat Noir to try to pin or crush him. Cat Noir leaps aside just in time to avoid that one, but he cannot dodge the small motorcycle throw towards his head while he's in midair. This forces him to use his Cataclysm to defend himself.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what Inverse wanted. Inverse does a motion with his hands that moment Cat Noir begins to say "Cata—". An ugly violet pulse washes over the area. Cat Noir comes in contact with the motorcycle, but instead of it disintegrating, it's upgraded into a heavy duty Harley with all the accessories—and all the weight. Cat Noir is clobbered and left stunned beneath the heap of twisted metal. Ladybug calls out in alarm and runs to his aid. She loops her yo-yo around like a pulley to lift the motorbike off of him, and he's obviously hurting.

Both wonder what just happened. Ladybug asks if Cat Noir is sure he struck the motorcycle with his Cataclysm, and Cat Noir insists he did. They look back toward Inverse, who is grinning cockily. Ladybug concludes that Inverse did something—then she has a eureka moment. "He introduced himself as Inverse—so that must be his power!" Cat Noir is surprised but follows her train of thought, "does that mean he can actually reverse our special abilities?" Inverse's sardonic grin is all the confirmation they need.

Cat Noir urges Ladybug to fall back. If her Lucky Charm become an "Unlucky Charm," it could wind up harming Paris worse than any akuma victim. Ladybug insists she's not going to let Cat Noir take on an akuma victim alone, especially not while he's on his timer, while her mind races through her allies and what abilities they have that might not be compromised if Inverted. It's not safe to request Alpha; his empowerment would weaken all of us! Blue Ox would be shrunk instead of enlarged, Tigress would accidentally empower our opponent, and Pigella might show someone his or her worst nightmares! Even worse, as they try to deal with the situation at hand, more of Peacock Moth's spyders edge around the scene of the fight, waiting for a moment they can follow someone and/or learn information that would cripple the heroes and help Paris's greatest terrorist.

Even worse, Inverse keeps up the pressure, engaging Ladybug and Cat Noir at close range with martial arts and using items in the surrounding area as weapons. He's strong, and he shows no remorse whatsoever for collateral damage. Cat Noir calls him out on this, and Inverse coldly and boldly declares that he hates Paris and doesn't care what happens to it. Ladybug realizes she's going to need her Lucky Charm to undo all the damage, but she worries about risking it with Inverse's ability. She makes eye contact with Cat Noir, and he understands with a nod. Cat Noir takes a martial arts pose, challenging Inverse to a weaponless fight. Inverse tosses aside the baton he stole from Cat Noir and accepts the challenge.

This gives Ladybug enough time to duck nearby and pull up the Internet on her yo-yo. She quickly requests for specific back-up on both servers. Then she bolts back into the fight, scooping up the baton along the way. She swings at Inverse, and Inverse calls her out for interrupting an honorable fight between two men. Ladybug points out there's nothing honorable from accepting power from Paris's most well-known terrorist.

This pisses Inverse off enough that he pulls out a whole lamppost and uses it against the golden duo like a giant baseball bat. Once he has them tripped up, he bends it around Ladybug, pinning her to the wall like a giant staple. Then he moves in to grab her earrings.

That's when they hear "Shelter Shock!" with Carapace landing as he forms a shield around Ladybug to protect her from getting her miraculous stolen. Cat Noir compliments Carapace on his timing as he was truly worried about Ladybug and couldn't reach her fast enough. Carapace replies in his usual way with "No problem, dude."

Inverse activates his ability again, reverse Carapace's shield so it turns into basically a grenade, exploding outward with the shield becoming slivers that slash into Ladybug and Carapace due to proximity. Both cry out in pain, which infuriates Cat Noir as that's his best friend and love interest. He picks up his baton from where Ladybug dropped it and engages Inverse again with the fury of Luke Skywalker against Darth Vader.

Ladybug watches, very concerned about how Cat Noir is acting. Though his frenzy does give her and Carapace a chance to recover. It also gives Ryuko and Firefly, the other two Ladybug requested, time to arrive. Ryuko is immediately ready for action, katana drawn, and wants to know Ladybug's plan. Firefly is a bit wary and asks to confirm if Inverse's ability really is to reverse their special abilities. Ladybug confirms it is. She motions for Carapace to help Cat Noir while she quickly whispers her plan to both Firefly and Ryuko. They nod and dash towards where she indicated.

However, Carapace is struggling to get Cat Noir to calm down. It takes Ladybug rushing forward and throwing her arms around him to bring him back to his senses. She tells him in his ear to remember that he's not alone. Cat Noir relaxes and apologizes to "milady" for losing his cool. She tells him that if he ever needs to talk, she's always there. Cat Noir starts to reply positively, but they're interrupted by a mailbox kicked in their direction by Inverse. Ladybug pulls Cat Noir aside and tells him to follow her as part of the plan; he agrees.

Carapace joins them, and they alternate between attacking and baiting Inverse until they get him out of the way of the general populace. That lures him to where Ryuko and Firefly are waiting. Ryuko engages Inverse with her katana, and Inverse picks up a piece of pipe to do the same. However, Ryuko is skilled with the sword and traps him against the wall where she uses her "Wind Dragon" form to finish him. Inverse reacts quickly, reversing her ability so she turns into sand instead of wind. He then leaps up the side of the building, evading her and the others. With Ryuko's sand form being heavy, she can't follow.

However, Firefly had activated his ability at the same time. Inverse's reversal of Ryuko also reversed Firefly's. Now, his Beacon summons an enemy instead of summoning an ally. Inverse's escape attempt is thwarted as he's pulled back to Ryuko, who uses the fact she turned into sand to make a quagmire that holds him tight. Ladybug swoops in and steals his akumatized item. When he reverts back to Felix, Cat Noir is shocked silent as his worst fears are confirmed. Felix squirms and struggles. It's clear he's anything but happy.

It's only then that Ladybug can safely create her Lucky Charm. It turns out to be a can of spray paint. Before she throws it into the air, she punctures it, coating everyone and everything in the area with black-spotted red paint. Her allies complain. But then Ladybug points out the invisible spyders that are now painted. She tells all her allies to be careful (again) as they head home so as not to be followed. This does unnerve Carapace, Ryuko, and Firefly as they had not seen these before. Carapace gets extra creeped out.

Then Ladybug throws her broken spray paint can into the air to heal all the damage, and the heroes "Pound It!"

By now, Cat Noir is pretty low on his timer, but he still says he wants to talk to the de-evilized victim while everyone else departs, taking care to avoid the giant, invisible but painted, flying spyders. Cat Noir offers to take Felix home, but Felix insists he has no home here, and regardless, he can walk. Cat Noir tries to urge Felix to open up to him, to explain what has him so down that he got akumatized. However, Felix remains sullen the entire conversation. The only thing he lets slip is that he's very home sick. Cat Noir knows from his experience as Adrien that telling Felix to lighten up and make friends isn't going to work. So instead he asks if there's anything Felix actually is interested in (Felix hints it's playing the cello) and to focus on that instead. "And watch out for the spyders." Cat Noir departs, and Felix finds his own way home as he wanted. This conversation also causes Cat Noir to realize that he does need to open up about the things that he's holding inside before they get the better of him. He almost lost it today.

Evening rolls around, and the members of the B Team who can attend meet up at the graveyard to practice like they did more frequently in the past. It has a definitely different feel as they all know Dauphine is in massive trouble with her family, Snow Leopard is stuck in a shell, and both Honey Bee and Chip Bluestone cannot even use their magical items safely. Alpha, Firefly, Dauphin, Froppy, and Tsukuyomi all show up. Froppy does mention it's great to see everyone again as she's missed these sessions.

They begin practicing together, honing their skills since now everyone present has a miraculous with all the strengths and limits thereof. There's also some disheartened talk on if Snow will be all right and how to save Honey Bee and Chip from sharing Dauphine's fate.

That's when Ladybug jumps down to join them, surprising them all. Ladybug explains she saw their meeting time and place listed on their chat server, and she wanted to see how they practiced together (to get ideas for how she can practice with her own allies). Alpha is surprised and says he modeled everything after what he theorizes Ladybug is already doing. Ladybug sweats and does a "let's go with that." However, she is still interested in participating in their practice session. This brightens everyone's mood, and they have a great time together. Ladybug begins to ponder the idea of using a cemetery herself for Team A's training.

They're also not the only transformed people out that evening. Queen Scorpion is active as well. Similarly to Ladybug, she's looking again for a place where she can practice. She circles around the hospital, but the life flight helicopter landing pad rules that out. The lavish hotel roofs have swimming pools; the stadium is too well lit and occupied. Scorpion gets quite huffy as her search continues to yield no results, compounded by the fact she has to do the hunting herself rather than just ordering a servant or a "friend" to find some place for her. Queen Scorpion heads home.

Unknown to her, she's picked up a tail. One of the spyders sees her flit by and follows. Queen Scorpion lands on her bedroom balcony and turns back into Chloe Bourgeois. She catches Barbarra and offers her caviar as a snack. Every last detail is viewed by the spyder, who relays it straight back to Peacock Moth.

Back at the Agreste manor, Felix is in his room, practicing his cello. His mother, Amelie, knocks and then enters. Word has gotten around that he was akumatized, and she's understandably worried. She tries to get him to open up to her and talk, but Felix is as guarded as ever. This causes Amelie to realize how bad things have gotten for Felix mentally/emotionally/psychologically as he has shut himself off from his own mother. She expresses she's worried about him, reminds him that he's not alone, and tries to encourage him to open up to Adrien if not to her. Felix takes her remarks with cold indifference. "If you really cared, you'd let me go home." The conversation spins its tires before Amelie wishes him a good night, clearly very concerned about her son as she leaves.

She heads to her own bedroom in the Agreste manor, wondering what more she could do to help him. She's considering a professional psychologist, though she knows how much Felix would resist that too. Perhaps going back to London would be best for him—but how can she leave behind her twin sister and nephew during a family crisis like this? Amelie sits at her desk, distracting herself with the mail that's there. One envelope has been bounced around the British post for quite a while, as shown by the numerous postage marks on it. The letter bares the symbol of a crane.

It's night. Marinette Dupin-Cheng has returned home and showered. She's in her pajamas with a towel around her neck, getting ready for bed. That's when she gets a text from Cat Noir. He asks if she has time to talk—or at least to listen. Marinette hesitates out of knowing this is Adrien, but she says she does. Cat Noir confesses to struggling lately. He's felt powerless ever since their capture during the Phase Two climax, and it's really getting to him. But her words, reminding him he's not alone, mean everything to him. Cat Noir reveals some of his insecurities about how he might fail again to protect those he cares about—or be rejected by them if they learned his true, relaxed personality. He confesses to being irrationally angry at times and states that he wants to be a better person—and Ladybug is the encouragement he needs to be that man. They discuss things late into the night over texts, revealing their fears, insecurities, and hopes all the while encouraging each other and offering a friendly, listening ear. Both go to bed with smiles on their faces, their emotional loads lightened, as they had such a deep, meaningful conversation with the person they love.

To be continues in Chapter 75: Tenrec & Golden Scarabug…