Chapter 77: Hypnos
It's late into the night, but Ladybug and Cat Noir aren't asleep. They're in the middle of an akuma attack, dealing with an opponent who has a stretchy, rubber body (like Luffy D. Monkey, Elasti-girl, or Mr. Fantastic). The golden duo are having a hard time as Rubber-band Man keeps throwing them around as well as simply causing all of their attacks to bounce off of his body (pun intended). Ladybug summons her Lucky Charm and gets a fire extinguisher. Through a coordinated effort with Cat Noir, she's able to freeze Rubber-band Man to keep him from stretching, allowing his akumatized item to be broken, the akuma purified, the collateral damage healed, and a two-way "Pound It!"
The civilian identity of Rubber-band Man is revealed to be Mr. Beauchene, the father of Rachel Beauchene (their classmate, who has currently been carrying and corrupted by the garnet bear nails). Mr. Beauchene had a stress-break down over being "stretched too thin" between two jobs as well as his family and other obligations. He thanks the heroes for saving him. Cat Noir offers to help him home, but Mr. Beauchene chooses to take a taxi instead.
This gives Ladybug and Cat Noir just a minute or two to talk before they transform back. Ladybug asks Cat Noir if he received a message from Honey Bee. Cat Noir affirms that he did. She asks what he thinks about Honey Bee's plan. See, Honey Bee in the prior chapter did put a lot of thought into how she could handle dealing with her powers surging. She has an advantage over the rest of the B Team in that her family knows her alias. She requested Ladybug and Cat Noir's help; Honey Bee wants the golden duo to tell her family (through a phone call) that they need Honey Bee on a mission for a couple of days. It'd be a "crucial" mission as it would purify her magical item so that the events of Crimson don't happen again. Of course, during this time, Ladybug and Cat Noir (as well as the B Team) are to try to force Honey Bee's powers to surge. She'll have a rather honest excuse for her family, and her shell will be in the hands of allies. Not to mention she already took vacation from her "part-time job."
Cat Noir admits that he thinks Honey Bee's idea is as good as they can possibly get considering the circumstances. He's a bit jealous her family knows her identity—what he wouldn't give to even be able to talk to his own parents. However, Cat Noir points out, there are still some flaws. Namely, they have to ensure Honey Bee's powers surge during this. And second, they'd need a place to keep Honey Bee until her cocoon breaks. After all, it's clear Honey Bee doesn't want her family to know she's going to be completely encased for 2-3 days. Ladybug suggests Marianne Lenoir again. After all, Marianne watched over Alpha. And if Ladybug, Cat Noir, or anyone on the B Team took Honey Bee's shell with them, then they'd find out Honey Bee's identity in the end and she'd find out theirs. Now, this does put more pressure on Marianne—she knows Ladybug, Cat Noir, Alpha, and Master Fu's identities already. If any villains find out about her, she'd be in huge danger. However, Cat Noir agrees with Ladybug that Marianne is the best option they have for Honey Bee. Ladybug says she'll relay their approval to Honey Bee through a text.
They mention that they still have one of Master Fu's riddles to solve each as well. Cat Noir thanks "milady" and yawns and stretches. He's very glad tomorrow is the weekend as he needs to catch up on his sleep. Between Hawk Moth, Adamantus, and the Western Order, they haven't had a chance to breathe. Ladybug yawns too. They make eye contact and laugh. Cat Noir remarks how pretty Ladybug's smile is, and she averts her attention from his face. Cat Noir knows better than to push or get his hopes up. He tells Ladybug good night and heads home. Ladybug does the same.
Beneath the starlight of Paris, Adamantus is on the move. Rubber-band Man was just a distraction from Peacock Moth. Adamantus's mission is the true goal. He slips into a luxurious high rise and finds where Vivica is asleep in the staff section of Jagged Stone's personal apartment. He leaves the eleventh birthstone item for her to find and sneaks out without anyone realizing he was there. Of course, this turns out to be easy as Vivica isn't in her room. This just leaves one un-delegated item created by Nathalie Sancoeur. And she wants it delivered to Gilles Chastain, Nicholas's best friend. Yet Nicholas keeps hesitating as he doesn't want Gilles involved.
There's a very good reason why Vivica isn't in her place of residence under Jagged Stone. She's at a Star Wars Ahsoka Tano watch party with her penpal, Giselle Winters-Blanchet. Nathaniel Kurtzberg is hosting the event as his parents are never home. With that kind of flexibility, the teens decided to turn it into a midnight watch party. As in, watching the episode the moment it goes live on the streaming service at midnight. Nathaniel Kurtzberg is there, of course, as he is a massive Star Wars fan. Marc Anciel joined him due to being best friends. They invited Le Chien Kim (who is always up for any type of watch party) and Max Kante (who likes scifi enough but does often comment on the "unscientific" aspects of it). Kim texts Ondine, who has at least re-earned cell phone privileges from her grounding. Max also brings his robot best friend, Markov. Giselle invited not only Vivica but also her (Giselle's) two best friends, Raissa Deschamps (who has been slipped an item by Nicholas Sancoeur already) and Meera Pugliese. Raissa is just game for any type of party while Meera is a Star Trek fan but is there for her friends.
Vivica is the last to arrive and is welcomed inside where all seven other teens are waiting with a ton of snacks. Vivica is welcomed like an old friend despite meeting everyone else for the first time. She's relieved as no one seems to recognize her as Jagged Stone's guitarist. She really only wants normal friends outside of the celebrity life; she wants to be treated like a normal girl sometimes too.
Of course, with this line-up, it means that not only are a number of humans there, but there's also a fair few kwamis. Nathaniel has both Orikko and Lucciola; Ziggy is with Marc. Kim has Finn while Max smuggles Kaalki, and Giselle has Chill. Nathaniel and Marc had ordered their three kwamis to stay in Nathaniel's room during the watch party. However, the kwamis snuck out to pilfer some of the snacks. They're not the only one who had such an idea, as Finn sneaks away from Kim to sample the tuna croissants. This results in Finn making eye contact with Orikko, Ziggy, and Lucciola as well as Orikko, Ziggy, and Lucciola making eye contact with him. Finn darts back towards the teens (Kim in particular, but the line of sight isn't 100% accurate for the kwamis). Lucciola asks the other two if they saw what she saw. They affirm that they did, but then shrug it off and go back to the pizza rolls. Lucciola is surprised and wonders if they should do about the dolphin kwami (and his wielder) likely being present. Orikko points out that there's not much that they can do. If they try to say anything, their words will turn to bubbles. Ziggy affirms this for the new kwami, telling her that kwamis are magically forced to keep things like identities and powers a secret. So since they can't do anything, they might as eat. After all, isn't it a good thing that one of Firefly/Nom de Plume and Buck's allies is an IRL friend of theirs?
The watch party continues, oblivious to the kwamis. Everyone is excited and laughing. Meera wonders where the Voyager is. Giselle talks to Nathaniel some about his comic during the breaks and how much she likes its newest plot twist with its new villains (who are based on twisted versions of Nom de Plume and Buck but she doesn't realize this). Nathaniel thanks her for the compliment but gives all plot credit to Marc. Markov attempts to follow the Star Wars plot the best he can being a robot, but he winds up hopelessly lost.
Halfway into the watch party, the door of the apartment opens. Then teens look up, and Mr. Kurtzberg enters the apartment. He is clearly coming from work and surprised to see them all there. Everyone, especially Marc, is surprised to see one of Nathaniel's parents home. Mr. Kurtzberg welcomes them and then yawns. He says he's hitting the hay after working a double shift at the hospital and just asks them to keep the noise down so he can sleep a bit before going in for the morning shift. He doesn't really even bother to ask about why Nathaniel is throwing a party, what they're doing, or who Nathaniel's friends are as he's just that tired. Mr. Kurtzberg leaves, and some of the teens look at Nathaniel. Marc remarks "I didn't really even know you had parents." Nathaniel, dryly and a bit bitterly, replies with "Sometimes, neither do I." Nathaniel explains a bit that his parents both spend a ton of hours at the hospital, where they're fairly high ranking, highly paid doctors. Due to shortage of staff and whatnot, his parents always are taking overtime and double shifts. Nathaniel barely even sees them. Le Chien Kim replies with a "that's rough, buddy" and they all go back to watching Star Wars.
Luka Couffaine is also up late. In part, he's keeping an eye on the situation with the golden duo and Rubber-band Man. But in part, his mind is too pre-occupied to sleep. While the meal with both his parents went well enough, he's still distracted with Tsukuyomi's report on Chip Bluestone. Luka does not want to suspect any of his allies; they're all a pack. But he also has to protect them, which includes investigating things like this.
Luka makes his decision. He sends a Discord message to Froppy and Tsukuyomi, asking them to keep quiet about things for now. He wants to look into things properly and gather solid evidence before they say anything against Chip.
And speaking of…Before Luka can log off, he sees Chip has posted another comment on the server. Chip is, yet again, having problems with "your account has been accessed from another device" messages. He's changed his password multiple times and everything. Luka doesn't reply, but he does ponder why only Chip has this problem. Luka can't help but feel uneasy.
They're not the only ones active in Paris that evening. At the airport, Zenon Theroux finally touches down after being sent all the way back to Canada by his allies in the Western Order. He has his own suitcase and carry-on backpack. However, one of the airport employees carts over one more of his boxes. It's wooden and covered with stickers, layover tags, and what can only be described as spell seals. Zenon confirms it's his, and the airport attendant walks away. Zenon hauls it and his luggage through the airport, and it's clear that whatever is in the box is very, very, very heavy.
His uncle, Dr. Gerald Theroux, is waiting with the car to pick him up. Zenon asks him if this is it. Dr. Theroux lifts the lid, just a tiny crack, and confirms it is—it's the item that helped him and Dolores Gros overthrow the rest of the Western Order. And now, it'll fulfill their agenda in Paris. Uncle Gerald and Zenon drive back to Madam Gros's place of residence.
Zenon asks his uncle for the details about what he just recovered. Zenon and his sister, Brynne, weren't part of the overthrow. Gerald and Dolores did it all. But Zenon and Brynne aren't complaining as they agree with the adults' ideology. So Dr. Theroux explains his side of the backstory.
He and his little brother had been orphaned at an early age; his little brother doesn't even remember their parents he was so young. It was the Western Order of the Miraculous, who work out of Montreal, Quebec, who took them in. As they grew up, they received a great education in addition to learning all about the magical items enshrined deep within their temple. However, the Western Order had one cardinal rule: do not use the magic. Which made little sense to Gerald as a child—why have magic if you're not going to use it? But since this was the only home he had once his parents died, he didn't see any reason to object to their rules. He learned to shrug off that question and focus on his studies as he grew. After all, his true calling had always been the medical field rather than dedicating his adult life to the Order by becoming a priest.
However, Gerald Theroux's little brother (Zenon and Brynne's father), Grant, felt different. Grant Theroux studied to become a priest to properly join the Western Order of the Miraculous. Even when Grant fell in love with and married his first wife (Zenon and Brynne's mother) and their kids were born, he still pursued the study of magic to work his way up the ranks of the Order. He became ordained at a rather young age. Dr. Theroux admits that his little brother was probably too obsessed with his studies of magic. That's why his wife left him. And maybe Gerald should have stepped in to say something at that point, but he didn't.
Grant Theroux worked hard as a priest and raised Zenon and Brynne as a single father. It was about at that time he met Dolores Gros through the Order, who was every bit as obsessed about magic as he was. The two clicked and furthered their studies together. One thing they both agreed on is that the magic the Western Order has should be used, not hidden away. The two often butted heads with the elders of the Order, but they were never deterred. Grant and Dolores even got engaged.
Zenon nods as he knew as a young child that Dolores had almost become his step mother. He does look up to her even though they never legally became family. Byrnne feels the same.
Dr. Theroux continues his story, saying that that's where everything went wrong. See, the Western Order knew that something had happened to cause the Eastern Order to vanish many decades ago—even before the World Wars. However, they had no idea what. Nor did they know what happened to the miracle box enshrined by the Eastern Order. Plus all their priests and priestesses, grimoires and knowledge—all just lost without a trace.
The Western Order had initially sent out a search and rescue party when things went south for the Eastern Order. But the search party (pre-WWI) came back with nothing; they couldn't even find the temple of the Western Order. It was just an empty foundation. Since those times, it had been almost a tradition rather than expecting to find anything—but once a year, the Western Order would send out a search party to see if they could find any clues about the vanished Eastern Order. None of the searches ever turned up anything. Then, roughly ten years ago, Grant Theroux was put in charge of an expedition. That was when everything changed.
Grant and his team never returned. The elders in the Western Order maintain that they had no idea what happened to Grant. But Dr. Theroux and Madam Gros always had their lingering doubts. Was there some type of cover-up? This is aided by the fact that both had letters they received from Grant while he was in Tibet before he vanished. Letters that implied he had uncovered clues and was following hopeful leads. If Grant had found a trace of the Eastern Order, why would he just vanished? And why would the Western Order act as if it were nothing? It was then that, deep in his heart, Gerald turned against the Order that raised him.
At that time, in the present, Gerald and Zenon arrive at the place of residence for them and Dolores Gros. They haul in the object that Zenon brought with him. Once in the elevator, Zenon asks Dr. Theroux about what happened next. Dr. Theroux suggests that Zenon ask Dolores. However, Dr. Theroux believes that his little brother did, indeed, find what he was looking for. That's why he went missing. He found the truth. The camera pans down to the sealed box. When the elevator doors slide open, Madam Gros is clearly elated to see it.
Morning rolls around, and both Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng have barely gotten any sleep due to the night before as well as their families waking them up early. It isn't too long until they both get a message from Honey Bee, explaining that she talked to her family and that they agree. She's ready to attempt the whole powers surge. Marinette is surprised that Honey Bee got permission so suddenly, but considering that Honey Bee has a school and work schedule to keep an eye on, the sooner they deal with this over Bee's vacation, the better. Marinette finishes what she was doing with her parents, checks with Cat Noir to see if he's available (he is), and then heads out to meet Honey Bee.
Luka Couffaine also gets the same message from Honey Bee. She respects Alpha as leader, and she wants him to be on hand to help her with the surge—or to stop her if Hawk Moth takes control of her again. Luka is pretty tired too as he spent all night wondering and worrying over Chip Bluestone. Nonetheless, he agrees and heads out after telling Juleka where he's going.
Adrien Agreste gets the message while he's having breakfast with all available members of his household. This includes Nathalie and Nicholas Sancoeur as well as Amelie and Felix Graham de Vanily, eating at the same table together with him. The air is frozen knives between Amelie and Nathalie. Solomon, the gorilla, is watching from the corner. Dr. Theroux took his meal upstairs so he could better watch Emile and Gabriel. Felix is actually being marginally more talkative, and Adrien is happy to see his home alive. If only mom and dad would wake up… Once the meal is over, he tells them all he's going to study in his room. Then he leaves out his window as Cat Noir to meet with Honey Bee and the others.
All four heroes arrive at roughly the same time. The place Honey Bee chose is a very overgrown garden on the property of an abandoned manor. It has high brick walls, allowing them privacy. Honey Bee says she figured this would be a good location as her element is flora. Alpha nods in agreement. And it keeps our usual practice grounds (the cemetery) safe. Cat Noir asks if Honey Bee is ready to begin, but she says she has to make a call first and then asks if it's okay. Her parents want video confirmation that she really is with Ladybug and Cat Noir; otherwise, they're not going to let her stay away for 2-3 days. The other three exchange a look before Ladybug confidently says it's okay.
Honey Bee calls home, using a video chat with the visuals on her family's end turned off, so they're voice only. Honey Bee smiles into her phone and waves to her family, and then spins the camera around to show the real Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Alpha. Ladybug tells Honey Bee's family that their daughter is in good hands, and Cat Noir promises to do everything in his power to purify the comb. Alpha agrees and adds that he'll continue looking after Honey Bee as he has had the past months. A little boy's voice breaks through on the phone, saying how cool it is that his sister is playing with real heroes; he begs for autographs. Ladybug and Cat Noir laugh and promise him one. Honey Bee's (step) mother makes them all promise, repeatedly, to look after Honey Bee; she also makes Honey Bee promise to take care of herself while she's gone with the heroes on their mission: eat vegetables at every meal, don't stay awake too late, don't get into any fights with someone bigger than you, etc. Honey Bee promises. Her father ends the call by wishing her the best and saying he's proud of her.
It's a bit awkward when the call ends, and Honey Bee wonders why. Ladybug explains that she's pretty sure they're all jealous of the good relationship Honey Bee has with her family as well as the fact that they know her secret. (Plus Alpha and Cat Noir are double jealous due to the issues within their own family.) Honey Bee smiles and says it wasn't always that way; they had to work to rebuild their family after…after something happened (divorce). "But now let's go to work." It's also worth noting that not only are both Ladybug and Cat Noir who are exhausted from the night before, but Alpha is also low on sleep after being up for too long wondering about what to do with Chip Bluestone.
Ladybug reminds Honey Bee that it's not just physical and magical strain that causes powers to surge—as the wielder, Honey Bee also has to undergo a deep emotional toll too. Honey Bee takes a deep breath. She says she's going to attempt to focus on all the things that stress her out while they spar together. Alpha wishes her the best and then draws his spear and lunges, forcing her to defend. Ladybug and Cat Noir join in, doing their best to push Honey Bee to her limits.
Back at Madam Gros's apartment, she and the others have opened the wooden crate to reveal a stone sloth sculpture. Despite it seemingly to be just a statue, the remaining members of the Western Order are acting very cautiously around it, including liberal use of spell scrolls. Brynne Theroux wonders what's so special about this sloth statue, and Madam Gros explains it's the secret to her and Dr. Theroux's successes. It took just two of them to overthrow the entire Western Order—because of this thing.
After Grant Theroux, Madam Gros's fiancé, went missing, Madam Gros (like Dr. Theroux) suspected the Order had done some type of cover-up. And she became obsessed with not only learning the truth but also meting out the justice that had been denied. Before, Madam Gros had been kinder though ambitious; she had always felt the miraculous were better if the Order actually used them. But once Grant vanished, her heart became stone, and she became determined to change things.
When Grant vanished, both Madam Gros and Dr. Theroux got majorly involved in the Western Order. They kept their heads down and studied hard, working through the ranks (Gerald all the while was raising his orphaned niece and nephew). The studying was a mask for them learning the secrets of the miraculous, other magic, and all the miraculous orders. Eventually, they gained enough trust that the Western Order sent them on the annual mission to find the long since MIA Eastern Order.
They went. And what Dolores and Gerald found was the sloth statue. The symbol on it gave it away as a relic of the miraculous orders, and the location made it likely it belonged to the Eastern Order. Neither reported their find. They took the sloth back to Canada and lied to their superiors that the mission had been a failure. Then both got to work to discover the secrets of the statue.
It took them until this past year or two, but eventually they figured out that the statue wasn't a statue—it's some type of magically constructed, enchanted beast. And the enchantment on it is powerful but concise—seek out all those who smell like miraculous and trap them within itself, within an eternal slumber. The sloth now lies dormant, but Dolores Gros and Gerald Theroux discovered how to awaken it. And they did so. The sloth consumed the entire Western Order except for them, Brynne, and Zenon (whom Dr. Theroux had ensured were safely a distance away when they attacked). They also stole the Western miraculous box during the chaos. It was their revenge for Grant's loss. Now, with the statue back in their possession, they can use it to track down any and all Eastern miraculous users from Ladybug to Hawk Moth to the elusive guardian of the miraculous, whom Tarantula and Rhino have been trying to find for the entirety of Phase Three. Now, there is some mystery left for Dr. Theroux and Madam Gros. After being missing for almost a century, why did the Eastern Order pop up here, in Paris, of all places when by the laws the govern the Orders, they should be in Tibet? And why are they breaking to vows of the miraculous by allowing magic to become common knowledge? Madam Gros intends to find out these answers and hopefully find closure on what happened to Grant. Then she'll do what the Western Order should have done all along—seize all miraculous, topple all the orders, and openly use the miraculous to control the world. For the world is too chaotic. Too many people get hurt; too many crimes grow unpunished. But with all the miraculous, Madam Gros and Dr. Theroux intend to create a tyrannical utopia in which they can end crime and control the population. Brynne and Zenon instantly agree with the plans and offer their full support. After all, the catalyst for all this is their father, and maybe, just maybe, they'll find out the truth about what happened to him. Maybe, just maybe, they'll find him. Madam Gros breaks the final seal on the sloth (while ensuring that her own allies' auras are significantly masked—this includes the current Western wielders like Pierre Lefevre and Chloe Bourgeois).
By now, it's late morning. Master Wang Fu is hiding in yet another hotel, all by himself, since he gave away the last of the miraculous. He's keeping a low profile and using spell scrolls himself to keep the room he's staying in from being traced through magic means (which explains why Tarantula has been having such a hard time finding him despite that literally being Tarantula's special ability). However, at some point, Master Fu needs to go out for basic supplies and food. So this morning, while the grocery store is busy and he's less likely to stand out, Master Fu is shopping for essential supplies.
A low thud, thud, thud stops his shopping. It stops everyone's shopping. There's gapes of surprise and horror as a giant stone sloth lumbers across the parking lot. Master Fu sees it, and his eyes go wide. He freezes in abject terror as the nightmare from his past lives again.
He was just a boy when his family pushed him into the Order of the Eastern Miraculous in order to have one less mouth to feed. The last thing he had wanted was to become a priest, but Master Fu had no choice. Within the Order, he was provided food and an education heavy in magic. But his heart just wasn't in it.
As he moved his way up the ranks of the priesthood, he had to face several trials. One of which involved watching the miraculous box of the Eastern Order for 72 hours straight without any sleep or anything else to occupy the mind. Already embitter at that point and heavily sleep deprived, young Wang Fu stole the peacock miraculous out of the miracle box. He used it to create a senti monster who would put everyone else to sleep, just for a nap, so that Fu could sleep too without anyone being the wiser. But the peacock miraculous is a poor match for him, and that compounded with his poor judgment and sleep-deprived brain…the senti monster went nuts and grew to an enormous size, swallowing the entire temple. Anything and everything that smelled of magic was consumed by it. One of the elders shoved the entire miraculous box and grimoire into young Fu's hands and ordered him to run. Fu fled as the elder, too, was swallowed whole.
Young Fu escaped into the wilderness of Tibet, pursued by the sloth-like senti monster he made. He lost the grimoire, peacock miraculous, and butterfly miraculous as he fled. And he wasn't safe until the senti monster tumbled into a ravine. Lost and homeless, Master Fu left Tibet to roam the world, determined to protect the Eastern miraculous box to right what had gone wrong. It was all he could do. He eventually settled down in Paris, before the wars, which led to him meeting Marianne—and the rest is history (including the obvious implications that Emilie and Gabriel found where Fu had dropped the grimoire and two miraculous as well as Gros and Theroux recovering the senti monster from the ravine.)
Now, right before his eyes, Master Fu's worst nightmare lives again. The sloth senti monster is stalking the streets of Paris. And it's looking for him. He's too petrified to even flee. All he can do is watch as the creature comes closer and closer, causing civilians to panic and cracking the concrete.
The senti monster isn't alone. Tarantula, Rhino, and Draco are following along beside it, immune to its senses thanks to talismans that Madam Gros and Dr. Theroux made. Rhino recognizes Master Fu immediately as the old man who evaded her twice. "He's the guardian of the eastern miraculous!" That exclamation is enough to snap Master Fu out of it, and he runs for his life in terror.
Back with Ladybug, Cat Noir, Alpha, and Honey Bee, the four teens are taking a break. They're all well-worked from their training, but Honey Bee's powers have shown no sign of surging. Alpha downs a bottle of water and says it's probably because it's safe during practice. No matter how much Honey Bee tries to mentally stress herself out, it isn't genuine enough.
The conversation is interrupted by a loud, deep thud, thud, thud as the sloth senti monster lumbers by. All four heroes are on their feet within an instant. Ladybug declares break time is over, and all four of them pursue the creature.
It's chaos the moment they hit the streets as Ladybug and Cat Noir immediately recognize Master Fu as he's fleeing and try to help him. Honey Bee cries out in alarm as she recognizes Tarantula, Draco, and Rhino on the roof. Alpha gets worried about Honey Bee as she could go Crimson at any moment; he urges her to stay back. Honey Bee points out that they need her Venom and promises not to leave Alpha's side so he can stop her if she loses control of herself. Alpha isn't happy with this plan, but he doesn't have time to protest when Draco drops in to attack him.
There's also not an insignificant number of civilians who are fleeing and/or filming the incident. Master Fu accidentally bumps into a couple of them in his desperation to escape. This causes the "scent" of something magical to get on them, and the sloth senti monster swallows them whole. Cat Noir gets Master Fu out of the way in time, while trying to pretend like he doesn't know the old man to protect both their identities, but Master Fu is clearly a nervous wreck and alternating between pleading with Cat Noir to flee and begging for forgiveness from his long-gone companions in the Eastern Order. Ladybug notices that Tarantula and crew are following, and she wonders what's going on. She deduced, correctly, that the sloth is a senti monster—but a senti monster doesn't match Team Tarantula's usual MOs. They didn't team up with Mayura, did they?! She cannot pursue that thought when Rhino charges her, forcing her to defend. It's worse as Ladybug, Cat Noir, and even Alpha and Honey Bee "smell" like magic, which causes them to be targeted by the sloth. So not only does Ladybug have to dodge Rhino and Cat Noir dodge Draco, but the sloth is after them too.
However, thanks to civilians notifying the internet about this, all of the heroes' allies are logging into Discord to keep abreast of the situation in case their talents are needed. Froppy immediately expresses concern about Honey Bee remaining involved and wonders if they should back-up Alpha. Tsukuyomi reminds her that they promised only to get involved if requested or if it's an absolute emergency—which it isn't, yet. Nonetheless, the B Team monitors the situation and Honey Bee closely. On the A Team's server, Rena Rouge has taken to calming the allies and answering questions while Ladybug is too tied up to type.
There's also more people active in the city at that moment. The first is Madam Gros, who has transformed into Ivory, and is watching from a rooftop in the not-so-distance. After all, this plan has the highest chance of them succeeding, and her power of Oblivion would be perfect to clean up any loose ends. At least, this plan has the highest chance of succeeding if it weren't for the second person. The moment the senti monster hit the street, Peacock Moth realized what was going on—after all, the sloth was created by her miraculous. She even knows its name: Hypnos. Furthermore, now that Honey Bee is wearing her comb again, she's easy prey.
Ladybug and Cat Noir provide a distraction for the sloth senti monster, Hypnos, so that Master Fu and the remaining civilians can flee. This is hampered by the fact that Rhino and Draco keep targeting them, forcing the golden duo to be light on their feet. Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm and gets a thumbtack; she has no idea why. Alpha is just about to empower them using his Howl when Honey Bee, to the right of him, doubles over, clutching her head. The gold on her outfit begins to leak red. Alpha grabs her by the wrists and encourages her to fight it, to not give in to Hawk Moth. And if she can't, transform back; he'll protect her. Honey Bee struggles with all she has while her outfit fluctuates between gold and red.
With Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Alpha preoccupied, Tarantula moves in on Master Fu. Master Fu drops pretenses and defends himself with spell scrolls and other enchantments he learned from his time in the Eastern Order; this thoroughly catches Tarantula off guard. However, he doesn't remain off guard for long. In fact, after a moment, Tarantula responds to Master Fu's spells with spells of his own. Which surprises Master Fu and causes him to get ensnared in Tarantula's web. After all, both Madam Gros and Dr. Theroux completed their training within the Western Order; they have full knowledge and grasp of various uses of magic. Master Fu only trained as a small child and then is largely self-taught. He realizes too late that he didn't stand a chance.
Ladybug and Cat Noir see that their mentor is in peril. They throw off Rhino and Draco and race to him. Unfortunately, the sloth senti monster (Hypnos) snags Cat Noir by the ankle. Ladybug is halfway to Master Fu when she notices. Cat Noir urges her to save the master as he's pulled toward Hypnos. She hesitates. Cat Noir or Master Fu? And in that hesitation, both are captured by Hypnos and thrown inside its mouth. Alpha calls out to them, but it's too late. They're gone. He does his best to fend off Hypnos, protect the civilians (including Fu), shield Honey Bee, and deal with the Western Order. But before too long, Alpha and Honey Bee are both captured within Hypnos as well.
Tarantula hauls a bound and gagged Master Fu onto his back and retreats to Ivory, who has come forward when Ladybug and team were captured. Tarantula wonders if this'll affect their plans any. After all, they have no idea how to get anything out of Hypnos once it's trapped inside. And with two known miraculous users inside, that's two miraculous forever trapped. Their goal, in part, is to obtain all miraculous and rule with them. Ivory ponders it a moment and figures it's an acceptable error. Hypnos is theirs, so they do have all the time they need to see if they can figure out how to reclaim the captured miraculous. And if they can't? Well, then the black cat and ladybug are lost forever and no one can use them against the Western Order—also an acceptable outcome.
Except at that moment, Hypnos turns on them. Peacock Moth fully took control of the senti monster (she has the peacock brooch, after all). And unlike the Western Order, Peacock Moth specifically needs both of the golden duo's miraculous (as well as many others) to awaken Gabriel Agreste. Seeing Hypnos turn on them floors the Western Order, and Rhino and Draco barely get involved fast enough with earth and flames to protect Tarantula and Ivory. Peacock Moth also knows she can easily dispel the senti monster and claim Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculous; they're practically in her hands already! But with Ivory and team right in front of her and a powerful senti monster at her disposal, the opportunity to take down an entire branch of her opposition is just too good to pass up.
The Western Order leaps out of the way. Ivory tries to hit Hypnos with Oblivion, but since Peacock Moth is fully in charge of Hypnos's will, it doesn't really even matter what Hypnos remembers and what it doesn't. Hypnos grabs Draco, and Draco only escapes by using his fire element to coat his entire body, causing Hypnos to drop him. Rhino attempts to head-charge the senti monster, but the monster is just too big and sturdy. Hypnos continues to target them. It's Tarantula who finally realizes what's going on; he concludes they are dealing with a senti monster that Mayura has seized control of. He tells Ivory that they must re-seal it; they can't let Mayura have such a powerful ally or get the heroes and Orders trapped within. Ivory agrees, and she and Tarantula do their best to prep the sealing process while under attack.
Meanwhile, inside Hypnos, everyone is unconscious. There's a reason that that's its name. Hypnos keeps everyone it consumes asleep, in status, dreaming over and over of what their ideal lives would be. In short, Hypnos is a lotus-eater machine. And now, four heroes are its newest victims.
Ladybug is dreaming her ideal life as Marinette. Her family is the same with her grandparents both tolerating each other. There's no sign of Lila or Chloe at school. Of course, she's dating Adrien and can easily talk with him. The news runs a report that Hawk Moth and Mayura have both been arrested thanks to the efforts of Ladybug and Cat Noir. Now, the burden of being a superheroine is lifted. Marinette can be with Adrien—they can just be a boy and a girl, in love. However, as she dreams, something keeps pricking the palm of her hand. She looks, repeatedly, but sees nothing. And on occasion, flashes of the inside of Hypnos seep through her perfect world: a floating temple, random debris, a gravity-less void.
Like Ladybug, Cat Noir is dreaming of his perfect life as Adrien Agreste. Both of his parents are awake, and his father is kind and loving. His mother dotes on him. Amelie and Felix are both smiling. The whole family has dinner together, which includes his parents, aunt, cousin, both Sancoeurs, and even the gorilla sitting at the table. And at night, Adrien sneaks out as Cat Noir. He and Ladybug leap the rooftops together, obviously in love and dating. Ladybug takes his hand, and they share a kiss. Cat Noir smiles in his sleep. He does not want to wake from this dream.
Alpha also is trapped in slumber. Except his dream is so close to reality. He's dating Marinette (something he genuinely believes he's already doing IRL), his father often drops by for dinner and music, and both his parents have made peace with each other. Juleka is more confident, standing up straight and smiling, and the whole B Team is out of danger of Hawk Moth and hanging out together. Not because Paris is in danger, but because they're all friends and they're having fun together. If anything, Alpha's dream is pieced together from previous days: the date with Marinette at the Cat Café, the dinner with his parents over Chinese food, and any one of the practice evenings in the cemetery with the B Team. It gives Alpha a sense of déjà vu, and he can tell something isn't right.
Meanwhile, the fight between Hypnos and the Western Order continues. Peacock Moth even has Adamantus on standby just in case he's needed. After all, this is her most golden opportunity yet. Nadja Chamack is filming the whole thing for the news, and she reports that there's no sign whatsoever of Ladybug and their allies re-emerging. Alya Cesaire, logged into Discord as Rena Rouge, is incredibly anxious about her friend. The rest of the A Team is also getting antsy. How long do they wait before they intervene without specifically getting requested? The minutes tick by as the villain get closer and closer to victory.
Finally, Rena Rouge makes the judgment call on behalf of Ladybug. With all of their allies logged in, Rena Rouge delegates out tasks. She orders Pegasus, Blue Ox, and Hachiko to meet up with Carapace at the site of the conflict; their abilities are the ones needed to save Ladybug et al. Ryuko wonders off-handedly why Rena Rouge gets to be leader. Rena Rouge insists she's not leader; she's just acting on behalf of Ladybug and as the one first entrusted with a miraculous by the golden duo. Carapace comes to her defense, and Ryuko backs off. Nom de Plume asks what Rena Rouge wants the rest of them to do. Rena tells them all to remain on standby. It is senseless to send everyone in when not everyone is needed as they all only risk getting captured by Hypnos. Nom de Plume and Buck both agree with her judgment call.
Nom de Plume, being Nathaniel Kurtzberg, toggles over to the Team B server under his Firefly alias. The B Team is incredibly worried about Honey Bee and Alpha. Froppy is trying to rein in the concern with Tsukuyomi backing her up. Dauphine is online for the first time in a long time, but her miraculous is still with Dauphin. Snow Leopard and Chip Bluestone also express their desires to help. Together, they realize that Firefly's Beacon might be the best chance to retrieve Alpha and Honey Bee from within Hypnos. Froppy suggests Dauphin go with him as back-up, as his Echolocation is likely to become more useful than Froppy's own Camouflage. She'll run command central while Firefly and Dauphin save Alpha. The boys agree and bolt for the scene of the crisis.
Back inside Hypnos, Ladybug and Cat Noir and Alpha are still inside their blissful dreams. However, Alpha and Ladybug both sense something is amiss. Ladybug is still feeling that prick in her hand. Her vision splits, and she sees Cat Noir, unconscious, floating in a void. Her memories snap back, and she recalls everything about Hypnos. Her ideal reality breaks as she tells the dream Adrien good-bye, promising him one day to tell him her true feelings, face to face, in the real world. Marinette wakes up as Ladybug, floating in the void herself. In her hand is her Lucky Charm, a thumbtack, which caused her to wake up.
Nearby, Alpha is struggling awake as well. Inside his dream, the sense of déjà vu is just too strong—and dreams don't hold such an allure with him as he truly is content with his life. Ladybug starts calling his name, and that's enough to tip him over and wake him up. Alpha shakes his head and greets Ladybug, wondering what they are and what happened. Ladybug explains that they're inside the senti monster and that they need to escape. Immediately. Because, being Hypnos, it still has a massive pull to put all trapped inside of it to sleep. Both Ladybug and Alpha are struggling not to succumb again, which is compounded by the fact both are already sleep deprived. Ladybug keeps pinching herself with her Lucky Charm thumbtack and suggests Alpha do something similar, so he clutches his spearhead in his hand.
Ladybug works her way over to Cat Noir, but no matter how hard she pleads with him, he won't wake up. After all, Cat Noir/Adrien Agreste is incredibly susceptible to Hypnos due to the amount of stress in his life. After quite a few attempts with no results, Ladybug takes her thumbtack and jams him in the side, hard, to wake up. Cat Noir leaps up and is clearly distraught to be pulled from such a wonderful dream. But he thanks Ladybug nonetheless because the dream wasn't reality—all the while rubbing his sore thigh from her stab.
Alpha makes his way over to Honey Bee. Unlike the others, Honey Bee is thrashing—she's trapped not in a fantasy but a nightmare. Instead of seeing her friends and family and any love interest, Honey Bee is entangled in a shadowy web, trying to fight free, as a malevolent figure tries to subvert her will and take over her body. She cannot see the face of this figure, but she gets the impression of a butterfly. Hawk Moth! However, the voice that speaks to her is female, not male. That voice demands she submit, that she uses her powers to serve the butterfly. It rings in her head, drowning out all thoughts. Yet despite it all, a core part of who Honey Bee is screams from the darkness. I don't want to hurt people!
Alpha notices how Honey Bee's outfit flits between gold and red and wonders if it's best to leave her asleep so Hawk Moth cannot compromise her. Cat Noir takes a moment to look around where they are. He sees one eastern style temple floating in the not-so-distance with broke statues and debris surrounding it. A bit farther away is a western style temple in a similar state. The monks and priests he can spot are all asleep. Mixed in are the civilians of Paris who got caught by Hypnos as well as some Parisian street signs and pavement. All of the civilians are also asleep with big smiles on their faces. Ladybug wonders how on earth they'll get out. If this truly is a senti monster, then they need to purify the amok. But this is different from Glutton in that they don't even know if the amok is inside Hypnos or outside. Plus, they can barely move in zero gravity. Ladybug then notices that her earrings have stopped beeping as she's already used her special ability. This causes her to correctly conclude that even time is at a standstill inside Hypnos. Alpha says that's good as Ladybug isn't likely to have her identity revealed if this takes too long. But the question remains—how do they get out?
Back at the main fight, Hypnos is not letting the Western Order subdue it without maximum damage. Hypnos nearly eats Rhino, but Draco pulls her free with his tongue. Ivory keeps trying to use spell seals to contain the senti monster, but it keeps breaking them as she can't effectively split her attention between her fellow allies and the concentration needed to perform the magic.
That's when Carapace, Blue Ox, Pegasus, Hachiko, Firefly, and Dauphin arrive at the same time. Since all know basically what the plan is after conferring on Discord, they split up and get to work. Firefly immediately tries Beacon to pull at least one ally out of Hypnos. However, it fails, likely due to the magic Hypnos is made of. Firefly quickly relays this to Pegasus and Hachiko, who are Plan B. Those two fall back while Blue Ox enlarges himself and engaged Hypnos directly, man-handling the senti monster sloth so that it can't attack anyone else. This has the side effect of allowing Tarantula and Ivory breathing space, so they fall back to complete their sealing spell.
Dauphin gives Pegasus directions of where to head. Dauphin doesn't really understand them himself, having gotten the directions from Echolocation, but it's enough to point Pegasus where he needs to go. Carapace leaps in to defend Dauphin while Pegasus uses Voyage. He (Pegasus) and Hachiko enter the portal.
And they arrive inside of Hypnos, not far from Ladybug and the others. Both Hachiko and Pegasus almost succumb immediately to sleep, but Ladybug cheers that they're here and shouts at them to stay awake. Alpha is grateful to see them as he tends to Honey Bee. Pegasus tells them all to head out while he has the Voyage portal open. Cat Noir wonders about the civilians, the people of Paris, who are trapped and sleeping.
Hachiko says that that's where she's come in. At last, she reveals her ability: Mark. Hachiko concentrates on the area, tapping deep into what can best be described as her sense of smell. It allows her to "mark" people she sees as allies and people she sees as opponent (and those who are neutral). Hachiko "sees" this as a blue collar that appears on the necks of allies and a red collar on those who are enemies. Once she has "marked" everyone, she can work alongside other miraculous users to help them target friend or foe with their abilities. For example, if Hachiko was working alongside Dauphine, and Dauphine summoned a tidal wave, Hachiko could guide the tidal wave so that only enemies were hit and not allies. In this current scenario, Hachiko works alongside Pegasus, and all people she recognizes as friend will be taken into Pegasus's Voyage portal. This includes all of the innocents of Paris who were caught in the fight as well as all the heroes. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for the two Orders consumed by Hypnos as Hachiko had no idea they existed so she couldn't "mark" them as friend or foe.
Pegasus hauls everyone out, including the civilians. Alpha is carrying Honey Bee, who is still stuck in her nightmare. Carapace and the others cheer at their return while Ladybug's earrings go back to beeping. Blue Ox clobbers Hypnos, sending it to its knees. Firefly happy greets Alpha and wonders if Honey Bee will be all right. Alpha says he hopes so while Dauphin reflects Draco's fire away from them with his surfboard. Hachiko and Pegasus join in with Ladybug and Cat Noir in dealing with Rhino. Meanwhile, Adamantus watches from the shadows.
Ladybug discovers a second use for her Lucky Charm in keeping Hypnos off balance by sticking the thumbtack into his toes. Blue Ox grapples Hypnos into submission while the other, smaller heroes search Hypnos over for an amok. However, after a minute, Hypnos is able to throw Blue Ox off and is just about to rampage. Then, it goes still. Honey Bee stands to the side, Venom dissolving from one hand while her other hand clutches her head as if having a headache. Wisps of red linger on her outfit, but it is more gold than red. Alpha and Firefly asks her if she's okay. She says she's not…not really and begs them to hurry up and end this. Cat Noir moves in with a Cataclysm, but Pegasus suggests he stop as they have no idea what a Cataclysm would do to the people still sleeping inside of Hypnos.
That's when Tarantula and Ivory finish their spell. There's a loud snap, like a rubber band, and the heroes are flung backward. Elsewhere in Paris, Peacock Moth feels her senti monster shut down, shoved somewhere deep in darkness where she cannot reach. When the smoke clears, Hypnos is once again a statue. The heroes are flummoxed. Tarantula quickly orders Draco and Rhino to seize the statue and haul it away. It takes both of them due to its weight. Cat Noir moves to attack them, but Ivory steps in, herself, to stop the heroes.
Hachiko and Carapace team up alongside Cat Noir while Ivory makes it clear she's the leader of the Western Order and covers the escape of her three allies. Ivory officially gives her name at this point, meaning that all sides know the Ivory is the leader of the Western Order and that it is specifically the Western Order who are enemies. That's when Ladybug notices that Tarantula has Master Fu, encased in web, on his back. She shouts that fact to Cat Noir; they have to save Fu before Tarantula escapes. Honey Bee follows the line of sight and references to "the master." It takes her a moment, but she recognizes Master Fu as a nice older man she once met on the bus. She stumbles forward to help as well, all the while fighting against Peacock Moth.
However, Ivory is a very dangerous opponent. She reveals her special ability, Oblivion, and strikes Hachiko. Hachiko's eyes instantly go blank. She recognizes no one. When Pegasus calls out to her, it's clear she doesn't know him—she doesn't even know herself. Hachiko panics. Cat Noir tells Pegasus to take care of Hachiko while he and Carapace rush Ivory. Blue Ox and Ladybug try to stop Rhino while Firefly and Dauphin try to stop Draco and Alpha deals with a struggling Honey Bee. However, the Theroux siblings reveal their teamwork. Rhino spikes her shovel into the ground, creating a stone barricade. Draco exhales fire, turning the whole thing molten. The heroes recoil as Rhino and Draco escape through the flames. Ivory pulls out her weapon, a pendulum, and drives back her pursuers. Being an adult wielder, she's more than prepped to use Oblivion again, and that causes the supporting heroes to hesitate. Tarantula is already gone. The Western Order vanishes into the rooftops of Paris. Peacock Moth attempts to send her spyders after them and Adamantus tries to follow them from the shadows. Because of spellwork known to the Western Order, Ivory and her allies are able to evade both.
Ladybug and Cat Noir are very distraught about Fu being taken. "He was right here, and we couldn't help him!" This is compounded by the fact that they find the Eastern Order's miracle box, always carried by Master Fu, smashed. Ladybug picks it up sadly. Honey Bee asks if that old man was their master. They confirm it was. Honey Bee admits she saw him once before—he's a kind man, and she wants to help. Pegasus wonders what they should consider doing about Hypnos. It's a statue now, and Pegasus doubts his Voyage could carry him inside while the senti monster is inactive. Which means they cannot save the numerous non-Parisian people who are still trapped. Firefly encourages them, saying that at least they were able to rescue the civilians of Paris as well as their own allies. And Dauphin is optimistic enough that they'll not only save "the master" but also all the people who are trapped. Ladybug and Cat Noir agree. They realize they have to hurry. There's no more time to delay or dally. They have to solve Master Fu's final riddle to recover the snake and monkey miraculous. And they have to translate more of the grimoire to discover all of the powers of the Western Order. Though they now have more information to work with. They know Ivory is the leader; she is clearly using the elephant miraculous, and her power is memory control with Oblivion. They both worry about what'll happen if she uses that power against Master Fu. Are their identities in danger? If they are—then their family and friends are in danger too!
However, Cat Noir encourages Ladybug and reminds her how strong Fu is. He would never, ever willingly let any information about the eastern wielders slip. Ladybug looks at all her present allies, knowing she doesn't have to tackle this alone. She throws her tiny Lucky Charm into the air to undo all of the damage (which includes restoring Hachiko's memories) and everyone present "Pounds It!" Several scatter at that point due to their timers counting down.
Ladybug turns to Cat Noir and asks him, very softly, if he's okay. Cat Noir offers his biggest smile and insists he is. Ladybug tells him, gently, that he doesn't have to lie. She knows he didn't want to wake up from the dream shown by Hypnos. Cat Noir confesses it's true. He vaguely alludes to the fact that things are difficult for his civilian life right now. But still, he's glad to be awake because being with Ladybug is real, and he would never change that for anything. "And just maybe…I can make what I saw in my dream a reality." Ladybug smiles in a way that melts his heart and says that she's available if he ever needs to talk. Cat Noir promises to take her up on that.
They look up, and their allies have left. Except Alpha and Honey Bee. Alpha is calling out to Honey Bee, but she's not responding. She's making no attempt to leave. There's a sweet smell as her powers surge. Flower petals form out of nowhere, encasing her as her feet lift off the ground. Honey Bee curls up, trapped in a shell of her own floral energy. Alpha gapes a little bit, but then dryly admits that Honey Bee had been through a lot today. Cat Noir rubs the back of his head and says that this is what they want to happen. He looks at Ladybug as they decide who should take Honey Bee to Marianne's as they had planned. Cat Noir decides to take responsibility as someone needs to tell her about Master Fu, and he doesn't want such a difficult task to fall on his love interest. Ladybug thanks him and hands him the smashed Eastern miracle box to give to Marianne too. Alpha double checks, just to make sure that Honey Bee will be safe. Cat Noir promises to protect her and keep them updated through Discord. Alpha says he trusts him; he does remember how Marianne watched after him, after all. They all part ways.
In her lair, Peacock Moth realizes her last thread, her connection to the bee comb, has severed. She lost them all. However, it's not as bad of a loss. She has twelve active agents, including one who has engrained himself into the B Team. And her twelve agents will rival both forces of miraculous users.
That's when Adamantus, who has returned, confesses she only has eleven agents at this time. Peacock Moth wonders why. Adamantus apologizes profusely, but he just couldn't give the twelfth item to Gilles Chastain. Gilles is his best friend, and Adamantus begs her not to involve him. Peacock Moth is surprised by Adamantus's outpouring of emotions. She considers his request and decides to grant it. She'll find someone else to wield her twelfth item. Adamantus is surprised she changed her mind, but he doesn't push his luck and thanks her profusely regardless.
Cat Noir arrives at Marianne Lenoir's balcony with Honey Bee's petal shell in tow. Marianne is expecting him as she had been informed about Honey Bee beforehand. However, the conversation instantly grows somber when she sees the broken miracle box in Cat Noir's hands. Cat Noir has to tell her that Master Fu was abducted by Tarantula and is now a prisoner of the Western Order. Marianne has to sit down; she's obviously distraught. Cat Noir sits next to her and promises to do everything in his power to rescue Master Fu. Marianne takes his hand and thanks him—but then tells him that Master Fu knew the risks. He would want them to protect the people of Paris first. And the best way to do that is to take down Hawk Moth and the Western Order. They're both obviously still worried, but Marianne assures Cat Noir that Master Fu won't reveal any information that would harm him or Ladybug.
Cat Noir looks at Honey Bee's shell and ponders aloud—it seems as if more people are learning identities. He doesn't say it, but now Carapace knows his and Marianne knows Alpha and soon will know Honey Bee's. Is that safe? Are they handling things right? After all, Master Fu insisted on secrecy. If Hawk Moth akumatized one of their allies, that ally could be forced to reveal everything. And if it is safe to let a couple of the most trusted family and friends know…then maybe, should Cat Noir tell a couple more people? Like his family? Or Ladybug herself?
Marianne agrees this is quite the dilemma. She tells him to trust his heart. The more someone knows, the greater the potential risk is to that person. Now, that won't stop Hawk Moth from akumatizing someone in a moment of weakness—but after that, once Hawk Moth finds out that someone is a loved one to a hero, that someone becomes a target. So Cat Noir would have to consider the trade off: the benefit of trusting a loved one with this kind of secret versus the greater risk to that person. Cat Noir thanks her for her advice; he needed to hear that. He departs.
On his way home, his mind mulls over her advice. No, I shouldn't tell anyone else. He doesn't want to put his aunt or cousin at greater risk, and his parents are out cold so there's no telling them. However, that still leaves Ladybug. But she might not see the real me if she knew I was Adrien Agreste; she might just see the celebrity. On the other paw, Ladybug is already at the greatest risk from Hawk Moth; telling her cannot possibly increase the risk to her at all. And if there was the slim chance she would trust him more, maybe even love him… But then Cat Noir remembers. They have to serve the greater good—and if knowing an identity or having someone else know your identity endangers that, you have to give up the miraculous. There is a chance that Ladybug, upon learning Cat Noir is Adrien Agreste, would feel she could not continue to serve the greater good and would retire. Cat Noir would lose her forever. No, I cannot tell her. He decides to leave things as-is and just continue with the support of Nino and Marianne.
Elsewhere in Paris, Ladybug is struggling with the same dilemma. She's in her room, transformed back into Marinette. Honey Bee and the fact that Honey Bee's family knows about her always causes Marinette to think and wonder about her own circumstances. A large part of her wants Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng to know. But she realizes that if either were ever akumatized (again), they could be forced to reveal her identity. However, the same could be said about Marianne or Alya. Does that mean I'm trusting Marianne more than my own parents? Marinette hesitates, then shakes her head. If, for example, Sabine was akumatized and revealed that her daughter was Ladybug, Hawk Moth could threaten Sabine's life to get Ladybug's miraculous. He already did that once with Cat Noir. That's different from Marianne because even if Hawk Moth knew Marianne knew about the golden duo, threatening Marianne's life would be no different than threatening the life of any random Paris civilian—and if Hawk Moth is going to go that far, Marianne knowing or not knowing, and any random Parisian's potential to be at risk changes nothing. (I hope this makes sense.) Marinette cannot tell her parents no matter how much she wants to.
Marinette's phone buzzes with a text message from Alya. Alya is following up on her after "that craziness this afternoon," implying she wants to know if Marinette is okay after her escapades as Ladybug. Marinette smiles and responds that she's fine. She also thanks Alya for leading things online and sending Pegasus, Hachiko, and Blue Ox to help them. They would have lost if it hadn't been for her! Alya replies back, saying Ladybug knows she can depend on Rena Rouge. Marinette chuckles, some of her stress over secrets and Honey Bee dissolving.
She then gets a text message from Cat Noir. Even knowing that this is Adrien texting her, Marinette has gotten to the point that she doesn't drop her phone. Cat Noir is clearly antsy, wanting to do something, anything to help Master Fu and stop the Western Order. He mentions he feels like a failure as he has not solved Fu's final riddle to him. Marinette encourages Cat Noir, promising him that they will work together to save the master. She asks if Honey Bee is safe with Marianne, and Cat Noir affirms she is. The conversation then veers to the newest member of the Western Order they saw today: Ivory. She is clearly the leader, and her transformation is an elephant. They both remember Master Fu's warning to "beware the elephant." So this is the person they have to look out for, the one they have to take down. They also realize her ability is memory manipulation, as seen when she targeted Hachiko. They realize that, depending on how Ivory uses her miraculous, she could indeed be very, very dangerous. Then there's Hypnos, who still has people from at least two temples trapped inside; both heroes voice the desire to help even though they're not certain who those people are or where the temples came from. They realize they especially need King Monkey's powers to bring everyone back. If he could disrupt Hypnos's power, they could free everyone even without finding the amok. Which leads them back to the beginning with solving Master Fu's riddles as well as their idea to gather all their allies to practice in train—they just need a location, somewhere.
By now, it's quite late at night, so both Ladybug and Cat Noir have to turn in. They both go to sleep happy for talking to each other as both have grown to cherish their text-based conversations together.
However, Madam Gros is still awake. She reviewing all the notes she took about the students in Francoise Dupont High School. She has seven pawns, but five items are still unclaimed—and she knows she needs all 12 allies to compete against the Eastern Order. But no matter how well she checks her notes, she cannot extrapolate any more useful wielders. Now, she could always cut her losses at Francoise Dupont and move to another school, but it is incredibly beneficial for her to remain close to her pawns. "If I cannot find anyone else willing to join me, I'll just have to make them join me instead."
To be continued in Chapter 78: Pride…
