Chapter 78: Pride

It's a weekend morning (I guess). Since they have some free time and are feeling the pressure from their opponents, Ladybug and Cat Noir meet up to translate more of the grimoire. While they were able to translate the chapter about antique akumatized items previously, they still want to learn more about the Western Order—especially what powers each of its zodiac have. At this point, it might be the only advantage they can gain to stop the Western Order and save Master Fu.

Ladybug swipes to the pages about the western miraculous box. They decide to skip the information about the Scorpio, Libra, Capricorn, Cancer, Gemini, and Pisces miraculous as they already have an understanding at what those miraculous do due to Queen Scorpion, Sir Silver Hart, Shark Regina, June, Mink, and Reef.

The illustrations within the grimoire depict the inner circle of the western miracle box as well. This includes what they have already figured out: elephant and then spider, rhino, and salamander. But Cat Noir points out that there's a fourth item in the middle tier. It's some type of bird. Ladybug adds that they'll have to figure out what that miraculous can do too as there's a high chance it'll appear. Ladybug users her smartphone/yo-yo while Cat Noir puts to use his knowledge of Mandarin as they attempt to make sense of the script on the page.

They're not the only ones delving into the past this morning. Amelie Graham de Vanily knocks on her son, Felix's, door. Felix makes it clear he isn't in the mood to talk that morning, but Amelie insists. He follows her. On Amelie's finger glistens two rings; a new tie clip is fastened to Felix's vest. She takes him to the roof where they have a rather gorgeous view of Paris. Amelie then tells Felix it's time she tells him about the legacy of the Graham de Vanilys.

One line of their ancestry was nobility during the time of the French Revolution. The French Revolution being what it was…well, their ancestors fled from France into German. They basically lost everything along the way. From there they headed into Canada to make a new start in a foundling city that mostly spoke French. They set up home there until the War of 1812 rolled around.

Now, the Vanilys (who actually had a different last name at that point) remained neutral and focused on growing their merchanting business. However, that all changed one day when great-great (many greats) grandpa Vanily (who wasn't actually yet a Vanily) was hauling furs and salted meat between cities to trade. He had taken shelter at a rather strange temple that granted him refuge for the night. He asked no questions, was treated to a great breakfast, and sent on his way.

A short time later, he came across a skirmish during the war—a skirmish that was barely a quarter of a kilometer from the kind temple that had just hosted them. Grandpa Vanily (for lack of a better name) decided to repay the kindness he had been shown. He took up position on a ridge and began to snipe the British soldiers. Now, Grandpa Vanily wasn't necessarily an ally of the Americans. But he did have good relationships with one indigenous tribe due to trading with them. Plus, from his vantage point, he could see the British would seize the temple and possibly destroy it. So Grandpa Vanily sided with the Americans mainly due to his indigenous allies and the temple. (Not to mention the general prejudice the French had against the British during that time period.)

Once he ran out of ammo, he unhitched his horse from its cart and cantered back to the temple to warn them of the incoming battle. The temple welcomed him inside once again for protection and rallied its own defenses. Grandpa Vanily didn't see what they did, but he knew that they won. And not only did the temple win, but both the British and the Americans were lured away with seemingly no idea that there was a temple in the middle of the wilderness.

For his heroism and selflessness, Grandpa Vanily was granted one artifact from the temple to protect himself—a pair of rings. All the elders of the temple asked in return is that he keep them posted on the War and provide them information about troops and forts so that they could continue to remain isolated and neutral. Grandpa Vanily agreed. He asked many questions, and to this day no one is certain what he asked and what he was told, but he was let in on the secrets of the Western Order of the Miraculous. He protected them and basically spied for them over the next three years.

When the War of 1812 ended, the Order allowed Grandpa Vanily to keep the two rings they granted him under the condition that he keep reporting to them with the movements and growth of the newly minted Americans and the soon-to-be-minted Canadians. Grandpa Vanily agreed, and eventually the task fell to his son and then his grandson.

As more time passed, the Western Order realized that they needed to turn their attention back to Europe. By then, the Vanily family wanted to return to their roots. So the Order granted them leave back to Europe in order for them to continue to watch the politics of that country. The Graham de Vanily family immigrated to England then. As time wore on, eventually the aspects of "spying" for the Western Order faded. However, the alliance never did. And neither did the promise. If the Western Order ever needed help, the Vanilys would respond. After all, they owe their prosperity to the Western Order. It was the Western Order that financially sponsored their return to Europe, and it's the magic of the twin rings that protected them during times of crisis and brought them prosperity when there seemed like none to be had.

Amelie tells Felix that that's why she's helping Madam Gros. Amelie also adds that the rings are often only passed down through the eldest sibling, who should be Emilie. Amelie wouldn't have even known about them if she wasn't a twin. But with Emilie unconscious, Amelie is taking up the mantel.

Felix looks at the tie clip. He wonders why he and his mother don't just overthrow the entire Western Order. If one miraculous made them this rich—how rich would 12+ miraculous make them? Amelie shakes her head. She tells Felix that there's more to wealth and power than seizing everything for one's self. Allies, connections, partnerships, and delegation do way more than pillaging. Felix only half-accepts this as an answer.

Behind them, a lion kwami is attempting to pounce on Gracee, Amelie's crane kwami. Amelie tells them both to knock it off and remember to be quiet; they don't want anyone else in the house knowing about kwamis. The lion kwami complains he's hungry, and Felix replies with, "I just gave you a hamburger an hour ago, Leeroy." Leeroy, the lion, insists he wants steak. Felix replies that pets don't get steak, and he and Leeroy bicker a bit. It's the most lively we've seen Felix in a while. Gracee gracefully takes refuge on Amelie's shoulder. Amelie tells Felix that it's time to cultivate his talent as the bearer of the Leo miraculous. They have a request from Madam Gros. Felix rolls his eyes but asks what she expects them to do.

Back with Ladybug and Cat Noir, they've taken to translating the text around the Taurus miraculous, which is depicted in the text as two bracelets. They're able to piece together "as strong as ten regular men" (yes, Aladdin reference), which causes them to conclude that the Taurus wielder will have super strength. Cat Noir cringes at the thought of a bull throwing them around. Ladybug says that at least they know what it is so that they can be prepared to deal with it. They then begin to work on the spider, and learn about how his Trace works. They had seen it in action before, but now they have the details they need.

The duo takes a break and discuss the riddles that they have yet to solve. Both are feeling guilty about struggling so much with these, especially with Master Fu now being abducted. They put their heads together and then start cross-referencing the riddles not only with the grimoire but also the previous riddles they were given. That's when the golden duo realize that the final riddles include aspects hinted at in all the previous messages. By combining those and some of the information in the grimoire, both are finally able to solve the last riddles. They suspect that they'll find the last two miraculous (monkey and snake), and they hope that Master Fu leaves word about himself and how they can find him. They promise to seek out the final miraculous as soon as they're done translating.

Ladybug then flips through a couple of pages, remarking again how it's strange that the diamond unicorn isn't in here. Cat Noir reminds her that they concluded that that is a magical item more akin to the prodigious, right? "Now, why don't we try to translate what the Virgo can do?" Ladybug is preoccupied though. She realizes that there's no red bear, no opal chameleon, raccoon, scarab or hedgehog. Cat Noir again suggests Virgo, but Ladybug says she feels like she's missing something that's right in front of her. Cat Noir shrugs it off with a "well, you said 'red' bear, but didn't Ursa introduce herself a 'garnet bear.' Not that it makes a difference." Ladybug remarks that it's clear that all of Adamantus's team is based on gemstones—which is true, it's something they don't usually see in real miraculous.

Then Cat Noir and Ladybug exchange a look and a eureka moment. "They're not just gemstones—they're birthstones!" The duo quickly reference the list of birthstones to the list of known allies of Adamantus and confirm that yes, all of the animal allies have been using stones that are associated with birthstones. So they quickly deduce which ones are missing: sapphire, pearl, etc… It's when they get to the end, December, that Ladybug stops short, slightly pale. Cat Noir asks her what's wrong. "Turquoise." Cat Noir doesn't see her point. Ladybug explains her anxiety—"the gemstone in Chip Bluestone's glove…it's turquoise."

Those two groups aren't the only ones active this morning. Nathalie takes Nicholas aside. She shows him her tablet and related research, as she's been re-reviewing akumatized victims to determine who'll be suitable for the twelfth birthstone item. Nathalie tells him she decided on Surrealist. "I trust there won't be any problems." Nicholas says there won't. Inside he's elated as it means Gilles Chastain, his best friend, will not become involved with Peacock Moth's plot. But then he feels guilty. Am I serving my master poorly in allowing my emotions to interfere with her plans? And why do I have such emotions to begin with? I shouldn't. Am I broken? Nicholas continues to internalize his own existential crisis. Nathalie doesn't realize this and sends him out to slip the final item to Surrealist—or rather, her civilian alias, Meera Pugliese.

Upon learning the connection between birthstones, turquoise, and Chip, Ladybug and Cat Noir immediately contact Alpha to inform him as the leader of the B Team. Alpha replies with a brief "thank you for letting me know" and doesn't let on what he's thinking, which leaves the golden duo to wonder. In truth, Alpha is incredibly uneasy and torn. Ladybug and Cat Noir had no idea about how Tsukuyomi witnessed Chip talking to Adamantus—especially when coupled with the Escape seen by Froppy in Ursa's chapter. So Ladybug and Cat Noir just provided Alpha with more evidence against Chip without even knowing Chip was under investigation. Which makes it all the more genuine, and leans Alpha all the more into wondering about Chip's true alliance. And he hates it so much, suspecting his own allies. But at this point, he can no longer wait. He has to address things—for the sake of the rest of the team. Alpha (Luka) logs into the Team B chat server and being to set up a time for the team to practice in the cemetery again.

Back on the roof of the Agreste manor, Amelie, Leeroy, and Gracee coach Felix about transformations. The kwamis explain how it works, but their directions are unclear as Leeroy and Gracee often interrupt each other or try to contradict each other out of spite. Finally, Amelie tells them that she'll demonstrate. "Sing, Gracee." Felix watches, agape, as Gracee is pulled into the twin rings and his mother transforms into a very elegant heroine (villain?) with a long, flowing white dress with long, sheer sleeves. The whole outfit is patterned after the red-crowned crane. Her mask is black with the nose piece shaped longer, like a beak.

Amelie looks at Felix calmly and tells him that it's his turn. Felix looks at Leeroy, who tells him the Leo's transformation phrase: "Roar, Leeroy!" Leeroy is pulled into the tie clip, turning Felix into a lion-themed hero/villain. His outfit can best be described as a "modern musketeer" with a formal golden brocaded vest and half cape over a long, black shirt. It's topped by a cavalier hat that has two lion ears sewn into it. His pants are plain black slacks with a golden line running along the outside seams. He has a stylish belt/sash complete with rapier and its sheath; the sash extends longer, mimicking the effects of a tail. His ensemble is completed with matching boots and gloves. Overall, it is still very formal and professional and well-groomed, just as Felix is in his civilian alias.

His mother looks him over with approval and tells him to follow her as they go to meet their contact: Tarantula. And of all irony, neither realizes that Tarantula works for them as Dr. Theroux. However, by this point, Dr. Gerald Theroux is aware that the long-lost caretakers of the crane miraculous are the Graham de Vanily family, so he has reasonably deduced that the person coming to meet him is Amelie. Madam Gros flat-out already knows their identities as well as she's the one who gave Felix his tie clip.

Meanwhile, Ladybug and Cat Noir are still working on their grimoire translations. Cat Noir notices how close Ladybug is sitting by him—and she doesn't flinch away. Cat Noir is internally thrilled by this progress though he does his best to tell himself not to read too far into it. They translate various fragments here and there, but none are enough to enlighten them about any more of the Western Order's powers.

They take a break from the digital book and discuss something else that has been on their minds: where they could meet to practice with all their allies. This is even more critical as they suspect they just located the final two miraculous: the monkey and the snake. Cat Noir suggests an abandoned lot, like where they trained with Honey Bee before her powers surged. That reminds Ladybug of the cemetery they practiced in when Alpha was attempting to get his powers to surge. Both possibilities are better than a public park, rooftop, or stadium. Then Ladybug considers another possibility. They have Pegasus as a full-time ally now. They don't have to be limited to practice sessions within Paris. Pegasus could open a portal anywhere in the world; somewhere really remote in Scotland or Tibet or the Amazon… And if something happened, Pegasus would be there to let them return home immediately too. Cat Noir agrees it is a great idea though he wonders if it's okay to leave Paris unguarded for so long. Ladybug points out that they do have the B Team. Cat Noir agrees with the plan—but he changes it up to "maybe not so far away as Tibet;" he proposes a couple other places in Europe like the Swiss Alps or even France's own farmlands. Ladybug pulls up her cell phone/yo-yo and begins to search for areas that are low on inhabitants just outside of Paris.

Meanwhile, Nicholas Sancoeur has transformed into Adamantus. He is pursuing the address of Meera Pugliese to give her the final item. He finds her apartment and watches through the windows from a distance for his moment. When Meera leaves her bedroom, Adamantus sneaks inside. Meera's bedroom is cluttered with "paranormal" collections, but to Adamantus's surprise, all of her collections are highly organized. He leaves the item on her pillow and sneaks out without anyone knowing he was there.

Elsewhere, Amelie and Felix, both transformed, meet up with where Tarantula is waiting. He's in an affluent neighborhood, actually not too far from the Bourgeois estate—on Madam Gros's orders. Amelie properly introduces Tarantula to her son, and she gives her own alias as "Odette." Tarantula asks Felix what he'd like to be called, and Felix thinks for a moment. He decides his super-powered identity will be called "Pride."

Odette asks Tarantula what Ivory expects them to do. Tarantula explains that they're exterminating bugs. That's enough to just about get Pride to "nope" his way out of there. Tarantula holds out a hand to stop him and then explains how Mayura has enacted a rather cunning plan by filling Paris with her spider senti monsters. They can crawl anywhere, fly anywhere, often turn invisible, and can relay anything they see right back to her and Hawk Moth. This puts everyone's identities and plans at risk. Queen Scorpion has already come close to being outed (actually, Nathalie knows Chloe Bourgeois is Scorpion—the Western Order just doesn't know that she knows). If these spyders continue around the city, they'll eventually find out who the wielders are for the Western Order, or discover someone's kwami, or sniff out Madam Gros's HQ at Francoise Dupont High School. So Ivory has ordered Tarantula, Odette, and Pride to squash as many spyders as possible as well as set up various magic-based repels around the city to keep magic constructs like the spyders at bay (and in setting up various repels, they hope to obscure the areas that Ivory wants to protect the most by sheer numbers). Pride still isn't impressed at all. Odette consents on his behalf, saying that they'll help.

Odette reveals her special ability, which'll help in their mission. "Communication!" She pulls a feather off of her train and hands one to Pride and one to Tarantula. By pinning those near their hair, they can communicate over long distances to each other. Pride remarks that it has to be the most unimpressive super power ever. "How did that make our family powerful? It's basically a walkie talkie!" Odette explains that before radios and cell phones, speed in communication was vital. It allowed past Graham de Vanilys to report the movements of enemy troops to allies, instantly locate merchandise goods, report landslides and damaged bridges, strategize with allies in other cities, order supplies before rival companies could etc. Communication is a vital part of human civilization. And it's only the most recent technological developments that could even rival the Crane's powers. Pride still isn't convinced that it's an impressive power. So Odette basically tells him to deal with it, take the feather, communicate with them, and kill spyders. Pride groans but relents.

So Tarantula, Odette, and Pride scatter and then head from rooftop to rooftop, flushing out spyders and destroying them. It's pretty easy to destroy a spyder as any one insect is weak, spawned from a core spyder amok that is elsewhere. As they go along, Tarantula sets up several wards around Paris by affixing spell tags to eaves. These act as a repellent to any being created by magic and can drive the spyders out of an area.

It doesn't take long for Nathalie Sancoeur to realize her spyders are getting destroyed en masse—and not just the occasional one getting hit by a car or eaten by a dog. Someone is targeting them. She sneaks into Hawk Moth's lair and transforms, just using the peacock miraculous, once again showing off her new outfit as Mayura since the peacock brooch has been fixed.

Mayura immediately contacts Adamantus, who is still on the streets of Paris, and orders him to investigate things. Adamantus agrees and heads off, following the directions Mayura provides him as she knows precisely where her senti monsters are being destroyed.

However, once Adamantus gets close to the scene, he collapses to his knees while feeling incredibly nauseous. Mayura orders him to withdraw. Once he pulls back a bit, he feels find. Adamantus attempts to approach again only to get the same physical reaction. Mayura tells him to spy from a distance, and Adamatus uses his twin screwdrivers as binoculars to do just that (as it seems magical items' tools can literally become anything at this point).

He notices the unusual spell tags in the eaves first. Then he catches a glance of Tarantula applying more around the roof of a museum. Mayura, in the interest of testing out what's going on, tells Adamantus to careful approach on such spell tag. He slowly does, and once he gets within range of it, he become sick. Mayura orders him to pull back. She sends a spyder in, only for it to drop unconscious, fall to the street below, and get squished. Mayura, very concerned, orders Adamantus to get as far away from the spell tags as possible. Adamantus complies. Mayura realizes that the spell tags affect senti monsters. Like the spyders. Like Adamantus. Now, she could lose her spyders. It would be a wrench in her plans, but one she could adapt with. But she can't lose Adamantus. Because he's family. Mayura is genuinely surprised how much she came to care about the boy. She realizes how far she's come. Back when she made a senti Ladybug, she was able to dismiss the senti monster with a snap of her fingers. But she could never do that to Adamantus…to Nicholas. The very thought of it makes her sick; it'd be like murder. But now…what do I do with Ivory's allies placing wards all over the city? She can't let the wards stay, and it would make sense for Mayura to remove them so that any senti monster could move freely. But how does Mayura keep them gone without the Western Order placing more and more and more? Even moreso…how can I protect my nephew? She also realizes this means that the Western Order doesn't have any immediate plans to bring Hypnos back as their wards would harm the sloth senti monster too. But if they do start removing their wards, I can expect Hypnos to return.

Back with the golden duo, they've decided to attempt their first-ever Team A practice session by hopping just outside of Paris to a garden in Versailles. They talk to Pegasus first, and he's willing to go along with the plan—he just needs to recharge Kaalki before they can participate in the practice. With the setting confirmed, Ladybug and Cat Noir post notice of the practice on their Discord server. They then plan on tracing the final two riddles they just solved; however, their items alert them back. Several civilians have caught sight of Tarantula et al moving around Paris and reported it.

Ladybug and Cat Noir exchange a look and then sprint into action. They leap from rooftop to rooftop en route to Tarantula. Maybe this is the chance to rescue Master Fu! What they don't see is Odette, hiding near a chimney, as they pass by. Odette informs Tarantula about the golden duo's approach through her Communication. Tarantula acknowledges this and spins his trap, covering the area he's in with threads too small to be seen. He then activates his own ability: Trace. It allows him to track down anyone who has even so much of a scrap of his spider thread on his/her person. It's how he was able to get a bead on Master Fu all this time, with Master Fu only evading him for so long by using his own spell scrolls.

Ladybug and Cat Noir ambush Tarantula a moment later. However, since he knew they were coming, he's able to drive them back with a series of throwing needles. The golden duo evade, but they have no idea that this was planned. They're lured right into where Pride was waiting, and the heroes' ambush turns into an ambush against them. After knocking them both off their feet, Pride draws his rapier and challenges them. Cat Noir grips his baton like a fencing sword and tells Ladybug to deal with Tarantula, which she does. Much to Cat Noir's surprise, Pride is able to keep up with him—and Cat Noir is channeling his full fencing skills as Adrien Agreste. Likewise, Ladybug has her hands full with Tarantula; she's hindered by the fact that he has made the entire area sticky with his webs.

Cat Noir finds himself losing ground against Pride. And Pride reveals to have a rather dark sense of humor. Much like his cousin, when he's transformed, he spouts off puns. However, his are much more acidic. "You're going to need more than nine lives against me, kitty." "Can you still land on your feet if I cut one of them off?"

It looks as if the heroes might be able to turn things around when Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm. But then Odette swoops in, catching Ladybug off guard and binding her with her weighed ribbon-rope (it's a weapon similar to a ball and chain, but it has a metal feather as a weight instead of a ball and the chain is an incredibly durable rope that appears to be a ribbon). Both Ladybug and Cat Noir are shocked to see the bird member of the Western Order appear. They were just talking about that miraculous, but they hadn't expected to see its wielder so soon.

Cat Noir lunges forward to help Ladybug, but Pride cuts him off. Cat Noir does scramble and reclaims Ladybug's Lucky Charm, which he uses to defend himself from Pride. But he can't get to Ladybug, and Odette moves to take Ladybug's miraculous. That sparks Cat Noir enough to use his Cataclysm, which causes Pride to recoil instinctively. Cat Noir seizes the moment to get free and bolts to Ladybug, tackling her away from Odette. His momentum carries both of them into Tarantula's web. However, Cat Noir is able to use his Cataclysm on that, freeing them both. Ladybug quickly whispers to Cat Noir, saying they need back-up. They can't afford to waste a chance to learn where Tarantula took the master. She's going to buy him time while he sends the text alert out. Cat Noir insists he should be the decoy, but Ladybug reclaims her Lucky Charm from him and insists it has to be her. She asks if he trusts her. He replies with "forever" and falls back to make the call.

During this, in Nathaniel's apartment, he and Marc Anciel are hanging out, working on their story, and having fun with their kwamis. Nathaniel is closely monitoring the Team B Discord, typing replies to Alpha and the others while they try to piece together what is happening as there aren't a lot of civilian reports. Froppy and Tsukuyomi are wondering if anyone should back-up the golden duo, and Snow Leopard reminds them that someone could attempt to follow the opponents in an attempt to locate their HQs.

Marc stops short, his eyes wide—he almost drops his phone. "They're…they're asking for me." True enough, on the A Team's server, Cat Noir has urgently requested that Buck get to the conflict immediately. Nathaniel encourages him to go. Marc takes a deep breath and transforms. He wonders if Nathaniel should go too. Nathaniel reminds Buck of his promise before all but pushing Buck out the window to help their allies.

Buck arrives at the same time Hachiko does. They greet each other briefly in recognition that they're both allies. They hurry to the golden duo, who are all but back to back as they defend against attacks from Pride, Odette, and Tarantula. The entire area is sticky and hard to move thanks to Tarantula, and Pride has managed to disarm Cat Noir of his baton. Odette coordinates her team's efforts well, and she locks into a stalemate against Ladybug. Ladybug notices her allies and says "help us clear this out!"

Buck realizes that she's talking about him but that the ability of the goat is rather indiscriminate. He whispers as much, at which point Hachiko tells him to leave it to her. She uses her ability first, "Mark," which labels friends and foes. Then she helps guide Buck in using his ability, "Shepherd." This summons a whole herd of sheep (black and white) which stampede across the area of conflict. The white sheep are defensive and will protect someone from one single blow, ability, or move. The black sheep are offensive and will attack one person once before disappearing. The sheep can be destroyed with a single hit each before they do anything; they're pretty fragile. But "Shepherd" gives the goat wielder a whole herd (the number depends on the strength of the wielder. At the moment, Marc/Buck has nowhere reached his full potential.)

The key being, as stated, that the sheep are indiscriminate in their stampede. They'll attack or defend whoever is closest—with the goat wielder being the sole exception. Sheep recognize their shepherd, after all. Hachiko points out that that's where she comes in, and with friend and foe marked, Hachiko can help guide Buck's powers so that the white sheep defend allies and the black sheep attack enemies. Sheep dog anyone? This gives Ladybug and Cat Noir plenty of time to fall back and reorient themselves.

On the other hand, it looks as if Pride is going to be crushed as he's completely surrounded by black sheep. That is, until he reveals his own special ability: Invulnerability. It gives him five minutes of basically perfect defense, no weapons can harm him. Basically, the same level of defense as the Nemean Lion. Unfazed now by Buck's ability, Pride locks eyes with Cat Noir and implacably walks to him. He declares that they're not done with their sword fight and raises his rapier again. All the while, Pride keeps with his bad puns, including lines about how lions prey upon sheep. At one point, he refers to Buck as a "sacrificial lamb." Cat Noir pushes Ladybug behind himself and challenges Pride, reminding Pride that while he might be the Nemean Lion, Hercules once bore the black cat miraculous—something he just learned from the grimoire himself. They fight again.

With Pride seeming to handle Cat Noir, both Odette and Tarantula move in on Ladybug. This encourages both Buck and Hachiko to back her up, and they fall into place at her side. Tarantula scoffs at all his opponents being mere children. Buck and Hachiko just face him down with their weapons ready, just like Ladybug. Buck has his shepherd's crook, and Hachiko has her ball. She bounces it a few times, changing its properties; this time, it winds up spiked. (She can bounce it to change it so it's super rubbery and bouncy, so it's light as a balloon, as heavy as a boulder, or even change what it's made of.)

Of course, by now, all of the heroes as well as Pride are on their countdowns. Tarantula notices this and realizes that if they just stall, they'll have four identities handed to them. Odette is less thrilled about his plan as it puts her own son at risk. So she decides to force the issue and engages the heroes hand to hand. And at first, Odette is able to drive back all three heroes. However, Ladybug finds a use for her Lucky Charm and in conjunction with Buck's staff, she's able to restrain Odette. Hachiko and Buck (weaponless) face down Tarantula, one on either side, forcing him to hesitate.

During this, Cat Noir and Pride are still locked in intense combat. Any blow Cat Noir does get in is tanked by Pride under his Invulnerability. Of course, Cat Noir doesn't get too many strikes in as Pride is just that talented. And this is the moment to show off all that he can do. And he nearly overcomes Cat Noir until he realizes his mother is in danger. That causes him to falter; Cat Noir catches him by surprise and disarms him.

Tarantula is forced to make a tough choice as two of his allies are now struggling. This is a good opportunity to confront the heroes, but the primary objective was to stop Mayura's spyders—an objective of which he's succeeded. Buck can see that Tarantula is plotting, so he bluffs. "You can't win; we have even more allies on the way." As far as Tarantula knows, this is true. The Eastern Order has a full roster, and they're backed up by the B Team. As things are now, the Western Order still lacks five wielders. Even if Ivory had all of their allies rush in, even if Ivory herself came as back-up, the Western Order would still be outnumbered—and that's before calculating what a wild card like Hawk Moth would do in a full-on fight where Order took on Order.

Tarantula sprays webbing all over the area without warning, thoroughly coating the heroes. He then orders his allies to withdraw. After all, this isn't a total loss. He still has ability: Trace. Pride protests retreating. It hurts his, well, pride. Tarantula orders him to, and Odette gives him a firm look; it's not an option. Pride grumbles and complains but leaves with them. As he goes, he looks back at Cat Noir and promises that there'll be one final, mega confrontation between cats. Cat Noir attempts to pursue, but he's too tangled up. He rages at them to return "the master," but the Western Order ignores him.

Ladybug complains about them leaving, about how frustrating it is that the Western Order just withdraws every single time and that they're no closer to finding Fu. Hachiko wonders what their opponents were even doing. No one has an answer to that. The golden duo thank Buck and Hachiko for their help. Ladybug does her world-healing wave, which gets rid of most of the webbing. They all "Pound it!"

Buck and Hachiko turn to leave, but Ladybug tells them to stop. She informs them about Tarantula's special ability and how he can track anyone with trace amounts of his webbing on them. She urges her allies to pick every last scrap off before they head home. Her allies thank her and do just that before transforming back in private and going about their civilian lives.

Ladybug and Cat Noir talk a moment longer. Ladybug says she's going to head to the place her final riddle indicated; Cat Noir agrees he's going to do the same. And with their planned practice with the rest of their allies coming up that evening—they should find Viperion and King Monkey and invite them too. Ladybug agrees. Cat Noir says he's looking forward to it, and they part ways.

Not long after, both have their final miraculous. Ladybug has the snake bracelet, and Cat Noir has the monkey headband. There are no more riddles. Just a final note from Master Fu that truly reads like a good-bye note. He wishes them the best and tells them not to worry about him as he has fulfilled his duty. This only makes them more worried with him being captured by the Western Order. In Cat Noir's case though, there is one thing different: a single name. Master Fu reveals the identity of King Monkey to Cat Noir—as up until this point, only Master Fu himself knew it. Cat Noir is pretty surprised to see he not only recognizes the name of Le Chien Kim, but that Kim is also one of his classmates.

Cat Noir sends a brief text Ladybug to affirm what he found (without mentioning the identity), and Ladybug does the same. They then head towards the final wielders.

Ladybug drops in on Luka Couffaine first. He's so surprised to see her slip through the porthole window that he drops his phone. Which is a good thing, as it lands face down and hides the Team B Discord he had pulled up. Luka asks Ladybug if everything is okay; he saw Pride's attack "on the news." Ladybug smiles and presents him with the snake miraculous, declaring that he's to be its full-time caretaker. Luka is speechless for a moment as he's not sure what to say without giving away he's Alpha. He finally asks "what changed." Ladybug replies indirectly by telling him about the practice session with the other heroes that evening. She then asks if Luka will care for Sass and protect the greater good. Luka promises he will on reflex; that's what he does anyway as Alpha. Ladybug sees this as him fully accepting being Viperion on-call and departs. Luka stammers as she leaves, wondering if he should explain just that, but she's gone.

Sass tells Luka that he's happy to work alongside him and is glad his new master has a strong sense of right. Luka flops down on his bed, his mind still whirling about what just happened. He then interrupts Sass's greeting and tells Sass he needs to be at least honest with his kwami. Sass tilts his head, confused. That's when Luka says, "come out, Luuna." Luuna, the wolf kwami, pokes her head out from where she was hiding when Ladybug arrived. Luka then explains to Sass that he's also Alpha, the leader of the B Team.

During the same time, Cat Noir arrives at Le Chien Kim's apartment. It's pretty noisy, what with Kim having several older brothers and all, so it takes a moment for Kim to hear Cat Noir knocking on the window. This is in addition to Kim being distracted as he's texting Ondine—her parents are finally letting her have a life again! They might actually be able to go on a real date next weekend! Once he realizes Cat Noir is just outside his room, Kim opens the window and lets him in.

Cat Noir presents Kim with the monkey miraculous, to be its wielder on a full-time basis. Kim is pretty geeked out that a superhero is choosing him; he hasn't been King Monkey since he debuted way back in Party Crasher—he truly thought that it was a one-time deal. Cat Noir reminds Kim that it's not all fun and games. He has to keep his identity a secret and protect the greater good. He has to look after Xuppu and come to the aid of Paris when called. Cat Noir introduces Kim to the Team A Discord and tells him that the whole team is meeting to practice in a couple of hours. Kim is just too thrilled and takes all the news with great enthusiasm. He promises to keep everything a secret and will help them stop Hawk Moth. Cat Noir thanks him and says that he trusts King Monkey to protect Paris and their allies. Cat Noir leaves.

The literal first thing Kim does is pick up his phone and tell Ondine. She initially thinks he's joking, but he's able to convince her that this is all real. He's so ridiculously happy because with two miraculous, now he and his girlfriend can fight crime, side by side—her as Dauphine, and him as King Monkey. Xuppu scolds him for having a big mouth, but then Kim explains that Ondine already knows (as Xuppu doesn't see all of the text conversation). Kim then introduces Xuppu to Finn. While the kwamis meet and greet, Kim says he could return the dolphin anklet to Ondine on his way to the Team A practice.

All is not happy in Paris though. Nathalie and Nicholas Sancoeur are talking. Nicholas is explaining everything he felt and noticed about the new wards placed around the city by the Western Order. They have already concluded that the wards harm senti monsters—but they have no idea how to deal with them. Nicholas/Adamantus cannot get close to them, so it'd be up to Nathalie/Peacock Moth to remove them—or to order her personal birthstone wielders to take down the wards. But it'd be an endless battle as the Western Order could just put up more. The wards really ought to come down so that the powers of the peacock can operate unhindered. But what to do about Nicholas in the meantime? Nicholas suggests that Nathalie akumatize him; she could easily include immunity to wards in the power set she gives him. Nicholas does want to be akumatized; it was why he was made. However, Nathalie rejects that idea. She comes up with an excuse, but the real reason is that she doesn't want to do that to her nephew, her family. Nicholas internalizes the rejection, which further compounds his identity crisis. Nathalie says she's going to stick with her idea—to order her followers to remove as many wards as possible. So she transforms into Peacock Moth and mentally takes over Ruddiger, All-Star Rex, and Chip Bluestone. As the sun sets, she has them sneak around Paris to peel off wards. This time, it's Giselle Winters-Blanchet who catches a glimpse of what she thinks is Chip Bluestone's silhouette. She finds this odd as he's the only one not supposed to be using his item due to the events of Crimson—plus he doesn't even have a secret keeper. She doubts herself, wondering if she really saw him. The idea lingers in the back of her mind.

One passes by Marianne Lenoir's apartment, oblivious to what is going on inside. Marianne is reading a book while drinking tea. A floral scent wafts over the area. Honey Bee's cocoon begins to crack.

Just as sun sets, Ladybug and Cat Noir meet up again at the designated rooftop. One by one, the other heroes show up. Rena Rouge and Carapace arrive within moments of each other. Ryutsume also arrives early, using her fusion of the dragon and preying mantis. Hachiko also comes pretty quickly, and after her Buck and Nom de Plume arrive together. Bunnyx shows up and then Pegasus. He apologizes for what he feels is running late as he should be there early to transport everyone. Next come Minimouse, Pigella, and Blue Ox. Tigress and Viperion come together (implying pretty strongly that Luka told Juleka and Juleka told Luka). King Monkey gets there last as he took a detour to give Ondine back the dolphin miraculous.

Ladybug welcomes everyone to the first full-team meeting, and Cat Noir explains that they want to practice and team-build. Viperion voices surprise that this is the first practice they have ever done. As Alpha, he had assumed they practiced a lot, but he can't say that much. Pegasus opens his Voyage portal to Versailles, and they all filter through.

To be continued in Chapter 79: Ramson & Zephyria the Witch…