Chapter 79: Ramson & Zephyria the Witch
Marianne Lenoir prepares a second cup of tea as the cocoon made of flower petals breaks, and Honey Bee falls flat on her back, dazed. Marianne welcomes her back while Honey Bee wonders where she is. The broken western miracle box is on the table as it looks as if Marianne is attempting to fix it, but Aurore doesn't realizing the importance of it when she sees it. The comb in her hair is beeping. It then deactivates, turning Honey Bee back into Aurore Beaureal. Aurore initially panics at her disguise breaking, but Marianne reminds Aurore that she asked for this. To have her powers surge and then be taken to the same person who protected Alpha. As Aurore's memories engage, the relief is obvious on her face.
Marianne offers her tea, and a small voice says that she would love some—with extra honey. The two women then notice the bee kwami flying in the air, not far from Aurore's head. Marianne welcomes the kwami into the world, and Aurore gapes a moment, then recalls what her teammates had told her about kwamis. "Y-your my kwami?" The bee nods and helps herself to Aurore's honey tea. Aurore smiles broadly and promises to protect the kwami. The kwami counters by saying that she's going to protect her wielder, …um, what's your name?
Aurore introduces herself properly to both the kwami and Marianne. Her manners are impeccable. That's when Marianne recognizes Aurore as the "nice weather girl" she sees on TV. Aurore looks at her hands and replies that she's not nice. Niceness doesn't come naturally to her. She has to work hard at it, not like Mireille. Marianne tells her "what's wrong with that? You're working at being nice." Aurore has no answer.
In the silence, the kwami wonders what her name is. Aurore, catching the floral scent still on the air, names the bee kwami "Pollen." Pollen is thrilled by her new name and calls Aurore "my queen." Aurore insists that her name is fine, and Pollen replies with "Yes, Queen Aurore."
The conversation changes to Marianne filling Aurore in on what she missed over the weekend, and Aurore realizing that she needs to contact her allies and family. Deep down, she is incredibly happy. With her antique akumatized item now a real miraculous, Hawk Moth can no longer control her. The B Team is all but free of the butterfly miraculous—everyone except Chip Bluestone.
Speaking of Chip Bluestone, he is currently weighing heavily on Luka/Alpha/Viperion's mind. Practice is over for Team Ladybug, so Viperion quietly lands on the deck of his family's houseboat. He knows he has to address it soon. Viperion looks around, and hearing that his mom is rocking out, he motions for Tigress to land beside him. They slip into their bedrooms without Anarka even noticing. Though their bedrooms is actually just one bedroom with a solid divider between them.
Viperion opens one side of the divider so they can talk, and both transform back. Luka catches Sass and offers him a hard-boiled egg while Juleka feeds Roarr a piece of turkey jerky (Luuna prefers beef jerky). Luka tells Juleka to pause and look in the mirror. She's smiling brightly and naturally as she cuddles Roarr. Luka tells Juleka that that is her modeling smile. He also mentions he's very proud of her for becoming a superheroine too, all on her own merits. Juleka blushes pretty badly.
Luuna comes out of hiding, and she sparks some jealousy at Sass. Luka tells them both to behave as he begins strumming on his guitar. Juleka gets lost in thought, and Luka asks her about it. Juleka stammers, and Roarr encourages her to speak up. Juleka finds her words and says she's wondering if she should tell Rose about being Tigress as she hates keeping this a secret from her best friend. Luka tells her things are different for Tigress than Alpha due to the B Team operating under different rules, including secret keepers. Ladybug and Cat Noir truly do expect Tigress and Viperion to tell absolutely no one their identities. Though he is glad she trusted him (it's unlikely they could have kept Sass and Roarr a secret from each other for too long due to the small size of the houseboat.) Juleka looks down, but then Luka tells Juleka to follow her heart and decide what her own weight of trust is. He won't actively discourage her from talking to Rose if that's what Juleka truly feels is the right thing. Juleka thanks him though she remains undecided.
Luka goes back to his song writing, and Juleka asks him about it. Luka says he wants to finish a song for Marinette. Juleka then hesitates as she fully knows Marinette is head over heels about Adrien. But she's also seen Marinette date her brother as well as repeatedly fail to talk to Adrien. She's not sure where things may go with the love triangle, but the one thing she knows is that she doesn't want her brother to get hurt. She tries to tell him, but this time her words truly do fail, and she falls silent.
Luka's cell phone then buzzes; it's a message on the Team B server from Honey Bee, telling everyone she is awake and that Pollen has been born. Luka replies to congratulate her. He then makes up his mind to talk with Chip Bluestone. So he sends a message to everyone that they're going to practice in the graveyard tomorrow night.
The next day is a school day, and everyone heads to their classes. Ondine immediately texts Le Chien Kim when she gets to her school. Her parents have reluctantly ungrounded her as they can no longer justify keeping her suspended due to her grades, completed chores, and good attitude. Though they clearly are unhappy that she hasn't spoken about where she disappeared to for a couple of days. She is still forced to go to counseling, but for now she can go on dates again! She and Kim immediately make plans for the aquarium, and they both look forward to swim team practice that afternoon. Kim asks how their "little friend" is doing, and Ondine replies that Finn is well; she thanks him for looking after their kwami. She ends with "say 'hi' to the flying monkey plushie for me."
Giselle Winters-Blanchet meets up with her best friends, Meera Pugliese and Raissa Deschamps. She's surprised that as she approaches, both of them are gossiping rather viciously about Ladybug and Cat Noir. Giselle remarks that she didn't know that they felt that way. Both girls drop the conversation topic for movies and homework. Meera's new hair clip and Raissa's new armlet glimmer.
Viktor Vasiliev gets pulled aside by Principal Damocles. The principal tells him the bad news that the Dungeons and Dragons Club is on the verge of getting cut due to not having enough permanent members. As far as official members go, it's just Viktor and Fumikage Tokoyami. Occasionally other classmates come or go, but they aren't there enough to keep the club going. Viktor pleads with Principal Damocles not to close to club. The principal tells him he has until the end of the week to gain a total of five members. Viktor leaves, dejected. A shadow crosses over his eyes as his citrine ring sparks.
Lila Rossi is again using Lapinna for her own glory. Guy Nigels's locker gets stuck. Lila has Lapinna fly inside to release it while Lila makes it look as if she shimmied it open by herself. She helps Mylene Haprele reach a high book in the library through similar means. She even helps Meg Delphinus find her lost pencil case by sending Lapinna out searching for it while Lila herself took it easy.
The Agreste limo pulls onto the street the school is on. Adrien and Felix are talking with Felix being more animated than he usually is. Adrien sees this as a good sign. Nicholas is staring out the window, lost in his own thoughts about his identity and purpose. However, once they get close to the school, Nicholas doubles over in pain and collapses. Adrien is alarmed, and even Felix shows some surprise. Nicholas shows all symptoms of illness. The gorilla pulls up to the front of the school, parks, and then hurries around to check on everything.
Adrien suggests that they call the school nurse or even the hospital, but Nicholas insists it isn't needed. Felix remarks it's strange as Nicholas was healthy just a minute ago; it's not like there's any major tests today Nicholas might be trying to get out of. Adrien tells Felix that he isn't helping. Solomon, the gorilla, shooes them into school and drives Nicholas home, effectively calling him off sick.
However, once they're away from the building, Nicholas instantly feels better. He realized what happened. There must be some of Tarantula's wards around or inside the school. As a senti monster, his body is responding to them—just like they did the other day. Of course, he can't tell this to Solomon, so he continues to act very ill.
His first instinct when he's brought back to the Agreste manor is to talk to his aunt. However, Dr. Theroux intercepts him for a physical. Nicholas tries to insist that that isn't necessary, but considering the fact that the household has had two almost permanently comatose adults as well as two other members fall into a coma temporarily, Dr. Theroux isn't taking any chances. Nicholas does not like the fact he's getting examined as it could reveal he's not a real human. But Dr. Theroux doesn't seem to notice this and sends the bloodwork and stuff to the hospital for analysis.
Finally, Nicholas is freed to talk to his aunt. Nathalie is very worried, and for being named "Sancoeur," for once her concern is apparent in her words and actions. Nicholas insists he's fine and explains that it's the wards at the school that caused him to collapse. Nathalie is instantly ready to send in Chip Bluestone, All-Star Rex, and Ruddiger to remove the wards, but Nicholas tells her not to. It would reveal that they have an interest in the school; it risks too much. (Ironic, as it's also Ivory's HQ, which is why Ivory made sure it was one of the places with anti-magical-creatures/constructs wards. But she's hiding her interest in the school by having wards on multiple buildings while Peacock Moth also has to pretend the school is of no interest to her by not targeting it specifically. It's also worth noting that the wards do not effect kwamis as they are very different in anatomy than a senti monster.) Nicholas reveals that Solomon excused him from school by saying he's sick. Nathalie points out that that'll only work for a day or two; they need to find a permanent solution because Tarantula's wards are a major hindrance to Team Hawk Moth. And not just with Nicholas, though Nicholas is Nathalie's primary concern. The wards also hinder her spyders and any future senti monster she may want to make. Nathalie turns to the digital grimoire and her own powers to try to find a solution.
At Francoise Dupont High School, the bell rings for classes to begin. But all is not well for Team Ivory. Madam Gros has completely run out of potential recruitment candidates at the school. She has no one left to interview. She considers the five miraculous she has left: Taurus, Virgo, Aries, Sagittarius, and Aquarius. Who would suit those? I need children who are malleable. She re-reviews the notes she took on the entire student body, selecting her final wielders. She recalls how easily Nicolette Lacroix/June fell into her hands after Nicolette learned about her crush, Etienne, being Reef. These stupid kids are easier to control when one of their infatuations are on the line… That, combined with Ivory's Oblivion, could make it very easy to groom targets. A plan forms, and Madam Gros smiles.
The hours pass, and school ends. Guy Nigels and Cameran Tyler meet up to head home together since Guy is hosting Cameran. However, before they leave, they run into Tristan Fortier and Rachel Beachene, their other friends. As they enter the conversation, Tristan is voicing his surprise. Rachel invited him to her kendo tournament—Tristan's surprised because she's both competing and getting really good really quick. Neither Guy nor Cameran knew Rachel took up kendo, and Rachel lets some of her sadistic personality slip as she invites them too.
Mathieu Anciel very briefly finds his little brother, Marc. "Tell mom and dad I'll be home late, I'm going out with Monique." Marc tells his brother to call them himself, but Mathieu is gone on his skateboard. He passes by Stella Tenebrae, who is jogging home.
Viktor Vasiliev finds Fumikage Tokoyami and tells him about the DnD Club being under threat to dissolve. This disheartens Fumikage too. He says he could probably push for his girlfriend, Tsuyu Asui, to join…but they would still need two other members, and he has no idea where they'd find those. Nathaniel Kurtzberg happens to pass by at that point, and they ask him if he'd consider being a full-time member. After all, Nathaniel has participated once or twice. Nathaniel says it's a big commitment on top of drawing his comic as he has real deadlines for his agent. "But if you did a Star Wars campaign, I'd totally be in." Viktor considers this. He's much, much more into high fantasy and Tolkien-esque stuff than sci fi, but he loves his club. "Okay, if that's what it takes, we can do a Star Wars campaign next. Do you know anyone else who would be interested?"
Nathaniel perks up as he is eager to play such a campaign. He then recalls the Ahsoka Tano watch party. He knows he can probably convince Marc to join. He also knows Giselle Winters-Blanchet loves Star Wars; he suggests they ask her. That would bring them up to six people if everyone they suggest participates. Viktor thanks him, and Nathaniel heads off to talk to his friends.
Mireille Caquet and Aurore Beaureal depart together for their job at the news station. Aurore is extremely happy with Pollen hiding in her purse, but Mireille is fairly sullen. When they're almost clipped by a biker on their way to the bus, Mireille actually lets a sarcastic "watch where you're going!" slip from her lips. Aurore and Mireille are both surprised at this as Mireille is never the type to use sarcasm. She immediately apologizes, wondering what came over her. Her new earrings glint.
Meanwhile, Mathieu Anciel meets up with his girlfriend, Monique Imhof. Monique straps on some roller blades and takes his hand, wondering where they're going. Mathieu says it's a surprise, she giggles, and the two head off together. Mathieu mostly pulls her along on his skateboard as she's not the best skater, but they have a ton of fun regardless. At least, they have fun until they take a short cut down a narrow side street. They get tangled in a giant web. Then, black.
Evening stretches on, and Marc Anciel as well as his parents begin to get worried as Mathieu has not returned home nor has he contacted them. Mr. Anciel calls Monique's family, but they don't know where Mathieu or Monique are. This gets both families worried with calls made to other family members and friends. One of which is Nicolette Lacroix, as she's Monique's best friend.
Nicolette immediately contacts Madam Gros to ask permission to transform into June so she can search for her missing friend. Just as Madam Gros planned. Madam Gros gives her permission under one condition—she, Ivory, will join her. Nicolette is actually thrilled by this, thinking her mentor cares that much. They meet up within the hour as June and Ivory.
Under Ivory's careful, manipulative guidance, they find Monique and Mathieu pretty quickly. Both teens are dazed and half conscious. Monique's sleeves are ripped, and Mathieu is missing a shoe. June rushes to them. Ivory clears her throat, reminding June not to greet Monique as her civilian alias. June composes herself and asks how both teens are. "What happened?"
Neither fully remember. They were skating around and then…someone attacked them. June asks who. Neither is certain, but Mathieu seems to recall it being Ladybug and Cat Noir and Buck. Monique says that that doesn't sound like them…but she does remember seeing horns, just like Buck. And someone was wearing all black. (Now, this is actually very careful memory manipulation from Ivory. She used Oblivion so they forgot about Tarantula and the web. And then, through exemplary use of her powers, she had them forget that it wasn't Ladybug or Cat Noir or Buck.) June is stunned to hear her friends confess to being attacked by the heroes. Ivory reminds her that they attacked Reef, her crush. June's eyes drop, but she buys the lie.
However, Monique and Mathieu still seem hesitant about the heroes actually being bad guys. Ivory convinces June that her friends are in denial and that she needs to talk with them, alone. June isn't too happy about leaving Monique, disheveled, but Ivory points out that June need to protect her own identity and that she, Ivory, is a trained psychiatrist, so she can help. June reluctantly accepts this and leaves.
Now, being convinced that they were both attacked by the Eastern Order as well as no longer having anyone who can explain what really happened, Monique and Mathieu are perfect prey for Ivory. She offers to escort them somewhere safe. She takes Monique and Mathieu into the school. This surprises the teens as it's after hours. But Ivory has a key.
She escorts them to her office and then deliberately breaks her transformation, revealing herself to be Madam Gros. This leads Monique and Mathieu to asking a ton of questions. Monique remarks that Ivory's allies were supposed to be enemies of Paris, but Madam Gros explains that the Western Order is attempting to keep peace and secrecy. She tells them the lie about the more Ladybug and Hawk Moth use their miraculous, the more chaos magic is created—just as they're planning. She theorizes that Monique and Mathieu must have seen something they weren't supposed to with Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Buck—that's why they were attacked.
As all the questions are answered, Madam Dolores Gros pulls the couple in, hook, line, and sinker. They turn against Team Ladybug and fall for all the manipulations. And since she gets the couple right where she wants them, Madam Gros present the Western Order's miracle box. She says she wants Monique and Mathieu to be her allies. Both agree.
So Madam Gros gives Monique an armlet that represents the Aquarius while she hands Mathieu a headband that represents the Aries. (Which is the precise reason she chose to frame Buck on top of Ladybug and Cat Noir.) They accept the miraculous readily and don them, causing their kwamis to form. This, of course, shocks the teens more and causes more questions to be asked. The Aquarius kwami, Oshii the osprey, and the Aries kwami, Zaggy the ram, introduce themselves to their new partners.
It gets pretty late, so Madam Gros calls their homes and provides excuses that keep the two teens out of most trouble. Something about them getting lost and Madam Gros finding them while she was out shopping, and then a needed counseling session, the likes of which are confidential. "But I accept full responsibility for what happened. I should have contacted you (the parents) immediately. It was a lapse on my part. Don't punish your children for my mistake." Madam Gros is charismatic enough that she pulls it off without further upsetting parents and calls to the principal and stuff.
By now it's quite late. Aurore is preparing to leave to meet with the B Team. She's talking with Pollen as they're still figuring out each other. One thing Aurore asks is if she should tell her family about Pollen. Pollen admits that she instinctively wants to keep everything a secret, but she does like seeing how close Aurore's family is and how much they trust each other. Aurore still hesitates. Pollen asks what's wrong, and Aurore explains how a girl named Chloe Bourgeois previously owned the bee comb and how she still feels it's hers…and maybe it is. Pollen instantly insists that the comb belongs to Aurore and that she recognizes Aurore as her true wielder. It was Aurore's heart and energy and powers that caused Pollen to be born. Not Chloe's. Aurore is her true queen. Aurore thanks Pollen, all doubts about ownership of the miraculous dispelled. She transforms with her new phrase, "Buzz on, Pollen!" and leaves.
The B Team make their way to their usual graveyard. This includes Chip Bluestone, who wasn't certain he should come as he has yet to choose a secret keeper. Alpha encouraged him to join them. Alpha makes sure he's the first to arrive in order to support his pack and to mull through how on Earth he's going to approach Chip Bluestone about his suspicions. No matter what method he considers, Alpha still feels like he's betraying a member of his pack—but on the other paw, he knows he can't ignore the increase of evidence because that would put everyone at risk.
Froppy and Tsukuyomi arrive next. Froppy picks up on the fact Alpha is distracted pretty quickly, but he doesn't go into detail. He does ask her, again, about what she saw during Ursa's debut chapter—if Froppy truly believes it was an Escape-made door that allowed the water to drain from the stadium. Froppy admits she's not 100% certain, but it really did seem like an Escape.
That's when Honey Bee arrives. The other three congratulate her on her item becoming a real miraculous and they welcome her back after being trapped for the weekend. Honey Bee is very touched by their words, and they chat for a little bit about what it's like to have new kwamis, including telling each other the names of their kwamis (although they can't introduce the kwamis since they're transformed at the moment).
The conversation changes when Dauphine shows up, and she is also eagerly welcomed back. Froppy and Honey Bee ask about Dauphine's parents and how she held up after being grounded for so long (due to her lies when she was cocooned up getting busted). Dauphine admits it was very hard, and she still hasn't fully earned back her parents' trust. But she's going to continue to work at it. Until then, she has to be careful ("be careful" again) so that they don't catch her sneaking out as Dauphine. Alpha tells her that they'll do what it takes to watch her back too.
That's when Firefly and Snow Leopard arrive at roughly the same time. Those two also eagerly welcome Honey Bee and Dauphine back. Within the minute, Chip Bluestone enters. He apologizes for running slightly late.
Alpha braces himself to bring up the topic of Chip's questionable actions—as well as trying to figure out why Chip has a turquoise stone in his magical item, which aligns more with Adamantus than the rest of them, but he can't bring himself to say anything. So instead, he divides his pack up into twos so that they can practice together; Alpha makes sure to assign Chip to himself. He figures he'll give Chip one more chance. He'll watch things closely tonight and make his decision based on that.
They're not the only miraculous users active in Paris. Chloe Bourgeois is on her balcony. She quickly looks around, making sure she's not being watched, and then calls Barbarra over and transforms into Queen Scorpion. Barbarra tries to protest as Chloe is on her last chance with Ivory, but Chloe doesn't listen. She takes off across the rooftops of Paris, again looking for a place where she can practice her powers.
As she travels, odd flashes of light catch her eyes. Queen Scorpion moves in closer, and for once she's actually being cautious. She does realize that she can't afford to be seen lest Madam Gros hear about it and take the Scorpio miraculous from her forever.
Queen Scorpion creeps closer to a graveyard and spies from behind a statue. She's very surprised to see the entire B Team practicing together. A smile dances on her lips as she thinks about how she can use this, but then she sees Honey Bee and almost loses her composure right there. She's about to charge Honey Bee for the comb, but she shows surprising restraint for being Chloe. Instead, she snaps a picture with her cell phone/chain weapon fusion and texts Madam Gros.
She tells Gros that she has active proof of where the B Team is practicing and can lead the Western Order against the B Team; they could ambush Alpha's crew and thus severely cripple Ladybug and Cat Noir's allies. However, what Queen Scorpion wants in return is to lead the charge and to claim the bee comb when it falls into their hands.
Madam Gros is still talking with Mathieu Anciel and Monique Imhof when she receives the text, and she openly laughs at Queen Scorpion's audacity. However, she does think to herself that Queen Scorpion has a good point—this is the perfect chance to ambush the B Team. However, she knows that she can't let Queen Scorpion get too much power; she's well aware that both Scorpion and Mink are trying to manipulate her. So Madam Gros/Ivory texts back, telling Scorpion to keep an eye on the situation and report if the B Team moves locations; she's sending all of her wielders to back Scorpion up. And Queen Scorpion will lead them into battle against the B Team with the primary objective being the B Team's magical items (as they don't yet know the true nature of the B Team's powers). However, Queen Scorpion isn't going to be the only leader; she's going to co-lead alongside Pride.
Queen Scorpion immediately begins to text back her protests, but Madam Gros tells her that this is how it'll be. The Scorpio wielder goes silent. Madam Gros turns then to Mathieu and Monique and tells them that the perfect opportunity has arisen. They can now test their new powers while facing against allies of the very people who had just attacked them. After all, it can't be a coincidence that Mathieu and Monique were attacked, and then the B Team shows up nearby, can it?
Once again, Monique and Mathieu believe what Madam Gros is telling them; they don't have the relevant memories left to see through her lies. Oshii and Zaggy guide them through their transformations while Madam Gros sends an alert out to her other teenage wielders, giving them directions to the cemetery and orders to follow.
Felix Graham de Vanily is only momentarily surprised that he's been made co-leader on this assignment, but then his pride (pun) kicks in and he states it'd be better if he was the only leader. He calls Leeroy and they transform.
Lila Rossi only half-heartedly checks the message and is about to pretend she didn't even get it as she doesn't want to bother with Madam Gros's campaign; she has her own. However, Lila misreads the message and mistakenly assumes Rena Rouge is present. That's enough for her to call Lapinna and transform herself into Mink.
Elsewhere in Paris, Pierre Lefevre, Etienne Fontaine, Nicolette Lacroix, and Marie Chauveau transform as well. The young Western wielders meet just outside the cemetery where Queen Scorpion has withdrawn to.
She immediately begins bossing everyone around, but Pride steps in and says that she can't determine anything without him. Queen Scorpion snaps back, and the two start bickering. Mink rolls her eyes impatiently, and June/Nicolette Lacroix mumbles that she preferred it when Sir Silver Hart (Pierre Lefevre) was the leader. Reef/Etienne Fontaine is just combing his hair in the reflection of a darkened store window.
That's when two new Western Order wielders arrive, a guy and a girl. The guy skids to a stop on his skateboard, his tires smoking slightly. His transformation is obviously based on a ram with curled horn that sorta mimic a helmet, black leather gloves, sneakers, wide belt, and a spotted skin tight suit with a black hooded vest. His mask is also dual-tone with it looking as if one of his eyes is surrounded by a black spot.
Next to him, floating, is the Aquarius wielder. She's mounted on a broom, sitting side saddle. Her transformation is inspired by the Wizard of Oz, looking like a Dorothy Gale and Wicked Witch of the West fusion. Overall, her pinafore is solid white with accents that mimic the pattern of an osprey's feathers. This includes a flowing cap as well as a white and brown witch's hat with the Aquarius emblem on its buckle. She's one of few transformations that doesn't include gloves. However, she has nylons on underneath her skirt, and her feet are covered by silver slippers (as her transformation is inspired by the book version of the Wizard of Oz where the slippers in question are silver and not ruby (since ruby does belong to a birthstone wielder).) Her mask is also elegant, but it is a bit long in the nose.
The other members of the Western Order are surprised to see them—well, all except Pride and Queen Scorpion, who are still arguing. The Aries wielder introduces himself as "Ramson" and the Aquarius user gives her name as "Zephyria—the witch." They explain briefly that Ivory just granted them their powers as they had been attacked by Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Buck that afternoon. This surprises everyone, and June confirms it to be true. Once introductions are complete, Ramson asks for details about the situation, and Zephyria wonders what the plan is.
It takes a long moment, but at length finally Pride and Queen Scorpion are able to agree to a plan. Which is rather simple—encircle the graveyard and charge. And then keep out of each other's way. Shark Regina/Marie Chauveau shrugs and agrees to this, and they all head into the graveyard, fanning out to encircle the B Team. Pride and Queen Scorpion get as far apart from each other as possible.
The B Team has no idea that this is going on. So when Ramson sends up an ember as a signal, the B Team is thoroughly confused. With a loud shout, the Western Order reveals themselves and charge in, completely catching the B Team off guard. They barely defend from most of the attacks, but they still get battered. Alpha grasps the situation the fastest and quickly rallies his pack, coordinating them.
Queen Scorpion fuels her own vendetta first and does nothing but target Honey Bee. However, after speaking with Pollen that afternoon, Honey Bee is now confident in her own ownership of the comb and fights Scorpion without backing down. Mink searches the area for Rena Rouge and then begins to stamp her feet and pout when she realizes that no one from Team Ladybug is present.
Shark Regina and Dauphine wind up facing off against each other. It's Shark Regina's graceful, dance-like strikes against Dauphine's broader, more blunt attacks and surfboard spinning. Pride makes it a point of targeting Alpha as only the leader is worthy of his efforts. It's an intense fight of rapier against spear. Being the only current member of the Western Order who can easily fly, Zephyria the Witch winds up taking on both Tsukuyomi and Firefly. However, when Tsukuyomi sees that Froppy has to deal with both June and Reef by herself, Tsukuyomi peels away from Zephyria, leaving the Aquarius to Firefly. Snow Leopard attempts to make ice barriers to protect her teammates; however, Ramson accelerates on his skateboard and reveals his special ability "Charge." Charge is a combination speed and attack booster, not unlike Kamaitachi's Speed Strike. However, Charge is more like a battering ram (pun) than a slash. It also generates fire when the Aries wielder gets up to speed; when the move is at full speed, it cannot be stopped and will obliterate whatever the wielder collides with (sorta like a fiery Juggernaut from X-Men). Needless to say, between the fire and the speed, Ramson completely obliterates Snow Leopard's ice walls. That leaves Mink and Chip Bluestone to face off; something that she dryly notes. Chip actually spends a fair bit of time Escaping from Mink while Mink attempts to catch his reflection in her mirror so she can use Duality and turn his dark side against his allies.
Unfortunately, it's nine against eight in favor of the Western Order, even though two of them are very new to their powers. The B Team uses the cemetery to their advantage as they know it well. However, Queen Scorpion's acid and Ramson's fire force them to lose ground. Alpha leaps in to cover for Froppy, dealing with both Pride and June by himself. He tells Froppy to fall back and call for help. Froppy does so. Pride attempts to charge her, but Alpha intercepts him, giving his packmate the time she needs. Alpha throws June aside, but she's able to get back up thanks to heightened defenses from her suit. She then pulls out her scissors, dead serious. She tells Alpha that she could easily Sever his relationships. Is there a girl he likes? She could cut that thread, and they'd never get together. Or what about the B Team; one snip, and their friendship would end. This really gets to Alpha as he cherishes both Marinette and his relationship with his friends. It's enough of a distraction that Pride disarms him and points his rapier at the wolf's throat. June moves in too, further restricting Alpha's ability to escape.
Froppy barely has enough time to type "SOS!" with the BUZZ feature into their Discord before Chip Bluestone collides with her as he Escapes though a headstone with Mink on his heels. Froppy has to leap away too as they know it'd be a bad thing to get caught by Mink's mirror. All they can do is hope that Ladybug and Cat Noir get their message.
Snow Leopard is still trying to hold off Ramson from everyone else while Sir Silver Hart swings at her with his elongated gavel. Queen Scorpion is also causing a lot of collateral damage, as usual, with her chain as she tries to ensnare Honey Bee. At one point, Firefly actually swoops down and picks up Honey Bee to get her away from Queen Scorpion. However, it's a short-lived rescue as Zephyria is on their tail. She reveals she has some control over the wind and knocks Firefly and Honey Bee from the sky. This allows Queen Scorpion to snag Honey Bee by her left arm, causing her bee suit to begin to melt.
Fortunately for the B Team, Ladybug and Cat Noir do get the message from Froppy. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to add where the fight is going on. Cat Noir quickly checks the news, but there's no updates. Ladybug realizes it has to be a pretty serious situation for them to use the BUZZ feature, and that something must have happened to prevent them from saying more. Cat Noir, texting her, points out that if things are that bad, they can't wander around Paris searching for them; it'd take too much time. Ladybug agrees as she racks her brain for an idea about where the B Team might be. She recalls several locations that have been relevant to the B Team before, including the garden they trained with Honey Bee and the cemetery they practiced with Alpha. They split up to check the areas as quickly as they can.
Meanwhile, the B Team is truly struggling. Alpha and Honey Bee have all but been captured. Ramson corals his fire around Snow Leopard, and she drops to her knees from the heat as she is an ice user. Firefly gets her out of the way using his Beacon. He whispers at her to change opponents; he can deal with Ramson's flames better himself as he's a light user. That leaves Snow Leopard against Zephyria the Witch. Snow declares "Frost Fall." Snowflake emblems appear on the B Team, marking them as allies, as she attempts to lull the Western Order asleep. However, since it is a large-scale ability, Shark Regina is able to use her own ability, "Mutate," to turn one element into another—so she turns all of the frost into flowers, preventing anyone from dozing. Reef continues to try to pin Froppy down with his "Fabricate" ability; he complains all this work is going to make him sweaty and that that is bad for the skin. Froppy herself is quite agile, but as Reef's threads close in, she's forced to use her Camouflage ability so that Reef can no longer see her, allowing her to evade him. She continues to use this to her advantage, getting into position and using her tongue to steal Pride's rapier, which he is using to threaten Alpha. And good timing too, as Pride was going for Alpha's ear cuff. No longer in danger of having his throat slit, Alpha throws Pride off and leaps away, thanking Froppy for her help. And upon seeing how much his pack is struggling, he uses his "Howl" to empower them all. While this puts him on his five-minute timer, it allows everyone on the B Team who had previously used their abilities to have their own countdowns restored.
Ladybug, who is on her way to check out the area, hears Alpha's Howl and sprints to that location. She sees the on-going fight, texts Cat Noir to say what she found, and then leaps in to drive Queen Scorpion away from Honey Bee. Scorpion rages at Ladybug for keeping her away from the bee comb yet again. She doubles her efforts and proves to have enough skill to take on both Ladybug and Honey Bee at the same time.
The battle continues to shift, and Tsukuyomi finds himself against Sir Silver Hart. Tsukuyomi uses his Abyssal Black Body to create armor for himself against Hart's long gavel. However, Sir Silver Hart counters with "Polarity," magnetizing Tsukuyomi and one of the mausoleums so that Tsukuyomi cannot pull away from it. Tsukuyomi struggles but cannot get free, allowing Sir Silver Hart to strike him again and again as his shadow armor cracks and then shatters.
"Cataclysm!" Cat Noir jumps down, obliterating the mausoleum and freeing Tsukuyomi. Tsukuyomi thanks him, and Cat Noir jokes about getting cursed for what he just did. He then asks Tsukuyomi what happened and why so many of the Western Order are here. Tsukuyomi briefly explains, while dodging Sir Silver Hart, that the B Team was just practicing, as usual, when they were ambushed. He suspects that one enemy or another must have spotted them.
During this, Nathalie Sancoeur begins sensing surges through the butterfly brooch. She finds a private place in the manor to figure out what's going on. (It isn't too hard as both Adrien and Felix have snuck out.) She realizes what she's sensing is Chip Bluestone using his powers in a serious fight. Nathalie flips on the news, but there's no reports at all about superheroes. Nathalie calls Nicholas and tells him to transform into Adamantus. She sends him to the area she can sense Chip fighting in.
Nicholas Sancoeur isn't the only one who gets a text that night. Alix Kubdel is watching TV with her brother and father. She gets a mysterious message that says, "It's tonight: to the catacombs." Alix makes an excuse about heading to bed early and then sneaks out as Bunnyx.
Back at the cemetery, things are roughly even between the two opposing sides with Ladybug and Cat Noir backing them up. Froppy points out, in her usual pragmatic way, that they don't necessarily have to win this fight—they can retreat. Firefly argues that this is the perfect time to reduce the number of their opponents by capturing them or their miraculous, but Froppy argues that they're having a hard time overpowering the Western Order. However, half of the Western Order are getting low on their countdowns, a fact which Mink scolds her teammates for. Reef argues back that the only reason Mink isn't on her own countdown is because she was having a poor time catching someone's reflection in her mirror. Mink snaps "do you want me to catch your reflection!?" Reef, being a classic narcissist, actually likes this idea and doesn't hear the threat in it.
Ladybug goes to use her Lucky Charm. However, that's the moment Queen Scorpion was waiting for. Scorpion activates her "Dissolve," which is specifically able to corrode magic-made objects. Ladybug sees it coming and is able to twist aside just in time so that Queen Scorpion's chain strikes Ladybug's purse instead of her Lucky Charm. It instantly eats away at the purse, causing all of Marinette Dupain-Cheng's personal possessions to fall everywhere. Ladybug gets an "oh crap!" moment as any one of those items might reveal her secret identity. She scrambles to pick them all up, grabbing her wallet and pencils and pieces of paper with her name on it.
Unfortunately, this leaves her open to Queen Scorpion, who dives in for a finishing blow. However, Honey Bee moves equally fast and is able to paralyze Queen Scorpion at the very last moment with "Venom." Ladybug thanks her and tells her to take Queen Scorpion's miraculous before she recovers. Honey Bee hesitates at this feels wrong. She then realizes she has no idea exactly which item is Queen Scorpion's miraculous. This gives June the time she needs to jump in and defend her ally. Cat Noir also sees what happened to Ladybug, and he hurries down to gather some of her possessions as well in order to protect her.
However, this does cause Ladybug to temporarily forget she used her Lucky Charm. Zephyria the Witch flies in and seizes it for herself. She retreats to Ramson, who stands protectively in front of her. Zephyria takes a moment to try to figure out how the Lucky Charm works. Ladybug, still holding all her stuff, argues that Lucky Charms don't work that way. Ladybug moves to get her charm back, but Ramson blocks her; he's very agile due to his weapon being his skateboard.
But Ramson can only defend Zephyria from one angle. Chip Bluestone, by now, has slipped behind them. He uses his Escape on the stone wall, appearing behind Zephyria and snagging the Lucky Charm out of her hand. He tosses it to Ladybug, who thanks him. Then she freezes, looking at him curiously. "What's happening to your neck?" The skin up Chip's right hand and arm, all the way to his neck, is turning blue. Chip has no idea about this, but everyone else recognizes it as the same symptom that plagues Ruddiger, Ringtail, and All-Star Rex—all of which are confirmed allies of Adamantus. Froppy, in her usual blunt manner, asks Chip where his power really came from. And Snow Leopard mutters that she did see Chip Bluestone out when he shouldn't be. Chip is hurt by their accusations, but once he sees his own skin, he freaks out.
Adamantus is watching from the distance. He currently has to be careful with how he travels around Paris due to the Western Order's wards in random places. However, the cemetery is free of them. He notices that Chip's skin is turning and relays this to Peacock Moth; he tells her that if he moves to extract Chip Bluestone now, it will confirm Chip's status as a sleeper mole. However, it does look as if Ladybug and allies highly suspect that already. Peacock Moth, still not quite willing to risk her nephew and being protective of him because of the wards, tells him that she'll handle it.
While everyone is still fighting each other, Peacock Moth seizes full control of Chip Bluestone. She speaks through him, pretending to be him. "He" ramps up how hurt and betrayed he feels. She then has him run off, visibly upset, using Escape to get through the graveyard too quickly for the others to follow—not like they were in any condition to follow with the Western Order attacking them. Honey Bee remarks that she's shocked Chip Bluestone would abandon them at a time like this, even with their current suspicions. Alpha says that they'll discuss everything in full later, but for now they need to deal with the Western Order. Adamantus quietly follows Chip Bluestone out.
With things dragging on, Zephyria the Witch sees the moment to use her own special ability: "Return." Once again inspired by the Wizard of Oz, "Return" sends the target (person or object) back where it came from—and she targets Ladybug. ("There's no place like home.") Before Cat Noir can stop her, Zephyria plucks a straw from her broom and uses it like a dart to strike Ladybug in the arm. Ladybug is instantly sent back to Marinette Dupain-Cheng's bedroom in an effect that looks a lot like a tornado, due to her Wizard of Oz theming. (Yes, the move is a teleportation move, but it's different from Pegasus's Voyage as Pegasus can open a portal to anywhere of his target—he can even let other people travel through it. Zephyria, however, can only target one object/person and that target will always return to "where it came from," she cannot determine the location. Her "Returns" is actually the perfect counter to Ruddiger's Steal, but that's for a different day.) Ladybug, realizing where she is, bolts out the window to sprint back to the fight (though she does drop her possessions on the floor of her bedroom.)
Cat Noir rages when Ladybug disappears. And now, being down both Ladybug and Chip Bluestone, the B Team is in serious danger of getting overwhelmed. Tsukuyomi has to leap in at one moment to stop Cat Noir from getting reckless against Ramson and Zephyria. And that's before Pride uses his special ability, "Invulnerability," which allows him to pretty much mow through the already exhausted heroes. Dauphine rises to her feet and uses her "Echolocation," which reveals a route to a helpful location, though she doesn't usually get a clear picture as to why that would be helpful. However, this time she sees what is clearly an escape route. She suggests they all fall back due to Pride. Queen Scorpion, who is working her way free of Venom, snarls that she's not going to let them leave and targets Honey Bee again.
This only convinces Alpha to order a full-on retreat. With Tsukuyomi able to talk Cat Noir down, Cat Noir offers to cover their retreat. Alpha full-on refuses; he's the leader—he'll be the one to protect his pack and cover their retreat instead. Cat Noir looks like he's going to acquiesce, but he then both Pride and Ramson charge him. He leaps aside; Pride and Ramson to collide with the largest statue and mausoleum respectively on the property. Those collapse and create a solid burning wall between the Western Team and the entire B Team. Cat Noir gapes in horror as the rubble falls around him. Alpha calls out his ally's name as he loses sight of the black cat. The wolf gets cut off just as Cat Noir is buried.
Of course, the B Team isn't about to let Cat Noir trapped and surrounded by enemies alone. Plus they have two flyers as well as one member who can conjure ice to walk on or lift objects. Alpha quickly starts to organize them—when the entire ground beneath their feet turns into some type of swirling gateway, and they all drop out of sight, all seven of them. The gateway closes. Just then, Zephyria flies over on her broom to continue her part of the fight, but the B Team is gone.
As the dust settles, Pride is the first the lunge forward to take on Cat Noir only to see the rubble where Cat Noir was standing and Cat Noir's bell, torn off of his neck. June whispers, wondering if Pride thinks that Cat Noir is dead. Reef makes a rather dismissive comment about "nine lives" as he fusses with his hair. Queen Scorpion orders the others to dig through the rubble and capture Cat Noir. Mink chortles and wonders if Scorpion wants everyone to know her identity as her hair tie is beeping a lot. As are the miraculous of Reef, Ramson, Sir Silver Hart, Shark Regina and pretty much everyone except Mink and June, who never got the proper chance to use their abilities, and Pride and Zephyria, who have marginally longer. Of course, they realize that this is the perfect time to capture Cat Noir (assuming he didn't just escape), but most of them can't risk it. Pride, as co-leader, orders everyone who isn't Zephyria, Mink, or June to leave and leave things to them. Queen Scorpion argues back, insisting she's the one in charge, but Pride doesn't even bother to acknowledge her as she can only rant for so long before she's literally forced to fall back because of her timer. Half of the Western Order withdraws. Now, Pride is inexperienced enough that he didn't think to tell them to return after feeding their kwamis, and Queen Scorpion is too pissed at him to suggest it herself. There is a lot of inner-Order bickering at this point in time in the scene.
With half of them gone, Mink protests digging through rubble. Pride orders them all to. June points at the top of the fence. Ladybug has already returned while they were busy arguing. She's already rescued Cat Noir from the fall side of the broken building and is hauling him away. Pride blames Queen Scorpion for the failure. Mink snaps at him, saying that they should follow the heroes. Pride takes her intonation as an insult to his ego, and he argues with her that she's not the leader. June points out that the more they fight, the more time the heroes have to flee. However, no one listens to her as they're all still arguing. They all bicker and bicker and bicker, and the heroes escape.
Once a safe distance away, Ladybug sets Cat Noir down. He's pretty bruised, though his suit protected him from most of the damage. It's clear Ladybug is sick with worry, and even Cat Noir picks up on that. He mentions how happy it makes him, and she insists it's because they're "partners." There's a tender moment between them, but that's when both of them hear the beeping of their timers. Cat Noir remarks that he's surprised that Ladybug didn't even bother to feed her kwami before darting back into battle. Ladybug stammers an excuse and then asks again if he's going to be okay. Cat Noir gets to his feet, battered, but insists he'll be fine when he transforms back. Ladybug quickly has to ask what happened to the B Team, and he answers that they escaped. With no time left, Ladybug throws her Lucky Charm to undo the damage to the cemetery. She and Cat Noir sprint in different directions and just barely make it to ground level when their transformations break. They remain in the shadows, just in case the Western Order is looking for them.
However, the Western Order is still bickering in the graveyard. It's not until they see the damage undone that they realized their mistake. By then, it's too late to pursue the heroes, and they're all forced to retreat.
At the same time, as Cat Noir is forced to transform back into Adrien Agreste, he catches an exhausted Plagg—and he realizes he's still holding something in his hand. It's a cellphone. Ladybug's cell phone. He picked it up to help her when her purse was Dissolved by Queen Scorpion and he forgot to give it back. He turns to call out to Ladybug, but she's already gone. Adrien flat-out knows he can't leave the cell phone lying around as it would compromise her identity, so he takes it with him back to the Agreste manor. (It's a weird thing as their cell phones work through their weapons, but the heroes don't actually know how the fusion of weapons and phones work and where their phones go in the meantime and what their weapons are made of when they're conjured out of nothing. This, at least a little, confirms that their physical phones are somewhere in the ether with their features alone linked to their weapons.)
Meanwhile, the entire B Team (minus Chip Bluestone, who was forced to run off and has since returned home under Adamantus's watchful eye) is wondering where the heck they are and what that gate was that brought them here. It's pitch black and the air is damp and musty. They can tell by voices (and the fact that they all wound up in a heap on top of each other) that all seven of them are there. Of course, they all wonder about who dumped them here in the first place. Friend? Foe? Furthermore, the air is filled with the sound of beeping as their timers run down.
An adult woman's voice interrupts their questions. She recommends that they use this time when they can't see each other to feed their kwamis. They have a lot of ground to cover tonight, and they'll need to be transformed. Hearing her speak, nearly half of the B Team leap out of their skins as they thought they were alone. But her point is proven seconds later when Alpha's transformation breaks in the dark. Luka Couffaine is very unnerved at first, but it's clear no one else can see him. It helps that he thinks he recognizes the woman's voice. He offers some dried beef jerky to Luuna and then introduces her by name to his packmates. They can all hear her even if they can't see her. Honey Bee offers to pet her, which Luuna is initially annoyed at but winds up seriously enjoying Honey Bee's rub behind her ears.
Taking a cue from their leader, one by one the rest of the B Team transforms back to feed their kwamis. This allows for the first ever time that the B Team were able to properly introduce their kwamis to their allies, and the number of kwami voices around the room officially confirm that every single antique akumatized item is now a miraculous. Of course, during the snack, it comes up about Chip Bluestone. The B Team pretty much universally agrees that while they're no longer certain if he is an ally or not, they're all worried about him. He's a friend. And Honey Bee/Aurore Beaureal wonders that if Chip is working for one of their enemies…is he doing it willingly? Or is he being threatened or blackmailed?
The adult woman tells them to transform back, which they do, while she explains that Chip Bluestone's magical item was never the same as theirs. Dauphine wonders what the woman means, and the woman replies that she's here to fill them in on the history of their items. "Shield your eyes." Before they can ask any further questions, the woman turns on a high-powered electric lantern, and anyone not fast enough on the B Team gets blinded. By now, they're all transformed back, and they can see where they are—they're in the Catacombs. This causes Dauphine to just about leap out of her skin when she comes face to face with a skull while Honey Bee is very much grossed out by the atmosphere.
Alpha is the first to recognize the adult woman as Bunnyx—he actually just trained alongside her younger self the previous day. Firefly remarks about Bunnyx being Mad Hare, but Bunnyx tells them that this is the real her and that she's an ally. She then tells them to follow her. Tsukuyomi and Snow Leopard, among others, are wary, but Alpha tells them it's okay and leads the way. He does want to know more about Chip Bluestone before he has to make the difficult decision of branding his friend as a traitor. He also realizes that Bunnyx brought them here via her Burrow, and he asks her when they are. Bunnyx chuckles and says she only brought them forward five minutes.
Bunnyx leads them down a tunnel, and it's the same tunnel from the Sir Silver Hart chapter. They get to the end where there's the bust of Lazare Carnot that Adamantus found about two-three weeks ago. Bunnyx smiles as she reveals a hidden switch, opening a passageway behind the bust into a large subterranean rotunda. Eight coffin-like structures are laid in a circle inside. Bunnyx enters, and the others follow. It's the exact same location Bunnyx herself entered way, way back in the Prologue.
Dauphine wonders about the crypt, and Tsukuyomi addresses it rather poetically as a "sleeping place of eternal darkness." It's Froppy who first notices the butterfly emblem on the 12 o'clock sarcophagus. Bunnyx confirms this. She then begins the history. This place is a secret shrine, honoring the people who served under Lazare Carnot, who, himself, was a wielder of the butterfly miraculous. While his true body is buried elsewhere, his seven most loyal followers were entombed in this very room, and their bones still rest here.
This unnerves a couple of the teens, but Tsukuyomi finds it fascinating. They notice the various animal motifs on the faded carvings and locate the coffins that represent their own miraculous. However, the emblems are pretty well worn. Adult Bunnyx at one point says "Hey, a song of snow and fire, you two need to trade places." It takes Firefly and Snow Leopard a moment to figure out she means them. ("Isn't it a song of ice and fire?") But they switch and examine the resting place of their previous wielders. Bunnyx responds with "that's just what I call the two of you in the future."
Alpha asks about the story begin everything. So Bunnyx tells them about how the French hero, Lazare Carnot, used the butterfly miraculous during the French Revolutionary Wars and the following Napoleonic Wars. He was a great organizer and a brilliant strategist, but a solid chunk of his success came in delegating out powers to his seven closest followers by empowering items they owned with the butterfly miraculous. His loyalest were able to empower the troops (the wolf), halt enemies (the snow leopard and bumblebee), rescue wounded soldiers and civilians (the lightning bug), and provide reconnaissance and back up through land and sea and sky (the crow, the dolphin, and the frog). When his loyal followers died after the wars due to natural causes, they were buried here alongside their magical items. Firefly notes that that was over 200 years ago, and Alpha reminds him about what Ladybug told them—an akumatized item that hasn't been purified or destroyed, after 100 years, becomes a miraculous under its wielder's power. The timeline fits. (Though we know if an akumatized item is destroyed and not purified, we wind up with a Stoneheart situation. But here, these items were never destroyed or damaged in the first place.)
Froppy then wonders how the antique akumatized items wound up in their hands. Bunnyx rather casually admits to taking the items from the crypts and selling the items to them months ago. This is shocking to the B Team, even moreso by the casual way Bunnyx admits to things. They ask questions about Lazare Carnot's life, his allies, and their actions, which Bunnyx does her best to answer. They also ask why Bunnyx is doing this, and she answer that all her actions have always been to ensure the best future for as many people as possible. While they talk, Snow tugs at her bracelet; she didn't buy it from Bunnyx. Hers came from her mother. But how?
Once the conversation wraps up about Lazare Carnot and his followers, it's Honey Bee who notes that there truly is no squirrel wielder documented down here. Bunnyx nods. Froppy asks what that makes Chip Bluestone. Is he really a spy? And where did the item he wields come from? Bunnyx has to get evasive at this point to preserve the timeline, but her vague hints pretty much confirm the B Team's worst fears that Chip Bluestone is a spy. Honey Bee sorta whimpers with, "So he never was one of us?" Bunnyx replies, "Hey, he might be a spy, but I never said he wasn't one of you."
Alpha then realizes what he wants to do and makes the decision as leader. "We're going to save Chip from whatever power is compelling him, or controlling him, or corrupting him. He's our friend—and this pack doesn't abandon its friends. We're going to find a way to save him. We'll save them all—all those under Adamantus who are unwilling, even Adamantus himself if he's been coerced into this. That's what our team does. Because we're heroes." His allies rally behind his speech.
Once done, Firefly wonders about how they get out of the catacombs. Bunnyx points out that Dauphine's Echolocation can lead them to the surface. Firefly wonders why Bunnyx just doesn't teleport them five minutes ahead of time and out of the catacombs like she did when she brought them here. Bunnyx vaguely alludes to the fact that they might need to find this place again.
The teens leave, and adult Bunnyx stays behind. However, Snow Leopard turns back with her final question. "How did my mother get this bracelet years ago if it was buried down here?" Bunnyx tells her that the one who has that answer is her mother. Snow's gaze falls, and she says her mother is dead. Bunnyx does know this though, so she replies with "maybe your mother left that answer behind." Snow takes the hint, thanks Bunnyx, and follows her friends out.
Once the B Team is gone, adult Bunnyx says, "you can come out now." Young Bunnyx reveals where she was sitting in the dark corner the whole time. Adult Bunnyx asks her teenage self if she's prepared for everything she has to do. Young Bunnyx expresses some nervousness at the prospect. Adult Bunnyx encourages her, "you can do it, you just watched me do it." She then says that she's leaving the present (which is her past) in young Bunnyx's hands. Adult Bunnyx is returning to the future where she has other work to do. From now on, it'll be young Bunnyx's responsibility to groom this timeline for its future. They say good-bye, and adult Bunnyx opens a Burrow and leaves. Young Bunnyx takes a deep breath; it's all on her now.
Back at the Agreste manor, Adrien Agreste is in his room, staring at Ladybug's cell phone. All it would take is one press of the button, and he could see her background screen. If it's not locked, he could learn her contacts, interests, everything about her, and maybe even her identity. But if he did that, he would shatter the trust between them entirely. Of course, he realizes he needs to return the phone to Ladybug. However, there's a dilemma in that he's not sure he'll be able to contact her when he has her phone. How often does she use a computer? Is she one of those girls who does everything on her phone?
Adrien can feel the temptation is getting to be too much. So he finally buries the phone inside a brown paper bag and repeatedly staples it shut. Plagg chuckles at Adrien's obvious distress and asks what he's doing. Adrien says he'll do what it takes to protect Ladybug, even from himself. He sits down at his computer to send her a private message through Discord—maybe she'll still be able to check it. He lets her know her phone is safe with him and that they can work out a time for Cat Noir to return it to her.
Just as he finishes typing the message, Ladybug's cell phone rings. Adrien perks up immediate as he recognizes the ringtone. It's a piano medley that he, himself, wrote that aired on a commercial about shampoo the previous month. Adrien is floored to hear his music touched Ladybug enough that she's actively using it. He is so ridiculously thrilled over this. "My music reached Ladybug's heart!" He almost forgets himself and reaches to answer it, but the touch of the brown bag reminds him that if he does, he's liable to learn something about her he can never take back. Maybe it is Ladybug herself calling, wondering if someone found her phone. But what if it's Ladybug's friends or parents? How would he explain that without risking her identity? Adrien sets down the bag, the stapled seal still intact. Plagg commends Adrien's will-power but wonders what's the point of such will-power as he gulps down cheese.
Adrien flops down on his bed. It's been a long day, and he still is sore from the fight in the cemetery. He's ridiculously worried about Master Fu and anxious about the growing strength of the Western Order, as well as confused about why the B Team was attacked and what exactly Adamantus's objectives are. But none of that can shake the smile from his face—in some way, the real him was able to reach Ladybug. She didn't reject him; his music is part of her heart.
To be continued in Chapter 80: Morpho…
