This story has been adopted/coauthored/rewritten alongside Autobot00001 and White Pedal. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Miraculous. They belong to Kazuki Takahashi and Studio Gallop and Thomas Astruc and Jeremy Zag respectively.
As Serenity got off the plane, she couldn't stop bouncing in place. She was finally HERE! Paris, France! The art capital of the world! Her eyes shimmered as she looked out the window and saw the Eiffel Tower in the distance. She was so excited she didn't even realize that she had gotten to the front desk to sign in until the clerk spoke to her.
"Bonjour, Mademoiselle. Welcome to Paris. Is this your first time visiting this city?"
Serenity gave a bright smile. "Yes, actually. I'm here for an exchange program with my school."
"Ah, tre bon. If I may, might I ask what it is you're studying?"
Serenity smiled as she handed her passport to the clerk. "I'm studying art, actually."
"Really," inquired the clerk as he stamped her passport. "Well in that case, Mademoiselle Wheeler, welcome to France and I wish you well in your abroad studies." The clerk then passed her her passport back with a smile.
"Merci," Serenity said. "So where might I go through Customs and then go to pick up my luggage? I'm supposed to meet someone who'll take me to my host family."
"Right through there," the clerk said pointing to the right. Serenity shouldered her bag and went that direction.
"Thank you," she said with a wave. As Serenity walked down the way to Customs, she felt something odd; a sort of strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She turned to the window and her eyes widened in shock. There, fluttering at the window, was a strange looking thing. It looked like a butterfly, but something was off about it. It seemed to have some sort of purplish aura around it, which she was pretty sure was impossible. What was even weirder was it seemed to be fluttering right in front of her… almost as if it were watching her. She stepped forward to get a better look at it. She couldn't get why a butterfly would just flutter there, but she knew there was something wrong with this bug.
Suddenly, her thoughts about this weird insect were broken by a voice behind her. "Pardonne moi, Mademoiselle. Is something wrong?"
Serenity turned to see a woman staring at her strangely. She pointed to the window. "Do you see anything odd out there?" Serenity inquired.
The woman looked at where the auburn-haired girl was pointing, but shook her head. "I see nothing except the usual things at an airport. I'm sorry."
Serenity, shocked, turned again to the window and saw the weird butterfly was gone. Almost as if it wasn't there in the first place. "Um, never mind," she said awkwardly. "I guess I was just seeing things. Long flights can do that, you know?" she said, chuckling to try and make light of the situation.
The woman must have believed her because she nodded. "Yes, I suppose they can. I've been on a few flights like that. Get some rest when you get to where you're going, oui?"
"Of course," Serenity said, nodding. With that, the woman left. Leaving Serenity to wonder if she was right in what she'd said. Maybe she was seeing things. The talk she had with her mom before must have been going on in her mind and she thought she saw a kooky looking butterfly. Either that or she did see a real butterfly and the talk had played with her mind to think it was a weirder one than it really was.
Either way, Serenity knew she couldn't dwell on it. Shrugging, she left for Customs. Try as she might though, she couldn't get the feeling in her gut to quell. As if seeing that bug was a sign of things to come.
Customs was definitely a pain for Serenity (Joey wasn't kidding about that time he and his friends had flown to Cairo and had said it was a pain in the behind), but she understood. With everything happening in Paris these days, you couldn't be too careful. Eventually, Serenity managed to get through and collect her bags. Thankfully, none of them had been lost on the flight to France. Now all she had to do was find the person who was supposed to take her to her host home.
From what Serenity had learned, whoever was picking her up was supposed to have a sign with her name on it, but so far she couldn't see anyone. Perhaps they were further into the crowd. So Serenity pushed forward, looking for a person with her name on a sign. Still, her mind wasn't completely on her query. She also- for SOME reason- still had her mind on that darn butterfly she saw (or maybe didn't see). In any case, Serenity knew she shouldn't be thinking about it, but it stuck to her brain like glue. She shook her head hard to try and focus.
"Keep it together, Serenity. You have more important things to focus on a crazy-looking lepidopteran. You need to find the person with your-"
Suddenly, Serenity saw something. Or rather, something held by someone.
As she drew closer to the front door of the airport, she saw a pretty Asian-looking girl about her age with bluebell eyes and short dark- blue hair, which was held partially back in pigtails. She was wearing a dark gray blazer with rolled-up sleeves, the inside of which was lined in white with pink polka dots and it had black trimming. Underneath, she wore a white t-shirt with black stitching and a flower design below the collar. The design itself had pink flowers and black leaves. She also wore pink rolled up jeans and pink ballet flats with dark red soles. Serenity could see she wore eyeliner around her eyes and sported black earrings At her side was a light pink purse with a thin black strap over her right shoulder. All in all, VERY fashion forward to say the least.
What really caught Serenity's attention though was that the girl was holding up a sign with Serenity's name written on it. She must be the person Serenity was supposed to meet.
"Excuse me," Serenity called, waving her hand in the air. Immediately, the girl saw Serenity and smiled a happy smile.
"Oh! Are you Serenity Wheeler?" asked the girl as she ran over to where Serenity was. "It's nice to meeEEEEEEE!"
Suddenly, to Serenity's horror, in her haste to get to her, the girl tripped and suddenly crashed into a pile of suitcases nearby. It drew quite a few looks from the crowd, a few people even stopped to see if she was okay. The girl simply gave an awkward smile and waved them away with a few thanks.
"Oh my goodness! Are you alright?" Serenity asked as she pulled her bags with her to the girl's unfortunate landing place. The girl simply got up out of the suitcases, dusted herself off, fixed her hair and peeked in her purse (probably to check that nothing inside was damaged).
"Oh yes, I'm fine. Sorry that had to be your first impression of me, but fine," the girls sighed. She then picked up the sign with Serenity's name on it and held it to her chest as she smiled a genuine smile like the whole thing had never happened. "Now how bout we start over, huh?" She held out a hand. "You're Serenity Wheeler, right? I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Serenity said as she grasped Marinette's hand and shook it.
"Welp, let's get these bags into a taxi I have outside," Marinette said as she tucked the sign under her arm and started picking up a few of Serenity's suitcases.
"Are you sure?" Serenity asked, sounding a little concerned. "You just took a nasty tumble."
Marinette laughed. "Oh, trust me. I've had FAR worse tumbles than THAT! I'm fine, really."
She seemed pretty confident about that so Serenity simply shrugged and decided to help. The two picked up the trunks and took them to the taxi that Marinette had waiting outside to take them to her house. As they got there, the two put them in the back trunk of the car and then got in the back seat.
"Back to your place, mademoiselle?" the driver asked Marinette.
"Oui," replied Marinette. She then turned to Serenity. "You're going to LOVE my house. I'm so excited! I've never had a roommate before. I mean, I've had sleepovers with my friends, but never actually HAD any of them living with me. I mean…" she face-palmed. "Oh great. I'm rambling, aren't I?" she groaned.
Serenity giggled. "A tad, but that's okay. I'm excited too."
The bluenette smiled at the girl. Then she noticed Serenity's face looking confused.
"Are you alright, Serenity?" she asked concerned.
"I could've sworn I saw your purse… move a second ago," Serenity said.
Marinette's eyes opened slightly and flicked down to the purse next to her. She quickly put a hand on it and held it close. "Oh. That was probably moving because of the cab, you know?" she said hurriedly. She gave a smile and hoped inwardly Serenity would buy it. She seemed like a smart girl and the excuse was flimsy at best.
Thankfully though, Serenity just smiled at the bluenette and nodded. "Yeah, that was probably it. I mean, it's not like you're keeping an animal in there, right?" The two let out a laugh (though it was slightly strained on Marinette's part) and then Serenity turned to look at the window as the cab continued down to Marinette's house.
Since Serenity was looking the other way out the window so she didn't see Marinette's breathe a small sigh of relief. Peeking into the purse she found the little red Kwami asleep. Tikki must have moved a little too hard and moved the purse. It was then Serenity knew that she would have to be careful with Serenity around. When Alya or she and the other girls slept over, they were gone by the next day, so Tikki only had to worry about hiding for a night. Now, however, someone was to be staying a LOT longer than that.
Perhaps this having a roommate thing MAY not be quite as enjoyable as Marinette thought. Still, it just meant she'd have to adapt. She just hoped she could get through this semester.
Eventually, the taxi got to a stop near enough to the Dupain-Cheng residence. After getting the bags out of the car and paying the driver, Serenity admired the place from afar. "Wow! I wasn't told your parents owned a bakery!"
"Yep. Pretty neat, huh?" Marinette said proudly.
"I'll say. You get to have pastries and stuff often I bet."
Marinette scoffed. "Ha! Trust me. Working in this place is no picnic, especially during busy days. Maman and Papa need all the help they can get on those days."
"Well I'd be glad to help if you need it," Serenity said.
"That'd be great. Thanks," Marinette said with a smile to her houseguest.
"Well, well. Don't tell me I've been replaced in the best friend department," a voice called out. Marinette and Serenity turned to see another girl walking toward them. She was of seeming Indian descent around their age and had wavy and reddish-brown ombre hair which was slightly past her shoulders, the tips being a lighter shade of copper red. She also wore glasses and had a beauty mark over her right eyebrow. Her outfit consisted of a white tank top underneath a short-sleeved plaid shirt with white, orange, and purple stripes; light blue jeans, and white sneakers with black tops. Her cherry red lips held a joking smile.
"Oh, hi Alya. Let me introduce you," Marinette said. She gestured to Serenity. "This is Serenity Wheeler. Serenity, meet my best friend, Alya Césaire."
Alya looked at her with a thoughtful look then brightened. "Oh yeah. You mentioned a girl from Japan who was coming to stay with you and go to our school for a while." She held out a hand "Any girl who Mari likes as quickly as you, I think I'll get along great with. Put 'er there." The two then shook hands eagerly.
"Thanks," Serenity said with a smile. This was great. She'd just arrived in the city and already she'd made two new friends.
"Well if you don't mind Alya, we need to get Serenity settled in," Marinette spoke up.
"Say, would you mind if I helped you guys?" Alya asked. "You have quite a few suitcases there."
"Sure. Happy for the help," Serenity said. As the three girls grabbed a few suitcases, Serenity asked, "So, what your school like?"
"Oh it's okay as far as schools go. That's actually it across the street." Alya commented as she gestured with her head to the large building across from them. "Of course, it DOES have its moments."
Serenity frowned. "I guess you're talking about those bad guys that always seem to pop up, huh?" Marinette and Alya stopped shortly and looked at her with curious faces. Serenity shrugged. "I… might have heard about it."
Marinette sighed as they started walking to the bakery. "Pretty much. Though there are… OTHER things." The way she said the word "other" was with disgust.
Serenity looked to Alya with a curious look to which the bespectacled girl whispered, "I'll explain later."
Serenity simply nodded as they then started walking to the bakery. "So, it's pretty cool your house is right across the street from the school, Marinette" Serenity commented
Marinette nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it makes it easier to get to class on time."
"And yet you're late a lot of the time," Alya said with a small chuckle, "Seriously, where do you go those times, girl?"
Marinette seemed startled by her best friend's comment and became a bit nervous, "Uh…it's a secret," she quickly answered.
"Right," Alya replied, not entirely convinced. This side conversation seemed to confuse Serenity a bit, but her confusion soon passed as the three girls entered the bakery.
Serenity took a look around the place. It was filled with display cases of numerous types of pastries: eclairs, croissants, baguettes, cakes, cupcakes, cookies. It was almost enough to make Serenity's mouth water. And the smell wafting past her nose certainly didn't help. She'd always loved the smell of fresh baked bread.
Alya chuckled. "I know. Every time I visit this place, I get the same way. And I've been here more times than I can count."
Marinette giggled at that, then called out, "Maman! Papa! I'm back! And I've brought someone!"
"Just a moment dear," a voice from the back called out.
Soon, a slightly plump older woman of Chinese descent walked in from the back room. Serenity figured she was Marinette's mother.
"Oh hello, Alya," she said to the bespectacled girl who and smiled nodded a greeting in return. She then saw Serenity. "Ah! Is the exchange student?"
Yep. This is Serenity," Marinette said, introducing Serenity to her mother, "Serenity, this is my mother, Sabine Cheng."
"H-hello," Serenity nervously greeted Sabine.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Serenity. We've been looking forward to you staying with us," Sabine stated, which caused Serenity to smile at the older woman. She then turned up the stairs leading up from the bakery and called up, "Tom! Come down! Marinette's here with Alya and the exchange student!"
"She is? I'll be right down," a voice called. Immediately, a thundering down the steps was heard and Serenity's eyes widened at who came down. An enormous man with a bushy mustache, wearing a white apron, and who easily dwarfed her and everyone else in the room in size. He nodded to Alya, then came over to Serenity and picked up her hand in his giant one, kissing it. "Tom Dupain. Co-proprietor of this place, Mari's father, and one of your gracious hosts, mademoiselle. At your service.
Marinette blushed and groaned at how silly her father was being but Serenity didn't mind, simply laughing. "It's nice to meet you, sir. I'm very grateful for you letting me stay here."
It's no trouble at all," Sabine said. "Now, you must be hungry after the long flight. I know airplane food NEVER fills you up. Either that or it sticks to your stomach. Let's get you something to eat. Tom, how about you take the suitcases upstairs? Leave them by Marinette's door and the girls can sort them out later."
"Of course," Tom said as he grabbed nearly all the suitcases at once, shocking Serenity. Such a large man, yet so gentle and kind.
"Well, wish I could stay, but I gotta get going now," Alya spoke up, "I need to get some stuff done for the Lady-Blog."
"Okay, see you tomorrow, Alya," Marinette said as her best friend began to leave.
"Yep," Alya agreed before turning to Serenity, "Nice meeting you, Seren."
She chuckled at the apparent nickname she'd been saddled with. "You too, Alya," Serenity said as Alya left the bakery. She then turned back to Marinette. "She seems really nice."
"Oh she is. A little too nosy for her own good sometimes, but she's the best friend I could ever ask for," Marinette said with a grin.
Serenity laughed at that, then asked, "What's the 'Lady-Blog'?"
"Oh, you'll see," Marinette told her with a hint of amusement.
A few minutes later, Marinette and the rest of the family sat at the table in the kitchen upstairs as she ate a meat pie and some French onion soup that Sabine had prepared for her.
"So tell us about yourself, Serenity," Sabine said.
"Well, I was born in Domino City, a bit near Tokyo." Serenity began, "but I grew up in the country with my mother."
"Why'd you guys move out of the city?" Marinette asked.
"It's a bit of a long story," Serenity explained, "but my parents got divorced when I was little, and the city was a bit expensive for Mom to stay."
Sabine and Tom looked at Serenity with a sad expression on her face, "Oh, we're sorry to hear about that, Serenity," Sabine said.
Serenity smiled back at Marinette's mother, "Thanks. But I'm glad that I could come here. After a few years in the countryside, it's nice to get back in the big city again. There are so many people."
"Yeah, but there are some people you'll wanna watch out for," Marinette explained.
"Really?" Serenity asked in surprise.
"Oh, don't worry, Serenity!" Tom told her reassuringly, "Our city is one of the safest in the world! Thanks to Ladybug and Cat Noir."
"Oh yeah, I heard about them!" Serenity said with a hint of excitement, "They're superheroes, right?"
Sabine nodded, "Indeed they are."
"They're the best superheroes in the world," Tom continued, "and we're lucky they're protecting us."
Serenity smiled again, but her smile soon faded at the sight of Marinette's face being a bit flushed, as if she was a bit uncomfortable with the conversation. "You okay, Marinette?" she asked.
"Me?" Marinette asked with a bit of surprise, "Oh yeah just fine, just a bit hot."
"Maybe you should go get some rest, dear," Sabine suggested.
"Maybe you're right, mom," Marinette agreed, "I think I'll take a little nap." The young girl then stood up, kissed her parents' cheeks, and went upstairs to her bedroom.
"Is she alright?" Serenity asked with concern.
"She'll be fine," Tom reassured her, "School can be stressful for her sometimes. Then again, sometimes she's late…of course, I can't criticize since I was like that too when I was her age."
Sabine then giggled at her husband's comment, "And that's how we met."
This new feeling of love and warmth made Serenity smile. It'd been a while since she had seen this kind of family affection.
Upstairs, Marinette closed her bedroom door and sat on her bed. Tikki then flew out from her hiding place she'd been in since Marinette let her out after returning home.
"Everything okay, Marinette?" she asked concerned.
"Yeah. I just needed to come up for a bit, Marinette reassured the Kwami.
"Oh that's good," Tikki said with a smile. She then frowned. "I'm so sorry again about moving, Marinette. I didn't mean to almost get you in trouble with Serenity."
"It's okay, Tikki. It wasn't your fault."
"Still we both need to be a lot more careful. Especially if Serenity is going to be staying here in your room"
Marinette frowned. "I was thinking the exact same thing back in the cab."
Tikki nodded and then said, "Marinette, Serenity definitely needs you to help her, especially with you-know-who."
"Right," Marinette groaned, "with Chloé…"
"Well yes," Tikki nodded in agreement, "but I was actually going to say Hawk Moth."
Marinette then gasped as she realized what her Kwami meant, "That's right! Serenity doesn't know about Hawk Moth! We have to do everything in our power to protect her, Tikki."
"Exactly," Tikki confirmed.
"But that also means protecting her from Chloé too," Marinette added, "You know how Chloé's responsible for more than half the Akumas in Paris."
"Which is why we can't let her hurt Serenity," Tikki said, "There's something special about her. I can sense it."
"Sense it? What do you mean, Tikki?" Marinette asked.
Tikki shook her head, "I don't know. It feels...ancient, but also familiar."
"Familiar?" Marinette questioned, "Do you think she has a Miraculous?"
"No," Tikki said, "this is different than a Miraculous, but it's very powerful." She then did something she rarely did; she shuddered. "And dangerous too."
"Dangerous?" Marinette asked shocked. She looked to the door as she heard Serenity and her parents laugh. Serenity didn't SEEM different. So what could possibly be different to make Tikki uneasy?
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Adrien Agreste sat at his desk in his bedroom, deep in thought. Soon his Kwami, Plagg, came out of hiding and looked at him in confusion. "What's up with you?" he asked.
"It's nothing, Plagg," Adrien told him. "I've just got a lot on my mind, is all."
"Well, I know something that can help get your mind off of whatever it is," Plagg said with excitement before flying off.
"You're not gonna bring me another El Plaggo, are you?" Adrien asked in disgust.
"What?! Uh…of course not!" Plagg exclaimed. This was then followed by the sound of said Kwami stuffing his face. "What gave you that idea?" he asked with Camembert cheese in his mouth before swallowing and flying back over to his owner. "So, what's on your mind anyways?"
"Why my father won't let me have a normal life, why Ladybug won't love me, what happened to my mom," Adrien explained. "You know, normal teenage stuff."
"None of that sounds like 'normal teenage stuff.'" Plagg commented, making air quotes as he said the last part.
"How would you know?" Adrien asked. "YOU'VE never been a teenaged boy before."
Plagg shrugged from his owner's comment as he simply said, "I watch a lot of TV."
"No surprise there," Adrien said as he rolled his eyes. "But I just wish I had someone to talk to about it."
"You've got me, you know," Plagg commented.
"Yeah, but someone who can give expert advice to me about it," Adrien pointed out.
"Hey!" Plagg exclaimed before he began to think it over, "…Okay, good point. Well, how about that new exchange student who's gonna be in your class tomorrow?"
"You mean the one that's staying with Marinette's family?" Adrien asked, "I don't know, Plagg."
"What are you worried about?!" Plagg said. "She might be a good listener, and if you're lucky, you might get another lovebird out of her."
"You do remember I love Ladybug, right?" Adrien asked.
"Yeah, but when do you think THAT'S ever gonna happen?" Plagg pointed out.
"I still have hope, Plagg," Adrien explained. And he did have hope. Despite all the times Ladybug had turned Adrien down when he was Cat Noir, he still hoped the day would come when she finally loved him like he loved her.
"Fine," Plagg said with a sigh. "You could still try to make a friend out of her. What's her name again?"
"Serenity Wheeler," Adrien answered before realizing something. "Wait a minute! Where have I heard that name before?"
"Heck if I know," Plagg commented.
Adrien then logged onto his computer and searched for Serenity Wheeler's name. Within moments, the results came in, confirming Adrien's suspicions. "Of course! She's Joey Wheeler's sister!"
"Who the heck is Joey Wheeler?" Plagg asked in dry confusion.
"He's the third best Duel Monsters player in the world," Adrien explained, "Second Place in the Duelist Kingdom Tournament and Fourth Place in the Battle City Tournament."
"And you know this how?" Plagg asked again in the same tone.
"I've been a big fan of Duel Monsters ever since my mom taught me before she disappeared," Adrien said. "Plus, I have a lot of respect for Joey. He dueled in Duelist Kingdom to save his sister's eyesight because she needed an operation. Wow, and his sister's the same girl coming to our school."
"Oh my!" Plagg said with a smug attitude. "It sounds like you might have a crush on her."
Adrien then looked at Serenity's picture on the computer and shrugged, "Well, she IS cute, no doubt, but there's only one girl for me."
Suddenly, Plagg groaned in disgust from his owner's words. "All this lovey-dovey stuff is making me nauseous! I need Camembert!"
Adrien then rolled his eyes again. Plagg would never change. Suddenly, though, there was a knock on Adrien's door.
"Plagg, hide!" Adrien whispered as Plagg hid in his jacket. "Come in!" Adrien said as his door opened and his father, the world-famous fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste, entered.
"Is everything alright, father?" Adrien asked nervously.
"I thought I heard you talking to someone, Adrien," Gabriel spoke.
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, father," Adrien lied. "I was just talking to myself."
"To yourself?" Gabriel asked suspiciously.
"Yeah," Adrien nodded, "Sometimes I like to talk to myself to help process my thoughts."
"I see," Gabriel said, not entirely convinced. He then noticed Serenity's picture on his son's computer screen "Who is that girl, Adrien?"
"Oh, her name's Serenity Wheeler, she's a girl who's gonna be an exchange student at my school," Adrien explained. "She's the younger sister of Joey Wheeler, the third best Duel Monsters player in the world."
"Duel Monsters?" Gabriel asked. "That card game your mother taught you before her disappearance?"
"Yeah!" Adrien said in excitement, "I kinda think it's cool how she's coming to the school."
"Perhaps," Gabriel said, "but I wouldn't try getting too close to her, Adrien."
"What?" Adrien asked his father in surprise, "Why not?"
Gabriel frowned. "I may tolerate your love of the game because of your mother's memory, but from I've read, for a good few years it's caused nothing but trouble. How a simple card game could become such a silly fad all over is beyond me."
Adrien rolled his eyes slightly. "I don't see Maximillian Pegasus complaining, Father. It's gained him quite a bit of money."
Gabriel groaned in disgust. "Pegasus. Such an idiot if I ever saw one. Still, his fashion sense is about the only ounce of respect I have for him."
Adrien nodded. He had actually met Pegasus once during a party. He was… interesting to say the least. A bit off in his own world, so to speak. Then again, Adrien supposed you would HAVE to be to make something like Duel Monsters.
"Still," Gabriel continued, "have you forgotten what happen only about a year ago when all those insane Duel Creatures or whatever popped up out of nowhere? That was Seto Kaiba's doing. I know it. His foolish dueling system went haywire and caused it. I don't care what he said about it not being his fault!"
Again, Adrien simply nodded. If there was one person in the business world not related to fashion his father despised more than Pegasus, then it was Kaiba. And Adrien couldn't blame him. He'd met Kaiba at the same party as Pegasus and he was without a doubt worse. His attitude could've made Gabriel seem warm and cuddly. Plus, a lot of his comments about Joey were really negative, calling him a third-rate Duelist who didn't deserve to get as far as he had in the Dueling world. Hadn't he'd heard about how he'd saved his sister from going blind!? Sheesh!
Still, from what he'd read, he supposed he couldn't blame him for acting the cold way he did. According to his readings, Seto's father, Gozoboro Kaiba, was even WORSE than his son. He'd adopted Seto and his younger brother, Mokuba, and then pushed them both in worse ways than Gabriel did him. While he hadn't met the man himself (as he had passed long before Adrien was born), Gabriel had and he had spoken of the man with a loathing he'd never even heard him talk about for his worst rivals. If Adrien didn't know that his father only did the things he did out of real love for him, no matter how cold they may have been, he would probably have ended up like Seto Kaiba himself.
"Still, at least he didn't turn out like his father," was all Gabriel said. He then turned to Adrien. "Duel Monsters may be enjoyable Adrien, but if you ask me it's nothing more than a waste of time that seems to be taking up everything in this world these days."
"But Father-" Adrien started to protest.
"I have to make an important phone call now, Adrien," Gabriel interrupted. "Don't forget to practice your piano before going to bed."
"Yes, father," Adrien sighed. Just then as Gabriel left the room, Plagg came back out of hiding.
"Geez. Talk about a killjoy," Plagg grumbled as he crossed his arms. He then saw Adrien's long face and flew up to him. "Hey. Don't let what your old man said get you down, kid. I for one think this whole 'Drool Monsters' thing sounds kinda cool."
Adrien smiled and laughed at what the Kwami said. "It's DUEL Monsters, Plagg."
"Whatever. SO, you have any of those cards for the game. Gabriel said your mom taught you how to play."
"Yeah actually," Adrien said standing up from his bed and going over to a poster of Ladybug on his wall. Plagg rolled his eyes at that as Adrien lifted it up an revealed a safe.
"My dad may not have liked Pegasus much, but Mom liked him. They were pretty great friends. Probably because his wife died a while back," Adrien commented as he opened the safe and got out something wrapped in cloth.
Plagg peeked over his shoulder. "Those the cards?"
"Yep. Mom got packs of cards from Pegasus as gifts and she in turn gave them to me and taught me how to play the game."
He went to his bed and set them down gently. "Here. You can take a look if you like. I need to start practicing anyway. Just be real careful with them.
"Got it," Plagg said saluting. As Adrien walked over to his piano and started playing his music, Plagg carefully unwrapped the cards and then spread them out slightly. On them were numerous different artworks, many of them EXTREMELY surreal and sometimes frightening.
Yeesh. These are faces only mothers could love, Plagg thought with disgust at seeing a few of the pictures. Although, for some weird reason, these guys look kinda… familier.
Suddenly, Plagg's eyes widened in shock. He floated up to get a better look. He let out a small gasp.
No way! It CAN'T be! What was that Pegasus looney THINKING!?
A few minutes later, Gabriel stood at his computer in his office when he hears a knock on the door.
"Come in," he instructed. His assistant, Nathalie, then walked in. "You have the file I asked for?" he asked.
"Yes," Nathalie said as she handed him the file.
"Good," Gabriel said as he began to look over the file. It was on the Wheeler siblings, including Joey's school grades (which weren't too impressive really), Serenity's medical records, and more recently, the results of Joey's past duels and the record of Serenity's eye operation. "I'm going to have to keep an eye on her while she's in Paris," Gabriel spoke up after closing the file, "If you will excuse me."
"Of course, Mr. Agreste," Nathalie nodded as she left the room. Gabriel then turned back and looked at the portrait of his missing wife, Emilie, on the wall.
Later that same evening, Marinette and Serenity were getting ready for bed when Marinette spoke up. "So, nervous about tomorrow?"
"A little," Serenity confirmed.
"Don't worry, Serenity, you'll be fine," Marinette reassured her before she remembered something important. "Just watch out for Chloé."
"Who's Chloé?" Serenity asked.
Marinette then took out her class photo and showed it to Serenity, pointing out a girl their age with blonde hair worn back in a ponytail. "That's Chloé."
Serenity shrugged, "She doesn't look so bad."
"Trust me, Serenity, you don't wanna mess with her," Marinette began. "She's nasty to EVERYONE. She thinks she can get anything she wants because she's the mayor's daughter! She just always wants to be on top!"
"She reminds me of Seto Kaiba," Serenity commented.
"You mean the former Duel Monsters champion?" Marinette asked.
Serenity nodded, "Yeah, he always tries to do everything he can to get his title back in order to beat Yugi Muto. He always looks down on everyone but his brother, Mokuba. He calls my brother Joey a third rank duelist even though my brother has proven himself enough times that he's a great one. After all, if it weren't for Joey I would've gone blind."
Suddenly, Marinette's eyes widened in shock by Serenity's words, "Wait, back up a sec, you almost went blind?!"
Serenity fell silent for a moment, but then began explaining her story to Marinette, "Yeah. See, growing up my eyes weren't the best. I was born with a rare cancer in my eyes that would've caused me to go blind and eventually a lot worse. It was one of the many reasons my parents divorced, because a lot of our money went to my doctor's appointments and medical bills."
"Oh man, I am so sorry, Serenity," Marinette apologized.
"It's okay, Marinette," Serenity reassured her. "Just as I was about to lose my eyesight for good, my brother Joey entered the Duelist Kingdom Tournament and won three million dollars for an operation that saved me from going blind."
"Wow," Marinette said, "he must really care about you."
"He does," Serenity said with a smile.
Just then, Marinette noticed something in Serenity's backpack. "What's that?" She asked, pointing it out.
"Oh this…" Serenity said as she took one of the packs of Duel Monster cards out of her backpack, "Just some duel monster cards Joey got for me before I left Domino."
"Wow, you have a nice brother," Marinette commented.
"Yeah, he's the best," Serenity said. "Want to open one?"
Marinette nodded, "Sure. And hey, maybe you can teach me how to play Duel Monsters."
"Maybe, but I'm still learning too," Serenity mentioned as she handed a pack to Marinette.
Just then, Tikki poked her head out from Marinette's purse and smiled at the sight of the two girls getting along so well. But as she watched Marinette open the pack of cards, she looked more closely at them. As if they were familiar to her. And then it hit her. Wait a minute… She thought. Those look like…
Meanwhile, in his secret lair, Gabriel looked out the window at Paris and held in his hands a pack of Duel Monster cards. He then opened the pack and examined the cards as his own Kwami, Nooroo, came out of hiding.
"Is something wrong, master?" Nooroo asked.
"What can you tell me about these cards, Nooroo?" Gabriel asked.
Nooroo looked at his master in confusion, "Cards, master?"
Gabriel nodded, "Yes, you remember what Adrien told me about that girl coming to his school, how her brother is a champion at this game? I want you to tell me if there's anything special about them."
"Well, I don't know if I can be of any help here, but-" Just then, Nooroo took a closer look at the cards and his eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Wait!" he exclaimed, "Those cards do look familiar, master!"
"Do they now?" Gabriel asked with a bit of surprise.
"Yes, they look almost identical to the Shadow Game tablets," Nooroo explained.
"Shadow Game tablets?" Gabriel asked, "You'll have to explain more, Nooroo."
Nooroo then began explaining, "Long ago, when the pyramids were still young, Egyptian kings played a game of great and terrible power." Gabriel listened with interest as his Kwami continued, "They did battle with magic and monsters for riches and glory. But from these 'Shadow Games' erupted a war that threatened to destroy the entire world, until a brave and powerful Pharaoh locked the dark magic away, imprisoning it for all eternity within the seven mystical Millennium Items."
"And what does that have to do with these cards?" Gabriel asked.
"The monsters on them look just like the ones used in the Shadow Games," Nooroo continued, "You see, master, when the Pharaoh created the Millennium Items, he also imprisoned the monsters in stone tablets. Powerful sorcerers would use their magic to summon the monsters from the tablets to do their bidding."
"Then it would seem that these cards are the Shadow Games reinvented for the modern age," Gabriel stated, "These Millennium Items, are they as powerful as the Miraculous?"
Nooroo nodded, "Yes, but in order to obtain one, you must defeat it's keeper in a Shadow Game."
"I see. But no matter," Gabriel said. "Once I have Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous, the Millennium Items will be insignificant compared to the absolute power I'll be granted. But even so, we should keep an eye on Miss Wheeler." Suddenly, Gabriel's brooch started glowing purple, causing him to smirk, "Speaking of which…"
"The Akuma has found a host?" Nooroo asked.
"Indeed," Gabriel confirmed, "We'll have HIM go after the Wheeler girl, and when he does, Ladybug and Cat Noir will no doubt come to the rescue. Nooroo…Dark Wings! Rise!"
As Gabriel finished speaking, Nooroo was sucked into his Miraculous, transforming him into Hawk Moth.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Josh, a fourteen-year-old boy with jet-black hair was setting up a prank when his mother, Lisa, walked into his room.
"Josh, time for dinner," she said.
"Coming mom," Josh responded before heading to the dining room and sitting at the table. Eventually, his younger sister Sydney walked into the room.
"Mom, I got an A on my paper!" she excitedly exclaimed.
"Of course you did," Josh commented sarcastically. "If you ask me school isn't important. Not like we need to know this stuff. All we do is listen to the teacher and then do homework and that's it. What's the point? Life should be about having fun while you have the chance."
"Oh you're just jealous cause I'm smarter then you!" Sydney teased.
"No you're not!" Josh shouted.
"Okay, that's enough! Both of you!" Lisa scolded both of them. She then smiled at her daughter. "That's great that you got an A, Sydney. Now have a seat."
Just as Sydney sat down, she yelped as a buzzing sound erupted from the chair. "YOW!" Sydney yelped, causing her brother to laugh hysterically.
"Oh, so you think that's funny?" Lisa asked, "Well, let's see how funny you think going to your room without dinner is! Now go up and do your homework!"
"But Mom!" Josh protested.
"Now!"
"Fine!" And with that, Josh stormed off and went to his room, slamming the door behind him. Once there, he started to feel guilty for laughing at his sister, but was still angrier with his mother for punishing him. He then sat at his desk and started doing his homework on the French Revolution, but then groaned in frustration over the assignment.
"Who cares when the French Revolution was?! I'm not gonna need history in the future! Just cause I laughed for a few seconds means I get into trouble?! Ugh!" He then threw his papers off the desk and grabbed his Joy Buzzer from inside a drawer and put it on to try to calm down, but to no avail. "I wish my family could have a sense of humor."
Just then, the Akuma that Hawk Moth had released earlier that day flew into his bedroom and entered the Joy Buzzer. Josh then heard a dark voice in his head speak to him.
"Class Clown, I am Hawk Moth," the voice spoke. "I give you the power to destroy pointless education from the inside out so your family will get the joke. In return, you must find someone for me, and should Ladybug and Cat Noir come to her rescue, you will bring me their Miraculous."
"Alrighty then, Hawk Moth!" Josh said with a smirk before the Akuma began to transform him into Class Clown.
A/N: Autobot00001 gave me the idea to change Josh's mom's name from Sydney (his original name for her) to Lisa in honor of Lisa Ortiz, Serenity's voice actress. You may also know her as Amy Rose from "Sonic X."