En garde
The next day at school had proven that Chloe and Felix being friends was not the best idea, especially when they did not target each other. Felix was pulling pranks and Chloe always managed to say a few demeaning things that would blame the victim and there was always someone hurt.
"There are no akuma any more, we are safe to do whatever we want." Chloe smirked and Felix did not bother to state his own state of mind out loud. Adrien prevented a few pranks while Marinette made sure to stand up to Chloe, but the damage was done.
That day, they had fencing after school and Felix decided to join the team, on his own, there wasn't even a spot open for him. Marinette lingered around and studied one of the diaries they copied, she noticed drawings of familiar landscapes inside, but it was hard to read in the beginning.
Felix paraded the locker room in his fencing gear, he was there to seize the day, he was there to get his spot in the renown D'Argencourt fencing academy. Then his eyes fell on someone with red fencing trousers and vest.
"Adrien?" The person inquired from her seated position. He took the chance to mess up with one more of Adrien's friends and sat down by her side. Lila threw herself on him to kiss him. Kagami removed the mask from her head.
"Hey!" He plastered that Adrien smile over his face.
"Hi." She looked uncertain and studied his face and expression. "You look different." She noted as a matter of a fact. "You really have changed over the last two weeks. You look almost like a different person. I don't mean it in a bad way."
"Yeah." Felix switched to the Adrien smile number two. He still had no idea who this girl was, save that he had seen her on a photo with Adrien, both in fencing gear. The girl was unreadable, he felt like she had some feelings for Adrien but drawn back.
"I'm not good at this." Kagami stated with a hint of nervousness, but that was not something to hesitate about, she put her gloved hand over his gloved hand. "Adrien, I'm really sorry about how your family situation turned out and I'm really glad you have Marinette."
Felix stared at the girl for one more moment. He could have been pure mean and brush her off, but there was something about her posture and attitude, she was calm yet forceful, he would need to pus really far to offend her, and he actually wanted something else.
"I'm not Adrien." He finally stated bluntly, but he kept the model smile and the gentle expression for one more moment before he became serious again.. That was his last resort if he wanted any kind of reaction from this girl. But he still got none. "I'm his cousin, Felix."
"Oh right." Kagami looked at their joined hands. "You looked differently yesterday when I saw you in front of the school. I'm Kagami" She did not pull her hand away, but squeezed his as if they were shaking hands after they introduced themselves.
"Right. Pleased to meet you." Felix looked at their joined hands. Why was this girl not at least annoyed by his prank? He did not notice any reaction in the girl, no annoyance, amusement, anger, she was obviously fooled for a moment, and he knew she cared, how much self control did she have?
"I should go for the fencing practise." She got to her feet and walked away. Her steps were determined and measured, her tone was neither cold nor flat, she wasn't sure if Felix fooled her intently or she got it wrong by accident and she was in no mood to clarify that.
In the gym, the group assembled around the fencing master. Monsieur D'Argencourt was quite busy talking, he praised Adrien for his technique against Hawk Moth and Mayura, especially how he evaded the blows from the villain with his expert analysis and memory of the fight.
"Monsieur D'Argencourt." Felix called, all dressed up in his fencing gear with a mask on his face. "The fencing master!" He called again. "I demand a trial to join your team."
"I am the fencing master, Monsieur D'Argencourt. As I'm sure you're aware, we have do not have any open spots on the team at this very moment.
"I demand a trial. I am better than your best fencer." Felix stated his claim. "Give me a chance to prove myself. It is your duty as a defender of modern days chivalry."
"Very well, I am giving you a chance against my most experienced student." The fencing master stepped away. "Adrien, please give our visitor a lesson in chivalry."
"I shall, master." Adrien took his position and waits for Felix.
"That is not okay, let me fight him." Kagami protested. "Felix is his cousin, he should prove himself against me."
"Adrien had proven himself in the battle before, I will let him defend the honours of our fencing school." The fencing master had stated his decision.
Felix walked over and plugged himself in.
"Greet each other!" The fencing master ordered and crossed his sabre arm over his chest and then snapped it out to his side in the traditional fencing greeting.
Adrien repeated the gesture quickly, but Felix made a show and did it much slower and hesitated while doing it.
"En garde! Prêt, allez!" The fencing master ordered. Adrien moved on the spot and waited for an attack, but Felix simply raised his sabre and waited.
"You are supposed to attack me, Felix, come on." Adrien encouraged his opponent.
"No, you are supposed to attack me! Who says I should attack you first? Why shouldn't you attack me and get a point?" Felix teased.
"Look, it is simple, attack, parry, riposte, counter-attack." Adrien was explaining.
"Indeed, and in that case, if I attack first, the point goes to you. So I'm letting you to attack first." Felix continued.
"What is this?" Kagami protested. "Do you two intend to fight or tire each other with hesitation?"
Finally, Adrien lunged forward, Felix easily evaded his attack and placed a hit.
"Attack, parry, riposte, counter-attack. Point!" Monsieur D'Argencourt pointed toward Felix and motioned for the two fencers to continue their duel.
Felix lunged first and hit instantly, Adrien did not move to the side.
"Attaque! Touche. Point!" The fencing master indicated Felix as the one who received the point. He frowned because his favourite had lost a point. "Continue!" He ordered.
"I should have fought him." Kagami groaned on the side.
Adrien attacked again, Felix evaded him, but Adrien evaded the counter-attack.
"Continue!" The fencing master shouted.
The two boys lunged forward, evaded each other and tried to strike back but each of the attacks was avoided.
Then suddenly they both scored a hit simultaneously.
"Simultané! Par un toucher!" The fencing master announced. "Continue."
"You are giving him too much slack, you fought Hawk Moth and won. Don't let your family ties make you weak towards your opponents, Adrien. Let me handle this." Kagami insisted.
"This is ridiculous! Adrien, you already lost two points, is your fencing master going to let you play for as long as it takes to beat me? Because that could take a long time." Felix taunted.
Adrien lunged again, Felix lunged from his side and they both hit the target again.
"I say that I won." Felix shouted while he greeted the fencing master with his sabre.
"I am the referee here and I say that you didn't win … yet." Monsieur D'Argencourt protested.
"Look, either give me a spot in your fencing school or give me a proper opponent, because I have already won against this one." Felix protested.
"He's right, he won." Adrien admitted.
"I challenge you!" Kagami announced and stepped in front of Felix.
"Why not, I'm sure I can beat you too … redpants?" Felix taunted.
Adrien unplugged his chord and walked away. He found Marinette on the edge of the gym, she watched the whole duel.
"He's good." Adrien admitted.
"And we are both tired and distracted and you have not practised for three weeks." She replied back.
"Save against my father." He replied with a tone of sarcasm in his voice.
"Hey, he admired your technique?" She tried to fix the mood between them.
Meanwhile, Kagami stood and waited for an attack while Felix stood there and watched her.
"Aren't you going to plug yourself first?" Felix inquired. "It would be unfair if my points could not be counted because you're unplugged."
"I am not trying to cheat!" Kagami shot back. "I request that we do it the old-fashioned way. We'll be much more at ease without the machine." She played the same line as she did in her duel against Adrien on her first day when she got into the fencing school.
"Request denied." Felix shot back and took his stand. He did his slow greeting with the sabre and waited.
Kagami exhaled loudly and got the chord and plugged herself in.
"En garde... Prêt... allez!" The fencing master called and the two fencers moved lightly forward and then backward, and then suddenly Kagami lunged forward and surprised Felix and hit his body with her sabre.
"Attaque! Touche. Point!" The fencing master indicated Kagami as the one who received the point. "Continue." He smirked, his student was wining against this imposter.
Kagami lunged again, Felix evaded it and scored.
"Attack, parry, riposte, counter-attack. Point!" Monsieur D'Argencourt pointed toward Felix and frowned. "Continue!" He shouted.
The duel continued, point for point on each side, each point was difficult to win. The fencing master was sweating just because he was a referee.
Finally, Felix won two points in a row.
"You won your place in the D'Argencourt fencing academy. Tell us all your name." The fencing master required. The man finally relented, anyone this good had earned a place in the academy.
"My name is Felix Graham de Vanily." The boy took off his mask and turned to everyone.
"He looks just like Adrien."
"She said he's Adrien's cousin."
"I am Adrien's cousin on the side of our mothers." The boy confirmed with a tone of boredom in his voice.
"Well, I am glad to have here such skilful fencer!" The fencing master grinned. "But we have a following problem and that is the odd number of fencers. Therefore, we will either send one of our fencers home, or we could take one more fencer to make the number even."
"What?" There were a few surprised fencers around.
"Well, if we take Felix, we should take another student to have an even number." Monsieur D'Argencourt clarified.
"Why don't we take Marinette?" Adrien shouted from the back. "She did pretty well the last time she was here."
"Adrien?" Marinette questioned the proposal because she was totally taken by surprise, but then she beamed up, she did want to join fencing before, so why not to do it this time?
"Why don't you go and gear up quickly?" The fencing master motioned with his hand. "Now who is going to put our most recent candidate through trial?"
"Can I fight her?" Adrien asked quietly.
"Right." Felix crossed his arms and turned towards the fencing master.
"Is this the girl that fought alongside you against Hawk Moth and Mayura?" The fencing master demanded.
"Yes she is." Adrien confirmed.
"Then I will let Kagami to put her through trial." Monsieur D'Argencourt decided.
Adrien stalked over to Kagami.
"I intended to let her win. Could you do that, please?" Adrien whispered.
"She should enter the academy fair and square." Kagami responded quietly.
"Please, to let her into the fencing academy and resolve this whole charade with Felix. Otherwise Monsieur D'Argencourt is going to kick one of us out." He continued.
"Not you, and certainly not me." Kagami sounded resolved.
"I don't want anyone thrown out because of Felix. Besides, she is your friend." He was aiming really low.
"So are you." Kagami smirked. Adrien could not see her face because she kept her mask on, but she smiled gently through the conversation.
Marinette walked in with the fencing gear on, she went to the cable and plugged herself in.
"Okay." She turned and faced a fencer in red trousers. "Kagami." She sighed. She knew she had little to no chance of winning, but she at least, intended to put up a good fight.
The two fencers exchanged a greeting with their sabres.
"En garde... Prêt... allez!" The fencing master called again.
Marinette and Kagami both lunged instantly. They both evaded the attack initially, but Marinette shifted her sabre just a little, sufficient to make a score.
"Attaque! Touche. Point!" The fencing master indicated. He looked ready to accept Marinette into the academy and proclaim the issue resolved after only one point being scored.
"Wow, thank you, I know that this means you lost two duels today … " Adrien whispered to Kagami.
"Wait! I want to be the one who will test the chivalry of our most recent candidate. Your best members got exhausted by their previous fights." Felix called.
"What? No!" Marinette muttered to herself.
Felix walked over to Kagami, unplugged her and plugged himself.
Marinette greeted him with her sabre. He greeted back slowly.
" Prêt... allez!" The fencing master spoke half heartedly.
Felix stood there and waited while Marinette danced back and forth on her feet. She never went too close so that Felix would not surprise her with an attack. The boy snickered at his opponent.
"You should have taught your girlfriend fencing, not ballroom dancing Adrien." Felix taunted and as he spoke the last word he got hit by Marinette's sabre.
"Attaque! Touche. Point!" The fencing master indicated.
"Where did that come from?" Felix frowned at the girl who was still dancing back and forth.
"You won the point go back to your place." Felix shouted.
Marinette schooled herself and returned to her initial position.
"Okay, Prêt... allez!" The fencing master shouted.
This time Felix lunged instantly, but Marinette evaded him and her sabre really just got in his way, almost by accident, he did not expect it to be there and she scored another point.
"Attack, parry, riposte, counter-attack. Point!" Monsieur D'Argencourt pointed toward Marinette.
"I can't believe this." Felix muttered. "I'm being pathetic here."
"No." Marinette replied. "I'm pathetic, but you are losing against me."
"Fine." Felix lowered his sabre. "She won two points more than me." He turned towards Adrien. "Your girlfriend really knows how to put up a fight."
"Congratulations, you won your place at my fencing academy too." Monsieur D'Argencourt grinned.
Finally, everyone else resumed their fencing practise, while the four fencers retreated to the side with their head gear off.
"What was that?" Kagami and Felix spoke in unison towards Marinette.
"Um … I … practised?" She looked at Adrien. "Yes, I did, practise I mean … you see … I was trying to get into … the fencing academy … before." She flailed her arms all around as she tried to make an excuse why she won.
"Well, I have seen that fight you put in the temple and you definitely have some untrained potential there." The fencing master stroked his chin and smiled at Marinette but he quickly turned around as he had to attend other fencers.
"You have no skill, those were no fencing moves." Felix whisper shouted.
"So what? I still won!" Marinette whisper shouted back. Adrien chuckled, Kagami smirked.