Chapter 43: Gunslinger
This chapter picks up right where the prior one left off. Marinette told Tikki that she feels as if she can no longer be Ladybug—because she knows Adrien is Cat Noir. Tikki is speechless for a moment far too long. She then denies it, insisting Marinette made a mistake. "Adrien isn't Cat Noir." Marinette tells Tikki she doesn't have to lie—she knows the truth. Tikki falls silent. Then she asks in a small voice: "What makes you think that?"
Marinette explains how she found Adrien, unconscious, by himself in the stadium. He had been imprisoned in the same way she, Ladybug, had been imprisoned. The ring he usually wore was gone, and there were dents the size of his baton all over the door. Tikki says that could just be a coincidence. Marinette explains her second most convincing piece of evidence—the claw marks on the wall and door. There was nothing in the room that could have made scratches like that; it had to have come from Cat Noir's costume before he de-transformed. Tikki starts to protest, but then Marinette explains her most convincing piece of evidence. Adrien called out to Ladybug for help before he lost consciousness. He said it just like Cat Noir. Marinette knows there's no way she could mistake the way Cat Noir says "Ladybug" with love—and it was the exact same way Adrien Agreste said her name.
Tikki realizes there's no distracting Marinette or convincing her she made a mistake. Tikki admits this is true (to the extent she can say anything over the kwamis' compulsion for secrecy). She then apologies to Marinette for keeping something so huge hidden from her. Marinette accepts the apology and says she never blamed Tikki for any of it. She understands how important secret identities are and why Tikki would protect Adrien's. She tells Tikki that she knew it had to be hard for her. Tikki appreciates Marinette's understanding of the situation.
However, she has to ask further—why is Marinette considering giving up being Ladybug? (Remember, this is different from canon where there's a lot of pressure of "if anyone learns of your identity, you have to give up being a superhero." In this story, it's a judgment call of the wielder. "Can you continue to serve the greater good if Person X learns of your identity? Can you continue to serve the greater good if you learn of Person X's identity?")
Marinette explains that she doesn't think she can put the safety of Paris first over that of Cat Noir's now that she knows he's the guy she likes. If Hawk Moth forced her to pick between him or innocent people…she doesn't know what she'd do, but she's afraid it would lead to a lot of people getting hurt. Plus, now that she knows he's Cat Noir, she can't even speak around him. Her heart quickens, and she can't think. It'll only be a matter of time before either Cat Noir figures out Ladybug is Marinette and/or she makes a mistake when she trips over herself due to her feelings.
Tikki droops. She understands what Marinette is saying, and they are all very valid points. As a kwami, Tikki has to prioritize the greater good, and if Marinette feels she can no longer fulfill that, then someone else has to step in as the new ladybug themed hero. But…but…Tikki starts crying. She doesn't want Marinette to quit. Marinette is her friend and is an amazing superheroine. She doesn't want to say good-bye.
Marinette tears up too as she hugs Tikki. She doesn't want to give up Tikki either; she's her best friend (as is Alya, but people can have more than one best friend). They cry together for a bit before Tikki asks if Marinette has any plan in mind—with Master Fu missing, what is she going to do with the ladybug miraculous? Marinette admits she doesn't know. She would have to find a suitable successor herself and pass off her earrings. But that person would have no way of contacting Master Fu, would have no access to all the knowledge they've gained, and that person would be incredibly inexperienced at dealing with his/her new superpowers. Plus, the threat in Paris is escalating with Draco's declaration and Hawk Moth becoming more and more cunning. Marinette slumps. She doesn't know what to do. The only person she might consider worthy of the ladybug earrings is Alya, but Alya loves being Rena Rouge. And she already has the fox necklace, which Marinette has no idea how Alya got long term. Master Fu is missing and Marinette knows for a fact the precise location of Cat Noir/Adrien Agreste the entire time Rena Rouge appeared on her own.
They turn back to the conversation at hand. Marinette and Tikki are both very sad. Tikki tries to cheer Marinette up. Since Marinette now knows that Cat Noir is Adrien Agreste, doesn't that make her happy? After all, it means that Adrien loves her. Cat Noir loves Ladybug; he's made it clear. Unfortunately, this only makes Marinette more disheartened. "Adrien loves Ladybug; he doesn't love Marinette. Ladybug is graceful and smart, she's confident and heroic. She's amazing. Marinette is clumsy and bashful; she's just a normal girl without anything special. How can I compete with Ladybug?" Tikki tells her that's not true. Ladybug is Marinette. And Marinette is amazing. Adrien fell in love with Ladybug because she and Marinette possess the exact same qualities. However, Marinette doesn't believe her. She feels Adrien only loves the skills enhanced by the miraculous's powers; he doesn't see the real Marinette. He's nice to her in school, but the way he treats his classmate Marinette and the way he treats the superheroine Ladybug are totally different. "If he finds out I'm Ladybug, he'd be completely disappointed." Marinette laments. (Now, we know from Cat Blanc that Adrien would be absolutely thrilled to learn Marinette Dupin-Cheng is Ladybug. However, Marinette herself does not know that, and she's still depressed from her failures at the end of the Phase Two climax.)
Tikki insists Marinette shouldn't be so hard on herself. Many people believe in her. And not just in Ladybug, but also in Marinette. Marinette appreciates the thought, but she's still struggling emotionally. Tikki tells her to think more before she makes a decision—and to always trust her heart.
The scene changes. We get to see Master Fu. He's hiding out in a small room of a cheap, non-descript hotel. The miraculous box is with him, and all the miraculous and kwamis inside are revealed to be safe. However, Master Fu reveals he is certain he is being tracked somehow. Which means, until he knows how, he cannot contact anyone because that risks leading his enemies to them. So he can't contact Marianne Lenoir as that puts her at risk, and he can't even call Marinette Dupin-Cheng or Adrien Agreste (or even Alya or Giselle) without the chance of his enemies finding out who the miraculous users are. Master Fu is doing his best to lose whoever is following him, but he doesn't even have the turtle miraculous to help (as he loaned it to Alya to give to Nino at the end of Phase Two and was never able to get it back).
There's also a small flashback where it reveals whoever attacked him at his acupuncture clinic has a rhinoceros-themed miraculous. With the revelation of Draco, who is using a salamander-themed miraculous, Master Fu suspects that these new enemies are agents of the Western Order of the Guardians of the Miraculous (whereas his old order was the Eastern Order.) (Random trivia: there are four orders total, one for each direction. However, the Northern Order will really only get mentioned in this fic briefly as it's the order Jessica Keynes/Eagle is a part of. The Southern Order won't come into play at all—as the cast is just too large as it is already.) Also note: the bee comb miraculous without a kwami is also there. Unfortunately, with the glass safe destroyed, it is no longer sealed. That is why, in the prior chapter, Nathalie was able to sense five antique akumatized items in Paris: the wolf, the lightning bug, the dolphin, the snow leopard, and the bee. She can no longer sense the frog or crow since they become full-fledged miraculous with their own kwamis. The butterfly's connection to those has been permanently severed.
Master Fu finds it puzzling that the Western Order is acting now—and in such an aggressive manner. They've never acted this way at all in the past. He suspects there's something else going on, something darker. As if worrying about Hawk Moth capturing Ladybug and Cat Noir as well as the pseudo-miraculous isn't enough. And he still doesn't know anything about the miraculous without kwamis as he went phone silent before Froppy the kwami and Dark Shadow were introduced.
Master Fu gets comfortable and begins to meditate. Even without the turtle bracelet, he still has the twelve eastern zodiacs—that's enough for him to enter a trance and sink his subconscious into the flow of magic powers. He's trying to gain some type of insight about what's going on.
At first he sees nothing. The miraculous are the same as always. However, the power of the bee comb, being in close proximity, begins to call his thoughts. Master Fu shifts in his meditation, taken by the new stream of magic.
His thoughts connect with that of female Hawk Moth. She is very surprised to sense the guardian of the miraculous reaching out through the bee comb. She can't see his face though, and she demands to know who he is. "You're not Chloe Bourgeois" she comments, remembering the last person to use the bee. Master Fu is startled as well. He demands to know who she is; he cannot see her face either. Female Hawk Moth uses the power of the butterfly to try to force control of the stream/vision. Master Fu can feel her gaining the upper hand through the butterfly—he also felt the power submit to her when she used the name of the bee's most recent wielder. It's enough to cause Master Fu to realize that 1) yes, there is a connection between the butterfly miraculous and the miraculous without kwamis and 2) Hawk Moth has more power over those miraculous without kwamis when he/she has the name of the wielder to work with.
Unfortunately for female Hawk Moth, her attempt to clear the vision between them and learn the identity and location of the guardian of the miraculous works both ways. By trying to learn who he is, he is able to catch a piece of who she is. What Master Fu sees is that the person on the other end is female—and that she has the butterfly miraculous. That clues Master Fu in that something has changed. Something happened to the prior Hawk Moth, and the person who is claiming to be Hawk Moth now is someone entirely new. He even suspects Mayura, based on the previous alliance between the butterfly and peacock users.
Master Fu is able to wrench the vision back and break it. However, now female Hawk Moth has an idea as to his location. Master Fu quickly gathers his stuff and leaves the hotel, heading to the next safe location he can hide. (He knows quite a bit about hiding and safe houses from his time helping the French resistance during the Second World War.)
As he's leaving, Master Fu looks down at the bee comb, struggling with what to do. He knows now that Hawk Moth (both of them) can use it to find him as long as they have the name of the previous wielder to work with. He also realizes that that means the other heroes who have been using the miraculous without kwamis are in danger, which includes Fumikage Tokoyami, Giselle Winters-Blanchet, and Le Chien Kim (the identities he does know). He knows he can't keep the bee comb and risk the eastern miraculous box. He also knows it wouldn't be much good to hide it as that just means Hawk Moth will find it, being connected to it. Plus, he has Draco and the rhinoceros and their allies after him. If he's caught by either side, the miraculous he's sworn to protect will fall into evil hands. So what does he do? Like Marinette and Adrien, his conscience bothers him at the thought of stealing the miraculous without kwamis, and he knows those seven wielders will not willingly give them up. That leaves only one option—he has to come up with a way to severe Hawk Moth's ties with those items. If only he still had his tablet…
He's also been struggling with a new plan for a while. For centuries past, the safety of the miraculous was in keeping them together in a secure location. However, now Master Fu is the last guardian of his order and he has no more secure locations at his disposal. Now, what once kept the miraculous safe is putting them in danger—carrying all the eggs in one basket, so to speak. The best strategy, as far as he can see, is to ensure that even if the enemies find some of the miraculous, they do not find all of the miraculous. Which means Master Fu has to separate the miraculous and put them in different places where they'll be safe and their kwamis cared for. He needs to pass them off to people he can trust—and he needs to do it in a way that does not endanger those people, and he cannot lead the enemies to those people.
With the reveal in the prior chapter that Ladybug and Cat Noir are safe and have their miraculous and that Hawk Moth does not know who they are, Master Fu knows who he has to entrust the eastern miraculous to. But what does he do with the bee comb? He can't keep it with him because Hawk Moth can track him by knowing Chloe's name. He can't hide it without Hawk Moth being the most likely person to find it. He can't give it to Ladybug or Cat Noir without them being found out, or worse—controlled, by Hawk Moth. He can't use it himself to clear Chloe's name from it as it can't risk Hawk Moth seizing control of him and thus all of the other miraculous. Can he risk another person, an outsider, with the bee miraculous to remove Chloe's name and give the bee a new wielder in order to throw off Hawk Moth's trail? But who? And how could he be so calloused as to risk someone with a plan like that?
It's the next day, and school is in session. (I feel I've had a lot of back to back school days over the prior chapters, which all happen one immediately after the other. It has to be Friday by now…I hope I didn't miscalculate and have the students going to school on Sunday!) Most parents are allowing their students to attend again, which means both Adrien and Marinette are back. Alya Cesaire greets Marinette happily. Without her cell phone privileges, they haven't been able to talk, so Alya is glad to see her. However, she instantly realizes that Marinette is still very depressed. She tries to figure out why and cheer her up, but she doesn't make much progress.
Nino Lahiffe greets Adrien when he enters and asks about his parents. Adrien says there's been no change. Nino acknowledges how difficult the whole thing has to be for Adrien. ("That's rough, buddy.") Before they can really talk, Chloe Bourgeois runs forward and throws herself around Adrien's neck. She is truly that happy to see him healthy and back in school.
Everyone else is milling around, chatting, as usual. Yvonne Garnier and Genevieve Faucher are interviewing Viktor Vasiliev about his Dungeons and Dragons Club for the school newspaper. Viktor, being incredibly introverted, is struggling with the interview. Fumikage Tokoyami steps in to help, but his rather poetic way of speaking confuses Yvonne and Genevieve. Tsuyu Asui along with Fumikage Tokoyami now have to bring their kwamis to school. Both Froppy the kwami and Dark Shadow are intensely curious about the world, and keeping them hidden proves to be a task. Giselle Winters-Blanchet is talking to her two friends, Meera Pugliese and Raissa Deschamps, about how much she's enjoying her ice skating lessons at the rink. Meera notices Giselle is wearing her mother's bracelet again after not wearing it for months. Giselle stammers an excuse. Lila Rossi has a small crowd gathered as she goes into great detail explaining about an exotic vacation she never took. Alya and Marinette just roll their eyes while Pierre Lefevre hangs on Lila's every word. Alya tells Pierre he should be careful with what he believes. Lila laughs it off. However, she walks by Alya and whispers that Alya had better watch her back. Sabrina Raincomprix approaches Chloe to talk with her, but Chloe is so wrapped up with Adrien that she gives Sabrina the cold shoulder. Chloe doesn't see the hurt expression on Sabrina's face.
Cameran Tyler and Guy Nigels arrive at the same time. After all, Guy is hosting Cameran, who is an American exchange student. They meet up with Tristan Fortier, who is talking to his girlfriend, Rachel Beauchene. Rachel is showing a vicious amount of interest in Tristan's bloody descriptions of injuries sustained in boxing. (As Tristan is a boxer in the community league, and Rachel's personality can best be described as "Sweet Valley Closet Sadist.") Cameran and Guy join in the conversation, which veers into other types of injuries, which veers into gun wounds and one of Guy's favorite topics: Westerns. He is a huge fan of western movies and books. His friends all know he likes those things, but they don't understand the full extent. After a bit, Rachel's best friend, Meg Delphinus, comes over and calls her away to talk before class begins. Suzette Rault talks to her best friend, Marie Chauveau, telling her that she just started gymnastics. Marie is uninterested in her friend's new, independent hobby, and they go back to squealing over yaoi fiction. (Remember, the full class photos can be found at (( photos . app . goo . gl / cgLSrNi71rxfep9e8 ))(remove the spaces).)
Marinette heads to her locker with Alya. She's surprised to see a blank envelope with a note inside. She's puzzled for a moment, but then she sees the turtle sticker that is keeping the envelope sealed. Realizing that this is likely from Master Fu, Marinette quickly hides it from Alya before her friend can ask about it. Not far down the row, Adrien finds a similar letter in his locker. He, too, hides it with the plan to read it when he's alone, not surrounded by other students.
Class begins, and Madam Gros invites Juleka Couffaine for her one-on-one meeting. Adrien, Marinette, Alix, and Rose are confused about who Madam Gros is and what these one-on-one meetings are since they missed school the prior day. Miss Bustier explains that Madam Gros is the new guidance counselor and will be giving mental health screenings for the entire student body. She also tells them that they can talk to Madam Gros about any issues they may have. The school is trying to encourage mental health over negative emotions to prevent akumatizations. (It's a pity Madam Gros is a villain, as mental health truly is under cared for, and people do need to be able to work through mental and emotional issues with a safe environment.)
In Madam Gros's office, Juleka pretty much freezes up in shyness and introversion. Madam Gros acts kindly, asking her questions about her grades and family, her interests and passions and friends. Juleka pretty much mumbles all her answers. However, Madam Gros is very skilled at what she does and is able to coax out of Juleka her dream to be a model. Madam Gros is surprised in this, especially since Juleka is so shy, so she asks Juleka why she wants to be a model.
Juleka opens up bit by bit. She explains that she's happy when she's on stage, performing with Kitty Section. The awkward parts of herself that she dislikes seem to disappear. She feels more confident when she gets lost in the music—it's as if she becomes a whole new person, like a caterpillar emerging into a butterfly or a tiger being freed of its cage.
Madam Gros asks why Juleka is interested in modeling specifically when she clearly has a passion for music. Juleka says that she realizes she can't hide forever. She can't hide behind her best friend and Kitty Section; she can't hide behind her brother or her mother. She wants to grow—no, she needs to grow beyond the small, scared little girl who sees only her own flaws. And maybe, just maybe, if she gets on stage, her father will see her and recognize her, he'll come back. That's why she has to push herself and become a model.
Madam Gros catches Juleka's confession about her father and inquires about him. How and when did he leave the family? What Juleka does feel about it? What does she know about him? Have they had contact since? The questioning, however, proves to be too much for Juleka, and she clams up again. No matter how Dolores Gros prods, Juleka Couffaine does nothing but mumble. So the counselor sends her back to class. Once Juleka is gone, Madam Gros writes her off as a lost cause due to her "cowardice" and weak-will as well as "delusions of grandeur" in thinking she can be a model or a musician when she has no confidence whatsoever. No, that girl is not qualified to be one of my agents. Madam Gros's eyes slide to her miraculous box.
During break time, Marinette and Adrien both find a place to be alone. They open the letters they received from Master Fu. However, instead of there being a note about how he is and what happened and if he's safe, the contents of the envelope instead are just a riddle. This leaves the golden duo puzzled. Adrien deliberates on it but can't come up with an answer. He asks Plagg, but Plagg is just as stumped. Adrien then realizes that he has the black cat ring back—since he can again be Cat Noir, he has no reason not to contact Ladybug! Maybe she has an idea; she always has great ideas!
Adrien contacts Ladybug using the number they set up expressly for this purpose. Marinette on the other end receives the alert. She realizes that by Cat Noir contacting her, it means Adrien Agreste is contacting her. She nearly drops her phone. Tikki encourages her to answer it or to at least send a text, but Marinette freezes up. She still has her deep reservations about her ability to be Ladybug. She doesn't answer the call. On the other end of the line, Adrien is perplexed by Ladybug's silence, but he brushes it off as her being unable to answer due to being in class or some other mundane explanation.
Outside of school, Master Fu is out and about, finishing the tasks he's set up for Ladybug and Cat Noir as well as his own shopping. He knows it's safest if he returns to the second hotel and remains hidden, but he does need basic things like food. He sits at a bus stop to rest and let his muscles recover from carrying so many bags. While he's waiting, Aurore Beaureal sits down on the same bench to wait for the bus. She had a late morning photo shoot for the modeling competition she won back in the Surrealist chapter, so now that it's over, she's off to school. They notice each other but don't speak, sorta like most people do when they're waiting for public transportation.
When the bus comes, Master Fu gathers all of his things. Aurore starts to the bus but then notices him struggling. She returns and asks if he needs any help. Master Fu initially denies it, but Aurore insists and helps him pick up his bags. They get on the bus together; Master Fu takes a seat and Aurore opts to stand so people who need the seats more can have them.
Master Fu thanks her for her help. He then expresses his surprise that someone her age isn't in school at this moment. Aurore explains she had an obligation that morning (not giving details about her work as a model) but is now heading to her classes. She asks if Master Fu will be able to get from the bus stop to his home with all of his shopping, and he says he will. Internally, he is impressed with her kindness. (Which shows Aurore's growth as in the very first Stormy Weather episode, it's mentioned that one of the reasons Aurore lost to Mireille was due to Mireille being kinder. Ever since she was first akumatized, Aurore has responded by trying to improve herself rather than blame other people.)
They talk a little more, and Master Fu can't help but feel his instincts as the guardian of the miraculous spark when around her. But he realizes the danger of the idea that is growing in the back of his mind. He tries to quiet it. He can't put this nice young lady he just met in danger, not like that. But another part of his mind argues that he knowingly put Marinette Dupin-Cheng and Adrien Agreste in danger, on the front lines, by giving them the ladybug and black cat miraculous. But he now knows Hawk Moth the second is connected to the miraculous without kwamis, so it's different. It might be different, he argues with himself, but he also knows that female Hawk Moth can track the miraculous without kwamis better with the name of the wielder. She'll be thrown off the trail if those miraculous gain a new wielder. What does he do? Trust his instincts? Don't trust? His hand slips into his pocket, but he hesitates.
The bus stops. An adult woman with bright pink hair rises to get off. As she passes by, she makes direct eye contact with him, nods, and then continues on her way. Master Fu freezes up for a moment. But then he realizes…and he understands what he has to do. He slips the bee comb into Aurore's purse. (The adult woman, is, of course, future adult Bunnyx/Alix Kubdel.) Master Fu wonders if and how he should contact Fumikage Tokoyami, Giselle Winters-Blanchet, and Le Chien Kim to warn them about the dangers of the miraculous without kwamis based on what he discovered as well as pass them off whatever method he can find to severe their ties to the butterfly miraculous. But he also has to protect Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities should he do so—already Giselle knows he's the guardian of the miraculous, and that's more than she should know.
It's afternoon, and Madam Gros pulls Guy Nigels aside from Ms. Mendeleiev's class for his one-on-one interview with her. Like always, she discusses grades and family and feelings, trying to get a sense for the person in front of her, their inner strength and usability; she tries to lure them into revealing their problems so it at least appears as if she's counseling.
Guy is a fairly happy-go-lucky guy. His family and home is stable, he has great friends, he isn't failing any classes, and he enjoys his hobbies. He's thrilled his family was able to host an American exchange student and that he and Cameran Tyler get along great. He's planning on traveling to America as a French exchange student before he graduates high school—or if not, definitely while he's in college. Madam Gros asks about how he plans on financing it, and he says he's already looking into scholarships.
Madam Gros applauds him at being very grounded. She asks him how he handles stress and deadlines and the pressures of school work. Guy says he hangs out with his friends, watches westerns, and plays Wrangler online. It's a smaller MMO with a western theme where players design their own character based on cowboys, sheriffs, outlaws, or frontiersmen, and then interact with each other to do various thematically appropriate tasks: herding cattle, mining for gold, settling new land, exploring, creating a town, hunting NPC bandits, taming horses etc.
Unable to find anything she can use to her advantage there, Madam Dolores Gros notes that Guy has never been akumatized. She congratulates him at that. She asks him about his feelings on Hawk Moth, which Guy replies that Hawk Moth needs to be "thrown in the hokey." She asks him about Ladybug and Cat Noir, and Guy says he sees them as the best heroes in Paris. He also admits he'd love to see them in a western. Madam Gros thanks him for his time and dismisses him. She discards him as a potential agent. He doesn't possess any resentment for any of the miraculous users, not even Hawk Moth or Mayura, so she can't rope him into her plan.
Time passes, and the school day ends. Students gather their bags to head home. As Aurore Beaureal does so, she finds the bee comb in her purse. She's baffled how it got there; she knows she didn't pick it up. She retraces her steps mentally, but she was at so many places this day she can't be sure who dropped it. Aurore notices the comb is very pretty. And she does have no way to return it to the original owner… (It's worth noting that the bee miraculous without a kwami is now in camouflage mode, which means it looks different than when Chloe had it, so even Chloe or Marinette wouldn't recognize it if they saw it now). Aurore opens her locker since there's a mirror inside. She puts the comb in her hair—and decides she likes how it looks.
Marinette leaves the school, reading the riddle Master Fu gave her as she does so. She wonders where it could lead and theorizes with Tikki. Maybe it's where Master Fu is hiding so he can talk to them. Maybe he left the real letter there, and it'll explain what happened. Tikki says it seems as if Marinette is engaged in this—which is a reason why she should not give up being Ladybug. (Tikki doesn't want Marinette to quit so is trying to encourage her to stay. But she realizes that if Marinette feels she has to quit for the greater good, Tikki has no choice but to stand aside and let her). They wonder a bit more, but Tikki says that they only way they'll figure things out is if they solve this riddle. So they have to get to work.
Adrien Agreste exits the school and begins to head off to where his riddle is pointing him. However, his bodyguard is waiting at the school's entrance. Adrien asks for some time to "take a walk" and de-stress from school, but his bodyguard frowns and shakes his head. He has to get Adrien home safely. (And Solomon, the bodyguard, is in overprotective mode too ever since Adrien fell into a coma at the end of Phase Two). Adrien, unable to escape, sighs and gets into the limo. He hopes whatever Master Fu has set up for him can wait just a few more hours.
Guy Nigels heads home with Cameran Tyler. He dumps his stuff and goes to play Wrangler to burn off the stress of the day. Cameran heads to the guest room to email his parents in America. Guy initially has a blast with his cowboy-themed character; however, he encounters a player who hacked them game and made his character ridiculously OPed. Guy tries to shake the other player and report him, but the other player won't leave him alone. No matter what he does, the other player stalks his cowboy. Then the other player opens fire, and Guy realizes that he's not just dealing with a cheater, he's dealing with a player killer. With the other player cheating to max his stats, Guy's cowboy avatar doesn't stand a chance. He's shot dead on the screen, causing Guy to lose all of his recent loot. The other player sends a message to mock him for losing. Guy sulks and slams the game shut. He's angry at being cheated and frustrated for losing. In the broad scheme of things, it isn't much—but it's enough for the new Hawk Moth to pick up on.
Or shall we say, Peacock Moth. The scene pans to Hawk Moth's lair to reveal Nathalie Sancoeur is using her fusion transformation. However, she is still speaking through her tablet to give herself a male voice and is still calling herself Hawk Moth. She realizes she needs to keep up the pretense of the old Hawk Moth continuing his work, especially since the guardian of the miraculous found her out, so she sends an akuma. She akumatizes Guy into the western-themed villain Gunslinger, giving him cowboy-like powers so that "he can clean up this dirty town." In return, she wants any miraculous he can get—especially Ladybug and Cat Noir's.
Gunslinger readily agrees. Peacock Moth then sets down her tablet and introduces herself as Mayura. With a female voice, Gunslinger doesn't realize he's dealing with one person and not two. Peacock Moth sends an amok, which gives Gunslinger a wild mustang mount that'll only listen to his commands. This is an intentional test on the part of Peacock Moth—she needs to see if Ladybug and Cat Noir have learned about her from the guardian of the miraculous. Which is also why she chose to akumatize Guy over a rather petty reason—she needed someone to akumatize ASAP, so she had to settle.
Guns ablaze, Gunslinger charges into the streets of Paris, introducing himself as the "new sheriff in town" who is going to "throw lawbreakers in the hoosegow."
Cameran happens to pop his head out of the guest room as Guy charges passed. Cameran is alarmed at how this could happen—especially since Guy seemed okay just a moment ago. Cameran sends the Akuma Alert.
Marinette is still out, trying to solve the riddle, when she gets the alert. She hesitates, but Tikki tells her she has to be Ladybug now, despite her reservations. Marinette agrees and heads to a secluded place to transform.
Adrien gets the alert the moment he enters his bedroom at home. He has enough time to throw his backpack to the side. He then transforms into Cat Noir and leaps out of his window.
The B Team all receive the alert and begin coordinating. However, when Ladybug first appears to confront Gunslinger, Alpha tells his pack to hold off unless it's an absolute emergency.
Cat Noir appears on the scene a moment later, and Ladybug nearly drops her yo-yo as she yet again remembers that it's Adrien behind the mask. Ladybug tells herself she has to focus on the task at hand; she can't let people get hurt. She'll deal with her own feelings and her choice to continue to be a superheroine or not after they deal with Gunslinger.
Gunslinger on his mount proves to be fast. He lassos people who are jaywalking, shoots out the tires of a car that ran a red light, and runs down someone who stole a lady's purse—which actually impresses the golden duo. He hands the purse back to the terrified older lady and then turns his attention to Ladybug and Cat Noir, insisting that as the new sheriff, it's his job to make them retire so he can take their place. Ladybug and Cat Noir are able to deflect his bullets from his dual guns with their yo-yo and baton respectively. Cat Noir quickly figures out that the mustang mount must be a senti monster, but neither of them can immediately locate the amok or the akuma. He declares that Mayura must be helping Hawk Moth again. Peacock Moth hears this through Gunslinger's ears and breathes a small sigh of relief. The guardian of the miraculous hasn't told them "Hawk Moth" is now a woman…yet. But she needs to be careful; it's only a matter of time.
Ladybug takes a perch to survey the situation. She sees the streets of Paris and the layout of the Seine—and she realizes the answer to the riddle Master Fu gave her. She files away the answer to deal with it after they deal with Gunslinger.
Aurore Beaureal is walking from her high school to her brother's elementary to pick him up. As she approaches the gate, she finds her brother surrounded by his friends. They're all watching a video on their cell phones. Aurore pauses before they see her; she realizes it's a commercial she was in. The other boys laugh about Guilliame's sister being in a commercial because they think it looks silly. They nitpick it apart, insulting anything and everything, including Aurore herself. Guilliame even joins in, which Aurore overhears. She feels deeply embarrassed and hurt by his words. Now, the reality is that Guilliame Beaureal, her little brother, doesn't believe anything he's saying. He thinks it's cool his older sister is a celebrity. But he was going along with the insults to fit in with the crowd.
Aurore calls his name then. Guilliame looks sheepish and runs to her. He asks if Aurore heard anything. She denies it. That perks Guilliame up, but deep down, Aurore is still hurt and embarrassed even though she knows she should have thicker skin than to let some children get to her. Guilliame compliments her on her pretty hair comb.
However, before he can finish his sentence, the fight spills down their street. Aurore is stunned. She didn't know there was an active akuma nearby! She checks her cell phone, wondering why the Akuma Alert app didn't go off; her battery is dead. Aurore grabs Guilliame by the hand and runs as Ladybug and Cat Noir try to prevent Gunslinger from getting closer to the elementary school.
However, the mustang senti monster is much larger than any real horse and twice as aggressive. As Gunslinger rides it, it charges through buildings and shoves its shoulder into walls, causing damage at every turn. And that's not counting what happens when it kicks.
Giselle Winters-Blanchet is on the same street, buying a fresh baguette for dinner from the local bakery. It feels like an earthquake as Gunslinger stampedes through on his mustang with Ladybug and Cat Noir trying to keep up and pin him down long enough to find the amok and akuma. She realizes that debris is falling down around the people who have yet to flee the area. Giselle ducks into a safe corner, absentmindedly tugging on her mother's bracelet. What do I do? She knows it'll be hard to help Cat Noir when he rejected her. But…if I don't help, people are going to get hurt! However, she made a promise.
The next blow rattles her teeth in her jaw, and Giselle realizes she has to do the right thing. She transforms into Snow Leopard.
Across the road, Aurore realizes she can't get her brother out of the disaster zone in time. A chunk of roof slides off. Aurore does what she has to do. She shoves her little brother to the safety of the nearby flower shop (possibly Gilles Chastain's family's?). Guilliame calls out her name as the debris rains down on them.
The dust obscures the view and then slowly settles. Both Beaureals are safe. Guilliame is unharmed, tucked into the door frame. A large portion of the debris has been caught by a pillar of ice; Snow swept in just in time to prevent the worst case scenario. However, Aurore has changed. Her prior embarrassment (a negative emotion) plus the nearby flowers (an element) caused the bee comb she's wearing to activate. Aurore shakily rises to her feet, transformed into a bee-themed superheroine. It's at this moment, Peacock Moth feels her connection to the bee comb blurred. As it has a new wielder, using the name Chloe Bourgeois no longer connects her with its location. She grumbles as this is yet one more thing she has to deal with.
Aurore studies her arms and outfit, fully baffled by what happened. Snow asks if they're okay. Guilliame just gapes at them, speechless. Aurore asks what's going on and why she's wearing what she's wearing. Snow, having gone through the situation herself, asks a few quick questions. If (Aurore) has ever transformed, if she knows how she did it, does she know about her powers, has she heard of a kwami? Aurore is pretty clueless about all the answers, which convinces Snow that this new heroine is a kindred spirit, so to speak. Snow offers to help her. But then, Gunslinger passes by again, still fighting Ladybug and Cat Noir. Snow amends her comment—she'll help her, after they deal with the akuma.
Aurore sort of nods. Guilliame is still there, speechless. Aurore begins to introduce herself, but Snow cuts her off—she reminds her that superheroines need to protect their identities (even if Aurore doesn't plan on being a hero long term, something Snow herself has struggled to decide). Aurore nods and considers a moment—then she introduces herself as Honey Bee. (Snow does not know Aurore is Honey Bee as she only saw Honey Bee after the transformation was completed.)
Snow leads them into the fight against Gunslinger. As they leave, Honey Bee looks back and tells Guilliame to stay put, where it's safe. She leaves. Guilliame then finds his words and happily squeals that his sister is a superheroine! Snow misses this, still leaving Aurore's alias secret.
By now, Ladybug and Cat Noir have located where they think the akuma and the amok are. However, between the mustang's hooves and Gunslinger's dual pistols, lasso, and spurs, they can't get close. That's when Snow Leopard and Honey Bee swoop in. Snow asks if they need any help, trying not to look directly at Cat Noir because she still has feelings for him. Honey Bee is a bit shyer as she introduces herself. It surprised both of the golden duo to see someone else with the bee comb. Ladybug especially wonders what that means as the last they knew of the bee miraculous without a kwami, it was in Master Fu's care, and he's MIA. However, they don't get any chance to have a QnA session with Gunslinger keeping up the pressure. Cat Noir says he's happy for the help, and Snow tries to keep her heart steady. When Ladybug notices this, she feels jealous—unlike before when she wondered if she should hook up Snow Leopard and Cat Noir to keep him off of her back.
Ladybug again shoves aside her own emotions and forces herself to focus. Since she knows the abilities of everyone, she organizes the team so that Snow uses her ice to freeze the mustang in its tracks. She then tells Honey Bee to sting Gunslinger with Venom in order to paralyze his movements. As they do so, Ladybug signals Cat Noir. He destroys the item with the amok by using his Cataclysm. Ladybug herself uses her Lucky Charm item (a long pole) to vault herself in range and destroy Gunslinger's akumatized item.
This reverts Gunslinger back to Guy Nigels, who is confused as to why he's in the middle of the street. But he did have this wonderful dream about the old west…
All four Pound It, and Ladybug does her world-healing wave. She turns to Honey Bee, asking if she knows an old man (she's actually a bit desperate as she demands to know). Honey Bee doesn't realize that Ladybug is implying the old man she met on the bus, so she answers "no." Cat Noir wonders what this all means—what's going on and where's the master? He and Ladybug both briefly compare notes so they both know that the other knows that Master Fu is missing but they don't know how or why or who did it. Ladybug finds it harder to think and speak as he gets close to her. Plus, they're on their countdowns.
Ladybug latches her yo-yo on a roof. But before she leaves, she faces Honey Bee and explains that the bee comb was entrusted to her (Ladybug), and she entrusted it to her master, who is now missing. If Honey Bee knows anything, she has to tell them. Snow is also hoping for a good word, as she too knows Master Fu. Honey Bee offers her condolences, but she doesn't know anything; the item just appeared in her purse. That tells Ladybug that Master Fu is behind the new bee wielder as he did the same thing to her—he slipped the ladybug miraculous in Marinette's purse. But what does it mean? She knows Master Fu was the most adamant about the miraculous without kwamis never being used because of their potential tie to Hawk Moth (she is unaware Fu confirmed this tie to be real). Why would he change his mind now and give the bee away? What happened to drive him from his home? Once again, Ladybug realizes that she has to trust. So she decides to trust Master Fu. This time, she does not request Honey Bee return the comb, and she denies Snow Leopard's attempts to give up the bracelet. Ladybug doesn't know the master's plans, but she says she's going to trust him—which means allowing Snow and Honey Bee to hold onto the items for now. However, Ladybug tells them they have to be incredibly careful and always serve the greater good. If they can't, she'll take the items (and yet again, "be careful.") Both Snow and Honey Bee agree.
Cat Noir says he'll call Ladybug as they have a lot to talk about (which includes finding out what happened to Tsukuyomi)—and he requests that she doesn't ignore his call this time, like she did earlier in the chapter. He leaves the scene. Ladybug gets tongue tied, but he doesn't notice. Once he's gone, she also leaves.
That leaves Snow Leopard and Honey Bee alone—and Honey Bee has no idea how to transform back. Snow realizes that they need help. Both she and Honey Bee take to the rooftops. Snow pulls out her cell phone and begins working with it. Honey Bee wonders what Snow is doing. Snow answers that she's contacting some friends whom she knows will help them in their current circumstances.
Snow Leopard has joined the chat…
Snow quickly explains everything to the B Team about herself and Honey Bee, and she admits they need help. Alpha is glad Snow accepted their offer. He invites them to join the B Team that evening at the cemetery. Snow relays this information on to Honey Bee. Honey Bee considers it and then accepts; she needs to know what's going on. They make plans to meet that evening and then part ways, after Snow explains to Honey Bee how to relax to transform back. (Neither learn each other's identities.)
Adrien's time runs out, so he's no longer Cat Noir. He begins to walk to his home, but he decides to take his time. Plagg nags him to pick up some cheese, and Adrien admits he wants a snack, so they head into a bakery. As they stare at the bread and make their purchase, Adrien gets a eureka moment about Master Fu's riddle. He grabs his purchases and runs out of the bakery.
(Wow, I did not realize this chapter would be so long.)
Marinette takes a detour from her way home to the location mentioned in her riddle. This leads her to a box embedded in the cleft of a tree at the park near her house. She pulls the box out. Inside is a single miraculous container and a blank piece of paper. This answers none of Marinette's questions, and she says as much to Tikki. Marinette opens the small box and finds the dog miraculous inside. With no further answers, she hides the dog miraculous and the blank paper in her purse and heads home.
Adrien arrives at the love-lock fence in the park by the Seine. He, too, find a single miraculous box containing the mantis miraculous and a blank piece of paper. Plagg wonders aloud what Master Fu is possibly thinking. Adrien has no more answers than Marinette has. He gathers the mantis miraculous, the cheese and bread he bought, and the blank page and heads to his home.
The sun begins to set. A bit of a distance from the cemetery, Snow Leopard waits. Honey Bee shows up, running a bit late, admitting she struggled to figure out how to transform again. Snow says she knows exactly what Honey Bee is going through. Together, they approach the cemetery, cautious, keeping an eye out for any traps.
The rest of the B Team is waiting for them: Alpha, Firefly, Dauphine, Froppy, and Tsukuyomi. For the first time in the entire fic, after 43 chapters, the entire B Team is together—and, for the first time in over two hundred years, all of the miraculous without kwamis have been gathered. Alpha greets them, and everyone introduces themselves. Alpha and Froppy help explain that what Snow Leopard and Honey Bee are going through right now is the exact same thing they all have—uncertain of what their powers do, clueless on how to transform or detransform, wondering why the items they now possess came to them, figuring out what to do with the responsibilities they've been given. Snow and Honey Bee agree with their assessment.
Firefly tells them not to worry—they'll teach the new girls everything they've learned over the past season. Dauphine admits it's been fun to practice and train with the others, and she's loved seeing her powers grow and make new friends and help all of Paris. In the name of full disclosure, Alpha informs them about what happened on Heroes' Day and says that the B Team still has no proper explanation for those events. Tsukuyomi comments about his own experiences in Berserker. There is an admitted danger about using their magical items. Which opens the conversation for the B Team to explain their self-imposed rules: have a spotter, don't leap into conflict unless there's no other option, and don't get in the way of Ladybug and Cat Noir as it's clear only Ladybug's powers can purify akumas and amoks. Froppy, being the team secretary, also takes care of the basic "housework"—she explains to Snow and Honey Bee that if it feels as if their transformations are breaking, they can hide behind the graves and sneak away as the B Team respects secret identities. She also notices that the new girls are getting overwhelmed, but they also need to know about the existence of kwamis. Snow already does, so they fill Honey Bee in. Then the B Team explains the very real possibility that they'll be swallowed by their powers for a couple days so that a kwami can hatch; it's already happened to Froppy and Tsukuyomi. In that part of the conversation, it's apparent the remaining members of the B Team are very nervous about the prospect. Snow Leopard and Honey Bee don't know what to think.
Alpha tells them that they don't have to be superheroes and use the items they now possess. However, if they aren't going to help people with the powers they've been entrusted with, they shouldn't use them at all. The entire B Team is here because they want to be heroes and help people and protect Paris. If they use their powers for their own gain, entertainment, glory, and selfish reasons, they're no better than Hawk Moth. Snow agrees with the sentiment. She nervously tugs at her bracelet, wondering what she should do concerning her promise to her mother and Master Fu being missing. She then makes her choice—she, too, will use her powers for the greater good in order to back up Ladybug and Cat Noir and the rest of the B Team. She has to help. Something dark is going on in Paris, and she owes it to Master Fu to help him—at least until he's rescued. That has to be part of her promise too. (She keeps Master Fu's identity a secret during the conversation.)
Honey Bee also debates her own responsibilities in school and with her family and with her job. However, her little brother's face popped into her mind; she remembers the feeling as she pushed him to safety, not knowing what would happen to herself. She also remembers who she was before the Stormy Weather episode many months ago; she was self-absorbed and focused on her own ego. She just wanted people to notice her. But when she lost the competition to Mireille Caquet and was subsequently akumatized, she realized how selfish she had been. She understood why she lost to Mireille's natural kindness. Ever since, as Aurore, Honey Bee had been doing her best to be more compassionate. She realizes that by being a superhero, she'll be serving Paris and not herself—which is the kind of person she wants to grow to be: someone who cares about others, someone who is nice, someone who can genuinely give back to the community, someone who doesn't fuel her own vanity.
Honey Bee agrees too; she'll use these new powers for the people who can't protect themselves from Hawk Moth's akumas (like her step mother). The rest of the B Team cheers for their choices. (As a note, this is Aurore's miraculous-inspired character development trait. As said before, Alya's is responsibility and Marinette's is creative problem solving, Gabriel's is heartlessness, Giselle's is self-confidence, Luka's is leadership, Tsuyu's is organization, Nathalie's is strategy, and Mylene's is courage. For Aurore, it's kindness.)
Alpha then changes topics and explains that their transformations all come with special abilities. His is Howl, which empowers nearby allies and refills their countdowns. He's sure that both Snow Leopard and Honey Bee have their own techniques. Snow agrees and says hers is Frost Fall, although she's only used it once before. Honey Bee explains that Ladybug coached her through using Venom. Firefly tells them that one thing they do while they meet is to practice using these techniques. Froppy and Tsukuyomi go on to add that until/if their kwamis are born, they can use their techniques repeatedly. But once they have kwamis, their abilities are limited to once per battle—and after five minutes, their transformations break. Honey Bee notes that it means they get weaker with kwamis? Froppy shrugs; it's hard to pinpoint, but she feels as if she's gotten stronger since Froppy the kwami was born even though she can only use Camouflage once. Dauphine points out it's getting late; they should practice a bit before they all have to head home. Alpha agrees with this, so they begin some basic training.
Froppy pairs off with Honey Bee as she and Snow are bad matches (frogs don't like the cold). Firefly and Tsukuyomi also have to stay apart. Froppy hands Honey Bee one of their business cards so she can join their chat server; she tells Honey Bee to use a fake email in the vein of protecting her secret identity. Once Honey Bee has the server memorized, Froppy steals the card back with her tongue and swallows it—again in the name of secrecy.
Back at the Dupin-Cheng Bakery, Marinette is winding down for the evening. She's pondering over everything as she brushes her hair, talking to both Tikki and Barkk since she now has the dog miraculous. (Can I rename Barkk? Please? I get the double letters and all, but Barkk has to be one of the worst kwami names there is…) Barkk is excited and playing. Marinette tries to her to explain what happened to Master Fu, but Barkk says that the master made her promise not to tell anything.
Marinette sighs; she looks at her earrings in the mirror. She knows she has to make her choice. She can't keep waffling. Does she continue to be Ladybug, knowing Adrien is Cat Noir? Can she fulfill her duties with that knowledge? Or does she pass her miraculous on to a successor? It doesn't help that her confidence is still on the rocks. Tikki tries to cheer her up, but Marinette says her heart is still confused.
She heads to her balcony on the roof to think in the cool night air. Much to her surprise, adult Alix is waiting there, sitting on the railing. She has two ice cream cones and offers Marinette one. Marinette accepts and then bombards adult Alix with questions: is she okay, what happened since Mad Hare, does she know what happened to Master Fu, why is she here, shouldn't she go back to the future, etc?
Adult Alix admits she can't answer any of those; she tells Marinette that she's doing what it takes to ensure the good future that she knows comes about. She apologizes for everything Marinette had to suffer through at the hands of Hawk Moth. She wishes it could have been different, but it can't.
Marinette licks her ice cream and asks adult Alix why she's here now. Adult Alix explains that while she can't answer any questions, she can always lend a listening ear. She knows Marinette is struggling—so let's talk about it. Marinette explains her dilemma and how she doesn't know what to do. To be or not to be Ladybug? Adult Alix tells her to trust her heart, but Marinette admits her heart is so confused. Adult Alix encourages her to tell her about it. So Marinette begins to explain everything she's been through and everything she's feeling, her own self-depreciation about her failure at the stadium and her heartache of knowing Adrien is Cat Noir.
Adult Alix asks gentle questions and listens. As the conversation progresses, she weaves in memories, reminding Marinette of her successes in the past. "It's like the time you had to face Copycat" or "Do you remember how you felt when Dark Cupid's arrow struck Cat Noir?" "How did it feel when Mathieu Anciel and Monique Imhof thanked you after you saved them from becoming Lockheart?" Marinette begins to warm up, bit by bit, as her confidence is rebuilt and she remembers all the people she helped. Adult Alix also reminds her of the support of her friends and family as well as her own strengths as just Marinette. She reminds Marinette that it was she who helped Juleka come out of her shell with modeling and created the iconic look of Kitty Section. Marinette is the one stepped in to tutor Aurore when she saw she needed help and is the one who organized the entire city of Paris to continue on the locks of love tradition by making a structure that could support their weight. Marinette is someone special and someone strong; she is someone who never gives up hope, who always looks and looks until she sees a solution to the problem.
Marinette thanks adult Alix for cheering her up. But that still leaves one problem. What does she do with the knowledge that Adrien is Cat Noir? Adult Alix tells Marinette to quiet her racing thoughts. They close their eyes and breathe in the night air. They listen to the wind through the trees in the park below and the sounds of cars driving pass. Marinette can feel the coolness as night settles. Adult Alix coaches her through a basic, impromptu meditation, relaxing her muscles and just focusing on the present. Once Marinette has done so, adult Alix repeats: "listen to your heart, what's it telling you?"
Marinette opens her eyes, and things seem so much clearer. She says she wants to see Cat Noir again. Adrien or not—Cat Noir is her friend. And she wants to protect Paris with him. And see him smile. Because she loves him. She can't leave him. Adult Alix tells her that it sounds as if Marinette has made her choice. Marinette then asks "but what about the greater good? What if I fumble because I know Adrien is Cat Noir?" Adult Alix tells Marinette that she's looking for a choice that won't be a sacrifice—but all of her choices now will include a sacrifice. She either has to give up her miraculous and her connection to Cat Noir if she believes that'll benefit all of Paris. Or she has to find out how to swallow her own nerves and maintain a professional front, hiding her feelings for Cat Noir now, in order to continue to be Ladybug and protect people. "Which sacrifice are you willing to make?"
Marinette realizes the wisdom in what Alix is saying. The phrase about "being a professional" also resonates with her. As Ladybug, she has to be a professional superhero. That means calming her heart and quieting her own emotions when she's around Cat Noir in order to help those who have fallen victim to Hawk Moth. Tikki points out it'll be difficult. Marinette agrees—but, that is the answer her heart is telling her. Tikki is thrilled to hear Marinette sounding like herself and gives her a hug. Marinette thanks adult Alix for the advice, but adult Alix says that she just guided Marinette to the answer she already had—now she just needs to follow through. And it won't be easy. Marinette agrees. She then turns to look at sleeping Paris. "But, if we can stop Hawk Moth, then maybe...Maybe Ladybug can just be Marinette. And Cat Noir can just be Adrien. And we can be together. No masks." Adult Alix smiles as she can't comment; she knows the future and what will occur. (Alix's personal development trait is her secret keeping ability.) Adult Alix says good-bye and heads out. Marinette heads inside to sleep.
Meanwhile, Chloe Bourgeois happens to walk by the television in her home as it's running the news broadcast. It shows the incident with Gunslinger and how Ladybug and Cat Noir dealt with the situation. Then it shows footage of Snow Leopard—and Honey Bee. Chloe's eyes go wide as a vein of anger throbs on her forehead. She shrieks "That's my miraculous!" so loudly that she shakes dust from the chandeliers.
To be continued in Chapter 44: Mirror Rorrim…