Chapter 53: Rhino
It's finally the weekend for the characters! Where we last saw both adult Alix and young Alix, they had transformed and entered the Burrow. They're still there (meaning it was a sleepless night for them). Young Alix is freaking out pretty badly, since through the Burrow, she can learn pretty much everything that's going on.
"What do you mean calm, quiet Adrien is the loud-mouthed goofball Cat Noir?! And clumsy, dorky Marinette is the graceful Ladybug?! And Adrien's dad is Hawk Moth?!"
Adult Bunnyx is calmly letter her younger self vent, having lived it herself a decade ago. She tells young Bunnyx that she "needs to work on her poker face" because now Alix is going to have to go to school and see these people every day and not let it slip that she knows their identities.
Speaking of the Agrestes, at the Agreste Manor, Nathalie Sancoeur is bed-ridden from overusing her miraculous in the previous chapter. Dr. Gerald Theroux, being on hand to care for Gabriel and Emilie, is checking on her. Like with the adult Agrestes, he can't seem to find out what's deteriorating her health. Nathalie insists she doesn't know either. Dr. Theroux decides to have the water tested in the house, since clearly something in the home is making people sick. The water has been tested before, but he orders it tested again. He also suggests they install raydon and carbon monoxide detectors, just in case. Nathalie just lets him—it's not as if she can tell the truth.
During the whole scene, Nicholas Sancoeur is in the corner, fiddling with something. When Dr. Theroux leaves the room, Nicholas reveals to his aunt that he repaired the peridot raccoon collar (as the strap had been severed when Adamantus cut it off of Lila's neck). Nathalie accepts it, again surprised by his repair skills; it's something she didn't think he'd possess. Nicholas can tell there's something else bothering his aunt; he asks her. Nathalie replies with "I can no longer sense the lightning bug."
Being a weekend, Marinette Dupin-Cheng is helping her parents in the bakery. But she keeps making simple mistakes as her mind is on Master Fu's newest riddle. She suspects it'll lead her to one of the remaining miraculous, but what she really wants it news if Master Fu is safe, who their enemy is, and how she can further help the B Team by severing their connection to the butterfly miraculous. For the latter, she knows her best bet is in the grimoire that she possesses a digital copy of—she just needs Master Fu's help to read it. Plus she's worried about and misses the old guy. Being so distracted, Marinette winds up putting frosting around the edges of the pan, and greasing the top of the cake. Her parents just shake their heads, used to her clumsiness.
Back at the Agreste manor, Adrien is visiting his parents, who still aren't moving. And Plagg still refuses to enter their bedroom. Once done, Adrien exits. Felix is waiting in the hallway for him. Notably, Felix doesn't ask about Gabriel or Emilie. Instead, he asks about Nathalie. He pretends to be concerned about her health, but he's really trying to dig into who she is and what/if she's planning anything (on his mother's orders). Adrien completely misses the ulterior motive. Felix plays up the "good cousin" role well. The conversation ends abruptly when Felix walks away, having realized that Nicholas is watching them from the second floor. Adrien, again, misses this. He heads back to his room to talk with Plagg and Kaalki, turning his attention back to the newest riddle he received from Master Fu.
Marinette-Dupin Cheng is also busy. Or rather, Ladybug is busy. As Marinette is out and about, transformed. She's actually watching Chloe Bourgeois—the only opponent whose identity they know. Ladybug figures that if she watches Chloe long enough, maybe she'll be able to find out who gave Chloe a miraculous. But despite watching her all morning, Chloe does nothing out of the ordinary. She primps her hair, plays on her phone, throws her homework at Butler Jean, and is spoiled by her father.
By now, it's late morning. Marc Anciel is dropping by Nathaniel Kurtzberg's apartment. He's in high spirits—he just got The Call. The agent who is representing them got them a publishing deal; their comic is going to print! He's sure that Nathaniel got the same call, and he can hardly wait to geek out over the details with his best friend. Marc looks up, noticing the light is on in the apartment. However, no one answers the door or the buzz/intercom. Finding this strange, Marc calls Nathaniel on his cell phone. But he receives no answer. At this point, Marc is starting to get worried, especially since it clearly looks like someone is home. So he finds the spare key (Nathaniel had already informed him where his family keeps it) and lets himself into the unit.
Marc calls out Nathaniel's name but receives no answer. He again tries calling and can hear Nathaniel's cell phone ring. Marc heads to Nathaniel's room. When he opens the door, he sees a human-sized ball of light floating off of the ground in the middle of the room. This unnerves Marc a lot, as it is just a random floating ball of light. It takes him a moment to remember that Nathaniel mentioned something about the B Team being overwhelmed by their powers for several days while a kwami was created.
Marc tentatively calls out Nathaniel's name but again receives no response. He calls on his cell phone, and Nathaniel's ringtone comes from the floating sphere, confirming Marc's suspicions. He very warily places a hand on the ball of light. It's warm and bright, and he can feel a tingle of energy, but it's also firm and unyielding like an eggshell. Marc is still having trouble about what to think of this whole situation. He remembers Nathaniel (semi-jokingly, to mask his seriousness) told him what to do when/if this happen… But what did he say?
That's when Marc hears the front door open. After over 50 chapters of being absent, Nathaniel's parents are home…
As morning stretches on, young Bunnyx is still freaking out over everything she's learning about the future. "The ENTIRE superhero population of Paris goes to my school?!" Adult Bunnyx points out that's not true. "Ondine, or as you know her Dauphine, goes to another school." Young Bunnyx just gives her an eyebrow.
Elsewhere in Paris, Master Fu is out, making a needed grocery run. He's still lying low, jumping from hotel to hotel, to keep his pursuers off of his trail. At this point, he has no miraculous left—he has hidden them all for Ladybug and Cat Noir. Which means he's pretty much defenseless if his pursuers are able to locate him.
Unfortunately for him, his pursuers are hot on his trail. Without warning, a superhero (or rather, supervillain) bursts through the walls of the grocery store. Her outfit consists of a plated grey bodysuit and high, steel-toe boots. Her mask is a half-face mask, much like Rena Rouge's, in that it covers her cheeks and forehead as well as her eyes. The nose part of her mask is elevated slightly to mimic a rhinoceros's horn. She also has thick gauntlets and a wide utility belt.
Master Fu recognizes her as Rhino—the same empowered person who attacked him before in his acupuncture clinic and who drove him from his home. He has no idea at all how she was able to find him here. After all, the rhinoceros miraculous possesses no ability related to tracking or location. But he can't afford to have that question answered; he knows he needs to flee. Master Fu begins sneaking towards the back door, trying to get lost in the panicked crowds.
Rhino spots him and charges.
Elsewhere in Paris, Marc Anciel is frantically trying to figure out what to do with Nathaniel/Firefly, who has cocooned up, and whose parents have finally returned home. Marc knows Nathaniel doesn't want them to know he's a superhero—but it's going to be hard to hide Nathaniel as-is since Nathaniel's shell is glowing like a lightbulb.
Marc tries to move the glowing orb, and to his surprise, it moves easily. He shoves the whole thing into the closet and hastily shoves some shoes and Nathaniel's backpack against the door to hide the light that is seeping out of the crack in the bottom. Then he hears footsteps approaching. Not knowing what else to do, and knowing he can't explain his presence in the apartment without Nathaniel around, Marc quickly wiggles under the bed.
From that angle, he sees a pair of women's legs come in. She doesn't even seem interested in the room. She just sets a pile of folded laundry on the bed and leaves. Marc feels indignant on Nathaniel's behalf, feeling angry and lonely for his friend, whose parents are too busy. Who don't even seem to care or even notice when something is wrong (like a giant ball of light floating in the closet).
Marc Anciel maintains enough presence of mind not to speak up and alert Nathaniel's parents to what's going on. He just grumbles in frustration and then focuses his mental efforts on what he needs to get done. What did Nathaniel tell me to do if he got overtaken by his own powers? It takes Marc a moment to remember, but Nathaniel gave him to login information for the B Team chat server. Marc sits at the drawing desk and pulls out his cell phone.
At the same time, Bunnyx and Bunnyx are still in the Burrow. Young Bunnyx is having a hard time keeping herself contained as she's just discovered that Madam Gros possesses the elephant miraculous and is using her position as school counselor to exploit students and recruit them to be super villains. "How can I just ignore this?! I should speak up before someone gets really hurt!" Adult Bunnyx acknowledges that emotion but points out that since they have the rabbit miraculous, they have to protect the timeline to ensure a good future. "Speaking up too early, even with the best intentions, can lead to disastrous results." Adult Bunnyx shows young Bunnyx how to manipulate the Burrow to show What If possible futures. In this example, it shows what would happen if Alix went to school and revealed Madam Gros has the elephant miraculous to the whole student body, including the teachers. No one would believe Alix without proof, though Marinette alone would remain suspicious. However, Madam Gros would know Alix is telling the truth—and the only way Alix could know that is if Alix has a miraculous herself. Madam Gros would transform and hit Alix with her Oblivion technique, causing Alix to forget everything. Then Madam Gros would steal the rabbit miraculous. Marinette would leap in as Ladybug at that moment, her suspicions confirmed, but it would be too late. Madam Gros would control the timestream and would manipulate events to her own end. All of the miraculous of the Eastern Order would fall into her hands, and she would force all of Paris to forget Ladybug, Cat Noir, and all other superheroes ever existed. From there, Madam Gros and her underlings would head to America. They would have a similar victory over Eagle and the Northern Order of the Miraculous. The same thing would happen with the Southern Order. Madam Gros would gradually possess all the miraculous in the world, allowing her to control reality itself and turning all of humanity into her brain-washed puppets.
Young Bunnyx gulps and concedes adult Bunnyx's point. They both already know that if Hawk Moth discovers who Ladybug and/or Cat Noir are, it'll lead to a devastating Cat Blanc incident. Adult Bunnyx places a hand on her younger self's shoulder. She tells her it'll be hard, but the path they are on now will make the best future. She reminds young Alix that she's not alone—but that she does need to work on her poker face.
During all this, Master Fu is desperately trying to shake his pursuer as Rhino chases him down the street. Civilians begin reporting the incident on their cell phones, and soon all of Paris is buzzing with Akuma Alerts.
Nathalie Sancoeur, still in bed, is surprised when her phone goes off. After all, she is the new Hawk Moth, so she knows first-hand that she akumatized no one. She pulls up the footage of the attacker, and one glance confirms that Rhino is not an akuma victim. Nathalie quickly surmises that Rhino is on the same side as Draco and Tarantula. She's about to rise to take action, but Nicholas pleads with her to take it easy. Her health is really bad, and if she pushes herself too hard, she'll wind up in a coma like Gabriel and Emilie. Then who'll help them!
Nathalie argues that she can't let the ladybug and black cat miraculous fall into enemy hands. If that happens, she'll also never be able to awaken Gabriel. (She's very emotionally torn on if she wants Emilie awake or not. On one hand, if Emilie wakes up, then Gabriel will be happy. On the other hand, if Emilie wakes up, then Nathalie will stand no chance with Gabriel.) Nicholas still argues that Nathalie needs to rest—he tells her he'll go and keep an eye on the situation. Nathalie gives her permission for this, and Nicholas leaves. Nathalie wonders when he got to be so independent.
Of course, by now both Ladybug and Cat Noir have swung onto the scene to deal with Rhino. Neither of them have yet realized that Master Fu is on the scene. He wants to call out to them, but he knows for their safety they shouldn't have contact. So he uses the time they inadvertently bought him to find a place to hide.
Ladybug and Cat Noir confront Rhino. She demands that they get out of her way or she'll take their miraculous. Ladybug cautions Cat Noir, pointing out that Rhino has normal colored skin. That means she's not an akuma victim; she probably has a miraculous herself (or at least a magical item, like Ringtail and the B Team). Rhino pulls out her weapon, which is a shovel, and charges. Ladybug tries to tie her up with her yo-yo, but Rhino just charges through all of the wires, pulling Ladybug off of her feet. Cat Noir catches her and makes a flirty comment. Ladybug flusters badly and desperately struggles to get away from him before he realizes it. Cat Noir scratches his head, "I didn't think my joke was that bad." Ladybug, not facing him, tells him to focus. But really, she's telling herself to focus and force herself to calm down. She knows it's not the time to explore her feelings for Cat Noir/Adrien; there's a villain on the loose. And even if it was a normal day in school, Ladybug/Marinette knows she couldn't approach Adrien—not with him dealing with his comatose parents. As if her tongue-tied problem wasn't bad enough. First, we beat Draco's lot and Hawk Moth. Then Ladybug and Cat Noir can be just Marinette and Adrien. Then I can tell him…I'll finally be able to say "I love you."
With the Akuma Alert going off all over Paris, the B Team is also logging into their chat server to coordinate their efforts. Alpha is already online, and he notes that Rhino is quite destructive. Honey Bee points out that she could paralyze Rhino with her Venom technique. Alpha reminds her that she doesn't have a secret keeper yet. If something went wrong, there'd be no one who could help. He also adds that Ladybug confirmed Hawk Moth has a finger on their magical items. They have to be careful, otherwise he could force them to "go red" again and turn on their allies. Froppy chimes in to add how much that sucked. Honey Bee goes quiet, contemplating who she should tell.
In the midst of the discussion, Firefly's screen name lights up as he logs in. Tsukuyomi and Snow Leopard greet him while Dauphin and Dauphine continue discussing where the recent akuma attack is and who should go to help.
That's when they all receive a message from Firefly's account. "Um…this isn't Firefly."
Meanwhile, the battle between Ladybug and Cat Noir against Rhino is continuing at full force. Rhino seems to care little about collateral damage, and Ladybug and Cat Noir have to spend a lot of time getting civilians out of the way. Cat Noir manages to strike Rhino, but she tanks it. Her defenses are extremely high, though Adamantus's are higher still.
Speaking of Adamantus, he is now watching as things progress from a hidden place on a rooftop. If Ladybug and Cat Noir tire, I can rush in and take their miraculous for Hawk Moth. And if they defeat Rhino, then I'll just take her miraculous instead.
Things look bad for the golden duo as Rhino reveals the full extent of her abilities. With her shovel, she can control the earth. She stabs it into the ground, causing earthen pillars to rise and trap Cat Noir from the shoulders down. Before Ladybug can leap to his rescue, Rhino closes the gap between them. She places a gauntlet-covered hand on the rock tomb that holds Cat Noir and activates her ability: Stamina Shift. This allows her to steal the stamina/energy from an empowered person and add it to her own. The earth falls away from Cat Noir, and he collapses, completely exhausted. While Rhino is charged up and ready to continue fighting, refreshed, as if she had just entered the fight. Worse for Cat Noir is that his ring is blipping—even though he hasn't yet used his Cataclysm. If Rhino uses Stamina Shift on someone empowered by a miraculous, she instantly puts her victim on the counter. (Note: not all heroes use an item that puts them on the counter, such as the B Team, Ringtail, Lady Dragon, and probably a good number of the American superheroes. These characters could be stamina shifted by Rhino, but they would not be on a counter.)
Ladybug pulls Cat Noir away with her yo-yo before Rhino can claim the black cat ring. Ladybug is ready to fall back in order to protect Adrien, who is underneath the mask, but he insists he still have five minutes left to deal with Rhino. This is much easier said than done, as Rhino immediately keeps up the pressure on them by using her shovel and repeatedly attacking them from the ground by creating earth spikes. However, she is a miraculous user. This is confirmed as she used her special ability, and now her belt is beeping. She too only have five minutes until she transforms back.
Back in the digital realm, Marc had just finished explaining to the B Team that he's Firefly's secret keeper and that Firefly was absorbed by his powers and now trapped in a giant floating sphere of light. He finds it strange to be talking to Alpha, Froppy, Tsukuyomi, Dauphin, Dauphine, Snow Leopard, and Honey Bee without Nathaniel. It's also strange to know there's superheroes on the other end of the conversation although he has no idea who they really are. Alpha, Froppy, and Tsukuyomi ask Marc multiple questions, and his answers confirm for them that he's telling the truth.
The whole conversation has sombered the B Team as now they realize that they will all be trapped within their powers for several days. It's now fact, not theory. Froppy tries to cheer everyone up, saying that this likely means a lightning bug kwami is being born. Alpha points out that they could really use Firefly's help right now. With Rhino being able to attack from the ground, Firefly's natural flight ability would be very useful. Tsukuyomi reminds them all that he can fly too and offers to go in and help. Dauphine asks Marc (they don't know they're talking to Marc; they only know this is Firefly's secret keeper) what he's going to do about Firefly's family and school and stuff. Marc sorta bitterly replies that he doesn't think that Firefly's family would notice if Firefly is missing for a couple days. During the whole conversation, Honey Bee is rather quiet. She's pondering her own secret keeper and the wisdom of keeping all of this from her family—especially if she's going to wind up trapped in an eggshell. Can she go through with this? Should she continue being Honey Bee? And who should she trust? Is it really the right choice, to be a hero and keep things from her family…?
Stuck in a tight situation, Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm. Whatever item she gets, she has no idea how to use it yet. And with Cat Noir faltering, neither of them have time to run off, transform back, feed their kwamis the flight potion, and run back. She realizes how much she came to depend on having allies in her own chosen miraculous wielders and in the B Team—and she realizes that that dependence isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's teamwork; it's friendship. It's trust.
By using her Lucky Charm, Ladybug has also placed herself on her countdown. However, she still has twice as long as Cat Noir and Rhino. That's when Rhino lets it slip. She says she's going to "take them down" so that she can go on to "capture that old man." This causes Ladybug and Cat Noir to realize her target is Master Fu, that she was probably the one who attacked his acupuncture clinic, and that Master Fu himself might be in the area. They also realize that Rhino is probably working with Draco, which Rhino herself pretty much confirms.
Ladybug demands to know what Rhino and Draco are planning and tries to get Rhino to confess to belonging to a different miraculous order, but Rhino just mocks her. Ladybug (like Cat Noir) also desperately want to search for Master Fu, but they know they have to take care of Rhino before they can. The golden duo lures Rhino away from the park and towards downtown, getting her away from easy to access dirt. Cat Noir lags behind a bit, and Rhino takes that moment to pounce on him.
However, that was as Ladybug planned, as she discovered the use for her Lucky Charm. Using the item (whatever it is), her yo-yo, and Cat Noir's baton, she's able to get Rhino's shovel away from her and then pin Rhino through a store front display window with her own weapon. Ladybug tells Cat Noir that he should fall back and feed Plagg—she'll watch as Rhino's final seconds tick by and then take the rhinoceros miraculous belt. Rhino struggles and bellows, the supports crack around her (Rhino also is augmentedly strong).
Cat Noir pushes Ladybug away as the store front collapses. Rhino, having thick armor, is able to tank it and flee. Ladybug is fine thanks to Cat Noir. However, she realizes he only had seconds left and desperately calls out his name, terrified that his transformation gave out as the bricks came down.
Fortunately, Cat Noir is able to call out to her from an alcove in an alley. He tells her not to worry; he's safe. But he also tells her to stay away as he has transformed back. Ladybug feels a massive amount of relief. She does her "Miraculous Ladybug" world-healing wave, which really has its work cut out for it due to Rhino's indiscriminate damage. Although distant, Ladybug and Cat Noir still "Pound It." Ladybug ends hers with curling her hand close to her heart. She tells Cat Noir/Adrien to be careful ("be careful" again). She tells him she's going to go back to search for Master Fu while she still has a minute left. She then "bugs out," but not before she says "good-bye, Cat Noir" in a way that is filled with love and emotions. Adrien suspects something. It's clear he wants to peek his head around and look, but Plagg stops him, demanding cheese. Adrien chuckles and feeds the kwami, then disappears into the crowds.
Adamantus heads to the back of the store to try to find Rhino, whom he is assuming is injured, but he has no luck. Unable to bring any miraculous back to female Hawk Moth, Adamantus calls it a day and retreats. But at least the ladybug and black cat did not fall into Rhino's hands.
On the B Team chat server, Froppy announces that the current issue resolved itself while they were all being indecisive (and trying to deal with Firefly). Dauphine replies that that has to be a good thing, but Dauphin adds that he wanted to get involved in the action. Alpha turns the focus back on Firefly, and he asks Marc if everything with Firefly will be okay. Marc promises he's going to keep an eye on the situation, but he voices his concern "what if Firefly doesn't wake up?" Tsukuyomi says that he and Froppy wound up being fine; there's no reason to believe that the same won't be true with Firefly. Alpha encourages Marc to contact them if there's any change or problem whatsoever. They're a pack; he promises they will do anything and everything they can to help. Marc thanks them.
That's when Honey Bee breaks her long silence. She says now that she fully understands why Alpha and the others developed the secret keeper system and how important it is. She admits that she is worried about this whole cocoon of powers things, and she does fear what'll happen to her and her family if she winds up absorbed by the bee pseudo-miraculous. That's why…well, there's something tugging at her brain. But she's not sure if she should, but it seems like it's the right thing to do, even though it'll be hard…
Froppy and Dauphine ask her what she means. Honey Bee then announces she decided what she'll do about her secret keeper. And something like this…she doesn't think is right to keep from her family. She tells the B Team that she plans on telling her whole family (father, step-mother, and little brother) that she is Honey Bee. That way, if she does wind up trapped by her own powers, they'll know what's going on. She won't have to lie to them, and they can handle her job and school for that time. She's just worried—will they accept her as Honey Bee? Or will they try to force her to retire.
The rest of the B Team is shocked by her plan. Alpha dryly remarks that if Firefly were here, he'd make a comment that "that's not how it's done in the comics." Froppy, however, supports Honey Bee's choice—she encourages her to tell her family and then to tell them how it works out. Dauphin wonders if it's a good idea though; the whole "if your loved ones knew you were a superhero, they could become a target for the villains." Dauphine points out that that's a bit backward; Hawk Moth is liable to target their loved ones if he finds out who they are regardless of if their loved ones know or not. But if a loved one knows that's a possibility, they can at least steps in to mediate, saying that he won't discourage Honey Bee. If this is what she feels is right, he wishes her the best.
He then addresses Snow Leopard, as this would leave her as the only one without a secret keeper. Snow Leopard hesitates and then she replies that she's having a hard time picking someone. Marc wonders if this is because she doesn't have many friends (he's still logged in under Firefly's name). Snow Leopard says that's not the case. She just doesn't want to be a burden. A friend, a family member—whoever she tells would have to be willing to support her as a superheroine, to spend their time with her when she transforms, to risk themselves knowing her identity. She doesn't want to place that inconvenience on anyone. Froppy points out that it's not a burden—that friends and family are there to support each other. Snow Leopard gives a vague half-answer; she has issues with seeing herself as a burden due to her father. But she knows she has to make a choice, and she promises them all she'll have her decision within a week. But who…who do I trouble with this?
Meanwhile, Ladybug has returned to the area where the golden duo first encountered Rhino. It's all been recovered thanks to her world-healing wave. She looks and searches, but she can't find Master Fu anywhere. While that does dishearten her some, she takes relief in knowing that this is confirmation that he's safe. With her counter about gone, she finds a place to hide and turns back into Marinette Dupin-Cheng. As just a normal girl, Marinette also investigates the area. While she doesn't find Master Fu, she does find a hasty note he left behind. It's written vaguely, but Marinette recognizes the handwriting and the implications and she knows it's from him. Master Fu says he's very proud of Ladybug and Cat Noir and he doesn't regret for a moment who he picked. He says he's been surprised in how they've grown—so much farther than his expectations. He says they have taught him things about allies and trust that he had never seen while he was an apprentice in the Eastern Order of the Miraculous. He apologizes for not being able to give them further guidance, but he knows for certain that Ladybug and Cat Noir will be fine and will overcome any hardship that comes their way.
Marinette is very touched by the note. She picks up her cell phone to call Cat Noir and tell him about it, but she hesitates as she realizes that this means she's calling Adrien. Tikki asks why Marinette is freaking out, and Marinette explains what a struggle it is to "not act like Marinette in front of Cat Noir." Tikki fully understands how twitchy Marinette can be, so she suggests that Marinette send Cat Noir a text. Marinette is relieved by this and does just that.
After a moment, Cat Noir (Adrien) replies, thanking her for telling him. He also adds that he believes the note is a further hint about the riddles Master Fu gave them. Adrien/Cat Noir points out a clue in the note and compares it to a line in his current riddle. He's pretty certain that it means he needs to go to the Jardin des Tuileries—which he says he'll detour to right now before he heads home. Marinette then realizes where her newest riddle is sending her to. She thanks Cat Noir, hangs up, and hails a taxi to that location.
Within the hour, Marinette has located the tiger miraculous. She, Tikki, Longg, and Daizzi welcome Roarr. Adrien finds where the goat miraculous was hidden in the gardens, and he welcomes Ziggy alongside Plagg and Kaalki. Both locations, of course, contain another riddle written in invisible ink.
By now, it's late in the afternoon, and Bunnyx and Bunnyx are still in the Burrow. Young Bunnyx is studying all she can through the various time windows so she doesn't slip up and allow a villain to win. That's when she comes across the Mad Hare chapter and sees her adult self akumatized. Young Bunnyx watches the whole scene—how Bunnyx was captured, how Hawk Moth used sound to torture her, and how she had to willingly let herself be akumatized. She watches as Mad Hare fought and captured Ladybug and Cat Noir, and how it led them to giving up their miraculous and Hawk Moth—Gabriel Agreste—finally getting his wish that went so horribly wrong. Young Bunnyx asks adult Bunnyx how she was able to do that. She's not sure if she could bear going through all that, knowing that Marinette and Adrien would suffer so much too. Adult Bunnyx admits "it was Hell." But she points out that it leads to a better future—and she guides young Bunnyx's eyes to what's in store…
An older teenage girl stumbles through Paris's back streets, taking care to make sure no one is following her. The scene pans to the belt she's wearing, which is obviously the rhinoceros miraculous. However, someone is able to find her trail. Waiting at the end of the street is Zenon Theroux—who has already been revealed as Draco, holder of the salamander miraculous. He mocks her, saying she blew it again by letting a dottering old man escape her. This reveals that the girl's name is Brynne. And Brynne tells Zenon off, pointing out he hasn't had any success himself in claiming any of the Eastern Order's miraculous.
That's when a voice from above tells them both to stop bickering. He says that they're both nearly adults and shouldn't be acting like tweenagers. Tarantula crawls down from above, and they're both hushed by his presence. Brynne insists she followed Tarantula's instructions to the letter; she has no idea how Master Fu/"the old man" was able to elude her, but she theorizes he can sense magic somehow and subdue his own aura. Zenon mocks her under his breath, which nearly sparks an argument between the two before Tarantula tells them to behave. He adds that he only has a brief amount of time on his break, and he can't waste it with the two of them fighting. It's revealed that Brynne and Zenon are siblings. Their leader, the one with the elephant miraculous (Madam Gros) wants results. If this was written in French, the dialect used would clearly be Quebecois French and not Parisian French.
Brynne argues that she's doing everything she can. The spider miraculous that Tarantula is using is supposed to be the tracking miraculous. Tarantula has "marked" Master Fu; he should be able to locate "the old man" anywhere in the city. There's no way the spider's powers can be eluded. Tarantula confirms that Master Fu is likely using arcane arts only known to the Eastern Order to protect himself. However, those will only last so long. Because Brynne is right—the spider miraculous is designed to track down targets. The guardian of the eastern miraculous cannot escape them forever. This makes both Brynne and Zenon happy as they want more power.
Tarantula begins walking and they follow. He explains it's not just about power. Only their Order is following the mandates passed down since ancient times; they're the only ones who can handle miraculous properly. Superheroes on the news, "miraculous" being a word on Parisians' lips. It's all a mistake. A mistake that the Western Order will correct. He then tells them to standby for their next orders. He also does scold Brynne, saying she's too careless as Rhino. Now Ladybug and Cat Noir know her abilities; they should have been kept a secret. Brynne replies with a sincere "I'm sorry, uncle."
While in shadows, Tarantula breaks his transformation. He orders both Brynne and Zenon to lie low for a couple of days. He also tells them not to contact him; he does have work to do, and he can't have his civilian alias linked to them, not yet, even though they're family. Brynne and Zenon agree to this and leave in opposite directions; no one passing by suspects anything.
Tarantula, no longer transformed, strolls into his place of employment. The Agreste manor. It's revealed from behind that he is Dr. Gerald Theroux.
To be continued in Chapter 54: Babel…