Chapter 55: Terra Forma

It's evening sometime after the events of the prior chapter. Perhaps the next day. Ladybug and Cat Noir have agreed to meet up to try to work together to translate Master Fu's digital grimoire in order to break Hawk Moth's connection to the B Team. They meet up on the same rooftop where Cat Noir had set up a romantic dinner for him and Ladybug way back in the Glaciator episode.

Cat Noir, of course, is thrilled at what he considers to be a date with Ladybug. Ladybug insists it's not and is doing all she can to keep from spazzing out like Marinette. Ladybug repeatedly has to say that they're here to study the grimoire to keep Cat Noir focused and stop his romantic comments.

When Cat Noir settles down, he's shocked to see the images from the grimoire are actually images from Adrien/his father's prized book. Cat Noir has no idea how this happened. He knows way back during the Collector episode, he stole the book from his father's safe and then lost it, which led to Gabriel Agreste being akumatized into the Collector. Shortly after that, Gabriel had the book returned to him somehow. Cat Noir asks Ladybug how she and Master Fu fit into things—at what point in time did they have Gabriel Agreste's one-of-kind book to take pictures of it? Ladybug stammers, insisting Cat Noir shouldn't pry. When Cat Noir asks again, Ladybug turns the tables on him and asks how he knows who owned the book in the first place. Obviously, Cat Noir can't admit it's because he's Gabriel Agreste's son, so he cracks down on translating it.

Once again, Cat Noir/Adrien Agreste goes into some pretty heavy denial about his father being Hawk Moth (as Master Fu lost the grimoire alongside the peacock and butterfly miraculous, making it likely that the person who owned one owned all three, and is thus Hawk Moth). Cat Noir argues with himself, reminding himself that Gabriel Agreste was akumatized into one point as the Collector and that his father has been comatose for a long while now but Hawk Moth is still active. But then he remembers that Master Fu had informed them of his suspicions that there was a new Hawk Moth, and that this one was female (as Master Fu had actually connected with female Hawk Moth while meditating during Gunslinger). If Hawk Moth and Mayura have been taking turns with their miraculous, like Dauphin and Dauphine do—then the events of the Collector doesn't necessarily free his father from guilt of being Hawk Moth. But then, Cat Noir reasons, a lot of people could be indicted using the sole evidence of "a male and a female working together." His mind turns over these thoughts and the condition of his parents, causing him to zone out until Ladybug calls his attention again.

They finally get to work on their translations. Cat Noir suggests they write their ideas on the Mandarin code down, but Ladybug thinks that's unwise. "This book was written in code for a reason. If it falls into enemy hands, we can't just let them have a word-for-word translation of the whole thing." (This is a deviation from canon where Master Fu did write the translations down, only for those very translations to wind up in Hawk Moth's hands.) Cat Noir agrees to this logic. Ladybug skips the pages that contain information on how to make the transformation potions, as that's not what they need to know now. With Cat Noir's help, they're able to figure out which chapters contain the history of miraculous wielders and skip those too. Cat Noir does get sidetracked when they stumble across information and wielders of non-zodiac miraculous. Ladybug reminds him about Eagle, though, and points out that Master Fu has already named a Western Order of the Miraculous and an Eastern Order of the Miraculous, so it shouldn't be surprising that there's more miraculous than the 19 in his miracle box.

At length, they come to an index on the miraculous themselves; they flip to the page about the butterfly. This seems to be exactly what they need, as the illustration depicts a male wielder in eighteenth centuries French attire. Ladybug begins picking out the hanzi characters she does know, and Cat Noir begins linking them together. They skim, skipping a lot of information in the preamble, when Cat Noir lands upon the phrase "…if an item blessed by the butterfly lives for a hundred years" which goes on to explain (with many words the golden duo can't translate): '- is integrated and cannot be undone… The hold of the butterfly is thus permanent until - is born. The birth - deigns the sacred relic - a miraculous."

Ladybug surmises that the mention of a "birth" sounds a lot like kwamis being born; she and Cat Noir have met Dark Shadow first hand to confirm this. Cat Noir doesn't like the idea that the power of the butterfly "cannot be undone." Does this mean there's no way to save the B Team from Hawk Moth? Ladybug suggests that a new kwami would break that, but the two of them haven't translated enough of the Mandarin code to be 100% certain. She pushes to uncover more information so she can help the B Team. Cat Noir notes that she's actually sorta desperate. That's when Ladybug reminds him that as they speak, Firefly has been trapped in a shell of his own powers for over two days. Cat Noir points out that Tsukuyomi and Froppy were all right after their ordeal, but Ladybug points out several circumstances that led to them not getting in trouble with their parents or their identities discovered. They have to do more to help their allies than rely on chance, especially now that the same thing that happened to Tsukuyomi and Froppy is happening to Firefly. Cat Noir suggests they drop in on Firefly to see how he is first hand, but Ladybug points out that no one, not even his friends on the B Team, know his true alias.

Eventually the conversation veers into communication. How they talk with the B Team through the chat server and how efficient the B Team is at organizing themselves. The golden duo realize how much they depend on good communication; that in the prior chapter, things would have been much worse had it not been for Rena Rouge's quick thinking with a message illusion. Ladybug tells Cat Noir that an idea has been on her mind for a while now—she wants to set up a chat server for their allies just like how the B Team has one. That way, if there's an issue dealing with an akuma, they can use their yo-yo/baton to call for help immediately without having to run off and leave one of them alone with the villain. Cat Noir fully supports this idea; he's actually wanted to do this since Phase Two. That night, before they part ways, they set up the server together. They know Bunnyx, Hachiko, Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Kamaitachi have their miraculous permanently. Cat Noir admits to having the horse miraculous that he could pass off to Pegasus should the need arise, and Ladybug can call upon Pigella or Ryuko. They realize they have yet to find the snake or monkey miraculous for Viperion or King Monkey, or the ox or the mouse for Blue Ox and Minimouse, and that they do need to work on their newest riddles from Master Fu. They decide to pass word on to their permanent miraculous-holding allies about the new server with Ladybug talking to Rena Rouge and Hachiko and Cat Noir finding Carapace and Bunnyx and Kamaitachi to tell them.

By now, it is quite late, so they part ways. On their way back to their respective houses, Cat Noir swings by Nino Lahiffe's home and tells him about the server (urging him to use a burner email as a log in). Ladybug does the same, dropping in on Alya Cesaire. Both Wayzz and Trixx are happy to see them. Wayzz asks about "the master," and Cat Noir says that they know Master Fu is still free and evading those after him (which they saw first-hand in Rhino). Alya is very impressed with Ladybug's communication methods and is honored to be on regular call with the golden duo. She even purposes some extra security measures on the chat room.

Ladybug gets home and transforms back into Marinette Dupin-Cheng, exhausted. Tikki congratulates her. Marinette wonders why. "Why, for being able to talk to Adrien so normally for so long." Marinette then realizes that as the conversation went on between herself and Cat Noir, she was able to talk to him normally. She goes to sleep with a happy smile on her face. I want to tell him I love him so badly…But how can I when we have to worry about Hawk Moth and he has to worry about his parents?

Morning dawns at the Agreste Manor. Adrien Agreste has overslept, which is rather unlike him. Plagg, Kaalki, and Ziggy are tugging at his sheets and pillow, trying to wake him up. However, they all dart into hiding when Felix Graham de Vanily enters to see what's wrong. Adrien groggily gets out of bed, and Felix throws his clothing at him, complaining about having to go to a school. Adrien tells him that his cousin should make the best of it and try to make some friends. Felix gives him an expression that let's Adrien know that Felix thinks friendship is beneath him. Adrien says it's Felix who is missing out, not the other way around. Adrien is, after all, very happy from his "date" with Ladybug the prior night, so his cousin's sulky attitude can't bring him down.

Adrien takes a moment to stop in and see his mother and father. He tells them he's off to school and that he wishes they'd wake up so they could all have dinner together. Neither respond. Adrien feels a flash of anger at the injustice of it all—anger at his own powerlessness in this situation. But before the flames can fan, Nicholas Sancoeur steps up beside him and very professionally comments that their ride is going to depart. Adrien heads to the limo with Nicholas, where Felix and the gorilla are waiting.

Nathalie Sancoeur watches them leave from Gabriel Agreste's office. She's making notes in her tablet. With the heroes having even more allies, she needs to learn more weaknesses in order to exploit them. After all, she is the scalpel—striking with deadly precision. She reviews footage from Babel and Clock Maker in order to understand Ladybug and Cat Noir's allies better. She coughs once into her handkerchief. It comes back bloody. I have to hurry. I'm running out of time.

On the drive to Francoise Dupont High School, Solomon the gorilla has the in-limo TV/radio turned to Alec's gossip show. The current topic is Mayor Bourgeois and his wife, Audrey Bourgeois, famous fashion designer. The rumor going around is their pending divorce and alleged reports of Audrey having an actor lover in America. Of course, neither side was available for comment, but that would never stop Alec from spreading nasty news. Adrien feels most for Chloe Bourgeois during all of this, who is his childhood friend still. He doesn't have to imagine how much it's hurting her to have her family's relationships all over the news—he lives it himself with his parents' health being a frequent news topic. Felix wonders if Adrien only cares because of Chloe's connections. Adrien vehemently denies this, but Felix can only see friendship as a tool for connecting to people who serve a useful purpose to you.

The news broadcast goes on to cover Mayor Bourgeois's new environmental plans for Paris, including turning one park into a ski resort (which would require a lot of energy to keep cold all year around, as would it severely affect the water cycle through the needed moisture and landscaping), launching garbage into space to clean up the city, and a push for public transportation that uses fuel other than fossil fuels, namely maize. It's clear Mayor Bourgeois has good intentions with these proposals, but also that he has not fully thought through all of the potential side effects. A large number of protestors have formed as a result, including Raissa Deschamps and both her parents, Mylene Haprele and her father, Ivan Bruel, Wayhem, Philippe, Monique Imhof and her family, Mathieu Anciel (who really is just there for a his girlfriend), and many others. Monique Imhof's oldest sister, Rina, acts as the spokesperson and is the one Alec interviews. She is very passionate about environmentally friendly city development, and she argues that Mayor Bourgeois' plans are not good for the environment. Rina is actually an employee of the city of Paris and works pretty high up the scale, planning roadways and zoning and greenspace and construction and all that. She's probably several years older than Nora Cesaire, Alya's kickboxer older sister.

Raissa Deschamps and her family add in some commentary as they, too, are pretty passionate about the environment. They actually strike up a friendship with Rina on the side, and Raissa and Monique Imhof talk a bit—they go to the same school, but they never realized they have this in common. Of course, Alec's main focus is on Rina. After all, having one of Paris's top city planners turn on the mayor is a pretty huge news scoop. And Alec spins it in a way that makes Mayor Bourgeois look as bad as can possibly be.

At the same time, Chloe Bourgeois is getting driven to school in her family's limo. She listens to half of this broadcast and then snaps the radio off. She is clearly stressed out over everything going on in her family—both the rumors about her mother cheating on her father and now her father getting raked over the coals by the press. She sulks, arriving at Francoise Dupont High School in silence. When she exits her limo, she notices as Sabrina Raincomprix heeds her no attention. Sabrina joins Yvonne Garnier and Genevieve Faucher in conversation. And for the first time, Chloe starts to realize she's a little bit left all alone.

Of course, that only lasts until the Agreste limo pulls up. Chloe attaches herself to Adrien the moment he exits the vehicle. Adrien asks her how she's doing with everything that's going on with her family. Chloe insists she's fine, that everything is fine, and that her parents are not getting a divorce. (Nicholas and Felix head into the school, leaving Adrien and Chloe by themselves.) She's in some pretty firm denial, especially about the latter, but Adrien doesn't push the issue.

Lila Rossi sees Chloe hanging on Adrien and decides to make Chloe her current number one target. Though at this point, Lila Rossi has a long list of people she hates: Alya Cesaire, Kagami Tsurugi, Chloe Bourgeois, Marinette Dupin-Cheng, Adamantus, Hawk Moth… Unfortunately for Chloe, they currently share a table in home room (due to several circumstances: Sabrina and Chloe no longer speaking, Sabrina being kicked to the back of the room next to Nathaniel while Lila was suspended, Lila's old lie about tinnitus, and the seat next to Chloe being open). Lila realizes she can't frame Chloe for cheating or anything—that backfired against her with Alya. So Lila concocts a different plan to get Chloe away from Adrien. Then she waits for her moment.

Other students are arriving at school as well. Tsuyu Asui meets up with Fumikage Tokoyami; they talk about Firefly's condition in low voices. Pierre Lefevre tries to strike up a conversation with Lila, but she ignores him in favor of her plot. Alix Kubdel talks with Rose Lavillant and Juleka Couffaine, noticing that many people aren't there when they usually are. Rose points out that Mylene, Ivan, and the others are still at the protest—but they expect to get to class on time. Meanwhile, Luka Couffaine talks to Marinette Dupin-Cheng while she's at her locker. He suggests they hang out after school—perhaps by going to the music store and browsing through the CDs. He offers to bike her there on his bicycle. Marinette happily accepts, slightly obvious that Luka is aiming for a date. Alya just watches with a raised eyebrow, noting that Marinette doesn't stammer when she talks with him.

Giselle Winters-Blanchet meets with Meera Pugliese, as their other friend Raissa is still at the rally. Cameran Tyler, Guy Nigels, and Tristan Fortier quickly scramble to copy each other's homework before it's due. Marc Anciel is by himself since Nathaniel Kurtzberg is still trapped in a shell and since his older brother is one of the protesters. He calls Nathaniel in sick again on his cell phone, and he wonders how much longer he can keep this up before Principal Damocles and Nathaniel's parents actually talk and compare notes. Le Chien Kim is chatting with Ondine over the phone while he has the chance, and Max Kante and Viktor Vasiliev of all people fall into conversation discussing NPC balance in video games and tabletop games respectively.

Not only do Aurore Beaureal and Mireille Caquet arrive at the last minute, but so do the protestors which includes Ivan Bruel, Mylene Haprele, Mathieu Anciel, Monique Imhof, and Raissa Deschamps. (Aurore is still depressed over her family confiscating her comb.) Lila Rossi has been keeping a close eye on the clock. She then approaches Chloe Bourgeois, claiming that Principal Damocles was looking for her in the art room. This lie sends Chloe on a wild goose chase.

Of course, in Miss Bustier's room, Chloe isn't there. Adrien admits this is strange as he just spoke with her. Lila also adds that she has no idea where Chloe is. Miss Bustier also notes that Nathaniel is out sick again (though neither Marinette nor Adrien figure out that Nathaniel's absence ties with Firefly's imprisonment). Miss Bustier marks both absences and starts the lesson. It's not until about 15-20 minutes later that Chloe stumbled in, pissed off at Lila. Lila feigns innocent, claiming she never spoke with Chloe. Chloe furiously replies that Lila is lying. Lila plays a wounded gazelle, insisting that while she lied in the past, she's not like that anymore. What does she possibly have to gain from sending Chloe all over the school anyway? The class is uneasy. It helps Lila's ploy that no one really likes Chloe (especially after she alienated Sabrina). So while everyone now knows Lila does lie…there's a small sense that maybe Chloe is the one in the wrong too. Both look to Adrien at the same time, expecting him to back her up over the other. Adrien sorta freezes up. Fortunately for him, Miss Bustier calls the class to order. She tells Chloe to take her seat and that she will have to report the tardiness in her attendance log. Then she smoothly goes back to teaching.

At the same time in Mr. Haprele's classroom, Madam Gros asks for Marc Anciel. Marc tries not to panic, but it's hard. Has Nathaniel's parents figured it out? Did they call here? Am I in trouble? Madam Gros specifically states it's his turn for the mental health screening, but Marc can't help but imagine the worst-case scenario as he follows her to the counselor's office.

There, Madam Gros starts with her usual questions about hobbies, grades, family, and friends. Marc sorta squeaks at the "friends" part, which only causes Madam Gros to pry further. Marc insists that everything is fine between him and his friends, though he's not the best at lying, so Madam Gros can tell something is bothering him. She begins to ask questions designed to get him to talk while making herself appear concerned and trustworthy. (It's not perfect; a real psychologist would be much more capable with far less ulterior motives.)

The tone of the conversation changes when Madam Gros suggests Marc is stressed over a girlfriend. Marc (being ace in this story) firmly denies this and states he isn't interested in anyone and won't ever be. Madam Gros is dismissive of this, saying things such as "that's impossible," "just wait until you meet the right person," "you want children, don't you?," "you're going to be all alone in a nursing home," "you're just going through a phase," "you're going to be missing out on so much fun—you really should kiss a girl!" and several other things aces have heard to death.

Unfortunately for Marc, he's probably the second worst person in the whole cast (definitely in the whole canon cast) at standing up for himself; only Juleka is worse. He's pretty much steamrolled by Madam Gros's comments and can't get a word in edgewise. Her comments, of course, only serve to highlight that she's not a real psychologist. The few words he does manage to say makes it clear he's offended by her remarks and that she is very off-base, but she doesn't really seem to care. So Marc just sits back in his chair and endures it, realizing that as long as she's monologuing on this topic, she isn't asking him about his friends and he won't screw up by slipping that Nathaniel is Firefly.

With the whole session derailed, Madam Gros sends Marc back to class. He practically flees from her. And she writes him off as a potential miraculous user due to his lack of self-esteem and "unrealistic" expectations for himself.

After lunch, Madam Gros calls Monique Imhof into her counseling session. She talks to Monique, mentioning that she saw Monique's older sister, Rina Imhof, on the news and wants to hear Monique's perspective on things. Monique corrects her—"it's Rina Bauer" as her older sister is married. Monique is the youngest of four—two older sisters and one older brother. Her brother is at the end of his college career, and both of her sisters are older than that. There's a significant age gap between her (Monique) and her older siblings.

They talk about Monique's family for a bit, especially Rina, but Madam Gros finds nothing to latch onto there. So she deviates the topic to Monique's grades, hobbies, and friends. Monique is an above average student who loves social media, select TV dramas, hanging out with her friends, and steamy romance books. All in all, she's fairly normal. She expresses the desire to help people, and is looking for opportunities to volunteer or get a part-time job at a daycare, but most places are hesitant due to her younger age (due to how her birthday falls, she's one of the youngest in the class). Monique also mentions that she's head over heels for her boyfriend, Mathieu Anciel. She's "never felt this way about anyone before," and she hopes it'll last. They've been together for well over a year now, and she's happiest when she's with him. Madam Gros rolls her eyes a bit at the comment, figuring that a teen romance won't work and that they'll be broken up within a month—but at least this time, she doesn't run her mouth like she did with Marc.

Madam Gros, however, does sense that there's something bothering Monique in all of this. So she asks carefully crafted questions to get the information out of Monique. Monique finally admits, softly, "You have my file—you should know. I can't have kids." She has a genetic condition that would prevent her from getting pregnant. She's since come to terms with it herself, but she hasn't told anyone. She's extremely anxious about how Mathieu will handle this if she tells him. She knows she and her future husband could always adopt, but if he wants children who share his DNA… Would he break up with me over that? She loves him so much.

Madam Gros repeats the advice she's given other characters. It's better to be honest upfront than hold a huge secret so long that it hurts all the more when it's brought to light. Hey, Dolores Gros might be a fraud—but on occasion she does have decent advice. Monique thanks her. The bell rings, and Madam Gros dismisses her back to class. She ponders over Monique for a moment. The counselor is struggling to find edgy enough teens to recruit. But Monique is just too nice. She decides to cross Monique off her list as well.

A few hours later, school ends. Students eagerly leave their classrooms and meet up with friends. Mylene Haprele and Raissa Deschamps encourage other students to join them in the eco-rally and protest, with positive responses. Aurore Beaureal and Mireille Caquet decline due to their work engagements (and Aurore needs to get home to argue with her parents some more about her magical item). Gilles Chastain likewise has to leave immediately to go home and help in his family's flower shop. However, Max Kante, Le Chien Kim, Alix Kubdel, Genevieve Faucher, and Yvonne Garner among others agree to come to the protest.

Marinette Dupin-Cheng checks her cell phone once she's out of class. She has a text message from Cat Noir, reminding her to explain the new server to Hachiko as soon as she can while he plans on informing Bunnyx and Kamaitachi within the hour. Marinette, as Ladybug, promises she will. She heads out of school and finds a private place to transform. Tikki starts to say "aren't you forgetting…?" but she's unable to complete the sentence before Marinette says "Spots on!"

Meanwhile, Cat Noir catches Alix Kubdel skating to the protest rally. He calls her aside and quickly gives her the information about the new communication system he and Ladybug set up. Alix is thrilled and promises she's going to keep all the secrets and never exploit any of the trust she's been given. Cat Noir says he has faith in her and heads off to find Kamaitachi. Alix is quite happy as she watches Cat Noir leap away, though she does find it really odd that such a goofball is actually Adrien Agreste.

Ladybug searches for Sabrina Raincomprix. She knows Sabrina couldn't have gone far from the school. It takes her a bit, but she eventually spots Sabrina walking in the park. It's the same park as the Locks of Love Fence. Sabrina is actually taking Barkk for a walk. She's been doing her best to take care of the kwami, and as a result they spend a lot of time playing together. Sabrina also does multiple "dog" things with Barkk like feeding her Milkbones, taking her for walks, getting her squeaky toys, and having her own dog cushion for a bed. When Ladybug sees this, she's very happy to see Barkk is well taken care for. Sabrina's flattered by the compliment; she says that Barkk is her best friend now (Delmar is close, but he falls under the category of boyfriend). Without Barkk, she'd be very lonely. So she wants to be a good friend. Ladybug does feel for Sabrina, who is sorta isolated at school now due to Chloe. Ladybug encourages Sabrina to open herself up to making new friends through the same kindness she's showing Barkk—not through being mean and gossip and manipulation (like how Chloe operates).

While this is going on, Cat Noir has circle back to the high school and catches Kagami Tsurugi before she can get changed for fencing practice. He also tells her about the chat server they set up. So that if there's a crisis, they can call for help immediately without having to hunt for allies all over Paris. Kagami is very happy to be included, though for her this means a small smile. She adds the information into her phone—it's only the third entry she has. Her mother, Marinette, and now the A Team. Cat Noir, like Marinette back in Ikari Gozen, is surprised. Kagami says she likes to "keep things clean and professional" but Cat Noir, being Adrien and knowing first-hand what it's like to be a lonely rich kid, sees through that. He suggests she ask some of her friends for their phone numbers too. "You'd be surprised; they probably want to talk with you as much as you want to talk with them." Kagami admits she doesn't have many friends. "But…there is this guy…I just don't want to hurt…" She looks down at Marinette's contact information. Cat Noir encourages her to be herself because who she is is someone worthwhile who deserves to have friends. He leaves.

Ladybug is still talking with Sabrina, and she's finally gotten around to telling Sabrina about the server. Sabrina, like Kagami, is very happy to be included because "it's almost like having real friends!" Ladybug says that she's glad to include Sabrina—and she means it. Internally, she realizes she did have doubts about giving Sabrina the dog miraculous (especially full time) because of Sabrina's ties to Chloe and how Sabrina acted to impress Chloe. But Ladybug now realizes that Sabrina isn't like that; it was only due to Chloe's bad influence (and psychological/emotional damage caused by Miranda Edgarov). And maybe being Hachiko will allow her to grow into a better person.

Ladybug's cell phone buzzes with a text message. It's from Luka. "Where are you?" Ladybug freaks, realizing that as Marinette, she promised to hang out with Luka Couffaine and go to the music store. She quickly says good-bye to Sabrina and swings back to school.

She quickly transforms back into Marinette Dupin-Cheng the moment she lands and races to Luka, who is waiting at the front of the school on his bicycle. She's winded and makes up an excuse about talking with Miss Bustier about extra credit. Luka raises an eyebrow "I checked in Miss Bustier's classroom and didn't see you there." Marinette stammers a lie, but Luka lets the whole thing slide. He passes her a spare helmet, and he bikes them both to the music shop. They have a lot of fun on the ride.

Cat Noir also transforms back into Adrien Agreste inside the school. He quickly hurries to fencing practice but still winds up being a bit late. Much to the instructor's surprise, Kagami Tsurugi is also late too (from talking with Cat Noir). He remarks that it isn't like his top two fencers to run late. Adrien apologizes and says it won't happen again. Kagami agrees.

They begin sparing, and its clear Kagami is in an extremely good mood. Adrien asks her why, but Kagami doesn't say. Of course, since he is Cat Noir, he knows the reason why. And he angles to get Kagami to ask for his phone number because he really wants to give it to her—but only if she's comfortable. But Kagami hesitates and doesn't ask.

Towards central Paris, the protest rally has grown quite huge. Mrs. Deschamps gives a speech, and a decent chunk of Francoise Dupont High School's student body is present to cheer. Even Ms. Mendeleiev is spotted in the crowd. The people are quite fervent about opposing the mayor's plans. Roger Raincomprix is present, but he is only supposed to be there to keep things from becoming a riot. However, pressure from the mayor's office pushes him into breaking things up.

Just as Rina Bauer is about to give her speech, not only does Roger Raincomprix get on his megaphone and order everyone to disperse, but a representative from the mayor's office shows up in a fancy car and asks Rina to come with him. Rina adamantly wants to stay, but the representative insists. He whispers something to her, and a sharp frown crosses her face. She leaves with him.

The rally attempts to continue without her, led by Mrs. Deschamps and Mr. Haprele, but eventually Roger Raincomprix forces everyone to disperse. By this point in time, it is pretty late in the day.

Rina arrives at an office where her boss is waiting. This has to be a pretty prestigious place, as she is a city planner for Paris. Her boss has to be even more powerful. (Of course, I might be completely wrong with how city government works in France. I couldn't find any easy research, and I hope people will forgive me for any factual errors). Rina's boss rebukes her for appearing at the rally and using her position and authority to cause people to rise up. Rina argues that no one "rose up;" everything remained peaceful. She adds that the public has a right to know what's going on—especially when the mayor is pushing for construction that will negatively impact Paris, the environment, and all the people who live here.

Her boss is blunt. He tells her she's fired. She protests that that's not right. What she does on her own time is of no concern to her employer, and they have no authority to dictate what she can or can't do when she's off the clock. Her boss points out that as a city official (I hope this position isn't an elected position in Paris otherwise this would make no sense), she has to present a professional image—especially when the press is concerned. He argues she was abusing her power, and that's why he's letting her go. Rina demands to know if Mayor Bourgeois is forcing him to do this. Her boss denies this, though it's ambiguous if he's telling the truth or not. Her boss tells her to clean out her desk and leave.

Rina Bauer leaves the office furious—which makes her a prime target for Hawk Moth. Female Hawk Moth akumatizes her into Terra Forma—an antagonist with the power to reshape the landscape. Terra Forma readily accepts this and immediately responds by sending City Hall and the land around it into the stratosphere.

From there, Terra Forma turns the area around the ice rink into a polar vortex and the park into a tropical rainforest. It doesn't take long for both the news broadcast and the akuma alerts to pop up on everyone's phones and televisions.

Marinette and Luka both see the news broadcast from a television within the CD store. Terra Forma's attacks are close. Luka pulls out his cell phone (to contact the B Team) and then looks around to get Marinette to safety. In the second he took his eyes off of her, she's run off. Luka darts around the store and then outside looking for her, texting blindly to the B Team as he does.

Marinette, of course, has slipped off to find a place to transform again. But first, she also pulls out her cell phone and sends off a text. Tikki asks her why. Marinette points out that to save the people in City Hall, they would need to be transformed into their flight forms. But to help the people at the ice rink, they'd need to transform into their ice forms. Marinette, as Ladybug, send word to Cat Noir that she's going to City Hall so he knows to go to the ice rink. She quickly feeds Tikki the flight potion and transforms into Ladybug flight mode.

At Francoise Dupont High School, at the first warning of evacuation, Kagami Tsurugi grabs Adrien Agreste by the wrist and pulls him to safety (not realizing he was intentionally trying to sneak off). She then makes sure he gets to an inner room where it's safest. Adrien wonders why Kagami isn't joining him. Kagami says she forgot her phone, shuts the door, and runs off. (Due to them both still being in their fencing attire, she left her phone in the locker room—and she wants to keep it on hand should Kamaitachi be needed). Adrien is fairly impressed by her bravery. He then gets Ladybug's alert, feeds Plagg the ice potion, and transforms into ice mode. Cat Noir escapes before Kagami can return.

The B Team, meanwhile, is frantically communicating with each other. They're still short-handed as Firefly is still unconscious and Honey Bee's magical item is still confiscated (though she is sending messages when she can). They watch the broadcast as Ladybug arrives at City Hall, in flight mode, and Cat Noir makes it to the ice rink, in frozen form. Alpha points out that while they're busy saving civilians, Terra Forma is still causing problems in Paris.

Terra Forma is quite mobile, after all, traveling quickly by levitating a boulder and surfing on it (yes, that is a shout-out to Teen Titans/Young Justice's Terra. Terra Forma, get it?). By now, Terra Forma has made it to the Seine River and turns its banks into a full oceanscape. Alpha realizes that the situation is quickly escalating beyond what Ladybug and Cat Noir can handle. The golden duo have their hands full saving civilians—but this only causes them to fall behind Terra Forma, who can alter more and more parts of Paris. The heroes will become overwhelmed as she becomes able to turn all the forces of nature against them. Alpha delegates Snow Leopard to help Cat Noir at the ice rink while Tsukuyomi needs to fly up and help Ladybug with City Hall. He also tells either Dauphine or Dauphin and Froppy to get on rescuing people from the waterfront while he'll head to take on Terra Forma and attempt to slow her down by himself.

Dauphine is not happy about the idea that Alpha will be confronting the villain alone. Tsukuyomi points out that him and Froppy transforming at the same time goes against their self-imposed rules as he and Froppy are each other's secret keepers. Froppy also voices concerns about all of them transforming at the same time—they know Hawk Moth can control them. Can they risk that happening? The whole B Team going red and turning on the heroes? Alpha hesitates as he does see the wisdom in what Froppy is saying. But as Luka, he is very worried about the missing Marinette, which is overriding some of his more practical concerns. As Alpha, he argues to his pack that there's been no signs of the red akuma. But he validates Froppy's concerns that if anyone so much as sees a red wing, they're to fall back and alert the others to do the same. Until then, rescuing people in danger comes first. He tells his pack to enter the fray. His pack, realizing that he is being a bit too emotional, decide to ensure he has back up.

Cat Noir is doing his best to get people out of the ice zone, but it's a ranging blizzard. Even transformed, it's hard for him to navigate with non-powered civilians. Snow Leopard cuts through the snow and offers him a paw. Cat Noir says that he's happy to see her. Snow is very flattered by this, but she has to remind herself that he has no romantic feelings towards her. She also informs him that Terra Forma is still altering parts of Paris and that Alpha is pursuing her on his own. Snow asks Cat Noir to help Alpha while she handles everything here. He tries to protest leaving her alone, but she insists that that's more important. Cat Noir leaves.

Similarly, on the floating city hall, Tsukuyomi flies up to help Ladybug. His ability to control shadows proves to be incredibly useful in both evacuation and anchoring the land mass. He urges Ladybug to pursue Terra Forma—only she can purify the akuma and cast the spell that undoes all the damage. Ladybug thanks Tsukuyomi for his help and heads back to ground.

There's a quick shot of Dauphine and Froppy rescuing people from the water.

Meanwhile, Aurore hurries through her family's apartment where she finds her step-mother (as her father is currently picking up her little brother from after school soccer practice). She pleads with her mother to let her have the bee comb from the family safe so she can help everyone. Pauline Beaureal insists that Ladybug and Cat Noir can handle it without her.

Speaking of—Ladybug and Cat Noir meet up and join Alpha, just as Alpha and Terra Forma's chase has taken them to an elementary school. It's been all Alpha can do to dodge Terra Forma's mini-cyclones, flying rocks, ensnaring roots, and icicle daggers. He's very relieved to have Ladybug and Cat Noir arrive. They thank him for sending his team in as back-up and face down Terra Forma.

It helps that Ladybug and Cat Noir used potions, as that gives them some edge on Terra Forma's abilities. They begin to counter, and Alpha uses a minor variation of his Howl ability to augment everyone's abilities, allowing them to move faster and dodge everything Terra Forma throws at them. All three are used to each other's talents, and they quickly work together to corner the akumatized victim on the roof. They get some strikes in while trying to find the akumatized item and are actually able to injure Terra Forma's dominate arm.

However, Terra Forma refuses to back down—and by now, she's very, very angry. She causes an active volcano to form in the middle of the playground, terrifying the children below. This also severely alarms the heroic trio. Ladybug makes a desperate diving lunge to stop Terra Forma—after all, she can heal everything once the akuma is purified. However, Terra Forma causes a boiling hot geyser to erupt, throwing Ladybug off course. Terra Forma uses this distraction to withdraw and heal.

Cat Noir tries to catch Ladybug but she more or less winds up landing on top of him with both of them collapsing into the ground. Alpha tells them he's going in to rescue the children and then leaves. Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm, which creates a robotic drone. There's no delay this time; Ladybug knows exactly what to do. She tells Cat Noir to call all hands on deck. Then she loads something into the compartment of the drone and uses the remote to fly it away.

There are people in Paris who feel worse horror at the rise of the volcano than the heroes. And two of those people are Pauline and Aurore Beaureal. The school that Terra Forma targeted is where Guilliame Beaureal currently is—and likely where Mr. Beaureal is as well. Aurore turns to her step-mother and begs for the bee comb so that she can save her brother. She pleads with her. Mrs. Beaureal hesitates…Then she heads to the safe, enters the combination, and retrieves the comb.

Throughout Paris, the entire active roster of the A Team get notifications through the server Ladybug and Cat Noir have just set up. Sabrina and Kagami are both thrilled and find a place where they can transform. Alya Cesaire and Nino Lahiffe are out together and very excited and honored to be called upon again. That's when Ladybug's drone hovers in front of them. Nino grabs it and it stops in his hands. The compartment opens to reveal two potions inside. Since Alya and Nino have both used these before in Brave Flyer, they know what to do now. Nino takes the blue one while Alya takes red. They feed the potions to Wayzz and Trixx and then transform—into fire!Rena Rouge and water!Carapace. Rena Rouge is a pure firefox with some kitsune elements while Carapace's form draws heavily upon the sea turtle. After taking a moment to admire the new transformations, they head off to help.

Alix Kubdel also gets the notification through her cell phone. She knows she won't be called upon a lot as Bunnyx unless it's a desperate situation or one dealing with time. So she's very happy she gets the chance to be Bunnyx now and fight alongside the rest of the A Team. She transforms too.

Of course, the heroes aren't the only ones watching as things unfold. Madam Gros alongside her allies—Dr. Gerald Theroux, Brynne Theroux, and Zenon Theroux—are paying close attention to this very powerful akuma victim Hawk Moth has created. Dr. Theroux wonders if they should get involved. If Hawk Moth wins, he'll be more powerful than ever. Plus, there's so many miraculous available at the moment… He as Tarantula alongside Rhino and Draco could easily corner Hachiko or Rena Rouge alone, overpower her, and claim that miraculous.

Madam Gros counters that it's the three-way battle that keeps leaving them all at a disadvantage. If they fight Hawk Moth, that pretty much guarantees Ladybug and Cat Noir's win. If they exhaust themselves fighting Ladybug and Cat Noir, that pretty much guarantees Hawk Moth's win. What they need is superior firepower compared to everyone else. So she tells her allies to stand down and watch from the shadows. Only step in if it looks as if a miraculous is going to change hands and the balance of power shift. Otherwise, they're going to bide their time until they have more easy-to-control allies in order to overwhelm all their targets at once.

She sends Tarantula out to spy and do nothing more. Zenon protests that as Draco he could spy as easily as his uncle. Madam Gros says he's far too impulsive and would get involved. Brynne snickers at her brother's expense.

The A Team quickly disperses per their orders to help the people of Paris. Carapace, in an aqua transformation, heads to Froppy and Dauphine. The ocean area is expanding, and the central part of it is looking like a coral reef. Hachiko, filling a role much like her father, finds the outer limits of the circumference of damage and begins to help direct people's evacuations and traffic, encouraging people to stay calm and optimistic. It really is surprising how much she resembles her father in that moment. Bunnyx and Kamaitachi converge on the park, which is now a growing, lush, tropical jungle and begin working people free. Kamaitachi is especially effective in this area because of her scythes. Rena Rouge joins Alpha at the volcano because of her fire transformation. Snow Leopard is still handling the polar zone, and Tsukuyomi has a grasp on the sky island. This leaves Ladybug and Cat Noir free to pursue Terra Forma.

But like before, Terra Forma isn't going to let them take her down easily. She strikes the ground, causing a fault line to appear beneath them all the way to the already volatile volcano. Ladybug and Cat Noir hesitate, clearly deciding who to send to deal with this crisis and who to leave alone with Terra Forma. That's when Honey Bee bounds by, insisting she can handle it. Ladybug and Cat Noir put their trust in her and focus all their attention on Terra Forma.

It's an intense fight with Terra Forma throwing all sorts of ecological projectiles at them, shifting the ground beneath their feet, and even creating a desert around the Eiffel Tower. Cat Noir struggles the most with that one, still being in ice mode. Ladybug luckily can dodge easier being in flight mode. She also flies her drone back to herself so she has it on hand. But Terra Forma is a tough villain, and she creates a tornado to whip the desert area into a sandstorm.

Meanwhile, Honey Bee makes it into the school to help the trapped students. She lifts up her brother onto her hip and leads him and all of his friends through a safe route away from the lava. Guilliame, formerly scared, is thrilled by how awesome Honey Bee is. Adamantus watches them from a secret place, still able to tank the heat due to his diamond suit. He's under orders to keep allies from helping Ladybug or Cat Noir, but for now they're all busy with civilians—which was Hawk Moth's exact plan.

Cat Noir laments he can't Cataclysm a whole sandstorm, and Ladybug points out he doesn't have to. In these conditions, there's no way Terra Forma can see them either. But Ladybug knows exactly where she is. Cat Noir wonders how. Ladybug tells him to just watch. Then she grabs him and flies as high as she can go (since she's in flight mode still while Cat Noir is still in ice mode).

They clear the sandstorm. And, being a tornado, there's very clearly an eye of the storm. "I hear cats always land on their feet," says Ladybug. Cat Noir only has a moment to process this before she drops him into the heart of the storm. He preps his Cataclysm on the way down and swipes Terra Forma's akumatized item as he does so. This releases the akuma, which Ladybug promptly purifies. Cat Noir catches Rina as she falls, and he does, in fact, land on his feet using a long ice slide to slow his descent. Ladybug grabs the drone and throws it into the sky. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Paris goes back to normal, and all the unnatural biomes disappear. Heroes and civilians alike across Paris cheer. Ladybug and Cat Noir "Pound It"—so do the other heroes, with whatever allies are nearby.

As the akuma is broken, instead of the usual pun-based quip for revenge, Hawk Moth collapses. She reverts back into Nathalie Sancoeur. And she doesn't move. Nooroo and Duusuu try to rouse her, but she is unresponsive to them.

Alpha congratulates Honey Bee on a job well done, and she thanks him. She turns to leave, still carrying Guilliame, saying she's going to make sure all the children get home safe. Alpha doesn't realize that this means that Honey Bee is related to Guilliame. He thanks her for her hard work as part of the pack and leaves.

Honey Bee seeks out her father and passes Guilliame safely off to him. Mr. Beaureal is very surprised to see his daughter, transformed. She holds a finger to her lips so neither he nor her brother reveal who she is. She gives a cryptic "I'll see you at home" type of good-bye so no one realizes what she's actually saying and then departs herself.

Le Chien Kim greets Ondine with a massive hug once she transforms back. He says he's incredibly proud of how well she did, saving people from the tsunami Seine River. They kiss.

Tsukuyomi flies to the riverfront too, making sure Froppy is okay. Alpha quietly withdraws by himself, picking up his sister Juleka. He thanks her for supporting him and helps carry her home, leaping over the rooftops.

Raissa Deschamps sends Giselle a quick "thank you" text for helping her sister before racing to meet Rina. Rina Bauer is still depressed over losing her job. She hugs her sister, and her cell phone rings. It's actually Mayor Bourgeois. He insists that he never once implied she should lose her job. He has spoken with her boss and has pressured him to give her her job back. He also thanks her for her dedication to the betterment of Paris and invites her to share insights because he is reworking his ideas from the ground up. Rina is thrilled by this news. There is some ambiguity if Mayor Bourgeois is doing this just for the publicity or if he genuinely feels this way, but regardless, Paris is going to focus on better green alternatives.

Honey Bee enters her family's apartment through the window where they are all waiting. She transforms back, takes the bee comb out of her hair, and puts it on the table between them. Aurore says that she loves helping people—she feels that as Honey Bee, she can become a kinder person. But above all, she wants her family's love and support and trust. And if that means she can no longer be Honey—

Her parents interrupt. Her father said he was so proud of her today. He was impressed with her courage in facing an active volcano and her selflessness in risking herself to save Guilliame and the other children. Her step-mother adds that she appreciates how mature and responsible Aurore has been about the whole situation. She thanks Aurore for saving Guilliame; so many people would have been hurt without her. Her parents finish—they're going to let Aurore keep the bee comb and continue to be Honey Bee. But she still has to keep her grades up and her job, return home by curfew, and follow the law; she has to be careful and not get careless—and to remember how proud they are of her and how much they love her.

By the time they're done talking, Aurore is in tears. She's so happy. She hugs them both, placing the comb back in her hair. Guilliame cheers about how awesome it is. He then asks if he can borrow the comb on occasion, but their parents firmly veto that, telling him he's way too young.

Elsewhere in Paris, Marc Anciel is in Nathaniel Kurtzberg's apartment. He's looking after Firefly, who is still in a shell. With Nathaniel's parents seldom being home, Marc was able to easily enter with the spare key and no one knows he did. He's working on the next part of their manuscript, but he's really worried about his friend.

As he watches the orb of light that has trapped Firefly, he notices that it begins to crack…

To be continued in Chapter 56: Chip Bluestone…