Chapter 62: Alpha
The next morning, Marinette Dupin-Cheng wakes early despite being out late with Cat Noir the prior night. Still in her pajamas, she logs into the chat servers. She checks how her allies in the A Team server are doing (nothing unusual to report in offline messages) and them moves to the B Team's server. It's early, so Marinette is surprised to see Alpha is logged in but idle. She sends him a private message, relaying what she and Cat Noir were able to piece together the prior night. This includes openly calling his magical item an "antique akumatized item" that is over 100 years old with the akuma on the cusp of being fully integrated and creating a new miraculous—which'll happen during a time when Alpha (and the others) use the full extent of their powers during an intense battle against a tough opponent, taxing their special abilities to the limits. She also adds that she'll tell the rest of his pack about the "antique akumatized item" part when she gets the chance to do so directly—because it's not the kind of news to deliver in an email. The good news is that when the kwami is born, Hawk Moth's hold over them will be broken.
Marinette goes about combing her hair and brushing her teeth. When she returns to the computer, Alpha has written back. He's thankful for their researched and alarmed by the "antique akumatized items" part. But he likes Cat Noir's suggestion about a controlled sparring practice, and he offers himself to be the guinea pig to see if that'll work in order to protect his pack. Marinette types in a reply, asking him how he'll explain things to his parents. Alpha replies, sounding as bitter as someone can through text, that it's just his mother—but he'll think on the matter and get back with Ladybug. Marinette quickly copies the conversation over to Cat Noir/Adrien in a private message and continues getting ready—because she, Alya, and Nino are going to stop by the startrain depot to see Adrien and his family off for their London weekend.
Alya Cesaire and Nino Lahiffe arrive at the depot first. Marinette waves a greeting and joins them; they've made up a large banner, wishing Adrien well on his trip. They wait a bit, and Marinette voices how sad she is that Adrien will be going "so far away" and how she wishes she could join him. Nino points out that it would be inappropriate, as this is time for his family to mourn. And Alya cautions Marinette again, telling her "don't go stalking him." A new greeting interrupts their conversation, and they look up to see Kagami Tsurugi approaching. They're surprised to see her, and she's carrying some balloons. Kagami reminds them that they made plans yesterday in the Agreste limo, and that she was there, so of course she's coming to see Adrien off. The other three are surprised but shrug it off and welcome her to join them.
That's when the Ageste limo pulls up and everyone from Amelie Graham de Vanily to Nicholas Sancoeur exit. Marinette, Alya, and Nino wave them off with fake handkerchiefs and jokes about the "long, arduous journey." Adrien laughs—he's just crossing the English Channel and will be back for school on Monday. Felix remains in the shadows, sulking. When he left for Paris, for a much longer time, not a single person saw him off. Nicholas finds the whole affair rather strange and watches from the sidelines. The gorilla is there too, as is Nathalie and Amelie. Dr. Theroux is the only member of the household to stay behind to care for Gabriel and Emilie. Amelie thanks everyone for coming and states she's so happy her nephew has such great friends. Nathalie is a bit distracted, as she's working on her tablet. She wired it to send a live feed of Gabriel and Emilie so that she, and the rest of the Agreste/Graham de Vanily family, can keep a close eye on the ill while they are away. Nathalie, internally, actually considers staying behind—but she can't let herself get more than the city's distance from Nicholas. She also is disinclined to force him to remain home because that would be most suspicious, and she wants keep her alias as Peacock Moth an utmost secret. Plus, she doesn't fully trust Amelie and wants to ensure Amelie doesn't strand Adrien in London. It hurts her to leave sick Gabriel behind, but she prioritized the care of his son and is trusting Dr. Theroux to do the same. Of course, of all irony, Dr. Theroux is Peacock Moth's enemy, Tarantula—and neither of them have any idea they're all miraculous wielders.
Anyway, tangent aside, Alya, Nino, Kagami, and Marinette see Adrien off with Kagami handing him the balloons and everyone else handing him the banner, which they all signed. Adrien is thrilled, deep inside, because he is finally no longer lonely—he has loyal friends and a house full of family. If only his parents would wake… Adrien's party gets on startrain as it prepares to depart, and the remaining four wave them off.
Once the train has departed, Kagami prepares to leave. Marinette invites her to join them for ice cream. Alya and Nino are surprised, but less so as they are getting used to having Kagami in their social circle, and they agree with the invitation. Kagami is more surprised than they are and is honored by the invitation. But she has to decline it as her mother is very strict about expecting her home. She leaves in her mother's Tesla Model S. The other three head for ice cream.
During the same time, Luka Couffaine is deep in thought as he strums his guitar. He knows it's only a matter of time before he gets trapped by the powers contained in his wolf ear cuff—powers that came from a former butterfly miraculous user. The only way to stop it is to stop being Alpha—but that's not really an option; his pack depends on him as the leader. Which is also why, as leader, he cannot let them be the ones to suffer from their powers surging. They've been incredibly lucky with Tsukuyomi, Froppy, and Firefly so far. But there's no way the luck will hold out. So he might as well do things on his own terms, as much as he's able—follow through with the golden duo's theory. But in case it does work, he needs an excuse to give to his mom, Anarka.
Juleka pokes her head in the room. She can tell by the music he's playing that he has a lot on his mind. Luka nods but doesn't say anything, he just continues to strum. Juleka listens for several minutes. Then she asks if he's thinking about Marinette. Luka says yes, but no—it's not her he's preoccupied with. "I mean, I am…but she's not this." Juleka hesitates, and after another long moment, she asks if it's about their father. Luka's fingers screech up the chords and cause one of his strings to snap. Juleka mumbles an apology. Luka tells her that it's not her fault as he sets his instrument down. It's all their father's, whoever he is. Their mother won't tell them. Just as far as Luka can piece together, he was still an infant when Anarka announced she was pregnant with Juleka and their father bailed. And if Luka were to be honest, this infuriates him.
((Addendum: I know this is different from canon where it revealed Juleka and Luka are twins, but Juleka was held back a year in school. But that information wasn't available at the time this fic was constructed. At the time, the information we had was that Luka was a year older than Juleka. And that's what I decided to stick with, since way back during the Reverser chapter, it was Luka's birthday and not Juleka's—it's where he was given his ear cuff. So, for the sake of this continuity, Luka and Juleka are about thirteen months apart in age.))
Juleka's eyes drop the floor; she blames herself for their father leaving. Luka insists it couldn't possibly be because she wasn't even born yet. Juleka says that Anarka being pregnant with her is what scared their father away. Luka looks her directly in the eyes and tells her that she is a blessing to have in the family and she should never regret herself, not for a moment. Then, to change topics, Luka admits that while he's frustrated with their father, that's not what's eating away at him.
Luka sits down and tells Juleka, who is his secret keeper, about the whole "get trapped by your powers, kwami is born" thing. Juleka is shocked and has to ask a lot of questions—she doesn't even know what a kwami is. But Luka explains everything and uses Froppy, Tsukuyomi, and Firefly as examples. He then goes on to confess to Juleka that he's been talking to Ladybug and Cat Noir and offers himself as a guinea pig to deliberately invoke the surge to protect the rest of his pack. The only thing is, if it does work, he needs an excuse for vanishing for the rest of the weekend.
Juleka is adamantly against this, and we actually see her a bit vocal and forceful. She insists it's too dangerous. He shouldn't be the one to sacrifice himself. Luka says it's his responsibility, as leader. Juleka tells him to just quit then—quit and give up the wolf magical item (Luka left out the part where it's actually an antique akumatized item). Luka knows that while this is an option—it still really isn't an option, and he's not going to abandon the rest of the B Team. Juleka pleads with him, but Luka insists on remaining Alpha and seeing through the surge. Because of Juleka's more timid nature, she eventually caves in for his sake. Luka then says he's considering making up a band trip or music weekend camp and using that to claim he's away. The only thing is timing—if things work or don't work with Ladybug and Cat Noir, if he gets caught off guard and the surge happens before he has time to lay the groundwork to Anarka, if he tells her he's going to music camp and then it doesn't happen… He realizes that this will be asking Juleka to collaborate with him, and Juleka isn't happy about the prospect of lying to their mother. Luka does agree with her, but his loyalty to the B Team is adamant.
Luka opens up the computer and begins to forge a permission slip about a weekend rock camp. Juleka mumbles her protests, but she's almost unintelligible. Luka prints a copy and hands it to her, telling her to give it to their mother if anything does happen to him and his powers surge. "Mom should believe it. Say camp came up suddenly, and she must have forgot when I asked her to attend. She likes chaos and rock and roll—she should buy it." I hope. Juleka accepts the forged permission slip, but her shoulders are slumped inward, her eyes are lowered, and her mouth is set in a sharp frown. Luka then sends a message to Ladybug. Internally, Juleka desperately wishes she could speak up, find her voice better, but all her words fail her.
Elsewhere, Marinette checks her phone. She has a new message from Alpha. He requests to meet with her and Cat Noir that evening. He wants to try their theory—he'll spar with them, giving it his all, to see if that forces him to be engulfed by his powers. Marinette quickly types back to remind him, asking what excuse he'll give his family if this really does work. He says he forged an excuse to be away—his mother should believe it. So he should be okay until Monday. His secret keeper will only pass the forged permission slip to his mom if something happens. Then they'll just have to cross that bridge when they get there. Marinette doesn't like the idea that Alpha is lying to his family, but she bites her comment back because she has to lie to her family all the time.
Alpha sends another message, giving the time and place he'd like to meet her and Cat Noir. It's a graveyard (the same one the B Team usually practices in) after dark. (The B Team isn't practicing tonight, hence why Luka chose it. They don't practice every night—maybe more like every other night or something.) Marinette agrees to the time and place but then states it'll just be her/Ladybug as Cat Noir is "unavailable." Alpha accepts this and the conversation ends. Marinette sighs as she takes a nibble of ice cream. The whole ordeal with the B Team is making her uneasy: the surge, the lies, the unknown time frame of when any of this could happen. Their current plan is the best she can come up with—but she still can't help but wish there was something better. Even if they gave up their antique akumatized items entirely, it would only be a matter of time before someone found them, and then that person would be where we are right now. Even if we put the items in a seal, like Master Fu did. But worse…if Alpha's pack set their items aside, Hawk Moth might still be able to track them, reclaim them, and then pick new people to victimize with them. So the best course of action is to severe the tie the items have to Hawk Moth…which requires the surge to happen. I can't believe that's our only option…
Elsewhere in Paris, Chloe Bourgeois is riding around in her family's limo. She staring out the window, her emotions in a jumble. She requested to go for a ride just to get away from her father. She's still mad at him for not telling her about the divorce, that she had to hear about it on the radio (to be fair, he had told her it was going to happen, but she was in denial). She's still deeply hurt by her mother leaving…but she's also furious that her crush is in love with Ladybug. Chloe plans on usurping Ladybug and reclaiming the bee comb from Honey Bee. To do that as Queen Scorpion, she needs to get a better handle on her own powers. But in secret so that Madam Gros doesn't take the miraculous away. So as the chauffeur drives her, Chloe scans the area for a place where she can practice without attracting attention, especially with the Scorpio's acidic techniques.
During the drive, Chloe's cell phone rings. It's her father. But Chloe dismisses the call. She does not want to speak with him. Barbarra zips out of her purse and asks if everything is okay. (The window is drawn between Chloe and the chauffeur, so he doesn't see or hear the kwami). Chloe insists she's fine, but Barbarra doesn't buy it. But when she pushes things, Chloe snaps that if Barbarra really wants to help, she can find a place where they can practice. Barbarra recoils from Chloe's sharp attitude. Chloe sighs—"if you can't do that, at least tell me what Madam Gros is up to." Barbarra apologizes, but Madam Gros kept that a secret from the kwamis—since kwamis can be forced to reveal all kinds of information excluding their wielders' identities.
Chloe admits her own plan—use the Scorpio to reclaim the Bee, and then use both to turn on Madam Gros. She'll prove the counselor is a villain and become a heroine by defeating her—doing something Ladybug could never do. Then Paris will respect her and not Ladybug. But Chloe needs to know if Barbarra is on board with this plan—she's not going to betray or abandon Chloe, is she? Barbarra insists she is fully loyal to whoever holds her miraculous. But she cautions Chloe about charging Madam Gros, since Madam Gros is skilled and her miraculous's powers give her the edge. Chloe asks to know about Madam Gros's personal miraculous, but Barbarra is forced to be mute on the subject.
During the brief silence, Chloe begins thinking…she remembers seeing Ladybug and Cat Noir use two miraculous together before. During Surrealist, Cat Noir appeared as Snake Noir. And during Mama Piper, Ladybug appeared as Lady Fox/Fox Bug… Chloe asks Barbarra how that's possible, and Barbarra admits miraculous can be fused with just a small incantation (literally, the kwamis' names and the word "unify"); however, Barbarra is forbidden from revealing the specific details. Chloe asks if it's possible to fuse Barbarra with the bee comb. Barbarra admits she doesn't know because the comb is not a real miraculous. However, Chloe doesn't hear "no" so she believes the answer is "yes." She begins plotting what she could do if she fused both magical items together. Paralysis and toxicity. I can use that. Especially since the bee comb can use Venom without limits. If only Dissolve had no limits too… But then she remembers one item that removes limits: the wolf. A smile crosses her face.
Also elsewhere in Paris, someone else is plotting: Lila Rossi. She's not too different from Chloe in that she does not trust Madam Gros and plans to overthrow her, she is using her Western miraculous to target a different magical item (bee for Chloe, fox for Lila), she's been used by Hawk Moth before and hates him the same as Chloe, and she has a huge grudge against the superheroes as well as a significant portion of the female population of the school. However, unlike Chloe, Lila is far more ruthless in pursuing what she wants. She also is far more darkly ambitious. Whereas Chloe would be happy getting the bee back and moonlighting as a superheroine, Lila would want to claim more power to control more people. Chloe also has limits to how far she'll go and who she'll hurt, whereas Lila doesn't have those. I hope I can properly portray how these two will act as foil for each other.
Lila has only just gotten the Gemini miraculous and she's talking with Lapinna, the cabbit kwami, to learn more about how it works. She already knows the Gemini's Duality ability has an incomplete relationship with miraculous wielders, as seen in the Mink chapter. Lila is still salty that dark side Cat Noir wouldn't obey her and reveal his secret identity—and that splitting him, she couldn't even steal his miraculous. "I feel Duality is this close to being able to control a person. I want to make that a reality." Lapinna insists that full-on mind control can't be done with Duality. Duality only splits a person's darker intentions from their lighter emotions—however, core parts of that person (like Cat Noir's desire to keep who he is a secret from Mink) will be in both the light side and the dark side. Lila voices frustration at this, as there's no easy way to just force Rena Rouge to hand over her miraculous (because all parts of Rena Rouge would reject Mink/Lila's schemes). Lapinna tries to soothe Lila by saying that the Gemini can determine which side manifests where. The Gemini wielder can decide if the light side remains standing where the original one was and the dark side appears out of the mirror or vice versa. Lapinna also adds that the side that appears from the mirror is marginally more loyal to the Gemini, but not enough so to betray his or her core aspects. (I hope this makes sense.)
Lila does find this knowledge useful. And she figures the best way to learn about all the Gemini quirks is to "play" with them. So she says "Jump, Lapinna" and transforms. Then she heads into Paris, watching from the shadows of chimneys. Her first target is Xavier Ramier. Roger Raincomprix is again telling him off for feeding the pigeons. Again. Mink causes the dark side of Xavier to remain on the ground; he begins arguing back against Roger. She manifests his light side at her feet, and he immediately begins begging as he tries not to fall off of the roof they're on. Mink dismisses him, and Xavier on the ground looks bewildered. "Was…I just on the roof?" Roger calls him a loon. Mink moves on, looking for a new target. (But she does have to recharge Lapinna between sessions.)
There might be a quick scene where we see Adrien's family standing around his uncle's grave. His aunt and cousin are closest, paying their respects. Adrien himself stands a bit closer and off to the side. Nathalie, Nicholas, and Solomon are all further back, allowing the family their space. Of course, all are wearing black. Adrien is happy!sad he got the chance to actually say good-bye to his uncle, and he is happy!sad he's able to be there for Amelie and Felix—though Felix is repressing his grief, and Amelie only mourns when she's alone.
The day passes, and evening rolls around. Ladybug, transformed, walks through the cemetery where Alpha suggested they meet. He's waiting for her on top of a mausoleum roof. Alpha thanks her for coming. He is a bit nervous at the prospect of getting trapped in a shell by doing this. Ladybug asks him again if he's sure, and he insists he is. Ladybug wonders what she'll do with him if this does work out. He'll be in a cocoon, and she's the only one there to watch over him. Alpha says he trusts her (which harkens back to Luka's mental health screening, where he admitted to Madam Gros he sees Ladybug and Cat Noir as trustworthy). There is some tension and a nervous chuckle. Alpha admits it's odd to see her here when they aren't trying to save Paris from Hawk Moth or Mayura or Draco or Adamantus. Ladybug agrees and preps her yo-yo. She again asks if Alpha is ready, and he repeats he is. The two begin sparring. This is different from the usual practice Alpha does with his pack, as he and Ladybug are ensuring it's intense. There's no holding back at all between them.
Mink is still bouncing from rooftop to rooftop, searching for more victims and more ways to test her miraculous's powers. You know, despite the fact that Madam Gros made her promise to only transform when called upon. From an awning where no one can see her, Mink targets Wayhem. This time, she causes the dark side to manifest near her while leaving the light side on the steps to the library. There's no noticeable difference in his light side as he enters the building, but the dark side gets outright right catty with Mink and demands to know who she is. He then assumes Mink is an akumatized victim and attempts to fight her himself. She twists his arm behind his back and then dispels her Duality, causing the dark side to return to the main side. Mink then realizes that she'll have to be careful with where she uses her mirror because if the conjured clone can see her, that person might wind up blabbing about her using the miraculous, which could get back to Madam Gros and get her into trouble.
It's getting late, and both Ladybug and Alpha are winded from their extended practicing against each other. They take a break. Ladybug admits the session was useful—she's learning different ways about how she can move and counter her opponents. Alpha agrees. "Isn't it the same for you and Cat Noir? You work so well together I assume you practice all the time." Ladybug sweats and lies and insists this is true. But deep down, she's surprised at how much the B Team works since they do plan times to practice together rather than winging it in a crisis. Should Cat Noir and I practice too? With our allies? She has enough on her mind from the unsolved riddle from Master Fu to Adrien being Cat Noir to helping the B Team to talking to Chloe about being Queen Scorpion that she puts that thought on the back burner for now.
Ladybug asks Alpha how he's feeling. He admits his powers feel normal, and he doesn't sense and kind of change. He recalls that Tsukuyomi, Froppy, and Firefly told him that they grew really sleepy and calm right before getting locked in cocoons. But he doesn't feel that now at all. Ladybug sighs. This was just a test, after all. Maybe it's for the best it didn't work out. Then Alpha doesn't have to lie to his family. Alpha seems a bit disheartened as he was hoping for some evidence that he's on the right track to helping his pack. Ladybug promises him she'll keep working on translating the grimoire to see if she can glean anything that would help. Alpha says he heard her mention the grimoire before—what's that about? Ladybug hesitates and then says she can't really explain (as she doesn't want to reveal that there are Orders to the miraculous). Alpha accepts this without pushing—they all have secrets, after all.
Having recovered their breath, Alpha notes it's been an hour—they do need to get going; they're both students. They say their good-byes and part ways. They head in opposite directions, lost in their own thoughts. Ladybug mulls over her ever-growing list of things to do: Beat Hawk Moth, find Master Fu, stop the Western Order, talk to Adrien… Alpha tries to come up with some plan to help the remaining B Team members. He doesn't want to be like his father, who abandoned the family. He'll find a way to protect his allies.
They're not the only transformed individuals out late. Mink is still active. And from the corner she ducked into, she sees Alpha vault by. Mink sees this as an opportunity and smiles darkly. She cuts his route off by darting through an alleyway and gets a good view of him with her mirror. "Duality!" Mink allows the dark side of Alpha to continue on into the night while summoning his light side in the other side of the street at the very limits of her mirror's range. She remains extremely careful this time and keeps herself hidden so that she can watch them without either knowing she's involved. Lapinna told me how miraculous wielders work when they're split, and I saw it with Cat Noir. But what about this guy? He can use his special ability multiple times in a row, so whatever he has isn't a miraculous. He'll be a very useful tool for me.
The dark side of Alpha shakes his head. Darker shadows stretch under his eyes, and he snarls; then he leaps to the rooftops, deviating from his original course. Mink follows him in secret. The light side of Alpha takes a moment to compose himself. He's a bit confused and disoriented. But this side of Alpha is smart enough to look around and see if he's being followed. He's not. He continues his journey home.
In London, Adrien and company have returned to the Graham de Vanily manor. Felix has just finished showing Adrien and Nicholas around. Adrien is thrilled to be in the place as this is his mother's birth home. Felix points out things important to the Graham de Vanily ancestry. Adrien doesn't pick up on it, but Felix is rather snobby about their heritage. He also subtly insults the Agreste estate. However, there's also a true sense that this is Felix's home with his familiarity and history. It's clear why he would much rather be home than in a foreign country. Especially when Felix points out how much safer London is than Paris. "No super villains here." Adrien denies this, possibly mentioning something from the Miraculous London special. Felix counters that Adrien need look no farther than his own school, where "everyone has been akumatized at least once." Adrien denies this—after all, he himself as well as Felix and Nicholas have never been akumatized for starters. Felix raises an eyebrow, and Adrien internally does realize that a lot of his classmates have been akumatized.
After the tour, the group settles in for the night. Felix practices the cello. He's very happy to be home and doesn't want to leave when the weekend is over. He tells Adrien as much—he'd rather have Adrien join them in London. Adrien tells him point blank he can't abandon his parents. Or his friends—Adrien recalls the lovely send off they gave him. He checks his cell phone on the sly. No new messages. He was hoping Ladybug would have sent him a text; she knew he was going away. But there's nothing. It's okay…she probably got busy or something. Right? He checks the news to see if there's an akumas, but word from Paris.
Nicholas and Nathalie settle into a guest room that is rather removed from the main portion of the manor. Nathalie pulls up the direct feed of Gabriel and Emilie. No change in their condition. Dr. Theroux is watching over them. Nathalie relays the lack of news to Adrien, as she's sure he'd want to know.
Back in Paris, a few blocks from the houseboat, light side Alpha transforms back into Luka. This wouldn't be possible with a real miraculous, as explained earlier about the kwami being split between two identical miraculouses. But lacking the kwami, light side Alpha can become Luka Couffaine while his dark side is still sulking on the rooftops, transformed.
Juleka is so relieved to see Luka back that she hugs him. Luka rubs her head. She asks how it went, and Luka tells her that he and Ladybug weren't able to accomplish anything except for practice. There's an extra sensitivity about him in his demeanor and expressions and body language as well as his eyes being wider, more innocent. Juleka gets the impression there's something different, but she doesn't know what. He's also more melancholic and contemplative. And what's on his mind is his father, as it was the last thing he was thinking about when Mink caught his reflection in her mirror.
Luka heads to his mother's bedroom and knocks on the frame. Anarka tells him to enter—she can see something is really bothering him. Juleka is behind Luka, on the fringes of the conversation. Anarka asks what's on his mind and invites him to sit down. Juleka too. She serves them some chocolate cake while they talk. Because, hey—why not chocolate cake for a midnight snack? Anarka always is a rebel.
Luka, even when whole, is intuitive, empathetic, insightful, and sensitive. But it's overt during this conversation. He starts with admitting his fears to his mother—he's afraid he'll grow up to be a man like his biological father. Someone who abandons his family when things get rough; someone who leaves his friends behind to fend for themselves. He doesn't want to be that way. Anarka comforts him, insisting that Luka is Luka and no one else.
Ironic, since at that moment, his dark side gets tired of brooding on the rooftops and decides to head home. Mink is still on his tail.
Luka asks Anarka to tell them a little about their father. What kind of person was he? Anarka blatantly hesitates—she doesn't like discussing the issue. But Luka appears so vulnerable (due to just being his light side), that she does give them a few crumbs. She admits their father is a great musician with a wild side that Anarka found madly attractive at the time. She says that they both have that talent of his. And that Luka inherited his relaxed nature while Juleka has his kind patience. But, Anarka goes on to add he was immature, irresponsible, flaky, and self-absorbed. Juleka even begins to get in on the questions, asking for more information. The siblings are hungry for words about their father.
But Anarka doesn't want to discuss him and insists they're better off without him. She tells Luka not to be afraid because he is growing into a wonderful young man—his own person. Luka and Juleka practically beg her—please, just tell us his name. Anarka still hesitates. Luka says they're older now—they're old enough to handle the truth. It's not fair to keep it from them. Juleka nods.
Anarka herself has conflicting emotions. She doesn't want them to know anything more about their father because of how he hurt her and them by leaving. Plus, she also promised her ex that she wouldn't say anything. But she also sees Luka's point that they do deserve to know; he's only a few years from turning eighteen, after all. On the third hand, she also knows what kind of scandal this would cause if the information went public—and she doesn't want her children to be dragged through the tabloids.
Luka and Juleka wait, anticipating, for her answer. They know it's a struggle for their mother. And while they wait, a shadow moves outside the houseboat's window.
Anarka takes a deep breath and opens one of the drawers. She pulls out an old record with a picture of two musicians: Crocoduo. Anarka is clearly emotional; she makes them promise not to repeat what she's about to say to anyone. The siblings do. She also makes them promise to not, under any circumstances, act on what she's going to say. Juleka and Luka again promise. Anarka explains that she and their father played together in a band and that they were very much in love once. But their father wanted to tour the world on rock and roll. Anarka would have loved to too, but she realized that raising a child (as she was pregnant with Luka at the time) would take a lot more responsibility and stability. They had a huge argument and he left. But he came back when he heard she was in labor and was there to see Luka born. But, Anarka admits, their father seemed to be afraid to even hold a baby. He could do amazing things with guitar strings—but holding an infant was beyond him. So shortly after that, Anarka fell pregnant again with Juleka.
At this point, Juleka looks down at her hands and mumbles that it really is all her fault. Anarka tells her directly and bluntly that it isn't. There was a huge argument between the two of them. Lots of things were said in the hostile moment: things about music and careers, raising children and travel, responsibility and even capability. Their father left. He is the one to blame, Anarka insists. And she insists that she shares some of the blame for driving him out—but the ones who deserve no blame whatsoever are Luka and Juleka.
The shadow moves impatiently outside, but no one notices it's there.
Luka then asks again what their father's name was.
Anarka repeats that they are to not, under any circumstances, act on what she's going to say. They promise for a third time. Anarka then comes clean. "Your father's name is Jared Stone—or, as you would know him, Jagged Stone." This boggles the siblings' minds.
But before they can even respond, an entire section of the wall of the houseboat is ripped away. There, in the gash, stands Alpha. "Jagged Stone did you say?!" he bellows.
Luka and Juleka simply jaw drop; they're too stunned to even move or think. Juleka whispers "isn't that you?" Luka insists that that's not him.
Anarka grabs the nearest object she can use as a weapon and charges Alpha to protect her children. (Guess we know where Luka/Alpha gets his protective instinct from.) He easily deflects her blow and trips her. Luka pulls Juleka behind himself to protect her. Alpha looks at the record on the table. "Jagged Stone?!" He leaps through the floor to the deck of the houseboat and into the night.
Anarka demands to know what's going on and wants to know why a hero is attacking them. Luka insists that that is no way Alpha—it has to be an akuma or a senti monster or something. He grabs at his ear cuff, just to make sure it's still there—it is. Luka orders both women to stay tight and call Ladybug and Cat Noir for help. He then runs up to the deck and onto the dock and into the night. Anarka yells at him to come back; it isn't safe. But Luka doesn't listen.
Juleka's knees are trembling. But she realizes what Luka's going to do. I'm his secret keeper. I'm the one who's supposed to keep him safe! She musters her courage and follows after Luka. Anarka complains about "kids these days, not listening to authority—oh, how I love them for it!" She pulls out her cell phone and activates the Akuma Alert app.
As soon as Luka is alone on the street, he transforms into Alpha without even breaking his running stride. (Normal Alpha would be a bit more cautious, but since he's split, he isn't.) He has no idea why an akuma victim or senti monster would be listening in, but since this villain looks like him, he knows it's going to be trouble. Light side Alpha regains sight of the dark side Alpha and does his best to catch up. He leaves a very quick text on the Team B server with one hand as he chases his other half. Juleka, who can only run as fast as a normal human, quickly falls behind. Mink is also following in the shadows. She doesn't have a clear picture about what's going on with dark side Alpha. She was hoping he'd lead her to the rest of his allies. But all she saw was him resting near the docks (she didn't realize he was eavesdropping) and then bolt towards the upscale part of the city. Are all of my doppelgangers this irrational?!
Dark side Alpha makes beeline for Jagged Stone's apartment. Jagged is holding a late night practice session for his band, including Penny who is listening in and Vivica who is on guitar. He crashes through the window, causing the rest of the band and crew to freak out and flee. Dark side Alpha glares murder at Jagged Stone. Jagged, Vivica, and Penny have no idea about what's going on—especially since Alpha is a known hero. Penny has enough presence of mind to send out her own Akuma Alert app too—even though she's not sure this is an akuma, she knows they need superhero help. (Interesting that Paris is getting used to calling superheroes first and then police second.)
The B Team is highly alarmed to hear that their leader was impersonated somehow and the impostor is going on a rampage. They all text furiously, even using the BUZZ feature to ensure everyone logs into the chat as this is an emergency. With Alpha preoccupied in pursuit, Froppy takes over organizing things. She knows Alpha will need back-up, and everyone (including Chip Bluestone) immediately volunteer to back up their leader. Alpha's loyalty to them inspires their loyalty to him. Even Honey Bee prioritizes helping Alpha over the fear of getting trapped in a cocoon. Snow Leopard voices concern that they might not be able to tell the two Alphas apart. Froppy acknowledges that that's a real problem; she says that the best way to deal with that would be those who have techniques that can subdue a person without harming them too badly. Which would be Snow Leopard's Frost Fall and Honey Bee's Venom. Snow Leopard states she can't go unless she goes in without her secret keepers as they're already asleep for the night and she can't reach them. Honey Bee offers to go in. Tsukuyomi is worried about her going in alone as she isn't the most experienced on the team. Dauphin volunteers (just a split second before Firefly can). He feels his augmented strength could help against a fake Alpha's Howl-based enhancements. Froppy agrees to this and tells Dauphin and Honey Bee to move in, pegging their destination by Peggy's akuma alert. It is unconventional for them to move before Ladybug and Cat Noir even have a chance to settle things—but this involves their leader; they aren't going to sit by.
Marinette is already in bed herself when her phone buzzes. She opens one eye to look at it, then bolts upright, fully awake. "Tikki! There's trouble! Spots on!" She transforms and races out her window to intercept Alpha. Now, she hasn't had enough time to check the Team B chat server, so she doesn't yet know that there are two Alphas. She's just baffled as to why Alpha would attack random places in Paris. She, of course, considers mind control, impersonation, senti monsters, and akuma victims just because she knows the real Alpha's personality. As she runs, she also sends word to Cat Noir. "I need you back in Paris ASAP!"
Adrien gets the message as he's preparing to settle down for the night. He immediately flips through the phone, finding the Akuma Alerts and some budding news broadcasts/civilian footage of the current crisis. He races to his backpack and pulls out the horse miraculous, putting the sunglasses on his face. "Kaalki! Plagg! Unify!" Adrien transforms into a horse/cat hero, immediately uses Voyage, and teleports himself back to Paris.
The gate opens near Ladybug, which might be subconsciously intentional on Cat-Horse-Noir's part. They tumble together. Ladybug picks herself up and says she's glad he could come so soon. Cat Noir asks what's going on, and Ladybug says that Alpha or someone copying Alpha's powers is going on a rampage. They hurry to the reported apartment.
Meanwhile, dark side Alpha has knocked Penny unconscious and trapped Vivica in a drum frame as he stalks after Jagged Stone. Jagged tells Fang the crocodile to attack the intruder. Fang yawns and wags his tail. Alpha declares that Jagged is going to pay for what he did all those years ago. Jagged Stone has no idea what he's talking about and says as much.
Alpha raises his spear—only to be tackled from behind by light side Alpha. The two grapple. There is differences in how they fight. Dark side Alpha is wild and savage, while light side is very defensive and takes care to protect those around him. He's also less inclined to strike against his dark side.
From the next roof over, Mink watches, amused. She finds it funny that half of a person is fighting half of the same person. (I suppose it's worth noting that if one half dies, both die. But this isn't that kind of series.) But it is annoying for her. She'd rather be able to control those struck by her Duality. Instead, she can control neither—they've gone completely off the rails.
Two shadows dart by overhead. Ladybug and Cat Noir have arrived. Mink takes that as her time to bail. Leave the Alphas to their fate; she doesn't want to get caught by the heroes or anyone live streaming lest Madam Gros take the miraculous. Mink retreats for the rest of the chapter.
Ladybug and Cat-Horse-Noir land amid the chaos. Both gape at the twin Alphas. "Which one is which?"
Both Alphas immediately reply, in unison, that "I'm the real one!" (And this is true.)
Jagged Stone is glad Ladybug and Cat Noir showed up. He compliments Cat Noir on his "new fashion" and then tries to sneak out to leave things to the heroes. But dark side Alpha leaps over his light side and lands right on Jagged's back to prevent him from escaping. Jagged wants to know what this Alpha has against him. Dark side spits out "being a coward and abandoning your family!" Now, this baffles everyone else in the room. Except Jagged Stone himself, who knows immediately what the implications are. He stammers, clearly not his usual composed self.
However, before blabbing can happen, Ladybug and Cat Noir jump to Jagged's aid. Cat-Horse-Noir tackles dark side Alpha off of Jagged. Ladybug helps the rock star to his feet and tells him to run. Jagged doesn't need to be told twice. He bolts. Dark side throws off Cat Noir and attempts to pursue, but Ladybug trips him with her yo-yo.
Infuriated, dark side Howls to empower himself. He ricochets around the room at top speed, striking all three heroes from multiple angles before they can defend themselves. His own light side attempts the same Howl, but dark side strikes his chest so he can't catch a breath.
Just then, Honey Bee lands through the gash in the apartment wall. Dauphin climbs in a moment later. (His jumping abilities aren't that high, along the lines of Carapace's). "We heard there was trouble—and why are there two Alphas?!"
The common consensus is a senti monster or akuma victim. Cat Noir suggests they begin looking for the akumatized/amokitized item. Dark side Alpha laughs to their faces and declares himself to be the real Alpha, free of cowardice (which is, actually, the truth). Light side insists he's the real one because a hero would never attack innocent civilians (which is also true). Dark side argues that Jagged Stone is anything but innocent and charges them again. Since Alpha doesn't use a miraculous, he has no countdown and can use Howl as many times as he likes. So dark side augments his own strength and speed again.
Ladybug realizes this is getting intense but that dark side Alpha only has one target—Jagged Stone. She realizes that Alpha (light side) is the fastest of her team (since Cat-Horse-Noir has already used up his Voyage). Ladybug tells light side Alpha to find Jagged and get him as far away as possible while she, Cat Noir, Dauphin and Honey Bee deal with dark side Alpha. While light side Alpha does want to deal with his counterpart and does feel a strong need to protect his allies, he realizes the wisdom in what she's suggesting. Dauphin uses Echolocation to give Alpha directions, who then immediately peels out to find Jagged.
By now, the damage to the apartment is attracting a crowd below—a crowd who is live streaming the fight to the internet. Nathalie Sancoeur picks up the news report in London. She actually lets out a little chortle as Nadja Chamack catches sight of two Alphas and theorizes that the heroes are dealing with a senti monster or akuma victim. Well, if this doesn't clear my name! Of course, she realizes that there is a danger about this strange opponent defeating Ladybug and Cat Noir and getting the miraculous while she's away. Nathalie considers her options and how she could intervene—but any intervention from Mayura or Hawk Moth would work against the alibi thrown into her lap. But she can't let those two miraculous fall to her enemies. Nathalie thinks and ponders and calculates the odds…And given Ladybug and Cat Noir's success rate, she decides to begrudgingly bank on that and not get involved. It's not as if she could get back to Paris quickly enough herself, so any interference would ultimately fail before it could begin. Nathalie isn't thrilled with this idea—that sitting back is her best course of action. But she acknowledges that it is. Like many of the heroes have experienced in prior chapters—sitting back on one's hands is perhaps the hardest thing to do in this series.
Madam Gros also is watching the broadcast. She doesn't recognize this as the work of Duality, in part due to the low res of cell phone videos. She agrees with Nadja's conclusion that this is likely a senti monster moreso than an akuma victim because of dark side Alpha's single mindedness. However, like Nathalie, Madam Gros realizes she can't let the miraculous fall into enemy hands. (She doesn't realize dark side Alpha's end goal is solely revenge against Jagged Stone). And since this is likely a senti monster…
Madam Gros texts Chloe Bourgeois and tells her to get ready on stand-by. Queen Scorpion's Dissolve can easily destroy magical constructs, which includes senti monsters.
Chloe has her night mask on when she receives the text. She's very surprised by Madam Gros's message. Part of her wants to be contrary and ignore it—but she can't resist the chance to moonlight as a heroine. Barbarra states that they haven't been given the "go ahead" yet, but Chloe ignores that, transforms, and leaps towards the conflict.
Elsewhere in Paris, Juleka is still running towards the fight as a normal human; she is very exhausted and breathing hard.
Ladybug, Cat-Horse-Noir, Honey Bee, and Dauphin continue to delay dark side Alpha while light side tries to find where Jagged Stone has taken cover. Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm. Unfortunately, dark side Alpha is so swift that he catches it the moment it appears before it can drop into Ladybug's hand. Ladybug protests—she's tired of her charms getting stolen (first Ruddiger and now this). To top it off, this time it's a frickin BFS, giving dark side Alpha a weapon he can use against the heroes. Honey Bee acknowledges it's up to her to stop his movements, and Cat Noir steps up beside her, ready to Cataclysm the most likely item to house an amok or akuma. Ladybug cautions him not to hit the Lucky Charm as that is part of what did them in during Hawk Moth's chapter. Cat Noir says he learned his lesson.
Honey Bee activates Venom, top in hand, so she can strike dark side Alpha. This causes him to see her as the biggest threat and he swings the massive Lucky Charm sword at her. Dauphin ducks in to protect her with his surfboard, and dark side Alpha's strike actually causes Dauphin's weapon to shatter, which baffles him, leaving him defenseless. Dark side Alpha kicks him across the room.
Meanwhile, light side Alpha has finally located Jagged Stone, who has taken refuge behind the front desk. However, when light side Alpha lays eyes on him, he freezes up. For the first time, he realizes he's looking at his father. Jagged Stone doesn't even realize Alpha is there. He just has his face buried in his hands, lamenting that he left Penny and Vivica behind in the middle of an attack. This sparks anger inside of Alpha. He cares that he left his staff behind when he didn't even look back at his own children?!
However, this is light side Alpha who has most of whole Alpha's loyalty and responsibility and empathy. Alpha swallows his own emotions and calls out to Jagger, saying he's going to get the rock star out of here since Jagged is the main target. Jagged is a bit surprised as he hadn't heard anyone approaching. Alpha assures him that Penny and Vivica and even Fang are safe. Then he scoops Jagged over his back and takes off.
From the balcony above, where the fight has spilled, dark side Alpha sees his target fleeing. This makes him all the more feral. Dauphin is already down for the count, and Honey Bee is having trouble getting within range to strike dark side Alpha when he has Ladybug's stolen BFS Lucky Charm. Ladybug herself and Cat-Horse-Noir move to flank Alpha.
It looks as if their maneuver is going to succeed—when Queen Scorpion strikes between them with her acidic chain whip, forcing them to dodge. The heroes are stunned to see Queen Scorpion arrive, and Cat Noir wonders if she is working with the fake Alpha. Queen Scorpion insists she's her own agent—she's just here to make sure the heroes fail. And. She turns to look at Honey Bee, "reclaim my miraculous!" Honey Bee, still with Venom powered, hesitates.
During this distraction, dark side Alpha leaps off the balcony and continues his pursuit of Jagged Stone. Ladybug grumbles about there being too many enemy factions targeting them and everyone else. She exchanges a look and a nod with Cat Noir—he knows what to do. Cat Noir tells Honey Bee to follow him as they go after Alpha while Ladybug handles Queen Scorpion alone. Or, well, mostly alone. Dauphin is still stunned but slowly regaining his wits. Honey Bee and Cat Noir depart. Queen Scorpion moves to follow them (as she also has orders to destroy the fake Alpha and wants to target Honey Bee for personal reasons), but Ladybug cuts her off. "We need to talk. Please. I just want to talk with you," Ladybug insists.
Dark side Alpha is augmented to the point of being ridiculously fast. But at this point, the heroes are getting used to speedy opponents: Style Queen, Mad Hare, Accelerator… Cat-Horse-Noir tells Honey Bee to hold onto his back, which she does with one hand as the other has Venom. He extends his baton into a massive pole vault and launches them over dark side Alpha's head, landing in front of him to intercept him. Alpha growls about the interfering, and Cat Noir makes a witty pun about it.
Meanwhile, light side Alpha has put a lot of distance between the fight and himself with Jagged Stone. His eye notices a moving purple streak below, and he realizes that it's Juleka, still running herself ragged to catch up with him, worried about her brother. She looks up and notices him. He nods faintly and lands in the deserted park she's passing through.
He lets Jagged Stone down, who sits down on the nearest bench. It's worth noting that the rock star does not see Juleka, who is watching from the shadows. But Alpha does, and he motions for her to stay hidden. Jagged Stone thanks Alpha for getting him away from the situation and asks for affirmation that his crew is safe. Light side Alpha affirms they are, but he is rigid now knowing that Jagged Stone is his father. Jagged wonders why a clone of Alpha would be attacking him. Alpha replies with, "I don't know, maybe you can tell me." Jagged Stone buries his face in his hands—he knows why, though why that concerns a fake Alpha, he doesn't know. He knew the moment dark side Alpha called him a coward.
Light side Alpha, playing the part of a stranger, asks him what that even means. Jagged says it's true—he is a coward. The biggest coward in rock and roll. Alpha just waits in silence as he's so emotional he doesn't really trust himself to speak. It takes Jagged a moment, but he continues. He admits to being married and having a family once; his wife was a "wildly passionate musician" and he did love her very much at the time. But then she got pregnant. And when he saw his beautiful, perfect baby son for the first time, he got very, very scared. (At this point, Alpha has to turn away because he's not keeping his composure.) "A baby is still little, so fragile, you know? I was afraid if I even touched him, I might break him." Jagged goes on to hint pretty strongly that he had a drunken, abusive father. He admits that as a result, he had no idea to be a good dad. "I always figured, with a dad like mine, it would be better to have no dad at all." Then Jagged learned his wife was pregnant for a second time. He admits he panicked. Two precious, small children, completely depended on a clueless rocker like him? He was afraid he'd ruin their lives. So he left his wife and children—he never even got the chance to hold his daughter. He tried to justify it over the years, saying it was the best for the children. But still…He has so many regrets. (At this point, Juleka is crying softly.) Jagged states that, "I'm just tired of feeling so guilty about the whole thing."
Alpha says, rather bluntly, "that's because you are guilty." Jagged looks up at him, but he can't deny the truth to what light side Alpha says. Jagged mutters, mostly to himself, wondering what he should do. Alpha tells him simply to do "the right thing—and you know what that is."
During this same time, Ladybug and Queen Scorpion are facing off. Ladybug leads the fight to the roof, away from Penny and Vivica, who are still in the apartment. Queen Scorpion is raging at Ladybug for keeping her from retrieving her rightful property, acting like a heroine when she's a liar and a thief, and for stealing her boyfriend. Ladybug admits she doesn't even understand half of Queen Scorpion's accusations and repeats that she just wants to talk. Queen Scorpion refuses to listen, so Ladybug calls her by her real name. "Chloe, please. Let's just talk this out. I know you always respected me and the work Cat Noir and I do. You don't have to do this; you can be a better person."
Now, Ladybug might have still had a slim chance of succeeding had Chloe not learned that Adrien Agreste likes Ladybug. But that trashed any chance at peace. Queen Scorpion screeches at Ladybug that she has no respect for her and that from now on they will always be enemies. (Ladybug has to be getting low on her timer, right? Though Miraculous seems to work on "magic clock time.")
Also going on is Cat-Horse-Noir and Honey Bee facing off against dark side Alpha, who still has Ladybug's Lucky Charm massive gigantic sword. Honey Bee proves to be nimble at dodging the weapon—but because the weapon has such a long range, she also can't get in close enough to strike Alpha. Cat Noir moves in by using his baton like a sword to counter Alpha's weapon, trying to give Honey Bee an opening. He also tries to disarm Alpha. "Milady is going to need that back to heal all the damage you've caused." Dark side Alpha, however, is becoming more savage and puts up one heck of a fight. He even drives Cat Noir to activating his Cataclysm, though Cat Noir is hesitant to use it because he personally isn't 100% sure that this is just a senti monster and not an akuma victim with the power of impersonation, like Copycat. (As far as I can tell with canon, it seems as if with fusion-based transformations, the heroes don't wind up on their timers until they use both of their miraculous's special abilities. Cat-Horse-Noir used Voyage way early in this chapter, but since he just now used Cataclysm, now his countdown begins.)
Things happen very quickly. Cat Noir flips dark side Alpha's spear (his usual weapon, which was mounted on his back but had been dropped in the subsequent fighting) into the wolf's knee. Alpha drops to one leg, finally giving Honey Bee the chance to strike him from behind, paralyzing him. Cat Noir recovers Ladybug's Lucky Charm and rests it on his shoulder one handed, since his other hand still has an active Cataclysm. He brandishes that hand, "now, where is your akuma, villain?" Alpha insists with a snarl that he's the real Alpha and that there is no akuma. Cat Noir suggests that Honey Bee search him for an akumatized item, which she does and finds none.
"Do you think he put the item somewhere else?" Honey Bee wonders. Cat Noir figures that's a possibility, but dark side Alpha again insists he's the real Alpha and that there is no akumatized/amokitized item. Cat Noir asks him why he was chasing Jagged Stone then. Alpha smile darkly enough to show small fangs, "Revenge." Cat-Horse-Noir is starting to get frustrated, especially since he and Ladybug only have a little time left. He hands the Lucky Charm to Honey Bee and tells her to get it back to Ladybug ASAP while he searches for Alpha's item. Honey Bee does so, though she is a bit worried about Cat Noir being left alone.
Back on the apartment roof, Ladybug and Queen Scorpion are trading blows. Queen Scorpion keeps trying to evade Ladybug to go after Honey Bee and dark side Alpha. And Ladybug really wants to retreat as she only has a minute left. But she knows she can't just leave Queen Scorpion to her own devices because Chloe will target her allies. Ladybug also does her best to reason with Queen Scorpion, trying to plead with Chloe's better nature. But it doesn't work. It just makes Queen Scorpion madder due to her jealousy.
Queen Scorpion activates her Dissolve ability, declaring she'll use it to melt Ladybug's suit and reveal her identity to the world. "That'll ruin your career as a subpar superheroine forever!" Ladybug dodges, but it's hard since Queen Scorpion's chain is difficult to predict. Out of nowhere, Dauphin tackles Ladybug out of the way just in time. Ladybug thanks him. Dauphin shrugs it off; he's there to help, even though his surfboard is currently broken.
"I can handle two on one" insists Queen Scorpion.
"How about three on one?" Honey Bee lands and throws the sword to Ladybug. "Cat Noir has the fake Alpha prisoner. Queen Scorpion is the last one."
Queen Scorpion moves to attack Honey Bee, but both Dauphin and Ladybug move to protect her. Dauphin notices that Ladybug's earrings are really beeping now and suggests that she bow out while they handle things. Ladybug agrees—but there's one thing she has to do first. Her Ladybug Vision lights up.
Meanwhile, the Venom is wearing off of dark side Alpha, but he hides the fact he has mobility now. Cat Noir is conflicted about attacking him while he's prisoner and can't find the akuma or amok—but he also knows he can't run off and leave Alpha to his own devices. He also has to be careful ("careful," yet again) so he doesn't accidentally touch something with his still-active Cataclysm (and steadily decreasing timer). However, dark side Alpha lunges at him without warning. Cat Noir parries him with his baton, and Alpha dives for his spear.
Cat Noir goes to stop him, but everything happens so fast that Cat Noir accidentally touches dark side Alpha with his Cataclysm. Dark side Alpha vanishes, leaving Cat Noir initially horrified (he thought he might have seriously hurt someone) and then baffled. Then he reassures himself that that proves that the fake Alpha was a senti monster all along. He sends a quick voice text to Ladybug confirming this and fake Alpha's defeat.
Light side Alpha is still guarding Jagged Stone. He staggers, clutching his head. Jagged asks if anything is wrong. Alpha, now whole, shakes his head. He insists he feels even better. But then memories flash—memories from dark side's point of view. What is this? Alpha has no idea. Jagged continues on with the conversation. He thanks Alpha for watching his back and states that "your father would be proud of you." Alpha isn't so certain. Jagged Stone insists this is true. "If my baby boy grew into a man half as heroic as you, I'd be so proud I'd burst." Alpha again has to turn away because his composure breaks at that point.
Ladybug winds up using her Lucky Charm as a seesaw to fling a drum pedal at Queen Scorpion. This causes Queen Scorpion to trip; her Dissolve-empowered chain wraps around a spotlight on the top of the building, wasting her special ability—but also leaving everyone in the dark. Queen Scorpion scrambles to her feet, and Ladybug throws her yo-yo to ensnare her. As she does so, the yo-yo plays Cat Noir's message about fake Alpha's defeat. In the shadows. Queen Scorpion snarls about the failure. She deflects the yo-yo—Ladybug feels it happen rather than sees it. Dauphin demands that Queen Scorpion stop, but Scorpion withdraws. She swears revenge against Ladybug and Honey Bee as she vanishes into the night.
The remaining three heroes stop to catch their breaths. "It's over?" Honey Bee asks. Ladybug affirms it's over and throws her Lucky Charm into the air. The apartment, house boat, and streets are all repaired. All three "Pound It." Ladybug immediately says good-bye to her allies and flees; she barely makes it to ground level when her transformation breaks. She feeds Tikki and starts walking home.
Cat Noir, still apart, also throws his fist to the sky. He still has some time left on his transformation, so he decides to see if he can find any of the other heroes to make sure everything is wrapped up before he de-transforms, feeds both Kaalki and Plagg, transforms back, and returns to London. He heads towards the upscale apartments.
Alpha, still with Jagged Stone and a hidden Juleka, does the same when he sees the magic of Ladybug's world-healing wave. He then tells Jagged it's safe for him to return and offers to take him home. Jagged accepts. It's very emotional for Alpha, and he has to keep his thoughts and feelings hidden during the journey.
Honey Bee and Dauphin also say their good-byes to each other and head to their homes. Dauphin likely meets up with Ondine, who has to be somewhere nearby.
Jagged Stone, once safely back in his apartment, thanks Alpha and then immediately searches to make sure that Penny, Vivica, Fang, and the rest of his crew are okay. Penny wants to know what everything was about, but Jagged doesn't have a clear answer why imposter Alpha would target him. Penny sighs and tells everyone to try to get some sleep as they do have a full schedule tomorrow.
Alpha lands outside the apartment building and looks back over his shoulder. His face is very contemplative. That's when Cat-Horse-Noir arrives to follow up. Alpha confirms Jagged Stone is safe, and it's clear visually that Ladybug has repaired all the damage. They talk a bit as they leap away from the scene, wondering what the heck that was even about and why one of their opponents specifically targeted Alpha to copy and Jagged to fight. They land in the same park where Juleka is still hiding (intentional on Alpha's part, but he doesn't reveal his secret keeper is there). Cat Noir thanks Alpha for him and his pack's help.
Alpha doesn't reply. His eyes sorta get glazed over. Cat Noir calls his name, but still gets no response.
Alpha feels all the tension from the day, the news he received, being split in half, and the conflict dissolve. It's like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Wind whistles from his ear cuff as his elemental powers of sound overflow.
Alpha gets lifted off the ground, in a trance, as Cat Noir calls his name in alarm. His element curls him up and wraps him in a shell as Alpha himself drifts off to sleep. Cat Noir tries to wake him, but it doesn't work.
This time, since the element of the wolf is sound and is represented by wind, the cocoon is actually clear. Cat Noir can see Alpha, still transformed, sleeping in a fetal position inside. He pounds on the cocoon. Every place he touches makes a different music note. But Alpha doesn't stir.
Juleka is watching, and she begins to race forward. But Cat Noir turns his head slightly in her direction, and she freezes. She knows how important her brother's secret identity is to him. But still… What do I do?! Her hands are shaking as her nerves cause her to seize up, out of sight.
Cat Noir pulls out his baton and immediately contacts Ladybug to explain the situation. Ladybug, who is now Marinette, lets out a loud "WHAT?!" when she receives the message. She tells Cat Noir to keep Alpha safe while they figure out what to do. They need to meet up immediately. Cat-Horse-Noir sighs—looks like it's going to be longer until he can get back to London. He hopes his family doesn't realize he's gone.
Cat Noir gently prods Alpha's shell. Each touch produces musical notes as the cocoon easily moves. Cat Noir fumbles with directing the shell and uses his baton to leap into the skyline. (He knows he has to recharge soon.) Juleka, very softly, tries to find her words. "Wait…please don't…" But he doesn't hear her. Tears roll down Juleka's face as she's afraid for her brother (plus already being emotionally raw because of Jagged). But then she remembers…this is, sorta, what her brother wanted. She has his forged permission slip. But…but…what if something goes wrong? Juleka begins to worry herself sick.
Elsewhere, while the crew tries to settle in for the night, Jagged Stone refuses to sleep. He insists there's something he has to do first. He sits down at a desk and begins writing a letter:
Dear Anarka…I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry. But I know sorry doesn't even begin to cut it for what I did to you and the children…
To be continued in Chapter 63: All-Star Rex & Reef…
A note from the author: I'll admit I'm stuck as to what to name Cat Noir's fusion with the horse. The best idea I have is "Black Stallion," but I'm not sure that fits Cat Noir's personality. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!