Chapter 71: DisChord
It's the weekend, and Marc Anciel drops by Nathaniel Kurtzberg's apartment so they can continue to work on their sequel manuscript. Nathaniel lets him in, and no surprise at all, Mr. and Mrs. Kurtzberg are nowhere to be found.
Once settled around the table to work, Nathaniel notices Marc is nervous about something, so he asks. Marc admits he has something to tell Nathaniel—something he didn't believe could happen to him. Nathaniel wonders what Marc means. That's when Marc reveals Ziggy and says that the disguised hair clips he's now wearing are actually miraculous entrusted to him by Cat Noir. He's barely begun his explanation when Nathaniel blurts out, "No way! You're Buck?!" Which surprises Marc. "How did you know about Buck? Firefly wasn't there!" After all, the events of the prior chapter all happened underground, and thus no one in the general public knows about them.
Nathaniel then admits he has to tell Marc something too—just Marc beat him to it. Nathaniel reveals Orikko, who is playing with Lucciola. He points out the disguised thumb ring on his hand and tells Marc it's the rooster miraculous—also entrusted to him by Cat Noir. They both start laughing at the irony of them getting miraculouses at the same time by Cat Noir. Ziggy and Orikko are surprised to see each other again so soon. Lucciola is a bit lost, and Ziggy is surprised to see a new kwami and greets her happily.
They discuss their miraculous and powers and events of the prior day. Nathaniel admits he has no idea really why Cat Noir chose him, just something about a "friend of a friend." Marc explains how he had followed Queen Scorpion and then Adamantus and got himself into the middle of the fight, where Cat Noir gave him the miraculous to help him out. Marc actually theorizes that, since Cat Noir knows "a friend of a friend"…could Cat Noir actually be someone they know? Nathaniel admits it could be a possibility—but Cat Noir asked him not to pry. And having kept a secret so long as Firefly, Nathaniel is going to respect that need for a secret identity. Marc agrees.
Marc then asks how Nathaniel is going to handle things—since he (Nathaniel) is now basically on both teams: Team Ladybug and Team Alpha. Nathaniel says he's going to do his best as that means all the more people are depending on him. He certainly isn't going to leave the B Team; they have his loyalty, and they've been through a lot together. But he is also very flattered that Cat Noir chose him, and he wants to live up to that trust too. That reminds him that Cat Noir gave him the log-in information for the Discord server that his team uses. He does need to make an account. Marc reveals the same and suggests that they make an account now. Nathaniel agrees.
Buck has joined the chat…
Marc sets up a fake account first and logs into the Team A chat server. It's moving very slowly, but it gives the two friends a chance to read the previous chat logs. Marc is honestly blown away by having access to communication with Hachiko, Ryuko, Carapace, Rena Rouge, Pegasus, and the rest. He can see how they plan for times of crisis and various times Ladybug or Cat Noir has requested someone to help. Nathaniel asks Marc is he's going to say "hi," but Marc admits to being nervous. Then he takes a deep breath and does type that: "Hello." They wait for a reply.
Marc encourages Nathaniel to make an account to under his Nom de Plume alias. Nathaniel grabs his phone to do so but then hesitates. He says it might be suspicious if Plume and Buck made accounts within a few minutes of each other—so maybe he should wait an hour. Marc agrees with this decision.
So while they wait, they go back to working on their manuscript and talking with their kwamis. Marc pulls out various idea notes he's compiled. He tells Nathaniel that he's had a ton of ideas ever since yesterday. Seeing and feeling magic really inspired him. But he's not sure how Nathaniel will like them. Nathaniel urges him to continue. So Marc explains his idea—he was considering putting "Buck" into the storyline. And now knowing Nathaniel is also Plume, he wants to add both Buck and Plume. Nathaniel is very surprised by this as previously Marc had wanted nothing to do with cameos. Marc admits that yesterday changed his perspective; he just can't shake this new idea he has.
Nathaniel wonders how that'll work since their story revolves around Ladybug, Cat Noir, and the Mighty Illustrator as well as the ensuing love triangle. Marc says that "Buck" and "Plume" wouldn't be heroes—they'd be the villains. Because, if they appeared as their hero aliases, it'd be way too obvious for their secret identities. But disguising themselves as villains? Marc has so many ideas. He admits he doesn't even like being in the spotlight, but he explains to Nathaniel how "Buck" and "Plume" could be re-imagined as antagonists. "After all, the antagonists have to carry a lot of the plot. Give them a complex motive, and they can be the most compelling characters in a work." Nathaniel listens and realizes Marc has numerous good ideas, so they decide to go for it with their plan being having "Devil Ram" and "Night Raven" take over for Hawk Moth in being the main antagonists of their storyline.
The phone buzzes, and Marc realizes he got a reply. His hands are sweaty as he checks. It's just Hachiko, welcoming him. She admits she didn't know that there were new superheroes. Marc asks Nathaniel what he should say—but that's when he sees "Cat Noir is typing a message…" Both get excited. Cat Noir's reply says that he picked two new allies yesterday and hopes everyone welcomes them. He then adds that he and Ladybug are planning a team practice session—so keep an eye out. Marc just about falls out of his chair, "A practice session, as hero, with Ladybug and Cat Noir and their allies?! I don't know if I can do this…" Nathaniel encourages him, pointing out that Marc deserves this for all the times he watched Nathaniel's back as Firefly. Nathaniel then figures it's his turn to make an account.
"Nom de Plume has joined the chat…"
Elsewhere, Marinette Dupin-Cheng is getting ready for her day. She has a wrapped present ready to go and is busy filling cupcakes with custard to take as a dessert to Juleka Couffaine's surprise party. Tikki begs for just a small bite of one cupcake. Marinette scolds her, saying she can't show up to a party with nibbled on cupcakes. Tikki looks sad—which is when Marinette pulls out three mini cupcakes, made just for Tikki, Roarr, and Daizzi. The kwamis thank her and enjoy their snack. Once they're fed, Marinette hides them all in her purse, grabs her present, and starts towards Juleka's family's houseboat.
She meets Alya Cesaire along the way, who also has a present and a veggie and dip tray. Alya wonders if Juleka would be okay with a surprise party, given her quiet nature. Marinette says Juleka should be fine as Rose and Mylene made sure to keep it a small party at a place Juleka is familiar with. Alya is assured by this and says she's looking forward to the games Rose and Mylene came up with. She also wonders if Luka will be there. Marinette stumbles, which Alya obviously notices. Marinette wonders why Alya mentions Luka, and Alya just shrugs innocently and says "he's her brother, after all. Why? Are you hiding something?" Marinette denies it; she's not hiding how she feels about Luka. Which causes Alya to raise an eyebrow.
They arrive at the Couffaine houseboat, where Luka Couffaine, Mylene Haprele, and Alix Kubdel are waiting. Rose Lavillant is distracting Juleka Couffaine by taking her elsewhere, giving the girls and Luka an hour to set up and decorate. Anarka Couffaine welcomes them aboard and gives them a hand, allowing them to string up some party lights on the deck while Luka starts some soft music (Juleka's favorite), and the girls decorate with balloons and streamers and order pizza.
A short while later, Rose sends them a quick text that Juleka is on her way. They all hide. And when Juleka and Rose step on board, they all yell "surprise!" and shower her with confetti. Juleka is left silent, but it's clear she's happy. Her friends and family welcome her onto the boat, and they begin celebrating with food and music and gifts. Everyone has fun.
They're probably an hour or two into the celebrating when a limo pulls up. All of the high schoolers are curious and peer over the railing. Anarka Couffaine, however, gets a dark look in her eyes and tells them all to go below deck while she deals with this. She stalks down the gangplank; the teens don't listen.
Jagged Stone gets out of the car, which surprises the guests first and foremost. Juleka Couffaine pales slightly as her smile vanishes, and even Luka looks obviously tense. Marinette asks what's going on, but all Juleka can do is mumble. Even Luka falls silent. I promised mom I wouldn't tell anyone. This only confuses Marinette, Alya, Rose, Mylene, and Alix even more—making them even more inclined to watch the events unfold. Rose herself feels the most lost as she's surprised a bit hurt that Juleka would keep something a secret from her.
Anarka gets in Jagged's face and tells him to go away forever and leave them alone. Jagged pleads with her for one chance to make things right, and he apologizes for abandoning them. He knows he doesn't deserve her forgiveness—but don't let the kids suffer because of that. Anarka's eyes roll upward, and she realizes she has an audience. So she grabbed Jagged by the ear and pulls him onto the boat and below deck. Luka asks her what she's going to do. Anarka says that they're just going to talk—"now go back to your party and forget we're even here." Anarka locks herself and Jagged in the galley.
Alya repeats, "what is this all about?" and "how much do you guys really know Jagged Stone?" Marinette recalls, back in Desperada, that Jagged admitted to having played together with Anarka in the past. "Is it about that?" Luka pretty much says, "yeah, that's it. That's it exactly. Just band stuff." As he is still sorting through his very complex emotions on the issue. Juleka looks like she's about to faint. Alix says "so…about this party?" trying to get everyone engaged again, but it's clear the mood isn't the same.
It doesn't take long for loud voices to come from the galley. Anarka and Jagged really start going at each other. At that point, Rose suggests moving the birthday celebration to the park to give the adults their privacy, and so they can celebrate without a hostile argument weighing down the atmosphere. Juleka, however, has completely frozen up and isn't all that able to move.
Mylene tries to start up a game, and Luka turns the music up a bit. But it isn't too long until Anarka and Jagged's raised voices are audible to those on the deck. Anarka is screaming at Jagged for abandoning the family and walking out on "his kids." "You have some nerve trying to walk back in our lives after all this! You don't deserve them!" Jagged argues back, insisting he's been trying to apologize and there's no need for her to act like a harpy when he's honestly trying to do the right thing. He mentions he's going to start paying child support, and he repeats that he doesn't want to hurt his children in the same way his own father hurt him. Jagged admits he made mistakes—but that's better than Anarka, because at least he can admit the wrong he's done. Anarka refuses to accept any responsibility. Anarka insists that's because she is blameless in the situation, at which point Jagged begins countering with things she did wrong, which includes hiding her pregnancy with Juleka from him for so long as well as dumping his favorite keyboard into the river.
With the argument so blatantly obvious, it doesn't take long for the teens to put two and two together. Rose is the one to ask first. "Juleka…is Jagged Stone…your father?" Juleka merely looks down and mumbles. It's Luka who confirms this to be true—but he says that they only just learned of it themselves. He asks them not to be mad at them for keeping secrets—their mother made them promise not to tell anyone. Marinette then asks why Jagged is here, now, of all times (when it's clear he's been absent for years). Luka looks away and claims he's "not sure" what changed Jagged's mind (though he knows it was his conversation with Alpha, but Luka can't reveal that without revealing he's Alpha.) That's when Juleka's mumbling gets loud enough to be heard. "He left because of me. It's all my fault." Luka insists it's not Juleka's fault that Jagged left when Anarka was pregnant with her. Rose Lavillant immediately supports this and tries to encourage Juleka.
Of course, such a heated argument inevitably attracts the attention of the butterfly miraculous. Nathalie Sancoeur tells Nicholas Sancoeur to follow her, and they slip down into Hawk Moth's lair when Amelie and Felix aren't looking. Nathalie realizes she'll get a powerful akuma antagonist out of these emotions. Nicholas asks if she wants Adamantus to get involved too. Nathalie tells him that she doesn't. This akuma will deal with Ladybug and Cat Noir—and maybe even defeat them, if she's lucky. But she has another mission for Adamantus. She wants him to go into the catacombs again and follow the tunnel marked by the symbol of the butterfly that they discovered in Sir Silver Hart's chapter while the heroes are distracted with the akuma. Nicholas nods and accepts his assignment. Both transform—Nathalie into female Hawk Moth and Nicholas into Adamantus. Adamantus departs, keeping to the darkness of Paris's rooftops while the akuma flies to the Couffaine houseboat. Female Hawk Moth does consider sending a senti monster to further get involved, but she knows she needs to mimic Gabriel Agreste's style of being Hawk Moth in order to create his alibi. And since Gabriel as Hawk Moth seldom used Mayura's powers, she will do the same.
The akuma arrives at the houseboat just as the teens are hearing things breaking in the galley. Alya wonders if they should intervene—maybe go below deck and offer the two adults a piece of cake as a truce? Luka admits he doesn't know what he should do. Neither of them have ever really had a conversation with their father (except under his Alpha alias), and Anarka strictly made them promise not to say anything or do anything with the information of who their father is. Marinette asks Luka what he wants to do. Luka admits he'd like to at least talk to his father once. Juleka just looks at her feet.
That's when Marinette notices the big, fat akuma flying into the window of the houseboat. She has just enough time to point it out in alarm. The others notice it and mildly panic. Luka bolts for the steps as Rose tries to yank Juleka to her feet to get her away from the situation.
However, there simply isn't enough time. Jagged and Anarka are akumatized at the same moment with the same item into DisChord—a two-part villain (like Babel) with their designs being heavily inspired by death metal and KISS. While they do look similar to Guitar Villain and Captain Hardrock, there are notable differences, including both having two-handled guitars. They hear Hawk Moth speaking (through a synthezier). "He" tells them that he'll give them the power to determine what's right for their children in the form of Solid Sound—basically, creating solid objects out of sound (akin to Green Lantern's powers but with sound and not light). In return, Hawk Moth wants any and all miraculous they can steal. DisChord promises just that—before turning on each other and continuing their argument. Hawk Moth sorta face palms, but since she primarily wants a distraction, this'll serve as a distraction.
Luka throws open the door to the galley in time to lay eyes on the akumatized forms of his parents. Both turn to him, and Luka halts. Jagged/DisChord says "come here, my boy, let me get a good look at you," which is something Anarka/DisChord strongly opposes. She strums a disharmonious cord on her guitar, causing a cage of solid sound to form around Luka to keep him away from his father. Luka pounds on the bars, which create notes when he does. He tells them that the last thing he and Juleka want is for their parents to be fighting. "Can't we at least try to talk this out as a family?!" The female portion of DisChord pretty much dismisses him with a "not now, kid. Momma knows best."
Up top, Marinette is encouraging everyone to flee while they can. Alya stops to update the Akuma Alert app and encourages the others to do the same—after all, more akuma sightings, the more likely the app will take the report seriously. Mylene suggests hiding, and Rose is still trying to pull Juleka away. Juleka stammers out "I…I should help my brother. He always helps everyone else. I…I need to help him." Rose wonders what Juleka could even do; she hopes Juleka has a plan. But Juleka doesn't. She falls silent again.
That's when the male portion of DisChord leaps through the floor of the ship, leaving a hole. Marinette bolts. Jagged/DisChord turns his attention on Juleka. "Come here and give your daddy a big hug." Juleka is frozen. Alix turns to her, trying to encourage her to speak up. "You can do it, Juleka—tell him how you really feel." Juleka tries, but no words come out.
Male DisChord wheels around in time to create a Solid Sound shield to protect him from a barrage of Solid Sound darts conjured by female DisChord. Jagged/DisChord argues that she could have hurt the kids—"so much for caring about them." Anarka/DisChord continues to argue that "if you cared about us, you'd leave!" and tries to drop a Solid Sound anvil on him.
Ladybug lands at just that moment and uses her yo-yo to yank the anvil away. Both DisChords barely even notices her arrival. Jagged/DisChord shouts at his ex-wife to "back off, woman!" and counterattacks with a wall of Solid Sound. This only prompts the other DisChord to lob sound-made steak knives at him. Ladybug realizes she's going to have her hands full and starts with, "Where is Cat…" right as Cat Noir lands next to her. "Miss me?" Cat Noir asks her to fill him in with what happened, so Ladybug explains about the "ex-couple's personal feud."
And with things being so chaotic on the river, Adamantus is able to slip to the abandoned hotel without anyone noticing his presence. He drops to the catacombs and retraces his route to the rotunda. Then he starts down the darkened passage marked by the symbol of the butterfly miraculous.
The fight between DisChord and DisChord and Ladybug and Cat Noir veers away from the houseboat. Down below deck, Luka is finally able to throw off the Solid Sound cage that trapped him as its powers do seem to weaken over time. Realizing that this not only qualifies as an emergency situation but that his family is personally involved, Luka calls Luuna and transforms into Alpha. He lands on the deck without anyone seeing where he came from and checks on the remaining girls, which includes Juleka, Rose, and Alya. Alix ran off to find help (and really, check her cell phone for the Team A server just in case Bunnyx is needed) while Mylene is hiding nearby, like under a table. Alpha asks them if they're okay, paying special attention to Juleka. Rose and Alya both nod while Juleka seems to be in shock. Alpha tells them that he's going to make sure they stay safe and asks them to look after each other (as it's clear he's trying to be as protective as he can towards Juleka without giving away his identity). Alpha then takes off towards the fight.
Elsewhere in Paris, many of the reserve heroes and heroines are checking the internet to keep in touch with each other and see if their respective talents are needed. This includes Nathaniel and Marc, who are still hanging out together and find it weird to be "on call" as Plume and Buck. Nathaniel is toggling between Ladybug's server and the Team B Discord. There is a very brief message from Alpha saying he's handling the situation personally without any further information while Froppy tries to figure out what's going on.
Anarka/DisChord has strummed a giant hammer in which she's indiscriminately trying to smash both her ex-husband and the heroes. Jagged/DisChord is pretty pissed off that she's keeping him from seeing his kids. ("I never even got to hold my daughter!" "Well, whose fault is that?!") He creates a whole murder of razor sharp crows to attack those present. Ladybug and Cat Noir move to bind them both in order to break the akumatized object, but that only results in both akumatized adults snapping "don't interrupt us when we're fighting!" and turning on the golden duo.
Alpha lands at that moment and helps Ladybug and Cat Noir shield themselves from a giant crocodile with long fangs and a blast from a pirate cannon by twirling his spear. Ladybug compliments him on his timing. Alpha insists that he can take both DisChords on directly, giving them time to search for the akumatized item. Ladybug tells him that they work as a team. This causes Alpha to offer a strained smile. He is honestly happy that the golden duo consider him an extended member of their team—but he still wants to handle and help his parents personally.
Female DisChord just lets it wail on her guitar without actually creating anything Solid Sound. The noise is so bad it forces everyone to cover their ears just to survive the onslaught. However, male DisChord mocks her for having lost her touch in the music world and strikes back by creating an entire Solid Sound band (with members looking unsurprisingly like Troublemaker and Desperada). He cranks up the amps and splits concrete with his chords. Ladybug and Cat Noir take the moment he's distracted with his ex-wife to attack. However, the Solid Sound Troublemaker and Desperada defend him, driving the heroes back.
That gives Alpha an opening, and he swings at his father, spear grating against two-handled guitar. He has to shout to be heard, but he argues with DisChord—"I thought you wanted to do the right thing!" Which actually causes DisChord to hesitate as he recalls his real reason for reaching out to his family. However, then the akumatization kicks in stronger and drives that rationale from his mind. He shoves Alpha off and kicks him back even further with a Solid Sound lead pipe.
Meanwhile, Ladybug and Cat Noir target the female DisChord together. Cat Noir strikes from a distance by elongating and shrinking his baton to keep her off balance while Ladybug swings in and out from above, landing kicks on DisChord so that she can't strum. But this doesn't stop DisChord, and she strikes back by using her guitar itself as a weapon. She swings it at Ladybug's stomach, sending the heroine sprawling.
Alpha realizes that they'll need help and prepares to use his Howl to augment his allies' stats. However, both DisChords are pretty pissed off by this point. They grip their guitars and let loose another disharmonious wail. The heroes crumble as they try to protect their ears, and even Alpha's Howl is rendered unheard and useless. Cat Noir laments through gritted teeth that they're getting stronger as they play (which is true). "If things go on too long, we won't be able to beat them!" Alpha argues that it's possible to get through to them (as he's in hard place and really doesn't want to see his parents hurt). That's when Ladybug gets an idea and promises she'll be right back. "Just hold them off until then!" She swings out. Cat Noir snarks that it'd probably be pretty easy to hold DisChord off if they just let them fight each other—though that means DisChord getting more and more powerful, which ultimately is something they can't allow to happen. Alpha and Cat Noir brace themselves with their weapons and charge their opponents again with Alpha taking on Jagged/DisChord and Cat Noir facing off against Anarka/DisChord.
Meanwhile, Adamantus is following the winding catacomb path with one screwdriver held up to mimic a flashlight. He comes across an old wooden door that has rotted with time. One solid shove, and Adamantus gets it open. On the other side is a bricked path with outdated French text etched into the walls. Adamantus reports what he finds to Nathalie/Hawk Moth, and she asks him to read. It's a bit hard considering the corroded nature of the walls, the old-fashioned cursive script, and the dim light, but Adamantus slowly pieces together historical accounts of a figure from France's past: Lazare Carnot. Much of what is written is things they already know from the history books, but there are a few accounts that clearly imply superhuman abilities not only for Count Carnot but for his closest allies. Female Hawk Moth tells Adamantus to find out all he can.
Ladybug circles back to the Couffaine houseboat and lands on the mast to scout out the area. Alya and Rose are both pleading with Juleka, who has locked herself in her room. (Alya is also checking her phone on the sly to keep up with the A Team's Discord). Alix and Mylene are talking together, concerned, on the dock. Ladybug sees her opportunity, and when no one is looking, she slips through the small window and into Juleka's bedroom.
Juleka jumps when Ladybug lands. Ladybug explains she needs Juleka's help; these are her parents after all. Juleka looks down, struggling to find her voice. "You don't need my help. This is all my fault. My parents are fighting because of me." Ladybug insists that this is in no way true. Her parents are fighting because they both love her and Luka—they just don't know the right way to show it. They're fighting because they don't know how to communicate properly; they need to talk. And they need someone to help them find their voices. Juleka looks at her, confused. There is no way that shy, mumbling Juleka can help anyone find a voice. She can never speak up. She couldn't speak up when Rose was hospitalized, she couldn't speak up when Alpha was cocooned, she couldn't even speak up today when her father showed up for her birthday.
Ladybug, however, insists that she can see Juleka's inner courage—a tiger waiting to come out. So she reveals the tiger slave ring miraculous. "Your parents need you, Juleka." Juleka looks at the bracelet, very nervous. She's seen her brother transform multiple times—and right now, he's out there fighting to save their mother and father. She has so many regrets about not speaking up when Cat Noir took Alpha's cocoon. Juleka is shaking… "I don't want to repeat the mistakes I made before."
She accepts the bracelet, and Roarr forms. Juleka backs up so far she hits the wall. Roarr eagerly greets Juleka and wonders if she is her new wielder. Juleka looks to Ladybug, who nods. Juleka lets out a quiet, "yes?" Roarr replies with, "I don't hear you?" several times until Juleka lets out a very confident "YES!" Ladybug smiles, and Roarr tells Juleka to say "Paint my stripes!" When Juleka does, she transforms into a tiger-themed superheroine. Both Ladybug and Juleka slip out through the porthole window without Rose or Alya realizing what happened. Both think that Juleka is being her usual, quiet self.
Back at the main fight, Alpha and Cat Noir are being pushed back—and there's a lot of collateral damage. Alpha tries to catch his father's frets, but male DisChord creates a cavalry that charge him. Female DisChord deflects Cat Noir's baton barrage with Solid Sound shields and then attacks him by turning those same shields into spinning rings of death. Cat Noir dodges most of them, but one collides painfully with his shoulder. Meanwhile, Alpha is more frantic than he usually is as he fights his way closer to male DisChord and tries to reason with him while trying to disarm him.
That's when Ladybug and their newest ally land. Cat Noir welcomes them and asks for the name of the new wielder. Juleka glances aside, her lack of confidence flaring up. It's made even more awkward when Alpha turns in her direction as she knows that's her brother behind the mask. But then she realizes that no one knows who she is. With the mask and the magic that conceals their identity, if she makes a mistake or flubs, no one will no it's her. It won't come back to haunt her; no one will comment on her mistake in the halls at school; no one will be disappointed in her. So Juleka rises to her proper height and takes on the pose of a model—the pose she had practiced so many times in secret but been afraid of sharing. Then she confidently introduces herself as "Tigress." It…It sorta feels good to speak up like that. She asks Ladybug and Cat Noir what she can do to help.
However, any answers are cut short by more disharmonious chords from the akumatized victims, who are also taking pot shots at each other still. This causes all the heroes to buckle again. But despite that, Tigress forces herself to rise. She takes a deep breath and shouts "knock it off already! You're both acting like children!" And she's so loud she's actually able to cut over the chords—something that even Alpha, whose element is sound, couldn't do. Both DisChords look at her in surprise.
Cat Noir remarks, "I am impressed with this cat," and Ladybug quickly explains that the tiger's special ability is Intimidate. In short terms, it lowers the stats of the opponents. It's foil to Alpha's empowerment, which raises the stats of allies. And it's intentional that brother and sister have sound-based abilities that compliment each other. And Tigress's power is something they need now, since Hawk Moth created DisChord to grow in power like several akumatized victims in the past.
Seeing that Tigress is less affected by their techniques, both DisChords turn and target her. Tigress flinches, but by then the heroes are back on their feet and come to her aid. Ladybug encourages Tigress to not back down—she knows what needs to be done. Tigress takes a stance, facing down her akumatized parents, and lets loose with a mighty roar. This activates her Intimidate ability, decreasing the strength of her opponents as well as completely shattering any Solid Sound constructs they had currently made. (It's also no coincidence that both Tigress and Alpha utilize their special abilities through sound—howling and roaring.)
This time, it's DisChord who has to cover their ears from the volume. Cat Noir and Alpha charge in while they're distracted, each managing to recover a different half of the akumatized item. Alpha throws his half towards Cat Noir, who merges them together and then snaps it in half again, freeing the akuma. Ladybug is immediately ready to purify the akuma. One "Miraculous Ladybug" later, and they're all ready to "Pound It."
Tigress hesitates a moment before joining in. "Did I do good?" Ladybug affirms she did, though Tigress seems to be directing the question at Alpha. He nods and Tigress adds her fist to the bump. Ladybug offers to take Tigress back while Alpha slips off. Cat Noir offers to escort both Jagged and Anarka home. They're glaring at each other. Alpha, of course, circles back to the houseboat as Luka.
Ladybug and Tigress slip in through the same window they left from, landing in Juleka's room. Rose and the other girls are still outside the door, trying to coax Juleka to leave. Tigress transforms back and thanks Ladybug for the chance to help her parents. She then hands the slave bracelet back. Ladybug shakes her head and explains she wants Juleka to look after it full time. Juleka hesitates. Ladybug encourages her, saying that Juleka has the confidence and strength to use it for the greater good. Juleka explains that that's not why she's worried. She doesn't want to keep a secret like this from her family or her best friend. (Plus, she's seen the burden her brother has to carry as Alpha, but she can't admit to that.) Juleka insists on returning the bracelet. Ladybug accepts it back, but she knows this isn't the end. She finds it heart-warming that both Rose and Juleka turned down a miraculous because they didn't want to keep secrets. Ladybug swings out the window. Juleka takes a deep breath and glances in the mirror. Then she straightens her spine, much like a model, and rejoins her friends.
Meanwhile, Cat Noir is walking the adults back to the boat. He is a bit surprised that they're going the same direction (as Adrien wasn't present on the houseboat when the feud rekindled). Heck, he's surprised that DisChord was both Anarka and Jagged Stone to begin with. And both are still making passive-aggressive remarks towards each other. As a result, it doesn't take Cat Noir long to put two and two together and realize that they're actually ex-husband and ex-wife, and furthermore, that Jagged is Luka and Juleka's father.
Cat Noir blurts out "you two used to be married?!" which is when both remember that Cat Noir is walking with them. Anarka insists it's all over and makes him swear not to tell anyone. Cat Noir does. The houseboat comes into view, and Jagged's limo is still parked nearby. Cat Noir prepares to leave, but he takes one last look back. "Take it from a kitty who'd do anything to be able to speak with his parents one more time. Your kids don't want to see you guys acting like this." He leaves. Both Anarka and Jagged do feel guilty at that point because Cat Noir's words really put them on the spot.
On the gangplank, Jagged and Anarka take one last minute to talk—and this time, to actually talk. Jagged speaks first with "I don't expect you to forgive me. But I am serious when I say I want to make things right." Anarka hesitates before saying, "I don't forgive you. But…since you came all this way, you might as well stay for the cake. Don't get me wrong! If you so much as make Luka or Juleka cry, I'll have you walk the plank!" Jagged gives his word he's on the up and up. He quickly retrieves something from his limo and then joins the party on the deck.
On deck, all the teens have gathered again, including Marinette and Luka. Juleka is back with a party hat on and seems to be relaxing a bit more. Luka's turned the music back on, and it's an old song by Crocoduo.
That's when Jagged Stone walks up to join them with Anarka watching his back coldly. Jagged stops when both Luka and Juleka meet his eyes; he sorta freezes up. Then he finds his tongue, "You two have probably already been told about me. And I just wanted to say…It's just that…"
Alya realizes what's about to go down, and she loudly declares that "hey, it's time for cake. Marinette? Want to help me cut it? And Rose—go get our presents, okay?" She ushers everyone else away despite the obvious pile of presents and cake on the table right next to where Juleka is sitting.
With less of an audience, Jagged apologizes very powerfully and sincerely to his children for walking out. They deserve so much better than him—and they never, ever deserved what he did to them. Luka asks why Jagged came back now of all times. Jagged admits to feeling guilty his whole life over what he did, but it was after he talked with "a certain wolf" that he realized he had to take action and do the right thing. This chokes Luka up pretty hard.
Jagged continues that if they don't want to see him, he'll leave. But he thanks them for at least giving him enough time to apologize. With both teens so emotional that it looks as if they're going to reject him, Jagged starts to turn to leave. However, Juleka leaps to her feet and shouts, "don't go, dad!" which surprises Luka and Anarka as Juleka is being loud for once. Then, in a more normal tone, she says, "I don't want you to go."
Jagged turns around and approaches her. Then, very slowly, he pulls her close and hugs her tightly. He apologizes again, saying that he's 15 years late in hugging her for the first time—but he admits he doesn't want to let her go. Juleka starts sobbing lightly as she has finally understood and accepted that Jagged didn't leave the family because of her.
A moment later, Jagged turns to Luka and pulls him in his first hug. This surprises Luka, but it's also clear he appreciates it too. Not so far away, Luuna his kwami is crying lightly underneath the seat on behalf of all of them.
Jagged then says he has something for them. He pulls out two rather large wrapped presents. He apologizes for missing Luka's birthday earlier in the year, but he hopes he can make up for that—for that and the many other things he's done wrong and missed. Luka encourages Juleka to open hers first as it is her birthday. She does, and it's a worn bass guitar. Jagged explains that he saw that Juleka played bass (during his last visit when Anarka threw cans at him), so he thought she's appreciate having the first bass he ever owned. Juleka nods and cherishes it.
Luka opens his present, and it's a guitar. This surprises Anarka, who speaks up for the first time during this whole scene. "You kept that old thing?" Jagged nods. It turns out, this is a guitar that used to belong to Anarka, and she dumped it in Jagged's possession when they divorced. It was the same guitar she played when they were in Crocoduo together. Jagged said he felt Luka would appreciate having it, and he heard how good Luka is on the guitar (back during Desperada). There are definite tears in Luka's eyes when he says "thank you."
During all of this, Adamantus is still studying the butterfly-marked hallway in the catacombs. He's able to translate much of it (being written in older French) and relays what he learned to Nathalie/Hawk Moth. Most of what he's found out are techniques recorded by the prior butterfly user. This includes empowering himself (much like how Gabriel as Hawk Moth did with Catalyst), allowing his loyalist follows to have powers long-term, and expanding the radius his powers affected. Female Hawk Moth finds the latter most useful although she already had an idea on how to do that herself.
Adamantus comes to a dead end where there's a bust of Lazare Carnot inset in a very nicely decorated alcove. Adamantus says that this looks like it's the end. The tunnel was a way to record the secrets of the Count. But that's when Adamantus notices one final enscription. He reads it allowed for his aunt's sake. It explains how to use the butterfly's telepathy to not only link up the wielder and the akumatized person but also how to include other people in the conversation who are also akumatized at the time. Female Hawk Moth finds this very useful as it is essentially group telepathy—and telepathy has an advantage even over cell phones as it's not dependent on signals or battery and cannot be hacked. I could knock out communication all across Paris and yet still my users and I would be able to communicate. Her plans take one more step towards completion.
Adamantus wonders aloud how Ivory knew about this place. Hawk Moth comments it's probably knowledge that came from the Western Order, as by now she realizes whom she's fighting against with Ivory and her allies. She theorizes that Ivory didn't know specifically what was down here as otherwise she wouldn't have bothered—it's knowledge that only the butterfly user can appreciate. Hawk Moth grumbles at being cut off from the knowledge of the miraculous orders. All she has is the Eastern Order's grimoire, which she can't even read. But I will still overcome both Orders and awaken the man I love. No matter what. She tells Adamantus that he successfully completed his mission and to return. Adamantus does so.
And once he leaves, the camera pans behind the bust of Lazare Carnot. There is a whole chamber locked behind it through a hidden passage. A very familiar chamber with what appear to be eight crypts. It's the same chamber adult Bunnyx entered way, way back in the prologue.
Elsewhere in France, the Couffaines aren't the only ones going through an emotional scene with their father. Giselle Winters-Blanchet and her father Leon Blanchet have driven to the south of France in the Riviera. This is where they wound up when Leon took Giselle on a spontaneous vacation after she was akumatized into Burden when he unknowingly pushed her too hard. They're currently staying with Leon's older brother/Giselle's uncle.
They're in a cemetery, standing in front of a grave. Leon explains that this is his mother/Giselle's grandma's grave. He grew up in the Riviera and went north to go to college in Paris. That's where he met Giselle's mother. But before that, this was his home. Leon explains (some of what Giselle already knows) that he was the youngest of eight kids. When he had barely turned six, his mother got really, really sick. Leon couldn't do much, he was so young. He could barely wash dishes or sweep—he certainly couldn't fix the house or get a job to earn money or cook a meal for a family of ten. So he felt that if he made himself small, kept himself out of the way, that would be that much less his mother would have to worry about. He did his best to be unobtrusive so she wouldn't have to suffer.
But she still died of her illness. And to this day, Leon still feels guilty. "I should have done more. I should have seen what she needed and tackled it right away. I should have tried harder. I shouldn't have burdened her so much by having to watch after me. If I did…if I could have been more helpful…Maybe she still would be alive." Giselle reminds her father that it's not his fault; he was a child. His actions likely would have changed nothing. Leon admits he knows this in his head—but his heart refused to accept that.
"I thought it would be different when I grew up. And it was, for a while. But then your mom got cancer…" Leon chokes up, and Giselle leans into him. Leon continues that when he saw his wife fading from cancer, it brought him right back to his mother's death. He did all he could for his wife. He worked extra hours so they'd have more money to pay the bills. He cooked her meals, served her breakfast in bed, drove her to her doctor's appointments, cleaned the house, did everything he saw that needed to be done. But it wasn't enough because she died too.
Leon looks Giselle in the eyes. "I never, ever wanted to make you feel as if you're not good enough. You're my daughter; I love you—you will always be good enough. You never, ever have to prove that to me. Every single time I told you to 'take initiative' and 'be helpful' and 'don't be a burden,' I wasn't trying to discourage you. I was talking to myself more than you, trying to push myself harder so that way maybe I could protect you from the same thing that happened to my mother and my wife. I never should have taken my grief out on you, and I am so sorry I hurt you for so long." He hugs her tightly, and both are crying.
To be continued in Chapter 72: Ursa…