This is the moment you've all been waiting for.
Marinette woke up on the morning of the Valorant tournament. She was quite excited for it. It was one way to break the usual routine of school and her main commitments. She had been playing the game a lot in her free time. She enjoyed the training that she did. She had been nervous the previous night, but she felt better after one last training session. Every gaming session had led up to this moment. She was hoping to breeze through her classes for today, but she knew that she had to live in the moment and work hard in the present, not always looking toward the future. She would try her best not to always think about the tournament while in class.
She quickly got ready, then walked to school. While walking, she was thinking about her situation with Adrien. She had gotten into a mess that she wasn't expecting. Adrien was avoiding her, so she decided to respect his wishes for a while, but it was getting annoying. At least he was slowly pulling himself together and started being more present in the group again at the start of the week. She didn't know the whole story, or everything about what Adrien was going through, so she wasn't going to be too hard on him.
She knew Adrien was feeling unhappy for a few days, but she didn't know why. It sounded like there was something Adrien wasn't telling her, because whenever she asked him, he said that he was just stressed with school and was doing his best to work hard, letting most of his free time go to preparing for the tournament. It didn't seem like Adrien hated her, because he had pulled himself together in the past week and began being friendlier with her again.
She had figured out that she truly liked Adrien, yet he was still oblivious. She was thinking that he knew that Luka had also wanted to make a move on her. She had turned him down when she realized that she still had feelings for Adrien, and Luka easily conceded. Luka had told her that he thought Adrien was better for her than he was, and he expressed that he would be supportive of them if they got together. The next thing she needed to do was to talk to Adrien, but she didn't want to risk breaking up the group. They had better teamwork in the last two practice sessions, but she still wasn't too confident.
She had also been planning to reveal that she was Ladybug at the tournament. She wasn't going to log in with her second account anymore. Hopefully, this would help her confess to Adrien, as it was obvious that Adrien had a crush on her for the longest time. The only thing left to do was confess. If she wanted to solve her group's problems, that was how it was going to be.
It didn't take long until she saw Alya when she arrived at school.
"Hey, girl, you ready for the tournament?" Alya asked.
"I'm a bit ready," said Marinette. "My main goal is to have fun."
The bell rang a few minutes later. Marinette went to class, trying not to think about the tournament too much. She had to contain her feelings of nervousness and excitement.
Adrien sat in class, trying not to move too much. It was the last class of the day, and the tournament was going to start 30 minutes after the last bell rang. He just focused on writing down answers, but he felt like time was moving too quickly. He tried to breathe slowly and not pay attention to the time too much.
He also thought about what would happen once he revealed himself as Chat Noir. He could already sense the fangirls. He knew that girls would crush on him more. They would either want Adrien, Chat Noir, or both. He knew that most of them were shallow and just appreciated the model, not his personality.
He wrote as slowly as he could, finishing a question before being temporarily lost in thought. He would need to confess his feelings to Marinette. He didn't know what happened between her and Luka, as they hadn't talked much. When they did talk, there wasn't much tension, but they either made small talk or talked about school-related topics. He wasn't sure if he had asked her out yet. The last time they talked was almost 3 weeks ago, a few days before Chloe, Nino, and Alya pulled him aside for a serious talk.
He saw only one way to move on, and that was to confess. He was planning to do that after the tournament. They could go back to just being friends and move on even if she didn't like him back. He would need to release the feelings once and for all. If Marinette was going to be happy with someone else, then he was going to be happy for her.
He remembered the talk he had with his father and Nathalie two weeks ago. They gave him more encouragement than he expected, telling him that his pain will seem small in a few years, and that he will learn and get stronger. His father also told him that since he wasn't sure if Marinette was with Luka, Adrien still had a chance.
He also said a lot of good things about Marinette, saying that she was sweet, kind, and always willing to help people. He said that Marinette would be a great fashion designer for his company in the future, but that he also wanted to get to know her as a person. It was the most wholesome thing that Gabriel had ever said about anyone. Gabriel then encouraged Adrien to pursue her and allowed him start asking girls out. Adrien was glad that his father was making more of an effort in parenting.
Adrien finished all the questions on the worksheet. That would give him less work to do and more understanding of the material. He was going to be a little less stressed now.
A few minutes later, the bell finally rang. Adrien walked to his locker, grabbing a black hoodie with a green pawprint, with the name "Chat Noir" written under it in green letters. Marinette knew that they all had Ladybug merch, so she asked everyone to wear it at the tournament. He knew the identities of Nino, Alya, and Chloe. He was Chat Noir, and that would mean that Marinette was Ladybug. She was the missing piece, from his point of view. She even agreed to be Ladybug if Adrien was going to be Chat Noir.
They went to the theater. It was the venue for assemblies and plays. It had also been the venue for tournaments, even those that required a hundred players playing at the same time. This time, only ten people would play at the same time. There were two rows of tables with five laptops each. School laptops weren't too good for gaming, but they still did the job. Everyone used the same model. That way, no one had the advantage given by a laptop that performed better.
He met up with his team. One by one, they arrived. He saw Marinette in a red hoodie with black spots. Chloe wore a yellow hoodie with black stripes based on Queen Bee. Alya wore a Rena Rouge hoodie with the character's face on it, while Nino wore a green hoodie with a pattern that looked like the scales on the underside of a turtle, like he was wearing the top half of Carapace's suit. He kept his hood up instead of wearing his cap.
"Hey Alya, you're looking foxy," said Nino.
"You look even better," said Alya.
Each team stood beside each other to discuss their strategies, making sure to know when to make each move like it was a game of chess.
He saw other students gathering in their teams, seeing classmates he had for years. On one team, he saw Max, Sabrina, Luka, Kagami, and Zoe. He knew that most of them were good, especially Max and Kagami, based on the times he played FPS games with them.
On another team, he saw Kim, Alix, Ivan, Mylène, and Mireille. Later, he saw Marc, Nathaniel, Rose, Juleka, and Aurore. He was slightly concerned with Kim's team, and he felt more confident about defeating Nathaniel's team, but he could never be too careful. He knew that Kim and Alix were great players, but they were playing to compete. He knew they would compete over how many kills they got. Maybe they would both use a risky and aggressive playstyle, or they would carry the rest of the team.
He saw four other teams. There was a projector showing a tournament bracket on the big screen at the back of the stage. There were a total of eight teams and forty players, meaning that the prize would be 200 euros. He didn't see the team names yet.
He then spotted Mr. Wayzz, who was manning the projector. He then went onstage and started speaking once the players and viewers began pouring in.
"Welcome to the Valorant tournament! These are the teams that are playing."
The tournament bracket was filled with team names. Adrien saw that his team was going to play against a team called "Big Brain Energy". He wasn't sure who were playing in that team. When signing up, they didn't disclose their ranks. It was part of the secrecy. They weren't going to know who they were playing against until the day of the tournament.
"The first game will be between Team Miraculous and Big Brain Energy," said Mr. Wayzz.
"Oh man, we're up first," said Adrien.
Chloe wrapped one arm around Adrien and another around Marinette. "Okay, you guys need to pull yourselves together if we're going to make those plays."
"Yes, girl, tell them!" Alya exclaimed.
"We got you," said Adrien.
"Yes, boss," said Marinette. "You really know how to take charge when I can't, huh?"
"Someone needed to hold the team together," said Chloe.
They then took their positions, putting their headphones on. Chloe took the middle and Alya sat with Nino, forcing Adrien to sit with Marinette. He thought Chloe did that on purpose. The other team consisted of boys that Adrien didn't know. He was guessing they were all in the younger years.
Everyone started logging in. Mr. Wayzz gave each player 5 minutes to warm up before they had to join the custom game that he made.
Adrien had logged in using his Chat Noir account. He saw that Ladybug had logged on. Marinette was Ladybug? He had his suspicions, but he was still surprised.
His teammates were silent, then slowly turned to him and Marinette. He and Marinette slowly turned to each other.
"YOU'RE LADYBUG?!" Adrien exclaimed, almost bursting Marinette and Chloe's eardrums.
"YOU'RE CHAT NOIR?!" Marinette exclaimed with an equally deafening volume.
"Yes, now we need to face the crowd while the game is still loading," said Adrien.
Marinette walked over to the mic. "Yes, I am Ladybug and he's Chat Noir. We will reveal ourselves on YouTube soon. If you have any questions, you can approach us later."
"Yeah, the cat's out of the bag," said Adrien. The crowd burst out laughing.
They returned to their teammates, who were still in shock.
"Ladybug and Chat Noir have been going to school with us this whole time?!" Chloe asked loudly. "This is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"
"I'm not surprised," said Alya. "They kinda look the same, and even if their personality was different, I could tell they were the same person."
"You knew?" Marinette asked.
"Yeah, it took me a while, but I figured it out," said Alya. "But I didn't say anything because whenever you're Ladybug, you always said you valued your privacy. You always told us that whenever I played as Rena Rouge."
"Dude, you were Chat Noir this whole time?" Nino asked. "That's so cool."
"Yeah, I love being Chat Noir," said Adrien. "He's my real personality. The model that the public sees doesn't say much about the real me."
"Wait, so that means you've been talking to Ladybug," said Chloe. "And this whole time we were teasing you about having a crush you couldn't possibly be with."
"Yeah, Chat Noir and I are the same person," said Adrien. "Turns out there's no competition between us."
It was time to pick characters. They had different combinations of agents based on the ones they were comfortable with. Alya picked Sage, Nino picked Omen, Adrien picked KAY/O, Chloe picked Skye, and Marinette picked Killjoy.
Their opponents picked Fade, Phoenix, Astra, Raze, and Yoru. Adrien didn't know who had each username.
It was time for the first round. The map they were playing in was called Fracture and they were starting out as the defenders. Adrien chose not to buy. Chloe bought as much as she could. She used a Ghost. Alya and Nino also bought a Ghost, while Marinette bought an alarmbot and swarm grenades.
Marinette was guarding A with Adrien. Marinette placed her turret while Adrien was in a position where he can throw a knife through a set of double doors.
The round started. Adrien waited, then he threw his knife. The doors opened, revealing two enemies. He quickly took shots, killing one and hurting the other, before retreating so that he wasn't hit.
Chloe, Alya, and Nino rushed to defend A. Nino flanked. Marinette killed the other opponent, giving Adrien an assist. Chloe killed an opponent that walked towards A site, while Nino killed the remaining two, giving them a flawless victory and earning some applause from the crowd.
The second round was another win for Team Miraculous. Adrien had used a Spectre and killed three opponents that attempted to push through B site.
The third round was a hard-earned victory for their opponents. They used a great strategy involving Yoru teleporting behind enemy lines while Adrien's team was distracted. The Yoru killed Chloe and Adrien before he himself was killed. The only survivor in that round was the enemy Phoenix.
"That's how you use big brain energy," said one of the team members between rounds. Players were known to talk during the game, but not too much so that they didn't distract the others, and they also taunted each other, but made sure not to go too far depending on who they were talking to.
The next three rounds were victories for Team Miraculous. Some were easy, while others were earned from a long fight. The sixth round had ended after Adrien retook the site, killing the enemies before defusing.
It was the seventh round. Marinette was using an Operator. Adrien, Alya, and Chloe used Vandals, while Nino used a Phantom, which was a suppressed assault rifle.
Chloe had her ultimate, so she used it to look for the enemies. Adrien killed one that was blinded. The enemy team was pushing towards B site, right into Marinette's crosshairs.
Marinette then took a shot, hitting the enemy square in the chest, forcing him to drop the spike.
"Good shot, milady," said Adrien.
Marinette simply smiled in return.
Marinette got another kill with the Operator. She had been ruthless, and the only thing anyone could hear that the loud sound of the gun that signaled imminent death.
Nino then killed the last opponent while he was trying to plant the spike.
It was the last round in the half. The score was 8-4. Adrien's team had been stomping on their opponents overall. There were some moments where the other team had them on the ropes, though.
They had won the pistol round, then the enemy team won the next two rounds in a row.
Eventually, the score was 12-6. Team Miraculous planned a slow push on A site.
They stood still for 5 seconds. After that, Nino threw some smokes at places where enemy defenders would be standing. They then walked quietly. Alya put up a wall, Marinette placed her turret, Adrien planted the spike, and Chloe used her Tasmanian tiger ability to scout.
With the whole team onsite, they just had to hold out for 45 seconds.
Adrien threw his knife, detecting two enemies. Chloe was guarding her section and found an enemy by using her flash abilities. Nino hit a few enemies before they retreated. Chloe killed one that was flanking. Marinette was also able to kill one. As the timer kept winding down, the enemy was trying to push, though it seemed hopeless for them. Marinette killed two more, and Nino scored the game-winning kill, winning the round by elimination. Team Miraculous had won and they were now going to advance.
The two teams met in the middle of the stage to wish each other a good game and exchange fist bumps.
"Good game, guys," said one of the team members. "We didn't expect to fight the entire miraculous team."
"Yeah, it's an honor," said another.
"You guys put up quite a fight –– I'll give you that," said Adrien.
"To be honest, I thought we would do worse," a third added.
Adrien turned to his teammates. "Pound it!"
They exchanged fist bumps.
Mr. Wayzz then went up onstage. "Team Miraculous has won and will advance to the semifinals. We will have a 15-minute break between each game so that the next teams can settle down and warm up. Everyone else may relax and step outside."
He then set up a big timer on the projector that started counting down.
"Okay, Marinette, can we talk outside?" Adrien asked.
"Yeah, let's do it," said Marinette.
Everyone gave a thumbs up in encouragement.
They walked to a quiet part of the hallway.
"Okay, Marinette, we've both revealed ourselves," said Adrien. "I wasn't really expecting Ladybug to go to my school, even though I had a few suspicions, and I know you must be surprised that Chat Noir goes here too."
"Well, how do you feel now?" asked Marinette. "Are you disappointed that it's me? The girl who used to stutter and was clumsy, but still a bit shy?"
"No," said Adrien. "I'm not disappointed. In fact, I'm happy. Because now, I don't need to choose between two people."
"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.
Adrien took a deep breath. "I've just realized that I like you, Marinette, as more than a friend. I used to like Ladybug, then I realized that your personality was like hers. But you'll probably be with Luka. I think he's good for you, and I want you to be happy. If you two will be good together, so be it. I think he's much better than I could ever be."
Adrien sighed. He had just let his feelings out. He was nervous, but once he started talking, the only way was to finish. There was a bit of a pause.
"No, you've got it all wrong," said Marinette. "I rejected Luka because I've always liked you more, and he said all the things you just told me earlier. He said that he thinks you're the right guy for him."
"Wow," said Adrien. "This whole time I thought you and him would get together. I felt a bit hurt, but I was willing to fight the pain. That was why my attitude had changed a bit before I got better so that I can play in the tournament. I had to confess because it was the only way I could sort out my feelings."
"I can't believe you finally figured it out after all these years."
"Well, there's one more thing. I want to ask your parents first, but if they said yes, would you go out with me?"
"Of course! Though I know they would easily say yes. They love you."
"I still want to let them know. I think it would be a good idea."
"Yeah, you should ask them."
"Let's go back inside now."
Adrien sighed in relief, feeling happy that Marinette returned his feelings. He was now more relaxed as he took a sip of water once he returned to the theater. He then rejoined his team.
"We're gonna be going out soon," said Marinette.
"Yes! My ship has sailed!" said Chloe, pulling them both into a hug.
"Adrienette for the win!" said Alya.
"Dude, did you really just reveal your identity, confess to your crush, then ask her out on the same day?" Nino asked. "Your balls are made of vibranium."
"Yeah," said Adrien. "I just need to ask her parents, though I know they love me and would be excited about me taking her out."
The timer ran out and the tournament bracket was updated.
"The next game will be between Potato Party and Radiants," Mr. Wayzz announced.
Adrien didn't know the people that made up the Radiants team. They were probably in the younger years and were a mix of boys and girls. Potato Party consisted of Kim, Alix, Ivan, Mylène, and Mireille. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he knew that Kim and Alix would compete for kills, sometimes playing too aggressively. Maybe that training had worked for them, or they were able to find a balance between going for kills and playing to win. It seemed like Kim and Alix were likely to carry a lot.
After each team finished warming up, they started the game, with Kim's team on the offensive. Kim picked Phoenix, Alix picked Jett, Ivan picked Breach, Mylène picked Chamber, and Mireille picked Viper. The enemy team had Reyna, Raze, Harbor, Breach, and Omen.
The first round was a swift victory for Potato Party, as Kim got three kills and Alix got two. For the next few rounds, Kim's team played more cautiously, though Kim and Alix were always in the front and were scouts. Sometimes, their aggressive playstyle paid off, while other times, they easily lost.
The score ended up being 8-4, with Kim's team in the lead. Ivan had the chance to be in the spotlight in the 12th round. With his team gone, he managed to hold off the last two players trying to retake the site. He had 12 kills in the first half. Perhaps Kim and Alix didn't need to work as hard.
The next half was more interesting, as the game ended up being tied at 10-10. Potato Party changed their strategy by playing more slowly, managing to kill two enemies. The enemy team planted the spike, but a well-planned retake gave Kim's team the victory.
Kim's opponents tried a slower approach, but his team was ready for that, and he had been able to kill three opponents before he was killed. Ivan and Mylène were able to kill the remaining two.
Eventually, Kim's team won 13-10. Their opponents didn't seem so helpless, especially in the second half. Adrien was trying to prepare himself and thought about what he would do when facing Kim's team.
"Potato Party will advance," said Mr. Wayzz. "Next up is Rainbow Brigade and Bridge Duelists."
The members of Rainbow Brigade were Marc, Nathaniel, Rose, Juleka, and Aurore. The team was entirely made up of queer people, which was why they chose that name. Marc was dating Nathaniel, Rose was dating Juleka, and Aurore was single and openly bisexual. They wore outfits with pride patterns on them.
The other team was made of seniors that Adrien saw sometimes. He had classes with some of them, and knew their names, but they weren't even acquaintances with him. They were a mixed group of boys and girls.
Rose picked Killjoy and Juleka picked Raze. Killjoy and Raze were one of the most popular couples on Valorant, and some people think they might be canon based on the storyline. Marc picked Omen and Nathaniel picked Yoru. Aurore picked Jett.
The other team picked duelist characters because of their team name. They had Reyna, Phoenix, Jett, Raze, and Neon.
The first three rounds went to Bridge Duelists. The third round ended in a flawless victory for them when a few members of Rainbow Brigade were unable to hit their targets.
"You guys can't even shoot straight!" a player taunted.
"Dude, no one on our team is straight," Juleka countered. "Now let me show you how I really fight."
Juleka picked off some enemies, getting enough points to use her ultimate ability. They had won that round, and it was the beginning of a great comeback.
In the next round, Juleka used her rocket launcher to kill two enemies, helping the rest of her team win that round and getting the highest number of kills out of her team. They had won the next four rounds in a row.
Bridge Duelists would win two more rounds in the first half, before losing every subsequent round. Rainbow Brigade ended up winning 13-5, as they had managed to rethink their strategies after initial losses.
"Rainbow Brigade wins!" Mr. Wayzz announced. "The next game will be between Hashira and Cracked Shots."
Hashira was composed of Max, Sabrina, Luka, Kagami, and Zoe. Adrien knew that their name was inspired by Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, an anime that he and some of his friends liked. Cracked Shots was made up of girls that he didn't know well. He knew they were all seniors like him.
Max picked Astra, Sabrina picked Sage, Luka picked Sova, Kagami picked Yoru, and Zoe picked Breach.
There hadn't been a more one-sided battle than this one. Hashira had swept Cracked Shots, having beaten them 13-0, and now everyone else could see how skilled they were. They had been on the ropes a few times, but a few clutches from Max and Kagami had earned them the victory. They were the ones with the highest number of kills.
"Wow," said Mr. Wayzz. "What a win for Hashira. And there you have it. For the semifinals, we have Team Miraculous, Potato Party, Rainbow Brigade, and Hashira. Now, Team Miraculous will face Potato Party."
Each player quickly logged in, then they separated to huddle. Everyone else was eating snacks and drinking water. Some took the opportunity to go outside.
"Okay, we need to switch up our tactics, and I feel like they will do the same," said Marinette. "If Kim and Alix play aggressively, prioritize on taking them out. I'm sure they will catch on, so adapt each round."
"How about we pick a different agent this time?" asked Adrien.
"Whenever we attack, we should always go for slow pushes," said Chloe. "If we can pick off defenders from a distance, then we have a better chance of taking a site."
"Okay, so if we defend, we don't move forward," said Alya. "I know some of us like to push and risk flanking, and I do that too, but we're prioritizing winning rounds here, not getting kills."
"In that case, we shouldn't peek too much," said Nino. "You should always be able to dodge quickly."
"I think we have what it takes to win this game," said Marinette. "Just hold angles and work together with your abilities when you can."
It was then time for the first game of the semifinals to start.