"We've fff-hound her Nino! Finally did!" Adrien ranted as he wobbled over the deck, waving an empty bottle above his head. "No doubt that shesh definitely Marinette!"

Adrien had his back to Nino, but he could practically hear his friend's eyes roll when he spoke. "How do you figure that, mate?"

He spun around and almost lost his balance, but grabbed onto the railing at the last second to catch himself and pointed in Nino's direction. "Why else would life shee fit to keep me from her when we just manage to find her!" Adrien continued his raving, even as he stumbled toward his friend. "Eight montsh!" he slurred. "Eight! I almost gave up! And no wonder it took so long to find her!" He jabbed his drink at Nino. "She's grown fins! She's probably been swimmin' all around us!"

Adrien paused a moment to take another swig from his bottle, only to stare at it blankly when he realized the glass was empty. Had he really drunk all that rum in so little time? But he couldn't see through the darkness anymore, because last time he checked, the sun had still been out.

"You know," Nino started. "There's no such thing as too much rum." He lifted himself and strolled closer, catching a hold of Adrien's shirt before he could completely topple over. "Pirates, privateers, merchants... Drinking is simply a staple of being out on the sea." Nino then pointed a finger in Adrien's face, and he crossed his eyes to focus on it. "But you, my friend, have had too much rum."

"Nonsense." Adrien knocked his hand away. "Kim's had more than me."

"And he's blackout drunk in the galley." Nino frowned, pulling Adrien's arm around his shoulders. "Not exactly prime condition for searching for Marinette, right?"

Adrien paused at this, seeing a bit of reason behind those words while Nino directed him toward the cabins. If he couldn't think straight, then he very well couldn't use his wits to find her again. "Right... right..." he mumbled, half-coherently. "We need a plan."

"You can come up with one in the morning." Nino patted his shoulder as they moved through the door and carefully stepped down the short entryway that led to Adrien's room. "Once you get over your hangover, that is."

Adrien let out a quick bark of laughter. "I won't get a hangover!" Nino opened the door for him, and Adrien swung his arm out, the momentum carrying him into his quarters with a surprisingly graceful spin. He even managed to pull himself into what he thought was a heroic stance. "I am Chat Noir! Hero of the seas! Drinker of rum!"

"Is that who you are?" Nino chuckled as he leaned against the door frame.

"I can out-drink any captain worth his barnacles in sea-spit," he boasted confidently and definitely not at all impaired by his drunken state.

"Sure, sure, whatever that means." Nino waved his hand, not sounding too convinced, but before Adrien could voice any arguments, Nino turned on his heel. "You can prove that if you wake up without a hangover."

"Ha! Yeah." Adrien flopped back onto the bed, feeling woozy. "I'll show you, turtle-head."

Adrien did not, in fact, 'show him.' Because when morning finally came, he woke up to an ungodly nausea churning in his stomach. He barely made it to the bucket in his room before he lost the entirety of his previous meal.

"Is that the tune of a hangover, I hear?" Nino's voice drifted through the door before it swung open, his cheerful face peeking through.

"You're chipper," Adrien grumbled, dragging a hand through his hair as he hunched over the pail on the floor.

"Just celebrating the bet you lost." Nino grinned.

Adrien blinked slowly, the gears in his head squeaking with rust as he tried to recall exactly what he had done in his drunken stupor. "I don't remember making a bet."

"No one ever does," Nino sang a little too happily. Adrien would have to remember to ask the crew if any of them had witnessed the so-called 'bet.' "You gonna hang around here to recover, or do you wanna join everyone on the island?"

"What's everyone else doing?" Adrien asked while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Nino pushed the door open wider and strolled inside. "Kim's managed to catch breakfast, despite nursing his own hangover, while Alix is searching the beaches on her own." Nino shrugged at the questioning face Adrien made. "She figures Marinette might be a little less scared to approach her. Never heard any stories about mermen, right?" He then jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "And Max has Markov flying above the island to see if he can spot anything, but last I saw, he was exploring some river in the forest."

"Ugh." Adrien ran a hand down his face, wincing from the pounding headache at his temples. "Do we have anything that isn't alcoholic? I need water."

"Can you stomach any food?" Nino asked as he moved out into the hall, Adrien standing and carefully stepping after him. "We've got bread that hasn't gone stale yet if you need something light."

Adrien tried a few remedies to recover as swiftly as possible, but despite the immunity he had built up to the effects of alcohol over his time sailing, it still took too long before he felt well enough to join Nino on the dinghy and make their way toward shore. When they arrived, Kim was nowhere to be seen, even though Nino had told him he would be cooking by the campfire.

Nino made an irritated sound in his throat as he jumped out of the row boat and waved his hands toward the empty camp. "It's like dealing with a bunch of toddlers. Can none of you hold your rum?" Nino jabbed a finger at the ground, shooting Adrien a stern look as he stumbled toward the firepit and eased himself against the sand. "Stay here! I'm gonna make sure Kim's not fallen off a cliff somewhere."

"Right. Yes. Sure," Adrien muttered, covering his eyes against the unforgiving glare of the sun. He probably would have shown a bit more concern if it didn't feel like the light was trying to repeatedly smash him over the head with a giant rock. "No worries, I'm not moving."

With those assurances, Nino ran off, leaving Adrien to stew alone on the beach. Though he didn't feel like getting up at all, his legs jittered with the need to do something more than just sit idly by while his crew did all the work. Thoughts of Marinette kept popping into his brain, prodding him into action before the nausea would slap that idea away, and he'd slump back to the ground like a useless doll.

Eventually, he was struck with the urge to relieve himself; a consequence of drinking all that water to try and drown out the effects of the hangover. While a part of Adrien didn't care where he picked a spot to pee, the sound of the waves crashing into the nearby shore suddenly reminded him of just how close he was to the ocean.

An ocean where Marinette was currently swimming in and possibly watching him.

So he groaned and grumbled as he stumbled to his feet and off toward the privacy of the trees, spurred on by the idea that he didn't want the love of his life happening upon him as he exposed himself along the beach to take care of bodily functions.

The forested area turned out to be a nice choice, as the shade offered a bit of relief from the sun. In the quiet of the woods, he listened to the ocean breeze gently nudge the palms, their leaves whispering as a bird—possibly Markov—cried off in the distance. And among the soft, gentle noises, Adrien managed to hone in on something unusual—a melody of sorts that he almost missed despite the serenity of his surroundings. He finished his business quickly, stopping to focus on the distant song. He could have sworn it was the delicate, lyrical voice of a woman singing.

It took his hungover brain a moment to eliminate Alix as the source, because she had gone off elsewhere and, frankly, held a tune just as well as a fishing net could hold water. Neither was it any of the rest of his crew, as the voice was definitely feminine.

Adrien crashed off through the brush after the voice, following it deeper toward the heart of the island as the song grew louder.

Eventually, he came to an inland cove where steep, rocky cliffs sheltered a small lake. A waterfall cascaded over the pool where he swore he could see colorful figures darting before they disappeared into the foam at his arrival. The singing stopped, and Adrien lifted his gaze at a flash of movement in the far shadows.

His heart clamored in his chest when he caught sight of a red tail fin just as it disappeared beneath the surface, and his gaze followed a shape through the clear water as it swam toward the shore on which he stood. Adrien held his breath when the woman finally breached the surface, lifting her arms and settling herself comfortably on one of the rocks jutting out of the waves.

As she tucked her dark hair away from her face, Adrien deflated with disappointment, because the mermaid was not Marinette. Her red scales sparkled in the sunlight with small black spots that had created a similar pattern. Still, Adrien couldn't help but stare at her, uncertain about what to say, and she watched him back almost expectantly and without fear. While he tried to cobble together some sort of coherent greeting, her gentle voice finally broke the silence between them.

"Hello."

"Oh... uh, hi?" Adrien jolted out of his stupor and stumbled closer. "You're not Alya by chance, are you?"

"My name is actually Tikki." The mermaid's tail curled around the rock that she lounged on, her mouth turned up at the corners in an amused looking smirk. "But as the matriarch of our pod, I do look after one named Alya."

"Oh." Adrien blinked. "That sounds important."

Tikki giggled, then lifted her body off of the rock and dipped into the water. With a few strokes of her long tail, she swam onto the shore, propping her body against her arms and peering up at him from the shallow waves. "I am simply the oldest. I guide and take care of my younger charges. And you are?"

"Oh, uh, Adrien." He finally remembered his manners and folded forward in a polite bow. "Adrien Agreste."

Tikki swept a calculating gaze from his head to his feet. "And… that's all? No other titles?" She tilted her head. "One in particular that comes with a certain mask?"

Adrien's eyes widened in surprise. Outside of his crew, no one knew of his identity, but then again, he didn't know a thing about mermaids and their capabilities or how this one appeared to know about him. Hesitantly, he reached into his vest and pulled out his mask. "And... Sometimes I am a captain. You've heard of Chat Noir?"

She leaned back and gave him a nod. Either she was simply answering his question or satisfied with his honesty. "I have also heard you've been looking for Marinette."

"Marinette?" Adrien perked up at her name. "So you know her?"

Tikki hummed in affirmation, and his heart skipped a beat. His eyes flicked back to the cove near the waterfall. Were those shapes from before the mermaids of her pod? Was Marinette with them? As much as he itched to just jump into the water to find out for himself, he politely held his feet firmly on the ground as Tikki continued, "I had to meet with you first to see what you want with her."

"W-well, the Marinette that we've been searching for is a human," Adrien explained. "She was lost at sea during a hurricane. But when I met her the other night..." He shook his head. "She couldn't be anyone but her. And she has the lucky charm that I made."

"A human lost at sea?" Tikki mumbled. "So you just want to reunite?"

"More than anything," Adrien said with a yearning that he didn't hold back. "She's... important to me, and an amazing friend to all of us." He knelt down on the sand a few feet in front of Tikki so that they would be eye-level with one another. "I don't want anything with her, I just want to help her return home."

Tikki's eyes seemed to soften, but she held up a finger and pointed at the mask he still held in his hand. "Another question, first. Would you tell me how you got that?"

Adrien brushed his thumb over the dark leather, wondering if he was allowed to divulge that information. His predecessor had told him never to reveal his identity, and he had more than one reason to keep it a secret. Although, it didn't seem to matter, considering Tikki appeared to know quite a bit about him already.

"The previous Chat Noir gave it to me," Adrien started slowly, deciding that the cat was already out of the bag with his identity anyway. "He trained me in order to take on the title."

"So Plagg wanted to retire?" Tikki asked, and he blinked at her with surprise.

"You... You know Plagg?" he stammered, dumbfounded. It struck him as funny that he found that more shocking than the fact that he was talking with a mermaid.

"I've known many Chat Noirs." Tikki gave him a gentle smile. "Although, I am ashamed to admit that I didn't recognize The Cataclysm sooner."

"You even know the ship?" Adrien asked before rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "We, ah... recently had to make a few repairs." He paused before quickly adding, "Pirates."

"Ah." Tikki nodded with an understanding look. "But yes, I do know a lot about the 'legendary' captain. Each one takes on the mask, the duty, and the title. They protect and serve for a time before finding a successor." Tikki leaned forward and curled her tail above the surf behind her. "I'm curious as to how you met Plagg."

"Pure luck," Adrien started to explain. "I just happened to stow away on his ship. I was trying to find a way to search for Marinette." He smiled fondly at the memory. "I guess Plagg saw something in me and how determined I was, because he didn't throw me overboard when I was found out. Instead, he asked if I wanted to destroy my father's stupid rules."

Tikki shook her head with a sigh. "That definitely sounds like him."

"Not to be rude," Adrien said, hesitantly glancing behind her. "But, what does me being Chat Noir have to do with Marinette?"

"Nothing. Or maybe everything." Tikki waved a hand idly over her shoulder. "If some random human were trying to find Marinette, then I wouldn't have let you near her." Her eyes momentarily flashed, and a cold, disturbing chill rushed down his spine at the look. "But Chat Noir?" Her expression softened. "You're the one human that I'm willing to trust."

"Oh." Adrien brightened up at that. "Then... Does that mean I can meet her again?" he asked hopefully. "Properly, this time. And no nets. Definitely no nets."

Tikki nodded, and Adrien couldn't help the wide grin that broke out over his face. "It seems only natural, considering your Marinette and my charge are one in the same."

Adrien blinked at that before asking, "Wait... You knew she used to be human?"

"I had my suspicions." Tikki folded her arms as she curled her tail around in the water. "Mermaids may be born alone when we are infants, but we know how to swim by instinct. It's how we seek out our own kind to grow with. But she's practically an adult, and when Alya found her, she didn't know how to properly use her fins."

"So..." Adrien hesitated, trying to come up with an explanation for Marinette's transformation. It had obviously been through some kind of magical means. "But—How does something like this happen?"

"I can think of only one thing." Tikki's gaze turned to the side and seemed to darken. "There was a time when I was captured by humans. In their greed, they ripped the scales from my flesh." She gently ran a hand over her tail. "My captors made them into powerful trinkets that stole my magic—miraculous objects that shouldn't exist." She turned her gaze up to him. "If someone used them, they would certainly have the ability to transform into a mermaid."

"You were captured?" Adrien's gaze hardened. He had only just met her, but Tikki seemed like a kind, reasonable person. She also appeared to be very protective of Marinette. He could appreciate that, so he didn't like the idea of anyone harming her.

"I was also rescued." Tikki's comforting smile took some of the edge off of his anger. "The young sailor that helped me to escape managed to retrieve my stolen scales." She brushed her earlobes with her fingers, which Adrien noticed were empty of any jewelry. "A pair of red ones were made into earrings, while a black spot was fastened into a ring, which I gifted to my hero. He became the first Chat Noir."

"But wait…" Her story took a moment more to sink in, his brain still slightly addled from his hangover. "Did Marinette do this to herself or…?" His fingers dug into the sand at the thought of the alternative.

Tikki immediately shook her head. "No. My earrings were stolen before I met her." She drummed her fingers against her chin, looking disturbed with her eyebrows drawn together. "I don't remember anything about encountering the thief, only that I was missing a chunk of time before the earrings went missing. And when I met Marinette, she happened to suffer a similar bout of amnesia?"

"So someone did this to her." He clenched his teeth, but it didn't help to settle his roiling thoughts. If he ever met the scum behind it all... "They took your earrings, used them to turn her into a mermaid, then somehow made you both forget? Why?"

"That's what I aim to find out." She pointed at the middle of his chest, close enough to almost touch him. "We can get to the bottom of this when you find my earrings with the power of the ring."

"You say that," Adrien started slowly, trying to recall if she had mentioned anything else about the object. The way she spoke made it seem like she expected him to know more about it. "But... what is this ring?"

Tikki blinked at him. "The ring?" Her eyes moved down to his hands, her brow seeming to furrow in confusion when she didn't find what she was looking for. "The one with great, destructive magic?"

Adrien spread his empty fingers to affirm he didn't have anything like that. "I uh... didn't get one?"

Tikki slapped her forehead and groaned. "That infuriating man!" Water splashed up behind her when she thrashed her tail about the waves. "How could Plagg not pass on the ring!?"

"Sorry," Adrien quickly and automatically answered.

"This is not your fault," Tikki fumed, clutching her hand against her temple and waving at him gently with the other. "We are going to find that jellyfish-for-brains and have him explain how he could forget something so important!"

"What does this ring do, exactly?" Adrien asked.

"Apart from containing a spell that can destroy anything it touches?" Tikki laughed softly, shaking her head while his eyes widened from shock. "It can help you find the earrings, and will also be a good defense against whoever stole them from me." Her nose wrinkled as she frowned. "The thief is either sly or powerful, and not a good combination to be up against if it is both."

"We might be able to locate Plagg," Adrien offered. "If he has the ring, then we can get it from him easily enough."

Tikki nodded. "You'll need it if you want to find the earrings. They are the best chance of returning Marinette to her rightful form."

"Then I'll do anything to help you retrieve them." Adrien nodded, determination set in his expression. If it was for Marinette, he would sail the world twice over and fight a hundred Captain Hardrocks if needed.

"I thought you might say something like that." Tikki smiled before turning to the bay and lifting her hand to hover just below her chin. She sang out a soft note, and the surface of the water in front of her distorted with soft ripples. Tikki then motioned her head toward the lake, and Adrien stared over the water as a trio of shapes darted just beneath the surface. He sucked in his breath when the three mermaids appeared, his attention fully captivated by the dark-haired girl in the middle.

"Marinette," Tikki beckoned to her, and she cast a nervous glance his way before swimming forward slowly. "I think you two should have a proper re-introduction."

Adrien tried to remember to breathe as she approached, but his lungs seemed to forget how to function when she alighted on the shore next to Tikki. Though he had seen her just the other day, having her right in front of him caused his pulse to quicken. He had gotten a decent look at her face, but he hadn't seen her fully, her body partially concealed by the dark water that night.

His cheeks flushed pink when his eyes trailed down and he realized that she wasn't wearing anything. Granted, there were pearlescent scales covering her chest, but they were light enough that there almost appeared to be nothing there. Female sailors—mostly Alix—didn't care much about sticking to traditional feminine fashions, but this was the most amount of skin he had ever seen a woman display in his entire life. With Tikki, he hadn't really noticed. Marinette, however, was leaning toward him rather—

"You're Chat Noir?" His eyes shot up at the sound of her delicate voice and their gazes met. His heart skipped a beat and the resulting adrenaline helped to pull him from his stupor.

"Purr-leasure to make your acquaintance, milady." He bowed. "I am indeed known as Chat Noir when I wear my mask, but as I'm not on duty at the moment, you can call me Adrien."

"Adrien?" she breathed his name softly, and he saw something there in her eyes that gave him hope. Maybe she had lost her memory but… Did she remember him despite all that she had experienced?

Her gaze searched him, and just when he thought he could see the recognition register, she suddenly winced and lifted a hand to her forehead.

"What's wrong?" Adrien quickly asked, reaching forward just short of touching her. He wasn't certain, with her missing memories, that she would be comfortable with him. Luckily, Tikki offered assistance in his place as she wrapped a protective arm around Marinette's shoulders.

"I don't… know," Marinette said slowly. "But it's… You're familiar to me, I can feel it. Oww…" She closed her eyes with another flinch and mumbled, "Whenever I think I'm remembering something, my headache just gets worse."

Tikki pulled her closer and laid her forehead against Marinette's. "Hmm… No doubt there is a spell in place preventing her memories from returning, and one that appears to lack any sympathy." She then turned to face Adrien. "We should find Plagg as soon as possible. How much do you trust your crew?"

- o - o - o - o - o - o -

Adrien reconvened with his ship mates on the main beach, where The Cataclysm floated out in the deeper waters of the bay. Using Markov to help gather everyone together, they all managed to return in time to marvel at the sight of the mermaids swimming through the surf. No one said a word when Tikki floated up with the waves to glide to a gentle stop before them, joined shortly on the sand by her three charges.

"See?" Adrien nudged Nino with his elbow. His friend appeared to be having trouble keeping his mouth shut. "Told you I spotted Marinette in the water."

Nino tore his gaze away from the mermaids before it quickly returned to Marinette, his eyes eventually narrowing when he took in the dark spots against the red of her tail. His mouth pulled into a thin frown as he shook his head. "Really?"

Adrien made no effort to restrain his laughter before composing himself and bowing. "Since we've already had our formal introductions, allow me to introduce my crew." He waved his hand out to each of his friends. "To my left is my first-mate Nino. To my right: Alix, Kim, Max and—"

Before he could finish, Markov landed on the sand in a flurry of feathers and announced himself with a loud caw. "Markov!"

"Oh my gosh!" Rose—easy to remember because of her pink scales—squealed and tossed herself forward on the sand, crouching right in front of Markov. "Little humans are so cute!"

"Rose…" Alya shook her head and groaned. "That is obviously a bird."

"Specifically, he is an African Grey." Max adjusted his glasses and leaned over Rose curiously. "But he does have the mental capacity of a five-year-old child."

"Woah, bud." Alya shifted her weight and moved her tail around to hover right in front of his face. "Stay about five fins that way."

"It's alright, Alya." Tikki held up her hands and gently grasped her on the shoulder. "Chat Noir's crew can be trusted."

"Oooooh." Alix shot a smirk over to Nino. "So this is Alya, huh?"

"Really!? That's your focus?" Nino threw his arms in the air before flailing them in Marinette's direction. "Were you not more curious about the fact that Marinette has a tail fin!?"

"Oh!" Kim jumped up and waved his hands over his head. "I actually have a few questions about that!"

"Guys…" Adrien stepped forward and spun around to face his crew. "Try to make a show a little poise for a good impression?" He bowed slightly at his waist, stepping back so that the group of mermaids were fully visible to his friends and motioning to each girl in turn. "This is Tikki, the matriarch of the pod." She inclined her head. "These two are Alya and Rose." Alya crossed her arms over her chest while Rose waved excitedly. "And of course…" He turned to Marinette with a smile. "Marinette. But I'm assuming you all know her."

"So, you really don't remember us?" Alix's voice was soft when she kneeled down in front of Marinette.

Marinette's eyes wavered as they flicked over her for a moment before turning up to stare at the rest of his friends. Adrien could read the hopeful and expectant looks on their faces, probably mirroring his own from earlier.

"I'm sorry," Marinette eventually lowered her gaze, the frustration apparent in her expression. "We've never met. At least, I don't remember if we ever have."

"It's alright," Adrien gently said as he lowered himself to the sand next to Alix. "We're not expecting you to force it or anything."

"Amnesia could take some time to recover from," Max offered helpfully. "Now that you're among friends again, sharing stories about people we know or experiences may help you recall memories from before."

"I dunno," Alix chimed in, glancing at Marinette. "I would have thought she'd recognize us or something at least." Alix quickly raised her hands up at Marinette's pout. "Not that I'm saying you need to remember just cause we're here! What you went through sounded pretty traumatic."

"It may not be a good idea to flood her with information," Tikki warned. "Whatever spell affects her seems to be blocking her memories. She may not be able to recover them until she becomes human again."

"At least I don't remember the bad parts," Marinette mumbled, shaking her head before turning her attention back on Adrien. "I don't know how this happened, or who did this, and I certainly don't remember any of you at all, but..." He could see something behind those eyes of hers, as if she was struggling with her own thoughts. "I just have this feeling. It sounds weird, but... I know you, even though I also feel like I've never met any of you in my life."

"So you trust us? Even though we seem a bit fishy?" Adrien leaned forward with a wide grin and reached out to grasp her hand. "With that way of thinking, we'll get along just swimmingly, my lady." He pressed a brief kiss to her knuckles, which was easy since it seemed as if she had frozen, blinking at him with wide eyes and looking so much like the Marinette he remembered that he couldn't help but chuckle.

But then the spell crumbled, and she pushed him away with a disgusted groan, giving him a gentle flick to his forehead. "Oh, I see you're a jokester."

Adrien grinned, because he had seen the wisp of a smile tugging at her lips. So she didn't appear to have been completely repulsed by his puns. It felt like her, while at the same time, this forward, confident girl was a side of Marinette that he had only seen glimpses of, and it sent an excited shiver down his spine.

The Marinette he knew had been shy and clumsy, mixing up her sentences as she struggled to form words. She had more often been a bit of a mess around him, but there had been the occasional instance where that amazing, strong, and brilliant girl often shone through. He regretted not understanding why she had been so nervous around him for all that time.

"Not to sound impatient," Alya asked slowly, eyeing Adrien with a sudden, calculating gaze as she raised a curious eyebrow. "But if we need to find this Plagg guy to help Marinette, shouldn't we be leaving?"

"Another day would be optimal," Max answered. "The pirates that were chasing us will likely have moved on, but our captain should rest to properly heal his injury."

"You're hurt?" Marinette's head whipped around to quickly face Adrien again, her wide eyes flicking over him.

"'Tis but a flesh wound, milady." Adrien grinned and gave her a small bow. "I'll be back in top shape by the time we leave to search for Plagg."

"Where is it?" Her gaze still searched him. "I can help."

"Oh, yes!" Rose clapped her hands together and gave them a wide smile. "Marinette's magic is the best!"

"Magic?" Adrien's voice grew quiet as his brain had trouble processing this new information. "You can use magic?"

"A bit," Marinette pinched her fingers together and nodded. "And it's not 'the best,' but it's okay for mermaid magic."

Adrien hesitated only a moment, unable to tear his curious gaze away before leaning back with a jolt. "Oh, yes. Here." He drew up his shirt, showing the bandages hidden beneath.

Marinette reached her hand forward, then paused over the cloth. "I'll need to touch it for this to work."

With Max's help, Adrien unwound the covering to reveal the gash in his side. Max had managed to stitch it back together with expert care, but still in the early stages of the healing process, it probably looked worse than it was. From Marinette's soft gasp, she must not have found it pretty.

But she quickly set her mouth in a determined frown, eyebrows drawn together as she shifted closer so that her fingers were barely touching the wound. Even at the gentle pressure though, Adrien tried to suppress his hiss as the pain flared up.

And then, the ache suddenly disappeared. There was a soft light in the corner of his vision, and he felt a warmth rush through him. He turned back to witness Marinette's glowing fingertips brush over the welt, his skin lighting up along with them, extending the length of the cut as it began to shrink. Adrien watched, his gaze transfixed while his injury all but disappeared before his eyes. When Marinette finally pulled her hand away, it was nothing more than a dark scar in his side.

"Astounding," Max whispered as he adjusted his glasses and leaned closer to inspect her work. "You can still see it, but the skin has completely scabbed over and the wound is closed!"

Adrien poked it curiously before wriggling around, elated that he no longer felt any discomfort from it, only a slight pull from the healed flesh. He stared back at Marinette with a warm, lopsided grin, fighting the urge to simply pick her up and hug her. "You're amazing, Marinette."

Her cheeks flushed a soft pink beneath his gaze, but she quickly turned her head away without saying a word.

"That... was super awesome," Kim marveled as he leaned over Adrien's shoulder. "Marinette's more than a mermaid, she's a wizard!"

"Pretty handy," Alix agreed and smiled eagerly. "Now that the Captain's all good, we can leave and start looking for that guy."

"Agreed. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can help Marinette." Max nodded before turning to Adrien. "But where do we start? Didn't the previous captain disappear once you took over as Chat Noir?"

"I don't know where Plagg is." Adrien settled his shirt back in place and stood up, dusting the sand off his hands. "But he told me where I could find his ship's old doctor, in case we ever needed him." Adrien stroked his chin. "Master Fu, if I remember? He would be a good place to start in finding Plagg."