Author's Note: Sorry I took a very long to get back. My grandmother passed away a month ago and I had to attend her funeral. It was scorching hot on that day, but I survived the heat for ten minutes for grandma's sake. It wasn't anything big, just a small funeral with my grandmother's ashes buried next to my grandfather. Day after that came my birthday, despite the terrible rainy weather, I went out to eat with my family and then I wanted to watch the whole Lupin III part 6 series on Blu-Ray as I've been eager to see it for a long time. It still doesn't excuse my absence of writing though. I deleted the Yusuke x Haru story because it took away most of my time wanting to do this story, my Watership Down story, and focusing on recreating my original P5 story.
Anyway, here is more of Miraculous Tales of Phantom Thieves & Superheroes. Opening is based on a part of the Miraculous Ladybug video game, Rise of the Sphinx. Sacha is an OC I created to give Marinette and friends some confidants, like how Ren has confidants he often helps out. Read and enjoy!
Defeating Mr. Pigeon proved to be a lot easier than Ladybug thought it would be, despite a certain Ladyblogger getting in the way. Stallion, the name Alain decided to go for because he still has the horse miraculous in his possession, had to open a portal and forcibly relocate Alya someplace safe and at a distance.
Earlier today, Mayor Bourgeois launched his new Paris cleaning strategy to the press - Operation Clean Paris. He was supported by a squad of new, and expensive, innovative cleaning robots. Those robots worked like a charm whenever they cleaned the park of garbage or neglected dog crap left by careless pedestrians. Although he made an insensitive remark on his intent to put an end to an unsightly and stinky flying rodent problem - in other words, pigeons.
This enraged Xavier Ramier, who got akumatized once again, to take his revenge on Mayor Bourgeois and his, as the pigeon man liked to describe them, shameful robots. Whenever he blew his whistle, harmless pigeons got transformed into ominous, ruthless pigeon-bots, chasing people out of the park and sabotaging the conference. The chaos began spreading havoc in the city.
It was broadcasted on the news and that's why Zoe had texted Marinette and Alain to come back ASAP. Time for Ladybug, Vesperia and their new member, Stallion, to save the day. As usual, Chat Noir refused to show up. Not that the heroes are complaining or anything.
Stallion opened a portal inside the little pigeon house, scaring the birds into flying through it and away from the scene. Lucky Charm turned out to be a piece of chewing gum. Ladybug chewed and blew a bubble big enough to pop, leaving its sticky remains on Mr. Pigeon's face. Stallion opens a portal behind Mr. Pigeon and Vesperia goes right in, paralyzing the pigeon man to stop his frantic movements. Thus, giving Ladybug the chance to snatch the pigeon whistle, snap it in half and free the akuma. The battle ended with a Miraculous Ladybug cure and everything in the city returned to normal.
The three heroes pounded their fists together and congratulated each other on a job well done. But the victory ended bittersweet when Ramier had to be taken in for questioning by a woman, no doubt someone who works for the police, whom neither Ladybug nor her friends have ever seen before. Dark hair tied in a ponytail, fair skin and brown eyes. Attractive at her mid-thirties, but her firm expression spoke how determined she is on doing her job as she handcuffed Ramier and lead him to a waiting cruiser.
"Wait Ma'am, it's not his fault! He was akumatized! He didn't know what he was doing!" Ladybug had tried to convince the officer not to arrest him, but the lady refused to listen.
"Young lady, this man could've killed someone with his robotic pigeons! And from I heard, he's been akumatized far too many times for him to be let out in society. I'll see to it that he's dealt with. You just need to let the law handle this." Just like that, the woman shoved Ramier inside the car and signaled the driver to take him away.
Ladybug was stunned by this new officer's willingness to arrest an akuma victim. Did the Mayor order her to do this? If so, she'll have to find a way to convince the police and the Mayor not to judge Ramier too harshly.
"Is this going to be a regular thing now?" Stallion's question brought Ladybug back to reality. "Akuma victims arrested for their actions?"
"Honestly, I don't know," she replied. "I've never seen that woman before."
"I think I have." Recognition flashed in Vesperia's eyes. "She had defeated a group of bank robbers all by herself. It was all over the news. Lieutenant Raincomprix said her name is Sacha Gerard, a detective who transferred to this part of the city several days ago. Why she's arresting an akuma victim, I don't know."
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Nadja Chamack; family friend of the Dupain-Chengs, reporter and mother of Manon stepped forward, holding a microphone and accompanied by her cameraman.
Seeing her made Ladybug cringe uncomfortably; Nadja just happened to be not only a part of her mother's pottery class, but also a supporter of Lila because the brat had wormed her way into attending the class, just so she can continue poisoning Sabine's mind against her daughter and gain more followers - a goal which she had successfully achieved.
"My name is Stallion and it's nice to meet you, Ma'am," Stallion introduced himself, grinning.
"Nice to meet you as well. Tell me, are you a permanent new hero or a temporary one? Will we be seeing you again? And what about Chat Noir?"
"Don't know, it's probably temporary for me. But I do hope to do this again in the near future." Deep down, Stallion was well aware of Ladybug's lingering anger at him for using the miraculous to teleport themselves to Japan against her wishes and will most likely never let him use the horse again. "Ever since that darn cat stopped coming, Ladybug needs all the help she can get. Besides, if he keeps this up, she'll have to take away his miraculous for good and find someone else more reliable."
All of Paris has growing aware of Chat Noir's absence that people questioned where he was and why he stopped coming. One day, Alya's blog published a video she received for interviewing Chat Noir about the reason for his absence and the audacity to scapegoat his milady for constantly rejecting his love and 'playing hard to get' as the main reason made Ladybug's blood boil. And to make things worse, Chat Noir began a smear campaign against the new bee hero. Many people sided with that stupid cat, his screwed-up viewpoint of love and his malicious slander of Vesperia. Poor Ladybug was often met with harsh criticisms for hurting her beloved partner's feelings and replacing him with a 'fake hero.'
Speaking of blind support, Alya showed up. She was obviously out of breath as a result of all that running, holding her cellphone in a vice grip. The three heroes' eyes narrowed, obviously annoyed. "Are you serious!?" Alya's tone was sharp and rude. "Chat Noir can't step in to help unless Ladybug stopped being so mean and nasty to him!"
Vesperia rolled her eyes, massaging her forehead as though she felt a headache was coming. "Oh great, here comes the tabloid reporter..." she mumbled quietly enough to not let anyone hear her.
"Ladybug, why can't you stop being selfish and just accept Chat Noir's love for you? You know you're meant to be! It's your own fault that you're fighting battles by yourself!"
Ladybug blinked, clearly unnerved but there was a strong aura of disappointment in her eyes. "Alya, I said it from the beginning that I don't love Chat Noir! Never have, and I never will! He constantly acts like an immature child throwing a tantrum when things don't go his way! I can't tolerate his behavior toward me anymore! I'm sick of his flirting and cracking jokes! I've given him one more chance to clean up his act or else I'll strip him of the cat miraculous! And also..." She gestures toward Vesperia and Stallion, both flattered by her next statement. "I was never alone facing my battles. I have real support from my friends here. I wouldn't be here without their help."
Alya scowled suspiciously at them, particularly at the bee heroine. "You know, Chat Noir has warned me that Vesperia is only manipulating you. She wants to steal the miraculous for herself!" Her sudden announcement made Nadja and the cameraman react in shock. "People barely know Vesperia. What are her true motives?"
"Excuse me, but can you confirm Chat Noir told you this himself?" Nadja questioned.
"That's right! He gave me another interview earlier!" Alya declared, waving her phone in her hand. Then she glowered at Vesperia filled with hate and disgust. "From what he told me, she's so blinded by jealousy that she's willing to stoop low to get what she wants!"
"No, none of this is true! You have no proof!" Vesperia desperately to defend herself. Though she was more shocked by what Alya just said, correctly deducing Chloe must've spread this kind of slander to Chat Noir, who in turn repeated it to Alya. Just how low can her half-sister sink to ruin her life?
"Alya, do you even realize what you're saying? I won't tolerate you slandering my new partner with these lies! Stop this nonsense before it gets you into more trouble!" Ladybug ordered, appalled by what her former friend is doing.
"Actually, Miss Cesaire does have a point," Nadja spoke at last, after a minute of registering Alya's words. She pushes her microphone in Ladybug's face. "Ladybug, many people are not happy with your partner replaced by someone the public doesn't know very well. You don't know if her true intentions to help this city are genuine or not. Don't you think you're being misguided?"
Ladybug was appalled that her old family friend had the gall to question Vesperia's loyalty. "You believe Alya, just like that?"
"Obviously! What do you think the real reason Vesperia has working under you? She could be just another Chloe!" The reporter retorted. A distrustful glare aimed directly at Vesperia, who winced at those harsh words.
In an odd way, the new bee is someone people don't know very well and considering everything Chloe had done to abuse the miraculous for her selfish gain, Vesperia could hardly blame the city for not trusting her. But it doesn't excuse the fact that Chloe is behind this to destroy her reputation and steal back the bee miraculous for herself.
"Are you seriously taking the word of Tabloid Girl here without proof, lady!?" Irritated, Stallion puts himself between Vesperia and the two reporters. "Nothing but horse shit spews from Alya's mouth!" His use of foul language caught everyone off guard. He would've found it amusing that he made a pun based off on his animal motif, but now is not the time. "And you're supposed to be a respectable reporter, not a pathetic tabloid reporter slandering heroes with crap!"
Nadja stepped back, offended. The cameraman said nothing, although he did snicker quietly at the boy's cuss words.
Alya's face went bright red, fuming in a rage. "I am NOT a tabloid! I'm a reporter! And a good reporter always checks her facts!"
"ENOUGH!" Ladybug had heard enough by this point of wanting to end this ridiculous interview as soon as possible. It would've gone smoothly had Alya not ruined it. "I've only got two words to describe your blog - BAD JOURNALISM! Because you're NOT a good reporter because you NEVER check your facts! It's poorly researched and full of lies!"
"What lies?" Alya questioned. "Everything I write is the truth!"
"Well, let me spell it out for you..." Ladybug took a deep breath to steady her emotions, but resolved herself in what should've been said a long time ago. If she's going to say it, then do it in a professional manner, and not in a mean way when exposing her enemy. "Who is Lila Rossi?"
Alya's breath got caught in her throat. Nadja just stared, speechless. The cameraman is still rolling, eager to get this on film. Stallion and Vesperia could already tell where this is going, readying themselves to offer support should their friend need it.
Hell, even though Alya is finally getting word from Ladybug herself, Alya would still probably believe Lila. The same can be said for Nadja. Lila is a master manipulator after all.
"Are you talking about Gabriel's popular muse? That same Lila Rossi?" Nadja managed to find her voice.
Vesperia and Stallion found the term 'muse' to be quite inappropriate and creepy, sharing a disgusted glare.
To the camera, Ladybug stood professionally as she said sternly, "Yes I am. I should've come forward to clear up the rumor regarding this so-called friendship sooner, and for that I sincerely apologize. This Lila girl is not my best friend, never has been. I don't know her, personally. I only saved her from her own akuma, or if she gets attacked by an akuma, that's it. What was written on the Ladyblog would only serve to put Lila and her mother in danger."
Alya must've had her brain freeze for she didn't say a word, staring helplessly as her idol began reprimanding the disgraced journalist.
"And all the other stuff you wrote about Lila online wasn't properly researched either. Saving Jagged Stone's kitten from a plane and writing a song to her in gratitude? Romantic relationship with Prince Ali, flew with him in his private jet, and helping him with a go-green intuitive? Personal friend of Steven Spielberg? C'mon, Alya. Has the thought of asking these people, most of all ME, if we knew Lila ever crossed your mind? You definitely need to check your sources if you want to become a real journalist someday."
"B-But Ladybug..." Alya was momentarily startled but tried to refuse those harsh words. "You're not exactly the easiest person to reach. And if Lila did lie, why didn't you refute such a claim sooner? It was months ago, and you never said anything. So, it just meant you're in support of what she said, and Lila was telling the truth."
Ladybug facepalmed, groaning. "Three reasons why I never came forward: One, I had hopes you would eventually figure out she lied on your own. Two, you could've tried to flag me down and ask me. Three, Chat Noir told me not to say a word because he's stupid enough to believe her lies are harmless. Oh yeah, he knew as well but decided to stay quiet due to his misguided beliefs. That's why I didn't come forward, not because Lila was 'telling the truth' like you so foolishly believe. A little birdie told me that you said something similar to your best friend, whom you abandoned with no remorse."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"
The heroes jumped back, startled. Even Nadja and her cameraman reacted the same way.
Alya's gaze wavered. She stared fiercely at Ladybug, the look in her eyes growing tense. "My best friend betrayed me after she exposed her true colors! She's too dense and stubborn to admit that she's wrong! She abandoned me and everyone else for a group of strangers!"
"Strangers...?" Stallion's lower eye twitched angrily. That's all Alya and everyone had come to see him, Allegra and Claude as the minute they became Marinette's protection squad.
"Kind of ironic that you're describing yourself," Vesperia's tone grew cold, loud enough for everyone, including Alya, to hear.
"I'm not talking to you, Miss Fake Hero! You know what? Why don't you get out of Paris and leave well enough alone!"
It all happened so fast. Ladybug and Stallion gasped as they watched Alya drew back a fist and punched the bee hero in the face. Vesperia let out a cry when the blow's impact made her stumble back and fall. Nadja and the cameraman fell silent as they witnessed the scene. Even civilians and those involved in the Operation Clean Paris event stood frozen in shock at what just occurred.
Rage fueled inside Ladybug's chest. She marched over to Alya, snatched her phone and threw it away. Before Alya could say anything, the superhero caught hold of her shirt's collar and snarled in a manner befitting of a lioness, "You listen to me, Alya Cesaire. You don't EVER raise a hand against my partner, and never trash-talk her in public or online again. Keep this up and you will suffer the consequences. I gave you the benefit of a doubt because I thought you were a good person. Clearly, I put too much trust in you. After this, I will never work with you, nor the Ladyblog, again. You're a pathetic excuse for a journalist and from what I heard, a horrible friend."
She let go of Alya, giving her an abrupt shove. Icy blue eyes stare back at the sorry excuse for a journalist before shifting a softer gaze at Vesperia, who was helped up by Stallion. "Go home, Alya. And don't ever bother us again." Ladybug turns her back on ex-best friend, indicating her decision is final. "And by the way, I wonder what your parents will say when they see this on TV. It won't end well for you." Glaring over at the Nadja, the spotted hero further added, "I hope you come up with an apology for Vesperia for insinuating her as another Chloe the next time you see us."
With that, the super trio left.
Nadja never said anything, too stunned to speak.
Alya was left to her thoughts, registering what Ladybug just said. "Oh no..." she shivered, "My parents are going to kill me."
"That's not the only problem you should be worried over..." spoke a stern woman's voice.
As if karma was slowly catching up to Alya for her recent behavior, she found herself face-to-face with Sacha Gerard, who had been speaking to witnesses about the Mr. Pigeon incident when she chanced to overhear that disastrous interview, watching that ugly banter between the heroes and this tabloid brat. The cold fury on the detective's face was enough to tell Alya she was in huge trouble.
"URRGGH! What is wrong with them!?" Marinette's face twisted in pure anger and disbelief; her movements become exaggerated the more she rants. "How can they say that about you, Zoe!? You've done nothing wrong to deserve this! Alya was my best friend, and she wants to be a great journalist, but she never bothered to use Google and demands proof when she's got nothing! And Nadja, ugh... it's bad enough she's been misguided to believe Lila is a fascinating model, but she had to go and say I'm misguided in front of her viewers like that!?"
Once safely arriving back at Master Fu's shop, their transformations dropped and their presence had alerted their friends, all demanding where did they go and why did they disappear out of the blue. Marinette told them everything. A trip to Japan, saving Ann from a molester, eating curry, etc. Everyone was furious with Alain, who'd been on the receiving end of lectures and scoldings.
Zoe was given an ice pack by Allegra, placing it on the spot of her face where Alya had punched her. The kwamis got to eat some cookies Claude had baked for them. Judging by their exasperated faces, everyone understood Marinette's rant as they were tired of it all.
"I know, but I can't help feeling like Nadja and Alya are right on one thing." Zoe's words caused the blue-headed girl and everyone else to pause, gazing at her like she had grown a second head. "Hear me out!" The blonde quickly explains why she agreed on those reporters' accusations. "I've been a hero for a short time and people hardly know me, that's true. Chloe did wield the bee miraculous and ended up abusing her status as a 'hero' to impress our mother and cause more trouble. She had the chance to change, but she blew it. She made the choice to side with Hawk Moth and Mayura, so yeah, people are going to think I'm untrustworthy because the previous holder was Chloe. I can't blame them for being wary of me."
Pollen gazed at her Holder with sad eyes while Zoe explained why the public doesn't trust her. Slander and rumors can easily persuade people to believe the worst. Damaging the hope of Vesperia being a true hero everyone can look up to. One time, Pollen had high hopes for Chloe, but now those hopes were dashed to pieces.
Zoe's expression swiftly grew stern. "Still, most of that distrust stems from Chloe tricking Chat Noir into thinking I'm the bad guy when she's the real bad guy. Now, he goes and spreads that gossip to Alya, who posts it online and everyone is immediately hooked. I do intend to stop this, whatever it takes."
Pollen smiled proudly at her holder, landing on her shoulder. "Well spoken, my queen."
"But man, you were really awesome, Marinette!" Alain praised, grinning. "Alya totally deserved that verbal smackdown!"
"Yeah, thanks for that." Zoe smiled shyly.
Marinette nodded, glad to hear that. "I couldn't just leave it alone. What Alya did to you was uncalled for..." she sighed, saddened. "She was my best friend; I can't believe she did that..."
Silence fell in the room. Everyone grew disappointed in Alya for what she'd done, especially Trixx.
To change the subject, Claude swiftly turns his attention on Alain. A dark and fearsome aura surrounds him, shooting the boy in green a threatening scowl as if he desired to beat the hell out of him. "You were careless! I don't think you truly understood what you got yourself into when you stole the horse miraculous and thought it'd be a good idea to go to Japan and ask the Phantom Thieves for help! Anything to say, Alain?"
"I just wanted to help!" Alain protested in defense of his actions. "Nobody has got a better idea on what to do. These Phantom Thieves are the only option we have. From what Ann and Ren told us, these guys are lifesavers. Targeting rotten criminals who abuse their authority and trample on the weak!"
"But they only target adult criminals!" Allegra reminded him. "Have they ever targeted teenage criminals before?"
"And these guys work in the shadows, changing hearts with an unknown power, we don't know what it could be... however, we suspect it could be Miraculous related," Tikki revealed. Everyone stares at her, confused. "For example, Ren's cat, Morgana, can speak good vocabulary. Only Kaalki and I can hear him, and it appears Ren and Ann can understand him as well. They didn't speak to him, but judging by their strange reactions every time Morgana objected to Marinette petting him..."
"Hahahahaha!" To Alain, it sounded like an absurd joke. He burst out laughing hysterically. "Yeah, nice one! Hahaha! Cats can talk?" Anyone would've liked to scold him yet again, this time for not believing Tikki. No matter how strange her story is. Heck, everyone is still sour at him for what he'd done.
"SHUT UP!" Kaalki flew right into his face, smacked him with her little paws. "Tikki and I did hear the cat talking! I don't know why or how it's possible, but it's the truth, whether you believe us or not!" She calmed down enough to address the rest of the group. "Such a thing is not unheard of, some kwamis can give their holders the ability to communicate with animals."
Marinette thought it over, pondering what the kwamis have told them. True, most people found the idea of a cat talking to be queer. Gazing at Tikki, she could see it in the kwami's eyes that this is no joke. She was dead serious. And if such a power exists... "If what you said was true, Tikki, there must have been magic involved if Ren and Ann can communicate with his cat. Magic always meant miraculous is involved, so these guys probably have a connection to a miraculous."
"But is there any proof if that's true?" Claude pointed out logically. "We won't know that for sure unless there's proof."
"That's right!" Allegra agreed. "What do you know of Ann and Ren so far? Did they tell you a little about themselves?"
"Not much. But when Alain told them about how Lila got me expelled the first time, Ann reacted just as anyone would - infuriated." Marinette explained. "And the look in Ren's eyes as he listened to my story..." She remembered how badly affected her story had on the boy, his expression described as a mixture of rage and sympathy. "...he understood what I'm going through. In fact, he said that my situation is vaguely similar to his own." And she repeated what Ren had informed her of how he got put on probation.
Just like her and Alain, the entire room fell into silence. Disturbed by what they recently heard. Traces of anger and sadness on Ren's behalf visibly seen in their eyes, despite not knowing this boy long enough.
"He got an assault on his record just for trying to help sssomeone!?" Sass hissed.
"How unforgivable!" Lonng agreed, and the rest of the kwamis voiced their fury as well.
"The woman sounds horrible as well," Claude agreed, his voice with a hint of disgust. Coincidentally, she reminded him of Adrien. "She willingly agreed to lie and protect her attacker, frame her savior and stay quiet about what had happened. Hell, even when Lila tried to sexually assault me, I never lied to frame you, Marinette, after you saved me."
"Does Ren even know who the scumbag was?" Zoe asked. Sadly, Marinette had no answer to that. However, a strange suspicion formed in Zoe's mind as she grasped her chin, thinking deeply. "Well, I'm not sure why, but I'm pretty sure that creep might be a politician." She felt all eyes stare confusingly in her direction. "Politicians like my stepfather abuse their authority in the stupidest way possible. We all know how many times he has enabled Chloe's bad attitude and never allows her to face the consequences... especially when she willingly aligned herself with Hawkmoth and Mayura."
Amazingly, that theory does sound suspiciously correct.
Claude nodded. "That does sound right, but there's no evidence if that's true. What if it's a CEO? Or a rich socialite?" He let a sad smile show. "I could write a list of the bad things my parents have done to protect their precious reputation."
Everyone grimaced as Alain said softly, "That's rough, man."
"Hey guys... I've been thinking about this..." Allegra spoke up at last, having been oddly quiet. A strange frown slowly shifts on her face. She wasn't entirely confidant, but regarding this boy and his secret power left an uneasy feeling. "Don't you think it's odd that Ren's probation occurred around the same time Kamoshida confessed his sins?"
Marinette's face shifts to confusion. "Wait, what are you saying?"
"Look here..." Allegra sat down at the table and opens the laptop, researching on the first target of the Phantom Thieves. Everyone gathered close, curious to know what she's doing. "You said Ren's assault case started in April, right? He transferred to Shujin Academy, the very same school where Kamoshida had been physically and sexually assaulting the students..." she hesitated on the last part, "and caused one of the female victims to attempt suicide."
"Where are you going with this, detective?" Alain questioned. This is nothing new to him or Claude, always watching Allegra figure something out and connect the dots to an incident that is related to someone suspicious or something shady.
"Let's say somewhere after his transfer, Ren discovers Kamoshida's crimes, and the school administration is playing dumb because this jerk is a famous athlete who made Shujin famous. Ren is determined to put a stop to it. He somehow finds a miraculous, or if someone gave it to him. This miraculous gives him the power not only to communicate with animals but the power to change Kamoshida's heart."
Everyone's eyes widened and their jaws dropped at this joint deduction. Some looked ready to protest this is nonsense. Others understood what she deduced could be true. The notion that Ren Amamiya possibly being a miraculous holder and a Phantom Thief was a shock.
"No way!" Alain gasped. "This is all just a coincidence!"
"But it does make sense," Claude agreed. "He's on probation for a crime he didn't commit, then witnesses other students suffering like he has and wants to help them."
"What about Ann?" Marinette had forgotten the lovely model whom she had rescued from a molester. Tikki did mention the girl can also understand Morgana, and she's close friends with Ren. Is she his girlfriend perhaps? "Do you think she's involved in what Ren is doing as well? I mean, we don't have evidence but-"
"No, no! You do have a point." Tikki says. It didn't take a genius to see the suspicious frown on her small face. But the more she thought it over, the more Tikki didn't like it. While sympathizing with Ren regarding his past, he's using a miraculous to change people's hearts. Whatever power this miraculous has, Tikki grew determined to find out. Such a power has never been heard of before until now. It could be dangerous. "However, despite what Allegra said, we do need evidence. If there is miraculous involved, I say we give Ren a choice: either he proves his true character to Ladybug and help us find his accomplices the Phantom Thieves, or she can invoke his powers because she's the Guardian and force him to give back the miraculous."
"WHAT!?" everyone reacts, taken aback by the ladybug kwami's suggestion.
"But what if Ren has a Guardian who willingly gave him the miraculous?" Zoe protested. "Suppose this Guardian finds out you forced Marinette to steal his miraculous and punished her? What if SHE gets her title as Ladybug revoked for this?"
"And what if Ren probably stole this miraculous and is using it without a Guardian's consent?" Tikki retorted.
An awkward silence hung over the air. Marinette knew both her kwami and her best friend were correct on different opinions. But what is she to do? Suppose she does go with Tikki's plan, and it ends up coasting her the title as both a superhero and a Guardian? Or if Ren did steal this miraculous to change the hearts of evildoers, he must return it to its rightful owner.
No one said a word until Claude spoke up. "Hey, cool it! Both of you are right in what you say, but I suggest we do this at a different pace. We should probably keep a close eye on Ren and see if he's worthy enough to keep the miraculous, and if he's involved in this Phantom Thief business. Besides, we got enough on our plate regarding a plan to clear Marinette's name and mine, along with keeping the city safe from akumas. Maybe half of our group could go to Japan to check up on Ren, while the other half guards the city."
His plan is logical enough that everyone accepts it. With a silent nod, Tikki begrudgingly relents.