Marinette was currently in her school's locker room trying on fencing helmets. She was trying to get into the fencing academy so that she could get that close to Adrien.
"This fencing gear really does suit you, Marinette," said Tikki.
"Thank you, Tikki! Let's hope wielding a saber is a lot easier than finding a helmet that fits," said Marinette as she put on a helmet.
Sadly the helmet she put on slit awkwardly, and Tikki giggled.
Marinette took off the helmet. "I gotta ace these try-outs! D'Argencourt is the most prestigious fencing academy in all of Paris! I've only got this one shot to show them what I've got and get onto the team!"
"You've been reviewing the fencing rules all weekend; it's going to be great!" Tikki encouraged.
"You're right. I'm going to make quite an impression on Adrien!" she said, slamming the helmet on the table.
Sadly, this unsettled the other helmets laid out, and all began to fall off the table. Marinette immediately scrambled to catch them, catching one with her foot.
"Ah, here we go! This one should fit perfectly!" she said, looking at the helmet she had just caught with her foot.
Marinette soon made her way onto the courtyard, where Mr. D'Argencourt paced between two lines of students.
"I am the fencing master, Mr. D'Argencourt," he announced. "As I'm sure you're aware, we have only one open spot on the team this year." He then stopped and faced the challenges. " So, in order to select the best possible candidate, I will observe the beginners performing a number of attacks on the experienced students."
Marinette looked around, trying to find Adrien, but it wasn't easy, considering all the students were wearing helmets.
"Where's Adrien?" she frowned.
Mr. D'Argencourt gestured his arm to his students. "Get into position."
Marinette continued looking around for Adrien until one of the students approached.
"Seems like you're looking for someone?" he said
"Yeah, I thought Adrien was here. You know, a boy this tall…" She then gestured Adrien's height, putting her hand on her cheek. "…blond, nice, super handsome?"
The student lifted up his helmet, revealing his face, which so happened to be Adrien. "Thanks for the compliments!"
Marinette jumped back in surprise.
"I didn't know you were into fencing, Marinette," he said.
"A-Adrien!" Marinette gasped. "Nice to fencing; I'm totally into you! Uhh, I mean, nice to see you! Yeah, I'm totally into fencing."
Adrien chuckled gently and smiled while Marinette giggled and blushed.
"Get into position!" Mr. D'Argencourt ordered.
Marinette awkwardly put on a helmet and glanced at Adrien, holding her saber upright.
"Bend your knees, then stretch your left foot back, turned outwards," Asian instructors said, and she did so. "Perfect!" He then moved to her side, putting his arm around her to have her lean forward, using his other hand to guide hers so her saber pointed out. "Now, put your saber forward like this."
Marinette giggled and blushed again, with him being so close.
"Greet each other!" said Mr D'Argencourt, crossing his saber arm over his chest and then snapping it out to his side in the traditional fencing greeting.
Adrien then performed the greeting, and Marinette followed a few seconds later.
"En garde! Prêt, allez!" Mr. D'Argencourt yelled.
The students immediately began fencing while D'Argencourt watched. Adrien was ready, but Marinette remained perfectly still.
Adrien then straightened up and pushed up his helmet. "Go on, Marinette. You're supposed to touch me."
"Touch you?!" Marinette giggled. "Yeah…"
Adrien smiled, putting down his helmet before lunging at Marinette, who skilfully dodged and struck him.
"Attaque! Touche. Point!" said Mr. D'Argencourt indicating to Marinette. "Continue!"
Marinette pushed her helmet up. "Thanks!"
Adrien then pushed his helmet up. "All I did was lunge. You've got good reflexes!" He then placed his helmet down and readied himself again. "En garde!"
Marinette put her helmet back down, and whiteflies got into position.
"Prêt, allez!" Adrien yelled.
The two of them quickly began fencing, but when Adrien came for a strike, Marinette blocked the attack and struck him in the chest.
"Attack, parry, riposte, counterattack. The point goes to you, Marinette," said Adrien.
Marinette pushed the helmet back up again, looking confused. "I don't get it. You hit me first."
Adrien then pushed his helmet up, also. "With saber fencing, the attacker doesn't necessarily win the point even though he touched his opponent first. You took the initiative, so we say that you had priority. I can only parry or riposte, so I lose."
"But everything's happening so fast; I mean, how can you know who won the point?" Marinette asked.
"We don't always know for sure. That's why you can also abstain. Shall we continue?" he said, lowering his helmet.
Marinette nodded, lowered her helmet again, and got ready to fence, but before she could make a move, they were suddenly interrupted by a new fencing try-out already in the fencing gear standing on the scoring box, carrying a red saber.
"Hey, you!" they said. "Are you Mr. D'Argencourt, the fencing master? I wanna join your team."
"Only the best are admitted here, you knave," said Mr. D'Argencourt.
"And I was everywhere I went," said the new fencer confidently.
"Part le fer! This whippersnapper has nerve!" said Mr D'Argencourt. "All right! I may consider your admission, shall you defeat one of my students."
The new fencer strode forward to the silent students. "Which one of you is the best combatant?!"
All the students are around, looking at one another, sliding away from Adrien, who had yet to lift up his helmet.
"Adrien, please give our visitor a lesson in chivalry," Mr. D'Argencourt instructed.
Adrien smirked, lowering his helmet. "I shall, Master."
Both Adrien and the mysterious fencer then phased off, now attached to the scoring box and standing beside it. Adrien touches his saber to the unknown fence's shoulder, and they touched him with theirs to test the box. Once the boxes lit up, proving it was working, they bowed and walked apart. Adrien bent his saber blade while the mysterious fencer swung theirs around, revealing they were obviously skilled.
Marinette gasped and looked down at the ground. "Great. There goes any chance I had of making the team. This guy's obviously better than everyone."
"It's not over yet; they still have to beat Adrien," said Jack as he pushed up his helmet.
"Prêt… allez!" said Mr. D'Argencourt.
Both Rayleigh and the mysterious fencer lunge at one another. The Sabres clashed for a few seconds but struck one another simultaneously, causing the point buzzers to go off.
"Simultané! Par un toucher!" said Mr. D'Argencourt.
Both Adrien and the mysterious fencer return to their starting points.
"I could have sworn Adrien touched him first…" said Marinette.
"No way to tell," said Jack. "Anyway, you shouldn't really question the referee's decision."
"En garde! Prêt… allez!" said Mr. D'Argencourt.
Adrien and the mysterious fencer lunged at one another again, and they began to clash again. It was clear they were evenly matched, and then they struck each other at the same time again.
Even Mr. D'Argencourt couldn't tell who struck first. "Uhh… Abstention!"
"What's happening?" Marinette asked.
"Mr D'Argencourt isn't sure who won, so he's chosen to abstain," Jack explained. "Whoever this fencer is, they're obviously quite skilled. This is going to be tight.
"En garde!" said Mr. D'Argencourt, raising his hand.
"Wait," said the mysterious fencer. "I request that we do it the old-fashioned way. We'll be much more at ease without the machine."
Mr. D'Argencourt looked at Adrien. "Adrien?"
"Fine with me," said Adrien as he unplugged his body cord.
The mysterious fencer unplugged her body cord as well and then back-flipped, showing off more of her saber skills.
Marinette looked at Jack. "But how will we know who touched the other one first?"
"By watching very closely," said Jack.
"En garde… Prêt… allez!" said Mr. D'Argencourt.
Both Adrien and the mysterious fencer lunged at one another for a third time, and their sabers began to clash. However, it became clear that Adrien was more on the defensive, being backed away towards the stairs. He swung his saber to his opponent, but they ducked and rammed their shoulder into his chest.
He then quickly sidestepped out of the way to avoid his opponent's strike, and they slowly began making their way up the stairs to the first floor. His opponent then jumped off the stairs and somersaulted onto the first floor before Adrien.
"Is this what fencing's all about?!" Marinette asked.
"Part le fer! This is what fencing's all about!" said Mr. D'Argencourt excitedly.
Mr D'Argencourt and the remaining students rushed towards the base of the stairs, but Marinette could see over the students as she headed off to the other staircase, quickly followed by Jack.
Meanwhile, Adrien was now being pinned against the railings by the mysterious fencer.
"Is that all you can do?" they asked.
Adrien then used his strength to push the fencer off him and rammed further upstairs with the mysterious fencer following. Marinette and Jack had managed to get to the other flight of stairs and ran onto the first floor while their classmates and Mr D'Argencourt were still watching from the base of the other stairs.
"The fateful moment has arrived!" said Mr. D'Argencourt.
He was then suddenly trampled by his students as they rushed up the stairs and groaned in pain.
Adrien and the mysterious fencer continued to fence furiously, bursting interlibrary, where Adrien knocked his opponent inside. They continue to fight within the library, making quite a mess, sending a book cart out into the hallway, nearly hitting Marinette and Jack.
"Let me through! Move!" said Mr. D'Argencourt as he pushed past students.
The students immediately flee from the incoming book cart, but Mr. D'Argencourt wasn't so lucky. It hit him and sent him crashing into the wall behind him, making him groan in pain again.
In the library, both Adrien and his opponent were still fencing furiously, with only Marinette and Jack watching. The two of them finally moved away from one another for what seemed like the final bout.
"Let's finish this off!" said the mysterious fencer.
They then moved in once again, lunging at one another, blades clashing until both sabers seemingly touched the other at the same time.
The mysterious fencer immediately turned towards Marinette and Jack. "Who got the first hit?! Who?!"
"I'm blind, so I can't tell you," said Jack regretfully.
The mysterious fencer then turned to Marinette. "Then you tell us?!"
"Uhhh, I…!" said Marinette confused.
Mr D'Argencourt then crawled his way up the stairs. "Who touched first? Tell us now!"
"I don't know! I think…" said Marinette, looking between the mysterious fencer and Adrien. Overcome by nervousness and uncertainty, Marinette could not decide who won under the pressure. "…It was… Adrien?"
Mr D'Argencourt instantly sprung to his feet. "Ah-ha, wonderful! This victory is an honour to D'Argencourt Academy!"
The mysterious fencer sighed in defeat and walked up to Adrien, offering their hand to shake, which Adrien took. The fencer then calmly walked out of the room.
Adrien removed his helmet and looked at Marinette. "Are you sure, Marinette?"
Jack then placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, if you're not certain, you could abstain."
"Uh, um… Well, I'm not entirely sure," Marinette admitted. "I mean, it looked like it was you, but it went so fast."
Adrien turned to Mr. D'Argencourt. "I think he touched me first."
"The referee has the last word," said Mr. D'Argencourt.
Adrien looked a little put off by this and went after the mysterious fencer who was in the middle of leaving the school. They then stabbed their sabre into the ground and left, striding out of the school.
Hawk Moth immediately sent the negative emotions and instantly opened his window.
"A champion whose victory has been stolen… Crushing defeat is the ideal steel with which to form a blade of revenge," he said, turning a butterfly into an akuma and releasing it. "Fly away, my little akuma, towards this spite and petulance, and evilize that fencer!"
The akuma fluttered out of his window and into Paris.
Back at the library, Adrien was still concerned about the match.
"I'm going to offer him a decisive match," he said.
"I'll come with you," said Jack.
The two boys then ran off after the mysterious fencer. As they made their way to the entrance, Adrien grabbed the saber on the ground and saw the mysterious fencer about to enter their car.
"Hey! Wait! Your saber!" Adrien yelled.
The mysterious fencer threw her gloves in the car and then began to remove their helmet, revealing that they were, in fact, a girl about their age and of Japanese descent.
Marinette had just reached the school entrance when she saw this and was stunned.
Adrien himself was stunned by her appearance. "Let's do a… decisive match?"
He then noticed the ring not on her finger, which had some family crest.
"What's the point?" she asked. "You won. There's no such thing as a second chance in my family."
"Everyone deserves a second chance," said Jack.
"Goodbye," she said, ignoring him.
Then, without saying another word, she got into the car and drove off.
"H-Hey! What's your name?!" Adrien yelled.
"Well, that could have gone better," said Jack.
Tikki then flew up to Marinette. "You might have a chance on the fencing team after all!"
Adrien immediately got into his car, where Placide I.T. was waiting, and Jack soon followed.
"Follow that car!" Adrien ordered.
Marinette then watched as the car drove off in a split second and later saw an akuma flying past.
"An akuma!" Marinette gasped, horrified and quickly ducked into the metro station to transform. "Better capture it before it turns someone into a villain!"
"At your service, Marinette!" said Tikki.
"Quick! Adrien is in danger! Tikki, spots on!"
Marinette then transformed into Ladybug and quickly used her yo-yo to get out of the Métro quickly.
Meanwhile, the mysterious girl was calling her mother about her defeat.
"I'm not available at the moment. Leave a message," said her mother's voicemail, followed closely by a beep.
"Mother, you thought I was good enough, but… I lost," she said. "I won't be joining the D'Argencourt Academy."
She then hung up, sat back in her seat, and looked at her ring as the akuma flew into it.
"Riposte! I am Hawk Moth," he said telepathically. "I'm giving you a second chance to prove that you are the best fencer of all, but in return, you must bring me Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous."
"On my honour, Hawk Moth, I shall be victorious!" she vowed.
Dark ether began to cover her body, and moments later, she had transformed into a silver-armoured figure. On her head, she wore a silver helmet with her family crest in broad on it and instead of a right hand, she now had a long sword. She instantly sliced through the sunroof and lept out of the car.
In his car, Adrien was skimming through his phone, looking for the crest on the girl's ring, until he finally found it.
"I found it," he informed Jack. "She's the only daughter belonging to a family of prestigious fencers. Her mother and grandfather were both world champions. I've read about them before! She and her mother had just moved to Paris! How incredible!"
"And it explains why she doesn't defeat very well," said Jack. "She's no doubt been trained to believe that victory is all that matters, and then being second is just being the first loser."
Riposte then suddenly came spinning out of the sky, cutting Adrien's car in half. Both Adrien and Jack suddenly sprung out of their seats and hit the ground.
"What happened?" Jack asked, rubbing his head.
Aidan looked up and then saw Ripsote standing on the roof of the back half of the car.
"I'm taking you up on your offer of a decisive match!" she said.
"I-I can't fight you like this!" said Adrien. "You're not… yourself."
"Fight!" Riposte demanded.
"Halt, Riposte!" said Hawk Moth. "You may seek your revenge, but only after you take hold of Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous first."
Riposte stood down. "Understood, Hawk Moth."
Jack rose to his feet and slowly approached. "We can simply talk this out. There is no need to fight. Aidan would be more than happy to give you a rematch, but not while a supervillain controls you."
Riposte snarled at him. "Nobody asked for your opinion."
She then suddenly launched herself at Jack and knocked them aside, and he crashed into a nearby poster display board.
"Jack!" Adrien panicked.
He then attempted to flee but didn't go too far as Riposte quickly blocked his path.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked. "Stay there. Nice and patiently."
Adrien flinched back, but then suddenly, Ladybug's yo-yo shot out of nowhere and wrapped itself around her blade.
"How'd you like to start a duel with me?" she said and then tugged on her yo-yo in an attempt to disarm. However, her yo-yo just slipped off the blade, surprising her. "It's merged with her hand."
Riposte then attempted to strike Adrien and Ladybug, but the two of them jumped out of the way, and she ended up slicing the poster display board in half.
In all the commotion, Jack managed to sneak away and find a safe place to hide, and Nooroo flew out of his jacket.
"This girl doesn't handle defeat very well, does she," said Nooroo.
"Yeah, and she's about to experience it again," said Jack. "Nooroo, light wings rise!"
He then began to transform into Lord Sprite.
"Give me a moment, Adrien," said Riposte as she phased Ladybug. "I must finish her off first! But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you! I won't be long."
Riposte then quickly lunged at Ladybug, thrusting her sword at her with unbelievable speed. Ladybug quickly backed away, using her yo-yo as a shield to defend herself.
"Don't let her close in on you! Fight back!" Adrien yelled, tossing the girl's saber to her.
Ladybug quickly somersaulted back and grabbed the saber. "Thank you, but now get out of here. She doesn't deserve you."
She then quickly moved in to engage, wielding the saber in her right hand and using her yo-yo as a shield in her left. However, Riposte was a better swordswoman and able to knock a flat on her back.
"Watch out, Ladybug!" Adrien yelled.
Riposte launched herself into the air and was ready to skewer her with her blade, but Adrien quickly dived towards Ladybug. He grabbed her, and they rolled out of danger seconds before Riposte could skewer her. However, during his daring rescue, he twisted his ankle and winced in pain as he grasped it.
"Are you hurt?" Ladybug asked.
"I'm fine," he assured her.
Riposte managed to free her sword and began advancing towards them, but then quickly dodged as Sprite swung in his plasma sword.
"Mind if I cut in?" he said.
"Sprite?" Ladybug asked.
Sprite held both his plasma sword and his sheath, like it was a second sword, as he faced Riposte. "You get that boy out of here. I'll handle her."
Ladybug nodded and helped Adrien up. "We need to get you as far away from that girl as possible."
"Sounds like a plan," said Adrien.
Ladybug swung her yo-yo to a nearby chimney and pulled Adrien close to her. The two of them blushed and smiled sheepishly at each other.
Sprite was still engaging Riposte, who was glaring at him.
"You should not interfere!" she growled.
"And someone should tell you how to handle your defeats better," Sprite counted.
This only aggravated Riposte, who used all her strength to push Sprite back, sending him crashing into a nearby car. She then quickly lunged at Ladybug and Adrien, but Ladybug quickly carried them away. Once on the roof, she picked Adrien up and placed him down out of sight behind the chimney.
"What kind of fencing was that?" Ladybug asked.
"Nothing like I've ever seen before," said Adrien.
"It's going to be hard for me to fight and protect you at the same time, even with Sprite's help," she said and began calling Cat Noir. "Where are you, Cat Noir?"
"Maybe he's busy?" said Adrien.
Then suddenly, the chimney behind them shattered to pieces and standing there was Riposte.
"Allow me to explain the rules to you," she snarled. "You're not allowed to call it quits at any time! Adrien is mine! I will defeat you. Both of you! I am the best fencer!"
"Nobody's denying that," said Adrien. "My friend Marinette made a bad call earlier.
"He's right," Ladybug agreed. "Referee errors can happen in fencing. You don't have to get so bent out of shape about it."
Riposte growled and glared at them.
"I'm sure Marinette wasn't trying to humiliate you," Adrien assured her.
"Of course not!" said Ladybug, looking a little offended.
Adrien then gave her a questionable look.
She laughed nervously. "I mean, I'm sure that was the case."
"It's too late!" said Riposte. "The damage has been done! This time, I shall be the referee!"
She then lunged towards them.
"Stay back, Adrien," said Ladybug and then lunged forward to engage Riposte in battle.
Adrien limped away across the roof with his twisted ankle acting up and hid behind a second chimney stack.
At the same time, Riposte and Ladybug were still in battle. Ladybug continued using her yo-yo as a shield, and Riposte continued swinging her saw at her. Ladybug then quickly moved in with her saber and, at the same time, wrapped her yo-yo around a third cluster of chimneys. With one good pull, she brought it down right on top of Riposte.
She then quickly ran back to Adrien.
Adrien himself had just got behind the chimney stack.
"You're sure taking some risks today," said Plagg, looking at him.
"Don't really have a choice, do I? Ladybug needs me," he said and then held out his ring. "Plagg, c-!"
"Adrien, you okay?" Ladybug asked as he leaned around the chimney.
"Uhh, yeah, and you?" Adrien smiled.
"I'll feel better once your safe, far away from that girl," said Ladybug. "Come on, let's go."
She then swung her yo-yo and pulled Adrien closer to her. The two of them shared a blushing smile between them and Ladybug and swung away.
Meanwhile, Riposte managed to free herself from the rubble and went after them.
Sprite had just managed to regain consciousness and freed himself from the dented car.
"Uh, that could have gone better," he said and then saw Riposte jumping away. "Why is it that the supervillains always do things the hard way?"
He then swung his cane and went after.
Ladybug and Adrien had arrived at the Louvre Palace and slid down the Pyramid.
Ladybug quickly looked at the civilians gathered. "Akuma alert! You must leave now! Evacuate the premises calmly!"
Lieutenant Roger nodded and began guiding the citizens away. "This way, ladies and gentlemen."
"Akuma Alert," said the intercom system in the Louvre. "Ladybug and Cat Noir are expected to handle this emergency swiftly. All visitors kindly vacate the premises very calmly. Thank you."
Ladybug carried Adrien inside the Louvre in the Egyptian new exhibit, looking for a safe place. "A safe place, a safe place…" She then spotted the sarcophagus on display. "There!"
She then quickly placed Adrien inside the sarcophagus display.
"I'm sorry, but at least you'll be safe in here!" she said, closing the lid.
Adrien grabbed the lead before she closed it. "Please be careful, Ladybug."
"Oh… I'll be fine. Thank you, and you stay out of harm's way, okay?" she said, closing the lid and then placing a kiss on it.
Outside the Louvre, Riposte had finally arrived and instantly sliced off the top of the Pyramid before jumping into the Museum, finding Ladybug waiting for her.
"Where did you hide, Adrien?!" she demanded.
"You actually think I'd tell you?" said Ladybug as she raised her saber. "This is just between you and me, Riposte!"
Sprite then landed behind Riposte. "And don't forget about little old me."
"You two can't cut it?" she said. "Fine. I'm going to defeat you and take both your Miraculous! Then I'll go and find him!"
"We won't let you lay a hand on him!" Ladybug yelled.
Ladybug and Sprite then quickly engaged Riposte.
Back at the King Tut exhibit, Adrien refused to stay put.
"It's time we went and joined Ladybug," he said.
"Didn't you hear what she said?" said Plagg. "She said to wait here! You can't disobey her! Besides, she has Sprite helping her."
"I've gotta help her!" said Adrien stubbornly. "Plagg, claws out!"
He then transformed into Cat Noir in a flash of green light while inside the sarcophagus. He then opened the display, poked around and got out when he saw that no one was around, closing the lid behind him. He began running up the stairs, but his ankle acted up again; it wasn't as painful as before now that he had transformed, but it still stung.
Ladybug and Sprite were still engaging Riposte and have now moved the painting gallery. Even though it was now two-on-one, she was still proving to be an excellent swordswoman. She managed to knock Ladybug to the ground, lodging the saber into a painting.
Sprite quickly moved in, swinging his cane, but Riposte blocked his attack and then head-butted him, knocking him back into the wall. She then quickly spun around, thrusting her sword at Ladybug, only to be blocked by Cat Noir's staff.
"Cat Noir!" Riposte growled.
"A fencing tournament at the Louvre?" Cat Noir smirked. "How come I wasn't invited?"
Ladybug quickly jumped to her feet and pulled the saber out of the painting. "Let me guess: you were late because you were at the groomers again?"
"I was preening myself, M'lady," Cat Noir shrugged. "You know how long it takes cats to get ready."
"Well, I hope you sharpened your claws in the process," said Sprite as he joined them.
"Don't worry, they're nice and sharp," Cat Noir smiled.
The trio then quickly launched themselves at Riposte. Now that it was three-on-one, she had no choice but to be on the defensive, and they were backing her towards the wall. A split second later, she found herself at the end of Ladybug's saber, Cat Noir's staff and Sprite's cane.
"Checkmate, Riposte!" said Ladybug.
"You've got the wrong sport, Ladybug!" Riposte smirked. "I think you mean: attaque toi!"
She then quickly head-butted Cat Noir, knocking him back and causing his ankle to act up again.
Ladybug looked at him concerned. "You okay, Cat Noir?"
"Ladybug, no!" Sprite yelled.
Too late, Riposte took advantage of her distraction and quickly overpowered Sprite, causing him to crash into the wall. She then quickly attacked Ladybug, sending her flying out of the room and followed her. She then stabbed the alarm button with her blade, bringing down the security gates between them, Sprite and Cat Noir.
"Ladybug!" Cat Noir yelled.
"Ready to lose, Ladybug?" Riposte asked.
She then began swinging her blade ferociously at her, forcing her down the stairs.
Sprite quickly looked at Cat Noir. "We need to get in there and fast."
Cat Noir nodded. "Cataclysm!"
He then brushed his cataclysm hand across the bars, causing them to rust, and Sprite immediately shattered through them with his cane. He then helped Cat Noir, who was still limping badly.
"You can't fight in this condition," said Sprite.
"Ladybug needs the both of us," he said stubbornly.
Sprite then put his arm around his shoulder and supported him. "That stubbornness is going to get you killed one day."
Cat Noir smiled. "Not when you're supporting me, it won't."
Riposte had just sent Ladybug flying into the King Tut exhibit, causing her to drop her saber out of reach. Ladybug then looked at the sarcophagus, which clued Riposte into where Ladybug hid Adrien.
"Of course," said Riposte. She then quickly jumped around the walls until she reached the sarcophagus. "The hour of revenge has struck!"
"No!" Ladybug cried.
Riposte sliced right through the sarcophagus, but to her and Ladybug's surprise, they found that it was empty. Ladybug then quickly jumped onto her feet and used the same trick on the alarm button with her yo-yo as Riposte did to trap Cat Noir and Sprite, trapping her in the exhibit.
Cat Noir and Sprite had just arrived in the room.
"He's gone!" said Ladybug, looking at them.
"Uhh, who?" Cat Noir asked, flustered.
"Riposte is trying to get revenge on Adrien Agreste!" Ladybug explained. "I hid him inside the sarcophagus!"
"Maybe he was feeling a little… claws-trophobic?" Cat Noir joked.
Ladybug just stared at him speechlessly.
"Really?" said Sprite.
"Let's look for him together, Ladybug and finish this match!" Riposte yelled and sliced through the bars. One of the bars nearly struck Ladybug, but she just merely glared at Riposte.
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug yelled, throwing her yo-yo into the air and materialising was a red and black spotted radiator, which fell into her hands. "A radiator?"
"Great. That should really heat things up," said Cat Noir.
Ladybug then began looking around, and her eyes immediately fell upon Riposte's sword. "The akuma has to be in her sword!"
"Then why don't we get to the point?" said Cat Noir.
Ladybug gave a small laugh as the trio began to attack Riposte. Ladybug used the radiator to block Riposte's blade while Cat Noir and Sprite engaged. However, she just kept on blocking their attacks with unbelievable speed and skill.
"Grrr, she's too quick!" said Cat Noir.
"Not to mention too skilled with that blade," said Sprite.
Ladybug began looking around, and her eyes fell upon Cat Noir's belt, Riposte's sword arm, and the radiator, which gave her an idea.
"I need your belt, Cat Noir!" she said.
"Get ready!" said Cat Noir.
The three of them then charged at Riposte, and Cat Noir removed his belt as they ran. Riposte swung her sword, unleashing his slashing attack, but Cat Noir and Sprite jumped over a while Ladybug slid beneath it. At the same time, Ladybug tossed the radiator over to Cat Noir, who tossed his belt.
"En garde!" Cat Noir yelled, holding the radiator forward.
Riposte was moving too fast and couldn't stop thrusting her sword, which got inside the radiator. At the same time, Ladybug hooked Cat Noir's belt around the guard of Riposte's sword, and Sprite got around behind and grabbed her sword arm.
"Prêt…!" said Ladybug.
"Allez!" the three of them yelled together.
Ladybug and Cat Noir pulled back and yanked Riposte's sword to the side while Sprite twisted her arm in the opposite direction. As a result, the sword snapped in two, and Sprite then quickly tossed her to the ground.
A split second later, the akuma flew out of the broken sword, and Ladybug opened her yo-yo. "No more evildoing for you, little akuma." she then began spinning her yo-yo around and threw it straight at the akuma. "Time to de-evilize!" Her yo-yo caught the akuma, and she immediately pulled it back. "Gotcha!" She then released the now-purified butterfly and watched as it fluttered away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!"
She then tossed the radiator up into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
The magical ladybugs then flew around, repairing all the damage that had been caused, and Riposte turned back to normal.
"What happened?" she asked confused.
The trio then fist-bumped. "Pound it!"
Cat Noir then heard his ring beeping. "Gotta go. I have a vet's appointment to get to. Take care of the young lady, will you?"
He then ran out of sight before anyone could say anything.
Ladybug then approached the girl, kneeling in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Everything's okay."
The girls just looked up at Ladybug in awe.
Cat Noir hastily behind one of the cat statues. "Claws in."
He instantly de-transformed, and Plagg fell into his hands. "Ohhhh… All this sport has made me hungryyyyy."
"Later. Shh!" Adrien hissed as he watched Ladybug and Sprite approaching with the girl.
"You go on," said Ladybug to the girl. "I have to find someone."
"I'll go with her," said Sprite.
The girl smiled at him. "Thanks."
Once Sprite left with the girl, Ladybug looked around for Adrien. "Where could he have gone?"
Adrien then stepped into sight. "Ladybug?"
Ladybug sighed with relief. "There you are!"
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Adrien apologised. "I figured it would be better to escape before Riposte came along. Besides, I…" He then scratched the back of his head awkwardly while giving her a sheepish look. "…hate to be locked up."
"I'm so sorry!" Ladybug gasped, shaking her head in shame. "You did the right thing."
Adrien moved as if she wanted to say something but then seemingly opted to say something else. "S-so, uh… So Cat Noir finally turned up, huh?"
"Yes, thankfully! Between you and me, he's much better at fencing!" she said as she mimicked fencing.
Adrien chuckled. "And… Riposte?"
"The girl is safe; Sprite's with her now," Ladybug assured him and then heard her earrings beep. "Oh no! I'm about to change back!" She then glanced between Adrien and the girl's saber, then resigned herself and pointed to it. "You should be the one to return that."
Adrien walked up to the saber and picked it up. He then looked back at Ladybug, who was leaving, but she stopped and looked back at him.
"Bug out!" she said, smiling and waving as she departed.
Adrien smiled and blew her kiss.
Outside the Louvre, both Sprite and the girl had exited the Pyramid.
"The Akuma Alert has been called off," said the announcement. "The Louvre will soon be opening. Thank you for your cooperation."
The girl then called her chauffeur. "I'm at the Louvre. Come when you can."
"You sure you don't want me to take you back to your place?" Sprite asked as she hung up.
"No, I'm perfectly capable of getting home myself," she said
"Excuse me?" said a voice.
The girl quickly jumped and gasped, turning around to see Adrien walking up, holding her saber.
"Listen, I—" the girl sighed.
Sprite looked between the two of them as they stood around awkwardly.
"I'm sorry," they said in unison as the girl bowed respectfully.
The two of them looked at one another rather surprised.
"Well, this isn't awkward," said Sprite.
Adrien then held out the girl's saber with both hands. "Perhaps you'll agree to take this back now?"
The girl reached out for the saber but then turned away, clutching her hand to her chest. "No, I lost. You keep it."
"There is no shame about being defeated, and in fact, there are a thousand lessons to be learned from defeat," said Sprite gently.
"And I personally think the point was yours," said Adrien.
The girl looked at him. "That's not what your friend saw."
"Marinette can get flustered easily," said Adrien. "She's kind and means well. She'd never cheat. Today was her first-ever experience with fencing."
She looked at him, surprised for a moment, and smiled. "You like her a lot, huh?"
"Marinette? Yeah, of course!" he nodded. "She's a very good friend, and you'll really like her too once you get to know her."
Marinette was watching and listening to their conversation behind a display and then quickly ducked out of sight, looking disappointed.
"'A very good friend', huh?" she said.
"That sounds like a good start to me!" said Tikki encouragingly.
"Please, take it," said Adrien holding out her saber.
The girl glanced at Adrien and then at her saber before taking it back and then bowed. "I'll be happy to get to know your friend Marinette!"
Adrien bowed back and then held out his hand just as her car arrived.
"My name's Adrien," he said. "What's yours?"
"Kagami," she said, shaking his hand. She began to make her way to her car, but not before looking back at him. "Get ready for that decisive match!"
"I can't wait, Kagami," said Adrien.
Kagami nodded and then got into her car, which drove off.
Sprite smiled at Adrien. "Looks like you've made a new friend today."
"Yeah," Adrien ordered, and then his eyes widened. "Wait, I forgot all about Jack."
"Your friend Jack is perfectly safe," Sprite assured him. "I got him to safety before I arrived."
Adrien sighed with relief. "That's good."
Marinette meanwhile sank to the ground, looking distraught.
"At least now you know how much Adrien values your friendship," said Tikki.
"I know! Great, so he likes me. But I don't want him to just like me. I mean—I do, but, you know, I want him to LIIIIIIKE me!" she said, stretching out her arms and hugging herself.
While she was rambling, Adrien's car pulled up, and he drove off the moment he got in. Sprite then swung his cane and made his leave as well.
"In that case, you might have to work on your fencing!" said Tikki.
Marinette laughed and pointed her finger at Tikki like a saber. "On your guard, Tikki!"
The two of them pretended to fence with Marinette's finger and Tikki's whole arm and laughed as they did.