Marinette and Fei were now outside of Cash Antiques.
"Look this way, I'll go that way," said Fei as she pointed.
Marinette made her way over to Cash's shop, and Fei smiled, pretending to look around. Marinette then suddenly spotted her earrings.
"There!" Marinette gasped, pointing at the earrings. "They're here! My Miracul—uh, my earrings!"
"Wow, what luck!" said Fei, walking over.
They immediately made their way inside, and Marinette rushed to the counter.
"Hello, sir," said Marinette, looking at Cash. "I really need to get these earrings back; they're very, very important to me. I'm so happy to have found them!" She then looked at Fei. "Could you please translate?"
"That won't be necessary; I speak French," said Cash as Tikki watched from the claw machine. "So…" He ignored Fei's glares and pointed his fan at the earrings. "These earrings are very precious to you?"
"Yes, infinitely precious!" Marinette nodded.
"100,000 Yuan to get them back," said Cash.
"100,000 Yuan?" said Marinette. She wasn't certain about the currency in Shanghai, but it sounded rather a lot. "Is that a lot?"
Fei then banged her hands on the table furiously and began speaking Mandarin.
"You said it's worth 200 Yuan!" she said. "They aren't even worth 200 Yuan!"
Cash smiled. "That's the last applied demand, baby: it's precious to her, then it's precious to me!"
"That's way too much!"
"If she pays, I will guarantee your answer."
"That's disgusting, using other people's misfortune to get rich!"
"You're the one who robbed the girl; you're the one who brought her to me afterwards, so tell me, which one of us uses people's misfortune more?"
Tikki had heard enough and flew out of the claw machine and hid behind Marinette's shoulder.
"Marinette!" Tikki whispered.
"Tikki! I'm gonna get you out of here," Marinette promised and turned to Fei as Tikki hid behind a statue. "Stop it, Fei. I'll pay."
"But that's a huge sum!" Fei pointed out.
"I'll call my uncle and explain everything," she said and looked at Cash. "Could I please use your phone?" Cash handed Marinette's phone. "Could you give me the number to the Thousands Delights restaurant, please?"
"I know it; your uncle is a great chef!" said Cash, smiling.
"Yes, and I'm so ashamed I have to ask him…"
"Her uncle's restaurant is very successful; I'm sure she can pay," said Cash to Fei.
He then headed to the counter to write down the number. Fei then used the opportunity to snatch the earrings from Marinette's pocket and replace them with the Miraculous without any of them knowing.
"Here's the number," said Cash, handing Marinette the number.
"Thank you, sir, that's very nice of you," said Marinette and began to dial the number.
Wang's phone began to ring, but it stopped before he had the chance to pick it up.
Fei had snatched the phone from Marinette and ended the call.
"We'll find another way," she said.
"But Fei…" Marinette argued.
"If you don't buy these jewels now, I can't guarantee that I'll still have them later," Cash warned. "If a customer wants to buy them, I'll sell them."
"Fei, I can't lose them again!" Marinette pleaded.
"Believe me, no one will buy them at that price," Fei assured her, dragging her away.
"Fei, what are you doing?" Cash called out. "You don't want the answer to your question? You don't want to know who went after your father?" Fei hesitated slightly. "Have you forgotten who you are?
Fei looked back at him. "Actually, I just remembered who I really am!"
She then exited the shop with Marinette, and Tikki followed them.
"I'm taking you back to your uncle!" said Fei as they made their way to the bikes.
"Fei, I really can't leave without m—" Marinette stopped when Fei placed the Miraculous in Marinette's hand.
"Hop on the bike, quick!" she said.
Marinette looked at the Miraculous and back at Fei. "You stole my earrings?"
"Weren't you the one who wanted them back?" Fei asked.
"Yeah, but not like that!" said Marinette. "Stealing is wrong. That seller paid a lot of money to buy my earrings from whoever sold them to him!" Tikki floated behind Fei, pointing at her and trying to tell that she was the one who stole them, but she was too busy scolding Fei to notice. "If he can't sell them back, he'll have lost all his money!"
Fei looked back at the shop, knowing it was only a matter of time before Cash realised the switcheroo.
"Marinette, I promise I'll explain everything, but you've got to get on the bike, NOW!" said Fei.
Inside his shop, Cash took the earrings, but as he walked by the claw machine, he saw that Tikki was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's the red plush toy?" he said, and then looked at the earrings and examined them properly. "She juked me…" He then banged his hand on the table furiously. "That little brat JUKED me!"
He then turned to his men as they entered the store. "GET THEM!"
Outside, Marinette was still refusing to leave.
"What if that poor man's taken on a debt to buy these earrings?" Marinette asked.
At that point, Cash's thugs exited the store and glared up at them.
"Marinette, stop arguing and RUN!" said Fei.
She grabbed Marinette and dragged her away as Cash's goons chased after them.
"These guys… seem mad at us!" Marinette noted.
"Believe me, you have no idea how furious they are!" said Feri.
They quickly hid and watched as the men ran past, but once they were gone, they quickly ran off again, and Tikki flew after them.
Marinette looked at her earrings and then saw Tikki flying alongside her. "
"Tikki!" she beamed and opened her shirt so that Tikki could hide. She then stopped and hid behind a corner and put her earrings on. "Tikki—"
However, before she could do anything, Fei grabbed her and pulled her back. "No-no-no, stick with me; these guys are dangerous!"
"What do you mean, 'these guys'?" Marinette asked. "The other ones seemed pretty dangerous, too, when they were chasing me and shouting at me!"
The girls then reached a dead end and were cornered by Cash's thugs.
"Fei, please let me go get help!" Marinette pleaded.
Fei then stepped forward. "The only person who can help us here is me," She then began to show off her kung fu moves to oppose, "and my father taught me kung fu!"
Cash's men did not look intimidated in the slightest, but just as they were about to fight, the boys from earlier arrived.
"What's happening?!" Marinette asked.
"We, the proud street vigilantes, fight evil, even when uh… it strikes out at uh… more evil!" said Lian, looking slightly nervous.
"Go home, you're gonna get hurt!" said Fei.
"We don't take orders from a thief!" said Lian, pointing a finger accusingly at her.
Marinette looked at Fei. "A thief?"
"He-he doesn't know what he's talking about!" said Fei.
Cash's men smirked as they approached the boys, who awaited them in battle positions.
"Run!" Fei yelled.
The two of them then dashed off, and Cash's men tried to stop them, but the boys held them back.
As they ran through the streets, Fei looked up at the moon.
Standing on the rooftops of Shanghai was Cat Noir, and he had no luck locating Marinette.
"This city is too big. I can't do this alone…" he said and then got an idea immediately dialling Ladybug. "M'lady, a French girl we both know, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, has gone missing in Shanghai. I'm already there. If you get this message, meet me. I need your help."
He then hung up and immediately got a call but was somewhat disappointed that it was from Sprite.
"Cat Noir, Lady P just informed me that you're in Shanghai," he said.
"Yeah, and I'm not the only one. Marinette is here as well," Cat Noir nodded.
"I'm aware; I'm in Shanghai as well."
"What are you doing in Shanghai?"
"I could ask you the same question, but if you must know, I'm here under Master Fu's instructions. Lady P is only trying to locate Marinette, but I can't leave my post. If you do find anything, let me know."
"You got it," said Cat Noir.
He then hung up and began searching the streets once more.
Back at Wu Shifu's school, Sprite had just gotten off the phone and was now looking at Gabriel, who was observing the magical Eclipse.
"The time has come," he said.
Nooroo then flew out, looking at him pleadingly. "Master, please reconsider! You'll trigger a magic that is much too powerful for you! The magic Guardian of the Prodigious is a formidable opponent; you'll never be able to defeat him!"
"Who said I would be the one challenging him?" said Gabriel, but then he heard voices.
"What's this place?" Marinette asked.
"This is where I live," said Fei.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" said Gabriel, surprised as he spied on the girls.
Sprite was also spying on them and sighed in relief. "She's safe, and it looks like she brought the one who lives here with her."
"This is where I have to be right now," said Fei, looking at the moon.
She then began to pour some tea while Marinette looked around; it looked like she was only living on the bare necessities.
"Sorry, that's all I have," said Fei, handing her a drink.
Marinette sipped the tea and looked at Fei. "Fei, why do we have to be here?"
"I have to guard my father's legacy," she said.
"But, your father…" said Marinette, looking at the portrait surrounded by flowers.
"…disappeared with his school," she said.
"Oh, I'm so sorry…"
"They did everything to make us leave," said Fei. "Everything! Intimidation, burglary… They took everything from us, even the bracelet he had entrusted me with. The jewel I told you about is as precious to me as your earrings are to you, except that this jewel had a power."
Marinette gasped. "Who are 'they' exactly?"
"Precisely, I don't know," she said. "It's my search for their identity that brought us together today, Marinette. There's something I've got to tell you. I—"
"You really thought you could get away from me, Fei?" said a familiar voice.
They quickly spun around and saw Cash, with a couple of his men, standing there.
Marinette looked between Fei and Cash. "You… You know each other?"
Cash laughed maliciously. "Of course, we know each other! How do you think I ended up with your earrings in the first place, kid? She stole them from you, and then she stole them from me!"
Marinette gasped, dropping her drink in shock.
"I… I- I was about to tell you, Marinette!" Fei stammered. "I- I swear!"
"You saw how desperate I was to get my earrings back, and you knew I'd be willing to pay a huge price for them!" Marinette cried.
"I'm sorry! He told me he knew someone who could tell me what happened to my father! But he demanded a huge sum of money in exchange for the truth!"
"Truth isn't free. No pay, no game, baby," said Cash, then approached Marinette aggressively and extended a phone. "You're going to call your uncle right now and ask him for the money he owes me!"
Fei then suddenly punched the phone right out of his hand and placed herself in front of Marinette. "I won't let you do this. Run, Marinette!"
Cash turned to his men. "Get them."
His thugs slowly approached, and Fei was ready to fight when suddenly Sprite appeared out of nowhere and knocked them back with his cane.
"I think I've heard enough," said Sprite.
"Lord Sprite?!" Gabriel stared.
Cash stared at him. "Who are you?"
"Sprite," said Marinette relieved.
"You know him, Marinette?" Fei asked.
Marinette nodded. "He's a superhero back home."
"I came here on a mission, but I felt as if I had to intervene here," said Sprite.
"I don't care who you are; I want my money now!" Cash roared.
"All this greed…" Gabriel smiled.
A short time ago, he sent Nathalie to Shanghai with a briefcase for money to pay for the bracelet he had acquired.
"Even back then, it worked in my favour," Gabriel smiled. "Nooroo, dark wings rise!"
Gabriel then transformed into Hawk Moth.
He then released an akuma.
"I want my MONEY!" Cash demanded furiously. "And YOU'RE gonna give it to me, or you'll NEVER get your answers!"
"I just want you to tell me the truth, once and for all!" Fei yelled.
"The truth?" Cash growled. "The truth is, if that girl doesn't call her uncle, you'll meet the same fate as your father!"
In a fit of rage, Fei kicked him, knocking him back.
"Don't you dare talk about my father!" Fei yelled, and Marinette then noticed the akuma. "I may have failed him, but it's over. I'll find the answers all by myself!"
Sprite quickly approached Fei. "Calm down. Nothing will be solved if you give in to anger."
Marinette then tried to run away, but Fei stopped her. "Marinette, you have to stay with me; I'm the only one who can protect you!"
Marinette looked at her. "You haven't protected me so far; all you've done is lie to me!"
"You have to trust me!"
Marinette saw the akuma was approaching Cash and pulled her hand away from Fei. "I can't!"
"I shouldn't have stolen your earrings; please forgive me," Fei pleaded.
"You did what you had to do, and I've gotta do what I've gotta do," said Marinette and ran away just as the akuma entered Cash's fan.
"King Cash, I am Hawk Moth," said Hawk Moth telepathically. "You want to be rich? Something very valuable is hidden behind that waterfall. If you help me get my hands on it, I will make you rich beyond your wildest dream."
"A deal's a deal," Cash smiled.
Cash then began to transform, making Fei and his men gasp. He now resembled a Chinese golden statue, the same kind that would seen at burial sites. His fan was now both silver and gold with sharp edges.
"The silver blades on your fan will slice through anything, and the gold ones will turn anything they touch into a statue," Hawk Moth explained.
"Time to get rich," said King Cash.
He then fired several gold blades at his men and recently turned them into golden statues. They then began to move on their own and attacked Sprite, slamming him through a wall. Fei just watched, stunned, as King Cash and his golden minions walked off.
Marinette managed to find a hiding place and let Tikki out of her shirt. "Tikki, Hawk Moth's here in Shanghai, too!"
"Do you think Fei is being sincere, Marinette?" Tikki asked.
"I'm not sure yet. But for now, Tikki, spots on!" Marinette yelled.
Marinette then began to transform into Ladybug. When the transformation was complete, she heard her bug-phone beep and checked her voicemail.
"M'lady, a French girl we both know, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, has gone missing in Shanghai," said Cat Noir. "I'm already there. If you get this message, meet me. I need your help."
"Aw, nice kitty," Ladybug smiled and dialled Cat Noir.
Cat Noir was still searching the cities from the rooftops when he received Ladybug's call.
"Meow, m'lady!" he said
"I've just arrived in Shanghai, kitty," said Ladybug. "Have you found her?"
"Not yet, but with you here, I'm sure we will together."
"FYI, that French girl's not the only one here. I just saw an akuma!" Ladybug informed him.
"What?!" Cat Noir gasped. "I'll be right there."
He then hung up.
"Hurry up, Cat Noir," Ladybug pleaded.
She then quickly rushed over to Sprite, who just picked himself up.
"That could have gone better," he said.
"Sprite, are you all right?" Ladybug asked, kneeling next to him.
"I'm fine, but we need to move. I have a good idea of where Hawk Moth and his golden friend are headed," he said.
Hawk Moth had guided King Cash to the secret entrance behind the waterfall.
"It's time to prove that money can open any door," he said to King Cash.
King Cash drew his fan and raced towards the door that led to the Sacred Cave.
Fei then jumped out of nowhere. "No one is allowed into the Sacred Cave!"
She then launched a jump kick at King Cash, but it had absolutely no effect on his golden armour.
King Cash then turned to face her. "Who do you think you're dealing with, little mosquito?!"
He then shot off some gold blades at Fei, who nimbly dodged them. However, she landed right next to Hawk Moth, who grabbed her hand.
"You're wasting your time," he said, tossing her through the waterfall.
"And time is money!" said King Cash as Fei screamed and landed in a well.
He then turned to face the door and used the silver blades to cut right through it.
Fei desperately tried to climb out of the waterfall, but the surface was too slippery. However, a yo-yo suddenly appeared right in front of her, and she looked up to see Ladybug looking down at her with Sprite by her side.
"Grab on!" she said.
Both Hawk Moth, King Cash and his golden minions were now making their way down the stairs into the Sacred Cave.
"Where's the fortune you promised me?" King Cash asked.
"Soon, soon, have patience," said Hawk Moth.
Back outside, Ladybug had just pulled Fei out of the well.
"Who are you?" Fei asked.
"Ladybug."
"She's a friend," said Sprite. "Ladybug, this is… sorry, in all the commotion. I forgot to ask your name."
"I'm Fei," she said and looked at the two of them. "You two are the good guys, right?
"Yes," Ladybug nodded.
"And right now, we need to stop bad guys," said Sprite.
In the Sacred Cave, Hawk Moth approached the end of the stairs and followed a beam of light that struck a wall.
"Now I can finally see if this was a good investment," said Hawk Moth, pulling out the Guardian bracelet.
"So you were my mysterious buyer!" said King Cash, recognising the bracelet. "I've never made so much money on a lousy trinket."
He cackled just as Ladybug, Sprite and Fei had entered the cave.
The two of them hid behind a rock just as the moon turned red; as it did, so did the light pointing at the wall until it vanished. Once it vanished, an opening for the bracelet appeared within the walls.
"I've been waiting for this moment for 15 years," said Hawk Moth as he placed the bracelet in the opening.
Fei gasped. "That's my bracelet!"
"Is there anything special about it?" Ladybug asked.
"I don't know," she said honestly. "I was just supposed to protect the cave and the bracelet, but I've failed."
The bracelet then started glowing, forcing Hawk Moth to cover his eyes. Regular and the others gasped as suddenly materialising was a large being resembling a statue of a lion's head and holding a metal sphere in its hand.
"Human, prepare to face the judgement of Mei Shi, the lion protector of the Prodigious!" he said.
"The Prodigious?" Ladybug blinked.
"Do you know what this is?" Fei asked.
Mei Shi moved to the side and sat down as a passage opened.
"I do," said Sprite. "The Prodigious was designed before our Miraculouses were created, but it proved to be too powerful. It was then locked away in a guardian was chosen to watch over this cave."
"I don't like the sound of that," said Ladybug. "We can't allow Hawk Moth to get it." She then turned to Fei. "You stay right here."
She and Sprite then began to make their way over to Hawk Moth, who made his way to the passageway. Inside was a box, and the moment he touched it, it crumbled, revealing the Prodigious inside it. Hawk Moth took it and brushed the ash off of it.
"Put the Prodigious around your neck, human, and prepare to face my judgement," said Mei Shi.
"Who told you I had any intention of facing you?" Hawk Moth scoffed and turned to King Cash. "King Cash, the time has come to honour our deal. Turn him into a gold statue."
He walked away as King Cash prepared to send gold blades at Mei Shi.
"Oh no, you won't!" he said. "That's not in the rules!"
Hawk Moth just continued to walk away, but then Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around his legs, lifting him up into the air. This resulted in him dropping both the Prodigious and his cane.
"NO!" Hawk Moth yelled.
The golden thugs then began making their way over to the Prodigious, but Sprite jumped in and struck them back with his cane.
"Not this time," he said.
Fei then ran over. "I'm taking over my father's mission."
She then grabbed the Prodigious and took on a battle pose.
"Fei, I told you to stay away!" said Ladybug.
"You're the one I'll be judging then, human," said Mei Shi, looking at Fei.
King Cash then drew his fan.
"Don't let those golden blades hit you're turning to golden statues," Sprite warned.
King Cash jumped into the air, tossing several golden blades at Ladybug, forcing her to jump back, releasing Hawk Moth as a result. Hawk Moth landed on the ground and quickly grabbed his cane.
King Cash then began to attack Ladybug with his fan, who uses her yo-yo to defend herself. Sprite was also fighting against the two golden thugs, who were pushing him back.
"We're a little outnumbered here," said Sprite as he jumped back.
Ladybug managed to somersault into the air and tossed her yo-yo at King Cash, but he blocked it with his fan.
"Hurry, Cat Noir," said Ladybug pleadingly.
King Cash fired up more golden blades, forcing her to dodge them. Fei looked at the two heroes, knowing that they were outnumbered and that she had to help. In that instant, she put on the Prodigious and began to glow.
She then suddenly began to transform and stood there wearing a red and yellow suit, her hair turning golden blond.