Ugh. It was kind of funny seeing this akuma claim that Dupain-Cheng was somehow LADYBUG, of all people, while also illustrating how pathetic and utterly ridiculous she was, but this was just getting boring. And sad.
Why people still wanted to be friends with her, she'd never understand. What did they see in her? Sure, maybe she had a modicum of talent in making things (her own mom had acknowledged that so she had to as well) but she wasn't rich, she made a mess of everything, and she was selfish, like what she'd been accused of. So why was everyone more interested in hanging out with her, in comforting her even when she was being the most cringey and pathetic human being around?
(Why hadn't her own pleas for her mom's attention worked? Why had she chosen Dupain-Cheng? Why was Dupain-Cheng able to get her mom to stay, when she herself couldn't?)
(What was she MISSING?!)
Scene change: Sublime arrives at the stadium. Her parents are there.
Sublime's mother: Severin, let her manage on her own!
Severin: What? I'm just giving her a little help, that's all.
Sublime's mother: If you really want what's best for her, then stop helping her when she's faced with a challenge, or she'll never learn to get by on her own.
"Hmmm… They both have a point," Rose mused. "Being helped too much just because you have some sort of disability or injury can be a problem if it prevents you from developing the skills to function on your own. Plus it doesn't always feel good to be singled out as different and needing special help, if you can get by on your own. But her dad also has a point. Sometimes, people need a little bit of help and comfort and to know that they have someone they can fall back on when life gets hard, especially a parent. And looking at how Sublime reacted, I think she needs her dad's help more, rather than the independence her mom wants her to have."
Sublime's parents reminded her of her own mom and dad. Her mom was fierce, powerful, commanding, and didn't tolerate failure or anything unexceptional. While her father bent to her will, doing whatever she asked if she demanded it loudly enough.
But of course, HER parents weren't divorced. Sure, her mother may have gone overseas several years ago and rarely returned, and sure, she apparently had had a kid with a different father, but she and her father were officially together still! They weren't divorced! She still had it better than Sublime. Besides, she doubted Sublime was as rich as she was. That counted for a lot.
So what if she'd felt jealous at the tender way Sublime's dad looked at his daughter? That meant nothing, and no one could prove otherwise.
Scene change: Sublime in the locker room, switching out legs
"Hmph! Why would she do that? Her old legs had at least SOME sense of style. These new leg things don't even look like legs. And they're just plain black! At least her other pair is shiny and blue and has some passable decorative features." She'd thought that maybe Sublime had SOME fashion sense, but that seemed to be too much to hope for.
"Prosthetic legs aren't as flexible as flesh-and-blood legs," Mylene told her. "Different kinds of mechanics are needed for walking versus for running, so she has to switch between them if she doesn't want to risk hurting herself."
"Why run at all if you can't look good while doing it?" Ugh, her father even wrote those words of encouragement on her running legs, could they get any more garish?
(Why did seeing that fill her with longing?)
Scene Change: Marinette hiding in the hallway
Marinette: She's been in there for at least 20 minutes, maybe she's encountered a problem? Yes, yes, she probably needs help from a friend!
Tikki: Wait, Marinette!
Marinette: What is it?
Tikki: We don't even know why we're here!
"Marinette's here because she decided to stalk Sublime, I thought that was pretty clear." Ugh this was just getting old, did the girl have nothing better to do? No, wait, she probably didn't. Marinette wasn't like her, who always had a lot of important things to do. Like taking instagram photos to make other people feel inferior about how much worse their lives were than hers!
(So why did she feel jealous when watching other people?)
Huh.
She squinted at Tikki. Something about her looked familiar…
Marinette: Alya was right. I'll talk to her. Hide, Tikki!
(Marinette opens the door to the locker room. Sublime's already gone, leaving her prosthetic legs behind.)
Marinette: Oh, where did she go?
Scene Change: Outside at the stadium. Someone sits down in a seat while holding a notebook.
Sublime's mom: If you sponsor my daughter, you won't be disappointed, Mr. Roth.
Bob: What's her marketing strength?
Sublime's mom: She's the fastest runner! Look, Sublime won gold in one hundred and four hundred meters at the regional para-athletics.
Bob: Gold? (he examines the medal) Yeah, right. More like junk!
Sublime's mom: It's symbolic!
Bob: Symbolic? (laughs) Symbolic money is worth nothing.
She sneered. "Symbolism. Just an excuse to cover up how worthless something is. If it doesn't have money value, it's not worth anything." Her mother liked to say things like that whenever she denied spending time with her. Though usually in ruder language. Who did this lady think she was, trying to get a rich investor to pay money for something so useless? Granted, Bob was so stupid, maybe she could trick him into wasting his money. She could almost admire the scam.
Severin: I told you, Caroline, finding a sponsor isn't easy. But it's okay. Sublime has time. She's young.
Caroline: Uh, Mr. Roth? Wait. At the world championship, it'll be a real gold medal, one hundred percent pure gold.
Bob: Ah! This changes everything. In that case, If I do sponsor her and she wins, I keep the medal. Consider this an advance payment.
Severin: I don't like the way he operates.
Caroline: Without a sponsor, Sublime won't be allowed to enter the world championship. Is that what you want for your daughter? For her to fail again and again like her father?
Caroline (to Bob): We accept your offer, Mr. Roth.
Bob: Easy, easy, I'm not offering anything yet. I want to see what your daughter's worth on the first.
Caroline: Hmph.
"She's proposing GIVING the medal to Bob Roth? Just so he sponsors her? And without talking to her daughter, who would actually WIN that medal first?!" Alix sounded scandalized.
Poor people just didn't understand. This was the way of the world. "He'd be buying the medal by sponsoring her. Of course it would belong to him."
"But she'd be winning the race! It symbolizes her triumph, her win, her having achieved her goal! To give that to Bob Roth of all people, just because he sponsored her…" Alix sucked in a breath.
"Symbolism is worthless. Only money, and means of earning money, count for anything."
Alix gave her a look. It was mostly a glare, but mixed in with that… was that pity?
It couldn't be pity. She was right! She was better than everyone else here (aside from Adrikins of course, he was her equal). Alix just didn't understand how the real world worked, unlike her. She'd get a rude awakening in a few years. Alix's mom must have coddled her, unlike her own mom, who liked to use tough love to make sure Chloe became exceptional, like her.
Even if Mom never seemed to think she was exceptional.
Scene Change: Marinette walking through the locker room.
(Marinette sees Sublime's prosthetic legs left behind in the locker room.)
Marinette: (gasps) An akumatized villain disintegrated Sublime, leaving only her prostheses behind! Tikki–
"Hmmph! How stupid can she be? Obviously, she just took the prostheses off!" She'd known that Dupain-Cheng was dumb, but she still somehow kept finding new depths of stupidity to sink to." She didn't even make someone else do her homework for her. She, herself, had realized what a pointless waste of time it was years ago. Getting around unnecessary work was way smarter than forcing yourself to spend hours a day doing something you hated.
"It could have been an akuma," Mylene pointed out. "Disintegration akumas aren't that uncommon. I mean, there's a more reasonable explanation, but that's not crazy."
Of course Mylene would defend Dupain-Cheng's stupidity. Her friends always did that. Now if it'd been HER making such a stupid claim (not that she ever would, of course, she was way smarter than that), then she'd happily join in on saying how dumb and ignorant she was.
Not that she cared. People like her were beneath her.
Tikki: Marinette! Maybe there's a more logical explanation. (Marinette walks into the bathroom) Marinette! Surely you're not going to disturb her right now?
Marinette: You're right. Yes. I'll wait.
"Ugh. What a creep." Seriously, she was not only stalking Sublime, but she was going to burst into the bathroom to confront her?
See, SHE knew better than to do this. SHE had some grace, while this baker girl had none.
(A toilet flushes. Marinette darts into a nearby stall as Sublime emerges.)
(Sublime washes her hands, breathing hard and whimpering as she does so, her hands shaking.)
Sublime: I know you're in here. I know you're hiding, lurking in the shadows, ready to leap out and stop me from winning. I won't let you! When you come, I will be ready, and I will overcome you. No one can stop me from getting what I want, especially you!
"That poor girl… she's under so much pressure…" Mylene murmured.
"Her mother just wants her to be exceptional! If you're not exceptional, you're worthless. Sublime is doing what she has to. Trying any less would be ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"
Mylene gave her the same sort of look Alix had earlier. She ignored it. It meant nothing.
(Sublime leaves. Marinette slides out of the stall she was hiding in.)
Marinette: She hates me because she can't have what she wants. What does it mean? (gasps). She's in love with Adrien!
(Sublime realizes she left her water bottle behind and turns back)
Marinette: (gasps) She's coming back to overcome me!
(Marinette assembles a costume within a few seconds out of janitor supplies, tipping soapy water all over the floor so she can pretend to clean it)
Marinette: Ha ha ha ha! I'm Soapynator, and not at all Marinette Dupain-Cheng! I hate dirt and clean everything in my path!
Sublime: Listen, Marinette. Or, Soapinator. I'll happily have a chat with you after my trial. I really don't have time now. So wait for me here. Do not move, and do not follow me. (Sublime leaves the room.)
Marinette: I no longer have a choice. Tikki–
Tikki: Wait, what are you gonna do?
Marinette: I can feel that she didn't fall for my costume. But if I become Ladybug, she'll become convinced that I was akumatized for real.
Tikki: Marinette, this is–
Marinette: Tikki, Spots On!
Tikki: That's not what I mean–!
"This seems irresponsible. On a few different levels," Alya noted
"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous." The fact that this– this– this ABOMINATION of a show would try to make her believe that Ladybug was the pathetic Dupain-Cheng, while showing her acting like this? How stupid did this akuma think they were?
She glanced around. Then again, a bunch of her classmates seemed to be buying it. How moronic.
"I'm impressed Sublime was able to walk on the soapy floor without issue, but I'm worried that might lead to her slipping on the track later," Mylene fretted. "It's hard enough to stay stable on slippery shoes, but when they're running blades? I'd imagine it'd be even more difficult to maintain your footing."
"Don't forget that Bob Roth's watching this to decide whether to sponsor Sublime. If Ladybug appears and interrupts the trial, she might accidentally sabotage her. Actually, considering what a scumbag he is, that might be for the best," Alix muttered.
Dupain-Cheng just let out a muffled noise as she continued planting her face in her bean bag.
Scene Change: Sublime at the track, getting ready to run. Her hand's shaking.
Severin: Hold tight, sweetheart! I have to do a final adjustment on your right prosthesis. (Tells her quietly) If you find it too difficult, you have the right to give up. You know I'll always love you. It's okay to be afraid, and it's okay to not succeed all the time.
Sublime: Thanks, Dad.
Caroline: Don't listen to your loser of a father. I know it's in here. Fear is always ready to leap out and stop you from winning, but you're ready. You just need to overcome that fear and turn it into a strength that will make you soar! Remember, no one can stop you from getting what you want. You're my champion! You're SUBLIME!
"You know… under different circumstances, I'd say that was a great pep talk," Alya said slowly. "But this isn't what Sublime needs. And now I'm wondering how many of Sublime's accomplishments are things she wanted to do, versus what her mom pressured her to do." She glanced over at Adrien for some reason.
"I wish I'd sent her into the sky," Nino muttered. "This is the same sort of crap Gabriel puts Adrien through."
"It's not that bad," Adrien replied weakly. "He just wants to involve me in the family business."
Nino gave him a flat look. "But is that what you want?"
"Well–"
"You are being ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!" she proclaimed. "Of course Adrien wants to be a model. Who wouldn't? Claiming otherwise is absurd." She'd been second-guessing her insistence on Adrien being allowed to attend public school for a while now. The commoners kept on poisoning his mind with the dumbest notions. Caroline's insistence on exceptionality was simply how normal moms behaved, and being a model was always a boon.
Agent: On your mark. Get set. Go!
(Sublime starts running. But bubbles emit from her running blades as she runs.)
(Ladybug jumps down in front of Sublime)
Ladybug: Where is the akumatized villain? Where is Soapynator?
(Sublime attempts to turn. Her running blades crack, disintegrating beneath her, causing her to fall to the ground. Everyone gasps and runs over to her.)
"...okay, HOW did those break like that?!" Alix yelled. "Like, yeah, if you fell wrong at high speed MAYBE you could snap one of those, though I'd still think they should be fine. I mean, they're supposed to be able to support a teenager putting her full weight on them. But breaking like that?! With them disintegrating before they even touch anything else?! I thought the soapy water was gonna make her slip, not… whatever that was supposed to be!" she gestured at the screen.
"Perhaps the soap altered the chemical structure of the blades, making them more brittle? But such a major design flaw should not have made it past the testing phase, especially since the blades would presumably need to be cleaned regularly," Max looked at the screen thoughtfully. "I would love to consult with Severin about the materials he used. Perhaps I could help him find some that are less reactive."
"So I guess it was only a matter of time until this happened," Alix shook her head. "Still, Marinette causing it during this trial? Not cool. Even if they hadn't snapped, Sublime would still have likely had a nasty fall with how she needed to turn to avoid running into Ladybug.. She's lucky that she didn't get hurt as it is."
Hmph. Maybe Dupain-Cheng's friends weren't the mindless sheep she'd thought they were. They were willing to go against her some, even if they still treated Dupain-Cheng far better than they treated her.
Caroline: Oh, don't go, Mr. Roth!
Sublime: Everything's okay, Ladybug. It's just Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
Ladybug: Marinette Dupain-Cheng?
Sublime: Yeah, she's a girl from my school. She pretended to be akumatized and disguised herself as Soap-bucket-nator, or something. My friend Adrien explained that whenever she likes someone, she starts to act peculiar, which means she likes me, I guess, so… there's no danger, I'm not hurt. Everything's… fine.
(Her hands tremble as she reaches her hand out towards her broken prosthetics.)
Severin: Oh, this is a disaster. We've just lost months of work.
Sublime: We've done it once, we'll do it again, Dad.
Ladybug: (gasps in horror).
"This has to be traumatizing," Mylene murmured. "I'm surprised she's holding up so well. Sublime is very brave."
"Pfft, more like ridiculous," she scoffed. "Even now, she's still being this nice towards Dupain-Cheng? She just caused her leg-thingies to break! After stalking her all day! How pathetically nice."
"It was an accident!" Alya defended.
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." There was no use talking to this group, they practically worshipped the ground Dupain-Cheng walked on, though she couldn't fathom why. SHE existed, did she not? Give her some of that attention instead.
Caroline: Give her another chance! This is just a setback.
Bob: Precisely! Time is money, and a setback is NOT money in my wallet.
(A butterfly enters into the medal Caroline's holding.)
Butterfly Holder: Hello Ma'am. Forgive my intrusion, but I seem to sense a considerable frustration. People are letting you down, aren't they? They're not up to your expectations?
Caroline: Why can't they be as sublime as my daughter?
Butterfly Holder: Yes. The world would be sublime if people could be better versions of themselves, like your daughter. I can give you the power to make everything better. Only if you agree, of course.
Caroline: That's the best thing that could happen to me!
Butterfly Holder: And what should I call you?
Caroline: Sublimation!
"See, why can't Hawk Moth be this polite?" she complained. "This new butterfly holder sounds way nicer."
"They're still evil," Alya pointed out. "Plus, they weren't quite as nice with Maya last episode. Probably because they felt like they could get away with being more forceful towards a little kid. So I think it has to do with whether they think they'll be able to accomplish more by being deferential or not." She frowned. "Speaking of last episode, didn't we see her talk about being akumatized before? I mean I guess this could be her second akumatization, but I don't really get those vibes. Besides, this seems awfully early for that to happen, the only repeated akuma we've had so far is Mr. Pigeon. Maybe these episodes are out of order?"
"If they're out of order, then maybe this IS actually her second akumatization, and it's just been awhile?" Nino proposed.
Alya nodded. "That's possible too. Either way, we should keep on the lookout for evidence of where these take place in the timeline. We can't take for granted that they'll be in order."
"It hardly matters, since this isn't real," she muttered. Ladybug would never be as irresponsible, selfish, and creepy as Marinette was being here. The fact that anyone would expect her to believe this was real was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.
Sublimation: I know why you're hiding. I'm going to help you surpass your fear so you can carry on with your mission. BE BETTER! (She hits the officials with her attack.)
Official: Yeah, let's resume the race!
Different Official: Let's get on with the trial!
Ladybug: Now someone actually has been akumatized. (stands in front of Sublime and Severin) Don't worry, I'll protect you.
Sublimation: How dare you pretend you're protecting my daughter, when you just ruined her trial?!
Severin: Caroline?
Sublimation: Take a good look at me, sweet heart. Thanks to Sublimation, Ladybug is finally about to become a better superhero.
Ladybug: I'm sincerely sorry. It was an unfortunate misunderstanding, but please, reject the akuma and I promise I'll fix everything!
Sublimation: If you're really as perfect as you pretend to be, why are you so afraid of being sublimed?
Ladybug: I don't trust people under the influence of the Butterfly Miraculous Holder.
Sublimation: You're wasting my time, Ladybug. Maybe you don't want to be sublime, but at least fix the problems you have caused!
Severin: Can't you see you're scaring everyone?
Sublimation: My dear ex-husband. Thanks to me, you're finally about to turn into a much better version of yourself. Be better! (she hits Severing with her attack).
Severin(to Sublime): I know you're strong and you don't need anyone's help! You can do this, sweetie!
Sublimation: Now you're talking! Now all we need is a sponsor for things to absolutely be sublime!
"So her power doesn't actually make people 'better'," Alya made air quotes with her hands. "It just makes them act like how she wants them too. That makes more sense than them becoming 'better' by some nebulous, unknowable metric at least."
"Hmmph. She definitely improved her ex-husband, at least." Finally, he was seeing sense. He was behaving the way she wanted him to. This was right.
This had to be right.
"She just made him agree with her. But this isn't what's best for Sublime," Alya retorted. "She needed to know that she was allowed to fail. To quit. And that she'd be loved anyway. That she didn't have to always be perfect or strong. And Sublimation just took that away from her."
"But you're NOT allowed to fail. If you're not good enough, people leave. As they should, I mean, it's ridiculous to think they'd stick around if you weren't up to snuff."
Alya gave her that Look. She was getting really tired of that Look.
Scene change: Ladybug stuck beneath some pipes outside the stadium. She extracts herself from them, though she remains hidden as Sublimation enters the scene, confronting Bob Roth, who is trying to escape in his car.
Sublimation: You're not leaving until you've acknowledged my daughter's talent!
Bob: Too late. I already told ya, time is–
Sublimation: Have you ever heard of generosity, Bob?
Bob: Hey, I will not be insulted!
(Ladybug wraps her yo-yo around Sublimation's wrist.)
Sublimation: Ladybug! You again. Have you figured out how to fix my daughter's prosthesis that you broke?
Ladybug: No, but I– I'm sorry. It was a mistake.
"I wouldn't say she broke the prosthesis, it should NOT have broken under those conditions unless there was already a major design defect," Alix complained. "Don't get me wrong, Ladybug still majorly messed up here, especially since she got in Sublime's way and likely would have caused her to either trip or to collide with her even if the prostheses had remained intact, and that could have seriously hurt Sublime. But I wouldn't blame her for the prostheses disintegrating, I don't even know how that could have happened."
"You know, I wonder whether Miraculous Ladybug could fix the prostheses," Alya appeared thoughtful. "It fixed Alix's watch, even though that happened BEFORE the akuma attack. Maybe because it was the catalyst for Alix's akumatization? In which case, using Miraculous Ladybug after defeating Sublimation might repair the prostheses as well, since them breaking was the catalyst for Sublimation's akumatization."
Marinette perked up. "That's right, that did happen! So I– I mean she– might be able to fix things after all!"
"Like fixing your stalking?" She fired back. "Oh wait. Sadly, Ladybug can't fix herself."
Marinette shrunk back a little, but didn't bury her face in her beanbag like she had before.
Good. She was no fun when she was completely shut down. If she didn't react, then what was the point?
Sublimation: You're keeping my daughter from securing a sponsor, Ladybug. Is this what superheroes do in Paris? (uses Ladybug's tied yo-yo to yank her towards her, then punch her again.)
(Ladybug opens up her yo-yo, selecting a green pawprint from amongst a selection of signals. A ladybug flashes on-screen, and then the scene changes to show Adrien receiving Sublime's homework.)
Teacher: Here's Sublime's homework.
Adrien: Oh! She thanks you, sir! (he hastily backs out of the room).
Cat kwami: Come on, it's snack time!
Adrien: No, it's time to help Ladybug!
(Hides behind a bush.)
Adrien: Plagg, claws out!
(Chat Noir runs off.)
Everyone turned to stare at Adrien.
"Dude, you're Chat Noir?!" Nino asked excitedly.
"I knew it!" Alya yelled. "I thought something was weird with Adrien last episode. Heck I even called it before that, Adrien with a mask looks just like Chat Noir!"
"This isn't real," Adrien defended. "I'm not Chat Noir, anymore than Marinette is Ladybug."
Alya rolled her eyes.
"Yeah! You're way more graceful and handsome than that alley cat!" Ugh, this akuma would have her believing that her Adrikins was that stray? First it tries to tell her that Dupain-Cheng, of all people, is Ladybug, and then it claims that Adrien is Chat Noir? How much more ridiculous could this get?
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with her," Marinette said reluctantly, "But Chloe is right. There's no way that Adrien is Chat Noir, they're completely different people! Chat Noir puns constantly and does the chicken dance while 'being casual', I can't imagine Adrien doing that.
Adrien gave Marinette a look. Was that disappointment? That didn't make sense, Marinette was, for once, on the right track – though only because she was following in the footsteps of moi. He must just be disappointed in her general existence. It was about time.
Scene Change: Bob being driven away in a car.
Bob: Drive!
(Sublimation lands on the hood of the car, stopping it. The driver runs away.)
Bob: You are not running away! I'm firing you!
(Bob dives out of the roof of the car after Sublimation takes off the cover.)
Sublimation: Be better! (tries to hit Bob with her attack. Chat shows up and deflects it, and then picks Bob up and carries him off.) Chat Noir, you too want to stop me from making people better?
Chat Noir: What's she talking about?
Ladybug: Sublimation makes people better simply by touching them.
Chat Noir: Are you sure she's really a supervillain?
Ladybug: Well, she hasn't destroyed anything so far.
"I guess she doesn't know about the damage Sublimation did to that car," Alya said. "She IS really a supervillain though. She might say that she's making people better, but looking at the effect she's having on the people she hits, she's really just brainwashing them. I mean the brainwashing is pretty mild by akuma standards, but it's still villainous."
Chat Noir: And to be honest, you can't be mad at her for trying to make Bob a better person. Right, Bob?
Bob: Your job is to protect the wealthy Parisians like myself, that's what you're paid for!
Chat Noir: Oh-ho! We're being paid, Milady?
Ladybug: No, we're not. We protect everyone for free.
Bob: Ha ha! Then you're being exploited.
Ladybug: No, we're volunteers, Bob.
Bob: How ridiculous.
Ladybug: Hide him somewhere Sublimation won't find him.
Chat Noir: You've got it.
(Chat Noir throws Bob in a dumpster.)
Bob: Why'd you put me in here?
Chat Noir: Maybe it's cuz your attitude stinks (closes the lid).
"Yeah, anything Sublimation does to Bob would improve him," Nino agreed. "Especially considering the way he pushes for his son's awful music while denigrating Jagged Stone, he has no taste."
"Bob might have a point about them getting paid though," Alya said thoughtfully. "Volunteering is all well and good, but if superheroes are still doing this job into adulthood, they deserve to get paid – especially since they might have trouble holding down a regular job if they need to go off and take down supervillains a lot. The American superheroes have a compensation structure in place, it might be time to think about arranging something like that for French superheroes as well."
"I can talk to Daddy about arranging something," she offered. "I would be much more successful than you would be. Besides, I'M Ladybug's closest friend, whatever lies that this akuma's telling." Ladybug was a hero, and heroes deserved fair compensation. Besides, this would leave Ladybug indebted to her, grateful for her help, as she should be.
Alya looked taken aback. "Thank you, Chloe… I think. That would actually be helpful."
She tossed her hair. "I'm always helpful."
She felt a small warmth inside. What was that from?
Scene change: Ladybug fighting Sublimation on the rooftops.
Butterfly Holder: Ladybug and Chat Noir can't bear when someone's better than them. They're not worthy of their Miraculous. You should seize them. What'd you say?
Caroline: Sublime idea!
Chat Noir: Now it's you against us!
Sublimation: You should be ashamed of protecting a scoundrel like Bob Roth!
Ladybug: You have no right to decide for others how they should behave!
Sublimation: You're jealous of my power because I can actually turn villains into good people!
Ladybug: Lucky Charm! (summons a small, handheld mirror.)
Chat Noir: What plan are we rolling with, Milady?
Ladybug: I don't know.
Sublimation: Your power is just like you, Ladybug. Useless!
Chat Noir: Don't listen. She's wrong.
Sublimation: No I'm not! Unless her power is to shatter people's dreams, like she did my daughter's!
Chat Noir: What's she talking about, Milady?
Ladybug: It was an accident.
Sublimation: There must be a better version of yourself, Ladybug. Don't you wanna know?
Chat Noir: Everyone's allowed to make mistakes, and honestly, I don't see how there could be a better version of you, Milady.
Ladybug: Do you really mean it, Chat Noir?
Chat Noir: I never lie. She's powerless against you.
"...okay I know Chat Noir hasn't been watching all of this for the past several minutes," Alix gestured at the screen. "But that's horseshit. Everyone's allowed to make some mistakes, sure, and to learn from them. But the fact that there's something to learn, some way to improve yourself by learning from your mistakes, means that Ladybug clearly ISN'T the best version of herself. She's not a terrible version, but improvements are definitely possible."
Marinette nodded. "I'm not perfect, and that version of myself definitely isn't."
"Perfection's overrated," Adrien chimed in. "It's more important to just try to be the best version of yourself you can be. And if you fail, to try again later. It's okay to not be perfect. No one is."
"Except for me," she interjected. Everyone else might make mistakes, as peasants do, but she wasn't one of them. She was one of the elite. "I'm ALWAYS my best self."
"That's a scary thought," Alix muttered.
(Ladybug stops running.)
Chat Noir: Milady, what are you–
Sublimation: Now you're becoming reasonable, Ladybug. Be better! (Sublimation hits her with her attack.) Ha, now you are sublimed! Be better! (hits Chat Noir as well.)
Butterfly Holder: Don't forget about their Miraculous!
(The markings of the sublimation vanish from Ladybug.)
Chat Noir: Wow, I told you, milady! (the markings vanish from him as well.)
Ladybug: You too are the best version of yourself, kitty-cat.
Chat Noir: I know.
Ladybug: And the most modest.
"How were they able to throw off the brainwashing?" Alya asked. "Sublimation doesn't actually turn you into a better version of yourself, she just turns you into whatever she thinks is better for herself, we've already seen that. So it makes no sense that Ladybug and Chat Noir could just no-sell her power like that, since Sublimation clearly thinks there's room to improve them. And why would Ladybug risk this? It didn't seem to accomplish much besides proving that they don't need to fear her attacks."
"Because this is obviously just made up by the akuma. I mean, come on, Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug? Adrikins as Chat Noir?" She gestured towards the screen. "So obviously fake."
Alya did not appear convinced.
Whatever. Her opinion didn't matter. She was allowed to be wrong, as always.
Butterfly Holder: It's not over.
(The butterfly holder blows in the mental projection, causing butterflies to shoot out of Sublimation's butterfly mask. One of them hits Chat Noir, knocking him into a chimney and causing him to become desaturated.)
Chat Noir: I've lost my powers!
Sublimation: What are these?!
Ladybug: Antikumas.
(While Sublimation's flailing and panicking, Ladybug seizes her medal, breaking it and releasing the akuma.)
Ladybug: No more evil-doing for you, Ultrakuma. Time to de-evilize! Gotcha! Bye-bye, little butterfly.
"This is just getting ridiculous. Oh wait, it already was." Seriously, this akuma expected us to believe that the Butterfly user could do THIS and that Hawk Moth just CHOSE not to? How stupid did the Teleoracle think we were?
"I really hope that Hawk Moth doesn't figure out how to do that, it would suck," Nino said. Half the class murmured in agreement.
…on second thought, given that half the class seemed to be buying this, maybe it was on the right track. Of course, she knew better.
(Sublimation deakumatizes.)
Caroline: What happened?
Chat Noir: And now, you toss the Lucky Charm into the air, and repair the damages caused by the akumatized villain.
Ladybug: But Sublimation hasn't caused any damage. She was indeed akumatized, but… (Ladybug flips open her Lucky Charm, seeing herself in the mirror, and gasps.) But she wasn't the villain the Lucky Charm was pointing at. It was me, from the very beginning.
"Chat Noir really needs to chime in and tell her about the car. It's probably totaled, that's gonna be expensive if Miraculous Ladybug doesn't repair it." Alya frowned. "On top of that, the concepts of Ladybug being the best version of herself and ALSO being the villain of this episode… those don't exactly line up."
She rolled her eyes. "How many times do I need to say it? Obviously, this is all fake so it doesn't matter." There was no point looking for logic in a world that had none.
"I'm not going to throw in the towel that easily," Alya countered. "That's the simple answer. But it doesn't help to solve anything. If we're gonna be here for awhile, we might as well try to figure out the rules of this show – especially if it IS showing our future. The more knowledge, the better."
Scene Change: Ladybug carries Caroline back to the stadium, Chat Noir doing the same with Bob.
Ladybug: I sincerely apologize, Sublime. If I hadn't shown up, you would have finished your race, your prostheses would still be intact, and your mom would never have been akumatized. Miraculous Ladybug!
(The ladybugs repair both the medal and Sublime's prostheses. The fate of Bob's car is left ambiguous.)
(Ladybug takes some sort of charm out of her yo-yo, handing both it and the medal to Caroline.)
Ladybug: I hope you'll find the best sponsor there is.
Severin, Sublime, Caroline, Chat Noir, and Ladybug: Pound it!
Chat Noir and Ladybug: Good luck on your trial.
(The person who sat in the stands at the beginning walks away.)
"What are the chances that that was the Butterfly Holder?" Alix asked.
"I wouldn't bet against it," Alya said thoughtfully. "But without more info, it's hard to draw conclusions from this."
(Sublime runs, achieving a great time.)
Officials: Wow, best performance of the year!
Bob: Congrats! Your daughter is gonna make me a lot of money. Hm. (He looks at her running blades.) However, you'll have to figure out a way to add shoes to these, or we won't have any sneakers to sell.
Severin: You can't wear shoes with the blades!
Bob: Figure it out, then!
Sublime: Dad, Mom, it's okay. There must be other sponsors.
Severin: Our daughter is right. We want a relationship with a sponsor based on respect.
Caroline: Well said, Severin.
Bob: Then good luck finding respect AND money. I, myself, have never come across them together.
"IS Bob the only sponsor in town?" Adrien wondered. "He's always an asshole, yet he's also the first person I see a lot of people go to for money. You'd think there'd be better choices."
"Maybe he's just the easiest person to get ahold of?" Marinette suggested.
"Hmmm…" Adrien nodded. "Yeah, that might be it. I think even my father is easier to work with than Bob, but he's also very reclusive. Bob, on the other hand, actively sniffs around for opportunities to try and profit off of people."
Scene Change: Sublime and Marinette in the locker room together.
Marinette: I'm sorry, Sublime. I should have just come talk to you but, I was afraid I wasn't good enough. I hope you'll forgive me.
Sublime: Apology accepted. I know what it's like to put pressure on yourself. Is it true? You want to be my friend?
Marinette: How did you know?
Sublime: Adrien.
Marinette: Uh, then you two talk while you're running?
Sublime: Not while we're running. It impacts the breathing. But of course Adrien and I talk.
Marinette: Oh, you must think I'm ridiculous.
Sublime: Hardly! But if we're gonna be friends, we'll need to get to know each other. We'll talk about whatever you want. Just promise me not to pull my leg. (laughs at Marinette's stunned expression.) It's a joke, Marinette! You can laugh, it's all good. (They both laugh together.)
"Well, I think Marinette was ridiculous. And Sublime's ridiculous for just accepting everything Marinette did!"
"It's Sublime's business who she wants to befriend, Chloe, not yours." Alya said tiredly.
"Hmmph. Everything's my business."
Scene Change: Caroline, Severin, and Sublime at the home of some Asian woman wearing dark sunglasses.
Caroline: Thanks again, Mrs. Tsurugi.
Severin: We couldn't have hoped for a better sponsor than you for our Sublime.
Mrs. Tsurugi: Don't thank me, I know what it's like to live with a disability. Sometimes technology can help us work wonders.
(Sublime, Severin, and Caroline walk away. Mrs. Tsurugi turns to look out the window at the sunset and smiles.)
"Huh…" Nino scratched his chin. "That was shot in a weirdly ominous way. Especially with Mrs. Tsurugi's smile. And the music… you don't play that sort of music when the scene's supposed to be happy or triumphant. I think something's up with this Mrs. Tsurugi."
"Maybe she's the Butterfly Holder?" Alya suggested. "We know little enough about them. I mean her voice didn't sound like anything we've heard from the Butterfly Holder, but she'd disguising that, so I wouldn't count on it."
Nino shrugged. "Maybe? We haven't seen any signs of any other evil or shady person. Except for Bob, but everyone already knows that Bob's crap."