#tiger!alix

Gabriel patiently waits for Adrien to finish his questions, keeping his expression emotionless. However, he's debating with himself about how he should answer this. What path should he take?

"Why?" Cat Noir finally finishes his questions by asking the one word in most of them.

Gabriel sighs as his son finally finishes asking questions. He takes a moment to go over his response again. As he does, Solaria seems to get impatient and shouts at him.

"What are you waiting for!? Tell us what you've done this all for!" Solaria orders Gabriel in an impatient tone.

Her interference with his thinking causes Gabriel to glare at her. However, before he can say anything, he suddenly hears a voice in his mind that sounds distinctly like her.

"Can you hear me, Mr. Hawkmoth?" Solaria's voice asks from inside his mind, causing Gabriel's eyes to widen momentarily.

However, he quickly cools his features before Cat Noir can notice anything. Solaria smirks at him from her position behind Cat Noir, preventing him from seeing it. Gabriel sees it and notices she's touching her jacket's breast pocket with a hand while her arms, the action disguised by her crossed arms, and because she's behind Cat Noir.

"Good. It seems you noticed. I want to make a deal with you. Why don't we talk while you deal with your son." Solaria's thoughts pass into Gabriel's mind.

"Alright." Gabriel thinks, testing if the connection is two-way.

When he sees Solaria's smirk grow, he realizes it is two-way.

"I have many reasons for what I'm doing now, Adrien," Gabriel tells his son while thinking something else.

"What do you want?" Gabriel demands answers from Solaria with his thoughts.

"Like I said, I want to make a deal. I offered the same thing to your son and his friends." Solaria explains.

"What kind of deal?" Gabriel asks her while continuing to talk to his son.

"But I can guarantee I'm doing all of this for a good reason," Gabriel promises his son in his best attempt at a soothing tone.

"I help you out of this situation, and you help me with a problem I'm having." Solaria offers him, causing Gabriel's eyes to narrow dangerously at Solaria.

Unfortunately, Solaria's position causes Cat Noir to flinch as he thinks his father is glaring at him after saying those words. Gabriel realizes this and stops before the situation can get worse. However, it already causes Cat Noir to grow worried about where this conversation is going.

"Careful. You don't want to make yourself more suspicious than you already are with your son." Solaria mockingly warns Gabriel, seeming to enjoy her slight position of power over the man.

Gabriel subtly grits his teeth in irritation so Cat Noir doesn't notice it. He doesn't like this girl's behavior. But the man isn't above admitting that she might be helpful to him. She can give him another option in this situation he's facing.

"I'm not going to accept anything if you plan to harm my son to get me out of here. If I see fit to, I have my own ways to escape." Gabriel mentally warns Solaria.

It's not a lie. Gabriel can escape using the same power he uses to get into his secret lair. Yet, there's no guarantee he can if Ladybug shows up. And the more time wasted talking to two different people about separate subjects, the more likely it is for her and the other heroines to show up. So, he has to decide what to do soon.

"Look at you, trying to be a good father. Even though you've continuously attacked your son's school and hurt his friends." Solaria mocks Gabriel, causing the man to have enough.

"Enough. If all you're going to do is mock me, then I will end this conversation and focus on my son!" Gabriel mentally shouts at her before focusing back on his son.

"Anyway, Adrien. I promise that I'm not doing this for the fun of it. Terrorizing this city would be pointless otherwise. I've taught you to always have a reason for doing something." Gabriel explains to his son, causing Cat Noir to nod.

"You still haven't answered my questions. Are you Hawkmoth? Or are you working for him?" Cat Noir asks Gabriel, causing the man to hesitate.

Hearing his question causes Gabriel to go quiet again as he debates what to say to his son. As he does, he ignores Solaria's voice as she tries to regain his focus, causing her to scowl. After a long moment, Gabriel finally speaks again.

"That is a complicated manner, son. There's a lot that goes into it." Gabriel states in a cryptic way that avoids answering.

Hearing his answer causes Solaria to scoff while Cat Noir looks at him in confusion and slight frustration.

"What do you mean, 'it's complicated?' Are you or aren't you, Hawkmoth?" Cat Noir asks again, causing Gabriel to shake his head.

Seeing that he isn't letting the question go, Gabriel sighs while closing his eyes, realizing he can't get away without giving Adrien a direct answer.

"Unfortunately, I am Hawkmoth," Gabriel states.

His words are like a stab through the heart for Cat Noir. Hearing his father admit to being the horrible terrorist who is attacking Paris and turning his classmates into monsters and villains hits Adrien hard.

"Why would you do all this? How did you get your Miraculous?" Cat Noir demands answers as he abruptly stands up from his seat to stare at his father.

Gabriel can hear the sadness and hurt in his son's tone.

"Like I said, Adrien. I have my reasons for doing this. As for how I got my Miraculous, the Kwami chose me." Gabriel states in a matter-of-fact tone.

At that, Nooroo suddenly appears and gives the two heroes a light bow.

"Greetings to you, wielder of the high Kwami and wielder of my brother," Nooroo states in a respectful tone, his appearance causing Gabriel to grow annoyed.

"I asked you not to get involved with this conversation," Gabriel tells Nooroo, causing the Kwami to shake his head.

"Why shouldn't I introduce myself to your son? I've hidden from him for such a long time. Besides, there's no point in keeping me hidden now that you've revealed yourself to them." Nooroo tells Gabriel, causing the man to sigh again tiredly.

Nooroo ignores it and turns back to the heroes with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you properly. I've been watching over you since you were a baby." Nooroo tells Cat Noir, surprising the boy.

"Really?" Cat Noir asks in surprise, causing Nooroo to nod.

"Of course. I've been with your father for a long time." Nooroo explains

"So, you know why he's doing this?" Cat Noir asks.

"Of course. But, I'll have to leave that to your father to explain." Nooroo states while motioning to Gabriel.

The man is mentally busy with Solaria, using the slight distraction to continue his conversation with the heroine.

"What kind of problem do you have?" Gabriel asks Solaria as his son and Nooroo talk.

"You see, I'm someone who loves the spotlight. I don't mind sharing it, but I do need it. Your work provides me with that spotlight. So, it's in my best interest to help you escape so you can continue your little crusade for who knows what." Solaria mentally explains, causing Gabriel to scowl on the inside as he realizes what she's getting at.

"So, you want to help me so you can continue to be in the spotlight by fighting my Akumas," Gabriel states more than asks in his mind as he stares at the girl.

"Exactly. You scratch my back; I scratch yours. We can even take the Black Cat Miraculous right here. I'm in a good spot to snatch it for you." Solaria states as she subtly grows closer to Cat Noir.

Before either of the conversations can continue, they hear a knock at the door, causing Nooroo to hide again. Everyone turns to the door as Nathalie peaks in.

"Another hero arrived to talk to you." She nervously tells Gabriel before Brawling Tiger pushes past her and into the room.

"That will be all, Nathalie." Gabriel waves her to leave as Brawling Tiger moves next to Cat Noir, causing Solaria to scowl in frustration.

"Are you alright?" Brawling Tiger asks Cat Noir in worry, checking him for any injuries.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. But you guys were right." Cat Noir tells her sadly as he looks at the floor in grief.

Hearing his words causes Brawling Tiger to scowl and march toward Gabriel. The man doesn't make any moves to back away or stop her, despite knowing that she's closing in on him with some not-so-friendly feelings. He lets her grab him by the shirt collar and drag his face to her level.

"So, you are the scumbag who's been trying to kill everyone! You have a lot of fucking explaining to do!" Brawling Tiger shouts into Gabriel's face, causing the man to grimace at her profanity.

"Would you please let me go?" Gabriel calmly requests her as he doesn't show any hint of fear at her actions, angering her more.

"How about I get payback for what you did to my family instead!?" Brawling Tiger shouts in his face as she draws her arm back.

Her action causes Cat Noir and Solaria to rush to stop her for different reasons.

"Wait! I want to hear what my father has to say!" Cat Noir desperately tells the shorter girl as he tries to keep her from punching his father.

"Will you hold on? We need to hear what he has to say. He might have something important to warn us about." Solaria annoyedly tells Brawling Tiger as she tries to pull the girl away.

After a slight struggle, the two finally pull Brawling Tiger away from Gabriel. The man takes a moment to catch his breath and fix his suit before addressing the heroes again.

"From your words, I'm assuming you're related to the former Tiger Miraculous wielder?" Gabriel asks Brawling Tiger with a raised eyebrow, causing the girl's glare to harden.

"You've got that right. So, you had better explain why you attacked him!" Brawling Tiger starts shouting again as she moves to take a step toward the man before the other two stop her again.

"Will you knock it off!? Get a hold of yourself!" Solaria snaps at her, having enough of Brawling Tiger's behavior since it's making her plans more difficult.

Brawling Tiger finally backs down but continues to glare at Gabriel with a look of hatred. As he stares at her, he can't help but let out another sigh as another of his mistakes is coming back to confront him.

"You better hurry up and make a decision. Things will only get more difficult when the other two get here. Plus, this one seems to be looking for a reason to attack you." Solaria mentally warns Gabriel after secretly placing a hand on her coat pocket again.

Gabriel doesn't answer her. Instead, he focuses on the other two over the schemer.

"I see that he told you about what happened. I'm assuming that means you all broke the curse placed on him?" Gabriel asks as he looks at the duo.

"We did. Why did you do that to him?" Cat Noir asks his father.

Gabriel closes his eyes, thinking about what else he can say. Finally, he opens his eyes and chooses what to say.

"I guess I'm not getting out of this without explaining everything to you. The truth is that your mother and I were afraid, Adrien." Gabriel reveals his motif to the heroes.

"Mom?" Cat Noir asks in surprise.

"That's right. Your mom also knew about what I did." Gabriel reveals.

His words cause another bout of shock to wash over Cat Noir and Brawling Tiger. Even Solaria is slightly caught off guard by his reveal. Not to the same degree as the other two, though.

"Why are you doing this? Does this have something to do with Mom going missing?" Cat Noir asks, causing Gabriel to nod.

"Yes. Tell me, what do you know about the Miraculous?" Gabriel asks as Nooroo rests on Gabriel's shoulder to stare at them.

"Well, we know that they use the powers of the Kwami and that there was a-" Cat Noir starts nervously explaining before Brawling Tiger elbows him in the gut.

"Don't tell him all of our secrets just 'cause he's asking." She growls at him and gives him a heated glare.

Cat Noir goes quiet after this as Solaria and Gabriel's interests peak. Solaria hasn't heard about the Order of the Guardians from her Kwami, while Gabriel has and is curious about what they know.

"Well, that's the basic idea of them. Now, let me ask you, what do you think would happen if someone used a Miraculous that's broken?" Gabriel asks the two, causing everyone to grow tense at the implications.

Brawling Tiger, who was around Marinette long enough to hear the conversation about the broken Miraculous, worries about this conversation. However, Cat Noir is worried for a different reason.

"Did mom-" Cat Noir starts to ask before stopping, unable to finish the sentence out of worry.

That worry amplifies when Gabriel gravely nods his head.

"I'm afraid so." Gabriel nods.

No one can say anything. Even Solaria stops trying to set up a conversation with Gabriel in his head as she's captivated by the conversation in front of her.

"...what happened to her?" Cat Noir nervously asks, causing Gabriel to pause this time.

While he wants to tell his son, he doesn't want to risk his wife being disturbed when she's already gravely sick. He's unsure what they can do to help his wife and doesn't want to risk it. At the same time, he's debating whether he should at least show his son. Maybe seeing his mother will push him to understand why Gabriel is doing what he is and help him. That gives him an idea of how he can handle this.

"Solaria." Gabriel thinks, getting the girl's attention.

"What?" Her mental voice asks back.

"I'm willing to make a deal with you. But I'll need you to explain what you can do for me." Gabriel tells her as he answers Cat Noir.

"Your mother is sick, Adrien. That's why I'm trying to claim more Miraculous. I'm trying to figure out how to heal her." Gabriel explains to his son.

His explanation causes Cat Noir to freeze in a panic. Hearing the fact that his mother is hidden somewhere sick makes him worried. However, he's also feeling a sense of relief, knowing his father didn't start hurting people for no reason. Meanwhile, Gabriel listens to Solaria as she offers him an explanation of what she'll do.

"I can use my power to get you out of this situation without them realizing I'm helping you. All you have to do is continue making Akumas after you escape. It would help if you made it so I look good in those battles." Solaria adds at the end with a slightly warning tone in her mental voice.

Gabriel muses over this. The deal seems simple and easy for him not to hold up his end of the bargain. He wonders if Solaria is arrogant enough to believe he'll follow through with his end of the bargain. Or if she thinks she can handle what he throws at her if he tries to betray her. However, he can't focus on that for long, as he still has to talk to Adrien.

"What happened?" Cat Noir asks again.

Hearing his question causes Gabriel to grimace.

"There was an accident involving her Miraculous. It was damaged when she was using it, and its power poisoned her. I tried to heal her and fix her Miraculous but couldn't." Gabriel reveals with a heavy sigh at his failure.

Hearing this is a hit to Cat Noir's gut, and he nervously looks at his ring. Seeing this causes Brawling Tiger to take the lead in the conversation.

"That doesn't explain why you hurt my dad! Why did you betray him!? You didn't even take his Miraculous!" Brawling Tiger shouts at him while raising her Miraculous so he can see it.

"That was a time of grave stress for us. We began to panic as my wife's condition began to worsen. We needed to come up with a solution to keep us safe. So, we erased practically all knowledge of our time as heroes from the history books. No one should have remembered us. Not even our allies." Gabriel explains. 

"So, you attacked him because you were scared? Of what?" Brawling Tiger demands.

"Of what? Do you wonder how many years we've had these Miraculous? Or how many people we've stopped with them? My wife and I had many enemies. It's not a suitable environment to raise a child. Or did you also not consider how we were afraid of what damaged my wife's Miraculous?" It's Gabriel's turn to demand answers from Brawling Tiger as he glares at her.

The sudden forcefulness in his tone stuns Brawling Tiger for a moment and causes her to quiet down.

"What damaged Mom's Miraculous?" Cat Noir asks his father.

Gabriel doesn't say anything. He doesn't even say anything to Solaria as he thinks about how to answer this. It causes Cat Noir to become worried.

"Father?" Cat Noir asks.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you," Gabriel states, causing Brawling Tiger to get angry.

"Not because I want to, though." Gabriel immediately adds to quell the girl's rage and cause the others to grow confused.

"Whatever attacked us took us by surprise. It hit Emilie and damaged her Miraculous. I had to escape with her before it could do more damage." Gabriel reveals.

"So, you don't know if it's still out there?" Adrien asks Gabriel, causing the man to nod.

"Is this something you made up? Or is there actually something else I have to worry about?" Solaria voices her thoughts to him out of worry for herself.

"It's the truth," Gabriel mentally states without hesitation.

"Great." Solaria sarcastically thinks before deciding to ask another question.

"So, do we have a deal?" Solaria asks, deciding to worry about the last bit of information later.

Gabriel doesn't say anything, causing Solaria to grow annoyed.

"Come on. Consider it. You'll have the advantage if you take my offer. You should know who the heroes are, thanks to your son." Solaria tells Gabriel to get him on her side.

The offer is tempting to Gabriel. Since he'll know who they are, he has a better chance of getting the Miraculous. He might be able to change things in his favor. However, his morals, which have been taking a blow since he started terrorizing Paris, are telling him to surrender. Unfortunately, his stubbornness and wish to have his family back together make him reluctant. The man needs more time to decide what he'll do, much to Solaria's frustration, when he starts talking again.

"That's another reason why I did everything I did. By erasing the memory of us, the being who attacked us would also forget us. It also kept your father safe." Gabriel states to Brawling Tiger, causing the girl to gain a conflicted expression.

"That still doesn't explain why you went to these lengths!? Why do all of this instead of asking for our help?" Cat Noir asks his father.

"I did. I offered you two a solution to end our troubles." Gabriel states.

"You sounded like a classic villain. You didn't even explain to us why you needed the Miraculous. All you did was tell us to give them to you." Cat Noir argues back for the first time, surprising Gabriel.

Gabriel winces when his son points that out. He hoped to intimidate and scare the two into giving him the Miraculous. Unfortunately, that plan seems to be biting him back now.

"You're right. However, I was worried about what would happen and wanted to bring more Miraculous users into Paris. The more Miraculous, the more I could use to try to heal Emilie." Gabriel tells his son.

"You had more options. You could have used your Miraculous for good again." Cat Noir tells his father.

The boy looks emotionally unwell as he talks. It's obvious how much damage this conversation is having on his mental state. The teen is having trouble processing everything from his father's mouth.

"You're right. I could have. But I didn't. You need to understand, Adrien. I wasn't sure what I could do. That being was still out there. I believed I could get them to come to me if I pretended to be a villain." Gabriel states. His words have a terrible effect on Brawling Tiger, though.

"Pretended!? You turned people into villains that attacked others! Do you know what everyone says about the people you use? They stay away from them while calling them monsters! You aren't pretending to be one! You are!" Brawling Tiger shouts at Gabriel in outrage.

Realizing his slip-up, Gabriel gives them an apologetic look, surprising his son.

"Forgive me. That was the wrong choice of words. I know there was nothing pretend about my actions. I meant pretend like I enjoyed doing those actions. I thought the person may see me as a potential ally, and I could use that opportunity to learn more about them and stop them." Gabriel apologizes to the girl.

Brawling Tiger still doesn't like how he uses the word to describe his actions. However, she quiets down, and a silence follows that, letting Gabriel talk to Solaria again.

"I'll accept your offer. However, I have my own way of getting out of this situation. You can use your powers to ensure they don't follow." Gabriel finally tells Solaria as he comes to a decision.

He doesn't feel he should stop here. As much as it pains him, he can't risk stopping now. There's too much he feels he has to do. Even if it means fighting his son, he'll do it.

"No, I must because Adrien is a part of this. Those children don't know what kind of life comes with using a Miraculous." Gabriel thinks to himself as he stares at his son with a determined expression.

Nooroo can feel what his wielder is thinking and sighs, knowing that Gabriel isn't going to stop here.

"Such a stubborn wielder." Nooroo thinks to himself.

That doesn't mean he isn't curious about what Gabriel will do. How is he going to get out of this? And what will happen at the end of his campaign? Those are the questions Nooroo is asking himself. But as he thinks this, he feels something else.

"Our time together might end soon, Gabriel." Nooroo thinks with a sense of sadness.

Despite how long he's lived and how many times he says goodbye to wielders, Nooroo still feels sad when he has to leave one. He has a habit of getting easily attached to them. It doesn't help that he must sometimes leave them unexpectedly.

While the Kwami thinks about how their time together might end soon, Nathalie knocks on the door and enters with another nervous expression.

"Gabriel, what is going on? Ladybug has shown up as well. What did you do?" Nathalie demands from the man as she and a nervous Ladybug enter the room.

Ladybug stares into Gabriel's eyes, and the man looks back. They stay like that briefly before Ladybug looks around the room to see who else is there. She's shocked when she sees Solaria but puts it away. It seems like the girl hasn't tried anything.

"It's nothing, Nathalie. You should leave. The heroes and I are just going to have a conversation." Gabriel tells Nathalie to try to get her out of the room.

Nathalie looks far more reluctant to leave than before. But the look Gabriel gives her finally makes her accept this. However, she plans to return and stay if she hears noises or if Canine arrives.

After she leaves, everyone in the room remains silent. The atmosphere is slightly tense.

"Should I be expecting the other one to arrive soon?" Gabriel breaks the silence with this question.

And here we see Solaria's true colors and how she's trying to play both sides. Lila is pretty arrogant, so I feel like this type of situation is in character for her. She thinks she can handle any of the Akuma or plots against her that Hawkmoth creates in the future if he does escape.

"A rich recluse that barely anyone knows anything about who has lost his wife." She mutters out what she notices about Gabriel's character.

Despite not wanting to reveal to Adrien that his father might be Hawkmoth or that he may have links to the terrorist, she knows she has no choice if they want to solve who the villain is. She worries about his reaction, though. She knows how she'd react if her mother or Tom were related to Hawkmoth.

"Hopefully, he'll be okay." She mutters before finally deciding to return to the Eiffel Tower.

She rushes back as quickly as possible. When she arrives, she's met with a strange sight that would cause her to double-take if it was any other day.

A tied-up Chloe is lying down while Alya is taking pictures of her as the heroes are doing their best to catch the magic-created butterfly to prevent it from escaping. It's ironic, considering the animals their Miraculous represent.

Without saying a word, Ladybug pulls out a yo-yo and captures the butterfly when it escapes Cat Noir's grip with a swift flick of her wrist. She follows it up by casting Miraculous Ladybug to fix any damage Antibug might have done that they don't know about. The other heroes are surprised by the sudden movement and turn to her. Canine is about to ask her what she found until she sees the expression on her leader's face.

"What's the matter?" Cat Noir worriedly asks as he sees the grave and frazzled expression on her face.

Ladybug looks at him for a moment but doesn't say anything. She doesn't get the chance to, anyway. Before she can build up the courage to say anything, Alya runs to her with a determined and excited expression.

"Ladybug! I have something important to tell you. I learned more about heroes being in Paris before you guys. And it's weird. It's like the opposite of what's happening now." Alya tells the heroine as her expression turns more urgent.

Hearing her words causes Ladybug to sigh before looking at Chloe.

"Can you guys please untie her? And someone get her home. I have a lot I need to talk to you about after we listen to Alya." Ladybug orders the group, causing them to nod.

Canine is the one who volunteers to bring Chloe back to the bakery. To the dog-themed heroine's shock, Chloe is surprisingly docile throughout the trip. She didn't say anything. That causes Canine to worry about what's going on. She's never known Chloe to be quiet. Even whenever she was before, she was always planning something. However, this time, it seems like she has nothing on her mind.

"Are you alright?" She asks Chloe in a worried tone that conveys her feelings to the girl.

"Leave me alone." Chloe bluntly shoots back in a tired tone that lacks bite.

Hearing this causes Canine to bite her lip, not liking the pathetic tone Chloe has now. It makes her worry even more about what happened to cause her Akumatization. She doesn't pry, though, feeling the other girl has been through enough tonight. Instead, she tries to pick up her speed to let Chloe get to bed quicker to rest off tonight's events.

When they arrive at the bakery, Chloe doesn't even thank the heroine. She instead enters her room and climbs the stairs to her bed. Canine watches her go without saying anything, only giving the girl a worried expression. After a moment, the dog-themed heroine leaves to join Ladybug and the others. When she's gone, Chloe finally releases the tears she's been holding back.

After Canine joins the group again, they get right down to business. The group meets in Alya's room at the girl's request.

"What do you need to tell us, Alya?" Ladybug asks in a tired tone.

Not noticing, or possibly not caring, about the heroine's tone, Alya rushes to her desk and pulls out some of her notes.

"Okay, so. I asked people reading my blog for help. One told me about an old man who commented about old heroes. So, I interviewed the man, and he told me some interesting stuff." Alya explains as she flips through her notes to find everything.

"Are you sure he wasn't making it up?" Brawling Tiger voices her doubts and raises an eyebrow.

"Maybe. But here's the weird thing that makes me believe him. The way he described it reminds me of what Hawkmoth is doing now. Random people would suddenly turn into heroes and stop a crime." Alya reveals before she stops flipping through her notes to show them a crude sketch of one of the heroes described to her by Roland Dupain.

"Like this one. A police officer became a swat-themed hero and turned the other cops into super soldiers. Does that sound familiar?" Alya asks before flipping a page to show a picture of Fashionista glued to the page.

Before the heroes can say anything else, Alya continues.

"Then, there was a taxi driver who got taken hostage during an armed robbery. He suddenly became a race car driver and scared the criminals by driving them around Paris at high speed before dropping them off at a police station. It's sort of like Aurore, who became a real weather girl. Or Mr. Damocles." Alya states while showing pictures of Stormy Weather and Dark Owl.

Hearing her words does surprise the heroes. That sounds exactly like what's happening in Paris now. The only difference between the description and now is that the people gaining superpowers are villains instead of heroes, and there are multiple Miraculous if these heroes were from the Butterfly Miraculous. One of those differences the young reporter addresses.

"That isn't all, though. It seems like there were other Miraculous wielders in the past, too." Alya reveals before flipping her notes to her page on the possible previous Tiger Miraculous wielder.

"There might have been a Tiger Miraculous wielder in the past, too. The person the man described sounded like he wore a costume similar to Brawling Tiger's and had similar abilities." Alya explains, catching Alix's attention.

"What did he look like!?" She demands in a loud voice to rival her Kwami's surprising Alya.

"I-I don't know, the old man wasn't very clear. He just said the man had a similar color scheme and a wild design. That's all I know. But he did say the hero had a magnificently strong punch. His words, not mine." Alya soon adds to, hopefully, quell what she perceives as Brawling Tiger's anger.

The only thing Brawling Tiger can think about when she hears this is that her dad likely did use the Miraculous. She quickly pulls out the photo of her father and stares at the panjas bracelet with a glare. This revelation only makes her worry more about what could have happened to her father. It sounds like he might have worked with Hawkmoth. As she thinks about this, she suddenly feels two hands resting on her shoulders.

She looks up to see Ladybug and Cat Noir placing their hands on her shoulders in a show of comfort. The girl seems thankful for their support and puts the photo away. While the three do this, Canine continues the conversation with Alya.

"This is a lot to think about. Are you saying Hawkmoth might have been a hero before and worked with someone using the Tiger Miraculous?" Canine asks.

"Maybe. Hawkmoth could have stolen the Miraculous he has now from the previous wielder, too." Alya states as she flips to the notes on her different theories for Hawkmoth.

"But, he could have been a hero who lost something. That could be why he's after your Miraculous, to try and get it back. Or he could be someone who wants to destroy everything for what it took away from him." Alya states from her different theories that Hawkmoth was a hero who tragically gave up on protecting people after something happened to him in the past.

Ladybug winces as she hears this. Being the only one with a good idea of who Hawkmoth is right now, these theories hurt her to think about. She only hopes one of those kinder theories is true when they may have to confront Gabriel about whether he's Hawkmoth.

"Is there anything else?" Ladybug asks, hoping for more so their confrontation might go somewhat better.

"Uh, nothing concrete. I have a theory someone is blackmailing him into doing this. It would help explain why he gave me that hint about the past heroes. I also had a theory about a falling out in the team, as there were more Miraculous possible Miraculous wielders besides Brawling Tiger's predecessor. That's why they disappeared from public view. It could also help the blackmail theory since it could be one of Hawkmoth's old teammates blackmailing him if that's true." Alya explains, causing Ladybug to nod.

With a heavy sigh, Ladybug looks to her teammates with an expression that tells them she has something important to talk to them about in private. She then motions for them to all leave. However, Alya tries to stop them before they go.

"Wait, can I get an interview with you guys? I think I helped you a lot here. Do you think I could get an interview as a reward?" Alya pleads in a desperate tone, really wanting to get an interview with them for her blog.

Ladybug looks to the girl before giving her a slight nod.

"We'll see. Right now, I need to talk to everyone about something important. I'll talk to you about it later." Ladybug promises the girl before having the other heroes follow her out, much to Alya's disappointment.

Soon, the heroes return to the privacy of the rooftops, where Ladybug can finally tell the other what she found.

"So, did you find out where Hawkmoth is? Do you know who he is?" Cat Noir asks curiously and somewhat frantically.

Ladybug doesn't say anything to his inquiries, causing Brawling Tiger to grow annoyed and anxious.

"Well, say something." She demands, wanting to know as much as possible right now.

Canine rests a hand on her shoulder before giving Ladybug a look that tells the bug-themed heroine to take her time.

"Is everything alright?" She asks with it.

"I might know who Hawkmoth is. But you're not going to believe it or like it." She says while pointedly looking at Cat Noir, causing him to grow slightly more panicked.

"Who is it?" He asks cautiously, causing Ladybug to take a deep breath.

"The magic led me to your house," Ladybug reveals to Cat Noir, causing Canine and Brawling Tiger to freeze.

The two look at Ladybug with their eyes the size of saucers, and Brawling Tiger's jaw drops before turning to Cat Noir. Cat Noir is so frozen in shock that he's practically a statue. Even his fake ears droop as he tries to register Ladybug's words. Then, he suddenly starts laughing like Ladybug told the funniest jokes.

"That's a good one, Ladybug. But seriously, where did it lead you?" Cat Noir asks in a tone that barely hides his desperation for a different answer.

Ladybug doesn't say anything, only giving Cat Noir a look of pity. This look causes Cat Noir's belated panic to surface.

"You're joking, right? You have to be. Come on, this isn't funny." Cat Noir tells her as he seems close to tears, and his voice grows more frantic.

"…Adrien-" Ladybug starts after a long moment before Cat Noir runs to her and starts shaking her.

"I know my father is a bit much. But he wouldn't attack the city. What would his motive be?" Cat Noir asks her to try defending his parent.

"Adrien-" Marinette tries again before Cat Noir yells into her face.

"Tell me you're lying!" He shouts in a tone that scares Ladybug.

Before anything else can happen, the other members of Team Miraculous pull him away so Ladybug can breathe.

"Calm down, Adrien!" Canine desperately shouts as she tries to hold the flailing hero back.

"Yeah, let her talk." Brawling Tiger tells him.

After a moment, Cat Noir's struggles finally cease, and his face is the picture of pure anguish. While he's like this, Ladybug does her best to calm her nerves and cautiously stares at Cat Noir.

"I'm sorry, but it's true," Ladybug tells Cat Noir, causing him to fall to his knees in despair, unable to cope with the news.

"Are you sure?" Canine asks, feeling bad for her only male teammate's current condition.

Ladybug nods.

"I checked everywhere around the mansion. I didn't find another trail, and the one I followed from the bakery led to the mansion." Ladybug explains to them with a sorrowful expression.

Cat Noir doesn't say or do anything this time. All he can do is remain frozen on the ground, trying to comprehend this new information. Seeing this, Ladybug tries to find a silver lining to help him.

"But your father might not be Hawkmoth. He might have been threatened or blackmailed to keep the man hidden. Even if he is Hawkmoth, Alya's theories about him being blackmailed or threatened into attacking Paris might also be true." Ladybug adds, trying to help improve Cat Noir's condition.

It seems like they worked. Cat Noir looks up at her with a hopeful expression.

"Do you think so?" He asks pleadingly.

"Of course. We don't know anything about Hawkmoth. There could be more to him than we think." Ladybug tells him, causing Cat Noir to nod slightly.

"How are we going to find out, though?" Brawling Tiger asks somewhat forcefully, feeling very conflicted about this recent revelation.

Ladybug doesn't say anything. However, Cat Noir suddenly springs to life with a grin.

"I can look around for anything that might prove my father is innocent. I'm sure I can find something." He adds, getting worried expressions from the three.

"Are you sure?" Canine asks worriedly, causing Cat Noir to nod frantically.

"Yeah. I live there. So, I'll have the easiest time looking around to prove my father is Hawkmoth." Cat Noir tells them.

"But what if he is Hawkmoth?" Canine asks, causing Cat Noir to pause.

Ladybug takes pity on Cat Noir and hugs him.

"We'll cross that road if we get to it. For now, try to prove your father is innocent." She tells him soothingly before Cat Noir hugs back.

"Okay." He says in a somewhat broken tone.

"No, I want to know as much as possible about this. Let Tikki recharge, and I'll make a costume to see if he knows anything. It's Saturday tomorrow, anyway." Ladybug tells them, causing the group to nod.

Before anything else, Ladybug gives Cat Noir a worried expression before telling him.

"If you want, you can go home. I'm sure you're tired and want to sleep. We'll tell you what happens later."

Her tone is like that of a mother fussing over their child. It seems to make Cat Noir give her a sad and tired yet thankful smile.

"Thanks. I'll do that. Then I'll see what I can find at home." Cat Noir promises before getting up and leaving.

After watching him leave, Canine decides to ask Ladybug an urgent question.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to let Adrien investigate? He might find something and try to hide it from us to protect his father. Or he could confront him alone and lose his Miraculous while revealing our identities. There's a lot that can go wrong." She warns Ladybug, causing the girl to shake her head.

"I trust him. Besides, it's not like we have any other options. If Gabriel is Hawkmoth, he probably has his house protected. The magic trail I followed stopped midway. After following it, I only think it's Gabriel because the trail pointed to the mansion." Ladybug explains.

"So, you don't actually know?" Canine asks suspiciously, causing Marinette, who deactivated her earrings to let Tikki rest, to flail her hands in front of her defensively.

"I made a guess based on where I was! Besides, we know nothing about Gabriel! He's stayed locked up in his house for so long, and there are a lot of rumors about what he's doing there!" She tells them a bit frantically.

Canine doesn't say anything at that, while Brawling Tiger shrugs.

"She's not wrong. The guy could be doing anything in there. I'd think he was a villain, too." Brawling Tiger agrees with Marinette.

Canine sighs while rubbing her temples, not liking how Marinette is going off of a guess and nothing concrete. However, she does see the other girl's point.

"Alright. I'll trust you on this. But you're taking responsibility if you're wrong." She finally states, giving Marinette a grave warning.

Marinette nods in agreement with her. Though, she's hoping she's wrong. She feels horrible for what Adrien must be going through right now.

"It's not your fault, Marinette. You only did what you believed was right. There's a chance everything will work out." Tikki promises the girl as she rests on Marinette's shoulder.

Marinette takes some comfort from Tikki's words. She absentmindedly starts rubbing the Kwami's head with her hand, feeling comfort in the texture of what she believes is Tikki's skin. It's incredibly smooth and soft, like a high-grade pillow. Tikki is enjoying the attention while nibbling on one of the snacks Marinette grabbed for her before leaving to meet the others before the events of Antibug happened.

It doesn't take long for Marinette to transform again. When she does, the three immediately head for Brawling Tiger's house to meet her dad and get more information. The group soon gets to the house. When they do, Brawling Tiger doesn't let them knock on the front door. She doesn't want to deal with Jalil meeting them. Instead, she has Ladybug and Canine wait on the apartment building's roof while she gets her father.

The tiger-themed heroine scales the building's wall and taps on the window to her father's office. Luckily for her, he's in there and decides to investigate the noise.

"Aren't you one of the heroes?" Alim asks in surprise when he opens the window and sees Brawling Tiger hanging below it.

"Yep. We need to talk to you about something." Brawling Tiger states while pointing up to the roof.

Alim has an uncertain expression as he stares at the girl. However, he decides it might be best if he goes with them.

"Alright." He nods before getting grabbed by the collar and forced out the window.

The man lets out a surprised and frightened scream as Brawling Tiger carries him onto the roof with surprising ease. She could make mountain climbers jealous with how quickly she scaled the wall. After she gets to the roof, she sets Alim down relatively gently and lets the man have a minute to calm his heart.

"Are you okay?" Ladybug worriedly asks when he sees Alim Kubdel's condition.

"Fine… fine. I was just surprised at suddenly being pulled out of a window and dragged onto a roof." Alim says, causing Canine to give Brawling Tiger a dirty look while the girl grins unabashedly.

"Do you need anything?" Ladybug continues to check on him, causing Alim to shake his head.

"No. I'm alright. What do you need me for? I'm not sure I'll be much help, though." Alim tells the three before noticing Cat Noir isn't around.

"And where's Cat Noir?" He adds on out of curiosity.

"Cat Noir had something come up. But we'd like to ask if you remember anything about heroes in Paris before us." Ladybug tells Alim, causing him to gain a complicated expression as he thinks about it for a moment before shaking his head.

"I'm afraid I don't know," Alim says before wincing and holding his head in slight pain, causing Brawling Tiger to get worried.

"Are you okay?" She asks in concern as she holds him.

"Yes, I'm alright. I just always seem to get a headache when I think about my past too hard." Alim says, causing the heroines to look at each other momentarily before looking back at him.

"Sir, we might have a way to fix that. If you let us." Ladybug adds on the last part, her words confusing Alim.

"What are you planning to do?" Alim asks them.

"I'm just going to use my powers to see if anything is messing with your mind," Ladybug explains in a soothing tone before Canine continues.

"We have reason to believe Hawkmoth or someone else has done something to you." She explains in a sure tone, surprising Alim.

He gives them a doubtful and unamused expression, finding their words hard to believe.

"I'm afraid I'm having trouble believing you. Why would Hawkmoth go out of his way to put a spell on me?" Alim asks.

"Because of the bracelet you gave me." Brawling Tiger says, surprising all three occupants aside from her.

The Miraculous users didn't expect her to say anything like that outright. Alim is more shocked and confused at what she's inferring. He turns to face her in time to see Brawling Tiger's transformation ending, revealing his daughter standing before him.

"Alix?" He questions, causing the girl to nod while showing off her birthday gift.

"This bracelet is one of those Miraculous Hawkmoth is looking for. We think he may have done something to you to make you forget that." Alix explains to the man.

Alim is surprised to hear this secret about the family heirloom.

"Are you sure?" He asks in his disbelief, causing Alix to nod again.

"Yeah. So, please let us try something." She begs her father in a slightly desperate tone.

Alim thinks about this for a moment before deciding to agree to Alix's terms. He's curious about what might happen with these new revelations.

"Alright." He tells them, causing the group to smile.

Ladybug closes her eyes, envisioning her costume and powers.

"Seamstress." She states before a magical red light envelops her.

When the light ends, it reveals her in Reverse Seams. She then walks toward a slightly nervous Alim and lightly pokes his forehead with a fingertip-sized magic energy orb. Alim's eyes widen as a ton of information suddenly runs through his brain like a dam burst inside his mind. It's so much information that he has to hold his head in pain, causing Alix to grab him out of worry again.

"Are you okay?" She shouts in alarm.

However, her father soon waves the girl's worries aside.

"Yes, yes. I'm alright. Better, in fact. I remember everything. You're right. I used to use the Tiger Miraculous. Then I was attacked and lost my memory." Alim states as he tries to come to terms with his own words.

The girls are surprised to know Alya's and their theories worked out. Now, they can learn more about what happened.

"Do you know who attacked you? Was it Hawkmoth?" Alix asks her dad.

However, Alim shakes his head, paradoxically displaying his assurance and uncertainty.

"No. At least, I don't think it was. It was my old teammate. He used to use the Butterfly Miraculous before Hawkmoth." Alim explains, causing the girls to look at each other.

"Do you know if your teammate was Gabriel Agreste?" Ladybug asks, causing Alim to pause.

He shakes his head, though.

"No, I'm afraid. We kept our identities a secret." Alim explains, causing Ladybug to sigh.

She was hoping he might give them a reason not to suspect Gabriel. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

"Can you think of anything that might help us?" Canine asks him, causing Alim to shake his head again.

"I'm sorry, but no," Alim tells them sadly before Alix decides enough is enough.

"That's fine, Dad. You gave us plenty. Let's get you to your room so you can rest." She tells him before transforming and taking Alim back.

The group soon ends their investigation there for the night, glad to have more information about Hawkmoth but not knowing that another mystery will follow it.

Aboard an airplane landing in the city, a certain someone is wearing a beautiful gold and silver thumb ring. This ring has two separate braid rings connected by a small chain. One of the braided rings has miniature suns where the braids would interconnect. On the other piece, there are moons instead. As the plane lands, the thumb ring faintly glows, not alerting any of the other passengers.

And that's it for Antibug. Everything is finally coming together, and we only have one or two Akumas left. I hope you enjoyed how I tried to connect all the story elements for this Akuma.

I also hope you enjoyed Cat Noir's reaction to the accusation that Gabriel might be Hawkmoth. I thought long and hard about how I wanted to do that.

"You may have gotten rid of the last one, but that doesn't mean Roaar wouldn't pick a new wielder soon. She's always been impatient. I'm surprised she waited this long before choosing a new wielder." Nooroo informs Gabriel with a slight shrug.

Hearing this causes Gabriel to look at Nooroo anxiously, his usual put-together demeanor gone.

"What are the chances of this new wielder knowing about my past?" He asks Nooroo.

"Who knows? There may be a chance that they know a lot. There may be a chance they don't know much. It's difficult to say." Nooroo explains, his tone not changing from calm, as if he's not worried about this while Gabriel is.

Hearing this causes Gabriel to groan as he continues reviewing this new Miraculous's possibilities.

"This is problematic. Forget our past for a second. Dealing with four Miraculous users on my own isn't something I'm sure I can handle. With the Tiger Miraculous, the team has become far more well-rounded. Before, they seemed to lack power without Ladybug's form-changing power and had to rely on using tricks. However, if the last one is anything to go by, they now have a more straightforward power type with them. I couldn't see either of her powers this time, either. She's a wildcard." Gabriel mutters as he tries to calm down and analyze the situation.

After a few deep breaths, he finally calms down and continues his observation.

"No. It will be okay. This situation may be bad, but it isn't horrible. Like the others, the new Miraculous user is a mere child. Moreover, she seems reckless and unskilled compared to Canine, if her behavior is anything to go by." Gabriel mutters as he looks for ways to improve this situation.

As he thinks about this, he comes to a certain realization.

"Wait a moment. Horrificator had the entire school covered. How did she get in without destroying the outer shell? If I remember the Tiger Miraculous' powers, they can be quite loud and destructive. No, that's not right. There is likely far more in that Miraculous than what I remember. However, that doesn't mean she may not have already been in the school. She was young, after all. The other Miraculous users showed up remarkably fast, too. I may have discovered a hint about them today." Gabriel smiles as he realizes this situation isn't as bad as it first looked.

Still, he doesn't like that the Tiger Miraculous is back in circulation since he worked hard in the past to deal with that. It also leaves a heavy reminder in his heart. With this reminder, he heads up the lair elevator toward his office and opens one of the drawers on the wall. After opening it, he removes a false bottom and pulls out a picture frame.

Within the frame is a younger Gabriel in a different Butterfly Miraculous costume with a full purple suit and dark purple domino mask. Next to him is a young, light blue-eyed, blonde woman with her hair tied in a ponytail in a dark blue dress with feather-shaped ends, a blue and purple domino mask, and peacock feathers in her hair.

They seemed to be very close. If the two practically hugging each other is anything to go by.

Surrounding the two are two other heroes. One is a woman with long black hair in a red and black form-fitting dragon-themed costume with a cloth covering her eyes and horns growing out of her head. She rests a sword in front of her by planting it through the ground, keeping the palm of her hands on the bottom of the hilt like a knight.

The other is a man with short brown hair wearing a similarly-colored costume to Brawling Tiger with a crimson jacket and a form-fitting shirt and pants. The bola is wrapped around his waist and stands like a tail.

Gabriel stares at the photo in sadness momentarily, reminiscing about happier times. However, he soon has to put the picture frame and false cover back as he hears a small alarm he had placed for if someone was heading toward his office. After securing the items, he dashes to his tablet and pretends to be working.

Without knocking, Nathalie slams the door open with a slightly relieved expression.

"Is everything okay, Nathalie?" Gabriel asks as he looks up from his tablet in a calm demeanor.

"Yes, yes. I just came to inform you that there was another set of Akuma attacks close to Adrien's school while he and his classmates were making a movie. Luckily, it seems the young hero took care of it relatively quickly. When I called Adrien, he said he was alright." Nathalie informs Gabriel, who nods.

" His first year of school will end soon, and things seem to have only gotten worse for Paris." Gabriel sighs, though Nathalie has other thoughts.

"I don't quite think so, Gabriel. There's one more hero than before. So, while Hawkmoth is creating more Akumas, they're still handling the situation fairly well." Nathalie tells him, but Gabriel shakes his head at her words.

"And yet, Hawkmoth's identity still has yet to be discovered. There is no useful word from either the police or heroes about that, meaning that there's the chance this situation will only grow worse over time instead of better." Gabriel calmly objects to Nathalie's claims, causing her to look down.

Seeing this causes Gabriel to sigh again.

"I know you're just trying your best to help Adrien. However, I still can't entirely agree with letting him continue being outside right now. Maybe we'll discuss this again after Hawkmoth is defeated." Gabriel tells Nathalie.

Hearing this causes Nathalie to look down sadly. But she still has some hopes for Adrien's future from Gabriel's words. After she exits the room, Gabriel lets out a small sigh of relief.

"Things have become more problematic lately. If only I could get another Miraculous on my side, somehow." As Gabriel goes over what he can do about this new situation, Ladybug, Canine, and a newly returned Cat Noir are finishing a conversation with Brawling Tiger.

"We'll talk more at the Eiffel Tower. I'd like to hear more about you." Ladybug says in an authoritative yet light tone that comes off as being unable to argue but not making Brawling Tiger seem like she's in trouble.

"Right. I'll be there." Brawling Tiger says with a slightly nervous grin as she looks at the other three heroes.

"Awesome to have another cat hero on the team." Cat Noir tells her in a friendly and welcoming tone, causing Brawling Tiger's smile to turn less nervous.

"Thanks. Well, see ya." Brawling Tiger waves casually before running off.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't release more Miraculous?" Canine asks in a whisper to Ladybug, but the bug-themed heroine shakes her head.

"I didn't do anything this time. I don't know how another Miraculous appeared." Ladybug tells them honestly.

"I guess there was another Miraculous in Paris." Cat Noir shrugs before Alya comes over to them.

"So, since you seem done talking to the new hero. Do you have any words you want to say about them? Are they a new member of your team? Or are they someone completely brand new?" Alya asks them a plethora of questions.

Before Ladybug can say anything, Canine steps in front of her and Cat Noir and then speaks in the professional tone her father taught her after her confrontation with Nadja after Gamer.

"Sorry. But we can't disclose any information right now. You'll have to wait until later until we better understand the current situation." She calmly shuts Alya down, causing the girl to frown.

"Come on, can't you say anything more?" She pleads, but Canine shakes her head while crossing her arms.

"No. I'm sorry, but we can't tell you anything. Who knows who is watching your blog?" Canine tells Alya before turning around and motioning for her two surprised teammates to leave. She then follows them soon after, leaving an angry Alya behind.

Alya scowls at Canine for stopping her from getting another interview from the heroes but is at least happy she managed to talk to Brawling Tiger when they weren't around. She then turns to the rest of the students and does a head count. The ones trapped in the school's boiler room got out a while ago after Horrificator's defeat. However, Alya notices that there are still a few people missing.

"Where are Marinette, Adrien, Alix, and Sabrina?" Alya asks as she walks toward the group.

Hearing her question causes Nate to stiffen slightly while the others look around for them. Well, those other than Kim, Ondine, Ivan, and Mylène, since Ivan and Ondine are still fussing over the other two to make sure they're okay.

"I'm sure they managed to escape before Ivan and Mylène got to them," Nate tells the group to try and throw suspicion off Marinette.

"Please. Pinky was in the bathroom with me when Diva DeMonster over there captured us." Chloe says while pointing a thumb at Mylène, causing her to flinch guiltily and Ivan to glare at her.

"Well, she wasn't in the boiler room. So, she might have gotten out somewhere." Nate continues to defend the missing people before noticing Alix exit a classroom.

"Look, there she is now," Nate says while pointing toward Alix to divert attention from this line of questioning.

Some students turn to see Alix coming down the stairs. Max, Kim, and Ondine quickly run over to her.

"Are you okay, Alix?" Max asks in worry for his friend.

"Chloe told us you got caught, too. How did you get away?" Kim asks in shock.

Alix looks at her friends with slight nervousness before saying.

"I managed to grab something sharp before getting trapped and cut open a way out. But I had to run for it because that monster was entering the boiler room again. I-I had to hide in one of the classrooms." Alix explains to them and the others that come over to her.

Hearing her answer causes many to nod in understanding. However, Chloe looks at her in suspicion but doesn't say anything. As everyone talks to each other again, Marinette, Adrien, and Sabrina meet in front of the school door.

"H-hey. Did you two manage to escape, too?" Adrien asks as he looks at the two girls with a nervous smile.

"Yeah. Luckily, I went out a window like Dad had us do with Stormy Weather." Sabrina says with a smile.

"I did the same thing. I came back after seeing Ladybug's power. Do you think everyone is okay?" Marinette worriedly asks as she looks toward the courtyard.

"I'm sure they're fine. After all, the heroes saved the day again." Adriens states as the group walks into the school.

When Nate sees Marinette, he immediately runs toward them before saying.

"Marinette! I'm glad to see you're okay. We should call our parents and let them know we're okay." Nate says before grabbing Marinette's arm and dragging her off so they can talk privately.

Marinette doesn't try to stop it since she knows what this will likely be about. As the two walk off, Nino runs to Adrien to check on him.

"Dude, are you okay? Did you manage to escape, or did you get caught?" He asks Adrien curiously.

"I managed to get out. I'm a pretty quick runner." Adrien says with a nervous grin, causing Nino to laugh.

"True. You always seemed to escape when there was trouble, leaving me behind almost always." Nino says this last part teasingly.

"Sorry about that." Adrien apologizes in embarrassment before Nino throws an arm around his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, man. I'm just glad you're okay. Still, you have to teach me your tricks. I'd love to sneak off as quickly as you do. It would make dealing with Hawkmoth a lot less difficult." He says as he grins at Adrien playfully, trying to lighten their moods after this experience.

"How did you escape, Sabrina? I thought you were behind me." Nathaniel asks her in confusion.

"I went through a window like we did when Stormy Weather attacked the school," Sabrina explains calmly.

"And left all of us to deal with the Akumas on our own. Some class president you are." Chloe mocks with an unhappy tone.

"Lay off her, Chloe," Alix says with a glare, causing the other girl to scowl further before they break into a fight.

While this is going on, Marinette and Nate are talking to each other about the new Miraculous user Alya showed him after he and the others came out of the boiler room.

"I haven't messed with the Miracle Box since you hid it. Were you messing with it and not telling me?" Nate asks, a bit angry she may have chosen to use it without him since they've been working together on it from the beginning.

Marinette quickly shakes her head in denial while saying.

"No, I haven't touched it either. I don't know where the new Miraculous came from." She tells him, practically begging him to believe her.

Seeing her desperation, Nate starts to believe she's telling the truth. With a sigh, Nate looks toward the school before looking back at her and asking.

"Then where did she come from? Are you going to ask her?"

"Yeah. Cat Noir, Canine, and I will talk to her tonight. I'll tell you what happens when I get back." Marinette promises to Nate, causing him to nod.

Later, a grinning Alix is walking with her friend group. More specifically, she's leading the group to a secluded area. That area is under a bridge where she likes to do her street art.

"Why are you leading us down here, Alix?" Max asks nervously.

"There's something I've got to show you guys. You're not going to believe it. Trust me, it's sick." Alix tells them excitedly before checking to make sure no one followed them.

"Is this another one of your art pieces? Kim decides to ask before Alix looks back at them and grins.

"No. It's this." Alix says before showing off her bracelet again.

The trio looks confused, and Kim is about to comment on how they've already seen it. However, it glows before they can say anything, and Roaar pops out of it for the three to see.

"How's it going!" The Kwami roars at them with enough force to send the three to the ground.

It takes a while for the groups' brains to catch up with them and realize what just happened. When they do, Kim lets out a scream and rapidly crawls away from the group.

"Mouse-cat-bug thing!" He shouts while continuing to back away.

"What is that thing!" Max asks in an equal amount of panic, not understanding how such a tiny thing could pack such force.

Roaar grins as she stares at the teens as they recover. The first of the two is Max. The teen slowly and carefully walks up to Roaar, holding his glasses while studying her features.

"Inconceiveable. Not only does this creature look like a cross between a Panthera tigris and the mythical fairies from various legends, but it's also somehow managing to remain in the air without wings." Max says in amazement as he continues to study Roaar before the Kwami grins at him.

"Are you surprised!" Roaar well roars again in a playful manner, sending Max's butt back to the ground.

After doing this, she laughs and turns to Alix with a grin.

"Your friends are fun, Little Cub," Roaar tells her enthusiastically, befitting the Kwami of Elation.

"Right! Also, don't call me little." She snaps at Roaar a second later when the nickname registers with her.

"Oh, but you are little." Roaar mocks with a grin, causing Alix to glare.

"Says the one not even as big as my hand." Alix snaps at her.

"Well. That's normal for a Kwami. But you are tiny by human standards." Roaar tells her, enjoying getting Alix riled up.

As the two banter, Kim slowly makes his way next to Max, and the two stare at their friend with the strange fairy creature. Finally, it's Max who speaks up.

"Alix. What is that creature? How is it able to talk and fly without wings?" Max asks his friend, his curiosity now overriding his initial fear completely.

Alix is about to answer him, but Roaar cuts her off by flying in front of her face and grinning at Max.

"My name is ROAAR!" Roaar screams, her voice carrying more force than before and sending the three back to the ground.

She grins at this before flying toward the three. She then talks to them at a more normal volume.

"I'm a Kwami, a being who embodies a concept within the universe. Mine is Elation." Roaar happily explains while giving the three a toothy grin.

Hearing this shocks the trio, and Alix cuts in this time.

"They're also the one who let me transform into Brawling Tiger," Alix grins before Roaar turns to her.

"Hey, my pronouns are she and her." She warns

Alix holds her hands up while apologizing before Roaar returns to the other three.

"Anyway, she's right. I'm the amazing being who let her become the hero that saved your butts." Roaar says with a proud stance.

"Wait! You're Brawling Tiger?" Kim asks in surprise.

"Yep," Alix says with a proud grin that equals Roaar's.

Hearing this surprises them again, but it's Kim who recovers first. He grins at Alix before moving to put her in a headlock.

"Man, you're so lucky. Where can I get a tiny genie that turns me into a superhero?" Kim asks her and Roaar excitedly while Alix tries to break the hold.

"You'll have to find a Kwami and make them see that you're worthy to wield them." Roaar casually informs him.

Hearing this causes Kim to look at the Kwami while Alix continues struggling.

"Cool. Where can I find one? Do you think Ladybug and the others have a few spare ones?" He asks the Kwami, causing Roaar to shrug.

"Maybe. Most Kwami can't sense where the others are. Plus, we have a rule where we can't tell our wielders who the other Miraculous users are if we find out. It wouldn't be as interesting if our wielders know everything we do." Roaar says with a grin.

"Ah, man, will you ask them for me?" Kim suddenly asks Alix as the girl finally throws him off her.

"Fine. Jeez. See if I reveal something awesome to you again." Alix mutters as she rubs her neck slightly.

"But why are you showing us this?" Max asks her in confusion, she didn't think she and Alix were close enough to talk about something like this.

"Duh, because I wanted to show my friends and gloat about how awesome I'll be," Alix says with an excited grin, and Roaar follows suit.

"Yeah. We're going to be awesome." She agrees with a nod.

"This is literally one of the best days of my life. Dad has read so many different legends to me growing up and now I can become one." Alix says ecstatically.

"Yes. We can see that. But that doesn't necessarily answer my question. Is there any other reason besides your excitement that made you tell us?" Max asks Alix to try calming her down.

"Nope. Well, maybe in case I need more help with my homework. But other than that, no." Alix shakes her head.

"So. Does your dad know? I mean, he gave it to you." Kim says while pointing at the bracelet.

Alix blinks before glaring in thought.

"That's a good question." She nods before looking to Roaar for an answer.

"Nope. He has no idea right now." Roaar shakes her head.

"How can he not know?" Alix asks in surprise.

"Because I haven't revealed myself in a while," Roaar says in a tone reminiscent of someone saying the sky is blue.

"Why?" Alix decides to ask.

"Because I wanted to make things interesting," Roaar tells her.

"Yes. And we still have to figure out what to do with the Miraculous in Gabriel's safe." Marinette states as she looks at her desk to see that it's still where she placed it.

"Why not just try to fix it? It seems like luck is on your side. You'll probably get another ally out of it." Nate states.

"We don't know that. Besides, Cheng Fu said I shouldn't fix it since I have a lot to deal with already," Marinette explains to him.

"Well, all of that's over, for the most part. So, you have time now to fix it." Nate shrugs as he points to it.

"I don't know about that," Marinette tells him with an uncertain expression before Tikki speaks up from where she is on the other side of Marinette.

"Then why don't you ask him? You said you wanted to talk to him anyway." Tikki reminds her, causing Marinette to nod.

"You should really figure out how to let him stay around when you're not in costume," Nate recommends as he watches Marinette stand up to transform.

"I know. I'll put that on my list." Marinette sighs before saying the command phrase and using Seamstress.

"Hello, Ladybug. Did everything not go as you hoped?" Fu Cheng asks.

"Yeah. Do you think I can heal Adrien's mother?" Marinette asks, causing Fu Cheng to look at her in confusion.

"Heal his mother? What's wrong with her? I couldn't get past the barrier around the mansion," Fu Cheng reminds her, staring with eyes that ask for answers.

Ladybug's eyes widen as she hears this, and she quickly tells Fu Cheng about everything they discover. As the older man listens, he grows more surprised by the meeting details.

"That's quite the story." Fu Cheng states as he stares at Ladybug while stroking his goatee in thought.

"I know. I can't believe how complicated things have gotten. Why did Hawkmoth have to be Gabriel?" Ladybug walks over to her bed and tiredly groans this out through her pillow.

"Fate tests us all in mysterious ways, I'm afraid." Fu Cheng states with a shake of his head.

"What am I going to do about all of this?" Ladybug questions as she lifts her head from the pillow.

"You and your friends will find a way. Shall we start with your question?" Fu Cheng asks with a smile.

Ladybug nods.

"As you know, your power relies on what you think you can do. And the Ladybug Miraculous is one of the strongest out there. With this in mind, it should be possible for you to fix the Miraculous and help Adrien's mother." Fu Cheng states, causing Ladybug to gain a relieved look.

"However, it depends on how well you can visualize using your power. You have to be able to imagine fixing everything. If you can't visualize that, you won't be able to fix the Miraculous or heal Adrien's mother." Fu Cheng warns.

That dampens Ladybug's mood. She begins to question whether she can do that again, and knowing that it relies on her makes her doubt her abilities.

"Is there another way?" Ladybug hopefully asks.

"There might be something in the Miraculous Grimoire that you can use to fix the Miraculous and heal her. However, that will likely take more time to find since I'll have to teach you how to read the language." Fu Cheng states.

"So, in other words, we're stuck doing nothing until Marinette can believe she can fix everything or until you translate an entire book full of magic?" Nate clarifies as he listens to everything.

"I'm afraid so. And it is more difficult than you would expect. Marinette has to visualize being able to fix an object capable of housing a god and curing an aliment caused by one. Something like that is difficult to visualize completely." Fu Cheng explains somberly, showing how difficult he believes it will be.

His words cause Ladybug to grow more worried as she tries to imagine doing that. She mentally pictures herself doing it without much difficulty. However, doubts cloud her mind about whether she can do that. Fu Cheng realizes what she's thinking about and speaks up.

"I see you're already trying to visualize it. It's difficult? You can picture yourself doing it with your powers, but you aren't certain about if you can. Correct?" Fu Cheng states while looking at his granddaughter with an understanding expression.

"Yeah. But I'm worried what will happen if I don't do it. What if Adrien's mom dies before I can visualize it?" Ladybug asks him in worry.

"That's a fair worry. But you can use that. You must use those fears to boost your visualization. If you do, you can save her before that happens." Fu Cheng explains.

Ladybug nods but doesn't feel comfortable with the advice. Fu Cheng realizes this.

"I believe that's enough for now. You've had a long day and should be allowed to rest. I recommend you rest for a few days before trying to fix the Miraculous or help Adrien's mother. You need a clear mind to use your powers properly." Fu Cheng states, causing Ladybug to nod.

"Alright. Thank you, Cheng Fu, for everything you're doing for us, " Ladybug says with a thankful smile.

"Of course. In a way, you're cleaning up the mess I've left behind in my time. So, I should be the one thanking you instead. I'm sorry you have to suffer through this." Fu Cheng states while bowing his head in apology to the girl.

"You don't have to thank us. I feel like you're helping us more than we're helping you." Ladybug tells him.

"You are too kind, Marinette. But I feel the same way that you do." Fu Cheng laughs at his granddaughter's words.

Meanwhile, Adrien is lying in bed with Nathalie sitting on the end. Adrien showed Nathalie his mother's capsule earlier, and the woman couldn't believe what she saw. Even hours after seeing it, she still can't understand it.

"I still can't believe all of this. It makes me wonder how good of a friend I've been if I didn't know about all this." Nathalie sighs as she holds her face.

"Don't be like that, Nathalie. I remember how my parents always loved having you around." Adrien tells her to try to ease her worries.

"While I'm glad to hear that, Adrien, I don't think it helps. After all, I didn't realize one of my best friends was terrorizing Paris for magic jewelry or that they had a secret base under the mansion that holds my other friend." Nathalie states sadly.

"I'm sure everything will be okay. Things have a way of working out, right?" He asks.

"Hopefully. Are you sure we should listen to your friend and not bring Emilie to a hospital?" Nathalie asks Adrien, worrying about what will happen if Emilie doesn't go to a hospital.

"I think so. I'm sure Marinette can figure out how to save Mom because she's smart and has a magic ghost on her side." Adrien says with a smile.

"A magic ghost?" Nathalie questions, finding the sentence odd but amusing.

"Yeah, his name is Fu, and he's her ancestor. He's also the one who gave her family the Miraculous." Adrien explains with an excited smile.

"It feels strange that I'm willing to believe you. It makes me wonder how much I've been affected by everything happening in Paris." Nathalie tells Adrien with a tired yet warm smile.

Adrien can't help but smile at that. While he doesn't have his parents, he has someone still in his corner. He hopes Nathalie will stick around because he worries about what will happen if she doesn't.

"Well, hopefully, your friend and her magic ghost ancestor figure out how to save Emilie. But when they save her, you better be ready for her and me to fight. Because I have a few words for her about keeping all this a secret from me." Nathalie tells Adrien in a slightly joking tone.

"Can I hug her first?" Adrien pleads, causing Nathalie to think about it.

"Alright. You can hug your mother first. But then, she and I need to talk about everything she and Gabriel kept hidden." Nathalie states, causing Adrien to nod.

But he soon grows nervous, needing to ask a question that suddenly comes to mind.

"Hey, Nathalie? Would you have joined my parents if you knew what they were doing?" Adrien asks her, causing Nathalie to freeze.

Nathalie thinks about his words for a moment before sighing.

"I don't know, Adrien. I care about both of them. So, I might have. That's part of why I'm hurt to hear about all this." Nathalie sadly states while looking down.

"I-I keep thinking about whether I should have helped Father." Adrien hesitantly reveals to her.

Nathalie's eyes widen in surprise, and she turns to Adrien in shock.

"It's just, it would have been nice to have them back. Plus, I found out they used to be heroes. I thought it was cool and that they might be right." Adrien says in an uncomfortable tone as he hugs his legs.

"Oh, Adrien, I'm sorry to hear that. But I don't know if that's the right decision. Your parents love you and want nothing more than to protect you. I don't think either would have been truly happy if you followed them as they became criminals." Nathalie explains to the young man to get him to stop thinking about that idea.

"Are you sure?" Adrien asks.

"That's the one thing I'm still confident about despite everything," Nathalie promises as she moves over and soothingly rubs Adrien's back.

"Thanks." Adrien thanks her.

"Of course. Now, get some sleep. Your school break will start soon, and I'm sure you'll want to hang out with your friends to get over this." Nathalie tells him before hugging him and leaving the room.

After watching Nathalie go, Adrien stares at his room's ceiling in thought.

"You still thinking about everything, kid?" Plagg asks as he flies in front of Adrien's face with crossed arms.

Adrien's eyes widen in shock, and he quickly sits up.

"Easy there, kid. I don't think you need any more stress on your body." Plagg tells Adrien with a hint of worry.

"Sorry, you just surprised me." Adrien apologizes to the Kwami.

"I can see that. So, how are you feeling?" Plagg asks, causing Adrien to blink at him.

"What's wrong?" Plagg asks, causing Adrien to grow nervous as he answers.

"I'm just surprised how worried you are about me."

"Of course, I'm worried about you. You're the person I chose to wield my Miraculous. I may be lazy and show my wielders more tough love than other Kwami, but I still care about you." Plagg tells him in a tone that signals that he's slightly but not that offended by his words.

"Sorry." Adrien apologizes again, unsure what to say at this point.

"You really need to learn to stop apologizing so much. It's fine, kid. So, how are you?" Plagg asks.

"Confused and worried mostly," Adrien says after a moment, causing Plagg to nod.

"That's natural. Are you still thinking about if you should have joined your old man?" Plagg asks, causing Adrien to nod.

"Yeah. What do you think?" He asks, causing Plagg to shrug.

"It's your choice to make, kid. I can't tell you what to do. You have to decide for yourself if it was right for you to do." Plagg states.

"But I don't know if it was right anymore. I mean, my father is Hawkmoth and trying to save my mother." Adrien says, his voice growing more desperate as he speaks.

"Well, consider what he did to get what he wanted. Do you think his goal was worth everything he did?" Plagg decides to ask to make Adrien think.

"Well, no. I don't think Father should have done everything he did." Adrien tells Plagg.

"What do you think that means for you then?" Plagg asks, getting a confused look from Adrien.

"I don't know," Adrien tells Plagg, causing the Kwami to sigh while hitting his face with one of his stubby arms.

"Kid, it means you wouldn't have been happy working with your father. You would have constantly questioned whether you could keep going along with his plans." Plagg explains to Adrien.

"So, I made the right choice by not going with him?" Adrien questions.

"I don't know, kid. Maybe you would have gotten used to it. Maybe you wouldn't have. There's no telling until you do it. You humans can be surprising. Sometimes, we Kwami are wrong about what you'll do." Plagg explains with a shrug.

"Does that mean I've surprised you before?" Adrien asks in a hopeful tone.

"Eh, maybe a little," Plagg states while doing a so-so motion.

"Really?" Adrien asks in surprise and happiness.

"Yeah. You did some things I wouldn't have expected. I was happy to see you push back so much against your teammates when you wanted to confront your father." Plagg tells him with a slightly proud smirk.

"Really?" Adrien asks again, this time even more happy.

"Of course. It means you're finally standing up for yourself." Plagg tells him.

Adrien is happy to hear this from his Kwami. Plagg and Nathalie's words do make him feel better about the situation. However, he still has doubts and wonders what will happen in the future. Hopefully, something will change, and those doubts clear.

Speaking of doubts, Sabrina is staring out her bedroom window, wondering what she's going to do with all this information. Her first instinct was to tell her father like she always does. However, Ladybug's words about what Adrien and Nathalie will go through get to her. They make her hesitate and wonder if she should reveal Hawkmoth's identity to the police. Barkk can easily sense her wielder's hesitation and decides to ask about it.

"What's on your mind, Pup?"

"I don't know if I should tell Dad that Hawkmoth is on the loose. Ladybug's words keep making me rethink telling him." Sabrina sighs as she reveals what's bothering her.

"Ah, your sense of justice is feeling hesitant. You're unsure how to respond to a more complicated situation than you're used to experiencing. That makes sense. You'll face plenty of situations like these in the future." Barkk states, understanding what Sabrina is going through.

Plenty of her other wielders went through a similar moment in the past. It's basically a rite of passage for her wielders who choose to use the Miraculous for their form of justice.

"Exactly! The people deserve to know who has been terrorizing them! But if we reveal it, Adrien and those close to Gabriel will suffer. Dad told me what people can do to those connected to a criminal. I don't want that for them." Sabrina tells her Kwami.

"Then what do you plan to do?" Barkk asks, causing Sabrina to throw her arms in the air.

"I don't know. I don't know what I can do about this situation. It's not like when I stop a bully from picking on someone." Sabrina states in frustration.

"Then why think?" Barkk asks, causing Sabrina to pause and look at Barkk with a confused expression.

"What do you mean?" She questions the Kwami.

"Like the animal you are, you should follow your instincts. If your mind can't tell you what to do., let your instincts tell you what should be right." Barkk advises the girl.

"My instincts, you want me to let my instincts decide this? What if they're wrong?" Sabrina questions the Kwami.

"Well, your mind isn't coming up with an answer. So, you might as well rely on something else." Barkk tells her with a shrug.

"But that's so reckless," Sabrina argues back.

"Sometimes recklessness and quick decisions are needed. You should know that by now. Besides, isn't taking too much time to decide also dangerous?" Barkk asks, causing Sabrina to bite her lip anxiously.

"Well, that's true. But I can't help it. There's a lot to think about. Even if the United Heroez are helping us, I'm still worried." Sabrina argues back.

"What do they have to do with your decision to tell your father about what you learned?" Barkk questions with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms.

"Well, this has become even bigger because of them. That means the consequences could be worse than before. So, I don't know what to do." Sabrina explains with a sigh at the end because of how helpless she feels.

"Then, wouldn't it be best to tell him and give your father more time to prepare for those consequences?" Barkk asks again.

"That's what I think. But I'm worried about how Dad will react. I know he has a strong sense of justice and duty. That's what I love about him. So, I don't know if he'll keep the information secret. And that means I don't know what will happen to Adrien." Sabrina sighs.

"I see. Now, you're wondering if you should stay loyal to your family or friends. That makes sense. Many people face similar situations. That's why you should let your instincts decide and see where things go." Barkk advises.

Sabrina doesn't say anything. She thinks about Barkk's words, wondering if she should follow them. Finally, the girl decides Barkk is probably right, and her instincts tell her she needs to talk to her father.

As Sabrina prepares to talk to her father, Alix is already sitting down with hers.

"So, Gabriel was the one who attacked me?" Alim Kubdel asks in shock after Alix finishes her story about today's events.

"Yeah. Do you think he was your old hero friend?" Alix asks curiously.

"There's a good chance of that. You said he talked about how he and his wife had used their Miraculous before Hawkmoth appeared, right?" Alim asks.

"Yep, he definitely said he used the Miraculous as a hero before he and his wife got attacked," Alix promises her father.

"I can't believe two of my old friends were Paris's most famous couple," Alim mutters, rubbing his temples as he tries to understand.

"I can't believe Hawkmoth is the father of one of the first two heroes to appear to fight him," Alix adds her two cents.

"It is a strange coincidence. It makes me wonder if there truly is something to the old legends about fate." Alim nods

"So, what do you think about all of this? Do you want to talk to Gabriel or see Adrien's mom? They were your friends, right?" Alix asks.

"Yes, it would be nice to talk to Gabriel and learn more about why he did this. However, I can wait until Emilie gets better and you catch Gabriel." Alim states, causing Alix to nod.

She then grows more awkward, staring at the Tiger Miraculous as her hand rests on the table they're talking at.

"Do you regret giving me the Miraculous now that you remember everything? Don't you want it back?" Alix asks while raising the Miraculous to her father with a curious and worried expression.

Alim looks at his daughter and the Miraculous for a long moment. Finally, he places a hand on Alix's outstretched hand and gently places it back on the table, giving her a kind and proud smile.

"I don't need the Miraculous, Alix. I'm actually glad you have it now. I might miss some aspects, but I can't use it anymore. I have too many responsibilities, like looking after you and your brother." Alim tells her, his voice completely genuine.

"So, you don't want to use it again?" Alix asks in surprise, causing Alim to shake his head.

"No, I don't. That chapter in my life is over. Now, I want to see how much further you can go compared to me, like all parents, " Alim says, causing Alix to get up and hug her father tightly.

"Ah, what a sweet family moment!" Roarr screams, causing the two Kubdels to fall.

"Roarr." They both groan on the floor.

"Sorry! I get loud when I'm happy!" The Kwami states.

Back with Sabrina, she's anxiously tapping her finger on the table where she and her father sit for their conversation. Roger sees his daughter's hesitation and patiently waits for her to build the courage to tell him what's bothering her.

"So, the others and I went to confront Gabriel. I didn't get there until a fight started." Sabrina explains.

"What happened?" Roger asks in worry, still not liking her daughter being in a fight.

"Apparently, we were right about Gabriel being Hawkmoth." Sabrina sighs.

"What!?" Roger shouts while jumping out of his seat.

"I need to contact the mayor and my superiors right-" Roger starts before getting cut off.

"Wait!" Sabrina shouts, startling Roger.

"What's wrong, Sabrina?" Roger asks, causing Sabrina to place the communicator Doorman gave her on the table.

"Can we keep this a secret? The United Heroez already talked to the others and me and promised to watch for Hawkmoth so he doesn't leave the city." Sabrina explains to Roger.

"You want me to keep this a secret? What's gotten into you, Sabrina?" Roger asks in worry instead of accusatory.

"I'm worried about Adrien. I don't want him to get blamed because he's Gabriel's son." Sabrina quietly tells her father. It's like she's afraid to explain why she doesn't want him to tell anyone.

Roger pauses when he hears this. He remembers telling Sabrina about the different things he's faced. So, he realizes why Sabrina doesn't want to tell anyone about this. However, his need to protect people is fighting his paternal instincts.

"You know how dangerous it is for us to keep this a secret. People might get hurt or taken advantage of if they don't know who to look out for." Roger quietly tells his daughter while he gently sits back down.

"I know. But I don't want my friend to get hurt. I know Hawkmoth's identity will probably get exposed when we beat him. But I don't know what to do. I don't want Adrien to suffer, but I want to protect people." Sabrina says while holding her head.

"I'm sorry to hear that, honey. You must be going through a lot because because of all this." Roger tells her while placing a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder.

Sabrina looks up at him and nods slightly.

Sabrina looks up at him and nods slightly. Roger's heart breaks as he realizes how much this affects Sabrina. With a deep sigh, he decides to trust his daughter. If for nothing else than to put her at slight ease.

"Alright, I won't tell anyone about this unless the situation gets too dangerous. I'm sure we can figure something out to help your friend, too." Roger tells his daughter, causing her to look up at him with thankful tears.

"Thank you." That is the only thing she can say since she knows how reluctant her father probably is about this.

Roger gives her a comforting smile as he nods.

In a small, messy apartment room, Lila sits on her bed while looking out her window, resting her arm on her knee.

"Are you sure it was wise to let Gabriel escape, my shining sun?" Orikko asks Lila with a calm expression.

"It will be fine, Orikko. I know what I'm doing. Besides, we'll only be here for a few months before Mom has to move again. It will be the same pattern as always. The villains are just a bit more dangerous here." Lila tells her Kwami with a confident smirk.

"If you're certain that you can handle this." Orikko backs down.

Who knows what the future holds? Hopefully, everyone is ready for it.

And here's the final chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who read this story! I had so much fun writing it for you all. I won't be uploading season two for a while. After spending three years on this one, I'd like to take a small break and possibly try some other ideas before moving on to that. My next story might not even be Miraculous Ladybug-related since I have gotten into other fandoms such as the School Bus Graveyard webtoon.

If I do upload another story, the updates will likely be more sporadic so I can work on other responsibilities, such as an original novel I'm working on to go with my college work.