As the classroom dissolved into chaos, students shrieking and scattering for the door, Alix and Jinx bolted into the fray. But before they could regroup, a wall of terrified students shoved between them, forcing them apart in the stampede.
"Ali!" Jinx shouted, scanning the flood of faces.
"I'll find you after!" she yelled back before vanishing down the hallway.
Jinx gritted his teeth, the ticking of his pocket watch getting louder now, like a countdown to the inevitable. He adjusted the collar of his coat, already knowing what came next.
Chloé's voice shrieked out as she frantically jabbed at her phone screen, her polished nails trembling.
"Daddy, the monster is back! Come quick—!" she cried, her panicked voice echoing through the ruined classroom.
Before she could say another word, a massive stone hand crashed through the wall, spraying shards of brick and plaster in every direction.
"YOU!" roared Stoneheart, his violet eyes flaring with fury. His enormous fist closed around Chloé like a claw from a rigged arcade machine.
"AHHH! No, not the hair! Not my haaaaair!" she screeched as she was lifted from the floor and hauled away like a wailing handbag.
Without hesitation, Stoneheart turned and leapt through the gaping hole in the school wall, cracking the frame with the force of his landing before disappearing into the chaos outside.
Mylène, still in his grasp, flailed uselessly. "Put us down, Ivan!" she cried.
But Ivan—Stoneheart—was long gone. Only the echo of his monstrous footfalls remained.
In the classroom, Alya spun to Marinette, adrenaline pumping through her.
"Come on! Let's follow him!"
Marinette blanched. Her palms were clammy. Her heart drummed against her ribs. "Uh—oh no, you go ahead. I'm finding a safe place to hide."
Alya gave her a look that could burn through concrete. "Girl, you're gonna miss Ladybug in action!"
Marinette swallowed the lump in her throat, holding out Alya's backpack with shaking hands.
"You and Ladybug… you'll both be better off without me," she said quietly.
Alya frowned in confusion, but shrugged. "You say so!" she called back before bolting toward the hallway.
Marinette sighed and called after her, "Wait! Your bag!" She ran after Alya, the weight of the Miraculous case inside the bag suddenly feeling heavier than ever.
In the boys' locker room, Adrien stood by his open locker, one hand against the cool metal door.
"My first day at school," he muttered, "and I don't even make it past roll call."
Plagg hovered lazily beside him, arms folded behind his head. "A day off? Now that's what I'm talking about."
Adrien shook his head, fire in his eyes. "Oh no, no, no. We've got homework to do."
With a swift, confident motion, Adrien drew the ring on his finger to his lips.
"Plagg, claws out!"
A flash of green energy lit the locker room. In an instant, Adrien was gone, replaced by Cat Noir, his black leather suit gleaming, tail flicking, emerald eyes narrowed.
Elsewhere, tucked away in one of the staff bathrooms—a place seldom used and even more rarely checked—Jinx turned the lock with a click. Silence fell, broken only by the soft ticking of the pocket watch in his hand.
He opened it.
A gust of midnight mist spiraled upward, revealing Nocturn, his eerie crow-like kwami, her tiny form fluttering lazily in the air as she yawned, stretching her delicate hands.
"Yawn... Another akuma already?" she muttered, blinking slowly. "You're starting to sound like a hero, Jinx. Doesn't suit you."
Jinx smirked, plucking a blackberry from his coat pocket and placing it gently into her outstretched hands. She snatched it gleefully and stuffed it into her mouth with both hands.
"Eh," he shrugged, leaning back against the wall. "Those two new heroes are interesting. I want to see how far they can go—how much pressure it takes before their heroism becomes the thing that breaks them. I give them a few months, max. Certainly not a year."
There was a glint in his eye. Not malicious. Not kind. Just amused. A wicked sort of curiosity.
He tilted his head.
"Nocturn, let's see how the heroes handle their mistake."
He closed the pocket watch with a soft click and whispered:
"Nocturn, bring silence."
Nocturn gave a little nod and twirled down into the watch. The room filled with an unnatural black fog that coiled like smoke around Jinx's feet. It rose higher, thicker, swallowing him whole. When it cleared—
Marionne stood in his place.
Trench coat flowing like tattered silk. Mask fixed in its eternal smile, eyes glowing faintly white in their void-like sockets. Black tears carved down the cheeks of the porcelain face. A figure caught between the uncanny and the divine.
Marionne stretched his arms outward with a sigh that echoed like a whisper down a well.
"Ahhhh… that's better."
Outside Collège Françoise Dupont, chaos reigned.
Stoneheart stomped through the cobbled streets like a one-man warband, his hulking form casting a monstrous shadow over the buildings. In one hand, he clutched a terrified Mylène, and in the other, an utterly disgusted Chloé Bourgeois, who flailed as though she could swat him away with entitlement alone.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with!" Chloé barked, flipping her golden hair dramatically—even as it clung to her face from sweat. "My daddy is the mayor! He'll call the police! The army! The entire cavalry!"
Just then, a voice rang out like a witty one-liner before a knockout punch.
Cat Noir landed on a nearby ledge, twirling his staff. "And don't forget the superheroes!"
With a confident swing, he launched his baton at Stoneheart's chest.
Clang!
Stoneheart barely budged. Instead, his body pulsed—grew. The impact only made him larger and more menacing.
Cat Noir blinked. "Oh no. My bad."
Chloé glared at him. "Ugh. Super incompetent, you mean."
Stoneheart's eyes burned with vengeance. He raised his fists and bellowed, "You wanted the cavalry? WELL, HERE IT IS!"
As if summoned by his rage, the dormant stone beings across Paris surged to life. Their grinding limbs cracked the pavement as they began to close in, forming a circle of granite and fury around Cat Noir.
"Seize him!" Stoneheart roared.
Cat Noir twisted, flipped, and dodged between the slow but powerful arms of the stone creatures.
From his place in Stoneheart's grip, Mylène shouted, "Watch out!"
Stoneheart lumbered forward.
"Ivan! Where are we going?" Mylène asked, tears welling in her eyes.
Stoneheart didn't look at her. "To deliver a message," he said, voice low and determined. "Then we'll be brought together forever… by a pretty black butterfly."
Chloé grimaced. "Ugh. All this lovey-dovey nonsense is making me sick."
Stoneheart turned his heavy head toward her. "Don't worry, little monster. I'm gonna take care of you, too."
Chloé let out a strangled squeal and went pale as milk.
Down the street, Alya sprinted through the chaos, phone clutched in her hand, filming the battle while gasping for breath. She skidded to a halt just in time to see Cat Noir nearly get caught by a stone creature's swinging arm.
"Come on, Ladybug!" she muttered under her breath. "What's she waiting for?"
High above them all, on the slanted tile roof of a nearby building, a figure leaned lazily against the haft of a towering scythe.
Marionne.
The wind tugged at the hem of his tattered black trench coat as he watched the unfolding scene through the glossy black voids of his doll-like mask. His voice, soft and humming with something ancient, escaped like fog.
"Why does this remind me of them…?" he mused, more to himself than Nocturn.
His masked head tilted ever so slightly.
"She's late. Again." A brief chuckle—dry and laced with affection. "If she had shown up this late, he would've flattened a city block out of sheer frustration."
He paused, the scythe glinting under the clouds.
"…But," he murmured, his tone softening into something warm and far away, "you can never rush that beautiful face."
For a moment, Marionne just stood there, still as a statue, watching the boy in leather dodge death, the girl in red nowhere in sight, and a city teetering on the edge of panic. The game was still in motion.
And he was enjoying every minute of it.
But good things, as always, had a way of souring.
As Marionne stood watching the battle unfold, a flicker of irritation sparked beneath his porcelain grin. It wasn't the chaos or the destruction—it was the threat. The possibility, however slim, that his two newest sources of entertainment—Ladybug and Cat Noir—might be crushed under the weight of their inexperience.
That wouldn't do. Not at all.
He sighed, the sound muffled behind the haunted smile of his mask, echoing faintly like a forgotten music box slowing to a stop. "Tch. I suppose playthings that interesting don't come along every day," he muttered. "The Miraculous can wait."
Below, Stoneheart raised his massive arm again, preparing to deliver a crushing blow to Cat Noir, who'd been momentarily cornered near the twisted remains of a lamp post. Marionne's bright violet eyes narrowed beneath the void-like pupils of his mask.
With the grace of a puppet freed from its strings, he leapt from the rooftop, trench coat fluttering around him like a dark curtain. He landed with silent elegance, boots tapping the cobbled street. As Stoneheart's stone fist descended, Marionne swept his hand across the ground.
"Decay."
The street beneath Stoneheart cracked and crumbled, the asphalt twisting and blackening as if rotting from the inside out. The sudden decay destabilized Stoneheart's footing. He stumbled, the angle of his strike thrown off just enough for Cat Noir to dodge and dart out of the way.
Cat Noir blinked and skidded to a stop nearby. "Whoa. Thanks for the save!"
Marionne straightened, leaning lazily on his scythe, tilting his head just slightly. "No problem. It's good to help the rookies every now and again."
Cat Noir twitched—just a bit. His brow furrowed. "Rookie?"
Marionne didn't bother explaining. He simply gave a small, theatrical bow, the black tears painted beneath his mask glistening under the afternoon sun.
Behind the haunting porcelain smile, he was smirking.
Because rookies? Rookies had potential.
And he wasn't about to let anyone snuff that out too soon.
Ladybug's yo-yo whipped forward with a sharp snap, wrapping around the mangled bumper of a wrecked car. With a grunt, she yanked the entire vehicle backward, freeing Alya from where she'd been trapped beneath its dented frame.
"You can't stay here," Ladybug said firmly, steadying her friend. "It's too dangerous."
Alya, wide-eyed but breathing, nodded and darted away. Without missing a beat, Ladybug spun and sprinted toward the advancing line of Stoneheart's clones. The earth rumbled beneath her feet as the stone beings marched in perfect formation, eyes glowing and fists clenched.
"Cat Noir!" she called out, spotting him struggling in the grip of one of the monsters. With precise aim, she tossed his collapsed baton toward him. "Extend it!"
He caught the staff mid-air and flicked it open, the weapon elongating like a spear. Using the sudden leverage, he launched himself out of the stone hand's grasp and into the air—only for gravity to betray him a second later.
Ladybug snagged his wrist with her yo-yo string and yanked him mid-fall. He dangled upside down beside her, disheveled and grinning.
"Sorry I was late," she panted.
Cat Noir winked, swaying with a relaxed smirk. "M'lady, have I ever told you… you really turn my world upside down?"
Ladybug rolled her eyes—but she smiled. "You're quite the jokester, aren't you?"
Before she could say anything more, her eyes flicked to a nearby rooftop—and froze.
There, perched against the fading glow of the Parisian sky, stood Marionne.
His presence was unmistakable. That uncanny silhouette. The long coat that moved as if caught in phantom winds. The eerie marionette mask—porcelain white with hollow black sockets, marked by black painted tears.
Ladybug's instincts kicked in. She pulled Cat Noir behind her and leapt into a defensive stance, yo-yo spinning.
"You!" she barked. "You're that puppet guy!"
Marionne tilted his head ever so slightly, his masked gaze unreadable, though they both could feel his raised eyebrow through the air alone.
"First off, bug," he said, voice like silk laced with static, "It's Marionne. And second, I was helping your partner. Not because I care—just didn't want him getting crushed before I could have my fun with the both of you."
Cat Noir and Ladybug exchanged a glance.
"…I'm not sure whether to be flattered or terrified," Cat muttered.
"We'll deal with that after this," Ladybug replied under her breath, pushing the encounter to the back of her mind. There were bigger things to handle—literally.
The ground trembled again. The army of Stonehearts was still closing in.
"Hey," Cat Noir said, eyes narrowing. "Aren't we going to stop them?"
"No," Ladybug said quickly, pulling out her yo-yo. It flickered to life like a screen, revealing live helicopter footage. "If we want to stop them all—we need to go to the source. That one."
On the screen, the original Stoneheart loomed over the Eiffel Tower, an iron titan atop iron bones. Police barricades surrounded the base, officers armed with pistols and riot shields forming a desperate perimeter.
From the front line, André Bourgeois yelled into a megaphone, voice cracking with worry.
"I demand my daughter's safe return!"
From high above, Stoneheart grunted in disgust. "You know what? You're welcome to her!"
With that, he flung Chloé Bourgeois through the air like a ragdoll.
"DADDY!!" she screamed. "HELP! I'll be nice to everyone! I'll say please and thank you, and—AHH!"
Ladybug shot into the air, catching her in a wide arc just before impact.
"I didn't promise," Chloé added smugly, latching onto her father the moment she was lowered to the ground.
Ladybug just stared at her. So did Cat Noir. Even Marionne—expression hidden behind his mask—tilted his head like a clockwork doll, clearly baffled.
Cat Noir leaned over to the ghostly figure beside him. "You don't think you could teach her some manners, could you?"
Ladybug gasped. "Kitty!"
Marionne didn't even flinch. "I haven't got the time, patience, or divine willpower to pull that off," he said dryly. "And frankly…I don't know what could."
All three of them turned in unison to watch Chloé stomping away in designer heels, dramatically shrieking about broken nails and bad lighting.
Marionne added with a sigh, "No…some things even I won't touch."
André Bourgeois gripped his daughter tightly, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. "My little princess," he whispered, brushing Chloé's disheveled hair back behind her ear. She clung to him like a lifeline, still trembling from the airborne trauma she'd just survived—though not without a few dramatic sniffles.
Roger, standing beside them in his full police gear, raised a fist and barked into his comm, "We're clear to attack!"
Officers all around raised their pistols in unison, the chorus of metallic clicks echoing through the base of the Eiffel Tower like the countdown to war.
"Wait!" Ladybug leapt in front of them, arms outstretched protectively. "No—don't attack them! You know that'll only make things worse!"
Roger scoffed, eyes narrowing. "I've got a new plan. Unlike you. Move aside and let the pros do their thing." He stepped forward with authority. "You've already failed once."
Ladybug's breath caught in her throat. His words hit harder than she expected. Her arms dropped slightly, and the weight of the situation settled deep in her chest.
"He's right, you know…" she murmured to herself. "If I'd captured the akuma the first time around, none of this would've happened. I—" her voice faltered. "I knew I wasn't the right one for this job."
Beside her, Cat Noir turned toward her with steady eyes and unshakable confidence. "No. He's wrong."
She looked up, surprised.
"Because without you," he continued, gently motioning toward Chloé clinging to her father, "she wouldn't even be here. And because without us, the people of Paris won't make it. But we're going to prove them wrong. You just have to trust me, bug."
Ladybug stared at him for a moment, heart pounding—then nodded. "Okay."
And then—
"You know," came a drawling voice from a short distance away, "you guys are really nailing this superhero pep talk nonsense."
Ladybug and Cat Noir turned to see Marionne, now casually perched on the edge of a barricade like he hadn't just been watching a potential apocalypse unfold.
His black-trimmed coat fluttered softly in the breeze, scythe casually leaning against his shoulder. If the situation was dire, his posture certainly didn't reflect it. If anything, he looked amused.
Neither hero had a retort prepared, and their stunned silence only made Marionne grin wider.
Then Stoneheart suddenly let out a sharp, gurgling cough—and hunched forward.
A nauseating sound followed as he vomited up a swirling black cloud of writhing, fluttering shapes.
Akumas. Hundreds of them.
They twisted midair and formed into a glowing visage—pale violet and smooth-featured—hovering like a phantom in the sky.
Hawk Moth.
"People of Paris," his voice boomed with theatrical grandeur. "Listen carefully. I am Hawk Moth."
Ladybug and Cat Noir's eyes went wide in unison.
"Hawk Moth?!" they echoed.
Marionne, still unbothered, tilted his head.
"Not exactly the most creative name," he muttered. "Kind of... I dunno. Conflicting? Moths and hawks? Pick a side, man."
Cat Noir blinked... then slowly nodded. "I mean—he's not wrong."
Ladybug shot her partner a look.
"Kitty!"
"What?" Cat Noir raised his hands in surrender. "He's got a point. The name doesn't really make sense. Ladybug makes sense. Cat Noir makes sense. Even Marionne fits." He pointed toward the ghostly figure still resting lazily on the barricade.
As if on cue, Marionne stood up straight and executed a graceful, overly dramatic pose—arms out, coat billowing, chin tilted as if awaiting applause.
"See?" Cat Noir gestured. "It works."
Ladybug pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "This is not the time for branding critiques…"
"I'm just saying," Cat replied, lips twitching into a grin. "I'd take fashion advice from marionne creepy cousin before I take villain branding from that guy."
Marionne gave a slow, mocking clap in the background.
"Touché, cat boy. Touché."
But as the laughter died, the tension in the air crept back in like a storm cloud. The stone giants loomed taller. The akuma's haunting glow pulsed like a heartbeat above Paris.
Ladybug looked up again, jaw clenched.
"No more distractions," she whispered. "It's time to finish this."
Hawk Moth's voice cut through the air like a blade.
"Ladybug. Cat Noir. Hand over the Ladybug earrings and the Cat Ring—now. You've caused enough damage to these innocent people."
A hush fell over the crowd. Officers stood frozen. Parents clutched their children. Even the stone titans stood still, as though awaiting the next move in a grand, silent game.
From his perch on a toppled barricade, Marionne remained still, though his bright violet eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He shifted his weight, leaned his chin against his palm, and thought quietly to himself:
He must not know I have the Death Miraculous... or perhaps he doesn't know it exists at all. Interesting.
Then came the sound of slow, deliberate clapping.
Ladybug walked forward, shoulders squared, every step radiating resolve. She clapped with theatrical sarcasm as her voice rang out.
"Nice try, Hawk Moth. But don't pretend you're the victim here." She gestured around at the destruction, at the terrified civilians and the chaos left in the wake of Stoneheart and his duplicates. "You're the one turning innocent people into monsters. Without you, none of this would be happening. Let's not reverse the roles."
Her voice rose with each word.
"Hawk Moth, no matter how long it takes—we will find you. And you will be the one handing us your Miraculous!"
Without waiting for a reply, she leapt into action.
"Time to de-evilize!"
Her yo-yo zipped through the air in a blur of red and black, catching the swirling akumas that had begun to scatter. With a sweeping motion, she whipped it back—and just like that, Hawk Moth's face dissolved into nothing. The akumas purified in a cascade of soft white light, flapping upward in a radiant spiral.
Gasps and cheers rippled through the crowd. Dozens—no, hundreds—of butterflies flew free, circling the Eiffel Tower in a cloud of purity.
Ladybug turned back to the people, voice unwavering as she made her vow.
"Let me make this promise to you: No matter who tries to harm you, Ladybug and Cat Noir will do everything in our power to keep you safe!"
The yo-yo opened once more, and a final wave of butterflies ascended into the sky like a flock of doves. Marinette's parents clutched each other with joy. The police officers, wide-eyed, slowly lowered their weapons. The gathered students and civilians burst into applause.
Even Cat Noir couldn't help it. He turned to the girl beside him, his smirk softening into genuine admiration.
"Wow. Whoever she is beneath that mask…" he whispered, "…I love that girl."
But just as he was basking in the afterglow of Ladybug's victory, a low, rhythmic snoring caught his attention.
Cat Noir blinked. Then blinked again.
Over on the shattered barricade, Marionne was... asleep. Lying on his side like it was a sunny day in the park, his scythe lazily leaned beside him. And somehow—somehow—a uniformed cop was standing beside him, dutifully fanning him with a clipboard like a makeshift royal servant.
Cat Noir stared, jaw slack, utterly at a loss.
Was this real?
Something about the image—Marionne's calm indifference, his eerie sleep-smile—stirred something uncomfortably familiar in Cat's memory. A shadow of déjà vu passed through him. But he shook it off.
"Hey," he muttered. "Seriously?"
Extending his baton, Cat Noir jabbed it toward Marionne's side, intending to nudge him awake.
Just before the tip could poke him, Marionne's hand snapped up, catching it effortlessly between two fingers. His eyes opened, calm and glowing.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Nice try, cat boy," he said lazily, sitting up with a stretch. "But I'm not that easy to sneak up on."
Cat Noir pulled back his baton slowly, still processing the absurdity.
"…Why are you like this?"
"Because someone has to be," Marionne replied, completely unbothered.
Ladybug walked over, eyebrow raised as she took in the bizarre sight.
"Is he always like this?" she asked under her breath.
Cat Noir sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm starting to think he's the real mystery in all of this."
Marionne yawned and stood up with cat-like grace, brushing phantom dust from his coat.
"And yet… you still haven't asked the right question."
He gave them both a teasing smile—one that felt both playful and ominous—and began strolling away with no urgency whatsoever.
The heroes exchanged another look, and for a moment, it wasn't Hawk Moth that worried them.
It was him.
From atop the Eiffel Tower, Hawk Moth's voice echoed through the cold wind, laced with venom.
"Agh! That's the problem with you superheroes!" he sneered, seething from within his shadowed lair. "You're all too… heroic! Stoneheart, they're trying to take your loved one away from you. Seize their Miraculouses and render them powerless. Now!"
A bored voice interrupted from street level.
"Thank you! Someone finally gets how boring all this is!" Marionne called up, arms spread in mock praise. He leaned lazily on his scythe, smirking like he'd just been handed a front-row seat to a doomed romance opera.
Stoneheart didn't even register him. "Okay, Hawk Moth."
"Mylène, help me!" the girl cried, struggling in the massive stone fist that held her tight.
"You'll never take Mylène from me!" Stoneheart bellowed, his glowing eyes wild. "Come to me, my stone beings!"
The horde of duplicates came to life with a tremor that shook the ground. Dozens of hulking, jagged titans surged toward the Eiffel Tower like loyal foot soldiers. All around them, screams erupted.
On a rooftop nearby, Cat Noir narrowed his eyes as he watched the rising army. "We're surrounded! What now? We can't just attack."
Ladybug wasn't panicking—her eyes were darting, calculating, putting the pieces together. "We know where the akuma is."
Cat Noir followed her gaze. "His clenched fist. The one holding Mylène. So..."
"So we know he's in love with her," she said softly, then snapped her fingers. "That's it. We don't separate Stoneheart and Mylène—we bring them together. They're made for one another. They just don't know it yet."
Cat Noir blinked. "I'm not really following you, but something tells me I'd better get used to this dynamic."
Then—
CLANG!
A sound like a bell of death rang out.
Marionne had slammed his scythe into the concrete of the barricade below, sending sparks flying. With effortless flair, he vaulted into the air, flipping in a perfect spiral before landing on the ground below like a dancer mid-curtsy. The police—utterly stunned—broke into spontaneous applause as he straightened up.
Marionne didn't even glance at them.
"Take care of the main boss," he said, cracking his neck and casually twirling his scythe in one hand. "I've got the NPCs."
Then he moved.
Like a blur of black wind and purple lightning, Marionne darted toward the advancing Stonehearts. His movements weren't just graceful—they were beautiful. Each step was part of a choreography only he knew. As one Stoneheart lunged at him with a fist the size of a refrigerator, Marionne slid low beneath the blow, kicked off the creature's leg, flipped backward, and brought the blade of his scythe down—not to slice, but to tap the Stoneheart on the chest.
"Death's Touch."
Cracks spiderwebbed across the creature's body in an instant, glowing with sickly purple light, before it collapsed like shattered porcelain.
Another came from behind.
Marionne didn't even turn around. He teleported in a puff of black mist—Shroud Step—and reappeared above, upside down in mid-air. With a twist, he spun like a comet and drove the butt of his scythe into the Stoneheart's head. The stone groaned and crumbled.
Cat Noir, who was watching in disbelief from a lower ledge, mouthed, "What the hell?"
Marionne landed softly, his boots making no sound. A third Stoneheart swung. He caught its arm, whispered "Time Shift," and suddenly the creature staggered, disoriented—reliving the moment two seconds prior in a time-loop stutter that left it vulnerable. Marionne danced between its legs, dragged his scythe along its calf like an artist carving a sculpture, and the Stoneheart collapsed in a heap of rubble.
"Three down," he said, blowing hair from his face with a bored sigh.
Cat Noir leapt beside Ladybug, eyes wide. "Okay… I gotta ask—how many powers does this guy have?"
Ladybug blinked. "I… don't know. But he's not using them like we do. We only get one power per transformation. He's used at least three."
"And he's not even breaking a sweat!" Cat Noir added, pointing at Marionne, who was now literally surfing down the cracked spine of a collapsing Stoneheart while spinning his scythe like a ribbon dancer.
A fifth Stoneheart tried to grab him—Marionne simply looked at it and muttered, "Decay." It dissolved from the point of contact, crumbling to ash in seconds.
Cat Noir's mouth hung open. "Are we… underpowered?"
"No," Ladybug said slowly. "We're just… sane."
"Fair point."
Down below, Marionne landed with a flourish, arms wide like a circus showman.
"And for my final trick—" he winked at a remaining Stoneheart "—vanish."
He struck the ground with his scythe one last time, and a shockwave of purple fog rippled outward. The last of the duplicates shuddered, cracked, and exploded in a flurry of pebbles and dust.
Then all was quiet.
Marionne brushed a nonexistent speck of dirt from his coat. "Annnd that's how you deal with unoriginal side enemies."
Ladybug and Cat Noir just stared.
"…Did we just get upstaged?" Cat Noir whispered.
Ladybug pursed her lips. "Let's just say we have different specialties."
Marionne gave them a little two-fingered salute and began strolling back toward the Eiffel Tower as if he hadn't just soloed an army.
Top of the Eiffel Tower
Wind howled high above the city as Stoneheart clung to the iron rails, holding Mylène in one hand and chaos in the other.
"Help! I'm scared of heights!" Mylène cried, clutching his thumb with trembling fingers.
Ladybug landed gracefully beside her, confidence in her every step. "Everything's gonna be alright."
Cat Noir, panting from evading the stone beings below, called up, "How are you planning to get them closer than they already are?"
"By using our powers!" Ladybug shouted back. "Lucky Charm!"
A swirl of red and black magic burst into the air—and dropped a parachute into her arms.
Ladybug blinked. "…A parachute? What am I supposed to do with this?"
Cat Noir didn't have time to comment—one of the stone minions swatted him like a fly, sending him tumbling off the Tower with a panicked yowl.
"You sure you know what you're doing?" he called back.
"We'll find out soon enough!" she said and threw her yo-yo like a lasso, wrapping it tightly around Stoneheart's wrist.
His grip shifted just slightly—and that was all it took.
Mylène's lips brushed against his stone cheek. "Ivan…"
Stoneheart's eyes glowed brighter for one long second—then dimmed. His fingers loosened.
The moment Mylène began to fall, Cat Noir, recovered, lunged forward, extending his staff to snatch the akumatized paper from Stoneheart's clenched hand and slam it into the air.
"Home run!" Ladybug cheered, vaulting into the air. She caught the paper mid-spin and crushed it in her gloved hands.
A black butterfly burst from the shards, fluttering into the sky.
"No more evil-doing for you, little akuma… De-evilize!"
But just as Ladybug celebrated her clean strike, she gasped. Stoneheart—now Ivan once more—was falling, unconscious, from the Tower.
"Cat Noir!" she shouted. "You take care of Ivan!"
"Cataclysm!"
With a crackle of black magic, Cat Noir used his power on the Tower's structure, extending a metallic beam into a slide. He sprinted across it and caught Ivan just in time, swinging him to safety.
Ladybug, meanwhile, flipped through the air and caught Mylène. As the two descended, she deployed the parachute, opening it mid-fall, then released the purified butterfly from her yo-yo.
"Bye-bye, little butterfly." she whispered.
She spun in place. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
Scarlet light exploded from the sky, raining down like magic pollen. In every direction, the chaos reversed—the Eiffel Tower mended, shattered roads reformed, and stone beings turned back into the people they once were.
Cat Noir's jaw dropped. "Whoa. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
Ladybug, still in awe, replied, "Yeah. It's beautiful… and amazing. It's… miraculous."
Far away, in the dim lair of Hawk Moth, a snarl pierced the silence.
"This is just the beginning, Ladybug. You and Cat Noir may have won this battle, but I will win the war. I will have your Miraculouses. I will seize absolute power." His voice turned thoughtful. "And… Marionne. I will find out who you are. You've caught my interest."
Back on the Tower, Ladybug approached Ivan and Mylène, who were blushing messes.
"I think you two have things to talk about, hmm?" she said, handing a wrinkled paper to Mylène.
Mylène read aloud softly, her eyes wide. "Wow… it's really beautiful. It's just a shame I can't hear the words when you scream them. I mean… sing them."
Ivan rubbed the back of his neck. "I just… I didn't mean to scare you. I'll be gentle next time."
Mylène hugged him tightly. "I know."
Ladybug smiled. "They're made for each other."
Cat Noir swooped to her side. "Like us, too."
Beep-beep-beep.
His Miraculous started blinking.
Ladybug's eyes narrowed. "Uh oh. Time to split. See you soon, Cat Noir."
"Can't wait, m'lady." He gave a theatrical bow and vanished into the shadows.
Ladybug turned… only to see Marionne standing nearby, still and unreadable, eyes glowing faintly violet.
"Umm… why are you staring at me like that?" she asked, tense.
Marionne tilted his head slightly, his voice distant. "You just remind me of someone… someone very dear." A faint smirk tugged at his lips. "But you're clearly not her. She'd never help anyone."
And with a whisper of smoke, he vanished.
Outside the School
Marinette and Alya sat on the steps, the Eiffel Tower glimmering in the distance.
"So, by the time I finally biked over, it was all over," Alya groaned. "I'm way bummed."
"Don't worry," Marinette said, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You'll get your scoop eventually."
"You're right. Next target: 'Ladybug—An Exclusive Interview!'" Alya declared.
"Ooh, sounds exciting."
"No, wait, better. 'Unmasking the Real Ladybug!'"
Marinette laughed nervously. "Uh-huh. Good luck with that one."
Inside the Agreste Car
Back in the sleek black town car, Gabriel Agreste's face glared from the built-in screen.
"You disobeyed me, Adrien," Gabriel said, voice cold. "Take a look at that school. Chaos. Destruction."
Adrien sat stiff, guilt radiating from him. "Yes, Father."
"You will never go back there again."
Adrien's heart sank. "Father, no—"
"—without your bodyguard," Gabriel finished, stern. "He will drop you off and pick you up every day. Nathalie is preparing a new schedule. You'll continue music, fencing, Chinese… and your photoshoots."
He turned to the other passenger in the backseat.
"And Jinx will remain by your side at all times. I don't want to hear about you being anywhere without him."
Jinx, lounging next to Adrien, lazily raised his half-eaten cookies-and-cream bar in a mock salute.
"Yes, sir," he said with a grin, chocolate smudged at the corner of his mouth.
"Thank you, Nathalie. Thank you, Father!" Adrien said quickly—and then dragged Jinx out of the car before the man could take another bite.
"Hey!" Jinx cried, stumbling after him, "I just unwrapped this bar, you monster!"
Adrien only laughed—and for the first time that day, it was genuine.
Françoise Dupont Classroom – Just Before Class
Marinette and Alya made their way toward the back row, hoping to quietly slip into the seats behind Nino before class started.
But of course, Chloé Bourgeois turned in her chair like a queen on a throne.
"Uhh… You're in the wrong seat," she sneered, flipping her hair. "Go on, get lost!"
Marinette paused mid-step, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. For a moment, it looked like she might turn away—like always. But then… something in her posture changed. She squared her shoulders, stood a little taller.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil," she said calmly, "is that good people do nothing."
Chloé blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Marinette leveled her gaze. "It means I'm not putting up with your crud anymore, Chloé. And neither is anyone else around here. So take your attitude… and get lost."
A beat of stunned silence—then the room erupted with stifled laughter and applause. Chloé flushed red, huffed indignantly, and stormed over to Marinette's old seat, crossing her arms like a child.
Alya leaned in, beaming. "Good job, girl."
Just then, the classroom door opened.
Adrien Agreste stepped inside, waving softly at Marinette with a small, hopeful smile.
She caught the movement—then turned away.
His hand dropped, and his face fell.
Nino gave him a light nudge. "Dude. You wanna make friends, right? Talk to Marinette. Y'know… about the gum thing."
Adrien hesitated. "But what should I say?"
Nino grinned. "Just be yourself."
Before Adrien could work up the nerve, the door burst open again—this time with Alix dragging Jinx by the wrist into the classroom.
"Stop being a big baby, J! We'll get you a new one!"
"But it was premium…" Jinx whimpered, his voice a tragic whisper of loss. "Cookies and cream supreme, Alix…"
"You're such a drama queen."
School Courtyard – Moments Later
Outside, the sky had shifted. Clouds had gathered, and gentle rain began to fall. Marinette stood beneath the awning, watching droplets land on her hand. She seemed lost in thought.
Adrien stepped up beside her, awkwardly holding an umbrella. "Hey."
She didn't respond.
He tried again. "I just wanted you to know… I wasn't trying to be mean earlier. I was trying to take the gum off your seat. I swear. I've… never been to school before. Never had friends. It's all kind of new to me."
He offered her his umbrella.
Their eyes met—brief, but electric. She hesitated, but accepted it.
The umbrella promptly closed right over her head.
Adrien chuckled, and surprisingly—so did Marinette. The tension cracked, and in its place was something light, something… real.
"See you tomorrow," Adrien said softly, turning and descending the steps.
From the shadows of the wall, Jinx called out smugly, arms crossed. "You have no game, Adrien."
"Shut up," Adrien muttered, cheeks pink. "What about you and Alix, huh?"
"Tch, low blow," Jinx huffed, but Adrien was already dragging him to the car.
Marinette stood frozen. She clutched her umbrella and her bag, still staring after him.
"See you… to… to–to–tomorrow," she whispered. "Haha. W-Why am I stammering?"
From her purse, Tikki giggled and fluttered onto her cheek. "Hey! I think I might have an idea…"
Meanwhile, from the folds of Adrien's shirt, Plagg peeked out and rolled his glowing eyes.
"First day of school, and we already have two lovebirds."
Adrien shrugged, flustered. "Pfft. Whatever. She's just a friend."
Then he smiled to himself, the kind of soft, dreamy smile that told a very different story.
"…A friend," he murmured, just as Jinx yanked open the car door, grabbed Adrien by the back of his collar, and threw him inside like a sack of potatoes.
"Hey!" Adrien protested, face smushed against the seat.
"You dropped my chocolate, Adrien," Jinx said flatly. "We are not friends right now."
On the Steps – Moments Later
Marinette, now composed, grabbed her bag and walked home under her umbrella.
From a distance, hidden at the school entrance, an old man watched.
Wang Fu stroked his beard, contemplative.
Beside him, his tiny green companion Wayzz hovered. "Excellent choice, Master."
Fu nodded once. "Those two… They're made for each other."
But then his gaze shifted to the car where Jinx had entered.
"Though that boy… that one. There's something off about him."
Wayzz looked up. "You think he could be Marionne?"
Fu's eyes narrowed. "Can't be. Marionne uses powers only an adult could withstand. The Death Miraculous alone would shatter the mind of a teenage boy."
He glanced toward the horizon, the clouds still rumbling in the distance.