Ladybug's mind is running a mile a minute as she stares at the mansion. She blinks rapidly, hoping the magic trail will change direction and not lead her to the mansion. However, the small purple trail continues to remain at the mansion. More specifically, it points to the mansion. The trail suddenly stops a few dozen feet away from the mansion, like something is protecting it. However, the trail itself points to the mansion. She even explored the area around the mansion to see if the trail picked up anywhere else. But that did nothing but lead her in a giant circle. Because of this, she needs to believe her initial thoughts about the mansion.
"How? I mean, it explains why our school is always getting attacked. But that still doesn't explain why Gabriel would attack his own son." Ladybug mutters as she analyzes the situation.
As of right now, Gabriel Agreste is her number-one suspect for Hawkmoth.
"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.
What are your hc for the remaimning miraculous powers/concepts?
Okay okay!! I love this question and yes I had thought about it before and I got some good ideas me thinks!!! 😄
Okay so my headcanon for the goat is basically being able to move on/climb any surface, even walls (idk about ceilings tho that’s some horror movie imagery). And the weapon is basically crampons which fit the power and would also make for interesting leg focused fighting scenes. Also the crampons would have to have some kind of magical property so you’d still be able to walk in them like in regular shoes.
(the weapon could also be a pickax to mine that mineral sfbdjhbcdjhc)
For the dog i like to think the weapon is a frisbee but like the ones with a hole in the middle (like the aerobie pro) so if the dog hero throws it at someone and it hooks around their neck it shrinks and turns into a collar and that person then becomes loyal to the dog miraculous holder for a couple of minutes. that’s pretty OP tho but i imagine it would be tricky to get the collar on first...
initially i was thinking of tracking/sniffing powers for a dog but that wouldn’t make much sense because otherwise ladybug would have used it already to try and track down hawk moth... And I think a power where you have to order others around would be an interesting one for Sabrina (it’s assumed she’ll get it) let’s just hope she doesn’t go mad with power lol
I’ve seen somewhere (can’t remember where otherwise I’d link it but it wasn’t on tumblr) someone saying that the rooster weapon could be a shuttlecock and I’ve been obsessed with a badminton racquet and shuttlecock combo ever since. I don’t know how that shuttlecock is going to do any damage but it’s magic so I guess it can. About the actual power for the rooster I’m not sure ...maybe creating bright flashes of light to temporarily blind the oponent?? thought process ---> roosters crow at sunrise ---> sun make eyes go gyaah!
And for the costume, in theme with the weapon, I love to imagine the girls' in tennis skirts. But since it's assumed that Nathaniel's going to get this miraculous, Roman soldier inspired costume? 😀
If Sabrina gets the Dog Miraculous (Dog Sabrina design by @spj-artredesign at https://spj-artredesign.tumblr.com/image/178141842312) (Small Angry Dog comic from @kniivila at https://kniivila.tumblr.com/image/166167745457)
If Sabrina were to get a miraculous (not in any AU, I am just asking in terms of analyzing her character) what would he the best fit: both in terms of how well she would use the powers and which Kwami would be a good influence/guide?
Personally not a fan of Sabrina getting a miraculous, she’s not in a good place to have one, doesn’t have a healthy mindset to have one (it also doesn't help that she’s not a consistent character and is a bit all over the place, like she knows right and wrong but also happily helps Chloe torment others).
Kwami wise, I’d probably trust Trixx with Sabrina. Trixx has a sharp mind, knowing what to say to make you think, and can manipulate you down the right path. Sabrina needs someone that will be encouraging, but help her down a better path without upsetting her; Trixx is the one I see handling this complicated situation best. And as a fox, Sabrina wouldn’t be too bad, she is sharp, can catch on quick to the situation, and can be sneaky.
Bee is another I wouldn’t mind, she is a hard worker, should learn to stand for herself and be able to sting back. Pollen though would be a big issue. If Sabrina gets bee, I rather someone else had it first to adjust and change Pollen’s mindset so she can work to be more involved with Sabrina and change how she views the world and relationships, she wants to be a worker, fine, she’s a great one. But she needs to find herself a better queen to devote herself too.
Now, zodiac wise, canonly, most likely she’ll get dog to play off loyalty and her being Chloe’s lapdog. But we’ll shove that aside. In truth, dog isn’t a bad idea, there is an appeal, they are symbols of acceptance, being open, and connecting with others, fellowship. If dog was given with growth in mind, to have Sabrina connect with others and break away from Chloe, that’d be great. Dog could be good in helping Chloe be apart of a pack.
Horse is another that comes to mind, particularly being a big symbol of freedom, exploration, breaking away, nobility, poise, chivalry. Horse can give Sabrina the freedom she needs, break away from this mindset that she must stay locked on Chloe. If she’s going to grow and improve, she needs to get away from Chloe, and maybe horse could help her take that first step to freedom, help make the world bigger for her so its not revolving around Chloe.
