Preparations for the Final Battle
Ladybug arrives at the Liberty, looking for Luka. While he naturally assumes that she needs Viperion for something, she explains that she just needs a sympathetic ear, as she's worried that the stresses she's facing in her civilian life will spill over and sabotage the fight against Hawkmoth. Without naming names, she explains how she's become estranged from her friends by a manipulator making promises that are Too Good to Be True, and that the only other one of her friends who knows the truth is refusing to help her. Overwhelmed, she finds herself sobbing into Luka's arms, as he reassures her that she is not alone.
He then states that from his perspective, they have three different options: confront her friends, though she can't get anyone else involved without risking her Secret Identity. Give the Earrings to somebody else, which would be horribly unfair and endanger not just the new Ladybug, but all of Paris... or take the fight to Hawkmoth and take him down before he gets the chance to akumatize her.
After all, they may not know who he is, but they know what he wants: the Miraculi. If they can convince him that one of the Miraculi he's after is vulnerable — or even better, about to slip out of his grasp — they might be able to lure him out into a trap. It's risky, but promising... especially with the power of Second Chance on their side.
As they start planning things out, Luka asks Ladybug if she actually wants Chat Noir to join this fight. She realizes that deep down, she doesn't... but whether she likes it or not, they need all the power they can get. Still, given the lack of interest he's shown in planning, she's more comfortable leaving him out of that part, working out what they're going to do before bringing him in for the fight itself.
Following their strategy session, Ladybug seeks out Kagami, delivering a Miraculous ahead of time so that she'll have it on the big day. Rather than giving her the Dragon, however, she entrusts her with the Fox, as Trixx's illusions are vital to their plans, and the previous holder is... no longer a viable option.
Ironically, right as she's leaving, she's spotted and flagged down by Alya and Nino, with the aspiring journalist eager for an impromptu interview. Ladybug turns her down; disappointed, Alya asks when they'll get to be heroes again, taking the opportunity to badmouth Chloé and complain about how she's still claiming that she's going to be Queen Bee again. Some people are just so entitled, you know~?
Though she'd intended to visit the Agreste mansion next, Ladybug finds herself unable to make herself ask for help from somebody she personally despises. At least, not on the level that she dislikes Gabriel Agreste. And while she used to like Adrien, the thought of dealing with him leaves a sour taste in her mouth... so she detours towards the Le Grand Paris.
Chloé initially assumes that she's there for Queen Bee, and starts begging for another chance — only for Ladybug to turn her down flat, bluntly informing her that she betrayed their trust and will never be Queen Bee again. When pressed, Chloé confesses that she wants to become a better person — to prove that she's somebody worthy of being a hero like Ladybug. And while Ladybug refuses to offer her that chance immediately, she has an alternative proposition for her.
Bluntly speaking, they need money, along with the cooperation of Paris' emergency services. In order to set a trap for Hawkmoth, they've got to have the resources necessary for it... and Chloé could provide those. But she needs to understand that she won't be getting credit for this aid. That this is purely, entirely about doing what she can to help protect Paris, not mugging for the cameras. Though hearing this pains her, Chloé agrees, declaring that she'll work in the background.
That evening, Chat Noir idly notes that Ladybug's late for their usual evening patrol. When she arrives, she's terse and guarded with him, shutting down his attempts to joke around. Though he notes her irritation, he brushes it off, reassuring himself that they'll have hundreds of patrols in the future where he can tease it out, provided it doesn't just disappear of its own accord.
Meanwhile, Lila's up late reading one of her favorite books. She then works on her memorization skills, though she hasn't managed to get them all down perfectly yet. Catching sight of the patrolling heroes, she muses about how Ladybug is so busy dealing with Hawkmoth that she can't focus on exposing her, and won't be able to before her mother eventually has to move the Rossis out of Paris. And even if the heroine winds up falling in battle, there's plenty of other bleeding hearts who'd step up to continue the fight, right...?
This chapter contains examples of:
- Armor-Piercing Question: When Luka asks Ladybug if she wants Chat Noir to fight alongside them on this, she hesitates, realizing that no, she really doesn't want to have to deal with his involvement, given his spotty track record.
- The Confidant: Following Tikki's advice, Marinette confides in Luka, though she's careful not to reveal her secret identity.
- Crazy-Prepared: Part of the reason why Lila's up so late that evening is because she's drilling herself on the passwords to her various secret accounts, making sure she's got everything memorized. Though she doesn't have those quite down pat yet, all of her passwords are written down in code disguised inside her 'poetry' notebook.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Alya and Nino ask Ladybug when they'll be called upon as heroes again, unaware that she's just dropped off the Fox with Kagami because she doesn't trust Alya to have her back as Rena Rouge anymore. They then complain about Chloé's sense of entitlement, failing to recognize that they've got a similarly possessive attitude towards 'their' Miraculi.
- Both Adrien and Lila tempt fate by thinking about how the status quo will never change.
- Easily Forgiven: Averted; Chloé hopes that Ladybug will forgive her for what she did as Miracle Queen, only to be bluntly informed that she crossed a line by betraying her and all of Paris. Even her willingness to atone doesn't mean that she's going to be getting the Bee back.
- Entitled Bastard:
- Alya and Nino complain about Chloé acting entitled to the Bee even after she betrayed Ladybug... while taking for granted that they'll always be Rena Rouge and Carapace.
- Alya also clearly expects Ladybug to agree to her impromptu interview request, sulking when she's turned down and bouncing back only because of aforementioned assumption that she'll get to continue being a hero.
- Lila expects heroes like Ladybug to protect her from Hawkmoth despite the fact that she has been actively helping said terrorist out of a petty desire to see her brought down after she called her out on her lying.
- Godzilla Threshold: Luka and Ladybug prepare to cross it by setting a trap for Hawkmoth. While well aware that they're running the risk of him winning despite their plans and getting his hands on the Earrings, the longer he's allowed to operate, the higher the chances of Ladybug cracking under the stresses she's facing as a civilian and getting akumatized.
- Heroism Won't Pay the Bills: Since she hasn't been getting paid to protect Paris, Ladybug needs to find some other way of getting the funding necessary to buy resources for her plan.
- I Have This Friend: Variation; Ladybug explains her situation to Luka without letting on that he knows her or the others involved.
- Skewed Priorities: Lila notes how lucky she is that Ladybug doesn't have these, and considers dealing with Hawkmoth more important than dealing with her.
- Status Quo Is God:
- Chat Noir expects that there will be hundreds of nightly patrols with Ladybug to look forward to, as Hawkmoth certainly isn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon.
- Lila presumes that if Ladybug happened to die, some other aspiring hero would immediately replace her, keeping people like Lila herself safe from villains like Hawkmoth.
- Tempting Fate:
- When Ladybug is a bit curt with him during their patrol, Chat Noir comforts himself with the notion that they've got plenty of other patrols in their future, since they're going to be dealing with Hawkmoth for a long, long time.
- Lila notes how fortunate she is that Ladybug is so busy fighting Hawkmoth and his various akuma, since that prevents her from paying any attention to what Lila's been doing.
- Wants a Prize for Basic Decency: After Miracle Queen, Chloé never bullied anyone or made Sabrina do her homework, hoping it'd be enough for Ladybug to make her Queen Bee again. Ladybug points out "Not being a bully is just basic decency".
- What You Are in the Dark: Ladybug makes it clear that Chloé will have to keep the fact that she's helping her a secret, something that doesn't sit well with the Glory Hound... but she agrees to her terms for the sake of keeping Paris safe.
