A Trap Set for a Monstrous Fiend
The next day, Ladybug, Viperion and the newly minted Kitsune meet up at the Liberty to discuss the plan. When they want Hawkmoth to attack, they’ll make it appear that a chemical plant has exploded while working on an anti-akuma weapon, using Kitsune's illusions for the initial explosion and fog machines and lighting tricks so that it appears to be burning. Ladybug will go inside, only to seemingly be trapped, with Mayor Bourgeois alerting the city that regular rescue teams are barred from helping the heroes due to the toxic fumes filling the air.
This will make it appear as though they're all facing a time limit — if the building gets too contaminated, nobody will be able to enter, and the Ladybug Earrings will be trapped inside indefinitely, keeping them out of reach. Ideally, this will lure him out of hiding.
Kitsune points out that he'll likely still send his akuma in first; however, the plan there is that Ladybug and Viperion will secretly take them down, using Second Chance as many times as necessary in order to ensure that he can't tell what is happening. Once he takes the bait, the four of them, Chat Noir included, should be able to take him down.
Mayura, they note, could be another factor, though hopefully they can deal with her in much the same way. Still, Viperion suggests that they might need more help, starting to suggest Juleka Couffaine as an option — but Ladybug tenses up, alerting him to the fact that she doesn't care for that idea. Kitsune discreetly excuses herself, as Viperion puts together the pieces and realizes that Juleka is likely one of those who hurt Ladybug in her civilian identity. Despite Ladybug's fears, he accepts this bombshell with considerable grace, reassuring her that he trusts her word and won't push any further.
Before getting the plan started, Ladybug contacts Chat Noir, letting him know that he needs to be ready for a big fight, and to come running once he sees the explosion.
Unbeknownst to our heroes, Adrien decides to pass the time before he's needed by letting Lila throw a party at his manor, with Lila happily setting the stage for her next scam by roping her classmates into helping her with her filmmaking debut, under the pretense of making a short film to draw attention to the plight of refugees. When they hear the explosion and see an emergency broadcast, complete with footage of Ladybug being trapped inside the warehouse, Adrien hastily excuses himself to the bathroom.
But Lila follows, forcing her way in and clinging to his arm while wailing about how terrified she is. Unable to shake off her grip, he's dragged back to the others, who frown at his attempts to free himself. Not wanting to look like a jerk by bailing, Adrien reassures himself that Ladybug likely won't really need his help, even while watching the warehouse continue to burn.
Akuma after akuma assail the warehouse. Ladybug, Viperion and Kitsune do their best to fend them off, with no sign of Chat Noir coming in for backup. Only more akuma. Until, to Ladybug's horror, Dark Owl appears on the scene — because the last time Principal Damocles was akumatized, his computer was the possessed object. And while it might be the same object, they have no idea where it might be this time.
Through trial, error, and a series of Second Chances, they learn where it's hidden: on the top floor of the Mazarine Library. Coordinating with Chloé, Ladybug learns where that is, but it's still too far for any of them to make it within five minutes. Marinette is forced to make a harsh call: ordering that a helicopter missile strike the top floor, hoping that nobody's inside... and that she can bring them back with Miraculous Cure if there was.
Shortly after Dark Owl falls, Hawkmoth arrives, backed up by a sentimonster of himself. One by one, the duo defeats the exhausted heroes, until Ladybug's the last one standing. As he rips the Earrings off her ears, she grabs the Butterfly Brooch — and both Gabriel Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng are exposed to the world as Hawkmoth and Ladybug. Unable to transform with any of his stolen Miraculi, Gabriel is arrested by Lieutenant Raincomprix.
Though exhausted, Marinette realizes that her long battle is over. She's finally free. Free to reassure the world that Hawkmoth will no longer terrorize them by weaponizing their pain, making them fear their own emotions.
While the triumphant heroes relax in the wake of their hard-won victory, Nathalie fumes over her inability to make it to the scene in time, slipping away into the shadows to plot her next move. At the Agreste mansion, Adrien and the rest of the class are in shock — and Lila is horrified, realizing that now there's nothing stopping Marinette from exposing her.
She schemes to ensure her safety, while Adrien frantically tries to reassure himself that he can still salvage things. That Chat Noir can barter for mercy — after all, it's not like Hawkmoth left any permanent damage, thanks to his lady's Miraculous Cure. And if he just reminds her of that, everything will be fine.
Plagg tries to impress upon him just how serious this is, but Adrien rebukes him — how can Plagg claim he needs to apologize to Ladybug when he hasn't done anything wrong? While he cheerfully insists that the only thing in store for him is a Karmic Jackpot, Lila frantically reminds herself that Ladybug wasn't her nemesis; Marinette was. She knows her weaknesses as a civilian, and she can use those to protect herself... and if that means throwing Adrien under the bus...? Well, he knew what kind of person he was dealing with, didn't he?
This chapter contains examples of:
- Accomplice by Inaction: Lila knows that Adrien is well aware that she's a Manipulative Bitch in Sheep's Clothing, and is reassured by this, knowing that he can't expose her without revealing how long he kept the truth from everyone else.
- Answer Cut: As they're destressing following the fight, Luka brings up Marinette's classmates, and she wonders whether any of them are regretting how they treated her now. After a brief check-in with Nathalie — somebody else who's regretting her choices — we cut to the manor, where Alya is gushing over the notion that she's Ladybug's BFF, Lila is quietly freaking out, and Adrien is reassuring himself that he's still protected by Protagonist-Centered Morality.
- Asian Fox Spirit: Kagami uses this as the namesake of her new heroic persona; Viperion recognizes and compliments her on the reference.
- Back from the Dead: The Miraculous Cure has the power to revive anyone who was killed by an akuma assault, provided that Ladybug wins. Adrien treats this as an excuse to goof around — why should he take anything seriously when he knows it'll all be fixed in the end? — while Marinette takes it far more seriously, since it means she cannot afford to be defeated.
- Brutal Honesty: When Ladybug explains that she's not used to her friends believing her whenever she tells them the truth, Kitsune bluntly responds that she needs better friends.
- Cassandra Truth: Averted; Ladybug feared that Luka wouldn't believe her if she was honest about what Juleka had done, but he trusts her enough to accept her word.
- Caught on Tape: Hawkmoth detransforms on a live broadcast, so caught up in his apparent triumph that he fails to realize just what kind of position he's in until it's far too late.
- Dragon Their Feet: Mayura is unable to put in an appearance at Hawkmoth's final stand, having been too far away to intervene when things went south. She immediately begins planning her counterstrike.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Alya celebrates the idea that she's best friends with Ladybug, ignoring the fact that she's been less than friendly with Marinette lately. She also notes that it's a shame that they didn't get to see what kind of heroes Luka and Kagami were, specifically noting that it'd be cool to fight alongside them as Rena Rouge, unaware that this wouldn't be possible.
- Lila is one of the only members of Ms. Bustier's class who actually recognizes and regrets how she wronged Marinette, despite being her sworn enemy. True, she only cares because of how it threatens to impact her personally, but she still displays significantly more awareness than Alya or Adrien, or the majority of her Fair-Weather Friends.
- Dual Boss: Thanks to Mayura's sentimonster, Hawkmoth qualifies.
- Easily Forgiven:
- Alya presumes that Marinette still sees her as her best friend despite their recent estrangement.
- Adrien denies the very suggestion that he needs to be forgiven for anything, dismissively commenting that he'll get Marinette a cake if she insists on being mad for some reason. Maybe some flowers.
- Everyone Has Standards: Played With; while Adrien laments that his father was Hawkmoth, he specifically laments "How could he do this to Paris? To us?" before focusing on the latter over the former, reassuring himself that he can bargain and secure the lightest sentence possible for his father by downplaying and minimizing the extent of his crimes.
- Evil Gloating: Hawkmoth gets one last round of this in, declaring that Nothing Can Stop Me Now right before Marinette takes the wind out of his sails.
- Foil: Lila shows herself to be far more self-aware than Adrien, Alya or most of her classmates, as she doesn't presume that Status Quo Is God and that she'll be Easily Forgiven for how she treated Marinette. While Alya immediately starts making plans to exploit her 'bestie's' status, and Adrien's plans amount to reassuring himself that he'll only have to work a little to put things back on track, Lila prepares to make major changes in order to protect herself.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Adrien foolishly decided to pass the time waiting for Ladybug's signal by throwing a party for his friends. Thanks to this, he's ultimately unable to make it to the warehouse, making Chat Noir a no-show and cementing him in the heroes' heads as completely unreliable.
- I Warned You: Plagg reminds Adrien that he'd told him that the party was a really bad idea, since they knew that Ladybug wanted him to be ready to come to her aid at a moment's notice.
- Internal Reveal:
- Luka realizes that Juleka is involved in Ladybug's civilian troubles.
- Marinette is unmasked as Ladybug, while Gabriel is revealed to be Hawkmoth and arrested. Marinette, Luka and Kagami also have their identities fully revealed to each other, while Luka and Kagami are revealed to the public as her allies, but their superhero identities weren't exposed.
- Karmic Jackpot:
- Marinette finally takes down Hawkmoth, and is revealed to all of Paris as their primary protector. She also realizes that she's found two True Companions in Luka and Kagami.
- Adrien believes that his own Happy Ending is practically guaranteed, even cheerfully noting to Plagg that he didn't even have to do anything to secure it. Lila was exposed without having to get his hands dirty, and it doesn't really matter that he skipped the final fight; Marinette will forgive him because the two of them are meant to be, and everyone can be friends for real now, right?
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Lila immediately recognizes the writing on the wall and starts planning to get herself out of Paris ASAP.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Plagg spells out for Adrien that whenever the Ladybug holder scores a major victory, it causes this sort of effect.Plagg: You really do not want to get in the way of someone else's karmic debt. If you keep blocking Lila or others from the consequences they earned, the consequences are going to fall on you instead.
Adrien: Why would I suffer any karmic consequences? I didn't do anything! All I want is for everyone to be friends, and we will. And there's nothing wrong with that. - Let No Crisis Go to Waste: Lila exploits the unfolding situation at the warehouse by latching onto Adrien's arm and wailing about how terrified she is, hoping that their classmates will see this as more proof of their 'relationship'.
- Logical Weakness: Hawkmoth's choice to obtain the Miraculous through combat means that even if one side manages to get the other's Miraculous, the Miraculous' powers would likely already be used up, and the kwamis would need to eat before they can be used again. Marinette exploits this during his Near-Villain Victory by using the Ladybug's magical ability up right before he can take her Earrings and stealing his Brooch when he leans in to do so, leaving him with three of the Miraculi yet no power. He's easily taken down by the police.
- Missed the Recital: Despite knowing that Ladybug will be calling on him soon, having been asked to be ready to go once the explosion happens, Adrien decides to go along with Lila's idea for an impromptu class party at Adrien's manor. When the Final Battle begins, he can't slip out undetected, and decides that it's more important that his friends don't think he's flaking out on them than to go and help Ladybug.
- Mr. Exposition: Plagg explains that one of the side-effects of the Ladybug Miraculous is that whenever its holder achieves some major goal, its magic creates a karmic ripple effect. He also warns Adrien that anyone who tries interfering with this or preventing its targets from receiving their rightly-earned karma runs the risk of it falling on their head instead.
- Near-Villain Victory: Hawkmoth almost triumphs, having gotten his hands on the Fox, the Snake and the Ladybug Miraculi. However, Marinette pulls the Butterfly Brooch off his neck at the same time he takes her Earrings — and since she used her Lucky Charm right beforehand, he's unable to use them to transform.
- Never My Fault: Adrien blithely reassures Plagg that he doesn't need to worry about Marinette forgiving him for anything, as there's nothing he needs to be forgiven for — after all, it's hardly his fault he missed the final battle, and it's not like it's even a big deal anyway~!
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
- Played With; Lila speculates that part of the reason her classmates are so keen to lap up all her Too Good to Be True claims is because of how hard Marinette has worked to help them achieve their goals. Therefore, Lila's simply presenting herself as an even better version of Marinette, with better connections and perfectly happy to pull some strings to assist her dear friends.
- Adrien's decision to allow a class party at his house while waiting to be called in means that Chat Noir isn't able to make it to the Final Battle, depriving the other heroes of his backup.
- Not What It Looks Like: Kitsune steps back in right in time to see Viperion embracing Ladybug, spurring the latter to blurt this out.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Ladybug's reaction upon realizing that Principal Damocles was reakumatized into the Dark Owl, as unlike other akumas, he doesn't carry his possessed object on him.
- Lila reacts this way to the discovery that Marinette and Ladybug are one and the same, and the realization that now that Hawkmoth's been defeated, she's free to focus on taking her down...
- Pet the Dog: In the aftermath, Chloé lets Marinette know that the building she had to order destroyed in order to get rid of Dark Owl's akumatized object was, in fact, empty.
- Pragmatic Hero: Marinette is forced to cut the knot when dealing with Dark Owl, authorizing a missile strike that could potentially lead to civilian casualties. While she knows her Miraculous Cure can bring back the dead thanks to akuma like Syren, she's not comfortable with making that call, even though it's for the greater good.
- Run the Gauntlet: Ladybug, Viperion and Kitsune face a succession of akuma, all of whom had been previously akumatized, before Hawkmoth himself finally arrives with a sentimonster doppelganger.
- Skewed Priorities:
- Adrien sees live footage of what appears to be Ladybug trapped inside a burning warehouse, with Nadja breathlessly reporting that the chemicals are making it impossible for anyone other than superheroes to get near her. But no, clearly making sure that his friends don't think he's ditching them is more important.
- Alya's initial reaction to the climactic reveals of the final battle is to squeal about how she's Ladybug's best friend! Consoling Adrien over his father being Hawkmoth comes as a half-hearted afterthought.
- Slave to PR: Adrien feels unable to leave the party and fight Hawkmoth due to Lila faking fear as an excuse to cling to him. Both he and she know that pushing her away or ditching her in this "state" will cause the class to judge him harshly, so he decides that leaving the party to help Ladybug isn't worth causing the class to think badly of him and stays.
- Tempting Fate:
- After Ladybug contacts him to let him know that there's going to be a big fight happening soon, Adrien lets Lila throw a party at his manor while waiting, assuming that he'll be able to slip away with ease. Then when that doesn't happen, he doubles down on his fate-tempting by reassuring himself that Ladybug will be able to handle things on her own.
- Once the dust settles down from the final battle, Adrien further digs his own grave by insisting that it'll be easy to convince the world that his father deserves leniency, thanks to the Miraculous Cure — and that furthermore, Marinette will quickly forgive him once she remembers how the Cure works and that nothing Hawkmoth did ever really mattered thanks to her magical Reset Button.
- Warned about karmic backlash, Adrien boasts that he doesn't need to worry about that because he hasn't done anything wrong, and that he's going to get the happy ending he clearly deserves.
- They Just Dont Get It: Despite Plagg explicitly spelling out that he's going to invite Laser-Guided Karma down on his head if he continues trying to protect Lila from her comeuppance — along with planning to protect his father as well — Adrien blows him off and declares that everything will turn out just the way he wants.
- This Is Unforgivable!: As far as Marinette's concerned, Chat Noir ignoring her and failing to show up to the fight when he had several hours of advance warning that he'd be needed is the worst thing he's ever done to her, and utterly unforgivable.
- World-Healing Wave:
- Marinette acknowledges that the Miraculous Cure can bring people Back from the Dead. This doesn't make her any happier about having to potentially cause civilian casualties in order to destroy Dark Owl's akumatized object.
- Adrien, by contrast, sees the Cure as a magical Reset Button that means nothing Hawkmoth did had any real, long-lasting consequences, and that this means he'll be able to convince everyone that his father deserves leniency despite terrorizing Paris.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Adrien is so convinced that the world will conform to his desires that he thinks all he needs to do to smooth things over with Marinette is give her flowers, cake, and promises he doesn't intend to keep. He also insists to Plagg that he hasn't even done anything that he really needs to apologize for.
- Xanatos Speed Chess: Lila breaks out the chessboard upon Hawkmoth's defeat, realizing that she's going to need to be swift, sharp and ruthless if she's going to have any hope of saving herself now.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: With Gabriel unmasked, Lila decides that Adrien's no longer of any real use to her as a potential status symbol; the value of the Agreste name is plunging fast... but she could still use an Unwitting Pawn...
