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The soft morning light filtered through Marinette’s bedroom window, casting golden patterns across the floor as Paris slowly came to life outside. The scent of freshly baked bread drifted up from the Dupain-Cheng bakery below, mingling with the faint floral aroma of the bouquet her mother had placed by her sewing table. Anticipation buzzed in the air—today was Paris’s annual community picnic, an all-day celebration of sunshine, food, music, and togetherness in the city’s grandest park.
Marinette stood near her desk, carefully packing a small bag with picnic supplies: sunscreen, bug spray, a folded blanket with a bold polka-dot pattern, and her favorite sketchbook in case inspiration struck. Her room was unusually tidy for the occasion, excitement leaving no room for the usual clutter. She moved with a skip in her step, humming softly as she zipped the bag closed.
Downstairs, she could hear her parents bustling around the kitchen. Sabine was packing neat boxes of dumplings and mini spring rolls while Tom stacked baguettes into a woven basket. The rhythm of their preparation was comforting—like a song she had grown up dancing to.
Her phone buzzed just as she reached for her sunhat. She saw the caller ID and grinned instantly—Adrien.
She answered in one fluid swipe. “Hey, sunshine.”
“Morning, Marinette,” Adrien said, bright and affectionate. “You ready for the biggest picnic of the year?”
“Almost. I just have to convince my dad we don’t need to bring the entire bakery menu with us.”
Adrien chuckled. “Good luck. Honestly, I wouldn’t complain. If your dad shows up with a cart of croissants, he might end up the mayor of the park.”
Marinette laughed. “Don’t encourage him. He already wanted to bring a chocolate fountain.”
“Okay, now I definitely encourage him.”
They shared a warm, easy laugh.
“Seriously though,” Adrien said, voice softening, “I can’t wait to see you. I’ve been looking forward to today all week.”
Marinette smiled, fingers curling around the strap of her bag. “Me too. A whole day with you. No school, no stress, just… sunshine and sandwiches.”
“And maybe, if we’re lucky, a little dancing,” he teased.
“Oh? Planning to sweep me off my feet between courses?”
“Only if the music’s right,” he said. “And you let me.”
Her cheeks warmed. “I might.”
A beat passed—quiet, affectionate, comfortable.
“I’ll see you there?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
They said their goodbyes. Marinette stood still for a moment, phone in hand, smiling at nothing. From downstairs, her mother called up, “Marinette! We’re almost ready!”
“Coming!” Marinette replied. She slipped her phone into her bag, adjusted her sunhat with a final glance in the mirror, and headed downstairs—unaware that this peaceful morning was about to veer into something far more wild and unexpected.
The scent of cologne and clean linen hung in Adrien’s room as sunlight streamed through the tall windows, catching the gleam of his neatly pressed shirt. He stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the collar with practiced ease. His golden hair was freshly brushed, posture straight—but there was a lightness in his eyes today. A whole day outside with friends, with Marinette. A break from the polished, scheduled world he usually lived in.
From behind him, a familiar groan echoed from the shelf above his bed.
“Are you sure we’re not smuggling any camembert? Roquefort? A single wedge of gouda? What kind of picnic is this?” Plagg whined as he floated down lazily, arms crossed.
Adrien sighed as he fastened the buckle on his satchel. “Plagg, we’ve been over this. You have to stay hidden. There are going to be families everywhere. Someone will see you.”
Plagg zipped in front of him, dramatic as always. “What if I accidentally sneak off to the other blankets? Someone’s bound to have a cheese plate. Maybe even brie en croûte.”
Adrien raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to ‘accidentally’ sneak anything. You’re staying in the bag.”
“But are you at least bringing a wheel of brie?” Plagg asked hopefully, going limp like a fainting actor.
“A wheel of—Plagg, how would I carry a giant cheese wheel to the park without anyone noticing?”
Plagg shrugged midair. “I dunno. You’re the model-slash-hero-slash-teen-heartthrob. Figure it out.”
Adrien rolled his eyes and slung the satchel over his shoulder. “You’ll survive a few hours without cheese.”
“You say that,” Plagg muttered, “but one day you’ll find me dramatically collapsed in your sock drawer.”
Adrien ignored him and stepped into the hallway.
Downstairs, Nathalie stood by the door, tablet in one hand and a sunhat in the other. “The car will be ready in five minutes,” she said crisply. “I packed extra water in case it gets warm.”
Adrien paused at the bottom step. “Actually… could we walk? It’s not far. I’d like some fresh air.”
Nathalie blinked at the unusual request, but after a moment she nodded. “Of course. I’ll accompany you.”
Adrien smiled gratefully. “Thanks. It’ll be nice.”
Plagg peeked out from the satchel flap. “Yeah, great. Let’s walk to the food. Sure hope there’s cheese there.”
Adrien gave the bag a warning pat, and the kwami retreated.
They stepped out into the sunlight. The path to the park was quiet and lined with fresh greenery—the city already humming with life.
The Champ de Mars buzzed with energy as the annual city picnic kicked off beneath the Eiffel Tower. Marinette walked alongside her parents, arms full with a basket, a folded blanket, and a reusable bag stuffed with pastries. Tom was practically vibrating with excitement—he’d insisted on bringing far too much food.
“Tom, we’re feeding a park, not the whole city,” Sabine teased.
“What’s a picnic without a little overindulgence?” he beamed.
As they entered the park, Marinette’s phone buzzed. It was Alya on FaceTime.
“Hey girl!” Alya grinned from the screen, with Nino and Rose squinting behind her.
“Hi!” Marinette laughed. “On your way?”
“Yup! We’ve got pizza from that new place Max swears is life-changing. Figured we’d add some flavor variety.”
“Well, good luck topping Dad’s pastry army,” Marinette said. “He’s basically bringing the bakery.”
They all burst out laughing.
The call ended just as the Eiffel Tower came into view. The lawn beneath it was already dotted with blankets, chairs, and families. The air was filled with sizzling grills, laughter, and music drifting lazily from a nearby speaker.
Marinette’s family picked out a shaded spot beneath a sycamore. She helped spread the blanket and breathed in the warm scent of bread and grass. Everything felt perfect.
For now.
---
Not far from the cheerful crowd, hidden between a tree trunk and a portable generator, a man crouched low in the shadows. His clothes were dark, dusty, and patched, his sharp, wild eyes reflecting the joy of the park with nothing but disdain. Slung over his shoulder was a strange bronze-and-glass tube.
He checked the wind with a flick of his fingers.
“Time to stir up some mayhem,” he muttered.
He lifted the tube to his lips. Instead of a dart, a thin puff of orange mist shot out, drifting upward before spreading silently across the park.
No one noticed.
Not the children chasing bubbles.
Not the couples lounging on blankets.
Not even the heroes in civilian clothes, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
The mist crept into the celebration like fog under a door.
The picnic had begun.
And so had the infection.
The gentle buzz of conversation surrounded Marinette and her friends as they lounged on the checkered blanket, sipping lemonade and picking from the ever-growing pile of pastries. Her father’s “bakery barrage” was already a hit—several kids from nearby blankets had wandered over for seconds.
Marinette reached for a fruit tart when she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the distance—upright posture, hands folded behind his back, scanning the crowd like someone inspecting a sacred temple. Su Han.
Her brow furrowed. It wasn’t unusual for the Guardian to appear now and then, but his presence at a public, very unmagical event was still strange. She stood and dusted crumbs off her skirt.
“I’ll be right back,” she said to her mother, who was in the middle of a debate with her husband over cinnamon rolls versus danishes. “Bathroom run.”
She weaved through the gathering until she reached the lone, robed man beside a cotton candy cart.
“Su Han?” she asked softly. “Is something wrong?”
He didn’t turn right away, still watching the crowd with narrowed eyes. “So many people… congregating in one place. This isn’t usual. I came to investigate. It may be a trap.”
Marinette blinked, then chuckled softly. “It’s just the annual city picnic. Families from all over come to relax and enjoy the weather. No schemes. Just sandwiches.”
Su Han finally looked at her, expression taut. “I see. Another ‘custom’ I haven’t quite… grasped. Like the kitten videos.” He paused, then added with faint annoyance, “Which were far more distressing than enlightening.”
Marinette couldn’t help but smile. “They’re not meant to enlighten. Come on, we’ve got plenty of food. I can bring you a plate.”
He considered her offer a beat longer than necessary. “Very well.”
She turned to head back, pulling out her phone when it buzzed again—another FaceTime call from Alya. She tapped the screen.
“Hey, girl,” Alya grinned. “Just got here! Where’d you run off to?”
Marinette smiled. “I’m glad you made it—wait.” Her smile faltered. “What’s that behind you?”
Alya paused, confused. “Behind me?” She turned, angling the phone.
Through the shifting image on the screen, Marinette saw it—a slow-moving orange mist, thick as smoke, curling past the trees and spilling into the main field of the park.
Alya stared at it. “What the—?”
The mist hit her before she could finish.
“Alya!” Marinette shouted.
Alya staggered back, coughing violently, still clutching her phone. Her parents’ voices were faint in the background. She clutched her head, trembling, and dropped to her knees.
“Alya!” Marinette’s panic rose. “Can you hear me?! What’s happening?!”
Alya groaned. “I… I feel hot—feverish…” she mumbled—and then collapsed, face-first into the grass.
For a heart-stopping moment, the screen went green. Then a flash of light.
And Alya moved.
But not like Alya.
She rose—Rena Rouge now. Her transformation had triggered without consent, in public, in full view. Her head snapped up, eyes once bright and clever now glassy and blank. No human thought behind them.
She tilted her head, sniffing the phone curiously, like a fox investigating an odd object in her den.
Marinette froze. “No… no no no…”
Rena let out a low snuffling growl and suddenly bounded off the screen, darting forward on all fours, a blur of orange and wild instinct, crashing through a line of picnic tables.
Marinette could already hear the screams. People had seen. People had definitely seen.
And whatever was happening—it was just beginning.
“IS SHE MAD?! She transformed in front of a crowd!” Su Han’s voice cracked like a whip, eyes wide with alarm as he stared at the now-blank phone screen.
“Something happened to her,” Marinette said, already moving. “We need to find her—now!”
Without another word, she took off across the grass, weaving through startled families and upturned picnic blankets. Su Han followed, his robe fluttering and drawing confused stares, moving with surprising speed.
It didn’t take long to find her.
Screams echoed near the playground, children crying as parents pulled them back, while Rena Rouge tore through a picnic site—not walking, not running, but prowling. On all fours, she snarled into a wicker basket, burying her face in it and flinging food aside with violent tosses of her head.
“Rena! Stop!” Marinette called, horror cutting through her voice like ice.
Rena froze. Her head lifted slowly.
She looked at Marinette—but not as a friend. Not even as a person.
Her expression was empty, her glowing eyes wild. No clever retort, no spark of Alya remained.
“Wait…” Su Han narrowed his eyes, lifting has hand and muttering under his breath. His brow tightened. “Her mind… It’s not her own.”
Marinette took a cautious step forward. “Rena? Are you okay?” she asked gently, hands out, voice soft.
Suddenly, Rena hissed, low and feral. Her ears twitched back, and she lunged—snapping at Marinette’s hand with bared teeth.
Marinette gasped and stumbled back.
With a deep growl, Rena bit down on the picnic basket’s handle, hoisting the entire thing like prey. Then, without hesitation, she darted away—leaping over a bench and bounding off on all fours, vanishing into the trees.
“RENA!” Marinette screamed, heart pounding. “No—come back!”
She turned to Su Han, panic flooding her voice. “We have to stop her before someone gets hurt—or before someone else—”
His expression darkened. “This isn’t just a Miraculous malfunction. We are dealing with something far worse.”
---
Marinette sprinted past blankets and baskets, her eyes darting between startled crowds, searching for any sign of Rena. Before she could spot her again, her phone buzzed sharply in her pocket. She pulled it out on instinct—and nearly dropped it.
A video was already going viral.
Shaky, zoomed-in footage showed Rena Rouge thrashing through a picnic basket, her mouth smeared with jam and crumbs, movements twitchy and wild. A trembling voice in the background said, “She’s gone nuts—look at her! Is that Rena Rouge?!”
The video’s title was blunt: “Rena’s Gone Rabid!”
Marinette felt her stomach twist. “No, no, no…”
Su Han came to her side, gazing over her shoulder at the footage, lips pressed into a thin line.
“I’ll search for Rena,” he said firmly. “But you—you must find Cat Noir. Together, track the source before more Miraculous wielders reveal themselves. Or worse.”
Marinette nodded. “Right.”
She turned and ran.
As she wove through the chaos, she saw another startling sight—Rose on her hands and knees, coughing violently.
“Oh no, Rose!” Marinette realized what was about to happen. She sprinted over, grabbing Rose and hustling her behind a tree just in time.
One flash later, Pigella emerged, snorting like an actual pig.
“This isn’t good! They’re revealing their identities!” Marinette exclaimed.
“Oink!” Pigella squealed, wandering over to an abandoned picnic blanket and shoving her face into a plate of cookies.
“I have to hurry!” Marinette muttered, ducking between hedges and behind a snack tent until she found a hidden spot in the shade of a maintenance shed. Her heart pounded as she declared,
“Tikki, Spots on!”
A red flash lit the alleyway—and she transformed into Cosmobug, just in case she needed to avoid breathing in what Rena had exhaled.
---
Meanwhile…
Adrien and Nathalie had just arrived, the soft hum of city life giving way to a surreal, foggy silence. The park looked half-draped in an orange haze, rolling across the grass as if spilled from a dream.
“What’s… going on?” Adrien murmured.
Nathalie narrowed her eyes behind her glasses. “This can’t be weather.”
They stepped forward cautiously, as if the grass itself might bite. Just then, a familiar voice called out.
“Adrien…?”
Sabrina Raincomprix stumbled toward them, face flushed, sweating, dizzy. She gripped Adrien’s arm; the touch burned with fever. Clouds of orange mist drifted off her as she moved, and Adrien inhaled some accidentally, coughing.
“I-I don’t know what’s wrong… I feel… like I’m burning…”
Suddenly, her eyes snapped wide. Her Miraculous glowed. Without command or ceremony, she transformed.
Miss Hound stood before them—but her face held no recognition. Only the low, feral snarl of a canine.
Then she dropped to all fours and began barking—loudly, wildly.
Adrien stepped back. “Sabrina?!”
But the infection had already reached him.
A searing pulse shot through his spine. The world tilted. He staggered, falling to his knees. “No, not in front of—!”
“Adrien!” Nathalie cried.
He clawed at the grass, teeth gritted. Green light ignited—and where Adrien once was, Cat Noir crouched, feline and taut, ears alert, tail twitching. His head jerked to the side, eyes wide with primal curiosity.
“Meow?” Cat Noir said, then began licking his hand.
Nathalie gasped, covering her mouth. “No…”
Miss Hound yipped and barked eagerly.
Cat Noir’s gaze flicked to her—and then he bolted, darting through the trees with Miss Hound yipping after him at top speed.
---
Elsewhere…
Cosmobug ducked into the mist, a red blur against the pale orange fog.
She moved fast, pulling the Lucky Charm yo-yo from her hip and scanning the area. The mist was thick now, rolling like smoke, leaving behind shouts, panicked cries—and animal noises.
She coughed sharply, but her Cosmobug helmet filtered the air, sparing her from the strange effect.
“Good thing I upgraded,” she muttered, narrowing her eyes. “I really didn’t want to start laying eggs on leaves…”
Vaulting up a nearby wall, she scanned the park from above.
Her worst fears were realized.
Max stumbled around, coughing, before shifting into Pegasus. He fell to all fours and began neighing frantically.
Ivan had turned into Minotaurox and was casually munching on grass.
And Purple Tigress… was stalking toward Pigella, who was still eating random foods off random blankets, snorting happily.
“PIGELLA!” Cosmobug flew between them, spinning her yo-yo.
Purple Tigress snarled and swiped at Cosmobug threateningly.
“Tigress, stop! She’s a friend!” Cosmobug pleaded.
Tigress just growled and lunged, forcing Cosmobug to deflect and kick her back.
“Stop!” Cosmobug begged.
“Rawr!” Tigress snarled, trying to circle around the spinning yo-yo.
Seeing no other option, Cosmobug grabbed Pigella, who thrashed and squealed, and carried her to the top of a nearby tree.
Tigress lunged at the tree, clawing her way up, but Cosmobug seized the chance to hop down and throw her yo-yo around Tigress.
The wild hero struggled, kicking and snarling, but she was detained.
Meanwhile, Cosmobug helped Pigella down. The moment her hands and knees hit the grass, Pigella bolted.
“I have to find Cat Noir before this gets worse,” Cosmobug muttered, taking off into the fog.
---
As Cosmobug flew through the fog, her heart sank at the sights below.
Nino was crawling slowly across the grass like a turtle, his eyes glazed. Nearby, Vespira crawled around on the ground making buzzing noises, King Monkey swung between lampposts, screeching with wild abandon.
It was chaos. Pure, unfiltered chaos.
But then—hope.
Someone was running clear of the mist, covering their mouth with their sleeve.
“Nathaniel!” Cosmobug swooped down and landed in front of him.
He nearly jumped out of his skin. “Ah! Please tell me you don’t think you’re an actual ladybug!”
Cosmobug gave a tired half-smile. “Not today. But I need your help. Transform into Caprikid and meet me on the rooftop.”
“On it!” Nathaniel said before dashing off.
A moment later, Cosmobug landed on a nearby rooftop, watching the fog spread like a living thing across the park. Caprikid soon vaulted up beside her, adjusting his scarf.
“So many heroes have been exposed…” Cosmobug said quietly. “I… failed them.”
Caprikid shook his head. “Not yet. We can still fix this. Think about it—Bunnyx isn’t among them.”
Cosmobug blinked, realization sparking in her eyes. “You’re right.”
She activated her yo-yo and sent a quick call through. “Bunnyx, come in! We’ve got a citywide situation!”
Static buzzed for a moment before Bunnyx’s voice came through faintly: “Copy that. I see it from above. Trying to trace the source. Hold tight.”
Cosmobug exhaled in relief “Let’s hope Cat Noir hasn’t gone crazy,” She said.
Her hope faltered the moment Caprikid pointed toward the treeline.
“Um… I think Cat Noir’s been affected.”
Cosmobug followed his gaze—and her stomach dropped.
Cat Noir was perched high atop a tree branch, hissing and swiping at the air, tail lashing furiously. Below him, Miss Hound barked and jumped, snapping at the trunk like a hunting dog.
“So much for that…” she muttered, gripping her yo-yo.
Then she spotted someone else running toward the commotion. “Wait—is that Nathalie? What is she doing?!”
Caprikid frowned. “I don’t know, but if we’re going down there, I’m not breathing that mist.”
He summoned Genesis and conjured a sturdy gas mask, sliding it across his face.
She gave a nod. “Smart thinking.”
“Ready?”
“Let’s go.”
The two heroes leapt from the rooftop, diving straight into the orange haze below—toward a feral Cat Noir, a barking Miss Hound, and one very determined Nathalie.
---
“Adrien!” Nathalie cried, rounding the corner.
Her breath caught. Cat Noir was crouched atop a tree branch, hissing and swiping at the air while Miss Hound barked furiously below.
‘All this time he was—’ She thought but cut herself off, shaking her head. “Not the time.”
“Miss Hound!” she called.
The canine-themed hero turned, eyes glowing orange through the haze, and snarled as she approached.
Before Nathalie could react, two figures dropped down in front of her—Cosmobug and Caprikid.
“You two?” she blurted, startled.
“Get out of here, ma’am,” Cosmobug said firmly.
“But… Adri—” Nathalie stopped herself mid-word. She swallowed hard and nodded. “O-okay.” She turned and ran, glancing back once before disappearing into the mist.
“ARF! ARF! ARF!” Miss Hound barked, teeth bared, muscles tense as she prepared to lunge.
“Caprikid, can you handle her? I need to get Cat Noir!” Cosmobug ordered.
“On it!” Caprikid replied, summoning a staff with Genesis and darting to the side to draw her attention.
“ARF! ARF!” Miss Hound spun and charged after him.
Cosmobug turned her gaze upward. “Alright, kitty in a tree… now to snap you out of it.”
She flew up, hovering near Cat Noir’s branch. “Kitty, it’s me!”
“Hissss! Meow!” He swiped at her claws-first.
“This is painfully familiar,” she sighed, remembering Maledictator. She decided she needed a solution
“Lucky Charm!”
A red flash—and an empty plastic water bottle landed in her hands.
“A water bottle? Really?” she muttered. Then her eyes widened. “Wait… maybe that’s it.”
She darted across the park, scooping up a pitcher from a nearby picnic blanket and filling the bottle.
“Worth a shot,” she said and flew back.
Down below, Miss Hound had Caprikid cornered.
“ARF! ARF! Grrrr!” She crouched to pounce—
—but Cosmobug landed between them and flung the water in her face.
Miss Hound recoiled with a startled snarl, shaking herself violently—then her movements slowed. She blinked rapidly, stumbled, and collapsed with a groan.
“Water’s the cure!” Cosmobug exclaimed. “Quick—get her out of the mist before she’s re-infected!”
“Got it!” Caprikid said, scooping up the unconscious heroine and dashing toward clearer air.
Cosmobug looked at the water bottle, relief lighting her face. “We have our cure.”
She shot back into the air toward Cat Noir.
He hissed and paced along the branch, but she didn’t hesitate. “Sorry, kitty.” She splashed the water straight at him.
He yowled, shaking his head furiously. Then his ears twitched, his body tensed—and he lost his balance.
Cosmobug dove and caught him mid-fall, cradling him as his eyes slowly cleared.
“Welcome back, kitty,” she said with a tired smile, flying them both out of the haze.
---
Cosmobug landed on the rooftop with Cat Noir in her arms, gently setting him down beside Miss Hound.
“Ugh… my head…” Cat Noir groaned, rubbing his temples. When he looked down and saw his claws, his eyes widened. “Huh? When did I transform?”
“Oww… I’ve got a headache…” Miss Hound muttered, sitting up and blinking in confusion.
“Later,” Cosmobug said, relieved. “Thank goodness you’re both okay.”
“What happened?” Cat Noir asked, still trying to steady himself.
“A villain, most likely. They forced everyone to transform and act like their animal counterparts,” Cosmobug explained. Her expression turned cautious. “You… weren’t with anyone when you changed, were you?”
“My dad…” Miss Hound said quietly.
“Oh no…” Cat Noir paled. Nathalie saw me transform…
“Never mind that,” Cosmobug said quickly. “We need to stop this before it spreads.”
A flash of blue light shimmered behind her as the Burrow opened, and Bunnyx appeared from a safe distance.
“Hey, I’m here,” Bunnyx called.
“Did you locate who did this?” Cosmobug asked.
“Yeah. Some guy in a black outfit,” Bunnyx said. “I didn’t want to risk turning into an actual rabbit, so I kept my distance.”
“Smart move,” Cosmobug said, stepping forward. “Caprikid, we’ll need more masks.”
“On it! Genesis!” Caprikid summoned several gas masks and handed them out to the team.
“Are you going to be okay?” Cosmobug asked as Cat Noir adjusted his mask.
“Y-yeah,” he said. “But after this is over, I’ll need to use Miraculous Cat Noir. Otherwise, I’ll have a lot of explaining to do later.”
“Good plan,” Cosmobug said, nodding firmly. “Let’s move!”
---
The team raced across the rooftops, their masks shielding them from the orange mist that still clung to the city streets below. From up high, they could see trails of heroes behaving like their kwami animals — Pegasus galloping down the road on all fours, Minotaurox pawing at a parked car, and Polymouse darting in and out of alleyways.
“This is bad,” Cat Noir said, glancing down. “If this spreads much further, Paris is going to look like a zoo.”
“Then we’d better end this fast,” Cosmobug said, pulling out her yo-yo. “Bunnyx, any sign of our mystery mist-maker?”
Bunnyx checked her holowatch, flicking through temporal readings. “He’s still in the park near the river. The air there’s thick with the stuff.”
“He must be keeping himself at the center,” Caprikid added. “That’s how he’s controlling it.”
“Then that’s where we hit him,” Cosmobug decided.
Cosmobug and her team descended toward the park, the orange haze growing thicker with every meter. The world below was half-swallowed in smoke and chaos.
“There!” Bunnyx pointed.
Through the fog stood a dark figure — a man in a black, jagged outfit, his mask carved like a fox skull. Orange vapor pulsed from the barrel of a dart gun in his hand, curling around him like living breath.
“So that’s our guy,” Cat Noir said, tightening his grip on his staff. “Let’s cage this animal.”
Cosmobug nodded. “We go in fast — avoid the mist at all costs.”
“Got it,” they said in unison.
They landed nearby, boots crunching on damp grass. The man turned toward them and smiled beneath his mask.
“Gas masks, eh? Clever girl,” he said.
“Why have you done this?” Cosmobug demanded. “You’ve exposed half of Paris’s heroes!”
“You needed humbling,” he said simply.
“What?” Cat Noir asked incredulously.
He raised his dart gun slightly, his tone calm and cruel. “You think you’re better than the rest of us because you have powers. But the truth is — you’re all beasts in costumes. Maybe acting like your true selves will teach you some humility.”
He gestured behind him. Something waddled out — clucking and flapping its arms like wings.
“Rooster Bold?!” Caprikid shouted.
“Bucock!” Rooster Bold clucked, pecking at the ground and scraping his foot along the dirt.
“What is wrong with you?!” Bunnyx snapped.
“Like I said,” the man replied, “this will humble you. Now you’re no better than the creatures you mock.” he said as Rooster Bold waddled around clucking.
“We never acted like we’re better than anyone!” Cosmobug shot back.
“Please,” Wildcall sneered. “Because of you, Paris never learns to save itself. You think powers make the hero? Let’s see the people cheer when their champions are scratching for fleas!”
“You’re sick,” Cat Noir growled.
“No,” Wildcall said, raising his gun, “I’m the cure.”
He blew into the weapon, and a surge of orange mist shot out like a cannon blast.
“Scatter!” Cosmobug shouted. The heroes dove aside as the blast slammed into a tree, splintering it in half.
Caprikid rushed toward Rooster Bold, trying to help him, but the panicked hero clucked wildly and ran off the moment Caprikid grabbed him.
Wildcall chuckled. “Run along, little bird. Let’s see how long your friends can keep up.”
He fired another burst, forcing Cosmobug and Cat Noir into evasive flips and rolls.
“This is wrong, and you know it!” Cosmobug called.
“Right or wrong, Paris will thank me when it learns self-reliance!” Wildcall shouted.
“You’re not getting away with this!” Cat Noir lunged, striking with his staff.
“Watch me!” Wildcall blocked the blow and vaulted onto a rooftop.
He turned his dart gun backward, blowing again — this time releasing a swirl of purple gas. It mixed with the orange mist, the color shifting to a reddish brown that shimmered like heat.
“Huh?” Cosmobug said, watching it spread.
Wildcall grinned. “Let’s take this up a notch!”
---
Across the other park, the corrupted heroes suddenly froze, bodies trembling before collapsing. Streams of red energy bled from them and streaked through the air toward Wildcall.
Caprikid had just cornered Rooster Bold when the hero dropped unconscious, crimson light rising from his body.
“What the—?” Caprikid gasped.
The energy converged on Wildcall. He threw back his head and laughed as it sank into his skin.
He punched a nearby wall and shattered it “HAHAHAHA! Now their power is mine!”
He hopped down cratering the ground “I don’t just make heroes act like animals — I can become their strength! I am the King of Beasts!”
He leapt down, smashing the ground. The shockwave sent the heroes flying. Cat Noir spun midair, landing in a crouch, his staff snapping open to block another gust of toxic vapor.
“Careful!” Cosmobug shouted as debris rained down.
The fight was only just beginning.
---
Wildcall crouched low, his jagged black outfit clinging to lean, wiry muscles that flexed with every movement. The reddish-brown mist swirled around him like a living cloak.
“You think a few toys and tricks will stop me?” he sneered, blowing into the dart gun. Another blast hissed through the air, forcing the heroes to dive aside.
Cat Noir rolled, snapping his staff open, and sprang back to his feet. “You’re fast, but I’ve got agility too!” He darted in, striking at Wildcall’s side. The villain twisted, muscles coiling as he blocked with his forearm.
He spun backward, firing a quick burst of purple gas that mixed with the mist. The vapor wrapped around Cat Noir, making him stagger as he coughed through his mask.
“Not letting you take anyone else!” Cosmobug yelled, swinging her yo-yo like a whip to strike the barrel of his dart gun. Sparks flew as it connected, knocking the weapon aside.
“Ah, good work,” Wildcall said, flicking his wrist and vaulting over a bench, swiping his dartgun before they could grab it. He landed with a barely audible thud, crouched, and his heel nearly scraping the ground, muscles tense. “But your tricks won’t save them forever. Their strength is mine now!”
“Your control over the mist is scary, but I’ve seen worse,” Cat Noir said, spinning his staff like a baton and striking at Wildcall’s chest. The blow glanced off his ribs, but the villain staggered, not from pain — from surprise.
He lunged, fists snapping, forcing Cat Noir backward. Each strike was precise, measured.
“Everyone, focus!” Cosmobug called, vaulting over a toppled picnic table. “We need to disrupt the mist again!”
Bunnyx jumped into a portal and appeared from a portal above, landing behind Wildcall. She tried to throw some punches but Wildcall dodged them and flipped over her.
He launched himself forward, striking at Cat Noir and Cosmobug simultaneously. Cat Noir jumped high, swinging his staff to intercept, while Cosmobug whipped her yo-yo to snag Wildcall’s arm.
The yo-yo rattled across his forearm, and he yanked it free, but the movement pulled him slightly off balance. Cat Noir used the opening, launching himself with a spin kick that grazed Wildcall’s shoulder.
Wildcall grunted, and jumped back into the mist, vanishing.
“Round up!” Cosmobug said and they gathered.
“Not bad… not bad at all. I could do this all day.” They heard Wildcall’s voice echoing from the mist.
“Then we’ll just have to make it not all day,” Cosmobug snapped. She swung her yo-yo in a wide arc, creating a makeshift barrier between him and the others as they regrouped.
“Stay sharp,” Cat Noir muttered, spinning his staff in a defensive stance. “He’s strong… but he’s not invincible. We hit him together, or we won’t get him down.”
Wildcall crouched low, muscles tensing, and grinned. “Come on then! Show me what heroes are really made of!”
With that, he lunged again, fast and lean, but every movement precise, every strike calculated.
Wildcall lunged through the swirling mist, his dart gun hissing with every step. Cat Noir spun his staff, Cosmobug’s yo-yo lashed at his arms—but he was fast, slipping through their attacks with wiry, coiled strength.
“Cosmobug! We need the Lucky Charm!” Cat Noir shouted.
Cosmobug nodded and flung her yo-yo upward. “Lucky Charm!”
The red energy swirled and dropped something into her hands… a garden sprinkler.
She blinked. “Huh.”
“Gonna need more water than that can give,” Cat Noir said.
“Yeah… yeah, we do.” Cosmobug’s eyes flicked to the park’s actual sprinkler system.
She turned sharply. “Cat Noir! What time is it?”
“Now?” he asked.
“Yes!” Cosmobug said, bracing her yo-yo defensively.
Cat Noir glanced at his baton. “Eleven fifty-seven.”
“Perfect.” Cosmobug immediately started texting. “We need Rooster Bold.”
Meanwhile, the others closed ranks around her as Wildcall prowled through the mist, circling like a predator.
A buzz. The reply came fast.
“He’s awake,” Caprikid texted. “Made him a gas mask. We’re heading your way.”
“No — go to these coordinates,” Cosmobug sent back.
“Okay.”
She typed a few more quick instructions, snapped her yo-yo shut, and stepped forward just as Wildcall burst out of the haze.
“Time to show you heroes what helpless feels like!” he roared, slamming into the ground hard enough to split the dirt. He sprang at Cosmobug, fists flashing.
She somersaulted back, his kick sweeping through empty air.
Cat Noir darted in, staff raised. “Cataclysm!” He lunged for the blowdart, hands snapping forward again and again — but Wildcall twisted away, lean and fast, never letting him get a grip.
Cosmobug checked the time. Close. Very close. She smiled.
“Hahaha! Face it!” Wildcall taunted, dodging Miss Hound’s tackle and slipping past Bunnyx’s swing. “With this mist I’m only getting stronger!”
“Not for long,” Cosmobug said calmly.
Wildcall paused mid-step. “What?”
“Guess what time it is,” Cosmobug said.
“...Why does that matter?” he asked raising a brow.
“It’s about time to water the grass.” She smirked.
Wildcall’s eyes widened. “Oh no—”
The sprinklers hissed to life all across the park, jets of water arcing into the air. The mist reacted instantly, collapsing into harmless puffs as droplets struck it.
“Turns out your gas breaks down in water,” Cosmobug said as the reddish haze thinned rapidly.
“NO!” Wildcall snarled. “Tch—so what?! They’ll turn off in a few—”
“Actually,” Cosmobug said, “they won’t.”
On a nearby rooftop, Rooster Bold — still a little dazed but lucid — held out his hand, his Miraculous glowing. He had chosen the power specifically to keep the sprinkler system running, no matter what.
The mist dissolved around the battlefield. Wildcall whipped around, realizing too late that his advantage was evaporating—literally.
Cat Noir stepped in, staff raised. Miss Hound, Bunnyx, and Cosmobug closed from the sides.
“Now!” Cosmobug shouted.
They lunged together.
Wildcall swung the blowdart up defensively, but without the mist he was slower—just human again. Cat Noir’s staff cracked against his arm, knocking the dartgun loose. It clattered across the pavement.
Both Wildcall and Cat Noir dove for it.
Cat Noir’s hand reached first—his Cataclysm already charged. The moment his fingers brushed the weapon, the blowdart disintegrated into black dust.
“NO!” Wildcall shouted, stumbling forward as the corruption unraveled. He collapsed onto the ground just as the akuma fluttered free and the last traces of mist faded away.
“No more evildoing for you. Time to de-evilize!” Cosmobug declared. She snagged the akuma, purified it, and released the restored butterfly.
“Bye-bye, little butterfly.”
The villain reverted in a flash of white light, revealing an older man blinking in confusion.
“Ugh… what happened?” he muttered.
“Hey, are you okay?” Cosmobug asked gently.
He stiffened, standing and brushing off his coat. “Hmph. Don’t patronize me. And don’t expect a thanks. Paris would be better off without you miraculous wielders.” He turned and hobbled away without another word.
“Geez,” Bunnyx sighed.
“Better get to work, Cat Noir, before something happens,” Cosmobug said before reverting back to Ladybug.
“Right.” Cat Noir took a few steps back, already charging the new Cataclysm.
Black energy crackled around his hand. He thrust it upward, releasing a wave of darkness that swept across Paris.
“Miraculous… Cat Noir!”
The flash expanded into a ring of black light that rolled over rooftops and streets, erasing the memories of everyone who had seen their identities.
---
Nathalie stood at the park’s edge with her phone in hand.
The contact at the top of the screen read “Father.”
Her thumb hovered over it, the call button.
She could tell him. Fulfill her duty. She had seen Cat Noir transform with her own eyes. This was the moment she’d been conditioned for.
But the cost…
Adrien.
She swallowed, conflicted, a minute passed... then she pressed the power button on her phone, shutting it off.
“I can’t… not to Adrien. I—”
The memory wave washed over her mid-sentence. She froze, eyes going blank for a heartbeat, then blinked rapidly as clarity returned.
“Wait… what was I doing?” Nathalie murmured, looking around the park. “Adrien?”
---
With the threat gone and the sky finally clear, the heroes regrouped just long enough to exchange relieved nods. One by one, they split off across rooftops and alleys, each heading back toward their families before anyone could notice their disappearances.
Ladybug and Cat Noir landed on opposite ends of the park, both ducking out of sight as the last sparkles of their transformations faded.
Adrien jogged out from behind a hedge, straightening his shirt just as Nathalie spotted him.
“There you are,” she said, relief softening her face. “I thought I lost you.”
“Sorry,” Adrien said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I, uh… ran off to find a restroom. Guess everything got hectic.”
Nathalie exhaled, tension melting from her posture. “Understandable. Come on—let’s go.”
Adrien fell into step beside her, grateful she remembered nothing at all.
---
Marinette hurried back toward the picnic area, her heart still pounding from the fight—and from relief. Her parents were there setting up the last of the food, and her friends were gathering blankets and baskets.
“There you are!” Alya called, waving her over.
“Everything okay here?” Marinette said.
“Better now that you’re back,” Tom said warmly, pulling her into a quick bear hug.
But before Marinette could settle in, a gruff cough sounded behind her.
Su-Han stepped out from behind a tree, robes damp. “Today has been… vexing,” he muttered. “I had to wrangle a fox and a dragon in an alleyway in one day. Just like in my youth. This is becoming a pattern.”
Marinette blinked. “Wait Ryuko got hit by the mist?”
Su-Han gave a long-suffering sigh. “The fox bit me. The dragon tried to breath fire on me… even though she couldn’t breathe fire.”
Alya snorted into her drink, not remembering doing that, but it was still a bit funny.
Marinette hesitated, then brightened. “Well… since everything’s fixed now… would you like to join us? There’s plenty of food left. And you look like you could use a meal.”
Su-Han opened his mouth, clearly prepared to decline—but then he looked at the pastries, the sandwiches, the blankets spread out in the sun, and the friendly faces watching him.
He sighed deeply.
“…Very well. I suppose one meal won’t doom the universe.”
Marinette beamed and waved him over.
---
The ending scene showed Su-Han seated stiffly on a picnic blanket, Alya handing him a drink, Nino trying (and failing) to make small talk, and Tom proudly offering him a plate piled high with food.
For a moment—just one—Su-Han let himself relax.
And the picnic finally resumed, restored and whole again.
---
A familiar figure sitting in a study wrote some stuff down.
"No traces of their identities just yet, no thanks to Cat Noir... but, with a similar formula to what we did here... and a different variation of Wildcall, we may have Ladybug yet, we just need patience..." Cerise said with a dark chuckle.