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It was supposed to be just a business trip—at least, that’s what Adrien thought. As always, his father controlled his life without caring in the slightest about his opinion, or what he thought about going to model to advertise his new clothes in a completely unknown city in the United States.
That city was called Norrisville.
He knew very little about it; in fact, he spent a lot of time wondering why his father put so much importance on a business trip to a small, irrelevant town... as if there were something more to it... It almost seemed as though he were searching for something, or someone, of great value...
In his mind, he replayed the scene of himself begging his father to let him stay in Paris. But as always, his every opinion was ignored. Now, he found himself in the most expensive hotel in Norrisville, unable to be with his friends. He still remembered how they had said goodbye to him, hugging him affectionately and wishing him the best—especially Marinette’s death-hug, which had almost managed to turn him blue from asphyxiation.
And then there was his... M'Lady. It hurt every time he thought about how he wouldn't be able to see her for who knows how long. Was he being too dramatic? Yes, but that was his natural state.
The arrival of more Miraculous holders hadn't helped either. At first, it hadn't bothered him, but gradually... it made him feel... obsolete. Like an old toy that didn't entertain anyone anymore. Was he not important anymore? Would they even notice his absence?
"Adrien, are you listening to me?" An authoritative voice resonated in the room.
"Sorry, Father, I was distracted," the blonde commented, lowering his gaze in embarrassment.
"It is always the same with you. Anyway, I was telling you how vital this collaboration with McFist Industries is, so I suggest you start paying attention."
"Yes, sir..."
An uncomfortable silence settled between father and son. Finally, the boy decided to break the silence.
"Father... may I go for a walk?"
His father merely grimaced and headed for the living room door.
"Fine, but only for today. Tomorrow you have to model." Without another word, he left the room.
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He wore a hoodie; he wanted to remain anonymous this time. It wasn't that he disliked his fans, he simply wanted to go unnoticed. He didn't know if they would recognize him in Norrisville and didn't want to risk it.
The Norrisville Museum was surprisingly empty. He looked at several of the statues and portraits of the city's most famous icons, including one statue that stood out from the rest: a figure with a long scarf trailing from his neck and a drawn sword.
"He's changed a bit since the last time."
"What? You knew him?"
"Yeah, about... mmm, I don't know, a few centuries ago?" Plagg said uncertainty.
"And what do you mean by 'since he's changed'? Shouldn't he be the same person?"
"Read the statue's description."
"For over 800 years, Norrisville has been protected by the Ninja, fighting evil without pause," the blonde commented as he continued reading the plaque.
He couldn't help but compare that hero to his lady and himself, while also wondering if that protector was a Kwami holder. Perhaps the Ninja wasn't just one person, but was passed down from holder to holder, just like his Miraculous.
An independent hero who had earned the affection of his people, not just a sidekick who could be replaced at any moment by his lady.
"Seeing this guy always sours my cheese," the Kwami of Destruction commented, remembering the ninja.
Before the Agreste boy could say anything, a loud crash echoed outside the museum. Without hesitation, he looked for a safe spot and transformed. Maybe kicking a villain's butt would cheer him up.
Finally, he stepped outside and burst onto the scene with a completely unnecessary flip, landing with all the grace of a feline. He dropped right into the middle of the crowd, receiving several confused looks from the people.
"No way, he's a..." a citizen commented.
"Hero?" the feline guessed, smirking.
"A furry!" the guy finished.
"What! Hey, no!" he exclaimed, offended, crossing his arms.
Ignoring them in annoyance, he looked at a bunch of robots of various shapes: some looked like gorillas, others looked like wolves with chainsaws, and several were robotic iguanas. Finally, his gaze fixed on the Ninja. Truthfully, he felt a bit disappointed; he had expected to see an old, muscular man with a giant beard. Instead, he observed a ninja who seemed to be his own size and age.
"Do you need a... helping claw?"
The Ninja just stared at him blankly, trying to understand the joke.
"You know, a claw... cat... get it? Instead of a hand, it's a claw."
"Ohhhh, yeah, I totally knew that."
"Surely you already know who I am," the feline commented with an arrogant smile.
An uncomfortable silence followed. Even the robots had stopped attacking to try and figure out who the blonde guy was.
"You know, the hero of Paris."
The silence stretched on while some robo-apes scratched their heads awkwardly; in a way, they felt bad for not recognizing the kid. The Ninja turned to look at a ginger-haired boy nearby, who only shrugged to signal he had no idea.
"Ohhhh, I know who you are! I can't believe it, you're that guy!" the Ninja exclaimed, pointing both hands at the blonde.
"Ahhh, yeah, he's that guy," the robo-apes and civilians said at the same time.
"I love that guy," a civilian said.
"Yeah, me too," a robo-ape added.
"You guys have no idea who I am, do you?" he said after a long sigh.
"No," they all replied in unison, looking embarrassed.
"I am Cat Noir! Hero of Paris and partner of Ladybug!" he exclaimed, losing his patience, before burying his face in both hands and giving a long sigh. "Just attack already!"
Without further ado, the robots attacked.
"Ninja Slash! Ninja Kick! Ninja Flip!" the Ninja shouted with every single one of his movements.
"Why are you calling out all your moves? It's weird," Cat Noir asked while kicking a robo-ape.
"It's not weird, it's bruce!" he commented, before slicing a chainsaw-wolf in two.
"Not bad for an 800-year-old guy."
"Says the guy in tight leather and cat ears."
"It's not leather, it's latex! Those are two very different things," he commented, offended, as he ripped the head off a robot. "And besides, you know what? You can't say anything to me with that outdated scarf!"
"The scarf is fine!"
And so they went on and on, destroying robots and throwing barbs at one another, until finally, all the robots were trashed.
Only the two of them were left. Cat Noir knew this was the moment to ask for advice from someone who might actually understand and listen to him. He stepped closer to the hero and, scratching his head nervously, decided to speak to him.
"Hey, can I talk to you about something?"
"Sure, what do you want to talk about?"
"Uh, can we talk somewhere... more private?"
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They found themselves on one of the rooftops of Norrisville's hundreds of buildings. From there, both of them contemplated the sunset while sitting down. In a way, watching the city from such a height, observing the buildings and the daily lives of the people, brought him a sense of calm.
He decided to tell his troubles to the hero of Norrisville, omitting a few details, like who his father was.
"And that's what happened."
He took his eyes off the sunset and looked at the protector of Norrisville, who seemed to be thinking hard about what to say. Finally, the Ninja stood up in front of him.
"I think you should talk to your friends. You know, if there's one thing I know pretty well, it's that it's not good to rely only on how much others value you, but how much you value yourself. I mean, look at you—you helped out without anyone having to give you permission or call you up. Whether they sideline you or not, you're already a hero to me."
"Thank you," the blonde commented, standing up to face the ninja.
"Thank you for helping me."
Both heroes shook hands.
"You smell like exhaust fumes, man."
"Says the guy who smells like rotten cheese."
Both smirked at each other's comments and turned back to look at the city in all its splendor.
"Well, it was a great day. Take care, alright?"
Finally, the Ninja of Norrisville departed with a smoke bomb, leaving the blonde's eyes watering (mostly from the smell). And when the Ninja disappeared, his transformation ended, and Plagg popped out.
"You know, I remembered him differently... more bitter, grumpy, and serious. I like him better this way. I'd like to come back here."
"You know what, Plagg?"
"What?"
"I'd like to come back here too."