When Master Fu and Wayzz saw the clear photo, the air in the entire room seemed to freeze.
The soft light from the paper lantern shone through, illuminating the tatami on the floor, as well as Master Fu's face, etched with the marks of time, and Wayzz's small, emerald-green body.
In the old man's deep eyes, the usual indifference and calm were replaced by an indescribable shock upon seeing the indigo-blue sprite with the magnificent tail feathers in the photo.
His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he was momentarily speechless.
Wayzz, who was nearby, was so startled that he directly fell from mid-air, landing with a "plop" on the soft cushion.
"Duusu?! It... How could it be there?!"
Wayzz disregarded his aching body, flew up again, circling Marinette's phone, and exclaimed in an almost screaming tone,
"And... it's in that young man's hand!
Master, could it be... could this young man be Hawk Moth?!"
This conjecture was like a bomb dropped into a calm lake.
"Impossible!" Before Master Fu could speak, Marinette had already bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, vehemently refuting.
Her voice was sharp and filled with an unquestionable firmness, as if any suspicion of Jaden was a blasphemy against her faith.
"Jaden absolutely cannot be Hawk Moth!"
She clutched her phone tightly to her chest, as if the photo were some precious holy relic.
She urgently, even somewhat incoherently, explained her and Tikki's earlier deduction: "Master, Duusu... it must have been picked up by Jaden's family ancestors after you lost the miraculous back then, and then passed down as a family heirloom until it reached his hands! Yes, it must be like that!"
To add persuasiveness to her argument, she even used Jaden's experience of being Akumatization as evidence: "And... and Jaden himself has been Akumatization several times!
How could someone who can be Akumatization also be Hawk Moth? It simply doesn't make sense!"
Master Fu's gaze slowly retracted from its initial shock.
He ignored Wayzz's overly impulsive guess and refocused his attention on Marinette's phone screen.
A deep, inexplicable surprise and confusion flashed in his eyes.
No... Duusu... It shouldn't be there.
He slowly raised his head, his weathered eyes quietly looking at the young Ladybug, whose emotions were stirred by her beloved.
"Marinette,"
His voice was old and steady, carrying a calming power, "Who is this young man?"
"He... His name is Jaden."
Marinette replied softly, a little embarrassed, a blush involuntarily rising on her cheeks at the mention of the name, "He's... he's my classmate."
"Jaden..." Master Fu silently repeated the oriental name in his heart.
Seeing that the Master had regained his composure, Marinette immediately brought the conversation back to the matter she cared about most.
She stepped forward, hope rekindling in her eyes, and asked in a pleading tone: "Master!
Then... then you must have a way to repair the peacock miraculous, right?"
She looked at Master Fu expectantly, her sky-blue eyes filled with infinite longing for that beautiful future of "fighting side by side, as partners."
Tikki also floated on her shoulder, looking at her former master with the same hopeful gaze.
However, Master Fu just looked at them quietly, and then slowly shook his head.
"I... am powerless."
This simple sentence, like a basin of the coldest ice water, instantly extinguished all the flames in Marinette's heart.
"How could it be..."
She took a step back in disbelief, the color draining from her face, "You... You are a Guardian! Is there really nothing even you can do?"
"It's not that there's no way,"
Master Fu's gaze became distant and sorrowful; he seemed to see through the disappointed girl in front of him the irreparable mistake he had made in his youth,
"But... I am simply, powerless."
He paused, his voice filled with deep self-reproach and regret: "The method for repairing damaged miraculous, like the methods for creating and strengthening them, was all detailed in the spellbook that... I lost back then."
"spellbook..." Marinette murmured, repeating the word.
Wayzz, standing by, added in a somber tone, "That spellbook, along with the Butterfly and peacock miraculous, were all lost on the same day due to the Master's mistake."
The last piece of the puzzle was in place.
All clues pointed to a cold and desperate reality—the cure had fallen into the enemy's hands.
"Judging from this situation..."
Master Fu slowly said, making the final conclusion to the discussion, "Hawk Moth is someone else.
And that spellbook, most likely... is in his hands."
Marinette was completely disappointed.
All her fantasies, all her hopes, turned into smoke at this moment.
She didn't even have the heart to question Hawk Moth's identity; her mind was entirely consumed by the terrifying thought that "Jaden might die."
"...I understand. Thank you, Master."
She said weakly, turning to leave. Now, she just wanted to find a place where no one was around to have a good cry.
Tikki looked at her despondent back and could only sigh helplessly, following her.
"Wait a moment."
Just as Marinette's hand was about to open the door, Master Fu's voice sounded from behind her.
"Is there anything else, Master?" Marinette asked without turning her head, her voice filled with fatigue and frustration.
Behind her, there was a faint rustling of clothes. Master Fu, who had been sitting cross-legged, had stood up.
"Marinette,"
His voice, more authoritative than before, with the dignity of a Guardian, "I need you... to retrieve the peacock miraculous from Jaden's hand."
Marinette's body stiffened abruptly. She couldn't believe what she had heard and slowly turned around.
"The peacock miraculous itself is damaged,"
Master Fu's expression became incredibly serious, "Leaving it out there is too dangerous for the holder and for all of Paris!"
"No!" Marinette blurted out without thinking, flatly refusing.
"Why not?"
Wayzz flew in front of her and asked in a puzzled tone, "miraculous are the property of the Guardians and should not be in the hands of unknowing strangers!
Especially a damaged miraculous; if he uses it, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
"I can't do that!"
Marinette's attitude was exceptionally firm, her eyes even glistening with tears of defiance, "That peacock brooch... it... it's very likely Jaden's family heirloom!
It's his... his only remembrance of his family in this foreign country!
How can I... how can I snatch such an important thing from him?!"
"And he's not a stranger!"
Facing Wayzz's questioning, Marinette retorted agitatedly. She wanted to say, "He's the person I like," but the words caught in her throat and eventually turned into a somewhat unconvincing defense,
"He... he's my friend!
He's... a very, very good friend! I... I know him; he's not the kind of person who would misuse power!"
"Do you really know him?"
Master Fu's voice, like the tolling of a bell at dusk and dawn, gently yet heavily struck Marinette's heart, "Then tell me, have you ever seen him take out this peacock brooch before?"
"Uh..." Marinette froze instantly.
"It seems... no..." she answered with difficulty.
"Then,"
Master Fu's eyes sharpened, "Why would a young man who has hidden a 'family heirloom' for many years, never showing it to anyone, suddenly take it out today and awaken the sleeping sprite, Duusu?"
He slowly spoke the most terrifying possibility, one that made Marinette's heart stop.
"The only explanation is... he might be preparing to... use it."
"Wh-what?!"
These words, like a bolt from the blue, struck Marinette's head fiercely.
Her pupils contracted sharply due to extreme fear, and her mind went blank.
That's right... Why today? Why, in the past few months, had he never taken out this "family heirloom"?
And precisely today, a terrifying thought uncontrollably grew in her mind—could it be... that he encountered some unsolvable difficulty for unknown reasons, and that's why he remembered this "last resort" with mysterious power, passed down through his family?
An unprecedented panic instantly seized her heart.
She seemed to already see, at some point in the future, Jaden, to protect something or to resolve some crisis, resolutely putting on that cursed brooch... "No... no..." she murmured distractedly, her body trembling slightly from fear.
"Pull yourself together, Marinette,"
Tikki gently nudged her cheek with its small body, its voice firm, "Nothing has happened yet. We still have a chance."
"Yes,"
Beside them, Master Fu's old yet steady voice slowly sounded, imbuing Tikki's words with unquestionable weight,
"So, to prevent the worst from happening, we must now prepare for the worst."
His gaze was gentle yet sharp, like a seasoned general on the battlefield, pointing the way for his most cherished soldier before the fight.
Marinette bit her lower lip tightly, the sorrow that almost broke her replaced by a stronger emotion called "resolve."
She nodded vigorously, and when she looked up, although her sky-blue eyes still glistened with tears, there was no longer any confusion or weakness.
Yes, Master was right.
Compared to watching Jaden walk towards an irreversible abyss of death, this "temporary taking" was already the best option.
This was not plunder, but... guardianship.
Master Fu watched the change in her eyes and nodded with relief.
He turned and walked to an antique wooden cabinet in a corner of the quiet room, taking out another velvet box from a hidden drawer.
Opening the box, a replica, identical to the peacock brooch in the photo in color, shape, and detail, lay quietly inside.
He placed the brooch in Marinette's hand; the cold metallic touch made Marinette's heart sink as well.
"Use this to perform the 'steal the beam and replace the pillar' stratagem."
Master Fu slowly said, his voice filled with solemn instruction, "Later, when we find the lost spellbook and discover the method to repair the miraculous, I promise, I will personally return the true peacock brooch to its rightful owner."
"...Really, Master?"
Marinette looked up, her voice trembling slightly for confirmation.
She needed this promise to support herself in fulfilling this mission, which felt almost like a betrayal.
"Of course, Marinette."
Master Fu's face showed a benevolent smile, "You are the Ladybug I personally chose. I trust my judgment, and I trust yours.
Anyone you favor must have his outstanding qualities. So, please believe me, we are just... temporarily taking it."
These words, like a warm stream, soothed the last trace of doubt and guilt in Marinette's heart.
She nodded heavily, clutching the cold brooch tightly in her palm; its hard outline seemed to give her endless strength.
"I understand, Master. I will complete the mission."
With that, she no longer hesitated, turned, and quickly left the quiet room. Tikki followed closely, disappearing into the deep night outside the door.
In the room, only Master Fu and Wayzz remained.
"Master…"
Wayzz floated to the old man's side and asked with a worried tone, "Do you think… Marinette, can she really do it? I'm still a bit worried that she might act impulsively and…"
Master Fu merely smiled. He turned around and sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion again, his weathered eyes sparkling with wisdom.
"Wayzz, you still underestimate Marinette."
He said slowly, "More importantly, you underestimate her devotion to 'love.'
It is precisely because of this love that she is clearer-headed than anyone else when facing major decisions, and braver than anyone else…"
Hearing Master's confident words, Wayzz finally relaxed and quietly returned to his small nook.
The night deepened. Paris was enveloped in a vast velvet curtain woven from orange lights and a deep blue night sky, the distant lights of the Eiffel Tower, like a silent lighthouse, keeping watch over the sleeping city.
A red figure, like a ghost, leaped swiftly across the multitude of rooftops, finally landing silently on the roof not far from an apartment building.
Ladybug crouched down, perfectly concealing her figure behind a large chimney. She took out her yoyo, skillfully operating it, and an encrypted message was quickly sent out.
"Cat Noir, respond if you receive this. Urgent mission, come to my coordinates quickly. — L"
After doing all this, she put away her yoyo and focused all her attention on the warmly lit window of the apartment building opposite.
It was Jaden's room. And it was the sole target of all her actions at this moment.
In her hand, she tightly clutched a cold, fan-shaped brooch that shimmered with an eerie blue light.
Did she really have to do this?
To deceive him, to steal what might be a very meaningful "heirloom" to him?
Marinette's heart was like a tangled ball of yarn. Reason told her that this was to protect him, to prevent the worst from happening.
Compared to a distant, ethereal death, merely temporarily and kindly taking away a dangerous item was undoubtedly the better choice.
But… emotions were like surging tides, constantly pounding against the dam of her reason.
Just thinking about the disappointed, confused, or even sad expression Jaden might show upon discovering his cherished treasure had been swapped, her heart would clench, making it hard to breathe.
She would rather face a hundred Akumatized Persons herself than endure even a potentially existing negative emotion from him.
"My Lady, your knight has answered the call and arrived on time."
A slightly frivolous yet magnetic young male voice sounded from behind her, interrupting her jumbled thoughts.
Ladybug turned her head and saw Cat Noir landing silently beside her in a handsome and dashing pose, propping himself up with one hand on his metal staff.
His black form-fitting battle suit gleamed faintly like leather in the moonlight, and a pair of emerald cat-like eyes sparkled with cunning and curiosity beneath his mask.
"You arrived a bit quickly," Ladybug said instinctively, with a hint of undetectable nervousness in her tone.
"My Lady's summons, I naturally must respond with the fastest speed."
Cat Noir winked playfully at her, the extended belt, like a cat's tail, swaying gently behind him,
"Tell me, my Ladybug, why did you call me here so mysteriously? Is it some special night mission? Could it be… Hawk Moth has come up with a new trick?"
His tone was light, as if he regarded this meeting as an interesting night out.
Ladybug glanced behind him, confirming there was no one else, then lowered her voice and said with a serious expression, "Call me Ladybug, Cat Noir, how many times have we said this?"
"Alright, alright, Ladybug."
Cat Noir raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but the smile on his lips did not diminish in the slightest,
"So, Ladybug, what exactly are we doing? Hiding stealthily on a rooftop, this isn't like our usual style."
Ladybug omitted all parts concerning Master Fu, simply and selectively telling Cat Noir about Jaden possessing a new, possibly damaged miraculous, and the potential danger it might bring.
The smile on Cat Noir's face faltered slightly when he heard "miraculous."
He paused, a flicker of surprise in his emerald eyes.
"A new partner?"
He asked instinctively, with a hint of anticipation in his voice, "That's so cool! So are we waiting for him to transform and then give him a surprise welcome ceremony?"
"No." Ladybug shook her head, her expression growing more solemn, "What we need to do is wait."
"Wait?" Cat Noir was completely confused, "Wait for what? What's the point?"
Ladybug did not explain further. She simply pointed a finger towards the still-lit window diagonally opposite, saying in an almost commanding, unquestionable tone, "Wait for the owner of that window to fall asleep.
Then, you will sneak into his room and use this thing in my hand to swap out his real miraculous."
She opened her palm, revealing the fake peacock brooch to Cat Noir.
Cat Noir's gaze was instantly drawn to the exquisite brooch.
His eyes sparkled with curiosity, like a cat seeing a new toy.
But his focus was entirely different from Ladybug's.
"A trick?"
He whistled, his tone filled with excitement, "Sounds thrilling! So, this glorious yet arduous mission is entrusted to me?"
"Yes."
Ladybug nodded, looking at Cat Noir's black battle suit, which almost blended into the night, and found an irrefutable reason,
"You're wearing all black, so you won't be easily spotted.
And… aren't felines supposed to move silently?"
"Exactly!"
Cat Noir proudly puffed out his chest, then he leaned closer, looking at the brooch with an eager gaze,
"So… before the operation, can I take a look? I promise, just one glance."
He looked exactly like a child eager to unwrap a Christmas present.
Ladybug's heart was still struggling.
Handing over this item, which represented "deception," meant the official launch of the plan.
But looking at her partner's enthusiastic expression, she knew she had no way out.
"…Be careful."
She cautioned, her voice carrying a trace of fatigue that she herself didn't notice, "This is just a substitute, don't break it."
She slowly extended her hand, preparing to pass the brooch to Cat Noir.
Just as Cat Noir's face was already showing a subtle, triumphant smile—
"Ladybug! Don't give it to him!"
A sharp and urgent voice, identical to Cat Noir's, came from the adjacent rooftop like a sudden clap of thunder!
Immediately after, a black figure, like an arrow released from a bow, shot out from the shadows, carrying a whistling wind, and fiercely kicked towards Cat Noir, who was about to take the brooch!
This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard!
The disguised Cat Noir (Copycat), his full attention was on the brooch he was about to get. He never dreamed that another "himself" would suddenly appear mid-way!
"What?!"
He exclaimed, instinctively abandoning the brooch, crossing his arms, barely blocking the powerful kick!
"Bang!"
A dull thud sounded! The immense impact sent him flying backward, like a kite with a broken string, tumbling several times on the rooftop before coming to a clumsy stop.
Ladybug was also startled by the sudden situation and took a step back. She instinctively clutched the brooch tightly back into her hand, vigilantly watching the new attacker who had suddenly appeared.
When she clearly saw the newcomer's appearance, she froze.
Black tights, emerald cat eyes, a golden bell, and that familiar metal staff… It was… Cat Noir?
She then turned to look at the other side, at the guy who had just picked himself up from the ground, staring back with a bewildered expression, the one who had been kicked away… It was also… Cat Noir?
Two… Cats Noir?
For a moment, Ladybug's brain went into a temporary shutdown.
What was going on? Twins? Or… Hawk Moth's new trick?
Just then, the newly appeared, true Cat Noir slowly straightened his body.
He twirled his metal staff, rested it on his shoulder, and then stared intently at the imposter who was getting up from the ground, his eyes filled with cold fury.
"What I hate most,"
His voice was low, every word seeming to be squeezed through his teeth, "is an imposter… who appears out of nowhere!"
Before he finished speaking, he moved!
His body suddenly shot forward, the metal staff in his hand sliced through the night sky, carrying a sharp whistling wind, and smashed down on Copycat!
"Damn it!"
Hawk Moth, far away in his lair, watched the failed scene through Copycat's perspective and roared in anger.
Just a little bit! Just that little bit!
The reason he gave the damaged peacock miraculous to Jaden was to lure him into using it!
Once Jaden used that uncontrolled power, his body and mind would become fragile due to the side effects.
At that time, if he Akumatized him, the success rate would be 100%!
A "strongest one" who had the qualification to "wish" and was completely under his control, that was his goal to achieve his ultimate plan.
Through Nathalie's intelligence network, he learned that Ladybug was lurking suspiciously near Jaden's house.
To prevent his plan from being ruined by this meddlesome girl, he made a decisive move, sensed negative emotions, found the sculptor Theo, and used his dissatisfaction with Cat Noir to Akumatization him into an "imposter cat" identical to Cat Noir.
His plan was simple: have Copycat approach and ask Ladybug what her plan was, then seize the opportunity to sabotage it.
This way, Ladybug would have no reason to bother Jaden anymore.
But he had calculated everything, except for the true Cat Noir arriving so quickly!
On the rooftop, the battle between the real and fake Cats Noir had instantly erupted!
Every swing and collision of the metal staff erupted in dazzling sparks, emitting crisp "clang, clang, clang" sounds.
The two figures moved, rolled, and grappled rapidly on the narrow rooftop. Their movements, techniques, and even their catchphrases during battle were identical, making Ladybug, who was watching from the side, dizzy and unable to distinguish who was real and who was fake for a moment.