A determined flame ignited in Adrien's emerald eyes, which usually held a gentle smile.
He looked at his friend, who was completely absorbed in his own insane logic, and the last thought of enjoying the party in his heart was completely dispelled.
This wasn't a party; it was a pathological carnival in the name of "freedom."
He no longer tried to argue with The Bubbler, who was beyond reason, but instead turned and rushed into the mansion at top speed.
He had to find a safe place, a place without surveillance, and then... transform!
"Stop!"
However, just as his foot was about to step through the door that symbolized safety, a giant bubble, like an invisible barrier, instantly blocked his way.
The originally powerful electronic music abruptly decreased in volume at this moment.
The Bubbler, at some unknown point, had silently, like a ghost, stood behind him.
"I... organized this grand party for you. I... drove away all the annoying adults for you."
The Bubbler's voice was deep and filled with the disappointment of betrayal.
"And you, Adrien, you... didn't appreciate it at all. How could you... do this?"
His tone was like a child who had carefully prepared a gift but received no praise, full of grievance and incomprehension.
Adrien ignored him and sidestepped, trying to get around the bubble blocking the door.
However, more bubbles, like iron filings attracted by a magnet, rapidly surged from all directions, forming an impenetrable, colorful bubble wall.
"Adrien,"
The Bubbler's voice grew increasingly cold,
"Since you're so unwilling to attend this party, then, from now on, you are no longer the protagonist of this party!"
As he spoke, he suddenly raised his bubble wand.
A huge bubble, filled with an ominous aura, shot like a cannonball towards Adrien's back!
Just at this critical moment, a tall and burly figure suddenly rushed out from the side, blocking Adrien's back.
It was Gabriel's Bodyguard!
He held a large metal tray, found from who knows where, and used it like a shield to forcefully block the incoming bubbles.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Several small bubbles burst upon impact with the tray.
However, the giant bubble emitted by The Bubbler was incredibly resilient.
The moment it hit the tray, it only slightly deformed, and then, with an irresistible force, it enveloped the Bodyguard, person and tray alike!
"Hmph, overestimating yourself."
The Bubbler scoffed disdainfully, then he lifted his foot and fiercely kicked the bubble carrying the Bodyguard, which was slowly ascending!
The giant bubble, like a kicked football, instantly accelerated, carrying the Bodyguard's astonished face, and flew high into the sky, quickly disappearing from everyone's sight.
Adrien, before he could run a few steps, was forced back by the bubbles.
He returned to the garden filled with a strange atmosphere.
"Alright, Adrien."
The anger on The Bubbler's face was replaced by a strange smile again,
"I'll give you... one last chance. Go back to the dance floor and enjoy this party with your friends."
Adrien was helpless, forced back by the menacing bubbles.
He knew he had lost the best opportunity to transform.
He couldn't expose his identity in public.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the anger and anxiety in his heart, put on his "gentle" mask again, and slowly walked back to the dance floor.
"Very good."
The Bubbler nodded in satisfaction.
He snapped his fingers, and the frenetic electronic dance music instantly switched to a graceful and romantic waltz suitable for slow dancing.
"Now, dear classmates,"
The Bubbler's voice, amplified by the speakers, spread throughout the garden,
"Please find your desired dance partners, and let us... share this wonderful moment."
This sudden change made everyone pause.
Then, in the garden, a "pairing" drama filled with awkwardness and helplessness unfolded.
To avoid repeating the "shura field" from before, and to prevent Jaden from forming a fixed partnership with a girl, which would lead to subsequent "wars," the boys present, by prior agreement, made a very wise decision full of survival instinct—to find their good buddies as dance partners!
Thus, a strange scene full of "brotherly love" appeared in the garden.
Max and Nathan, this artist duo, awkwardly paired up.
Kim, on the other hand, casually put his arm around Max's shoulder, forcefully making him dance a comical "brotherly waltz."
On the girls' side, the situation was similar.
Chloé, of course, was closely followed by Sha Na, and the two danced a somewhat unpracticed slow dance.
Alya, after looking around and realizing Marinette's figure had disappeared, secretly thought: "That silly girl, could her 'Akumatized Person Syndrome' be acting up again?"
Then, she casually pulled over a girl from another class who was also alone, forming a temporary dance partner.
Mylène and Alix naturally paired up.
Juleka was pulled by Rose, and the two equally beautiful and charming girls danced gracefully to the melodious music.
Students from other classes, seeing this scene, although they found it a bit strange, also followed suit to avoid being sent flying into the sky, each finding friends of the same gender as dance partners.
Thus, in the vast dance floor, such a bizarre and comical scene appeared—
Everyone had found their "dance partner." Only two people remained.
Jaden and Adrien.
The two looked at each other, both seeing an unspeakable awkwardness in the other's eyes.
Adrien looked at Jaden, a helpless yet somewhat amused expression on his face.
And Jaden merely shrugged, indicating that he, too, was powerless.
However, The Bubbler on the stage, seemingly engrossed in selecting the next piece of music, kept his monitoring gaze, like a searchlight, firmly fixed on both of them.
"So..." Jaden made a standard gentleman's gesture, inviting a dance partner, towards Adrien, "Mr. Adrien, would you care to honor me?"
Adrien was amused by his sudden, serious humor, and mimicking him, he bowed slightly and replied, "My pleasure."
And so, at this party, held by an Akumatized Person, filled with absurdity and chaos, the two teenagers began their first, and only, slow dance together to the melodious waltz...
"Oh my goodness..."
Ladybug, who had just finished transforming and leaped onto the high wall of the Agreste Mansion, happened to witness this unforgettable scene.
She saw the teenager she longed for, even having a spring dream about him, dancing hand in hand with the golden light bulb to the melodious waltz.
Ladybug felt her brain freeze for a moment.
"If... if I had transformed a few minutes later... would it have been me dancing with Roni right now?"
An absurd yet longing thought uncontrollably popped into her mind.
But then, she vigorously shook her head, shaking off this unrealistic fantasy.
"What am I thinking! Marinette! Mom and Dad are still waiting for me in the sky!"
Her big blue eyes instantly regained their clarity and determination.
She flicked her wrist, and her red and black yo-yo, like a drawn sword, shot out with a whoosh, directly at The Bubbler, who was engrossed in his self-directed "romantic ball"!
The Bubbler was originally engrossed in the music and the "harmonious" scene, completely unaware of this sudden attack.
However, just as the yo-yo was about to hit the back of his head,
[High in the sky, in Gabriel's bubble prison]
Hawk Moth, watching everything happening in the garden in real-time through a miniature phone screen, saw Ladybug appear at that moment,
"The Bubbler! Watch your back!"
The Bubbler's body, almost instinctively, flashed to the side!
The yo-yo whizzed past The Bubbler's shoulder.
The Bubbler broke out in a cold sweat.
He abruptly turned around and saw the figure he least wanted to see, standing on the wall.
He reached out and turned down the music volume a bit.
"Ladybug!"
His voice was filled with the displeasure of being disturbed,
"Are you also here to disturb my party?! You! Are also almost an adult!
Don't you know how many restrictions those annoying adults have imposed on us?!"
"This is not a reason for you to act recklessly!" Ladybug's voice, clear and firm, echoed throughout the garden.
A nearly "hurt" expression appeared on The Bubbler's blue face.
He looked at the figure in the red and black bodysuit, representing "order" and "rules," and said in a tone full of incomprehension and anger: "Adults are always like this! They use 'protection' as an excuse to lock us in cages!
They don't let us have our own thoughts, they don't let us have true freedom! And I am just helping everyone break free from their shackles!"
"Freedom never means arbitrarily harming and coercing others!"
Ladybug's voice, like a clear bell, echoed in everyone's ears.
She landed gracefully on the lawn in the center of the garden, her red and black yo-yo, as if alive, hovered and danced around her.
"Children certainly need to grow, but they also need the guidance and protection of adults!
Look at everyone below, The Bubbler, ask them if your forced 'party' truly made them happy?"
The Bubbler's gaze swept sharply across the students below who had stopped dancing.
"Aren't... you happy?" His voice carried a childlike, bewildered grievance, and a hint of undeniable threat.
No one answered. Everyone just looked at him silently, their eyes filled with complex emotions—worry, fear, but none of the "happiness" he had hoped for.
This silence completely enraged The Bubbler.
"No! You must be happy! Dance! Keep dancing!"
He roared madly,
"Once I defeat this troublesome Ladybug, this party will go on forever!"
As he spoke, he brandished the The Bubbler wand in his hand, and countless colorful bubbles, like a storm, swept towards Ladybug!
Ladybug's eyes narrowed. She fiercely swung her yo-yo, and the incredibly tough rope spun rapidly in front of her, instantly forming an impenetrable, red and black circular barrier that blocked the first wave of bubble attacks.
"What's the point of a party that makes people sad?"
Her voice pierced through the "pop" of bursting bubbles, clearly reaching The Bubbler's ears,
"The Bubbler, you are the… biggest party pooper!"
Before her words finished, Ladybug had already launched an attack.
She tapped her toes, and like an arrow shot from a bow, she charged straight towards The Bubbler.
She knew that the best way to deal with this type of long-range attacker was close-quarters combat!
The Bubbler obviously realized this too. After the first few frantic blocks, he immediately discovered that he was no match for the agile, leopard-like Ladybug in close combat!
So, he decisively changed his tactics. He used the propulsion generated by the bubbles bouncing on the ground to move at high speed and erratically throughout the garden.
At the same time, the The Bubbler wand in his hand, like a machine gun, continuously shot out bubbles of various sizes and tricky angles, attempting to trap Ladybug with dense firepower.
For a time, the entire garden became a battlefield where the red figure and colorful bubbles intertwined. The two were locked in a stalemate.
Meanwhile, the classmates on the dance floor had screamed and hidden aside as soon as the battle began, clearing enough space for these two "gods fighting."
Adrien, taking advantage of this perfect opportunity when everyone's attention was drawn to the battle, flashed away and quickly slipped into the empty living room of the villa.
"Plagg! Come out!"
A black flash passed, and the tiny black cat kwami, still half-asleep, flew out of his ring, mumbling drowsily, "Mmm… that dance… that slow dance… so exciting…"
"No time for that now!" Adrien said anxiously, looking at Plagg's dazed state, "Plagg, claws out!"
"Hey! I'm not ready… Ah—!"
Plagg's small protest was cut short by the powerful force that instantly sucked him into the ring.
The next second, an agile figure silently burst out from another direction of the villa.
Cat Noir, making his entrance!
At this moment, Ladybug, facing more and more bubbles, seemed to be struggling.
The bubbles created by The Bubbler were not only numerous but also varied in size, some even sticky, greatly restricting her movement space.
Just as she was about to be surrounded by a massive cluster of bubbles—
"Whoosh—!"
A silver rod shadow, like lightning streaking across the night sky, whistled from the side, precisely shattering the closing bubble cluster!
"Ladybug,"
Cat Noir landed gracefully beside Ladybug, flicking the metal staff in his hand, a signature confident and slightly flirtatious smile on his face,
"It seems this bubble-loving maniac needs a little… Cataclysm."
"You're finally here," Ladybug sighed in relief, a smile also appearing on her face.
The Bubbler saw Cat Noir's appearance, and a hint of ferocity flashed across his blue face.
He knew that fighting two against one would make his chances of winning even slimmer.
He suddenly raised his The Bubbler wand, attempting to create a super-sized, giant bubble large enough to trap both of them simultaneously.
However, something strange happened.
He found that his Akumatization power, as if obstructed by something in that instant, no matter how he urged it, could only produce small, harmless bubbles.
[High above, Hawk Moth]
'Alright. The farce, it's time for it to end.'
Hawk Moth, through the Akuma Butterfly, silently and temporarily weakened The Bubbler's abilities.
He didn't need The Bubbler to actually defeat Ladybug and Cat Noir; all he needed was a plausible excuse.
Now, the objective had been achieved, and it was time to wrap things up.
On the battlefield, Ladybug and Cat Noir, though unclear about what had happened to The Bubbler, would not let this golden opportunity slip away.
The two exchanged glances, instantly reaching a tacit understanding. They moved left and right, like two swift bolts of lightning, pressing in on The Bubbler, who could no longer launch effective attacks.
The Bubbler, seeing the unfavorable situation, turned and tried to escape. However, his path was already blocked by the two working together.
In a fierce, unavoidable clash, the large The Bubbler wand in The Bubbler's hand, the core of his Akumatization item, flew out, tracing a parabola, and landed with a "plop" at the feet of Jaden and others who were watching below.
Everyone subconsciously took a step back, exchanging bewildered glances.
The Bubbler, cornered, seemed to see a last straw of hope. He shouted towards Jaden:
"Jaden! My friend! Quick! Throw that thing to me!
Or… or use it to trap Ladybug and Cat Noir!
If you help me, our party can still continue!"
His voice was filled with urgency and pleading.
Everyone's gaze collectively focused on Jaden.
However, Jaden just looked at him silently, then slowly bent down and picked up the The Bubbler wand.
"No,"
Jaden shook his head, his voice calm and clear, reaching The Bubbler's ears,
"Nino, your party isn't fun anymore."
As he spoke, he raised the The Bubbler wand in his hand, aiming it at his former friend, who was now cornered.
A giant bubble instantly formed, enveloping The Bubbler with irresistible speed.
Seeing this, Ladybug and Cat Noir immediately retreated in unison, clearing a perfect "capture" space for the bubble.
"No! You can't do this! Jaden! You can't—!"
The Bubbler's shouts, filled with despair and unwillingness, were completely sealed within the giant, unbreakable bubble cage.
What followed proceeded smoothly, like a script rehearsed countless times.
Jaden threw the The Bubbler wand to Cat Noir.
"Cataclysm!"
Cat Noir roared, and the destructive energy-filled claws on his right hand instantly shattered the The Bubbler wand into pieces.
A black butterfly, filled with negative energy, flew out from the broken item.
"It's all yours, Ladybug."
"Goodbye, little butterfly."
Ladybug skillfully swung her yo-yo, purifying the Akuma Butterfly into a pure white butterfly, and then released it.
"Miraculous Restoration!"
She tossed her yo-yo into the air, and a light, like a ripple, quickly spread throughout Paris.
In the sky, the bubbles carrying adults instantly burst.
All the trapped adults safely and slowly descended back to the ground.
In the Agreste Mansion, all the damaged items also returned to their original state.
Ladybug and Cat Noir exchanged glances, then quickly left the scene before anyone could react.
"Uh… I… what happened to me… just now?"
Nino, back to normal, looked at his classmates around him with a blank expression, completely unaware of what had happened.
Adrien and Marinette, who had quietly slipped back from different directions, also returned to the crowd, pretending not to know anything.
"It's over."
"What about the party?"
"No more Akumatized Person."
"Parents are safe too."
"Still want to play."
Just as everyone was discussing, and Adrien was about to announce that the party could continue—
A cold, authoritative voice came from the main entrance of the villa.
"This farce, it's time for it to end."
Gabriel stood there expressionless. Behind him stood Nathalie and the Bodyguard, also back to normal.
"Now, everyone should return to your respective homes."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable command.
The classmates looked at each other; although they were still a little reluctant, they dared not defy the fashion mogul's command and began to disperse.
Just then, Nathalie, who was nearby, took a call.
She just listened quietly, then hung up the phone, walked over to Gabriel, and whispered something to him in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Those below didn't hear what she said, but everyone clearly saw—Gabriel's perpetually icy face changed dramatically in that instant!
It was an expression mixed with shock, anger, and a hint of… imperceptible panic.
He offered no explanation, simply ordered the Bodyguard, "Get the car! Immediately!"
Then, he gave another command to Nathalie, "Clean this place up before I return!"
After speaking, he got into the emergency-prepared luxury car and sped away from the Agreste Mansion like the wind.
Adrien looked at his father's hasty, almost undignified retreating figure, his face filled with disappointment.
"Adrien,"
Nathalie walked over to him, comforting him in a gentle tone, "Mister just has some urgent matters to attend to.
Until he returns, I think… this party can still continue."
"Really, Nathalie?" Adrien's eyes instantly lit up.
Nathalie nodded.
"Thank you, Nathalie!"
Adrien cheered, turned around, and loudly announced to all the classmates who were preparing to leave:
"Everyone! The party… continues!"