Miraculous Games

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight:

Marinette's heart pounded against her chest as she, and the rest of the Charms, advanced toward the training room. Chloe was blabbing her mouth off with her friend Sabrina and any of the other Charms who could stand to listen to her. It did little to help her growing anxiety.

Nathanael squeezed her hand. They had started to hold hands as soon as they had left their designated floor in the building and still had not let go. She glanced over at him and saw understanding in his eyes. He knew what she was feeling, probably because he was having the same reaction. They were about to enter the snake pit of death.

Guards opened the doors at the end of the hallway. The Charms filed inside, and once Marinette was beyond the threshold, she was engulfed by the room's vast space.

Above her, monkey bars and a ropes course hung from the ceiling. The sight of it terrified her a little bit, but everything else in the room really pushed her fear to the next level. To the left along the wall, stations had been set up. One had multiple fire pits, another had a climbing wall, and so on and so forth of other training activities down the line. To the right of the room, however, was completely different. Along the bottom, there were all kinds of weapons stacked on racks -- swords, bow and arrows, spears, pretty much anything a murderer could ask for.

If that wasn't nerve-wracking enough, above the weapons, a balcony looked out over the whole room. On that balcony stood the one and only Adrien Agreste himself. Even under his obviously reserved gaze, Marinette was mentally screaming.

No, no, no! Adrien could not see her fail!

She searched the box for President Gabriel Agreste. She didn't see him standing anywhere, but she did notice a tablet in Adrien's arms. That must have been him.

The Charms all stopped in front of a wrestling mat that was laid out in the center of the training room. On the mat, an old Chinese man sat in a yoga position. He had on a red Hawaiian shirt and tan cargo pants. His shoes were simple enough, just plain brown sandals. His hair, mustache, and goatee were the things that kinda pushed that 'chinese' aspect of him over the top. Marinette did notice a turtle bracelet on his right wrist.

Scoffing, Chloe put her hands on her hips as she looked the man up and down. "Who are you?"

He didn't say anything. He continued to sit motionless.

"Yoo hoo? Old man?" She called, waving her hand in front of his fast. Still, no response.

"Is he dead?" One Charm asked. Kim, the one who had been represented by an eagle.

Sabrina circled the chinese man cautiously. "Seems like it."

"He can't be dead," Nathanael insisted. Chloe turned to rebuke him, but then saw him and Marinette's intertwined hands. She raised an eyebrow. Before she could make a comment, Marinette pulled her hand away.

"I agree with Nathan. He's probably just asleep." Making her way to the front of the group, she knelt down in front the man and put a hand on his shoulder. "Excuse me? Sir?"

The man opened his eyes and gave her a proud grin.

"Bonjour, Ladybug."

Marinette was taken aback. "H-how did you-"

"I know each of you." He scanned the charms, his brown and wrinkled eyes watching each of them closely. "Hello Eagle, Snake, Fox, Humming bird, and," he looked directly at Chloe, "Queen Bee."

Chloe flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Finally, someone who sees me as a queen."

"Who would?" Marinette muttered under her breath.