The Next Day
Kitty Section takes their place on stage, getting ready to record their brand new song Marinette, Luka, and Adrien worked on. There's a musical festival in a few days, and a video audition is required to sign up. Marinette stands a few feet back from the stage, holding her phone up, and starts recording as the band plays.
Kagami walks and stands beside her, not saying anything to the pig-tailed girl—which makes her nervous. Marinette keeps her hands steady and she puts her focus back on the band as she keeps recording.
Another two minutes later, the song is finished, and Marinette saves the video. "That was great, you guys!"
"Marinette?" Kagami asks, stepping closer, and she leans in and whispers, "Adrien seems really distracted whenever you are around or your name is mentioned. I didn't like him ditching me yesterday to hang out with you. I'd appreciate it if you could respect our relationship."
Marinette's eyes widen. She hadn't realized she hurt her friend's feelings. "I do respect your relationship, Kagami. I'm happy that you and Adrien are together. I had no idea he had plans with you yesterday. Besides, Adrien invited himself. It was just supposed to be me and Luka."
"I see." She clears her throat. "I did not know that. Forgive me."
Adrien watches their interaction and notices the quick frown on Marinette's face as Kagami walks off. What did his girlfriend say to her?
"Are you ready to go, Adrien?" Kagami asks.
"What did you say to Marinette?"
Kagami turns and looks at her, who's connecting her phone to Luka's laptop so the band can watch the video. She looks back at Adrien. "Nothing important. I was mistaken... I hope. Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, let me grab my bag." Adrien leans down to grab his bag and peeks a glance at Marinette, who happens to look over at the same time. They hold eye contact for a few seconds before she turns and walks inside with Luka.
"Where do you have to send the video to?" Rose asks.
"There's a link on the website," Marinette explains, typing on the keyboard. "Let me find it. Okay, it says we have to bring in a physical copy and give it to..." Her eyes widen. "BOB ROTH?!"
"WHAT?!" The band shouts at once.
"You mean that jerk who scammed us last time?" Ivan mutters, angry now.
"No!" Rose shakes her head fast. "That has to be a mistake."
Luka turns the screen towards him. "It's not. Bob Roth is sponsoring the musical festival."
"Oh no, this is a disaster!" Marinette starts pacing back and forth. "If we turn in our music, he's going to copy and steal it again!"
"No, we won't let that happen." Luka rests his hand on her shoulder. "Remember last time?"
She thinks back on when Luka was akumatized into Silencer.
"Ladybug and Cat Noir exposed Bob Roth on national television for being a thief," He continues. "There's no way he'd make that mistake again."
Marinette sighs, a little relieved. "You're right, Luka."
"Well, you better get going, because auditions close in an hour," Juleka mumbles.
"What are we waiting for?" Luka asks, grabbing Marinette's hand as they run off the boat. They take this bike and race over to Bob Roth's office, with enough time to spare. They walk inside and take the elevator up, finding a long line of people waiting already.
"Phew, we made it!" Marinette cheers as they stand in line.
"Just in time."
As if luck weren't on their side, Bob Roth walks past, immediately recognizing the pair, and stomps over. "Oh, now you two again!"
Marinette turns at his awful, but familiar voice and her hands ball into fists. She keeps her arms by her side to stop from swinging at him. "We're dropping off our video audition."
"No, you're not." Bob Roth snatches the disc from her hand. "After what happened last time, I won't even let you try!"
Luka steps forward. "Hey, you can't do that! Everyone gets to audition, fair and square."
"I'm sponsoring this festival, which means I'm paying for everything, which also means I get a say in who does and who does not get to perform. No one wants to fear Kitten Corner anyway."
"Kitty Section," Luka corrects.
He rolls his eyes. "That's even worse. Whatever, just face it, kids. You don't always get what you want in life. When you get older and rich enough, you'll understand where I'm coming from." Walking off, he mutters, "Now where's a trash bin so I can get rid of this garbage?"
"Grrr..." Marinette storms after him. "Why don't we get rid of you while we're at it!"
Bob Roth spins around. "I beg your pardon?"
"My friends and I worked hard on that song! We deserve a chance!"
"I don't care if you got singing monkeys. No one will ever hear your song!" He opens a door and steps into his office.
"Hey, we're not finished here!" Marinette chases after him and slips through before the door closes.
Bob Roth turns around and shouts, "What the hell? This is harassment! Do I need to call a lawyer?"
Luka tries to follow, but the door's jammed. He starts pulling on it. "Marinette!"
"I'm taking back what's mine!" Marinette takes the disc back. "We're going to send in our audition whether you like it or not, mister!"
"Like hell you are!" Bob Roth grabs her wrist and drags her back as she tries to leave. He grabs the disc. "People come to that festival and spend large amounts of money to hear real musicians, not some dumb teenagers singing kitty bangers on a piece of crap boat!"
Luka bangs on the door. "Let her go! Marinette!" Fuming with rage now, he wanted nothing more than to get in that room and get Bob Roth away from his girlfriend.
Marinette tries to free herself, but his grip is too tight. "Let go of me, right now!"
"Go ahead and kiss your dreams buh-bye." Bob Roth raises his arms and throws the disc on the ground, destroying it.
"No!"
There's a loud explosion as the door flies off the hinges, slamming into the wall. Marinette and Bob Roth look over and see Luka—except he's been akumatized into Silencer again.
Bob Roth's eyes widen. "Oh, not this again!"
Silencer steps forward, after the crook to take his voice, but he pushes Marinette forward. He accidently touches her lips and steals her voice.
"Marinette, no! I didn't—" Silencer turns and glares at Bob Roth. Hearing her own voice coming out of her boyfriend's mouth was definitely tripping her out. "Don't worry. I'll make him pay."
Marinette goes to call to him, but nothing but air comes out. She tries again and it's quiet. No, she can't talk!
Silencer leaves as he chases Bob Roth.
Tikki flies out once they're alone. "This is no good."
Marinette's eyes widen. She couldn't become Ladybug and defeat Silencer, or save Luka, or purify the akuma. She spots some paper on the desk and grabs a pen and starts writing.
I can't say "Tikki, spots on" to become Ladybug!
The kwami's eyes widen. "Oh no, you're right. This is worse than before."
What am I going to do, Tikki?
"Don't worry! Cat Noir will be here soon."
But without the miraculous ladybugs, how will everything go back to normal?
"Good point..." Tikki scrunches her tiny face as she thinks.
A plan comes to the hero immediately and the kwami reads over her shoulder.
I have a plan. I need you to take my earrings and find Cat Noir. Tell him to use my miraculous instead and bring back Mister Bug. That way things will still be fixed.
"Are you sure, Marinette?"
She nods, handing away her earrings.
"What am I supposed to tell Cat Noir?"
Be honest with him, that Silencer took my voice before I could transform, but don't reveal my secret identity.
Tikki nods. "I'll be back. Please stay safe, Marinette."
Ignoring her kwami's advice, Marinette decides to confront Silencer herself. She grabs a new piece of paper and scribbles something down, shoving the note in her pocket before running off in the direction Silencer left.
***
Marinette races up a staircase, panting silently, and looks at what floor number she's on: thirty-eight. She could've sworn this place is a maze, destined to keep people trapped her forever. Down the hallway, she sees a door, labeled 'Roof Access' and shrugs. She's been everywhere else. She runs over and pushes the door open.
Silencer and Bob Roth stand near the edge of the roof.
Her eyes widen and she runs over, jumping in between them.
"Marinette, what are you doing up here?" Silencer asks, in a new deep voice this time. He must have stolen someone else's voice.
She points at Bob Roth and shakes her head fast. 'Don't do this!' she wants so shout.
Silencer laughs. "What, you don't think Bob Roth deserves this? Did you forget what he did to us? What he did to you? Bob Roth will never chance. Today downstairs proved that. He only cares about himself!"
"That is not true!" Bob Roth defends. "I also care about money."
Marinette rolls her eyes.
"He deserves to be punished, Marinette." Silencer steps past her and leaps at Bob Roth, closing his hand over his mouth. He leans in with a wicked grin. "Have fun screaming on the way down." He pushes Bob Roth off the edge.
Marinette runs over and catches him, struggling to hold his weight up.
"Let him drop, Marinette!" Silencer tells her. "He's not worth it."
She turns back and watches him walk off.
"Now, I have some business to take care of. I'm going to find someone to replace our disc so we can send in our audition."
Silencer leaves them alone on the roof.
Marinette looks back down at Bob Roth. Even if he's a selfish jerk, he didn't deserve to die. She grounds her feet and tugs as hard as she can. Bob Roth gets one hand on the ledge and starts pulling himself up. With his other hand, he grabs Marinette, digging his thick fingers into her arm. She wants to cry out in pain, and her eyes start to tear up. She waves her head around, trying to get his attention, but it's no use.
As Marinette adjusts her stance, Bob Roth jerks her forward and uses her to climb up. She falls off, grabbing the ledge for support, and she dangles off the roof. She goes to scream, and she should remember by now.
Bob Roth towers over and looks down at her. She pleads with her eyes, 'Help me!' He smiles and walks off.
'No, no, no!' Marinette starts crying. Maybe she should have let him fall. She looks down, silently gasping, and closes her eyes. Her palms get sweaty as she tries to hold on, her fingers almost slipping. As she tries to pull herself up, her hand misses the ledge and she falls.
Her screams are quiet as she barrels towards the ground when suddenly she feels something wrap around her waist, catching her. She's jerked up, and slams into Mister Bug's chest. They both share a look of shock and relief. He swings around the building before landing on the roof again.
"Marinette!" Mister Bug shouts, jumping forward to hug her. "What are you doing up here?"
If Marinette acts like she knows him, it could give away her secret identity. Only Ladybug knows who Mister Bug truly is. So, to play along, she raises her eyebrows and points back and forth between them.
"Oh, right..." He sighs. "How do I know you? Uh, you can keep a secret, right?"
She nods.
"I'm actually Cat Noir," Mister Bug whispers. "Well, right now I'm Mister Bug. Silencer got to Ladybug before she could transform."
Marinette nods, pretending to understand, and smiles.
"And I'm guessing he got you, too?"
She frowns, patting her throat.
"That's weird. Why would Luka go after you? He's in love—"
Marinette wants to tell him it was an accident, but without words, it's pointless.
"Are you okay? Get to safety, Marinette. That's all that matters right now. I'll defeat Silencer and we'll get Luka back."
She smiles and waves as Mister Bug jumps off the roof. She looks over the edge, eyes widening at the distance between here and the ground. That would have been a disaster. She heads inside and takes the stairs back to the main floor.
As Marinette walks into Bob Roth's office, a swarm of magical ladybugs fly past. Her voice is back. She rubs her throat and laughs. Cat Noir did it. The disc on the floor is fixed, and she grabs it and drops it in the audition bin. "Hello?" She calls out, stepping out into the hallway. She finds Mister Bug and Luka together.
Luka looks over and smiles. "Marinette!" He runs over and hugs her tight. "I'm so glad you're okay."
As they hold each other, Marinette looks past at Mister Bug and they share a look. He waves and runs off. She pulls back to stare at her boyfriend, but he won't meet her eye. "Luka? Are you okay?"
"I'm not proud of what happened, Marinette. I didn't mean to get so mad, but I saw the way Bob Roth was treating you, and when he grabbed you... I just lost myself."
"It's okay, we all have our moments," She reassures him.
"I could have hurt him, and most importantly, you."
"I—" Marinette cuts herself off as she spots Tikki flying around behind Luka. She phases through a door leading to the stairs. "I'll be right back. I have to call my mom."
Luka nods. "Alright. I'll wait for you."
"Oh! By the way, when Mister Bug fixed everything, the disc was restored and I got it in the audition bin."
"That's if Bob Roth doesn't sneak it out."
"We'll just have to see." Marinette skips off through the door and finds her kwami hiding with the fire extinguisher on the wall. "I'm so happy to see you, Tikki." She takes her earrings and puts them back on.
"Good thinking, Marinette. Your plan worked!"
She grabs Tikki and nuzzles her against her cheek. "You have no idea how scary it was without you."
"Why? What happened?"
Marinette explains everything and Tikki's eyes widen.
"Yeah... good thing you didn't become a pancake."
***
Marinette and Luka hold hands as he walks her home.
"So, why did you follow me up to the roof?" He asks, after she had just explained her little adventure with Mister Bug.
"I wanted to help. And..." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the note she wrote earlier. "I thought this would help, but I didn't get a chance to give it to you."
Luka takes the note from her. "What is it?"
"Open it."
He does, and he smiles.
Find the melody in your heart.
"I'm going to keep this forever," He tells her, stopping to pull her close and hug her. "I'm really glad you're okay, Marinette. I don't know what I'd do if something happened."
After exchanging a goodnight kiss, Marinette waves as Luka bikes home. Across the street, Adrien enters her line of sight, and he walks over.
"Adrien?" She asks, confused. "What are you doing here?"
"I-I heard what happened earlier, with Bob Roth and Silencer."
"Wow, news spreads fast."
Adrien laughs. "Yeah, it's all the band can talk about. I wanted to come by and see if you were alright."
"Yeah, I'm okay," She whispers, crossing her arms over her chest. "A little spooked. I... I fell off the roof."
"What?" Adrien asks, playing along, and he purposely widens his eyes. "What were you doing up there, anyway?" He had been wondering that all day.
"I thought I could help, so I followed Silencer to the roof, and he pushed Bob Roth off. I caught him in time, but he just used me to save himself and left me hanging—literally."
Anger boils in his gut and he tries to hide his temper. "What? He did that?"
"Yeah..." Marinette sighs. "I slipped and fell, but it was alright in the end." She smiles at the thought of Mister Bug. "He showed up in time." Like he always does.