[Narrator's POV]

Marinette and Adrien rush through the crowd, wrists linked by handcuffs.

"My fencing coach, Monsieur D'Argencourt!" Adrien points at Armand D'Argencourt, who is standing far outside the crowd dressed in his fencing attire. "That's strange."

Mr D'Argencourt eyes their handcuffs as Adrien and Marinette approach him.

"Monsieur Agreste, thou hast found me." Mr D'Argencourt draws out his fencing sword. "I challenge thee to a noble duel. If thou rains triumphant, mine stamp ist yours."

Marinette raises her eyebrow in puzzlement "What?"

"We have to beat him in a sword fight to get a stamp for our card." Adrien translates.

"That should be easy enough, you do fencing." Marinette replies.

Adrien looks down at his right hand, which is handcuffed. "But we're not allowed to use the handcuffed arm and I can't fence left-handed. You'll have to wield the sword."

"What!" Marinette squeaks. Mr D'Argencourt throws Marinette a sword, which she catches reluctantly. "Now we know why he's standing so far away from the crowd. What if we kill someone? What if he kills us?!"

"Fret not, fair maiden. I wish not to harm thee." Mr D'Argencourt takes a battle stance. "Now, en garde!"

Marinette shuffles forward nervously. Cat Noir is the one with the fancy staff moves, not her. Mr D'Argencourt suddenly lunges forward.

"Ahhh!" Marinette screams, holding her sword up just in time to block his attack.

She pushes his sword aside and jumps back but Mr D'Argencourt comes charging after her again. Marinette panics and starts running away, dragging Adrien along by his chained wrist.

"Come back and fight, lily-livered cowards!" Mr D'Argencourt demands.

"Marinette, you're supposed to run towards the enemy!" Adrien says.

"I can't do this. I can't do this!" Marinette stresses.

Adrien digs his feet into the ground and starts pulling Marinette back towards the fight. "Yes—You— can!'

Marinette tugs back on the handcuffs. "No— I can't!"

Mr D'Argencourt cackles. "Clearly, you have not yet grasped the conception of The Ultimate Competition. Surrender now, for you are not worthy."

Marinette looks down at the handcuffs. "He's right...I can't do this," Adrien opens his mouth to argue but Marinette interrupts him. "—Not by myself. I can't do this alone."

Mr D'Argencourt smiles and begins striking his sword with Marinette desperately trying to keep up with countering his attacks using her own.

"We need to work as a team!" She says urgently.

"Right." Adrien agrees firmly. "Marinette, here! He's open!"

Marinette whacks Mr D'Argencourt's sword to the side before chucking her own sword over to Adrien. He quickly snatches it from the air and lunges forward to strike. But Mr D'Argencourt is too quick, he deflects the attack and begins sword fighting with Adrien, who is severely weaker given that he is fighting left-handed.

"I can't keep this up!" Adrien says.

"Look out!" Marinette yanks Adrien back by his handcuffed wrist, barely escaping the sword Mr D'Argencourt had swung at him.

"Back to you." Adrien passes Marinette the sword and she readies her stance.

"We've tried attacking him but he's too quick on his defence." Marinette analyses.

"So we need to disarm him first." Adrien concludes.

Marinette nods decisively. "I've got a plan."

Mr D'Argencourt thrusts forward to engage in combat again. Marinette doesn't know any moves or techniques to disarm an opponent wielding a sword, she may not be experienced in fencing but she is clever. Marinette studies Mr D'Argencourt's movements, waiting for an opening. Finally, he slows down to expend his energy in one strong attack and when he bursts forward with a straight sword, Marinette pulls her handcuffed wrist up as a shield. Mr D'Argencourt's sword goes straight through the metal loop in the chain of the handcuff. Marinette then whips her arm around and back, twisting the sword, which got stuck in the handcuff chains, out of Mr D'Argencourt's hands.

Mr D'Argencourt stumbles back in shock but his expression soon relaxes. "I accept defeat." He bows in respect before taking back both the swords.

"Monsieur D'Argencourt, may you please stamp our card so that we can, er, continue our quest? Or something..." Marinette asks politely, holding out the piece of paper Max gave her.

"You are talented, maiden of Dupain-Cheng." Mr D'Argencourt says, nodding in approval.

He stamps the card and hands it back to Marinette, who bows respectfully before turning to leave.

"And Monsieur Agreste," Mr D'Argencourt speaks up.

Adrien looks back at his fencing coach. "Yes, sir?"

Mr D'Argencourt smiles. "You have found yourself a fine young lady."

"Oh...thank you sir—I mean, no! I mean—yes? No. S-She is fine I suppose but she's not—we're not—I didn't...find her?" Adrien stammers. He groans and face-palms his forehead. "Nevermind..."

Marinette giggles. "Feeling a bit out of it today?"

Adrien's cheeks go red with embarrassment. "Yeah...I'm just tired, that's all."

Marinette tilts her head and slowly reaches out to poke Adrien's cheek. "Hot."

Adrien's face flushes brighter.

Marinette quickly retracts her hand. "N-Not you, your cheeks! Not that you're not hot... No! What I meant was, I've never seen you blush before. Actually, I couldn't even imagine you getting flustered." Marinette looks down bashfully, realising how stupid she must sound. "Anyway, don't worry. There's no reason to get embarrassed around me, the queen of scatterbrains. I'm always jumbling up sentences and choking on my words. In fact I find it...comforting, that you're a normal person with normal flaws just like me. Ah, not that you're flawed! Well I guess everyone is flawed... but—but I don't mind. Argh! See what I mean about being a scatterbrain? I'm a total dorkosaurus..."

Adrien smiles and lifts Marinette's chin. "That makes two of us. Come on, Princess. I need your scatterbrain to help me finish the next task."

Adrien starts walking ahead. Marinette trails behind slightly, smiling widely. It is not long before they come across Ms Mendeleiev judging costumes and stalls, scowling as she scribbles on her notepad.

"I sure hope Ms Mendeleiev doesn't give us any chemistry equations to solve." Adrien jests.

"Come on, we haven't got much time." Marinette charges forwards determinedly. She reaches the cranky science teacher and puffs out her chest in attempt to be intimidating. "Ms Mendeleiev, we are here for The Ultimate Competition. State your challenge but be warned, we just won in a sword fight against Armand D'Argencourt himself."

Ms Mendeleiev looks Marinette up and down with a straight face. "Alright. Your task is to make me laugh."

Marinette's confidence shatters. "L-Laugh? But...But you never laugh."

Ms Mendeleiev's eyes narrow menacingly.

Marinette whimpers. "I-I mean, uh—Did I ever tell you about the child who asked his mother how people were born? She told him Adam and Eve were the parents of humanity, they made babies who grew up to become adults and start their own families and so on. But then the child went to his father and asked the same thing to which his father answered, 'we were all monkeys that evolved to become what we are now'. The child ran back to his mother, enraged that she had lied to him but she simply responded 'No, your father was just talking about his side on the family'." Marinette laughs nervously. "It's—It's funny...right?"

Ms Mendeleiev crosses her arms and raises her eyebrows.

"No? Okay—um..." Marinette's taps her fingers together awkwardly as she thinks of another joke. "I know! Why couldn't the blonde dial 911?"

Marinette waits for Ms Mendeleiev to ask why but she just stands there silently glaring at her.

"Because she can't find the eleven!" Marinette finishes, trying to sound enthusiastic despite her crumbling faith.

Still nothing.

"Argh, this is useless." Marinette moans. "I've never even seen Ms Mendeleiev smile!"

"I know right." Adrien agrees. "I'd tell her a chemistry joke but I know I wouldn't get a reaction."

The corner of Ms Mendeleiev's mouth twitches slightly.

Adrien grins. "Hey teach, what do you do with a sick chemist?"

Ms Mendeleiev sighs stubbornly. "I don't know, Mr Agreste. What do you do with a sick chemist?"

"Well if you can't helium, and you can't curium, then you might as well barium." Adrien answers.

Ms Mendeleiev smiles slightly. Marinette's eyes widen in astonishment.

"What was Forrest Gump's email password?" Adrien presses on.

"I don't know, what?" Ms Mendeleiev responds a little happier then before...or rather, less angrily.

"1forrest1!" Adrien calls out.

Ms Mendeleiev exhales through her nostrils as if holding in a laugh.

"Did I tell you about my friend who broke his left arm and left leg?" Adrien continues.

Marinette face-palms herself and shakes her head slowly in disappointment. Ms Mendeleiev, however, grins as if anticipating the punchline.

"Well don't worry." Adrien says. "He's all-right now!"

That was it. Ms Mendeleiev cracks. She bursts out in a sequence of unattractive snorting and cackling that causes Adrien and Marinette to recoil.

"Seriously? That made her laugh?" Marinette complains. "Who knew Ms Mendeleiev would laugh at such lame puns."

"Lame?" Adrien repeats defensively. "Everyone loves puns! Don't be bitter just because I have a natural comedic charisma." He says playfully.

"You're right. I would give anything to share the same sense of humour as Mrs Mendeleiev." Marinette teases.

Ms Mendeleiev clears her throat and composes herself. "You made me laugh kids. As promised, I will stamp your card but you are never to recount this event to anyone." Ms Mendeleiev stamps Marinette's piece of paper aggressively. "Got it?"

Marinette gulps and nods in agreement. She and Adrien quickly hustle off.

"It shouldn't be too hard to find the other teachers since the school courtyard isn't that large. We found Mr D'Argencourt and Mrs Mendeleiev easily enough. It's just the challenges that are taking up our time." Adrien says.

"Well all we have left is Ms Bustier and MrDamocles' tasks." Marinette replies. "They're both nice and reasonable people, right? How hard can it be..."