After the unexpected akumatization of Gigantitan, there wasn't another akuma for Marinette and Adrien to defeat for the rest of the weekend. However, that didn't mean that things in Arcadia would be the same in terms of being quiet. Granted, the weekend was quiet for Jim and Toby. Even when Jim's Grandma Gina; who had been staying in Arcadia while planning her tour of the western side of the world, took them out on Saturday for a day out. But while the weekend was quiet on Jim's side of the world, he was unaware of the trouble brewing now that Otto Scaarbach had finally cleared customs and arrived in Arcadia Sunday night.

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Thanks to Otto Scaarbach showing off the Eyestone to his fellow Changeling at the airport, it immediately grabbed the attention of airport security. As such, they called the police and confiscated the briefcase, delaying getting the Eyestone back from law enforcement. Sure, Otto could have had someone come in and steal it, but that would have drawn unwanted attention to the plan to get Gunmar out of the Darklands. So Otto waited until the police deemed the Eyestone safe, needing to wait almost three weeks before it was released back to him. Once he had the Eyestone in his possession, Otto hightailed it to Arcadia Oaks as fast as possible, arriving the next night. But due to how late he had arrived, it forced Strickler and Bular to wait and gather their associates to witness the Eyestone being placed on the bridge.

This led to Strickler using the school's lunch break to take a walk in town, book in hand as he went to let those in on the plan know about the evening's events. After a little while, he soon found Councilwoman Nunez sitting on a bench in front of the museum, alongside her 'baby' and the last of Stickler's associates. Upon seeing the mother cooing happily at her 'child', Strickler used her distractedness to advance to that same bench.

"Que precioso." Ophelia cooed as she happily played with the Changeling child that she was unaware of, NotEnrique cooing happily in his disguise before she covered her eyes with her hands. "Boo!" the councilwoman softly exclaimed, uncovering her eyes with a soft and happy smile and causing the fake Enrique to giggle happily.

"Si, guapo."Ophelia praised just as Strickler sat beside them, catching her attention easily. "Oh, hello." she greeted the man before slightly moving her stroller closer to her, only for her cell phone to suddenly ring while Strickler started to read on the bench, minding his business. At the sound of the cell phone, Ophelia immediately grabbed it and answered it.

"This is Councilwoman Nunez." Ophelia greeted the call, turning back to smile at NotEnrique just as he started blowing raspberries at her. "What's that? the councilwoman asked, standing up from the bench and focusing on her phone instead of her 'child' after she so deliberately moved the stroller close to her once a man sat beside her. But once she headed off and was far enough away, the stroller holding NotEnrique bounced as it turned to face Strickler, the sound of changing forms echoing alongside a flash of green light.

"We are meeting today to activate the Eyestone." Strickler mumbled, shyly moving his eyes to face NotEnrique as he sat in the stroller in his true form.

"You mean, we're gonna finally be able to talk to the big honcho?" NotEnrique asked as he pulled out his bottle, in awe of the news before he remembered one tiny detail. "Oh, I can't. Your prize pupil did a number on me new home and now I can't leave the house." the tiny pest said, finally reporting his mistake to the taller Changeling.

"You've been exposed!?" Strickler quietly scolded, not looking up from his book to prevent any onlookers from noticing the secret conversation.

"What was I supposed to do? The fleshbags used a Gaggletack on me!" NotEnrique exclaimed before he sucked on the nipple of the bottle, swallowing down the formula to soothe his growing nervousness.

"Bular will be upset." Strickler stated, glaring at the tiny Changeling that was careless enough to get caught so soon.

"Wait! This could be a good thing! They think I'm helping them." NotEnrique quickly rebutted, placing his bottle on the safety bar of the stroller. "I've learned things." the little pest whispered, covering his mouth with the side of his hand as he leaned towards Strickler.

"Like?" Strickler questioned, willing to give NotEnrique a chance to defend himself if it meant he had information they could use. As a result, NotEnrique looked back at Mrs Nunez to make sure she was still on her call before looking back at Strickler, happy to spill the beans while his 'mother' was speaking on the phone.

"Mr. Six-Eyes and Big Scary Name..." NotEnrique began after taking another sip from his bottle, now starting to sing like a canary.

"Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!!" Strickler added in, looking up from his book for a second as he discreetly corrected his associate.

"Yeah, whatever. The big one don't talk much but the smart one's certainly taken to the boy. You should've seen how he and BugGirl stood up for him against the old goat man, Mr. Trollmarket." NotEnrique reported, immediately catching Strickler's absentminded attention.

"Ladybug and Vendel?" Strickler gasped, his eyes growing in recognition as he looked back at NotEnrique with shock. "Wait, you've been to Trollmarket? And you've seen Ladybug with the Trollhunter, too?" the history teacher interrogated NotEnrique, closing his book as he leaned towards the chuckling pest as he sucked on his bottle again.

"They take me all the time now. From what I saw, BugGirl was acting pretty friendly with the Trollhunter. But she was only there for the Trollhunter's birthday and to confirm she saw Killahead Bridge." NotEnrique cheekily added, knowing he was in the clear with the quality information he had given.

"LADYBUG KNOWS ABOUT THE BRIDGE!!" Strickler nearly screeched, only to remember himself in his absurd panic before moving the stroller to face him. "From now on, you report only to me. Perhaps there are some things Bular doesn't need to know." the Changeling hissed, glaring evilly at NotEnrique before they heard Mrs Nunez coming closer while continuing to talk on the phone. Looking to see how close she was, NotEnrique panicked at the sight of her only a few feet away before tossing his bottle and covering himself with the blanket, keeping himself hidden as she came back to the bench.

"Go ahead and do that. Enjoy your day." Ophelia farewelled the caller as she returned to the bench, hanging up when she saw Strickler 'playing' with her 'baby' hiding under the blanket. Immediately, Ophelia looked at the man questioningly as she pulled the stroller back to her, checking on her baby when she found his blanket over his head while Strickler just smiled, trying to play off his peculiar actions.

"Who is a lovely adorable baby? Wish they could stay that age forever, right?" Strickler said to the mother, putting on an act that he had been playing with the baby all along before walking off, leaving Ophelia perplexed. But she filed it away as she took the blanket off of her 'son', who had changed back into his human form before the blanket was taken away and blew another raspberry at his 'mother', giggling happily.

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Very soon after Strickler's encounter with NotEnrique, classes at Arcadia Oaks High were let out and the students went home. Unaware of the information learned about them and their allies, Jim and Toby were happily picked up by Gina and taken back to their neighborhood cul-de-sac before she went back out to gather supplies for her next trip. After she left and Jim said bye to his mom as she went in for a night shift, the boys went back to their houses for the night. However, Toby was able to relax and play video games with Aaarrrgghh!!! for the evening, while Jim had a training session with Draal. Normally, Jim would look forward to training with Draal, but after the day he had... he was less than focused on the sparring match between them.

At first, the sparring match was going well. But Jim soon found himself desperately trying to block Draal's heavy hits, both grunting and groaning as their weapons clashed against one another. Finally, Jim stumbled back after Draal used his spear to push him away from him, the Trollhunter's chest glowing a magnificent blue in the fading daylight while his face contorted into a distracted expression. Fortunately for Jim, he quickly gathered himself after the forceful push and blocked Draal's two-pointed spear from piercing his silver armor with his sword. Pushing the weapon away from his small body, Jim then watched as Draal raised his arm and quickly let it fall to the Trollhunter's location. Luckily, the young boy dove away from the destructive path with a yelp, causing the spear to land in the soft dirt where he previously stood.

Now out of the way and seeing Draal open for an attack, Jim then hoisted his sword above his head and swung at the large blue Troll. Unfortunately, his opponent quickly blocked the blow, the sword nicely fitting into the spear's gap as sparks soared from the sudden metal connection. With Jim's weapon locked in his, Draal moved his spear in the blink of an eye, making Jim lose his footing at the sudden move. His body then spun out of control, his sword pointed out away from him while his face was covered in fear and shock as Draal watched the young man tumble to the floor, his sword vanishing in thin air. Laying on the ground, Jim moaned in slight pain just seconds before Draal pointed the spearhead near Jim's exposed neck, declaring the win. The battle was, in fact, quick.

"I think I just broke my butt." Jim complained, Draal keeping his weapon pointed at the boy as he spoke.

"Were this an actual battle, Trollhunter...," Draal began his lecture, followed by a spin of his spear to point the other end at Jim, who was startled enough to slightly back up from the Troll. "You would have just been deprived of your right leg, three fingers..." the crystal-backed Troll continued, smacking the blunt end of the weapon at the mentioned areas not as gently as Jim hoped he would. But just as Draal was about to forcefully point his spear at Jim's sensitive spot, the boy panicked and donned his sword, stopping the blunt end from traveling any further.

"And your Gronk-Nukks." Draal concluded, huffing in disappointment.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just a little distracted tonight." Jim explained as he stood up from the ground, thinking such a battle was over. However, Draal used the distraction to take another hit on Jim, forcing the Trollhunter to roll to the other side and once again block his blows.

"Bular will use your distraction as an opportunity to cleave your head from your shoulders." Draal scolded Jim as he kept attacking him, soon managing to sweep him off of his feet with his immeasurable arm and send Jim back down onto the ground, the boy defeated once again.

"Oh." Jim spewed out after Draal finished his warning, his eyes huge and his eyebrows slanting profusely while his lips curved into a shocked, and distracted frown.

"What has you distracted this night?" Draal questioned the boy as he held his hand up, which Jim simply grabbed as he peeled from the grassy plain.

"You wouldn't understand." Jim replied, which seemed to be the wrong thing to say as Draal suddenly threw Jim to the other side of him with a growl, roaring as he pressed him back into the ground and pinned his arm behind his back.

"I am a son of the former Trollhunter and Red Scarab, Trollhunter. I think I'd be able to help with your little trifle." Draal argued, holding his spear behind Jim's neck for added incentive.

"I'm a little preoccupied about kissing Claire." Jim finally admitted, causing Draal's eyes to grow wide at the answer.

"Oh, romantic trouble." Draal remarked, pulling his spear back from the by and backing away to let Jim sit up. "You are lucky that my sessions with your sister have given me some sort of insight into these matters." the large blue Troll said as he picked up Jim and set him on one of the boulders near them, sitting down on the one in front of the boy.

"So tell me what's going on." Draal encouraged, hoping to help the boy he had become close to as of late.

"The school play, Romeo and Juliet. We're rehearsing the kissing scene. And I have to kiss her tomorrow." Jim explained before he flopped backwards from the rock and landed on the ground in defeat, dragging his hands down his face.

"That's why you are so distracted? A courting ritual?" Draal questioned the boy, earning a stare of perplexity from Jim as he lay on the ground. "Marinette explained what kissing was the last time she was here." the crystal-backed Troll admitted, leaving Jim a little relieved at the news.

"At least I don't have to explain what it is." Jim muttered as he sat back onto the rock, putting his sword away and letting his armor fade back into the amulet. "But Draal, I really like her. And if I blow our first kiss, I might not get a second or a third." the blue-eyed boy went on, revealing his fears about tomorrow to his large friend.

"You're afraid." Draal observed.

"I know, I know. The first rule of being the Trollhunter is 'Always be afraid'." Jim mopily ranted as he looked away from Draal during his explanation, afraid to show his despair. "But that's with Trolls, not girls. Girls are, like, the opposite of Trolls. Even after growing up with Mari, I'm still totally out of my element!" the Trollhunter whined, turning to face his protector once he was close to finishing his description. But after hearing Jim's worries, Draal tapped his finger against his chin in thought, his fingers making a small clicking noise as they did before he finally spoke.

"I once had similar stirrings for an Impure." Draal reflected, now having an inkling of what Jim was experiencing.

"Nomura, right?" Jim inquired the blue Troll, causing Draal to freeze at the question.

"H-how did you..." Draal sputtered out, surprised that Jim figured it out so quickly.

"It was obvious to me and Marinette when we saw you fighting her for the first time." Jim explained, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly with a lopsided smile. "Plus... we've got a bet going on." the blue-eyed boy added before he bashfully rubbed the back of his neck, admitting to his and Marinette's little guilty pleasure.

"In any case... I know of something that may help." Draal began, focusing more on helping Jim instead of harping on the fact that he was apparently an open book to the two siblings. "If these 'girls' require you not to be afraid then you need a Grit-Shaka." the crystal-backed Troll declared, confidently pointing at Jim as he spoke.

"Is that a protein shake?" Jim questioned, not familiar with the item Draal had mentioned.

"A Grit-Shaka is a totem used by the Gumm-Gumms. If you wear it, it banishes all cowardice. It makes you fierce and ready for battle." Draal explained, his arms moving to add imagery to his words before Jim pressed his fingers to his chin, thinking quickly about the information.

"You wouldn't happen to have one of these, would you?" Jim asked Draal, the Troll humming as he copied Jim's actions with a grin.

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Unbeknownst to Draal or Jim, Strickler arrived at the town museum just as the last rays of daylight turned into darkness, his long shadow appearing on the floor as he walked inside. As he walked, it didn't take Strickler to make it through the lonely hallway to reach where the finished Killahead Bridge was, Bular, Nomura, Otto, and the Goblin leader waiting for him.

"We've been waiting." Bular said to Strickler as he stepped up to the group, softly glaring at Bular before an excited Otto appeared next to the Changeling seemingly out of nowhere in pure excitement.

"Are we quite ready?" Otto asked his associate as he placed his hand upon Strickler's shoulder without hesitation, receiving a small nod from Strickler. "Then let's party." he nearly squealed as he did a little dance as he walked towards the briefcase continuing the Eyestone, unaware of Strickler's face twisting in awkward disgust at the man. But that didn't stop Otto from opening the small briefcase he placed on the floor, an excited gasp escaping his lips as he opened it and a soft glow came from inside.

"The Eyestone! The last piece, it is complete." Otto gushed as he held up the triangular-shaped stone, the glow emitted further from it as it washed the room in blue waves of light.

Suddenly, the shape levitated from Otto's hands, leaving the gathered group to watch with mouths ajar while Bular stood with anticipation, his excitement to see his father was growing rapidly. The stone was then slowly sucked into the rest of the bridge, filling the space made just for it just above the under crest of the structure. As soon as the stone settled into place, the blue smoke suddenly disappeared, hiding the only light source in the room while a giggling Otto couldn't hold his excitement at the sight. Neither could Strickler, who watched the bridge complete itself with a wicked smirk while Bular just chuckled at the accomplishment.

But despite the bridge's completion... nothing seemed to happen, causing Bular's happy moment to die down as a small snarl echoed through the room.

"It doesn't work." Bular snarled, displeased by the anticlimactic reaction while showing everyone else waited patiently.

"Bular, patience." Otto chided the large Troll, closing the briefcase and standing to his full height just as all the lights suddenly died down around them.

Seconds later, the Eyestone once again glowed a bright blue, small sparks of the same hue appearing as the glow spread like a disease and covered every crevice of the bridge with its sleek color. After covering the Killahead Bridge, the blue glow shined brighter, causing Bular to grin in satisfaction while Strickler couldn't help but show the shock that rested on his face. It was working!!!

Streaks of blue then connected in the middle of the bridge, creating a large orb that quickly disintegrated and shot out the blue smoke at the Changelings and Trolls that waited. Once the smoke had passed, the orb then acted like a Supernova and the entrance to the bridge was covered in a wall of blue mist, allowing an outline of a figure to appear in it. One with thick horns proudly displayed while the true details of how frightening the figure actually looked were hidden. But it was all that the gathered villains needed to know who was behind the mist.

"Son!" Gunmar spoke as the smoke died down, a Goblin ran away from the scene out of fear when seeing such a king rise from his forever grave.

"Father." Bular breathed in reverence, left speechless for a moment after hearing his father's voice after so long.

"His voice is so scary!" Otto spoke, sounding in love while Bular walked near the bridge and kneeled in front of the projection of his father.

"Father, your release from exile will soon be at hand–" Bular began, only to be interrupted from his awkward position when Strickler walked forward.

"Your dark excellence. I am humbly in your service." Strickler said as he stood in front of the bridge, Bular growling at him interrupting the first discussion he had with his father after so many centuries. "Killahead is nearly complete and you will soon be free." the Changeling assured Gunmar, everyone in attendance looking at the wall of mist in waiting for their lord's answer.

"This pleases me, Stricklander. You have done well." Gunmar praised Strickler, his voice deep, ferocious and nearly freezing a single man in fright.

"You hum–" Strickler began to reply, only for Bular to return the favor of his earlier interruption and nudge Strickler none too kindly away as he walked up to the bridge.

"Father, the mantle of Trollhunter has fallen to a human. And this Impure has ordered me not to harm the boy..." Bular reported to his father, gesturing to his reluctant partner in his father's release.

"Your Excellence, killing a human child will bring too much scrutiny down upon us--." Strickler argued, his hidden desires to keep Jim alive bubbling to the surface

"He has forbidden me to take the Amulet from him. And to add even more to our problems, new Miraculous Holders have arisen!" Bular countered, waving his thick arm in front of Strickler to silence him.

"Miraculous Holders? It's been so long since I last heard of their exploits." Gunmar breathed out, surprised by the news his son had given him. "Is this true, Stricklander?" the Dark Underlord questioned the Changeling, putting a suddenly nervous Strickler on the spot.

"Yes, but they are more focused on their own matters on the other side of the world in regards to a rogue Miraculous Holder causing mayhem in Europe. They won't be a problem." Strickler replied, quickly hiding his worry as he assured Gunmar that things were still going to plan.

"It's only a matter of time before the Trollhunter allies himself with them! We need to take him out now!" Bular insisted, growing tired of Strickler's excuses to not kill the human Trollhunter already.

"Lord Gunmar, until the Bridge is complete, it is ill-advised to –" "Enough!" Gunmar roared, interrupting Strickler as more blue smoke rushed from the bridge, silencing them after Gunamr had run his fist into the barrier.

"You make my exile even all the more intolerable for your bickering." the dark Troll berated the arguing pair, the smoke dissipating as he spoke. "Stricklander is correct. Nothing is more important than preventing our plan from being discovered by our enemies." Gunmar declared, leaving the history teacher smirking at Bular with the win.

"But from now on, my son will give the orders." the imprisoned Gumm-Gumm warlord continued, Bular cackling at the glaring Strickler now that he was put in charge of the plan. "I will speak with my son, alone. Now!" Gunmar roared as he grasped the barrier with his fist once more, causing Otto and Nomura to exit first to respect his orders.

"As you wish, Your Greatness." Strickler replied to his dark lord with a bow, giving off a little sarcasticness as he spoke before glaring at Bular.

After that, he left the two in peace, pissed that his role wasn't beyond the greatness he assumed it would be and absolutely sure that Bular couldn't handle it. Due to his anger, he completely ignored the snickering Otto, Nomura and Goblin as he went past the large drapes covering the museum wing the bridge was hiding, his face contorted with rage. But Strickler's displeasure was the least of either Bular or Gunmar's concerns as they began their discussion.

"What has become of Stricklander? He appears to have grown soft." Gunmar observed, his voice still booming through the room despite his calmer tone.

"In his human guise, he has become the boy's teacher. I believe he has affection for the child." Bular revealed, rising from his kneeling to take a step towards the image of his father.

"You question his loyalties?" Gunmar questioned his son, intrigued by the news.

"I do, Father." Bular replied with no hesitation, leaving Gunmar to humm in thought.

"If his heart has turned, we must know. Test him." Gunmar ordered, leaving Bular excited by the plan his father had given him.

"With pleasure." Bular crooned, chuckling happily at the order as he placed his hand upon his heart to show his allegiance to his father.

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The foreboding night soon turned into the following morning, which led to both Jim and Toby heading off to school for yet another long day. But unknown to either of them, their day would be anything but uneventful thanks to Draal giving Jim a Grit-Shaka the night before. However, Jim didn't have a chance to try it out until History class came around, being taught by Coach Lawrence instead of Strickler this time.

"Alright, Mr Strickler's out today, so I'm subbing. He asked me to fill in to teach you some history." Coach Lawrance explained to the students while he pulled down the projector screen, clearly not looking to do as he had been asked. "So without further ado, I present Gun Robot 3!" the gym teacher declared as he walked away from the screen, the lights suddenly dimming as an image of a cowboy standing in front of a large robot while the students cheered.

As soon as the movie started, everyone went silent as it played, not warning to miss anything in their rare break from learning history. Jim, however, was not watching the movie, his focus on Claire as Mary leaned over and whispered in her ear while his nerves were still flying high. But Jim wasn't the only one not watching the film, seeing as a 'Geode Beanie' clad Toby was more focused on easing his friend's nerves.

"So, today's the big day. El smoocho, doth yonder." Toby said happily to try and hype Jim up while the boy wrapped himself in the jacket Marinette sent him for his birthday, both boys having started wearing their gifts all the time after receiving them. Unfortunately, the Trollhunter ignored him in favor of opening his backpack and gazing down at the Grit-Shaka on top of his books, eager to use it. "Got any breath mints?" the rounded boy asked his best friend, holding some up as he brought up the idea of having bad breath to Jim, easily scaring him further.

"No, but I do have sweaty palms." Jim replied, looking up from his bag and looking at the palms in question. "What if I do it weirdly? What if I can't breathe? Look at her! How can she be so calm?!" the blue-eyed boy panicked, throwing his head down in shame with a groan just in time to miss Claire nervously biting the end of her pencil.

Contrary to Jim's observation, Claire was nervous about the kiss too. After the two made up after Jim's babysitting flop, the Hispanic girl was starting to see the boy in a new light and developed feelings for the boy. And Mary was all for the drama as she watched Claire squirming around with a satisfied smirk before Claire realized what SHE was doing and stopped her nervous actions.

"Don't act coy, C-Bomb. I know it's all you're thinking about." Mary whispered as she took Claire's pencil, loving the sight of Claire being so nervous... especially about a boy.

"It's just acting, Mare. Nothing more." Claire chided her friend, taking her pencil back.

"Nothing more than a little of this." Mary teasingly questioned before she placed her hands on Claire's cheeks, pressing her lips into a pucker and blowing kisses to emphasize what she was saying.

"Mary!" Claire said with a small laugh, causing Mary to giggle too at their shenanigans while Jim hopelessly stared at his crush behind them.

But Claire's laughter immediately stopped when she saw Jim looking at her, forcing the two future lovebirds to make eye contact before awkwardly turning away. Doing so allowed Mary to easily see how Claire shyly turned away from Jim, who grinned at how her friend's lips formed into a tight line as she tried her best to slouch and hide.

"What you two need is a little chemistry lesson." Mary decided, getting up from her seat with a mischievous smirk.

"Chemistry?" Claire wondered aloud, quickly mulling over Mary's words before she understood what her friend was getting at. "Wait, Mary, don't!" she hoarsely exclaimed, quickly dove over her desk trying to catch her but failing before Mary walked to stand beside Jim's desk.

"Coach Lawrence? Jim took my seat." Mary cried out, pointing a finger at the poor boy who looked frightened by the accusation.

"Lake, give her back her seat." Coach Lawrence yelled from Strickler's desk, his face hidden behind a book as he sat reclined on the desk and not even bothering to look up from the book.

At the command, Jim simply stood from his seat and glared at Mary as he walked off, only to hit the desk beside him and almost knock the desk fully on its side, startling the kid sleeping in it. Following that, Jim quickly gathered himself and sat next to Claire just as she had looked away, too shy to face him just yet. As a result, the two sat in awkward silence before Jim nervously laughed at their proximity, to which Claire only responded by biting her eraser again and looking away. Upon Claire's reaction, Jim let out a soft sigh before turning to Toby with a shrug, looking to his best friend to have any suggestions for what he should do.

"Talk to her!" Toby whispered, using his hands as a puppet to emphasize the obvious course of action now that Jim was so close to his crush.

Now having no other choice, Jim turned and looked at Claire as he inhaled, ready to speak to her. But nothing came out so he turned away and rested his chin upon his hand, not seeing Claire give him a quick side glance before the hum from the Grit-Shaka caught Jim's attention. Upon seeing the totem, Jim decided to finally use it and reached into his bag, quickly sliding the necklace out and making sure Claire didn't see it. After yet another nervous glance at each other, Jim finally put the necklace around his neck.

As soon as he did, a weird sensation ran through Jim's body, his eyes flashing a different color before returning to normal. With the sudden surge of confidence coursing through him, Jim cracked his neck with a sly grin before turning to look at Claire once more.

"So... this is awkward, right?" Jim smoothly asked Claire, causing her to cease her nervous habit and place her pencil in her notebook. "Stage kiss." the Trollhunter remarked, earning a nervous chuckle from Claire.

"And they say comedy is hard." Claire added in a small voice, glad that Jim was taking the lead in the conversation.

"I know, right?" Jim replied, a cocky eyebrow raised at Claire alongside his smug smirk.

"Can you believe it? It's like the whole school is suddenly interested in our play." Claire said, in awe of how invested everyone was becoming in her and Jim's soon-to-be kiss before the boy slyly moved his desk right next to Claire's, their two friends watching from the back.

"Full disclosure, Toby even gave me breath mints!" Jim whispered to her, causing Claire to giggle before a chortle slipped past her lips and she quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment at the sudden noise. But Jim merely let out a laugh at how cute she was, leading the both of them to start laughing while Toby watched them in awe.

"Whoa!" Toby breathed out in shock, impressed by Jim's sudden confidence before he looked at Mary sitting next to him, who was not interested in anything but the screen. "Hey, Mary! You got a date for the play?" the geology nerd asked as he did the same thing to his desk that Jim had done, casually resting his hands behind his head.

"If not, you do now." Toby smoothly announced, draping an arm around Mary's chair.

"I'm in the play, you dork. Don't gross me out." Mary said simply, still not taking her eyes off the screen as she rejected Toby's advance.

"Noted." Toby replied, quickly moving his desk back and sitting awkwardly in his seat as he went back to watching the movie. 'Well, that didn't go so well.' he thought to himself, chalking the attempt to one of his least proud moments before looking back at Jim and Claire, smiling at how well things were going between them now.

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Soon enough, history class ended and the students filed out of the classroom for their mid-morning break and got ready for their next lessons. This is how Toby found himself bending down next to his locker and trying to pry it open to get his math textbooks with limited success.

"These things are like bear traps." Toby groaned just as Jim walked up beside him, blowing his fist and lightly slamming it in a rhythm against his locker door. Immediately, the small door creaked open for Jim after his little trick, allowing him to place his bag inside and leaving Toby amazed. "Whoa, you opened your locker on the first try! How'd you do that?!" the geology nerd asked his best friend, rising to his full height before Jim closed his locker again.

"Tobes, it's the Grit-Shaka." Jim said happily, gesturing to it with a toothy smile.

"That thing has a name?" Toby questioned, leaning in close to Jim and touching the totem in curiosity.

"It's like a courage totem. Draal gave it to me for the kissing scene today." Jim explained as he leaned against his locker, a smirk gracing his features. "And, oh, man, Tobes! You should've heard me with her in class! I was killing it!" the Trollhunter gushed, practically jumping up and down in his joy while Toby was left surprised by the sudden news.

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm sorry. Time out, time out. Draal, our Draal, is helping you with chicks? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Toby probed his best friend, not sure how this would turn out since he wasn't aware of Draal's previous experience in romance.

"Totally! It's supposed to make you brave, but, man, I am feeling really good!" Jim replied, ignoring Toby's skepticism as he started punching the air around him. "It makes me feel like I can do anything." the blue-eyed boy added while Toby knelt next to his locker again and tried the punching hack, only to be unsuccessful before Jim lightly pounded his fist onto the locker instead, opening it with ease.

"Wow. It made you cool." Toby breathed out in awe, standing up with a smile while Jim looked at his friend with a smile.

"Oh, I'm not just cool, Tobes. I'm crispy." Jim declared as he finger-gunned Toby just as the bell rang, only to walk out into the quad while Mary and Darci were passing by. "High-five!" the Trollhunter exclaimed, holding out his hand to the girls before they rejected his offer.

"Whatever." Mary scoffed, causing Jim to walk away unbothered by their rejection while they were unaware of Toby watching the whole interaction.

"Crispy?" Toby repeated, now concerned for his friend's surge of confidence before following after him.

From that point on, Toby was a witness to all of Jim's Grit-Shaka-fueled exploits. It started with a visit to the teacher's lounge, where the rounded boy watched as Jim strutted in, poured himself a cup of coffee and ignored Señor Uhl and Coach Lawrance's protests of his presence. The awkwardness only continued when CockyJim kept on challenging the teachers before he drank his cup of coffee and left the room, the teachers staring at him in concern as he went. Next came Toby's algebra class, in which CockyJim invited himself along and made an even more peculiar scene as he cockily tried and failed to solve for X. Even as Ms Janeth called him out on his failed attempt and his attendance of the wrong class, CockyJim sat at the teacher's desk as if he was the smartest man alive.

But the cherry on top of the doomed-to-fail Jenga Tower that Toby's day had become was when lunchtime came around. It was a little earlier than normal, so the boys had time to eat before Marinette would call them. The only problem was that in Jim's nervousness about the kissing scene, he forgot to make him and Toby lunch for the day, forcing them to eat in the cafeteria... on Chicken Surprise day!! Needless to say, CockyJim ordered it and Toby followed suit out of solidarity, leading to the both of them spending the remaining time before Marinette's call in the bathroom as their body rejected the horrible food. Unfortunately for Toby, CockyJim was far less affected by the Chicken Surprise and went on to do even more reckless actions, leaving Marinette forced to call Toby since CockyJim wasn't picking up his phone.

However, as soon as Toby filled Marinette in on what was happening, she was not happy, to say the least.

"DRAAL GAVE JIM A WHAT!?!?! WHY DIDN'T YOU RIP THAT NECKLACE OFF OF HIM WHEN YOU FIRST SAW IT!?!?" Marinette exclaimed while dressed in her pajamas, nearly bursting Toby's eardrum at the question that he had to pull his phone away from his ear.

"What's the big deal about it? Sure it's making Jim really cocky, but why is it so bad?" Toby asked while he put his phone to his other ear, using his finger to clear the ringing in the first one he used.

"It's a Gumm-Gumm totem!" Marinette exclaimed, immediately causing Toby's gut to be figuratively filled with lead when hearing the word 'Gumm-Gumm'.

"Draal offered it to me earlier when I admitted to having trouble talking to Adrien. At first, I was tempted to use it, but I didn't, and you know why? Because it's a Gumm-Gumm artifact! Like Hell I was going to use that when our enemies did!" the designer went on, further leaving her honorary brother even more concerned.

"Look, Jim didn't explain that it was a Gumm-Gumm totem when he showed it to me. How was I supposed to know!" Toby squawked, throwing his arms out in front of him as he walked down the school hallways and defended himself.

"Okay, fair enough. I'm sorry for snapping at you." Marinette apologized, managing to calm down a bit now that she heard Toby's side of the story.

"It's okay. I know you're just looking out for us." Toby replied.

"Exactly!" Marinette exclaimed as she threw her arms at her computer screen, glad that Toby was being so understanding. "And while I know Draal was just trying to help, this isn't going to end well." the pigtailed girl added, earning a worried stare from Toby once again.

"Why not?" Toby questioned, wincing at the mere thoughts that came to him when thinking the worst.

"While I didn't use it myself, Draal explained how the totem worked on Trolls. Plus, seeing as Jim is human, the Grit-Shaka seems to be letting his intrusive thoughts take control of him from what you've told me." Marinette elaborated as she pressed her fingers to her chin in thought, her Ladybug mindset coming to the surface as she took in all the facts.

"Yeah, that's not good. We better find him before he does anything more embarrassing and/or cringy stunts." Toby decided, his pace picking up now that he knew the stakes.

"That would be best, yes!" Marinette agreed, soon watching through Toby's phone as he zoomed down the hallways in search of Jim. Their search soon led to Toby finding Claire as she stuffed her items in her locker with a pout on her features, relieving the two before the rounded boy went to her.

"Hey, Claire, have you seen Jim? We kinda lost track of him." Toby panted out after his run, leaning against the lockers after the remaining food in his stomach started making him feel sick again after jogging around.

"Yeah, what's going on? He's been all over school making a spectacle of himself." Claire asked Toby, taking a book out of her locker and putting it in her bag.

"It's a long story." Marinette groaned, causing Claire to look down and see her on Toby's phone.

"Oh, you must be Marinette! I'm–" "Claire Nuñez, I know. It's nice to finally see you sort of face to face." Marinette interrupted, eager to have a proper talk with the girl her brother was crushing on.

"It's nice to see you, too." Claire replied, happy to properly meet Marinette too.

"Thank you! And I can assure you that Jim never acts like this. Today's a total fluke!" Marinette stressed, hoping to keep Claire from thinking Jim was too strange to even get to know.

"Yeah, well everyone's talking about him. I'm a little worried about him." Claire admitted as she grabbed another book from her locker, closing the door afterwards.

"You're not the only one." Marinette & Toby agreed with a shared look of concern, watching as Claire put her books into her bag. But as she finished, speaking of the devil, the loudspeaker blared as the three looked up and heard Jim's voice coming out of it.

"Hey, everybody, Jimmy Dupain-Lake here. Just a quick reminder for everybody to keep it crispy." CockyJim greeted the school, prompting Toby to scoff before he and Marinette facepalmed themselves. "Also, I taught myself bass guitar in the band room. This one goes out to my Juliet." the Trollhunter added, causing Claire to gasp at the word 'Juliet' before CockyJim started strumming the guitar quite terribly, his singing voice not too bad compared to his guitar playing.

"How'd you get in here?" another voice suddenly yelled through the loudspeaker, which was recognised as Principal Levit's as he interrupted the song. "Give me that thing!" Principal Levit demanded CockyJim, the struggle to get the instrument away from the teen being heard through the loudspeaker.

"You can't stop the passion, man! You can only fuel the fire!" CockyJim yelled out through the intercom, arguing with the teacher who had walked in on him.

"Yeah? Watch me!" Principal Levit argued back, fighting for the mic now that CockyJim's guitar was gone. But during all the commotion, Claire scoffed angrily at the argument before stepping away while Toby and Marinette watched the speaker, only for the two of them to see her leave.

"This is bad." Toby remarked, causing Marinette to look away from the loudspeaker and back up at him through his phone.

"No kidding." Marinette snarked back, only for CockyJim to suddenly run into Toby mere seconds later and nearly send them all to the ground.

"Oh, there you are Tobes! Did you hear my announcement?" CockyJim questioned his best friend, the two of them managing to keep themselves upright despite their tumble.

"We both did, actually!" Marinette announced, immediately grabbing CockyJim's attention to look at the phone in Toby's hands.

"Oh, Mari Tarty! I didn't see you there! How are you?" CockyJim asked with a smile, which only earned a glare from Marinette at the greeting.

"Okay first off, never call me that again. That was super cringy." Marinette stated, leaving CockyJim slightly taken aback at the critique. "And secondly, you need to take off that necklace right now!" the red-tipped-haired girl demanded, further displeasing CockyJim with her response to his behavior.

"Nice to see you too, sissy." CockyJim shot back, still managing to remember common courtesy despite being influenced by the Grit-Shaka. "But why would I take it off? It's making me feel so good!" the Trollhunter announced, pumping his fist into the air as he spoke.

"That Grit-Shaka is a Gumm-Gumm totem! Why would you be wearing something that our enemies use?" Marinette questioned CockyJim with a look of complete disbelief, which caught CockyJim off guard with her words.

"You mean 'my' enemies, right? You don't exactly face off against the stuff I do on the regular." Cocky Jim countered, immediately earning a glare from Marinette.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Marinette nearly growled, flabbergasted by the remark CockyJim.

'Oh no!' Toby panicked internally, quickly looking at the two siblings with worry before looking around to make sure no one was nearby. "Look, how about we just take a breath and calm down while we get somewhere no one will hear us?" the rounded boy suggested, not even waiting for a response before he pulled CockyJim along with him to the empty locker room.

"Okay, we should be alright now." Toby announced after making sure no one else was there, glad that no one would hear about their 'extracurriculars'.

"Good." Marinette said before turning her attention to CockyJim, her glare intensifying. "Now why would you say that the Gumm-Gumms are only your enemies? Seeing as you are my brother and they are attacking you, that makes them my enemies too!" the designer exclaimed, appalled by CockyJim's earlier remark.

"Are you kidding me? You're not over here enough for that to be the case!" CockyJim argued, leaning close to Toby's phone to focus on Marinette after the second boy lifted his device to CockyJim's eye level. "Honestly, you have it easy." the blue-eyed boy added, placing his hands on his hips as he looked off to the side.

"EXCUSE ME!?!?!" Marinette yelled, her eyes blazing in her sudden fury and causing Toby to wince from behind his phone.

"You go up against akumas and can fix everything afterwards. You've never had to kill anyone like me!" CockyJim stated, casually leaning against the lockers with a cocked eyebrow.

"Need I remind you that I was willing to kill the Stalkling sent after you? I'd say that counts for something." Marinette argued as she crossed her arms in front of her, not liking the tone CockyJim was taking when discussing her loyalty to him.

"Yeah, but you weren't the one to kill it! Unlike me, you've never had to kill anyone that was set on killing you!!" CockyJim claimed, which only seemed to fuel Marinette's rage towards him.

"Oh, that's rich coming from you! Apart from the Stalking, any threat you've had to face was because you provoked them thanks to your stupidity!" Marinette yelled from Toby's phone, calling CockyJim out on his past encounters with TrollKind threats. "I, on the other hand, have to face akuma that attack first and I've faced death more times than you have!" the pigtailed girl claimed, her voice rising in volume the more she went on while still making sure their parents couldn't hear their argument.

"At least all of Trollmarket doesn't think you're incompetent just because you're a human. They love you and barely tolerate me!" CockyJim fired back, glaring at his sister with a fury matching her own.

"Hey, don't say anything you're going to regret Jim. Girt-Shaka or not, I will put you in your place." Marinette warned, not willing to tolerate CockyJim's behavior even if he wasn't in full control of himself.

"I'm not scared of you. Why would I be scared of you when you run around in footie pajamas?" CockyJim mocked, stepping away from the lockers and approaching Toby's phone again. "Besides, it's not like you're protecting Paris alone. You have a lap cat doing all the dirty work while you hang back and do nothing!" the blue-eyed boy added, earning an infuriated death glare from Marinette and a fear-stricken one from Toby.

"Honestly, I'm surprised that fleabag hasn't-"

"ENOUGH!!! I swear if you finish that sentence, you are going to regret it!" Marinette screamed, her rage reaching a new level before she remembered herself and her sleeping parents on the floor below her. Despite having the attic space to herself, it didn't mean the walls were thick to prevent their eavesdropping parents from accidentally hearing them converse.

"I'm not going to sit by while you insult my partner. You have no idea what we really go through on my end." Marinette continued in a calmer tone now that she got CockyJim to stop talking, hoping to get him to listen to her and see reason. "You have the freedom to feel whatever negative emotion you want while no one in Paris; especially me and Chat Noir, can't! You have more freedom than we do!" the red-tipped-haired girl declared as she threw her arms out at her computer screen with a huff, which earned an unamused eye-roll from CockyJim in response.

"Yeah right. And I bet it's so hard to catch a terrorist that most likely works out of his basement like a loser!" CockyJim ridiculed, crossing his arms over his chest and mimicking Marinette's earlier posture. "Your job is so easy, I could do it all alone with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back." the Trollhunter claimed, pointing an accusatory finger at the girl behind Toby's phone screen.

"Jim, you're being ridiculous! While we are siblings, there are some lines I won't–" "Half siblings. And that's all we are on a good day. Other than that, we're barely around each other enough to be considered siblings." CockyJim snarled, causing both Toby and Marinette to be taken aback by the comment.

"Woah, Jim that was too far! Apologize to her right now!" Toby demanded, having enough of CockyJim's rudeness and no longer wanting to stand on the side while the siblings hashed things out between themselves.

"No, it's fine Toby." Marinette spoke up in a watery tone, prompting the boys to look down and see her tearing up a little. "If that's the way he feels, then who am I to disagree?" the designer rhetorically questioned the geology nerd, having had enough of the otherwise hurtful conversation she just had with CockyJim.

"Glad to hear you finally see it my way!" CockyJim cheered, the bell ringing seconds later. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get to rehearsals. I've got some ideas I want to run by the cast." the Grit-Shaka-influenced boy announced, quickly walking away while Marinette wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Toby." Marinette began, drawing Toby's attention to turn his phone screen to him and look down at it in his hands in worry.

"Yeah, MariFairy?" Toby asked, eager to help her after the argument they just took part in.

"If you don't get that God-awful necklace off of Jim by the next time I call him, I will personally take the next Gyre out from Stone Arc and yank it off of him, myself!" Marinette warned Toby, her voice taking on a darker tone to it that let Toby know she meant business.

"Right, got it. I promise I'll take care of it!" Toby assured her, himself wanting to help get Jim back as well. "In the meantime, you might want to find a safe place to calm down before Hawkmoth sends an akuma after you. Otherwise, we'll have two big problems instead of one." the geology nerd suggested, which immediately appealed to Marinette since she knew her emotions were running high at the moment.

"Good idea. I'll head down to Stone Arc and stay until I calm down. But I'm counting on you, Tobes. Bring our Jim back." Marinette said, getting a resolute nod and salute from Toby in response before she hung up the call. Once the screen was blank, Toby put his phone away and ran off to get help from Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!!, hoping they could help in intervening CockyJim from any more reckless or hurtful actions.

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While Toby went off to get help from their Troll friends, CockyJim soon arrived at play rehearsals and entered through the side stage door. As he did, he was greeted by the sight of Claire standing proudly on the stage as she spoke the starting lines of the kissing scene.

"Oh, be some other name. What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." Claire proclaimed, speaking her lines with such passion that it moved the viewing cast members to tears.

"Not as sweet as thee, milady." CockyJim replied as he appeared from behind the curtain, causing Claire to smile as he walked towards her while hoping he was back to normal. "And Romeo is here and ready to bring the thunder!" the Trollhunter cockily announced, wrapping his arm around Claire's shoulders with a pose with a stack of papers in his other hand.

"That's not the line, Jim." Claire nearly stuttered as she stood uncomfortably in the boy's embrace, her earlier hopes dashed away when seeing the smirk on CockyJim's face accompanying his statement.

"Yeah, I had a few thoughts about the script." CockyJim stated as he pulled away from the girl, holding the stack of papers out for her to take one of the rewritten scripts of the play he had in mind.

"You rewrote Shakespeare?" Claire questioned CockyJim as he handed one to the acting teacher as well, not liking what she was hearing at all.

"I punched up the comedy, amped up the action... added a little more, je ne sais quoi, romance." CockyJim explained while Ms Janeth read through the provided script, walking back to a now furious Claire.

"He rewrote Shakespeare!" Claire angrily exclaimed, walking to the edge of the stage just as CockyJim dove into a quick kiss, leading to him hugging himself as he made out with the air where she once was.

"Oh. A car chase." Eli said excitedly, holding out another copy of the script that Ms Janeth had given out to the rest of the cast to read over.

"What?" Miss. Janeth questioned, quickly going through the script again to see the aforementioned scene.

"After a few hundred years, the play was just feeling a little dated, you know? And what's with all the deaths? Gosh! What is this, a tragedy?" Jim exclaimed as he resumed his arrogant manner, standing proudly on the stage as he made his case before Miss. Janeth stood up from her seat.

"Be that as it may, Mr. Lake, we've spent months rehearsing the 'dated' pages." Ms Janeth reminded CockyJim, already having enough of his behavior before sitting back down in her seat.

"So, how about we do it the way it was originally written?" Claire suggested now that her earlier fury had died down a bit, hoping to get back to rehearsals as soon as possible.

"Sure. What say we bore the audience with your acting." CockyJim countered, immediately angering Claire once more.

"What's going on? You used to be the nicest guy. Now you're throwing parties, trashing my house, and now this?" Claire questioned CockyJim as he started circling her, his face twisted in an emotion that you would never see on the real Jim.

"Nice, right?" CockyJim asked, placing an unwanted hand on Claire's shoulder.

"This isn't you, Jim." Claire stated as she swatted CockyJim's hand off of her, trying to understand why he was acting this way when she knew he was the total opposite.

"It's me. It's totally me! Just the better me." CockyJim proclaimed, pointing to himself assuredly.

"Well, it's not better." Claire argued, a stoney pout appearing on her face as she tried to talk some sense into the overconfident boy.

"I know you think you're being cool–" "You're right. You're right. I'm not cool. I'm crispy!" CockyJim interrupted, sounding intoxicated before puckering up and leaning in quickly to capture her lips with his.

"What!?" Claire shrieked incredulously before she grabbed CockyJim's waist and judo-flipped him to the stage, appalled by his untoward advance. But despite being thrown around, CockyJim's groan wasn't from pain but from the amusement that he had found from it, further angering Claire. "Call it what you want, but you're being a jerk." the Hispanic girl growled before stomping off, leaving the stage while CockyJim rose to his feet.

"No kiss then?" CockyJim inquired in an attempt to push his luck, prompting Claire to throw the revised script into his face in response. "No skin off my back! Didn't want it anyway!" the blue-eyed boy yelled back as the pages fluttered around him, walking off the stage and leaving Miss. Janeth, Eli, and Mary watch with shocked expressions.

"Aw! What about the car chase?" Eli pouted from the crowd.

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After the disaster at rehearsals, CockyJim soon found himself awkwardly waiting for his grandma to pick him up from school. Seeing as Gina wanted to spend as much time with her grandson, she insisted on dropping off and picking up him and Toby for as long as she was in town. But she was surprised when he texted her that rehearsal ended earlier than normal, which only grew worse when she saw CockyJim sitting on the steps with a frown as she pulled up.

"Hello, my little knight! Is everything okay?" Gina greeted CockyJim, forcing the boy to quickly compose himself and stand up to walk over to her.

"Everything's totally fine, Granny Gina! Why wouldn't it be?" CockyJim responded to his grandmother, still sounding like he was intoxicated as he did in rehearsal minutes earlier.

'That's a new moniker.' Gina thought to herself, watching as her grandson finally reached her motorcycle. "Well, I saw the frown you had when pulling up. I was worried that something happened." the silver-haired adventurer said, earning an eye roll from the Grit-Shaka-influenced boy while he grabbed one of the extra helmets from her side bag.

"Eh, I just had a little incident during rehearsal. But it wasn't anything old Jimmy Dupain-Lake couldn't handle!" CockyJim assured his grandmother, who only stared at him in surprise at his words.

"Are you sure you're okay? You've never said your name like that before." Gina asked, not liking the sound or sight of how CockyJim was currently acting.

"Absolutely! Now how about we go and have a joyride? It would definitely be very fun!!" CockyJim cheered, pumping his free fist into the air in an attempt to appeal to Gina's more adventurous tendencies... as well as get her to ignore his new attitude.

"I don't see the harm in it." Gina decided, bringing a smile to CockyJim's face. "But where's Toby? I thought he would wait for you to finish rehearsal to ride home with us." the elderly traveler questioned CockyJim, which quickly reminded the boy of what happened in the earlier video call.

"Oh, we don't need to worry about him. He's already left to head back home." CockyJim lied as he hopped onto the motorcycle behind Gina, looking to avoid being ratted out by Toby. "Let's get this show on the road!!" the Trollhunter exclaimed as he finally put his helmet on, not seeing Gina glancing back at him with skepticism before she revved her motorcycle and they took off.

It didn't take much time for the two of them to go around the entirety of town 10 times thanks to CockyJim encouraging Gina to go as fast as she could. They soon got dizzy and went to get some ice cream, hoping to get their vision to stop spinning after their adventure. But when they were ordering their creamy treat and CockyJim was flirting with the teenage cashier in a... distasteful manner, that joined Gina's unsettled feelings and prompted her to try and say something about it.

"Jim... are you sure nothing happened at school today? You're acting very strange." Gina observed as she sat at one of the tables in the ice cream shop, her ice cream sitting in front of her while CockyJim walked over to her.

"I'm fiiiinne!! The only thing that happened at school today was me being my new awesome self!!" CockyJim replied as he sat in the chair across from Gina, sending a finger gun and a wink at the cashier.

"I see. And does this new 'awesome' self of yours include the... flirting you were just doing?" Gina asked her grandson, grabbing the boy's attention from his horrible flirting and directing it onto her with an intrigued stare. "If so, it was quite concerning the way you were just talking to that girl. Plus, I can recall that you mentioned having a crush on your co-star Claire for years." the silver-haired adventurer said, which immediately rubbed CockyJim the wrong way when being reminded of his earlier rejection.

"Well, I'm moving on! She rejected kissing me during rehearsals because she didn't like my new confidence." CockyJim announced, angrily digging into his ice cream to avoid being called out any more while Gina grabbed her ice cream and leaned back in her chair.

"And from what I understand, that's not the only thing you did today." Gina brought up, looking down at her cup of ice cream as she swirled her spoon around in it with a troubled look on her features.

"What are you talking about?" CockyJim questioned, his anger eating halting after hearing her remark and letting his spoon drop from his hand.

"Your principal called the house while I was having tea and biscuits with Nancy." Gina revealed as she looked up from her ice cream, some of her frustration about her hanging out with her dear friend being interrupted leaking into her tone. "He explained that you have been acting poorly and recklessly all day. Walking uninvited into the Teachers Lounge, interrupting a math class that wasn't even your own, and hijacking the announcement room. What has gotten into my sweet grandson?" the elderly traveler lightly interrogated the boy, setting her ice cream back onto the table as her tone became more distraught at the thought of Jim acting out.

"Why do you care? You're the Queen of Recklessness! If anyone would understand my actions today, it would be you!" CockyJim fired back, putting his cup down as he glared at Gina for calling him out on his previous deeds that day when she'd done much worse.

"There is a little bit of recklessness when having some fun, and then there's just acting like a brat and not respecting those around you, Jim." Gina lectured the boy, only to glare at CockyJim as he blew a kiss to the cashier, who recoiled and turned away from him. "Which is what you were doing today." the silver-haired adventurer added, which got CockyJim to turn away from the cashier and focus on her once again.

"So what? Are you going to lecture me on how I'm wrong to be more confident and tell me to go back to being a total wimp? What makes you think you're qualified to tell me how to act?" CockyJim badgered Gina, slamming his hands onto the table in rising anger.

"Excuse me?" Gina incuriously questioned the boy, not liking the tone he was taking with her.

"You travel around the world all the time that you barely even know me! Not to mention you have gotten yourself into so many crazy and dangerous situations that you have no room to judge me." CockyJim argued, ridiculing Gina in the most insensitive way Gina had ever heard.

"My adventures are a far cry from the behavior you displayed today! And while I know I haven't spent much time with you as a typical grandmother does, that doesn't mean you can talk to me like that." Gina responded, trying to keep her voice from rising in volume despite being disrespected.

"Seeing as you haven't asserted your authority either, it makes sense why you're so easy to not listen to. You are too easy to walk all over!" CockyJim exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air to emphasize his point. "No wonder you got akumatized so easily." the blue-eyed boy muttered as he folded his arms with a pout, causing Gina to gasp at the remark.

"Jim, that was very rude! I demand you apologize to me right now!" Gina demanded, hurt by the cruel words said by her own flesh and blood.

"So now you're becoming more assertive? A little late if you ask me." CockyJim pointed out, followed by him getting up from their table and walking to the door. "Talk to me when you stop roaming around the world like a homeless gypsy." the Trollhunter added as he left the ice cream shop, leaving Gina to stare at him in shock as he did.