With the threat to both Paris and Stone Arc hanging over them, Ladybug and Chat Noir made their way over to the roof of Master Fu's massage shop building. Thankfully, their powers made the trip very easy and they soon landed on the roof before looking around for the Guardian to help them.

"Master Fu? Master?" Ladybug called out, hoping he had been able to get to the roof before the building was completely flooded.

"This way." Master Fu sadly replied from behind a wall, prompting the heroes to walk over and turn the corner to see he was sitting on a block of wood while looking at the Grimore Tablet in his hands. Further inspection had thankfully shown that he had taken the potion-mixing setup from his kitchen up to the roof, greatly relieving the heroes that they didn't have to go down and retrieve it from the assuredly flooded apartment,

"Master, we need your help. Chat Noir and I can't defeat the mermaid underwater." Ladybug explained as the two heroes walked up behind the solum Master Fu, very close to begging for help in this disaster.

"I know! And, unfortunately, I haven't found the correct blend that could help you both out." Master Fu almost wailed in despair, studying the Grimoire on his tablet for any clue as to how to solve the riddle of the final ingredient. "I've failed you." the old Guardian sighed in defeat, placing a hand on his head to hide his face from his pupils. Fortunately, neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir was as quick to give up, which grew apparent as they walked over to face the Master in distress.

"No way! We are gonna find that last ingredient!" Chat Noir declared determinedly, pointing to the Grimoire image on the tablet and causing Wayzz to gasp and turn around while covering his ears, fearfully remembering Fu's earlier warning.

"The Tear of Joy? But we've tried everything! Water from the Laughing Fountain. Melted snow from the Mountain of Jubilation. Drops of pure chocolate extract!" Master Fu exclaimed incredulously before reminding his pupil of all his earlier attempts, not as optimistic as the heroes in front of him. "But... maybe the new ingredients you've brought might be the key, Chat Noir." he theorised, remembering the errand Chat Noir had done for him earlier when he saw the feline taking out his bottomless pouch to retrieve them.

"About that, I have a bit of a theory on that last ingredient." Chat Noir said as he walked over to Master Fu's potion-making set-up, placing the replacement ingredients with the others before turning to face him and Ladybug.

"What sort of theory exactly?" Ladybug asked, her curiosity rising at the mention of his earlier admission.

"While I was getting these ingredients from Styx, she said that potions makers tended to make their recipes have cryptic clues as the ingredient list." Chat Noir began as he put his pouch away, walking back over to his companions. "But she also said that in rare cases when an ingredient is already so cryptic, the potion makers usually leave it alone and add it to the list without fear of it being quickly discovered." the hero in black said, coming to stand next to Ladybug as she stood a mere foot away from the now confused Master Fu.

"And this helps us, how?" Master Fu questioned the superhero, not understanding the connection between his pupil's Stone Arc ally's advice and their current problem.

"Styx said that those ingredients tended to be the simplest and most literal out of all the others." Chat Noir clarified, now realising he was taking a little too long to get to the point. "What if the Guardians used the same technique for their potions as an extra protection in case their enemies deciphered their code? Seeing as the other ingredients were hidden by cryptic clues, it would make sense." the feline hero further explained, finally revealing the idea that had been rattling in his head since talking to Styx about the subject.

"I don't understand. What are you trying to say?" Master Fu asked, still not getting what Chat Noir was saying... unlike Ladybug.

"No, I get it! He's saying that 'The Tear of Joy' is a literal tear of joy!" Ladybug exclaimed, immediately understanding what her partner was talking about. "Kitty, you are a genius!!" the spotted heroine praised her partner before kissing his cheek amid her celebration, turning to face Master Fu just in time to miss seeing him blush and place his hand on top of the cheek she kissed.

"While this is all well and good, how are we going to get a tear of joy?" Master Fu inquired his pupils, despite being glad that the mystery surrounding the last ingredient was solved.

"That part is easy!" Ladybug chirped in reply. "Come on, tell me a really funny joke!" the heroine in red said to Master Fu, encouraging him to help out in getting said 'Tear of Joy'.

"Do you think this is really the time to have fun?" Master Fu deadpanedly questioned Ladybug, not seeing the reason for her request.

"Okay, we'll do it then." Ladybug decided, realising that she and Chat Noir would need to take matters into their own hands. "Why do you go to bed at night?" the spotted heroine asked the Guardian, leaving him puzzled.

"I don't know, uh..." Master Fu confusedly replied.

"Because the bed won't come to you!" Ladybug cheerfully exclaimed, immediately making Master Fu chuckle at the joke.

"Oh, I got one! Why did the gym close down?" Chat Noir spoke up, now joining in on the funny too. "It just didn't work out!" the hero in black happily answered, causing Master Fu to laugh even more.

"What does a snail say when it's riding on a turtle's back?" Ladybug questioned Master Fu, hoping one last joke would do the trick. " 'Wooohooo!!' " she joyfully cheered as she threw her arms up to emphasise her punchline, seconds before Master Fu laughed full heartily until a tear came to his eye. Upon seeing their attempts successful, Chat Noir knelt next to Master Fu and wiped the tear onto his finger, smiling at the result of his and Ladybug's joint efforts.

"One Tear of Joy, coming right up!" Chat Noir announced as he carried it over to the potion bowl, leaving the mellowing Master and Ladybug on the edge of their seats in the moments before he dropped it in.

Almost immediately after the tear dropped into the potion, the green concoction flashed brightly before producing a large skyward blast, knocking Chat Noir back from it in surprise. From there, the group watched as the blast swirled and expanded from the potion bowl, leaving behind green flames lingering on the potion's surface while they stared at it in awe.

"I think you two have just found the magic ingredient!" Master Fu praised his pupils as they watched the last of the green flames die out, followed by him getting up from his seat to grab a spoon and scoop some of the glowing power-up brew from the bowl. After making sure it wouldn't spill, he handed the spoon to Ladybug for her to take, both him and Chat Noir watching as she quickly drank it up.

"Mmm! Yummy!" Ladybug squealed, savouring the flavour before stepping back and saying... "POWER UP!" the spotted heroine exclaimed, triggering a flash of pink light to wash over her and transform her into Aquabug.

As soon as the light faded away, Chat Noir was left slack-jawed to see his partner clad in a scaly version of her regular suit and mask, sliver outlining the scales while glittery pinkish purple fins adorn her forearms arms and feet. Around Ladybug's waist, was a belt buckle mimicking her yo-yo and flanked by more pinkish-purple fins, while the collar of her suit changed to match the colour of her new fins. To top off the look, Ladybug's pigtails elongated into large blue and purple ombre ponytails tied by finny purple ribbons, adding to Aquabug's underwater aesthetic. Once the transformation was done, Aquabug took the time to admire her new costume design momentarily, turning to face her companions just as Chat Noir managed to recover from his awe.

"Whoa! You look amazing, M'Lady!" Chat Noir exclaimed, complementing his partner's new look.

"Thanks, Kitty." Aquabug thanked the feline, tucking a loose hair strand behind her ear as she turned to hide her blush from him. "Now, it's your turn." the red heroine urged Chat Noir, refocusing on the task at hand and prompting him to turn and see Master Fu holding out another spoonful to him, which he takes and downs in one go.

"POWER UP!" Chat Noir shouted, triggering the same flash of light Aquabug had earlier and start his own transformation into Aqua Noir.

Unlike Aquabug, Aqua Noir's new suit was more simplistic in its design. While he didn't have silver-outlined scales like his partner, he shared the same fins on his forearms and feet while also having one on his 'tail', the only difference being the neon green color instead of the pinkish-purple she had. The finishing touch of the look was a black belt around his hips, sporting a neon green pawprint on the front that fully tied it together.

"This is so awesome!" Aqua Noir exclaimed, excitedly turning around to inspect his new look like Aquabug had done.

"Looking good, Chat." Aquabug complemented, liking the look he had been given.

"Thanks, M'Lady!" Aqua Noir replied, smiling at the praise before refocusing on the mission. "Now we better get going. Syren needs to be defeated as soon as possible." the hero in black stated, earning a nod of agreement from Aqua Bug at the notion.

"Good luck, you two. Paris and Stone Arc are counting on you!" Master Fu told the two heroes, who nodded before Ladybug leapt away from the roof and dove into the water below to find Syren. But when Chat Noir was about to follow...

"Oh, almost forgot!" Aqua Noir exclaimed, suddenly remembering what he promised earlier and pulled out his bottomless pouch from his pocket, opening it to take out the jar of pixies from within it. "Can you keep an eye on these, please? I promise it's just until the fight is over!" the feline hero promised as he ran to the edge of the roof and dove in after Aquabug before Master Fu could respond, leaving the old man puzzled and concerned about the jar in his hands.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now in the water, Aquabug and Aqua Noir took the time to relish in the surreality of being able to breathe underwater like an aquatic creature. But it didn't last very long before they began to look for Syren and her captive 'Prince', soon finding signs of them in the submerged swimming pool. After sneaking in, the two heroes quickly spotted Kim at the back of the building and seated in the lifeguard's chair, which was surrounded by elaborate ornamentation while inside a large air bubble. However, the relief they had at seeing Kim safe was soured when they spotted Syren swimming around in the water around the air bubble, making them realise they needed to come up with a plan.

"I love what you've done with the pool! It's awesome!" Kim chuckled, unaware of the heroes plotting to free him as he took in the surreal beauty around him thanks to Syren's alterations.

"This is the pool where the old me tried to pour her heart out to you so many times." Syren reminisced as she came to float in front of Kim's air bubble, her voice carrying through the water with a hint of longing.

"But, uh...I've never seen a syren at the pool." Kim pointed out, unsure of what his host was talking about until she held her left wrist up and showed him her bracelet. "Ondine?!" the jock exclaimed after squinting at the accessory for a few seconds, sudden recognition dawning on him.

I'm your Syren now. And you could be my merman." Syren offered as she extended her hands towards Kim, going through the air bubble and slowly closing the distance between them. "It only needs a kiss, and you'll become just like me!"

"You mean I could swim as fast as you?" Kim questioned his akumatized friend, his eyes widening with excitement as Syren gently took his face in her hands and started to pull his face toward hers.

"Yes, Kim! You'll be my Prince, and we'll rule this underwater city together, forever!" Syren proclaimed, her voice filled with a mix of passion and anticipation while Kim leaned in, ready to seal their fate with a kiss.

But as if stuck by lightning, a sudden thought interrupted Kim's romantic reverie.

"Wait! Does this mean I never get to see Mecha Monkeys vs. Cyber Sharks 3?" Kim blurted out, his concern momentarily overshadowing the magical moment.

"What?!" Syren recoiled, surprised and taken aback by Kim's unexpected question.

"Oh, don't worry, you will! In fact, you'll probably make it to the next showing!" A voice echoed from the far end of the room, causing Syren to turn around and snarl at who intruded on her lair. Her anger only grew when she saw it was Aquabug, floating elegantly through the water with Aqua Noir at her side.

"The three of us can go together. I'll even share my popcorn." Aqua Noir added on before the two of them struck heroic poses in wait for their assured fight against Syren, leaving Kim in awe and Syren further enraged. But they weren't the only ones to witness the heroes's new looks.

"I knew those Miraculous had hidden powers!" Hawkmoth exclaimed through the link between him and his akuma, processing the surreal turn of events with slight admiration alongside his equally present annoyance before refocusing on the current standoff. "Syren! There are too many fish in this sea. Take their Miraculous before they take your merman away in their net!" the resident supervillain demanded, immediately fanning the flames of Syren's anger so much that she lunged at Aqua Noir as the link was cut off again, her eyes blazing with rage.

As soon as she made contact with the aquatic feline, Syren propelled him toward the front end of the room and swiftly pushed him back against an upper-floor railing. Fortunately for Aqua Noir, he wasn't pinned by Syren for long thanks to Aquabug quickly reacting and using her yo-yo to pull Syren away from him by her ankles. But it proved to be the wrong move when Syren countered with surprising strength, spinning a screaming Aquabug around the pool building until she was pulled dangerously close towards Kim's bubble.

At the sight of the soon-to-be collision with Kim's only air supply, Aquabug quickly pulled on her yo-yo to let go of Syren, the action allowing her to stop before she even touched the bubble. But after sighing in relief, the spotted heroine looked around for Syren in case she was about to attack her again, hoping to not be caught off guard by the akuma. Thankfully, Aqua Noir had recovered from the earlier attack and rejoined the fray, engaging Syren in a fast-paced underwater battle to keep her attention away from his partner.

"Your new outfits are so cool!" Kim exclaimed from inside his bubble while Aquabug kept an eye on the fight, startling the heroine out of her observing to turn and look at the jock inside the air pocket.

"Oh, um, thanks!" Aquabug replied distractedly, her focus still on the ongoing skirmish before swimming closer to the bubble. "But tell me, what happened to your friend that got her so worked up?" she asked as she gently placed her hands on the air bubble, trying to piece together the unfolding drama.

"We were playing a game of secrets, and I think she was trying to tell me that I'm the boy she likes. But, I was a doofus and didn't realize it." Kim confessed sheepishly, managing to see Aqua Noir getting pushed back by Syren before lunging back at her from the corner of his eye.

"Game of Secrets? What's that?" Aquabug inquired, genuinely curious amidst the chaos going on behind her.

"It's a game Ondine invented. You write down a secret and put it inside the bracelet's capsule. It's awesome!" Kim explained enthusiastically, gesturing with his hands as much as the bubble allowed before Aquabug turned around, her attention shifting to analyze the akuma. "You wanna know my secret?" the swim-cap-wearing boy asked Aquabug, only for her to ignore his question as she noticed the bracelet on Syren's wrist.

"That's where the akuma must be!" Aquabug declared just as Syren got ready to lunge at Aqua Noir again, prompting her to finally summon her... "Aqua Lucky Charm!" the heroine exclaimed, her powers manifesting...

"Car keys?" Aquabug wondered aloud as the object appearing out of thin water landed in her hand, only to shrug in acceptance. "I guess we should hit the road, then." the spotted heroine quipped as she pulled out her yo-yo, opening up to transform it into a breathing apparatus before handing it to Kim.

"Here. You can breathe through this." Aquabug said after Kim took the yo-yo from her, watching as he nodded gratefully and put it over his nose and mouth to test it out.

As soon as he confirmed Aquabug's claim, he gave her a thumbs-up and let her pull him out of the bubble, soon being escorted out of the building. Meanwhile, despite being locked in combat with Aqua Noir, Syren had taken a moment to glance back at the air bubble she had placed Kim in to make sure he was still safe. However, she was shocked to see him missing and quickly scanned the building for any sign of him... only to see him and Aquabug just as they exited the building

"Kim!" Syren screeched when she saw him leaving, unable to contain her anger as she abandoned the fight and darted towards the exit with determined strokes.

"Hey! We're not done yet!" Aqua Noir shouted, racing after Syren through the water as she pursued Aquabug and her prince.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as she exited the swimming pool building, Syren swims away and zooms down the submerged streets in search of Kim and Aquabug. At first, the search seemed to be in vain when she couldn't find any sign of them... until she turned a street corner and spotted Aquabug floating in the middle of the water-filled road.

"Ladybug! What have you done to my prince?!" Syren demanded from the heroine, her voice echoing through the submerged city.

"Oh, I think he took someone else to the ball. Such a shame." Aquabug coyly replied, knowing full well that Kim was hiding above water behind a nearby chimney while Syren became even more enraged.

"I won't let you steal him from me! KIM IS MINE!!!" Syren yelled, determination flashing in her eyes as she chased after the suddenly fleeing Aquabug.

At first, it seemed that Syren would easily catch up with Aquabug due to how fast she moved in the water. Thankfully for the red heroine, the submerged street was also full of floating cars that provided obstacles that kept Syren just behind her. And unbeknownst to Syren, there was another reason why Aquabug had chosen this particular street to lure the akuma.

"Aqua Noir! Are you all right?" Aquabug asked as she swiftly activated her ear communicator, contacting Aqua Noir while still being pursued.

"Yeah, Bugaboo. Like a fish in water." came Aqua Noir's reassuring reply, the aquatic feline swimming alongside her from the street on her right as they had planned moments ago.

"Great! Now, be ready to strike!" Aquabug said before continuing to swim down her street, leading Syren towards their trap at the end of it. Thanks to the number of floating cars, it was easy to trick Syren into following Ladybug towards a car with both of its doors conveniently open. But as the heroine passed through it easily with Syren still following after her, the malicious mermaid had no idea what awaited her as she entered the same vehicle.

"Aquq Noir! Now!" the spotted heroine commanded, prompting Aqua Noir; who had already made his way over from the neighbouring street, to waste no more time in striking the car's hood with his staff.

Immediately, Aqua Noir's hit triggered the vehicle's airbag to deploy inside the car, which instantly pinned Syren inside much to the akuma's surprise. With precise coordination, Aquabug and Aqua Noir then closed the car doors on either side, locking them using Aquabug's lucky charm and ensuring their captive wouldn't escape. From there, Aquabug then secured her yo-yo around the car's trailer hitch before she and Aquq Noir swam to the surface for the next part of their plan.

The two heroes then quickly lept out of the water and landed on a nearby roof, where Aquabug wrapped her yo-yo around Aqua Noir's staff before he extended it, making an impromptu fishing rod. As soon as they were sure the yo-yo was on tight, Aqua Noir then pulled back on the makeshift pulley, feeling the weight of the car attached to it on the other end.

"Looks like I got a nibble!" Aqua Noir quipped, pulling the trapped car out of the water and letting it land on the roof before he and Aquabug walked over to the car. "How cool! I always wanted a goldfish!" the hero in black exclaimed playfully, followed by him imitating a goldfish breathing with his mouth and flapping his hands on the sides of his head before Aquabug unlocked the car with her Lucky Charm. As soon as she did, the door popped open and the water spilled out onto the roof before Aquabug reached inside and took Syren's bracelet, cracking it in her hands to release the akuma from inside it. Once the akuma fluttered free from its tether, Aquabug quickly freed her yo-yo from Aqua Noir's staff for the next part of the routine.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma." Aquabug said as she ran her finger down the middle of her yo-yo, revealing the sparkling pool of cleansing energy inside of it. "Time to de-evilize!" the spotted heroine shouted before she threw her yo-yo toward the akuma, catching it within her yo-yo and pulling it back to her.

"Gotcha!" Aquabug cheered when the yo-yo was back in her hands. A second later, she released the purified akuma, setting the white butterfly free. "Bye, bye little butterfly," the heroine in red said as the butterfly flew away, right before throwing the car key into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Aquabug cried out, summoning the cleansing cure and the magic ladybugs.

In an instant, the Miraculous wave caused all the floodwaters to recede, leaving the city of Paris dry and restored to its former glory. The cure even made its way down to the city of Stone Arc below, managing to eliminate the excess water just as it was about to completely fill the entire cavern. With the flood threat taken care of for both cities, the last thing the cure did was transform Syren back into Ondine, who looked around and looked at her new surroundings with a mix of confusion and relief. But like all akuma victims before her, all she needed to do was spot the city's resident saviours standing nearby to know what had happened.

"Good work as always, M'Lady." Aqua Noir complimented his partner, glad to have saved the day yet again.

"That's because we're such a good team." Aquabug replied proudly, raising her fist to Aqua Noir for their post-battle ritual.

"Pound it!" Aquabug and Aqua Noir cheered, fist-bumping each other in celebration of another job well done.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After celebrating their victory, the heroes turned back into their normal forms and escorted Ondine back to the restored swimming pool. Once they made sure she would be alright, they went back to retrieve Kim and take him back as well before heading back to Master Fu's massage shop. Following a brief pit stop to detransform and don their civilian disguises, they entered the apartment building and found their mentor waiting for them in the kitchen, holding two racks with seven vials containing different potions.

"Woah, whatcha got there, Master?" 'Chad Noris' asked as they walked into the room, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Now that we know what 'The Tear of Joy' is, I was able to complete more power blends. Each blend on this paper corresponds to a new power." Master Fu explained as he showed his pupils a paper with matching colored circles and written descriptions of each, which Lacy Bugle took in her hands to read.

"Oh wow! That's a lot of powers!" 'Lacy Bugle' breathed in awe after she and 'Chad Noris' scanned the pages of corresponding powers, impressed by the variety of them.

"No kidding! Ice powers! Fire powers!" 'Chad Noirs' rambled as he gently brought the paper closer to him to read it, his eyes soon widening when he saw one power in particular. "Even freaking earth powers!" the hero in disguise declared, pointing at the emerald green colored mark next to the labelled power to show it to a furtherly impressed 'Lacy Bugle'.

"Seeing as we are expecting to face Troll Kind threats any day now, I figured they would be needed when the time comes." Master Fu reasoned as gave them each a rack of the vials, glad to see they were excited before his thoughts trailed off to a certain jar behind him. "Speaking of Troll Kind... I'm curious as to how you came into possession of a jar full of pixies, Chat Noir." the old guardian said as he turned to gesture at the aforementioned container, earning a perplexed look from 'Lacy Bugle' now that she was made aware of it.

"What are pixies?" 'Lacy Bugle' asked her partner, turning to look at the boy curiously.

"Mischievous little buggers that can subject anyone to witness their worst fear if they enter any orifice close to their brain." 'Chad Noirs' replied absentmindedly while still looking over the paper in his hand, only realising how bad his explanation sounded when he glanced away from his reading and saw the others gawking at him. "Styx's words, not mine! And they only came into her possession today!" the disguised feline quickly amended, trying to ease their obvious growing discomfort to the little creatures in the jar.

"How did she get those, then?" Master Fu questioned his pupil.

"A prank from Gut in Heartstone. Long story short, he sends a jar of them to Styx now and then to drive away her customers." 'Chad Noirs' explained, causing 'Lacy Bugle's' eyes to widen while her hands covered her mouth in shock when hearing the story. "But she assured me that they're harmless if unprovoked, are quite sweet and very good pollinators in the gardens they take home in." the disguised boy added, walking over to Master Fu's countertop to grab the pixie jar while repeating what Styx had told him before he took possession of it.

"I only have them as a favour for Styx. Normally she'd keep them in her garden at home, but it's already overpopulated with them. So I'm trying to find a place for them to stay so that she doesn't have to this time. I would take them home, but there's a few reasons why I can't." 'Chad Noirs' elaborated, turning to face his companions after placing his rack of potions where the jar once was to avoid dropping it. "Any of you guys know of any good garden spots?" he asked them, bashfully wincing as he made his case.

"Well, I don't know about Master Fu, but I know of a spot for them they'd absolutely love!" Lacy Bugle announced as she copied 'Chad Noirs's' earlier actions with the potion rack and set it down on the counter next to her, immediately making her partner perk up at her answer.

"Really? You'd help find them a home?" Chad Noris inquired his partner as he nearly bounded over to her, already so grateful for her help in relocating the pixies.

"Absolutely! They might be known for causing nightmares, but you said yourself that they're harmless unless provoked. How much trouble can they cause otherwise?" Lacy Bugle rhetorically questioned with a shrug of her shoulders, not seeing any obvious reasons to be worried about the little creatures when released after hearing 'Chad Noirs's' case.

"Thanks, M'Lady! I owe you one." Chad Noris praised as he handed the jar to 'Lacy Bugle', glad that she was eager to help him out with this.

"It's my pleasure, Kitty." 'Lacy Bugle' replied, taking great care in holding the jar of pixies so that she didn't drop it by accident just seconds after receiving it.

"Yes, very good." Master Fu spoke up after the exchange, commending his pupils for the speedy consensus before focusing on matters regarding the potions. "Now that that is settled, I suggest that you two should two keep the vials with you at all times, just in case. Who knows when Hawkmoth will decide to switch things up again." he added, hoping to instil the urgency of how important and handy the potions would be in the future.

"Well...that's not very practical. The vials could easily break in our bags." 'Chad Noris' remarked apprehensively, pointing out the obvious flaw in Master Fu's advice as he took his vial rack from the counter he had placed it on moments ago.

"Only the ingredients matter. They could be contained in anything." Master Fu assured them, not entirely fussed about how they managed to do it and only focused on them finding a way to have them on hand.

"Then... I may just have an idea!" 'Lacy Bugle' declared, the gears in her head working overtime in the last few seconds to come up with the perfect way to heed Master Fu's recommendation.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Time Skip)

After their visit to Master Fu and parting ways, both Adrien and Marinette had already arrived back at their respective homes. But while Adrien was busily practising his Chinese like he was scheduled to do so, Marinette had begun her work to implement her idea for the potion she received. It took a little more experimenting than she would have liked, but Marinette's efforts were rewarded when she finally lifted her perfect tray of mini-macarons from the bakery oven.

Like Master Fu had said, the potions could be contained in almost anything. So to make it less conspicuous for herself and her partner, Marinette had suggested putting the potions into a separate stash of their kwami's recharge food. In Marinette's case, hers was the perfectly made 24 mini-macaroons in front of her; 3 each of the 8 potion colors and arranged in rows by color. But Marinette only had a second to revel in her success before her dad came in and saw the results.

"My little girl's mini-'macaroons' are ready!" Tom praised his daughter when he saw the treats, placing his hands on her shoulders while Marinette blushed at the attention. "Mmm! They look so good!" the baker gleefully added as he reached to take one, immediately pulling Marinette out of the nice moment just in time to gently move the tray away from his hands before he could grab one of her potion-infused macaroons.

"Uh, thanks. Dad! But I'll taste them first and see if they are good. Don't want you getting food poisoning after all, right?" Marinette reasoned, trying to avoid having her dad make a dent in her power-up reserves on the first day of receiving them.

"My daughter baked them! They're bound to be great!" Tom proclaimed, not doubting Marinette's baking skills after raising her in a bakery after all these years. "But, go on ahead, honey. You know I'm also shy in showing new recipes too." the teddy bear of a man assured, willing to let his daughter do what made her comfortable as always.

"Thanks, Dad!" Marinette cheerfully replied, quickly kissing Tom on the cheek before heading up to her room to package the newly made macaroons.

Once in the safety of her room, Marinette sat at her desk and pulled out the three pre-made boxes she had for the power-up treats, placing her new macaroons inside it just as Tikki came out of hiding. Needless to say, the smell of the treats easily aroused the red kwami out of her afternoon nap and had her flying over to float next to Marinette to watch her holder work.

"Mmm! 'Magical Macaroons'! I love your idea, Marinette!" Tikki squealed in delight, loop-de-looping in the air next to Marinette as the girl put a red into the last box with the other colors.

"One 'magic-aroon', one transformation. I figured it would be a good way to space the potions out a bit." Marinette said as she grabbed the emerald green one, placing it next to the neon green one with bubbling excitement. She couldn't wait to try out the Earth one when the opportunity arose.

"I can't wait to try them! The purple one looks especially yummy!" Tikki cheered as she watched Marinette grab the corresponding 'magic-aroon', the last one needed for the last box.

"It sure does! I'm even told that it's out of this world." Marinette alluded in a hushed tone, playfully winking at Tikki before placing it inside the box and closing the lid. "But we'll find out more later. Right now, we have some pixies to settle into the balcony garden." the pigtailed girl declared as she put the three boxes away for safekeeping, only to turn her attention to the jar sitting next to her computer and grab it.

"I still can't believe you're taking them in. Are you sure having hallucination-inducing creatures in your garden is a good idea?" Tikki asked Marinette as she started making her way up to the balcony, quickly following after her holder to make sure things went smoothly.

"Toby took in a rouge gnome and it turned out fine. What's to say it can't happen with a jar of pixies?" Marinette reasoned, climbing up her loft stairs towards her balcony door. "Plus, both Chat and Styx said that they'll be fine as long as they're unprovoked, so I'm willing to try it." the red-tipped-haired girl said as she crawled across her bed and opened the balcony door, letting in the fresh afternoon air inside her room.

"Well, when you put it like that... I suppose it'll be alright." Tikki replied, quite sure it would be fine as long as they kept a close eye on the pixies to make sure they wouldn't cause any trouble.

"I'm sure it will be too." Marinette agreed, quickly stepping onto the balcony with Tikki following before she closed the hatch behind her.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, at the swimming pool, things were about to take an interesting but rather wholesome turn. After being brought back to the pool post-Syren's attack, Kim had made sure to give Ondine a wide berth after he realised how big a hand he had in her akumatization. Granted, he knew he could be rather dim at times, but Ondine was a dear friend to him and he didn't want his stupidity to ruin that... especially when it nearly did so with Marinette the year before. And it wasn't until today that he realised just how dear his red-haired friend was to him.

With that in mind, the jock knew how to make it up to Ondine and got to work in making it happen. Fortunately, it didn't take long to get it ready, and only once it was did Kim find the courage to step out into the main pool area and walk over to the pool edge, waiting for Ondine to swim up to it. His patience was soon rewarded when Ondine finally resurfaced after her last lap.

"Wanna play a game of secrets?" Kim asked Ondien as she placed her swim goggles on her head, the girl was surprised to see Kim eagerly waiting for her and holding a swimming bracelet out to her. But the sight of the familiar game drew a smile from Ondine, leading to her letting out a chuckle as she took the bracelet from Kim and opened it to reveal the bracelet's note inside.

" 'Wanna go to the movies with me tomorrow?' " Ondine read aloud, her excitement increasing with every syllable until she looked up and saw Kim holding his hand pleadingly while waiting for her answer.

Yes, the gesture was small, but Kim knew it was a step in the right direction. Especially when he knew Ondine deserved way better than him and would consider himself lucky if she did accept his invitation. Thankfully for Kim... he was that lucky when Ondine smiled up at him and enthusiastically nodded her head.

"Yes, absolutely!" the red-haired girl exclaimed with a gleeful laugh, pushing herself out of the pool to wrap the boy in a tight hug that had them tumbling to the floor laughing.

Looks like things were looking up for the soon-to-be established swimmer couple.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that Kim and Ondine had reconciled, the residents of the Agreste mansion were about to be graced with a surprise visitor. And while both were in the atelier, neither Gabriel nor Nathalie knew they had arrived until they heard the doorbell ring from the front gate. Immediately, Nathalie activated the camera at the front gate, making it pop out of the wall at the front entrance to see who it was.

"Who is it?!" Gabriel tersely questioned through the camera speaker, not eager to waste time on the interruption to his work.

"Over here! An unseen voice spoke through the 'eye', making the camera need to shift its view shifts left to try and find the source. "Lower." the voice said when the camera didn't find the person speaking, followed by the 'eye' view shifted down, revealing Master Fu at the gate.

"Hello, I'm Mr Chan. Adrien's Chinese tutor could not come today so I'll be replacing him." Master Fu explained amid his greeting, his composure calm as he awaited Gabriel's verdict.

"Were you made aware of this, Nathalie?" Gabriel asked as he turned his attention to his assistant, taking the stranger's presence with an air of suspicion.

"I was not." Nathalie replied, looking through her copy of Adrien's schedule to see if she had made a note of it and forgot. "But I'm sure it'll be fine. Adrien needs a tutor for his lesson, regardless of whether they're his usual one or not." the dark-haired woman pointed out after analyzing her notes, deciding to not look a gift horse in the mouth with the substitute 'tutor'.

"Hmm..." Gabriel began, putting a hand to his chin as he mulled over Nathalie's words. Soon enough, he made a decision. "Very well. Escort him inside." the fashion designer ordered his confidant, pressing a button to have the gates open and let Master Fu inside the grounds. From there, Nathalie got up from her desk and made her way over to the front door, opening the doors to see the old man arriving at the top of the stairs.

"Follow me, please." Nathalie requested Fu, soon leading him towards the stairs and going up to Adrien's room. It didn't take very long to reach the top of the main staircase, which had the two of them entering the room to see Adrien practising Chinese with his tablet. The boy was so deep in his concentration that he didn't even hear them come in until they closed the door behind him, making Adrien look up from his tablet and look at them.

"Adrien, here's Mr. Chan. He'll be your substitute teacher for today." the assistant explained to Adrien, followed by her leaving the room and Master Fu with the surprised model.

"Hello, Adrien. I think you and I should have a little talk." Master Fu greeted Adrien now that they were alone, followed by Wayzz and Plagg coming out of hiding as well.

"Apparently." Adrien agreed before they headed over to sit on the couch, Wayzz and Plagg staying at their sides.

"First off, these are for you." Master Fu said as he took out three round boxes from his bag and handed them to Adrien, leaving both him and Plagg excited to find out what was inside them. But while the black cat kwami believed that there could be Camembert inside, he was disappointed to see eight wedges of cheese in the colours of the power potions inside after Adrien opened the first box.

"Oh, no! I hate transforming." Plagg groaned in frustration, not pleased with the revealed contents of the box in Adrien's hand while his holder gave him a glare for his atrocious manners.

"I was able to implement the idea Ladybug had suggested with these pieces of camembert. There should be enough for three of each power-up." Master Fu explained.

"Thank you, Master Fu." Adrien replied as he put the lid back onto the box, grateful for the power-up delivery.

"You're welcome. Now onto the second reason why I'm here." Master Fu announced, watching as Adrien put his new power-ups onto his coffee table to focus on the conversation. "I wanted to commend you for your help earlier. Without you, the 'Tear of Joy' would still be a mystery." the old Guardian praised the boy, earning a bashful smile from him as let his gaze drift to the ground under his feet.

"Aw, it was nothing. I'm sure Ladybug would have figured it out too if I wasn't there." Adrien replied, rubbing the back of his neck while a soft blush appeared across his cheeks.

"But it was you who did. You did well, my boy." Master Fu countered, not taking any of Adrien's modesty for his part in saving the day.

"Thank you, but I can't take all the credit. If it wasn't for Styx, I never would have known about that trick potion makers use to hide their ingredients." Adrien admitted, finally looking up from the floor and back at the Guardian to make his case.

"Don't sell yourself short on that, Adrien. You were integral to today's victory, whether you believe it or not." Master Fu reiterated, placing a comforting hand on Adrien's shoulder while Plagg and Wayzz nodded in agreement,

"Thank you, Master." Adrien responded, appreciating the encouragement the Guardian was giving him.

"You're welcome." Master Fu said with a nod. "But while we're speaking of Styx, I've noticed that you seem very eager to trust her despite interacting with her less than Ladybug has. Why is that?" the old man asked, hoping to settle his curiosity on the matter after hearing about the shopkeeper so many times already.

"Well... she just seems trustworthy. Every time M'Lady and I have interacted with her, she's been nothing but helpful. The advice she gave me today only proves it." Adrien explained, once again finding himself needing to avoid mentioning Styx and Maray's true identities. Thankfully, his explanation seemed to be enough to satisfy Master Fu's curiosity.

"I see." Master Fu replied, content with Adrien's answer... until he noticed Plagg brooding behind Adrien. "What about you, Plagg? What's say you?" he asked the kwami, causing him and the others to all focus on Plagg as he started sweating at the sudden attention.

"Um... well, I think..." Plagg nervously began, about to say something about his suspicions about Styx before he saw Adrien's pleading face and stopped short. "I think... that she's been rather helpful too. But maybe we should not be so keen on fully trusting her until we know more about her." the little cheese gremlin concluded, willing to take the heated glare Adriem was giving him despite his agreement to his holder's earlier overview of Artemis/Styx. However, Master Fu couldn't see Adrien's glare and took Plagg's advice with a thoughtful nod.

"Fair enough. But until then, I don't see the harm in her helping from time to time." Master Fu decided, causing Adrien to turn his now perturbed attention back to him. "Does that sound reasonable to you both?" the old Guardian questioned Adrien and Plagg, prompting them to look at each other and nod in agreement.

"It does." Adrien replied, both he and Plagg finding the idea a fair compromise for them both for the time being.

"Wonderful." Master Fu cheered, happy that they agreed with him. "Now then, I believe you are due for a lesson, Adrien. And even though I came here for different reasons, I'm not about to deprive you of that." he remarked, earning a rueful smile from Adrien.

"Sounds good to me, Master." Adrien agreed, followed by the two of them beginning their lesson now that they had taken care of the lingering Miraculous matters.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of Miraculous matters, Gabriel had retrieved the grimoire from his safe and retreated to his underground lair after Master Fu's arrival. Now that Adrien was occupied, he had a chance to interrogate Nooroo for answers about how Ladybug and Chat Noir were able to adapt their powers to be used underwater. And while there were other things he wanted to discuss; like that blast of magic that hit Gorizila a couple weeks back, that day's incident was the one he was currently focusing his energy on.

"Nooroo! How can I obtain more powers?" Gabriel questioned his kwami while they were in the darkened lair, holding the grimoire tightly in his hands while facing away from Nooroo.

"What do you mean, Master?" Nooroo timidly questioned his captor, finding Gabriel's lack of eye contact much scarier than if he was staring him down like prey waiting to be eaten by a predator.

"DON'T TREAT ME LIKE AN IDIOT!" Gabriel snapped, finally turning around to send waves of anger at the kwami through his cold stare. "Ladybug and Chat Noir have new powers. How did they do it?!" the fashion mogul demanded to know, stalking Nooroo while the frightened little kwami backed away from him in response.

"Me and my fellow kwamis do not know the recipes. I don't know how to help you achieve the power-ups." Nooroo nearly wailed in reply, stopping his backtracking when he neared the lair wall behind him while trying to placate his master.

"It's inside this Grimoire, isn't it? Can't you read it?" Gabriel interrogated the kwami, holding the book in his hands at Nooroo as he continued to sneer at his cowering prisoner.

"Only Guardians can. I don't know anything, I swear!" Nooroo hurriedly assured Gabriel, for once glad that he and the other kwamis weren't privy to the finer details of the Miraculous discoveries. Just the thought of Gabriel unlocking the powers Metamorphosis had found during his tenure with the broach, had Nooroo fighting to hold back from feeling the chill going down his little spine. No good would ever come if that ever happened.

"Well then, I will have to find this Guardian of the Miraculous." Gabriel declared, lowering the book away from Nooroo while he continued to glare at his 'useless' kwami. "Wherever he is." he coldly added before swiftly turning to exit his lair, Nooroo burgundy following after him with his head hung low.

One thing Nooroo knew for sure, however, was that he needed to find a way out of Gabriel's clutches before something even more destructive than an akuma reared its ugly head in Paris. And with the presence of a magic user during Gorizilla's attack... who knows how much time Nooroo had to do so.