Ladybug and her teammates managed to defeat an Akuma again, which was a little too easy. Blu Tembo and Rena Furtive were hidden to observe the fight and inform Ladybug how to defeat the Akuma.

She caught the Akuma and purified it into a butterfly. " Bye-bye, little butterfly." She released it. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She tossed her lucky charm at it to repair the damage and the Eiffel Tower again.

"Pound it!" They all fist-bumped.

"Well done, Ladybug" Carapace said.

"Thank you" Ladybug replied.

Carapace saw she still looked unhappy, "Something wrong?"

"Nothing. Just missing my kitty, that's all" Ladybug said.

"We all do miss him, Ladybug" Purple Tigress said.

"Yeah, bug out," Ladybug said before going to their spots to retrieve their miraculous back.

Blu Tembo observed and so did Rena Furtive, knowing how Ladybug still misses her kitty.

"As much as I miss my partner, she still misses her kitty," Blu Tembo said.

"Ladybug always does, but she has too much on her shoulders. Cat Noir felt like he wasn't needed but he hates secrets untold" Rena Furtive said.

"She needs to open up to him before she ends up defeated without him," Blu Tembo said.

"She's been stressed out lately, Tembo. She can talk to me but not to her cat" Rena Furtive said.

"Well, stress and anxiety are like too much protection against everything but it's not the same as keeping secrets for long before someone else knows too," Blu Tembo said.

"I couldn't reason with her," Rena Furtive said.

"Keeping someone in the dark for too long can make someone give up eventually. It's like animals, you think they are animals but they are more than that. Some animals are social creatures, not monsters" Blu Tembo said.

"Exactly," Rena Furtive said.

"As I know actual cats, some cats prefer to be alone for a while. Bothering them too much angers them. So wherever Cat Noir is, he just needs more time to himself" Blu Tembo said.

"It's been months, He disappeared before Adrien went missing," Rena Furtive said.

"Did Gabriel ever announce why he would send Adrien to South America?" Blu Tembo asked.

"All he said was for a foreign study," Rena Furtive said.

"That's no excuse for him to send Adrien to a place he doesn't even know against his will. The disappearance of Adrien could have been more dangerous for him to survive alone. Knowing my family, they would trust me when I travel as a young adult. But for Gabriel to send a very young kid without knowledge of places or trusting him, it can terrify him" Blu Tembo explained the difference.

"Or end up killed. How's your partner doing searching for him?" Rena Furtive asked.

"She has found some traces of him but not found him yet" Blu Tembo replied.

"You two are very close. Are you like more than partners?" Rena Furtive becoming obsessed with scoops.

Tembo blushed at that question, "Uh, just friends. Just friends as heroes. Anyways, I'll see you later" Blu Tembo jumped off the roof to avoid any more questions from her that he didn't want to answer.

-

Adrien was struggling underwater to swim through tight gaps to squeeze through before he loses air limit. He struggled to pull some wooden debris but had to kick it in to swim through them. He soon swam through a tunnel filled with corpses, seeing a light on top he knew there was air there. Soon he finally emerged and gasped for air pulling himself up. Coughing and trying to fix his breathing before collapsing on the floor, waiting to breathe right.

"Phew, I thought I was gonna drown," Adrien said.

"Kwamis can breathe water but you can't. You could've used your Aqua form" Plagg said.

"Not....a chance," Adrien said before getting up.

"You're really stubborn you know," Plagg said.

"Stubborn enough to try to keep my ass alive as possible," Adrien said, getting up and walking through the cave with Plagg.

"I can't see" Adrien used a flashlight he stole and sighed in relief that it was waterproof, "Better" He kept walking.

"Careful kid. Natives probably invented booby traps in caves and temples in ancient times. So watch your step" Plagg warned.

"Okay," Adrien nodded.

He was right, there were dead skeletons everywhere as a warning or those that fell into booby traps. Adrien only has one chance at this and even without as Aspik to rewind time to redeem a mistake, it's nothing like ever feeling the power of Second Chance.

"Skeletons are either a sign of hidden traps anywhere," Adrien said and saw the floor that could have a hidden lock mechanism to trigger a trap.

So he cautiously walked between the buttons, "It's like a hopscotch but more into a game of death" Adrien accidentally stepped on one and it triggered the floor to collapse with spikes pit but jumped to the other side from almost falling in.

"Spike pit. Very classic for intruders to die in" Adrien panted.

"Like those games," Plagg said.

"This is real life, Plagg" Adrien makes no movements before checking any more traps he sees, "Poison darts from the walls. Not good" He sees the holes in the walls.

So he checks for any trigger around. Feeling scared at how real it's gonna be than those video games he's seen. So he grabbed a big stone and threw it to trigger the trap. Hundreds of poison dart arrows came flying out of the walls before hitting the remaining dead skeletons. Once it stopped, Adrien and Plagg moved safely through.

"It's like you have a blood trait from either your father or mother to be a treasure hunter," Plagg said.

"Impossible, Plagg. My parents came from different rank classes of wealth family" Adrien said but a flashback of the photo of Nathalie and his parents were wearing archeological attire, "But maybe they were" He shrugged it off.

"Even if something ever happens to your father, that will make you the last Agreste of the family. Being last can be lonely sometimes like if you're the last of your kind" Plagg said.

"I'm not that kind of Agreste my father wants me to be. I'm my own Agreste with a new revolution of my own" Adrien said before making it to the other side without tripping a trap.

"Got it" Plagg replied.

Several macaws were chirping nearby. Adrien scoffed at how there are birds around here in a jungle and he's not that much of a fan with birds. Even the childhood story his mother talks about with a peacock god giving an infertile woman a gift to have a child as a blessing.

"It's like how God gave Maria child Jesus," He thought of it, "Even though I'm not into the bible much"

"Ah, fresh sunlight to give you a relief," Plagg said as they both came to the outside.

"Hah, yes" Adrien embraced the light.

"Why doesn't your father ever let you have the freedom to be yourself? Being in the jungle, it's like you discovered your own freedom" Plagg said.

"Now that's the question. Since I've been stuck here for four months, I've never felt more free. It taught me to survive and be my own man" Adrien said.

"You humans really are clueless sometimes to know the definitions of freedom," Plagg said before they both reached the lake.

"Humanity has always been in wars and conquering," Adrien said.

"So is your war against Shadowmoth, kid. Even your own against your father. Freedom is something you make, not earned" Plagg said.

"Well, the war is now on my ex-partner's and her team's hands," Adrien said.

"Running away is like inescapable of your destiny, kid. Removing yourself from that mission creates chaos" Plagg said, knowing his own destruction for centuries.

"You're right, Plagg. She's creation, I'm destruction" Adrien cleans his face with water, "I'm not that Cat Noir I used to be. If I die in the jungle, you find someone else who is worthy"

"No one is you, kid. Ladybug can't live without you. She tried once with Cat Walker but it's not the same" Plagg said.

"She chose the team over me again and I can't return in this state," Adrien said.

"And what is it you want from her?" Plagg asked.

"A duo. We once said me and her against the world. In my whole life, I never had anyone other than my mother. But that life is over" Adrien said before aiming his arrow at the big fish in the water, "If that's what she wants then so be it" He managed to impale the fish.

"Don't be selfish like Chloe did. You saw she betrayed you and Ladybug at the cost of being exiled from the team" Plagg said.

"I'm not like Chloe. And I suppose her replacement does it better" Adrien said.

"And yet you continue to give her too many chances to change. She's never gonna change, kid. People cling to power too much, it changes them into hungry power monsters" Plagg said.

Adrien grabs the fish with his arrow and takes out his flint rocks to build a campfire. After collecting dry wood, he made up his fire and roasted the fish.

"It's true what they say; you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain," Adrien said.

"But God is letting you live because you have so much to live for than just let you die for nothing," Plagg said.

"Master Fu gave me you because he was testing my kindness when I chose to help him over going inside the school," Adrien said.

"That's right, Adrien," Plagg said, lying on a rock.

"But destruction scares me, Plagg. It's like losing my mother changed me but I managed to find peace in my life rather than become like my father" Adrien, holding the fish in his arrow to cook it on the fire.

"It's your choice, Adrien," Plagg said while munching some mango.

He suddenly hears the muffled voice feedback coming from his walkie-talkie, "Adrien?! Adrien?! Are you there?!" A familiar voice sounded like a female with a Spanish accent.

"Who's there?" Adrien answered the call.

"It's me, Panthera" Panthera replied on the walkie-talkie.

"The jaguar woman?" Adrien stands up to position his device to get a better signal.

"Yup, and the Jungle Queen as you would call it. Are you all right?" Panthera asked through the call.

"How do you know I'm lost in the jungle for months?" Adrien asked.

"Ladybug sent me to find you. My power was able to pick up your traces that you are alive. And of course, you....survived this long by....bow and arrows as defense like a hunter" Panthera explained with hesitation.

"She did? And you saw me kill those poachers?" Adrien asked.

"Out of self-defense, I figured. But stay where you are, I'm coming for you" Panthera said.

"Don't bother. The jungle is the easiest place to get lost, I ran into the natives and they did not look friendly as cannibals" Adrien said.

"I'm an expert in jungles, chico. I ran into the natives before but I managed to survive just like you did. Tell me where you are" Panthera said.

"Near a lake of some kind. Campfire releases smoke to find the way. Do you see it?" Adrien asked.

"Yes, I see it. I'm miles away from here. Just don't move from where you are. I'm calling Ladybug to inform her that I'm on my way to find you" Panthera said.

"No! Don't call Ladybug just yet! Please! Just find me first" Adrien said, refusing to let Ladybug know.

"Fine, first things first. Panthera out" Panthera said.

Adrien slumps down, shocked that Ladybug sent Panthera to find him. Obviously, she has her hands full on keeping Paris safe from akumas or sentimonsters because leaving Paris would put their home in danger without heroes.

"So she does care to send someone to find you," Plagg said.

"She has no idea that she's indirectly finding Cat Noir too," Adrien said.

"Like I said, my previous kittens before you were as stubborn. Except for one who was a woman before Lady Noire" Plagg said.

"Yeah, but I'm not ready to forgive Ladybug yet," Adrien said.

-

With Panthera, she managed to steal a bow and pack of arrows from the natives who call her 'witch' and think she'll hunt as a mighty Jaguar but these people are delusional and never step into the modern world at all.

"Damn it!" She jumped into the river to swim her way out from the ambush of arrows and darts coming this way but it can't go through water at that kind of speed.

She managed to evade them and swam deeper into the waters. Soon she came into an air pocket to breathe properly, "I can't stop.....must find....Adrien Agreste....now!" She breathed and took a huge breath before swimming back before she felt the current getting stronger and the stream heading for a waterfall. She managed to get out of it in time.

Grabbing the branch before pulling herself back up before the stream could pull her down. Until another native grabbed her but she elbow punched him back in the gut.

"Demonio!" She shouted and knocked him unconscious. Then she ran off from the other natives.

She calls Adrien again, "Adrien, keep your campfire going. It's the only thing where I'll find you"

"Okay," Adrien collected more firewood to keep the fire up.

"Good. I'm on my way now. I can see the smoke" Panthera said before hanging up.

-

Adrien paced back and forth while waiting for Panthera. Even with her miraculous, it should help her get here faster than as her real self. Jungles can make a person exhaust themselves while hiking from this humidity.

"When she comes, hide Plagg," Adrien said.

"Kid, you never get to share your secret with anyone. You and her are in the jungle. You think the animals are gonna share secrets with humans?" Plagg asked.

"Alright," Adrien knew he needed someone to share his secret.

Just then, the macaws flew out of the trees as if something spooked them or something else in the jungle like an ambush or a battle.

"It's her, kid! She needs your help!" Plagg said.

"Couldn't agree more!" Adrien grabbed his bow and arrows to run into the jungle.

And there was Panthera, fighting a caiman in a pond. It was huge like it was created by the power of an evil god through the natives to use as a sacrifice.

"Get away you animal!" Panthera told it to back off with her spear but the reptilian skin was too tough.

Adrien jumped from tree to tree to get a good aim at the eyes to penetrate through to the skull to kill it. He fired and the arrow went straight through its eyes and right through the brain to kill it. The caiman fell down lifeless as Panthera watched in shock.

More caimans came but Adrien was not finished yet as he shot one by one before ululating in victory. The others left alive tried to attack him but he whacked them with his bow or shot them until they all got the message that this wild teenager was too strong. They all retreat back into the pond before he hissed out loud at how serious he is, just to make sure it's all clear.

"Adrien?" Panthera looked at him.

"Don't.....move" Adrien fires at another almost trying to sneak behind her.

"Whoa! A little heads up would be nice!" Panthera yelped at that.

"Sorry about that" Adrien apologized.

The young adult heroine panted at the sight of the lifeless caiman before straightening herself up, "Adrien?" Panthera hardly recognizes him from all the animal skin patches on his clothes. Especially the minor scar forming on his face.

"Yes, it's me" Adrien replied.

Panthera noticed each scar on him, showing how many battles he'd survived. She looked at him and saw how changed he was as a wild man struggling to survive for months alone, "You....aren't insane. You're still....nearly you" Panthera said, thinking he would have lost his sanity for sure from all that isolation alone.

"It wasn't easy to remain sane. I nearly lost it at times when I had to embrace the beast in me" Adrien said.

"The scars you have. You managed to survive. And of course, you need a shave again. Sunlight can sometimes make hair grow fast" Panthera said, grabbing shaving cream and a hair razor she found from the poachers.

"I know. I never knew a beard grew that fast for a 14-year-old old" Adrien picks out a mirror while shaving.

"Yes, well, some say humidity is but it's not humidity. Beard growth rates dramatically increase during the summer months, peaking in July. These growth rates correspond to testosterone levels. But to me, it's the Vitamin D from sunlight. Uh, sorry. It's how I learn from my....family" Panthera said, which was a lie when she learned it from her older brother, "Now hold still" She made him not move so she could trim his hair a little.

Adrien stood still as she cut his hair, "Easy with the hair!"

"Relax. I've done this before a lot of times. Almost as if you had a hairstyle like that gatito I met in Paris" Panthera said, nearly almost got Adrien gasped a bit to think she knows or not that he is Cat Noir.

"Well, his hair is all messy and wild. Mine was more stylish" He muttered.

"But same blonde hair color. Anyways, all done. Muy perfecto. Uhh....voila" Panthera held the mirror.

"Gracias" Adrien liked the style.

"There's the real you I remember. As well as the clothes you wore. I found it at the plane crash site. The pilot...he didn't make it. Your bodyguard was rescued by a rescue copter which he told the news to the world to believe you are dead or disappeared" Panthera said, giving him his fresh clothes and shoes to wear, "Now come, show me where your camp is"

"This way" Adrien leads her to the camp once he got dressed in casual clothing.