"He did it." Marinette breathed. "He figured it out." She didn't know how or what exactly triggered it, but what Adrien did was unmistakably mega evolution. She didn't know he could do that, use the stones after Plagg had already been forced to the mega form, but she witnessed it.

The missing factor. The trainer. These devices can force the form change, but without a trainer and the bond between them, it hurts the pokémon. It would make sense that the bond can be made after the form change itself.

After a few minutes, Nino and Juleka managed to peel Adrien off of Plagg, his snowy fur stained red with Adrien's blood. Marinette had to close her eyes. Adrien had cuts everywhere. Most of them, thank heavens, didn't seem deep or severe, but the one on his cheek was bleeding a lot and his arm was just a fleshy red mass and his legs were striated and tattered and his chest had three red wells of blood shining through the holes in his clothes.

He was quiet and complacent after it ended, though. When the paramedics came, after he was removed from Plagg anyway, he walked away with them without a word, casting a glance backwards to Nino and Juleka, who asked after his pokéballs. One of the attendants brought them out, and the two returned all of Adrien's pokémon. Marinette returned Mawile. Other pokémon all over were withdrawn one by one. Marinette walked forward carefully, to avoid the craters in the stage and the glistening blood that was spattered throughout it so as not to slip and accidentally exacerbate her injury again.

When she reached Nino, he just looked up at her with huge eyes, Plagg's pokéball in his hand, and without standing wrapped his arms around her waist. He was gentle, careful not to touch the wound on her abdomen, but holding her close. She moved his arm and knelt to hug him properly.

Alya ran after Adrien, insisting on not leaving his side. Chloé talked with management, Sabrina ever at her side, asking about where Adrien would be taken and when everyone could go see him and what would happen to Plagg.

Rose hugged Juleka, shielding her eyes in her girlfriend's shoulder, but Juleka looked out over Rose with a firm, grim expression. She seemed unable to look away.

Even the others, Alix and Nathanaël held hands and bowed their heads, Kim and Max shared a look and quietly removed themselves from the scene, Ivan cradled Mylène, holding her to his chest so she wouldn't have to look and trying awkwardly to keep the blood that got on his hands when he held Adrien from getting on her.

The performers, Marinette didn't know who they were or whether Adrien might have known their names, quietly moved to the back to allow them their space, filing backstage in silence with their heads down, a few of them holding hands or touching the shoulder of another.

For a while, no one moved.

"Guys!" Chloé called. "I know where they're taking Adrien. I called my dad and he'll arrange a car for us all."

"Thanks, Chloé." Marinette said.

"Come on." Chloé's hands on her shoulders guided her and Nino up and off the stage. "It'll pick us up out back." The others trailed behind them as they marched.

When they arrived at the hospital, Adrien was getting stiches for some of the worst cuts, so they all had to wait to see him. When he did come out and see everyone sitting around, he just walked up to Marinette and apologized for ruining the outfit.

Marinette laughed. "The outfit you paid for? It's yours, Adrien, to preserve or destroy as you want."

"I didn't want to rip it, though…" He mumbled.

"Do you want me to make another one? Because you will have to pay for that."

He examined the tatters, in a bag since he was changed into clean clothes. "Uh, maybe. I'll have to think about it. For now if I have to go Chat Noir I think I want to stick to my old hoodie."

"Your new hoodie that I made for you when your old hoodie was burned."

"Yeah, that."

Marinette giggled. "But really." The laugh died. "Are you okay?" He shook his head. "Yeah, didn't think so."

Nino brought over Adrien's pokéballs, and he cradled them in his hands like they were fragile little eggs.

"I want to go home." He said. Everyone nodded, hugged him, and let him walk out the door.

Marinette escorted him. Even when Chloé offered the car, he just shook his head and said he'd rather walk. Chloé frowned and said she'd get everyone home. "Go with him." She said. So Marinette did.

"I found another way." He said quietly when they were alone.

"Hmm?"

"I didn't forgive Plagg for something he didn't do. I looked at it from another perspective. Tried something different. Like you said."

"What did you do?"

"I blamed the thing that really killed her. The sickness. Chance. Maybe some god, I don't know. I just know it's bigger than Plagg, and I'm blaming that instead."

"What changed?"

"When I saw him like that, you guys fighting him when he couldn't help himself, all I could think was 'it's not his fault'. I thought, it's that person's fault. Whoever is behind the devices. It's their fault. And I hate them, not Plagg. With Mom, it was the same thing. I just… realized that, somewhere in there."

"Well, it worked. You saved Plagg."

Adrien smiled, just a ghostly wisp of one, but it was there all the same. "Yeah. I guess I did help, didn't I?"

"Help? Adrien, you did it. If anything, we were the ones who just helped."

"Speaking of, what did the doctor say about heroics, Mari?"

Marinette blushed. "I was careful!"

"Since when?"

"I've always been more careful than you."

"Yeah but no awards for that, it's not exactly an achievement."

Marinette snorted. "For your information, I was behind the wall the whole time. I sent Mawile in and stayed back myself like with Salamence."

"Yeah, like with Salamence, when you climbed onto the roof of the hospital and started organizing rescue services."

"Okay, I admit, not my best example. But I was safe. I was just nearby, not in the action."

"Mhmm, if you say so, my lady. But still I think you should be more careful."

"That's rich from the kitten with more stitches than the clothes he's wearing."

He chuckled happily that time, a rumbling one in his throat. "Okay, well with these I can't fight for a while either, so why don't we both agree to be super careful – and by super careful I do mean by our standards – until we're healed?"

"So, like, about as careful as a normal person?"

"Yeah, basically."

"Okay, deal."

Adrien put an arm around her shoulder. She blushed but smiled and reached up to touch his arm. "I noticed you didn't bandage this before the performance."

"Hm? Oh, that. Yeah, I thought people should see it. Especially since I was performing with Houndoom. It's kind of weird. I'm a model; I should probably be freaking out about this."

"You're not?"

"Not really. I mean, even as a performer I'm not really supposed to have blemishes like this, but…"

Marinette hummed. "You're still kind of weird about it?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I've really processed that there's a chance these marks won't ever go away."

"Tell me about it." She put a hand over her abdomen. "Do you think boys will think a scar like this is badass or will it just scare them away?"

Adrien laughed for real, then, a loud, boisterous one. "Both, probably, but you are both badass and scary so I say at least they know what they're in for."

"I am not scary!"

"Yes ma'am, of course not."

"Adrien!"

"What? You have the whole adorable pink girl thing going on but I know you better than that. No one who stabs themselves with a needle over and over again and thinks 'wow, this is a totally fun and good thing I'm doing, I should make it my career' is not a little scary."

"Fashion design is more than just stabbing yourself with a needle."

"Mhmm, maybe I'll believe you when you go more than a week at school without band-aids over your fingers."

"I put them on first so I don't stab myself, and then I forget to take them off!"

"So, you admit you're just stabbing yourself."

"Adrien!"

He giggled. "And your team? Anyone who isn't rightly afraid of you is terrified of them."

"What about them? They're cute!"

Adrien actually stopped and raised his eyebrows at her. "Mari. Really?"

"Yeah! Every single one of them! And I will not hear this slander."

"Mari, you have a giant spider."

"Who is cute."

"And a pokémon who's body is basically just fifty hundred blades."

"Who is cute."

"A literal ghost."

She grit her teeth. "Who. Is. Cute."

Adrien held his hand up in defeat. "Woah, okay, totally-not-scary lady."

Marinette blushed and turned away, crossing her arms as Adrien chuckled and they continued on their way. She gently rubbed her abdomen through her clothes. "Do you really think it'll scare boys away?"

Adrien rubbed her shoulder. "Not any smart ones."

Marinette bit her lip and held back her grin.

"What about me?"

"What about you?"

"You think the scars will scare away the boys?"

"Honey, with that face?" Adrien blushed and covered his face with his free hand. Marinette laughed. "Did I sound like Alya?"

"A little."

"Seriously, though, is the model Adrien Agreste and superstar performer Chat Noir actually worried about attracting boys?"

He hummed, regaining his composure. "You know, you're right. What about girls?"

"Oh, girls, no." She shook her head. "Not likely."

Adrien laughed. When they both quieted down, he worried his lip for a moment. "I'm not really ready for a relationship right now, so like I guess it's not so important at the moment, you know? But… I would like one eventually. I know you were joking, but it actually does worry me. Not the scars, necessarily, but like, what they might have seen. On TV. Rocco and today and…" He ducked his head.

"Adrien." He raised his eyes to meet hers. "Anyone who's smart will get you the moment you're available."

"You're saying you'd date me?"

Marinette blushed. "Wait, what?"

Adrien cackled. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Don't answer that, I was just teasing." Marinette just covered her face. "You are smart, though, so by your own admission…"

"You have one chance to stop talking."

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry."

Marinette shook her head. "And anyway, I thought we were through this. Us, Alya, and Nino are all getting married, remember? I don't have much choice."

"Oh, man, I almost forgot about that. At least I don't need to worry. I know you guys aren't marrying me just for my looks."

Marinette scoffed. "Speak for yourself."

"Mari! I'm hurt."

"Oh, come on, only joking. Your personality is almost as nice as your looks."

"Oh, almost."

"You're a very pretty boy."

"Thank you?"

"You're welcome."

They both shared a laugh and continued bantering all the way to Adrien's home. At his front gate, he invited her in. "I kind of just don't want to do it." He admitted. "Both going in and talking to Plagg."

Marinette smiled. "Of course I'll stay. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. Honestly, I think I was mostly just scared. Now that I've calmed down it's a bit easier to process."

"I understand. That must have been really hard."

Adrien chuckled bashfully. "Hey, at least we finished the performance?"

"You did, and I'm proud of you. We never mentioned it because of Plagg, but you did a really amazing job. I loved it."

"Ahh," Adrien buried his face in his hands. "I'm so glad. I was scared with it being my first live show and everything. We couldn't just do a retake if we messed up."

"I mean," Marinette chuckled, "you brought the house down."

"Marinette! That is so beyond inappropriate!"

"You're laughing, though!"

"I am. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Adrien." A cool, calm voice, one that in their states, Marinette and Adrien would never be able to imitate, came from behind the still-closed gate. Marinette and Adrien both looked up at Gabriel Agreste. He stared down at them for a few long, painful seconds. "It… appears you were right about that houndoom." Adrien perked up. "But your behavior at the showcase was beyond unacceptable." He lowered his head. "But I'm just glad you're okay. Make sure your absol is okay, as well, before anything else." He turned away to go back inside but stopped. "I know I can't stop you from doing this, but please be more careful." Adrien smiled. His father frowned. "It's hard to focus on my work when you're being reckless."

Wow, sure saved face there, Mister Agreste. Way to go, you. It would be such a shame if we were to think you actually cared.

"Come on." Adrien said, guiding her into the building and up to his room. "So, what's our next move?"

"Aside from talking to Plagg?"

"I mean the attacks. We have to put an end to them, right? And honestly, I kind of want to put an end to whoever did this to Plagg."

"Adrien!"

He looked confused for a moment. "Oh! No, not like- I meant like put an end to their operation. To what they're doing. Not- no. No."

Marinette laughed. "The investigation is with the police. We can't do much until then."

"They have a list of suspects, don't they?"

"Yeah?"

"Won't this help them narrow it down? Plagg wasn't out of the pokéball today at all except for backstage, and I gave him a bath last night, so it had to have been planted on him sometime from when I got there to when we got on stage."

"We can hope that it helps. You told them that?"

"Of course."

"Alya will keep an eye on it. I'm sure we'll have a prime suspect in no time at all."

Adrien sighed. "I hope so. I know it's bad, but I really want to make them pay."

"And by pay, you mean…"

"Well, what better revenge than dismantling whatever twisted plot they have myself?"

"That's just the kind of soft revenge I would expect from you."

"Soft revenge?"

"Yeah, you're getting your revenge by doing literally nothing you would not have done anyway."

Adrien chuckled. "I guess. Still."

"It's good though. I'll help."

"Only so long as you don't push yourself. You're still injured."

"As are you."

"Fair enough." He pulled out Plagg's pokéball and sighed. "What am I supposed to do with him?"

"Give him a hug? Ask if mega evolution is a thing he's okay doing, for future fights? Tell him he did great in the performance?"

"All of the above?"

"Or that."

He let Plagg out of the pokéball. Since the class had stopped at the Pokemon Center for a moment on their way to the hospital Adrien was being seen at, Plagg had been cleaned and when he came out, he looked tired but no more irritated than any other time. "Hey buddy."

Plagg wailed dramatically and laid down. Adrien shook his head. "Well, glad to see you're okay. I'm proud of you, you know. You did great in the performance." Plagg scowled, not meeting their gazes. "I mean it. Especially since you had that thing on you, you stuck it through and that was really just so cool."

"And, um, whenever you're comfortable, if you're ever comfortable, I'd like to try mega evolving you again. I think it might work now, and we can fight even better than before!"

Plagg thumped his tail on the ground a few times and got up nonchalantly. He rummaged through Adrien's bag, left on the floor, and pulled out the Mega Stone and sat patiently in front of them. Adrien hesitated. "Are you sure? So soon?"

Plagg rolled his eyes. Adrien shrugged. "If you say so." He slipped the Key Stone out of his pocket. "Plagg, mega evolve."

The stones lit up like Christmas lights, and dazzled like the sun. A moment later, Marinette found herself looking at a disinterested-looking mega absol examining himself. "Oh, Plagg." She muttered, shaking her head.

Adrien cheered, laughed, gave Plagg a big hug and didn't let go even when Plagg started faking gagging.

Marinette giggled at the sight, content that they had one more tool, one that might even shift the fight in their favor, to count on before they could all finally stop fighting for good. It won't be long now. The police will find whoever did this and we can all start moving on.

Adrien released Houndoom and Tikki and Marinette put a hand on his shoulder and smiled as he hugged them and told them how wonderful they all did and how proud he was of them all.

Not much longer now, and this will be over.