---
Chapter 2: Plans and Priorities
"So… if I use the Dog Miraculous to mark every Miraculous, the mark stays even after I transform back?" I asked, curiosity sparking.
"Yes," Bark explained, wagging his tiny tail, "but remember—you can only mark one object at a time."
"Good enough." I smirked. "Ziggy, Bark—unify."
Light flared around me, and I transformed, the brush and the ball fusing into my hands. I tapped the storage ring I'd created. "Recall."
The Miraculous shimmered, disappearing neatly into the subspace. Efficient. Clean. Secure.
I powered down and looked at the kwamis. "Alright. I've got a thousand questions. You guys up for a little Q&A?"
They exchanged amused glances. Plagg chuckled. "You know, you're the first Guardian in centuries to actually use our powers this creatively. If your fridge has cheese, you might even become my favorite."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, we've got cheese. I should probably stock up before you eat me out of house and home."
Before I could dive into questioning, my phone buzzed. The screen lit up with a name: Uncle Stacy.
I sighed, picked up. "Hey, Uncle. What's up?"
"'What's up?'" his voice came, dry with sarcasm. "Dinner. Which we've been waiting on for the past half hour."
Crap. "Right. Sorry, I'll be there in five."
I hurriedly pulled on a sweatshirt, slipped on the storage ring, and sealed the Miraculous away. There was one drawback to this method: kwamis had to remain inside their Miraculous to stay stable. If they lingered outside too long, they'd unravel—like Duusu did in the show.
Locking the door behind me, I sprinted toward the Stacy residence.
---
Gwen opened the door. The concern in her eyes said it all. "You didn't… try again, did you?"
I knew what she meant. After my parents' deaths, I'd tried twice to end my life. They had stopped me both times. Now, even though I wasn't suicidal anymore, that shadow still hung over me.
"No," I reassured her softly. "I just… found some things that belonged to my parents. Lost track of time."
We walked inside. Captain Stacy sat at the table, arms crossed, his gaze heavy but not unkind.
"Adrien," he said, "I know it's been hard. But you've got to pull yourself together. Find a hobby. Get out of the house. Make friends."
"Or at least start by making friends before you start ditching them," Gwen added, trying to lighten the mood.
I cracked a faint smile. "Yeah. Maybe I'll try martial arts or something." (Superhero stuff counts as a hobby, right?)
Captain Stacy gave me a look that was half warning, half encouragement. "Whatever you do—just promise me, no more suicidal thoughts."
I nodded. "Promise."
Dinner was warm, homemade by Mrs. Stacy. For a little while, I let myself enjoy the normalcy. Then I walked home under the quiet night sky, my mind racing again.
---
This universe is a mashup. But how much MCU? How much comics? Where do the Miraculous fit?
Street-level heroics like Spider-Man's weren't my style. I wouldn't waste time on muggers when cosmic threats were on the horizon. I'd help in major battles—like New York. But I needed to focus on my strengths.
Which meant planning.
A base of operations.
An AI assistant.
Maybe even… a team.
The Miraculous could give me all of that.
Back in my room, I pulled out two of my favorites: the Rooster and the Bunny.
Tikki floated closer, wary. "Adrien… what are you planning?"
"I'm going to use the Rooster for instant learning," I said firmly, "and the Bunny to access the timeless dimension. I was just an ordinary teenager. If someone came after the Miraculous today, I'd lose. But if I use these powers… I can prepare."
Tikki frowned. "Adrien, is it really necessary to use Miraculous powers for things like science and math? Martial arts, fine. Combat, fine. But studying? That feels like cheating."
"Cut him some slack, Sugarcube," Plagg drawled from the corner, pawing at a cheese wrapper. "The kid's trying to be a Guardian without any training. If bending the rules makes him better at it, then so what?"
Tikki sighed. "You're impossible."
I ignored their bickering and slipped the Miraculous onto my fingers. "Fluff, Orikko—unify."
A swirl of light, and the world shifted. I opened a glowing portal to the timeless dimension.
"I want the ability to instantly learn and master anything I see," I commanded.
Power surged through me.
Windows of time opened around me. I sifted through them, searching for the masters I needed: Shang-Chi, the Ancient One, past Guardians of the Miraculous. I watched. I learned. Martial arts. Chi manipulation. Guardian duties.
Six hours passed in what felt like moments. Instant learning didn't mean instant understanding. It took time to sink in. But when I emerged, my body hummed with new strength.
I could channel chi to rival Captain America's strength, at least on paper. In a real fight, though? Experience still mattered. Strong characters mean nothing if the player is trash—unless, of course, the character is broken.
I glanced down at the Miraculous in my hand. Step one was complete.
But the real work was only beginning.
Tomorrow, school.
Tonight, plans.