Chapter 10: Volpina's return
Author's note: When I asked for suggestions for how this chapter should happen, a lot of people said I should have Volpina framing Renard Rouge for crimes, making everyone distrust him. While I do like this idea and it's interesting, it's a re-tread of the plot to Copycat, and I don't want to copy a plot from the show. Thankfully, I got some help from a user named Myrna Maeve for what I could do instead.
After the bell had rung, all of the students in class sat down and paid attention to Miss Bustier. But as the teacher took the register she noticed the absence of one of her students.
"Where is Miss Rossi?" Miss Bustier asked.
Most of the class looked unknowing as she did, but Kim spoke up.
"I heard that she was getting picked on by some students and ran off." He said.
"I heard that too, the students supposedly got suspended." Alix said.
"I hope Lila's okay." Rose said, worrying what could have been said to make Lila leave college.
"Who cares." Chloe said. "She probably got whatever she deserved from those students, it's her own fault for lying about being famous and daring to speak against Ladybug."
"No one deserves to be bullied, Chloe." Marinette said.
"Please settle down." Miss Bustier said. "And Miss Bourgeois, please be more considerate towards your classmates."
Chloe only stuck her nose up and looked to the side with crossed arms.
Miss Bustier sent an email to Mr Damocles about Lila being absent so he could contact her parents and see if she had gone home.
The class then proceeded on as normal.
The three teens who had been tormenting Lila marched home unhappily.
"I can't believe we were suspended for a week for a bit of teasing." One said.
"To be fair, we might have taken it a bit too far." Another admitted.
"Maybe enough to get a detention or two, not suspended." Said the third. "I bet she was just overplaying how upset she really was because she knew the Principle was coming, another one of her lies."
The three teens were broken out of their discussion when they noticed someone standing in their way, they looked up and all took a step back in fright when they saw what the person looked like. In was a woman, but she was tall and extremely thin with long claw-like fingers and long hair, she was dressed in a long ratted dress and wore a full facemask. And she was floating a foot off the ground.
"I will feast on your soul." She said in a raspy voice.
"Akuma!" One of the teens cried out.
The three of them ran, but no matter how fast they ran and where they ran to, the Akuma kept up with them.
"Split!" One of the teens shouted, running in a different direction to the others.
The other two split off in different directions as well, hoping that the Akuma would only go after one of them.
But as they ran, each of them were somehow still chased by the Akuma, it apparently having split into three.
"It's no use running." The Akuma rasped.
"Stay back!" One of the teens cried when they reached a dead end.
The only thing behind the teen was a long drop into the Seine.
The Akuma reached out her claws and laughed creepily, slowly floating forward.
"I will feast on your soul." She repeated.
The teen continued to back up until they lost their balance and fell into the Seine. The Akuma that had been chasing them then disappeared
With the second teen, they continued to run with the Akuma hot on their heels, seemingly making no effort to keep up with them.
"Leave me alone!" The teen cried.
The chased continued to a small junkyard, once the teen was sure the Akuma wasn't there yet they hid in an old freezer and closed the door behind them, they then waited with baited breath. The was a loud thump against the door and then nothing, the teen waited for a few minutes before deciding to check it the coast was clear. But when they tried to open the door they found it would budge, whatever that thump had been was something blocking the door.
"Help!" The teen cried out.
With the final teen, they had stopped, the Akuma seemingly no longer chasing them, and sighed in relief. But then they heard creepy and rasping laughter echo around them and the shadows seemed to move. The teen's eyes darted around anxiously as they backed into a wall, trying to spot the Akuma. But just as they expected to hit the wall, they backed into a warm body instead.
Before the teen could do anything, they found them-self blindfolded and tied up with rope.
"Let me go." They struggled against their captor.
"I think not." A familiar voice said.
A gag was shoved in their mouth and they felt them-self being hoisted upside down, leaving them to struggle in mid-air.
Volpina surveyed her handy work with a satisfied grin. It had felt good to get back at her bullies using a fake Akuma, she got her revenge and tested out her plan for the so-called heroes of Paris.
"Now, to get those Miraculouses." Volpina said.
Volpina turned to her illusion Akuma and frowned at it, it looked too much like a generic movie monster for her tastes.
"But first I need better Akumas." She said, striking her illusion with her flute to make it disappear. "They need to be convincing."
Volpina would have just used previous Akumas, but that brought the risk of Ladybug or one of the others spotting the real person who's meant to be the Akuma and getting suspicious, so she needed original Akuma designs.
Volpina then remembered that she had seen one of her classmates, Nathanael if she remembered correctly, drawing what looked like Akuma designs in his sketchbook for one of his stupid Ladybug comics, and some of them were original designs. She could steal his sketchbook and use those designs, Nathanael would recognise his designs but she could easily lock him away somewhere to stop him from being a problem.
Looking at a large clock on the front of a building, Volpina saw that it was almost time for the college to let out for lunch, once it did she could follow Nathanael until he was alone and then strike.
After college let out for lunch Nathanael decided to head home instead of staying at college or hanging out with one of his classmates, deciding he wanted to be on his own today. As walked home Nathanael took his usual route, but then he noticed that he was in a different part of the city he should be.
"What the…?" Nathanael said, confused.
He didn't think he took any wrong turns.
Nathanael sighed and turned around, he recognised where he was and new what directions to take to head home.
But he somehow ended up in the wrong place again, this time unfamiliar territory and on his own.
"What is going on?" He questioned.
"I can answer that." A voice said.
Nathanael turned around to see Volpina standing there.
"Lila?" Nathanael exclaimed in shock.
"Not anymore." Volpina said. "Now, you have something I want."
"I do?" Nathanael asked, feeling like ice was going through his veins, thinking that she meant his Miraculous.
"Yes. You're sketchbook."
"My…my sketchbook." Nathanael was relieved she didn't know about his Miraculous after all, but was now confused. "Why would you want my sketchbook?"
"Reasons that don't concern you. Now, hand it over."
Nathanael knew that was a bad idea to tick off an Akuma, especially untransformed, but his sketchbook was personal and Volpina was likely to use it for evil purposes. So, he ran instead.
Nathanael didn't run far before he was tackled to the ground by Volpina, she pinned him with one hand while using the other to take the sketchbook out of his bag.
"Now, what to do with you?" Volpina said.
Nathanael didn't like the sound of that.
Volpina ended up tying up and gagging Nathanael at a building site where it seemed there was no work going on that day, dumping him in a deep hole.
"Don't worry." Volpina said. "Someone will come along eventually. You just have to hope they check the hole before using the diggers again."
Nathanael glared up at her.
Once Volpina had left Vixx appeared from out of his bag, having thankfully avoided detection by Volpina.
"Don't worry, I'll get you out." She said.
Vixx then began to use her sharp teeth to cut through the ropes around Nathanael's wrists.
Once she was away from the construction site and out of view on the rooftops, Volpina opened Nathanael's sketchbook and began leafing through it until she found the pages with the concept art for Nathanael's made-up Akumas. After studying them she dropped the sketchbook and played her flute, making the Akuma from the pages appear before her.
The Akuma Volpina chose was dressed like a female performer, complete with a leotard, jacket, bowtie, tights and heels, and a top hat. Her weapon was a show cane.
"Good." Volpina said, looking over her fake Akumas.
Volpina then directed her Akuma into a more populated area of Paris, following close behind but making sure to remain out of sight. Once they reached a place Volpina deemed suitable her fake Akuma began her attack.
"Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, Showstopper here with the most bedazzling performance!" The fake Akuma said in a voice most TV presenters had.
Volpina was able to give her voice to her illusions and change it to sound different, sort of like she was throwing her voice.
Volpina played her flute again to make it seem like Showstopper was attacking, using her cane to summon fireworks. None of them actually hit anyone, since that would expose them as illusions, or did any damage, but they did their job of making people panic and scatter and bringing attention to her fake Akuma.
"Make sure you stay tuned, Paris, because my final act will be the destruction of the heroes of Paris!" Volpina said, changing and sending her voice to Showstopper.
It didn't take long for Chat Noir to show up, with Ladybug and Paonne not far behind.
"Wow, you really like to light up people's lives." Chat said, trying and failing to land a hit on Showstopper.
Ladybug was about to join in when she noticed Paonne hesitating.
"What is it?" She asked.
"I don't know." Paonne said. "Something just seems off about that Akuma."
She moved to attack anyway and Ladybug followed suit.
Before any of them could land a hit, Showstopper flew into the air. She then pulled out a large piece of cloth from nowhere.
"And now, for my next spectacular performance. Now you see me, not you don't."
Showstopper pulled the cloth over her and vanished from sight.
"Great, a vanishing Akuma, that's all we need." Chat said.
"Where could she have gotten to?" Ladybug questioned, looking around to spot her.
The others looked around and Chat spotted Showstopper briefly, running off down a street.
"Over there!" He shouted, taking off in the direction.
Ladybug and Paonne ran after him but they all soon came to a stop when it became apparent they weren't chasing anyone.
"Are you sure you saw her?" Paonne asked him.
"I'm sure." Chat responded.
From her place watching them, Volpina noted that Renard Rouge had yet to show up, even though he had ample time already. Though she didn't like not knowing where he was, it did make it easier to enact her plan.
Volpina played her flute and a copy of Renard Rouge appeared before her, she then sent it to Paonne and the others.
"Hey, guys. Am I too late?" Volpina said, sending her voice to her fake Renard.
"No, we've just lost track of the Akuma. She's some sort of TV performer with fireworks and a disappearing act." Ladybug said.
"Though we could have used your help earlier." Chat commented.
Paonne didn't say anything, frowning slightly at Renard. Like the Akuma, something felt off about Renard, she just couldn't put her finger on what.
"Well, some of us have better things to do that play hero, kitty cat." Renard said.
"Hey!"
"Knock it off, the both of you. We need to focus on finding the Akuma." Ladybug said.
"How about we split up?" Renard suggested. "We can easily contact each other if we find something."
"It will be the quickest way." Paonne agreed.
"Okay, but everyone checks in every ten minutes." Ladybug said. "If you don't we'll have to assume the Akuma got to you."
"Right." The others agreed, heading off in separate directions.
Renard Rouge went over to Volpina's hiding place where she made him disappear by whacking her flute through him.
"I can't wait to do that to the real one." She said. "Now, who to go after first?"
Volpina decided on Chat Noir, she summoned a copy of Paonne and sent it to him.
"Find anything, Chat?" Paonne asked, landing next to the hero.
"Not yet." Chat answered. "Shouldn't you be searching elsewhere. Not that I'm complaining about seeing your pretty face." He said with a wink.
"I wanted to ask you a question." Paonne said with a smile.
"How I get my good looks? Sorry, trade secret." Chat joked.
"No. How do you put up with it?"
"Put up with what."
"Put up with being such a detriment to Ladybug?"
"What?" Chat exclaimed, shocked he was being asked such a question.
"You mean you haven't noticed?" Paonne looked shocked. "I guess I got my answer.
"What do you mean, detriment? Ladybug and I are partners and I do everything to protect her." Chat said angrily.
"Chat, there's a reason Ladybug was seen as the main hero, and you as only the sidekick before I came along. Do you know how many times you've been turned against your 'partner'? Dark Cupid, Princess Fragrance, I heard about Puppeteer as well, and who knows how many other instances. Not to mention all the times Ladybug and even I have had to rescue you. If it had just been you on your own, Hawkmoth would have probably won already."
"That's not true." Chat denied weakly.
"I've seen it in Ladybug's eyes, the weariness whenever she has to save you, again. And how annoyed she gets when you don't take situations seriously. Thankfully, she now has Renard Rouge and I to pick up your slack, so you don't need to worry." Paonne said sympathetically. "Anyway, you answered my question, I'm going to continue look now."
Paonne then ran off.
Chat was left standing on the roof looking quite unsure of himself and hurt.
"I'm not useless." He told himself, put it sounded weak to his ears.
Ladybug then swung past, taking note of her sad partner and changing directions to swing over to him.
"What's the matter, Chat Noir?" She asked.
"Ladybug." Chat said. "Do…do you think I'm a detriment?"
"What?" Ladybug asked with a comforting smile. "What brought this up?"
"Paonne. She said that I get controlled and need you to save me a lot and you're annoyed by me." Chat said. "It's not true, right?" He asked for reassurance.
"Well…" Ladybug dropped her smile, looking like she was making a hard decision. "It's not that you're not useful, I would have had a harder time without you, and you do try your best."
Chat's heart felt heavy.
"But, there are times where I wish you'd take things more seriously, and it is a pain to save you all the time even though you're meant to be a hero and save others, not the other way around." Ladybug continued.
Chat's heart completely dropped at his partner confirming what Paonne had said.
"Look, we need to find the Akuma, we'll talk later." Ladybug said, swinging off.
Chat did as told and looked for the Akuma, but his heart wasn't in it like before, he moved slowly and without energy.
From her hiding place Volpina grinned in triumph.
"Good, with his confidence gone his Miraculous will be right for the taking." Hawkmoth whispered in her ears.
Volpina then turned to her illusions of Paonne and Ladybug.
"Now, which one next?" She asked.
"Be careful with Paonne, her powers of vision and partnership with the Fox Miraculous will make her suspicious of your illusions." Hawkmoth told her.
"I guess I'll have to skip her." Volpina said with a shrug. "No matter, I don't have any issues with her and she will be my future partner once I claim what is rightfully mine."
Volpina then looked around, speaking of which.
"Where is that thief anyway." She said, referring to Renard. "He should have shown up already. Is he on holiday or something?"
Volpina sighed, going ahead with her plan anyway. She conjured up Showstopper again and sent her off.
Volpina then tracked down Ladybug and conjured up an illusion of Renard again, sending it after Ladybug.
"Find anything yet?" Renard asked Ladybug, coming up to her.
"Nothing." Ladybug said. "She should have reappeared by now."
"Maybe Paonne already took care of it and just hasn't called in yet." Renard suggested.
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, I hate to say it, but Paonne does seem to be a better fighter than you. In the time that she's been around I've seen her take down Akumas better than you have."
"Well then, that's a difference in opinion. And I think Paonne would have called in if she caught the Akuma." Ladybug responded calmly.
"Maybe it is. But her first day compared to your first day, there is so much difference. You struggled to win and even forgot to capture the Akuma, while Paonne took down Thorny Vine without problem. Maybe she should have been Ladybug instead."
"Well, maybe should have, but she isn't, I am. So, deal with it." Ladybug snapped back at him. "Was there anything you wanted?"
"No, just saw you and decided to check in." Renard held his hands up in surrender.
Ladybug's yoyo then began to beep, she opened it up to see that Paonne was calling her.
"I spotted the Akuma." Paonne said. "Track my position, quickly."
"We're on our way." Ladybug said.
Without saying anything to Renard she cast out her yoyo and swung off, missing Renard's grin as he took off after her.
They arrived at a warehouse district where Paonne was looking around in confusion, her fan at the ready.
"I know I saw her. She must have pulled her disappearing trick again." Paonne said.
She then took notice that her fellow heroes seemed different, Ladybug looked a little cross, Chat Noir looked depressed and there was still something strange with Renard Rouge that she couldn't put her finger on.
"Is something wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing." They answered, Renard plainly and Ladybug and Chat grumpily.
"Okay." Paonne said unsurely.
"Anyway, you said you saw Showstopper?" Ladybug asked.
"Yeah, I saw her and ran after her while contacting everyone, but I lost sight of her."
"This doesn't make sense, Showstopper should be attacking us."
"Well, if you're so eager to see my performance, you should have just asked for my encore." Showstopper said, appearing before them.
Showstopper then launched her fireworks at them, the heroes easily dodging.
"Akuma, hat, cane or something else?" Ladybug asked as she dodged an attack.
"I'm going to say cane." Renard suggested.
As they fought Ladybug couldn't help but notice how easy it was to dodge the Akuma's attacks, like she wasn't really trying to hit them. They also couldn't seem to land a hit on her, the Akuma always flying out of the way of any attacks.
"Paonne." Ladybug said quietly to the other female hero. "Sneak around behind her and try to catch off guard while we distract her."
"Got it." Paonne said.
As they fought Paonne slowly made her way behind Showstopper, once she was satisfied she wouldn't be noticed, she threw her fan at the Akuma, intending to knock her off balance. Instead, the fan went through her and she turned into orange smoke.
"What?" Paonne questioned, catching her fan as it returned to her.
"Was…she just an illusion?" Ladybug questioned.
"Then where's the real one." Chat Noir questioned.
Ladybug then frowned, she recognised that orange smoke. "Maybe she was never real to begin with." She turned to look at Renard.
"Me, you think I did this?" Renard asked.
"You are the one with illusion powers." Chat pointed out, joining Ladybug's way of thinking.
"Come on, guys. Don't you think you might be jumping to conclusions?" Paonne said, defending Renard. "Maybe the Akuma has illusion powers too."
"Then how come she never landed an attack on any of us, even though she had ample opportunity?" Chat said. "Maybe because if they did touch us they'd disappear."
"Into the same orange smoke of a Fox hero." Ladybug added.
"I really think-" Paonne started.
"No, they got me." Renard interrupted, a grin suddenly on his face. "I planned the whole thing." He admitted.
"What? Why?" Paonne asked, feeling betrayed after she had just stood up for him.
"For the fun." Renard said carelessly. "It's nice being a hero, but we never get to be unless an Akuma's about."
"You mean you've been lying to us the entire time?" Ladybug exclaimed angrily.
"Pretty much." Renard said with a shrug. "It shows how easily you can be fooled though. I thought you being sucky heroes was just from my point of view as a citizen, but being a hero I can see you and Chat Noir shouldn't even be heroes.
"Take that back!" Chat Noir shouted, pointing his staff at Renard.
"See what I mean? A few negative comments and you resort to violence already. That's no way for a hero to behave.
"Shut up!"
"I mean, what if a citizen says one bad comment, you could use your cataclysm without meaning to out of anger, and then you'd be a murderer."
"That's enough." Ladybug said sternly, eyes full of anger.
"I'm only stating the truth. Paris would be better off if you both gave up your Miraculouses and left the heroing to Paonne and I."
"Hey, leave me out of this." Paonne said, not wanting to have Ladybug and Chat Noir turned against her.
"I don't see you denying it." Renard said.
Before Paonne could defend herself, Chat snapped.
"Shut up! You don't know anything, you're just some newbie too big for his boots. I don't care what you think, I don't care that she thinks I'm a screw up pulling Ladybug down." He pointed at a shocked Paonne. "I don't care if Ladybug thinks I don't take things seriously. But I won't allow you to stand there and insult me."
"Then go away. Or are you really going to hit me?" Renard goaded.
Chat cried out and attacked Renard with his staff, only for it to go through him, turning him to orange smoke.
"Wow, I didn't think you'd really do it." Renard said, appearing behind them. "Such violence for a supposed hero."
Chat finally couldn't take it anymore and ran off, tears beginning in his eyes.
"I'll be having a long talk with you later." Ladybug told Renard threateningly.
She then ran off after her partner.
"You disgust me." Paonne told Renard. "And to think, I actually thought you were a good guy."
Paonne angrily turned, extended her wings, and jumped off the roof, gliding away.
Renard stayed where he was, grinning. He was soon poofed into orange smoke by Volpina's flute.
"That went better than I could ever have imagined." She said.
Nathanael sighed in relief as he finally got his hands free, rubbing at the red lines left by the ropes. It had taken Vixx a while to bite through the ropes because Volpina had used thick rope to tie him up.
"Finally." Nathanael said. "Who knows what Volpina could have done already."
"Next time, you try chewing through your ropes." Vixx shot back.
"Sorry. Anyway, let's get out of this hole. Vixx, Fangs Bared!"
In a flash or orange light Renard Rouge stood in the place of Nathanael and he easily leapt out of the hole.
Renard then opened up the screen on his flute. He attempted to call Paonne first but couldn't get her signal meaning she wasn't transformed. He then tried Ladybug and Chat Noir, who were both transformed, but they both rejected his call.
"What's going on?" Renard asked. "What'd Volpina do?"
Renard continued to run across the rooftops, searching the city for Ladybug and Chat Noir to get answers, but found nothing. He then caught sight of one of the large TVs that was broadcasting the news.
"People are questioning whether the Akuma has been defeated or not. Showstopper hasn't been seen since her initial attack, but there has been no news from the heroes of Paris either." Said the news anchor.
Renard's eyes widened when he saw an image of the Akuma.
"Wait a minute, that's one of my designs." He said. "Volpina created a fake Akuma from my designs?"
Renard once again tried to contact the others but failed.
Renard was then caught by surprise when he suddenly found himself being tackled to the side, he quickly escaped the person's grip and stood up to look at them.
Volpina was standing opposite him.
"Volpina! What have you been doing?" Renard demanded.
"Well, you'd know more if you'd bothered to show up." Volpina said. "But all you should know is that your precious friends won't be here to help you, especially after what you did, or what they think you did."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that it was too easy to impersonate you and say things to make them mad. Now, I'll make this easy on you, just hand over what is rightfully mine and I'll let you go peacefully."
"I don't have anything of yours."
"Oh, but you do. Your Miraculous should be mine."
Renard's hand wrapped protectively around his Miraculous.
"Well, you can't have it." He said.
"Then I'll just have to take it my force." Volpina said, attacking.
Ladybug sighed as she eventually found Chat Noir sulking on the roof of an old church. She didn't say anything at first, just sitting down next to him.
"You alright?" She eventually asked.
"Yeah, Renard just really managed to get under my leather." Chat weakly joked.
"Don't listen to him." Ladybug told him. "We've been the heroes of Paris for months while he's only started out. He's trying to bring us down to make himself higher."
"It's not just that." Chat said. "You said yourself that I'm a pain to save all the time."
Ladybug looked confused. "I never said that."
"You did. While we were looking for the Akuma, you swung by after Paonne said somethings and confirmed it." Chat said.
"Well, I don't know about Paonne, but I certainly never said anything like that. Chat, you're like a brother to me, I would never think that you're a pain. And the only reason I have to save you is because you're so insistent on taking hits for me."
"If that wasn't you, then…Renard." Chat growled.
"If he made an illusion of me, then there's a chance that your talk with Paonne was also an illusion, meaning everything is Renard's fault."
"But why is he attacking us then?" Chat asked.
"I don't know, he seemed nice enough when we first met him. But, I'm sure we'll make sure to find out the next time we see his smug little face." Ladybug promised, holding up her fist.
Chat smiled.
He then frowned.
"You don't think he was right, do you." Chat asked unsurely.
"No." Ladybug said confidently. "If there's one thing my Kwami has drilled into my head over and over again, it's that if I wasn't meant to be Ladybug I wouldn't have been chosen, and it'll be the same for you. I'll admit that starting out I felt uncomfortable being Ladybug, like the suit was too small even though it fit perfectly. And that I needed to act and behave a certain way because it's expected of me. But ever since Paonne showed up, those feeling have gone away, my suit feels comfortable now and with the extra help I don't feel so heavy."
"I'm glad you're more comfortable as Ladybug now." Chat said.
Ladybug scrunched up her nose slightly. "I've never really like the name Ladybug, it just doesn't suit me. But it's what the media named me so it's what I'm stuck with." She said with a sigh.
"Who cares what others call you." Chat said. "If you want to be called something else then it's your right to be called something else. Even if no one else call you it, I'll call you it. And maybe it will even catch on."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Anything you want to be called other than Ladybug?"
"Well, growing up I always called ladybugs ladybirds, so that's what I'd prefer to be called."
"Ladybird?"
"Yeah. Anything wrong with it?"
"Of course not, it's much cuter than Ladybug, very fitting."
"Awe, Chat. You always know what to say."
Ladybird pulled Chat Noir into a one-armed hug.
Marinette was back at home, anger clear on her face.
"I don't get it, Pavo." She said. "Why would Renard Rouge act like that?"
"I don't know, but it didn't seem like him. The Guardian wouldn't choose someone like that to wield a Miraculous." Pavo said.
"But we've only known him three days, so we can't judge what was really him and what was out of character."
Marinette pressed her face into her pillow in frustration.
"I keep feeling that something's wrong about that situation though, I just can't put my finger on what. And it's not just Renard's behaviour."
"Do you think there really was an Akuma and it cause Renard to act that way?" Pavo suggested.
Marinette shook her head. "The Akuma would have still come after us than make Renard make us upset. I want to believe Renard wouldn't do that, but other than my feeling there isn't anything to defend him with. He said it all right to our faces."
Marinette pulled out her phone and scrolled through videos until she found one of Renard in action, hoping that watching the video would provide answers.
Marinette watched a video of Doll Maker's attack, obviously filmed using a phone, showing Renard summoning walls to confuse the dolls and the dolls eventually bashing through them, turning the illusions to light.
Marinette stopped the video, something about that scene was wrong, she just couldn't put her finger on why. So, she played it again, and again, until it finally clicked into place.
The effect given when the illusion was shattered.
Renard Rouge's illusion were created from orange light and returned to orange light when shattered. But today, when his illusions were shattered, they turned into orange smoke, not light.
And there was someone who made illusions from smoke.
Searching back through the archived videos on Alya's Ladyblog, she found the ones on Volpina and watched one. She watched as Ladybug shattered one of Volpina's illusions, reducing it to orange smoke.
Marinette's eyes widened and she stood up as the pieces of the puzzle began to slot into place, she remembered hearing about Lila being bullied and running out of the college because of it, likely ending up Akumatised again because she was so upset. And as Volpina, she would probably want the real Fox Miraculous, so she'd turn the other heroes against Renard making it easier for her to get him alone.
"Oh god!" Marinette exclaimed. "It's been Volpina this entire time!"
"Of course." Pavo said in realisation. "I knew the Guardian didn't make a mistake."
"We need to go. I just hope it's not too late. Pavo, Feathers Flared!"
There was a flash of blue light and Paonne climbed out of Marinette's sunroof and ran across the rooftops. She pulled out her fan and activated the phone function, calling Ladybird and Chat Noir.
Ladybird and Chat Noir eventually picked up, they sounded calmer that Paonne expected but that was good for her.
"It's been Volpina this entire time." Paonne said.
"What?" Ladybird asked.
"It wasn't Renard that said those things, it was Volpina. Lila Rossi was being bullied at her college and must have been Akumatised again, and I think she's targeting Renard."
"Are you sure?" Chat asked suspiciously.
"Yes. Volpina's illusions are made of smoke while Renards are made of light, and the illusions we saw today were made of smoke."
"God, how could we have not seen this?" Ladybird said.
"We need to find Renard now, who knows what Volpina's done to him."
"Okay, we'll start looking."
They hung up.
"Do you really think it was Volpina?" Chat asked as they stood up.
"It's better than the alternative, that a Miraculous user really acts like that." Ladybird answered.
They then started searching Paris for Renard and/or Volpina.
Renard grunted as he was hit in the stomach, holding where he was hit with one arm while using his other to keep up his flute.
Both foxes had quickly learned that their illusions didn't work on each other, they could tell what was real and what was fake, leaving them to fight with brute force.
The problem was that Renard was still learning the ropes on fighting while Volpina was getting her power and knowledge to fight from Hawkmoth, giving her the upper hand.
"You're pathetic." Volpina taunted. "You claim to be a hero yet you can't even fight."
"And you think you're a hero?" Renard asked. "'Cause I don't think heroes act the way you act, and I don't think they work for the bad guy."
"Once I take your Miraculous, I will be a hero. A better one than you could ever be." Volpina said.
Volpina struck with her flute but Renard managed to block it with his own, but he didn't manage to block the kick that sent him to the ground.
As Volpina walked over to him Renard used his flute to sweep her legs from under her, giving him enough time to stand and ready himself.
"Look at you, you look like you can barely stand." Volpina taunted. "Just hand over your Miraculous before you embarrass yourself anymore."
"Not happening." Renard responded.
"You really think you can do anything? You could only ever succeed in a group, and because of my work you're all alone." Volpina spat.
"He is not alone!" A voice called out.
Volpina was knocked off balance as something slammed into her, knocking her to the floor.
Renard looked up to see a hand offered to him, he took it and stood beside Paonne.
"Sorry I'm late." Paonne said. "It took me a while to work out Volpina's deception."
"How did you know?" Volpina asked, getting to her feet.
"You and Renard may have the same powers, but how they work is completely different." Paonne answered.
"You don't have to fight me." Volpina offered. "The Fox Miraculous is rightfully mine, you should be working with me as a partner."
"You're delusional. My partner is Renard and always will be." Paonne answered, splitting her fan into two.
"Too bad. We could have been great together, the new duo of Paris. But I guess I'll just have to take your Miraculous back to Hawkmoth alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir's."
Volpina attacked but Paonne proved to be a much tougher opponent for her than Renard, able to match her moves instead of desperately trying to block them like Renard had. Volpina swung her staff at Paonne but the hero ducked under the attack and uppercut Volpina.
Remembering that Paonne could only be suspicious of her illusions and not actually see through them, Volpina quickly played her flute and summoned a dozen copies of herself, confusing the heroine. But she had forgotten that Renard was still there as he charged through her duplicates and grappled with her, Paonne quickly banished her duplicates and helped Renard in fighting Volpina.
Volpina eventually decided she needed to fall back as she was fighting a losing battle, hoping that Ladybug and Chat Noir were still unaware of her so she could go after them. But are she turned and ran away, she tripped over a staff and was tied up by a yoyo.
With Volpina restrained Paonne went over to her and snatched the fox necklace from around her neck, snapping it in half. Ladybird released Volpina so that she could capture and cleanse the Akuma.
There was no Lucky Charm for the Miraculous cure, but there wasn't any damage to fix other than the necklace anyway
After Ladybird set the butterfly free Volpina reverted back to Lila.
"What?" Lila questioned, looking around.
"You got Akumatised again." Ladybird told her.
"Sorry about your necklace, there wasn't a Miraculous cure to fix it." Paonne said, handing Lila the two halves of her necklace.
"What, you broke it?" Lila cried.
"Breaking an object is how the Akuma is released." Ladybird said.
"Do you know how much this cost me?"
"I'm sorry, but would you rather be an Akuma?" Renard asked.
Lila looked up at Renard and scowled, she then stood up and marched off the roof, using a fire escape to get down.
"I kinda get the feeling she would." Renard said.
"Renard." Ladybird said, going up to the fox hero. "I'm sorry for doubting you, I should have known better than to fall for Volpina's tricks again."
"It's not your fault." Renard said. "I'm sorry for whatever she did using my image."
"You don't have anything to apologise for."
"Let's just call it even then."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Though there is one thing you can do, Volpina based her fake Akuma off of a design from a kid name Nathanael's sketch book, if you find it you could return it to him."
"Is N-the kid okay?" Paonne asked, concerned for her friend.
"He's fine, just really missing his sketchbook."
"We'll keep a look out." Chat promised.
Chat then noticed the time, it was almost time for afternoon classes.
"Meow! This cat's got to go." He said.
Chat ran off and the other heroes also took note of the time.
"I've got to go too." Ladybird said, running off.
"Me too." Renard said.
Before Renard could leave, Paonne grabbed his arm.
"Renard, I couldn't help but notice you're not that good a fighter." She said.
"I know, but I'm getting a hang of it." Renard said.
"With the strength of the latest Akumas, I'm worried you won't have time to learn on your own. So, how would you feel to training from me?" Paonne offered.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. I was trained before becoming Paonne, so I could help train you too."
"I would love to learn how to defend myself more." Renard said.
"Good, meet me here at six, we'll work everything out then. Until then, I suspect we're both late for something."
Paonne and Renard parted ways, heading towards the college and de-transforming before rushing to class.
Author's note: For those worried about the fate of Lila's bullies, the one who fell into the Seine managed to get out, and the other two were eventually found and freed.