Rena Rouge had seen some weird stuff. That's what you get for wielding a magical necklace that allows you to turn into a superhero. But dang if fighting a version of herself from another universe turning into a werefox wasn't something; Certainly when that monstrous counterpart was barreling into you. Holding up her flute to block the clawing and biting of her werefox counterpart, Rena was pushed on her back, but was able to plant her foot in Rena Rage's stomach and kick her into the air. She landed on her feet like she was a cat instead of a fox before charging in, claws out and slashing as Rena Rouge blocked with her flute.

Rena Rage growled loudly as the image of several flaming foxes appeared and charged at Rena Rouge. Rena Rouge twirled her flute like a baton and swatted at the spirit-like beings. However, instead of dispersing into smoke, they dispersed into particles, like sand…and these particles reformed into more spirit that flew around and bugged Rena Rouge. The foxy spirits converged into a bigger one and charge in, as she slammed her baton in the forehead of the fox beast, which dispersed, but the particles flying everywhere provided a cover…

From the cloud Rena Rage came in, planting her claws in Rena's stomach. That hurt like hell but luckily the suit reduced the damage. She also noticed those claws were red hot to the touch. Then it went from a claw grabbing to a throw, flung into a building. Rena shook her head as she was grabbed by the throat. "NOW TELL ME!" she snarled.

Rena Rouge voice sounded hoarse as her throat was squeezed. "All right…Little closer." She muttered softly. Rena Rouge leaned in and let her grip soften. Before Rena Rouge yelled into her ears, and at that moments the raging fox cursed that her mutant-like form came with the more sensitive ears as she let go of Rena Rouge, whom smacked the baton in the joints of her legs, making her bend over before slamming it upwards, Rena rage's head jerking back as she fell on her back. She got up quickly though.

Rena Rage roared as the air around her turned hot and distorted like a heat wave and the heads of foxes on serpentine bodies appeared, like a twisted fox Hydra, appeared behind her. These heads started snapping at Rena Rouge. They were non solid but radiated heat and because something itched in the back of her mind, Rena Rouge made the smart choice of avoiding the snapping jaws. Rena put her flute to her lips and played a shrill tone on it, and the fox hydra heads started wildly trashing as their perception was messed up and hitting anything but Rena Rouge, while Rena Rage held her ears. "When has the fox been able to do that?"

"Always, but it's a trick you learn through training." Rena Rouge said. "What did your Ladybug never teach you, or your Trixx?"

"They never told me anything, and that is the f***ing problem!" Rena Rage said as her fur seemed to blow in the wind and looked very fiery. "And I had the right to!" She roared so loudly, it was not like Tigresse's but it could knock her back and it felt like being hit by hot desert wind. As Rena Rage charged in, the flute was once again brought to the lips of Rena Rouge, whom played a tune. Suddenly there was only smoke when Rena Rage charged into her. "Don't bother to hide. You can't hide your scent, I will find you through these illusions! And you can only do so many of them. You will not be able to keep it up!"

"I don't have to hide, I just have to mess with your mind." Rena Rouge's voice sounded. "Your new form doesn't have mindtricks. You were right when you said that you took another way. But is it a means that took more dishonest method. We foxes are about misdirection and deception, but we are not malicious."

"Don't lecture me!" Rena Rage said as she sniffed the air. Rena Rouge smelled like her, but her own scent, mixed with singing fur was slowing her tracking down.

"You mention not being able to discern between the truth and lies, you mention being deceived. Us foxes are able to see through such deception since we are the masters of them. I had to learn but I did, but you never did. Knowing you, you jumped to the wrong conclusion too many times, and if I can guess your pride and stubbornness preventing you from accepting it." Rena Rouge continued to sound.

"Don't psycho analyse me. You look like me and talk like me but you're not me." Rena Rage growled.

"You're right, I'm not you." Rena Rouge's voice sounded. Mist started to fill the area.

Rena Rage's eyes widened when she saw the images of the Césaire family stepping from the mist. "Were they disappointed with you when they realized to what extremes you went?" the images of Marlena and Otis said a the same time.

"You were not the daughter or sister to be proud of?" the Ella and Etta images spoke in unison.

"They could no longer recognize the girl in front of them?" the illusionary Nora added.

"I…I…I didn't mean to…" Rena Rage stumbled back. The images of her family fell away.

New images formed in those of her closest friends. "Whom is it you have pushed away and hurt?" the illusionary Marinette asked.

"Dug into something that you shouldn't have, spilled something while it wasn't your place to do so?" the illusionary Adrien asked.

"Whose hearts were broken due to your selfishness and betrayal?" the illusionary Nino continued.

"Forgive me…I didn't know she was lying…you shouldn't be mad at me!" Rena Rage said, shouting at the images of her friends.

"Who is it whom lied?" Rena rage had to turn around to see the voice. It was an illusionary Lila. "Whom lied to you, and instead of verifying blindly trusted as truth? A truth you could have denied but decided to take? Were those views worth it!"

"It's all your fault!" Rena Rage slashed at the Lila image which dispersed. "It wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for you! I am guilt-free!"

"Is that what you think?" the image of an illusionary Ladybug appeared. "Even if you don't start a problem, doesn't mean you are not part of it."

Rena Rage grabbed at Ladybug for her earrings, only to fade too. "I just…need to fix it."

"Fix it? So you admit you broke something?" Rena's voice sounded. "You know, I have been doing a bit of guessing on some parts, but your reactions speak volumes, you little ragebeast. You done and effed up, simple as that. If you had taken some responsibility, you could have been like me. Ever thought of that?"

"I…but I didn't…I can't be…" Rena Rage growled loudly, and a burst of sound and hot wind dispersed the mist. Rena Rouge became visible again. "I got you now. It won't matter in a few moments. I'll be Rena Rouge again, I will be besides Ladybug…I will fix things." Rena Rage snarled as she charged.

Rena Rouge was surrounded by ghostly fire. "No…I will fix you!" Rena Rouge put the flute to her lips as she started to play. The ghostly fire around her engulfed her as a haunting, sorrowful tone started to play.

The music started to haunt Rena Rage to her core as she stopped and held her heart like the music hurt her there. She started to stumble forwards…But despite the heat she radiated, the ghostly flames surrounding Rena Rouge were different, they were cold…a burning type of cold and she hurt as she tried to grab at her ghostly fiery cocoon.

Rena Rouge's fiery cloak disappeared. Aside the flexible armor she once had, she now was of a darker orange, some black parts to offset the white and orange. Her hair now flowed with an ethereal quality. Her flute has grown bigger and looked to be made of an ivory-colored wood, and had a bladed tip at the end. She hadn't stopped playing the music for even a moment since she started. 'You can hear me now, can you?'

'Is that you, Trixx?' Rena thought.

'No, it is the sound of your own haunting guilty conscience.' Trixx joked. 'To be honest, well done Kit! You have achieved a new level of power. You felt it, and hence you started playing, right? You can now see more right?'

'I see something in the other me.' Rena Rouge's eyes pierced and saw an aura, resembling those spirit foxes she saw earlier. 'What are they?'

'Spirits, kit. Spirits. Us foxes are not just tricksters, we are messengers of the spirits. We see them, we hear them…and we guide them. Keep playing, kit.'

'Can do.' Rena Rouge continued the haunting melody. Louder this time, as Rena Rage held her head and steam came from her. She wasn't physically hurt, but something burned inside her, her very soul.

"Make it stop! Please!" Rena Rage said. She dropped onto her knees sobbing as she looked up, her counterpart in her new and stronger form.

As Rena Rouge's song reached a powerful chord, the fake tail behind her became spirit-like, grew and split into nine which fanned out behind her. On each tail tip was a ghostly flame. The flames shot at Rena Rage and engulfed her, before the fiery mass took on the image of a huge growling fox face. Rena Rouge continued playing the tune, which went soft, sad and solemn again. The fiery fox image stopped growling, like the beast was tamed by the music…and allows itself to disperse. As the flames became dim embers which blew away on the wind, the Alya doppelganger, now powerless, stood there.

Rena Rouge has stopped her musical performance. The other Alya stood there, an empty look in her eyes, tears on her face as she barely muttered. "You were right…" before she fainted.

Rena Rouge picked up her counterpart gently. "Poor foolish girl." She muttered as she carried her counterpart away. She needed to carry her away. Bring her to the future Bunnyx. 'I see another image…another power?'

'It is, go ahead and try, Kit!' Trixx voice sounded. Rena Rouge and her doppelganger were ungulfed in ghostly flames, but the flare instead shot up in the air and over the horizon. Right now they were traveling as a ghostly flame. Interesting mode of transport if you asked our heroine.

Carapace thanks his enhanced endurance. Especially that even for Miraculous wielders his endurance is really tough. That didn't change that being thrown across the street into a building still hurt like heck! Clearing the cobwebs in his head, he just saw the hulking mass which was shellshock charge into him. It happened fast and Shellshock charged through the wall and several buildings. The massive turtle monster at a moment stopped. However, he looked around. He had planned to charge into Carapace, but he was nowhere around. He didn't notice Carapace had grabbed onto his shell, and was hanging onto his monstrous counterpart's back.

Nino had grabbed the edge of the shell and planted his feet firmly but he lost traction as his foot scraped across the shell and made a sound. Shellshock couldn't turn his head quite right but knew what was going on as he dropped on his back, Carapace barely letting go of the shell and jumping out of the way. As it wasn't easy for his bulky counterpart to get up, he took his shield from his back and smashed it on his face over and over.

Shellshock holds out his hand and grabs Carapace's shield before the hero could get another hit in. He got to his feet and raised Carapace up, whom clung to the shield awkwardly. Shellshock's eyes narrowed as Carapace smiled awkwardly before planting hit feet in Shellshock's face, kicking off and landing on his back, onto the shield Shellshock still held. It attached magically on his back like it usually did, and he started to spin in place, which meant the rapidly spinning shield cut into Shellshock's hand, whom let go.

Shellshock growled as he raised his arms and tried to bash in Carapace. The hero quickly jumped back. He raised his hand and the fists of Shellshock were trapped in a green forcefield. Shellshock pulled very hard, but the forcefield held. Carapace waited for the stumbling behemoth's feet to get close enough before raising his hands again and encapsulate both feet in another sphere, and suddenly he fell down on the ground, clumsily struggling. "Stand down!" Carapace said. "You said you didn't want to do this. You don't have to go on anymore. I don't want to hurt you. Leave in peace, turn your back on whatever jerk is forcing you into this, so this can end."

"There will be no place across time and space they cannot find me. I won't know rest." Shellshock said.

"You are a hero, or you were once. You were a fighter. Isn't your freedom worth fighting for, instead of fighting to be another dog on a leash?" Carapace asked.

"Easy for you to say. I never found my spine like you did. And I am not some misguided puppy you coax into your home. No, my cowardice has cost a lot. It has caused pain, it cost lives. I am lying in the bed I've made." Shellshock replied.

"By causing more pain and destruction? This is not facing consequences of your action, it is enforcing the same mistakes you made before." Carapace said. "But there is a way to fix them, but not like this."

Shellshock looked sad and remorseful and clenched his eyes shut. "I'm sorry…you are putting too much faith in me." He rolled onto his back and his eyes glowed, a huge dome erupted around the area. "No escape, it has to end now." He then starts spinning on his back and shot forward like a huge heavy spinning projectile.

Carapace held up his shield in defense but was knocked into the shield. He then noticed the spinning Shellshock shooting towards him. He raised his shield and found himself sandwiched against it and the spinning monster. Whom slammed into him several times. Though a little distorted through the spinning, the voice of Shellshock sounded: "You stand down now, there will be no shame in admitting defeat. You are facing a force you can't defeat. Your timer has started. The fighting can stop. You did well…"

"I didn't, not well enough. Not until I gave everything I have…" Carapace said, as he was still crushed between the spinning monstrosity and the shield. But he gathered his strength and pushed back. Even though his muscles nearly ripped, his heart went into overdrive and his lungs burned, he pushed. He pushed as green glowing lines appeared across his body and soon Shellshock was pushed back.

"What?" Shellshock said in shock. "Where does this strength come from?"

"From the things you lost. Courage…to face the impossible and win. Courage to stand up for what we believe in…" Carapace took a few steps, creating distance between him and the shield, pushing the villain back. "The courage to do what is right, and most of all THE COURAGE TO PROTECT WHAT I HOLD DEAR!" A huge green glow came over Carapace as he gave another push and Shellshock was flung away.

Shellshock skidded across the floor like a pebble skipping across the surface of the lake. Shellshock got up, shaking his head. His hands and feet were no longer tied but he didn't feel so hot. He looked up and saw a cocoon of light, in the form of a turtle shell wrapped around Carapace. He could only say one word. "Dude…"

The glow died down and Carapace stood here in a new form. More armor-like, just like his friends, but even more apparent. His shield was less flat and ridged in some spots. Instead of a hood he now had a helmet. 'Nino, this is remarkable. Even Fu never unlocked the power of the Turtle like this in his lifetime.' Wayzz spoke in Nino's head. 'You have become a true defender like it was never seen before.'

'Dude, that is rad!' Carapace thought in his head. He can now speak to his little kwami buddy transformed. 'I feel like a party in my whole body and I am the DJ!' He readied himself for round two. "What's up, dude? Never seen a turtle before?"

Shellshock got over his shock and surged forward. He raised his fist and brought it down, Carapace raising his new shield. The fist hit the shield, but unlike last time, Carapace wasn't knocked back an inch…instead Shellshock stumbled back, like the kinetic energy and force of the punch rebounded on him. It actually looked like he hurt his hand. He clenched his teeth as Carapace stood there, face impassive. Shellshock raised both fists and slammed them into the ground, a trail of dirt erupting in front of him as a shockwaved travelled across the surface in front of him. Carapace planted his shield in front of him, the shockwave splitting and bypassing him on both sides harmlessly.

Shellshock looked a bit nervous as his attacks did little. "Your defenses have improved, but in the end you are still hiding behind a shield and a shield can be worn down!"

"I agree with you on that." Carapace said as his shield transformed. It split into three segments vertically. The two on the ends became legs as the middle part aimed forward, showing a cannon weapon. "Shields can be worn down." A green energy line traveled across the ground, from the canon, to the barrier Shellshock had erected. The cannon aimed…and it shot out a mini-forcefield, spherical, shot forward like a cannonball.

It hit Shellshock and he actually felt the impact. More of the cannonball forcefields were shot at him, each one bruising his tough skin or cracking parts of his armor as the barrier Shellshock had erected slowly dissolved as its energy was used to power the cannon that now was pelting him. Once the shield had dissolved completely, the cannon turned back into a shield. Shellshock charged again. Carapace raised his hand, and a forcefield appeared around him. Shellshock kept wailing, but the forcefield didn't budge. Carapace just watched as Shellshock continued the barrage of punches without results, until he thought it was enough. Carapace's eyes glowed and spikes of energy appeared on the shield, and when Shellshock threw his next punch, one pierced his hand.

The big lumbering counterpart roared in pain as he held his damaged hand. He then saw Carapace raise both hands, and two walls of turtle-patterned energy rose up besides the villain. Carapace clapped his hands together as both shield walls slammed into the turtle villain and sandwiches him. He tried to budge but his brute force couldn't even budge these.

Carapace threw his shield in front of him, ridged side down, and it hovered above the ground. Carapace jumped on the flat part, and rides it like a hoverboard. "Dude, this is so totally awesome." He whispered under his breath. He shot forward, then slammed repeatedly with his hoverboard shield into Shellshock, damaging his armored skin even more. One final slam hit Shellshock hard enough to send him flying.

Shellshock panted and looked panicked as Carapace shot at him again. He retracted into his shell and spins around again, charging at Carapace. Carapace flew forward, the ridged bottom of his hoverboard sticking out and spinning and the two spinning shielded projectiles clash. Sparks flew everywhere, but small bits started flying around that turn out chips of the armor of Shellshock's shell slowly being worn down by Carapace's shield. Eventually Shellshock was being pushed back and knocked out of his spinning attack and knocked to the ground. Carapace jumped up, now wielding his shield like a weapon again. Shellshock's eyes went wild as he suddenly retracted in his shell, desperate for any kind of protection from the blow, even forming another barrier around his body…Carapace shield broke through the barrier like it wasn't even there and then slammed into the shell, shattering it like glass, as a shockwave travelled across the area.

Among the rubble of shattered bits of turtle shell, a large bruised scaled mass that is a shell-less Shellshock lay there whimpering in pain. His arm stuck out, and he was clearly unable to move. The scales around his wrist were darker and patterned after the old Turtle Miraculous Bracelet. Carapace slammed the side of his shield into it, and a crack was heard. An Akuma flew out. Carapace raised his hand, creating a forcefield around the butterfly. Then Carapace clenched his wrist. The shield rapidly shrank with the Akuma inside, which was crushed into nothing.

Shellshock reverted back into Twinno. Twinno lay there, looking pained as he raised his head so slightly. "Man…you are freakin' strong." he said. "Like I never was. Your friends are lucky to have you on their side."

"We are all strong in our own way. We have each other's backs." Carapace reminded him.

"Wish I had my friends' backs before. If they are as strong as you…I guess my 'colleagues' won't stand a chance. Maybe they can even stop Multiversity…that's my boss, you know." Twinno sighed.

"Whomever that may be, we will deal with them like we do for any threat that comes our way." Carapace assured him. "Now get up, you need to get patched up, and then we have to think on what to do with you."

"Just leave me here, so I can die of agonizing pain." Twinno sighed.

"Don't pull that off with me. You are going to bear the consequences to your actions. The proper way, not by serving the madman or madwoman whom brought you here. And then see what life still may have in store for you." Carapace said as he put his shield into hoverboard mode again. "Hop on!"

"Dude, that thing is so totally awesome…" Twinno muttered.

"I know right?" Carapace said with a smile.

Twinno did as told and stepped on. "There's nothing I can do to make it right."

"Not with that attitude." Carapace said as the flew off into the distance. "I don't know what to do about this yet, but we'll figure out something."

"You are quite positive, you know that?" Twinno noted.

"It prevents me from going nuts." Carapace said as both of them chuckled.

"Sorry about trying to cave your face in. Wasn't exactly in the right mind…But just making excuses." Twinno noted.

"Don't worry, I have taken bigger hits." Carapace said as the flew towards where they hoped they could find Bunnyx to fix this mess. "Just don't go all Teenage Mutant Miraculous Hulkturtle again, ok?"

"I promise I'll try not to." Twinno replied.

TO BE CONTINUED