"IT'S THE DAY!" Marinette declared, cheerfully twirling around her room.

"What day?" Tikki asked from her bag.

"It's Ladycon!" Marinette cheered.

"But didn't you say you weren't going to go to that?" Tikki asked. "Ladybug and Catnoir aren't celebrities, they're heroes, isn't that what you're always going on about?"

"Who said I was going as Ladybug?" Marinette asked, sitting down and spinning around on her chair before slowing to a stop. "I'm going as Marinette. And then…" She clasped her hands together, hearts practically forming in her eyes. "I'll get my hands on all of the coolest, cutest Cat Noir themed items all the vendors are selling!" She grabbed a Cat Noir plushy off her desk and hugged it, once again spinning around in her desk and squeeing.

"Marinette… you're dating him, do you really need more posters with him?"

"IT'S NOT JUST POSTERS!" Marinette insisted, as if that was the part she should be taking offense at. "There will also be figures! And plushies! And pillows! And christmas ornaments! And t-shirts!"

"Okay, okay, okay… You know, I figured you'd change a bit once you were dating Adrien but I guess some things never change." Tikki sighed. "But you already need to hide your Cat Noir stuff when people other than Adrien are over, anyways. Isn't this just making more work for you?"

"Oh, please, Tikki, it's not that huge of a probl - "

"MARINETTE, YOUR FRIEND FROM SCHOOL IS HERE!" She heard her mother call.

"GYAH!" Marinette got up and scrambled, taking down her cat noir posters, hiding her cat noir throw pillow, and changing her Cat Noir desktop to her Adrien desktop. When she was done, she met Tikki's judgemental gaze. "...What? I was going to cycle the desktop today anyways." She said. Then, there was a knock at the door.

"Marinette?" She heard Marc ask.

"Come in!"

Marc walked into her room, looking nervous as always. "Oh, uh, sorry for intruding, Marinette."

"No, no, it's fine! Actually, it's really nice to see you, make yourself at home!" She insisted.

"Thanks, Marinette. Ummm… Do you think I could ask you a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Could…. Could you come to the Ladycon with me and Nathaniel?" He asked, clasping his hands together.

"Oh, sure, I was planning on going anyway." She said. "But how come? Do you two need help operating your booth?"

"Uh… yeah! Yep, that's it, totally, I… No, that's not it." He admitted. "I need help with something else. It's something you're experienced with."

"Well, no need to be so coy about it, tell me what I got to do!" She said, flexing her arm playfully.

"Heheh… well, you know how you spent months and months wanting to ask Adrien out but failing miserably?"

"Hey, I asked him out eventually!" She defended.

"Exactly! And I need some of that! I, uh…"

"Wait… oh my god, do you want to ask out Nathaniel?" Marinette asked, excited. Marc pressed his fingers together.

"Well, uh…"

"You can count on me, Marc! I was planning on going anyways, so why not go with one of my good friends?" She confirmed. Marc smiled softly at this.

"Thanks, Marinette, you're the best. Hey, uh, I didn't stop you in the middle of something, did I?"

"No, no, no, don't worry about it at all! I was just… sitting around!"

"Alright, then. Bye Marinette!"

"Bye!" Marinette waved as he left. Once he was gone, she pulled the throw pillow back out. She held it up to her face and pretended to talk to it like it was the real Cat Noir. "Did you hear that? He wants to use us as a model for romance! I mean, it makes sense, you know? We are the perfect love story." She goes in and gives a passionate kiss to the Cat Noir pillow - and at that moment, Marc walked in.

"Hey, Marinette, I forgot to tell you where our booth wa - " He paused. Marinette was frozen, eyeing him as her lips were locked against the image of a superhero's.

"..."

"..."

"Adrien knows."

"Oh. Haha, okay, that's good. Uh, I'll just text you the details…"

"Haha, yeah…"

"Alya, will you tell us why we need to go to Ladycon for me to find myself a partner?" Zoe asked, walking through the street by her friend's side.

"Because, you need to gain a bit of confidence. You're always convinced that you're just a worse version of the people around you for some reason."

"And how is Ladycon gonna help?"

"We're gonna find some Vesperia fans."

"WHGJT-" She lurched. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

"Ah, okay, Vesperia was just a guess, but it looks like I was on the money. I could tell you were at least a miraculous holder. I mean, the way ladybug just dragged you away was a dead giveaway."

"Uggghh… I hope I can still be a superhero now that people know about me."

"Zoe, this is exactly what I'm talking about. It was Ladybug's mess up, not yours, so don't get all down on yourself."

"...Alright, you have a point. So, does uh… does Vesperia have fans?"

"You'll see~" Alya teased. "Come on, let's pick up the pace!"

The two of them would travel to the large convention hall: it was a maze of different booths and stands, with all sorts of different people dressed up as various superheroes. There were even a few hawkmoths here and there doing fake fights with the various heroes, all while people took pictures and laughed. Zoe smiled as she saw a few people dressed as Vesperia.

"Akumatization is incredibly traumatic!" They heard a familiar voice cheer. Mylene was by Ivan's side, soliciting donations. "Help raise money to support the healthy recovery of those who went through this terrible fate!"

"Oh, give me a sec!" Zoe said, running over to donate some of her money.

"Thank you so much!" Ivan said.

"It's the least I could do." Zoe insisted. Alya rolled her eyes, walking forward to donate some, too.

"...Least you could do, huh?" Alya asked as they walked away.

"Oh, shush, you know what I meant." Zoe said with a giggle as the two of them kept walking. When they were gone, Mylene turned to Ivan.

"Hey, Ivan, do you mind if I go and see some of the con?" She asked hesitantly.

"Oh, of course! Don't worry, you can leave the charity drive to me." He responded confidently, puffing out his chest. Mylene gave him a big hug before running off on her own.

Marinette walked up to Nathaniel and Marc, who were selling physical copies of their comic and autographing works. Nathaniel was happy, but Marc was looking nervous. "Hey guys, I got you some supplies!" She said, handing them snacks and bottled water.

"Oh, you're a life saver, Marinette!" Nathaniel thanked her.

"Yeah, thanks!" Marc said, getting up. "Hey, can I ask you something?" He asked, scampering over to her and dragging her away a bit to have a quiet conference with her. "Marinette, you can't leave me alone with him right now!" Marc said.

"Why… not?" Marinette asked. "You're alone with him all the time."

"It's… it's different now! Normally when I'm with him, I'm not concerned about much. Or if there's something I'm worried about, Nathaniel will talk to me about it! But now, I'm just overthinking everything."

"That's something I can relate to." Marinette said. "And I can relate to knowing what it's like to have someone who calms me down. Whenever I talk to Adrien about something, things get a lot easier. Especially when it's something I'm scared to tell him."

"Oh… I want to have something like that with Nathaniel."

"It sounds like you already do." She said softly before turning him around and shoving him to Nathaniel. "So GO TELL HIM!"

"WHAT?"

"You don't need to be clever, just be honest!"

"Be honest about what?" Nathaniel asked the two of them, cocking his head. Marc's panic increased.

"I-I NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!" Marc said, earning a face palm from Marinette.

"Oh, well, go ahead then! I can man the booth on my own for a bit. Didn't know you were worried about that." Nathaniel said.

"Hahaha, yeah…" Marc said before slinking off. Marinette grumbled, still yet to buy a single cat noir plushie. She knew she could probably bail right now, but if Marc got back before her he'd have a panic attack. So instead, she sat down next to Nathaniel.

"Hey, Marinette. Uh, actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about." He told her. Marinette snapped out of her fumings to turn to him.

"Oh - uh - wuh - yeah?"

"Is it a bad time?"

"No no no! Now's the perfect time! What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, you remember when I had a crush on you?" He asked. Marinette gulped.

"Yeeeees?"

"I just wanted to let you know that that's long since over. I wasn't sure if it was still something you were wondering about." He elaborated. Marinette sighed with relief.

"No, I wasn't worried at all. Well, except for about 10 seconds ago."

"Haha, sorry about that. Actually, truth be told, there's this guy I like - oh, Marc, that was fast." Marc was already back. Marinette stood up and marched towards him.

"Hey, Marc, can I ask you something?" She said, pulling him aside to talk to him 1 on 1. Nathaniel wondered if she had to go to the bathroom, too.

"What is it?" Marc asked.

"Tell him."

"I can't!"

"DO IT!" She said, shaking his shoulders. "He says he has a guy he likes, it's probably you!" She said.

"There's no way it is!" Marc despaired. "Oh god, this was a mistake."

"GRAGH!" Marinette grabbed her head in frustration. But then, she made eye contact with someone by another booth: It was Adrien. What was he doing here?

"Alright, I have an idea." She said. "Wait here, I need to ask Adrien for some advice." Marinette said before bounding off towards her boyfriend.

"O-okay! I'll be right here!" Marc confirmed.

"Adrien!" Marinette ran over to him. He seemed a bit nervous.

"Oh, Marinette, how's it going?" He asked, almost looking guilty. She cocked an eyebrow.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, suspicious.

"What? Noooooo…" He glanced to the side. Marinette looked down at the bag he was holding: Ladybug throw pillow, ladybug T-shirt, Ladybug dating simulator, ladybug mug…

"Perfect!" She said.

"Excuse me?"

"Look, Adrien, you're a big strong manly man with muscles and all that, right? Capable of carrying a lot of things at once?" She asked.

"Well, of course!" He said, flexing an arm. "Why do you ask?"

"Could you get some Cat Noir stuff while you're at it?" She pleaded with her hands together. "Marc needs my help and I can't leave his side or he'll have a panic attack." Adrien gave her a warm, lovestruck smile.

"The lengths you go to for your friends astound me, Marinette. I love you, you know that?"

"Ohhhh, stop it." She said, playful dismissing him with a wave.

"Well, you should probably get back to Marc, he seems pretty nervous. Don't worry, I'll get you the best Cat Noir merch there is."

"Thank you!" Marinette said, hugging him and giving him a kiss on the cheek before running off to Marc. Adrien walked to the next booth, noticing that Mylene was purchasing some Minatourox merch.

Nearby, a young girl with blonde hair in a ponytail and thick rimmed glasses hid behind a crate, peeking out at Nathaniel and Marc. "There they are…" She muttered, clutching a comic manuscript to her chest.

"Yep, I hear they're pretty good comic artists." Someone said from behind her. The blonde jumped and turned around, letting out a yelp. She saw a woman with dark skin and brown hair tied up in a bun. "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't meant to startle you. Here, my name's Juliette Faucher, what's yours?" She asked.

"W-wait,THE Juliette Faucher?" The girl asked, starstruck. "The online comic critic?"

"Oh, you've heard of me?" Juliette asked, feigning humility.

"Of course I have! I'm Mary, by the way! Here, do you want to take a look at my comic? I mean - I - uh, if you don't mind, I - "

"Of course I don't mind. Anything for a fan." Juliette said, taking a look at the manuscript and reading it over with a serious expression. She read over it, her brow furrowed more and more as time went on, before eventually she finished, closing it with a smile. "Well!" She said.

"H-how was it?"

"Abysmal."

"...Huh?"

"You heard me. It was abysmal." She condescended. "But you probably already knew that. Remind me, why did you waste my time with this?"

"Uhhhh…"

"The story is terrible, the art is amateur, the characters are derivative, this whole thing is garbage. I wouldn't even show this to those 2 over there, they'd probably be insulted." She said before throwing the manuscript onto the ground and crumpling it with her heel. She'd then walk away smiling as if nothing happened.

Mary fell to her knees, grabbing the comic off the ground and clutching it to her chest, holding back tears.

Meanwhile, 'Julietta' walked to the other side of the convention and into a porta potty, locking the door so that it read 'occupied'. Within it, she undid her bun and let her hair fall. This woman wasn't really named Julietta, and she wasn't really a comic critic. Her real name was Lila Rossi. She smirked, adjusting the pendant on her shirt.

"NOOROO, DARK WINGS, RISE!" She declared, transforming into the supervillain Chrysalis, wearing a purple jumpsuit with black gloves and boots. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail by a bow which was reminiscent of a butterfly. The outfit was completed by a purple mask and her signature cane.

She took a butterfly out of her pocket and held it in her hands. "A struggling artist with no confidence in herself, relying on the opinions of others. But others can be so cruel. What a delectable tempest of negative emotions are coming from her!" She infused the butterfly with the magic of her miraculous, sending it out into the convention. "Fly away my akuma, and evilize her!"

The akuma landed in Mary's manuscript, and Mary heard a voice in her head.

"Con Artist. I am Chrysalis. That terrible critic said that your characters were no good. Well, I've given you the chance to bring your art to life so that you can prove everyone wrong. I just need one little thing from you… I need you to get me Cat Noir and Ladybug's miraculous! Do we have a deal?"

"As you command, Chrysalis." Mary stood up, the akumatization spreading across her body. Soon, she was covered in a white and black superhero-esque jumpsuit adorned with a rectangular pattern reminiscent of comic panels, complete with a black and white mask. Her ponytail was stained black, reminiscent of saturated ink brush. People, seeing the akumatization, began to flee, screaming.

"What's going on?" Nathaniel asked, looking over. "Oh god, it's a villain. Everyone, run!" He said, getting up and grabbing Marc's hand to help guide him out of danger. Marinette got up and ran behind cover, opening her bag.

"Well, Tikki, it looks like Ladybug will be showing up at Ladycon, today."

"I suppose it would be rude to keep your fans waiting."

"You're exactly right. Tikki, spots on!" She transformed before running out and confronting the villain.

"Ah, just the lady I've been waiting for! Pleasure to meet you, I'm Con Artist."

"Con Artist, you have to resist! Chrysalis is just using you for her own purposes!"

"Well, Ladybug, I might listen to you. IF you do me a favor. I need your opinion on my ORIGINAL CHARACTER!" She said, holding out a page of her manuscript. Out came a girl, about the same size and age as Ladybug, but wearing a black mask and jumpsuit and with her hair styled into 2 long twintails. On her back were beetle wings. She had a pair of nunchucks which she began to flourish.

"Villains beware, I'm the marvelous Beetlerina!" She declared. "I'll protect everyone with my wings of justice!"

"Beetlerina? Talk about derivative." Cat Noir said, landing next to Ladybug.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Con Artist yelled. "I'll have you know I worked hard on her!"

"Yeah, yeah, let me guess, her companion is some sort of beige cat?"

"No, you couldn't be more wrong! Her companion is the indomitable white lion!" She said, holding out another sheet of paper. Out of it came a superhero around Cat Noir's size, with a similar jumpsuit to that of Cat Blanc, which sent a shiver down ladybug's spine. They held a longsword and had long, bright white hair,

"Ha, I was close!" Cat Noir cheered.

"Cat Noir, try to take this seriously." Ladybug said, twirling her yoyo. "We don't know what powers they have."

"Probably just our powers." Cat Noir said.

"WRONG!" Con Artist said, stomping her foot.

"Yeah, show them, Lion!" Beetlerina said, jumping next to Con Artist and spreading her wings, causing a black, translucent barrier to form around them. White Lion then roared, creating a giant shockwave that sent Ladybug and Cat Noir flying. Ladybug landed in a pile of Cat Noir plushies, climbing out while tucking one under her shoulder for safe keeping.

Cat Noir landed right next to a booth full of Polymouse merchandise, which Ivan was eyeing up. Meeting Cat Noir's gaze, though, he hightailed it out of there.

Nathaniel was still running with Marc, but Marc pulled away. "Wait, Nathaniel!"

"Are you crazy? Do you want to stay?"

"Look!" Marc pointed at someone who was under a pile of rubble, presumably one sent flying by the earlier roar. "We need to help him!" Nathaniel's eyes widened. He looked around and saw some other people in need.

"Not just him! Alright, Marc, you take care of the people over there, I'll head this way!"

"On it!"

The two went their separate ways. Marc mustered the strength to help lift the rubble off the man, who thanked him before running. Marc went to look for someone else to help, but came face to face with Ladybug.

"Marc Anciel, just the person I was hoping to see!"

"Ladybug! Um, what's with the plushie - "

"There are more important things going on." Ladybug interrupted him. She pulled out the Rooster Miraculous. "Marc Anciel, this is the Rooster Miraculous, which grants the power of sublimation. We need you to use its power for the greater good."

"...Ladybug, I know I've used it before, but I… lately, I've just been messing everything up. I've been such a coward recently."

"I'm sure that isn't true, Marc. Or should I say, Rooster Bold." She put the miraculous in his hand. "You've always stepped up when it matters most. Maybe not when it comes to yourself, but when it comes to helping others, you're as brave as they come. Now, are you ready?"

After some contemplation, Marc put it on. "Orikko, Sunrise!" he said, transforming into the hero Rooster Bold. Ladybug put the plushie down somewhere she could find it later.

Cat Noir, Ladybug, and Rooster Bold landed right in front of Con Artist, Beetlerina, and White Lion.

"It seems you've come with a new friend, Ladybug!" Beetlerina said. "But you'll never be able to stop us! We're an unstoppable duo!" She declared, smiling at White Lion.

"Awww, that's actually kind of sweet." Rooster Bold said.

"You think so?" Con Artist asked. "I tried to make them really wholesome."

"Sweet or not, you're going down, Con Artist!" Ladybug said. "Everyone, attack!" The three charged. White Lion and Cat Noir clashed their weapons together, while Ladybug and Beetlerina swung at each other, gracefully dodging one another's attacks. Roosterbold pulled out his pen-sword and swung it at Con Artist, who blocked it with a pen of her own. "Rooster Bold, the akuma is probably in her comic!" Ladybug said.

"Got it! Well, it looks like it's time for some… SUBLIMATION!" Rooster bold declared, stepping back and holding up his hand. "And for my super ability, I choose: The power to attract pieces of paper to my hand!" He held his hand forward, and the comic started to slip from Con Artist's hand and towards Rooster Bold.

"NOOO!" Con Artist cried.

"Nice work!" Cat Noir cheered.

"Wait, hold on… No!" Ladybug said, noticing more pieces of paper flying Rooster Bold's way. "You need to be more careful with your wording!" It was too late. Soon, a whole bunch of comics and flyers from all over the con swarmed Rooster Bold, surrounding him in a giant cocoon of paper, 20 feet across. He wasn't even visible anymore. "Hold on, I'm coming!" Ladybug called, trying to dig through the paper to get to her friend. Cat Noir helped. Nathaniel ran over as well, digging through the best he could.

"Hey, civilians need to stay back!" Cat Noir said.

"I refuse to stand by and do nothing!" Nathaniel insisted.

"Let him help." Ladybug said, smiling to herself that she chose a good user for the Ram.

"...If you say so." Cat Noir relented.

"Get back my comic!" Con Artist called, her and her OC's rushing to dig through the paper themselves. "Without that, we can't prove that rotten Juliette Faucher wrong!"

"Did someone mention me?" Someone asked, coming out from hiding. It was the real Juliette Faucher: this one was a young asian woman with short hair. "I… I don't know you."

"Not YOU!" Con Artist said, digging through the paper. "The comic critic! Now get out of my sight!"

"O…Okay…" The woman muttered, walking away. However, Ladybug stopped her.

"Hold on! Do you know what's happening?" Ladybug asked, curious.

"Well, I heard that… someone was walking around using my name and insulting comic artists." The woman said. "I think the villain might have run into that imposter. Um, can I go now?"

"Yes, thank you, you were a huge help."

"Milady, they're going to get to the paper first at this rate, can you help?" Cat Noir requested.

"Sorry, Cat, but there's something more important right now. I think Chrysalis is here!"

"Wait, are you serious?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna see to that, can you handle this on your own?"

"If you ask it of me, Milady, I can do anything." He said. "CATACLYSM!" He used his cataclysm to burn through a bunch of papers all at once as Ladybug swung off. Eventually, he made it to Rooster Bold right at the same time as the villains. The villains grabbed the manuscript while Nathaniel and Cat Noir grabbed Rooster Bold, pulling him away. "Alright, Roostie, you're going to turn back soon. You need to charge back up."

"No time for that!" Rooster Bold said, pointing to the 3 villains. Beetlerina was once again protecting herself and Con Artist, while White Lion charged up a roar.

"Oh boy, here we go again." Cat Noir bemoaned.

"LOOK OUT!" Rooster Bold grabbed Nathaniel and held him tight. As White Lion Roared, everyone went flying, but Roosterbold managed to land with Nathaniel in princess carry. He paid no mind to Cat Noir face-planting into a stack of Viperion posters, instead looking Nathaniel in the eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Y…Yeah…" Nathaniel went a deep red.

"Helping out like that, even without any powers. That was real Bold of you." Rooster Bold teased. "You ever considered being a hero?"

"I… It's crossed my mind." Nathaniel looked away. Rooster Bold's miraculous started to beep.

"Well, it looks like I gotta split." He said, putting Nathaniel down. "Now get somewhere safe, alright? Next time I'll have this in the bag." He'd run off somewhere detransform. Nathaniel let out a dreamy sigh.

Ladybug stood atop a pile of rubble, looking around for a sign of where Chrysalis might be hiding. "Lucky Charm!" She called out, throwing her yoyo upwards. It produced a porta potty, which nearly landed on top of her, forcing her to dodge. She looked around, spotting all the different porta potties in the venue. She then spotted Nathaniel, Zoe, Alya, and Cat Noir. She leapt into action.

However, someone nearby saw her summon that lucky charm. "Duusu… I think I might need to step in after all."

Cat Noir stood up and ran towards the villains again. He traded blows with White Lion some more. When White Lion went to do another roar, Cat Noir grabbed onto White Lion's arm. He was nearly blown away from his foe, but he managed to barely hold on. "CATACLYSM!" He yelled, going to attack the enemy.

"NOOOOOO!" Beetlerina jumped between them, erecting her shield so that it would take the cataclysm. The two of them then jumped back.

"Thank you, princess." White Lion told her.

"It was nothing, my prince." She responded. Cat Noir grumbled. He missed his -

"Missed me, Kitty?" Ladybug asked him, landing by his side.

"Milady!" He said, turning to her. "Did you - " He was surprised to see 3 people behind her: Rena Rouge, Caprikid, and Vesperia.

"Sorry, but we can't go on a con date just yet." She said. "I need you, Rena, and Vesperia to split up. Check ALL the porta potties in the area. Chrysalis is hiding in one of them." She whispered to him.

"Awww, but I wanted to fight with you."

"We can play some Mecha Strike later, kitty." She said, scratching him under the chin. "Now go!" Him, Vesperia, and Rena jumped away. "You remember the plan, Caprikid?" Ladybug asked her remaining ally. He nodded.

"Yep. I got this."

"And so do I!" Rooster Bold said, arriving on the scene. "Looks like it's once again 3 on 3!"

"Sorry, Ladybug, but no 3 man team will be able to defeat us!" Con Artist declared. "My original characters are invincible!"

"We'll see about that!" Ladybug challenged.

Vesperia was going through all the portapotties, checking them one by one, until… someone burst out of one of them. It was Chrysalis! "Well well well, looks like you guys found me. But there's no way you plebians will be able to lay a finger on me."

"We'll see about that!" Vesperia declared. She then called into her ear piece. "Rena, Cat: I found her, converge on my location!" She then swung her top at Chrysalis, who swiftly dodged before charging at Vesperia. The two of them traded blows, blocking and dodging one another's attacks at a flurried pace.

"Oh, you think that just because it's 3 on one that you stand a chance against me?"

"What are you going to do, call that boy toy of yours over here?" Vesperia taunted.

"Oh, you mean my darling Argos? I hardly see what I would need to bother him with you weaklings."

In the distance, Felix Fathom was watching this all unfold. He casually walked away to a portapotty elsewhere in the con. Well, rather, he was walking up to 2 porta potties that were adjacent to each other. One occupied, one unoccupied. He walked into the unoccupied one. "Well well, my little butterfly, it seems you're in a bit of a predicament." He called into the adjacent stall.

"Oh don't tell me." Chrysalis's voice said from the other stall. "Is that that pathetic pigeon?"

"They know you're here." He said. "But I made them a little distraction. A Sentichrysalis if you will." He said with a smile, holding a small chrysalis plushie in his hand.

"You made a sentimonster that looks like me? Disgusting. Never do it again."

"Oh, but it's such a beautiful creation. I wanted to spend more time admiring it." He lamented. "But, if that's what you wish, I'd be willing to get rid of it right now." He teased.

"Wait a few minutes." She said, stepping out of the portapotty. She'd then rush to somewhere Argos couldn't find her before detransforming.

Ladybug ran at Beetlerina, once again trading blows with her. Caprikid ran at White Lion, who was preparing to roar. However, Caprikid waved his brush at the lion's mouth. "GENESIS!" He yelled, forming a clamp around the lion's mouth which forced it shut. He then swung his weapon at White Lion, who parried with his sword, and the two of them began to repeatedly clash their weapons against each other.

"You know, Con Artist, you're one creative person!" Rooster Bold said, running towards her."

"Wait, you really mean it?" She asked.

"Yeah, their powers go so well together, and their dynamic is inspiring! I love their designs, too! Your imagination is out of this world!"

"You… Oh, thank you so much! She cheered, readying her weapon. "Doesn't mean I won't curbstomp you, though!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, because I'm pretty creative too! SUBLIMATION!" He declared. "And my super ability this time around - is to make any piece of paper I point at slippery!" He said, pointing at the manuscript in Con Artist's hands.

"Wait, what - NO!" The papers slipped out of her hands. Her attempts to grab them out of the air only made them scatter further away from her. With one swift motion, Rooster Bold used his pen-sword to slash them all, releasing the akuma. Beetlerina and White Lion both disappeared, and Con Artist deakumatized back into Mary. "Wh… where am I?" She asked.

Ladybug captured the akuma and swung over to where the porta potty landed. She used all her strength to throw it into the air. "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" She yelled, fixing all the damage done by Con Artist and returning the convention back to normal. She'd go back and give Mary a magical charm. "Here. To remind you that your negative emotions don't need to define you."

"Hey… umm… that was pretty cool." Caprikid bashfully complimented Rooster Bold.

"You think?" He responded. "Not half as cool as you putting a muzzle on that Lion. Talk about putting a guy in his place."

"It wasn't that special…"

"Keep telling yourself that." Both of their miraculous started to beep. "Well, we should get going. See you later!" Rooster Bold said before running off. Caprikid waved him goodbye, a dreamy look on his face.

"We've got you surrounded, Chrysalis!" Cat Noir told the Sentichrysalis as he, Rena, and Vesperia all took shots at her, driving her into a corner.

"VENOM!" Vesperia yelled, running forward and slamming her stinger into the sentimonster. It froze in place. Cat Noir walked forward, beaming.

"I can't believe it's finally over. It's almost sad. But… I'm sure Ladybug will be ecstatic once I finally return this to her." He said, pulling off the butterfly miraculous… only for both the miraculous and the fake Chrysalis to disappear. His eyes went wide.

"A sentimonster…" Rena muttered. Vesperia's eyes went wide.

"Oh no… I'm so sorry, I… If I didn't call you guys over, one of you might have found the real one and…" She started to shake. Rena put a hand on her shoulder.

"Vesperia, listen, you did as you were told, and you did a wonderful job. Chrysalis and Argos are just slippery, that's all. Any of us would have done the same thing in your shoes…"

"I agree." Cat Noir said, putting a hand on her other shoulder. "You're one of the best heroes I've worked with. I know what it's like to get all self conscious about that kind of thing, so listen to the expert. That shame you're feeling? Don't listen to it too much. We all still love you."

Vesperia looked at both of them, tears in her eyes, before pulling both of them into a super tight hug. "THANK YOU, YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!"

"Ummm… Excuse me!" Mary approached Marc and Nathaniel, who were walking back to their booth. "You're Marc and Nathaniel, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's right." Nathaniel answered. "Do you need us for something?"

"Well, yeah, ummm… HERE!" She offered her manuscript. "I'm a huge fan, and, well, I wanted your opinions on this. I know I'm probably bothering you, I just, well…"

"I wouldn't mind taking a look at it." Nathaniel said.

"Yeah, me neither!" Marc added. Mary's face lit up. The two of them sat down and read through the comic, smiling and laughing as it went on. Soon, they were finished with it.

"So… Uh, anyways, thanks for reading, I guess…" She said, taking it back.

"It was amazing." Nathaniel said. "I loved all the nuances in the expressions."

"Wait, you mean it?" She asked, blushing.

"Yeah, and the fight was really intense!" Marc added. "I really hope you end up making more of this."

"Same. I need to know if those 2 end up together." Nathaniel joked. Marc blushed.

"Haha, yeah, about that…" Marc trailed off. "…Uh, your name's Mary, right?"

"Yeah!" She said.

"I really hope to see you again someday, Mary, but right now, there's something I need to talk to Nathaniel about." Marc said, seriously.

"Oh…oh! Okay, sure, no problem!" She'd nod before running off. Nathaniel gave him a quizzical look.

"Is something going on, Marc?" Nathaniel asked nervous.

"Yeah, I…" Marc took a deep breath, working up the courage. "I… I NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!"

Marinette was watching this from a littl ways away, gripping her hair in frustration.

"And so… you're telling me you sat with Marc all day and he kept failing to confess?" Adrien asked Marinette. The two were in her room, currently decked out with all kinds of Cat Noir merch, the two of them playing their favorite fighting game together.

"Eeeeyup." Marinette confirmed. "But… still, I know what it's like to be in his shoes. He just needs time and some support."

"You really are incredible, Marinette." Adrien said. "Marc's lucky to have you as a friend."

"Well, it's nostalgic if nothing else. Besides, what do I have to complain about? My love life is purrrrfect." She said, giving him a cheeky smile. "And my boyfriend always gives me the purrrfect gifts."

Nathaniel sat in his room, doodling a picture of Caprikid and Rooster Bold, surrounded by a big heart. He looks at it for a bit before sighing, crumpling it up and throwing it in the trash. He laid down in his bed, staring out the window. "I wonder what he's like, under the mask…"