What's this? Am I actually updating without another months-long wait?

Chapter 53: Volpina

"I can't believe Ladybug's making me sit this one out," Adrien complained, slumping into his desk chair.

"You're not sitting it out," Plagg correct. "You're bait."

Adrien sighed. "Still."

He casted a forlorn look out the window, wondering how long it would take for Volpina to show up.

Hopefully it wouldn't take long - especially since Adrien couldn't do anything else while waiting for her. He had to be ready, for Ladybug's plan to work.

Ladybug faked a call to Chat Noir, knowing he wouldn't pick up.

"No response," she reported to Volpina. "But he'll show up when we need him."

"Too bad," Volpina responded. "I go right, and you go left?"

"Good plan," Ladybug agreed. "Let's go."

Ladybug followed the plan, chasing after the mirage of Hawkmoth. She used her yo-yo as much as possible to keep her weight off her injured ankle, but didn't want Volpina to catch her limping.

Eventually, Ladybug hit Volpina's trap.

The oversized bombs and missiles appear, and Ladybug forced herself not to roll her eyes. Volpina really went overboard with this illusion.

The familiarity of the whole thing made Ladybug lower her guard. She thought she knew what Volpina's plan was - after all, she had already done this once.

Something brushed by her, and she realized she was wrong.

Ladybug reached out, grabbing the real Volpina by the wrist, as the fake one disappeared, and spun her in front of her.

"Nice try," Ladybug said. "But I've had enough of your games. You're not a real superhero, and everyone knows it."

"Oh really?" Volpina replied. "We'll see about that."

Volpina broke out of Ladybug's grasp, and Ladybug gave her a few seconds head start before following.

Now, it was Volpina heading into a trap.

It was a short run to the Agreste Manor.

Volpina went through one of the main windows, while Ladybug landed near the window Adrien's bathroom. Five minutes later, Chat Noir landed next to her.

"Volpina's securely trapped in the bathroom," he reported. "Now what?"

Ladybug rubbed her face. "Haven't thought that far ahead. We need some way to neutralize her mirages. As far as we need, their only weakness is if they hit something solid, they dissipate."

"Okay, so we need something solid," Chat Noir reasoned.

"Or lots of something solid," Ladybug mused. "Oh, I know! Do you know if your kitchen keeps flour?"

"I assume so?" Chat Noir scratched at the back of his neck. "I don't actually know."

"I'm sure it has something that will work," Ladybug said. "If we fill the bathroom with it, it should prevent any mirages from forming. We will need a way to disperse it into the air."

"What about the air system?" Chat Noir suggested.

"I don't know if that will be enough," Ladybug admitted.

"What about a hose?" Chat Noir suggested. "That worked for Vanisher."

"Do you have a place to plug it in your room?" Ladybug questioned.

"Uh, I - no. What about a water gun? Or hair spray?"

"You probably have plenty of that, model boy," Ladybug quipped. "But I don't think that it would work."

"Model boy?" Chat Noir repeated.

"You heard me," Ladybug replied. "Okay, she's in a confined space, so even if we don't go in with some way to beat her illusions, with both entrances blocked, we can still corner her and defeat her. You take the window, I'll take the door, and when I give you the signal we both surround her. Go it?"

"Model boy?"

"Chat."

"Right. Surround her, corner her, don't fall for illusions. On your signal."

Ladybug swung around and into Adrien's room. She used her yoyo to send Chat Noir a signal when she was ready, and swung open the doors.

The bathroom was empty.

"Where'd she go?" Chat Noir asked, entering through the window.

Ladybug took a step in and threw her yo-yo, whipping around the room. No illusions unraveled.

Something hit her in the back, and she collapsed forward.

Her ankle screamed in pain.

Volpina cackled as she ran into the bedroom. Chat Noir stopped to help Ladybug to her feet, but she waved him on.

"Get her!"

By the time Chat Noir reached his bedroom, Volpina had duplicated herself.

He split his baton, sending one half hurling through the air, dissipating the illusions. All the Volpina's in the room vanished.

"She must have escaped already," Chat Noir called into the bathroom, where Ladybug was limping back onto her feet.

Something rammed into his back, sending Chat Noir forward into the room.

Volpina grabbed Chat Noir's shoulder and reached her other arm around his chest, pulling him back towards her. Chat Noir kicked backwards, shoe colliding with something solid, and Volpina flew backwards.

Right into Ladybug.

The two collided and collapsed on the floor. Ladybug pushed Volpina off, grumbling something under her breath as she stood up, grabbing Volpina's flute as she did so.

Ladybug broke the flute over her knee.

"Can't make anymore illusions!" Ladybug declared.

"Oh really?" Volpina stood up, and with a twirl of her hand, another flute appeared.

Ladybug scowled.

Chat Noir extended his baton and shifted into a fighting stance. Volpina raised her flute to her lips, and he smacked her in the face with his baton.

"Ow!" Volpina complained, stumbling backwards. She raised a hand to her lip, and it came away bloody. "You'll pay for-"

Ladybug kicked her, using her shin to keep pressure off her ankle. Volpina was knocked off balance, allowing Ladybug to step in and reach for the necklace.
Volpina elbowed Ladybug in the face, knocking her backwards. Ladybug gripped her hair, pulling Volpina with her.

Chat Noir crept up behind Volpina, whose back was towards him. He reached out a hand, and used one finger to slip under the necklace and pull.

The chain broke, and the pendant hit the ground.

Ladybug reached out a foot, kicking the pendant towards Chat Noir. The pendant hit his boot.

Chat Noir stomped on it, cracking it into pieces.

Next chapter is going to be fun *cackles*