Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Ember arrived by portal to Fazenda San Francisco in the Southern Pantanal of Brazil. They walked along a lush riverbank, until Ember informed them they had arrived, and perched himself at a good vantage point to watch out of the way.
"Welcome! Welcome! Bom dia!" A massive otter trotted up the riverbank happily towards them. "You've reached the leg of this trial where we see if you've got what it takes to adapt to survive!"
"Thank you," Ladybug was taken aback by the enthusiastic greeting from the wild otter kwami after the tense night they had just had. "Is there anything we should know about this trial before we get started?"
"This next trial will definitely change you!" she winked.
"Change how?" Ladybug and Chat Noir asked suspiciously together.
"Humans," the river otter clicked her tongue with the shake of her sleek head. "They resist change thinking they might lose something they care about or be unable to handle their new reality! They don't chill and realize all of life is change!"
"I just want to know what to expect," Ladybug shifted nervously.
"You might be able to predict some things based on odds or previous experience...but is there ever really any guarantee? There are too many factors! The probability of possibilities is endless...don't you find that exhilarating?" the otter raised her paws enthusiastically.
Ladybug bit her lip, but Chat Noir's eyes lit up, and he put a reassuring paw on Ladybug's shoulder. Chat Noir spoke quietly at first, remembering..."Back before I was given my miraculous, every day of my life was planed. Every day followed a systematic pattern that was orchestrated by my father. After failing to get him to allow me to go to a normal school to change up my life, I was beginning to resign myself to the fact that I was forever trapped in this endless Agreste loop...but it was that same day that I got Plagg!"
Ladybug squeezed his hand, her eyes glossy, "we might never have met!"
"...And it took a while for a certain Bugaboo to finally accept that we made an awesome couple!" Chat Noir's teased, with a wink.
"And for a certain clueless boy to stop friendzoning me!" she shot back.
"I have enjoyed the change in our dynamics Mi'Lady," Chat Noir surprised her by grabbing her in both arms, and dipping her into a passionate kiss. He finished with a sly grin, "What would you have done if I had tried that when we first met?!"
"Probably strung you up in my yoyo string cheeky Kitty," Ladybug booped his nose, and then crossed her arms, and added under her breath, "...or fainted."
Chat Noir chuckled, and pulled her back into his arms, "see, change isn't all bad!"
The river otter smiled to herself, and clapped her paws together ready for the start of events. "Alright then! Here is the test! Within that tree is your aquamarine gem, but it has a guardian; a shape-shifter, a bogart. You will face this creature...but this being is perpetually changing. It doesn't have one set size, look, power, strength, or vulnerability. It will constantly learn and adapt to become more difficult to defeat each moment you engage it."
"Got it! So we'll need to defeat it quickly!" Ladybug snapped into strategy mode.
"Sure," the otter smiled, "try that."
Chat Noir raised his baton over his head, stretching one shoulder, and then the next, hyping himself up for what ever could come their way.
They watched the pau-brasil tree ahead tensely, not sure what to expect. The exposed orangish red pernambuco wood just sat silently before them, without even a rustle of leaves.
"Where is it?" Chat Noir squinted through the trees.
"Did you know that animals camouflage themselves so they can adapt to their environment?" the otter hinted. "They mimic their surroundings. A hawkmoth might look like a tattered, withered leaf. Unless you know what to look for, you could miss what is right in front of you."
"Hhhmmm...sounds like someone else we know," mumbled Chat Noir bitterly.
Suddenly, from within the tree itself a deep and eerie call resonated through the jungle. The sound was the cry of a mournful lament. It was only then that they spotted the mottled feathers of the cunning potoo bird. It blended in perfectly. and even knowing it was there, they really had to look closely to see where the tree ended and the bird began.
They stepped forward, only to have the bird fly forward at them. Trying to get to the stone quickly, Ladybug called out to Chat Noir, "distract her!"
Without hesitation Chat Noir yelled loudly, twirling his baton. Then he taunted the creature cooing, "here pretty birdie!"
At first it seemed like their typical strategy was working. The bird swooped toward Chat Noir, leaving Ladybug to race toward prize in the tree.
The bird's eyes twitched back, and in a rain of feathers transformed mid-flap into a golden lion tamarin. The agile monkey caught a vine, and circled back around, launching herself at Ladybug's face! Ladybug fell back, and struggled to pull the clawing monkey from her head. Chat Noir's tackled it off her, rolling together through the grass.
"It messes up carefully laid plans more than Xuppu, the kwami of Derision!" Chat Noir shouted as the creature withered within his grasp into a tiny neon orange and indigo blue leafhopper nymph. The tiny, speedy insect looked like an alien from a science fiction movie. It zigzagged all over in directions with comically lithe and powerful limbs. Just when Chat Noir thought he had caught it, it's protective wax shell broke off, allowing it to zip in front of Ladybug once more.
This time the creature transformed into an impossibly huge version of a rhinoceros beetle, and planted its feet. No matter how much Chat Noir tried to draw it's attention, the beetle eyed Ladybug. It had figured out that she was the one encroaching on its territory. It tossed it's huge, intimidating horns. Chat Noir, realizing he was being ignored, decided to charge directly at it's side, but the rhinoceros beetle easily threw him to the ground like a deadly armoured wrestler. Even the natural ones were proportionally the strongest animal on the planet, and could lift up to 850 times their own bodyweight! This magical creature seemed to get stronger each time they collided with it!
Ladybug stared down the beast, and in that moment she had a revelation. She knew she had to open up her mind to new ideas, and go against the status quo. The creature had quickly figured out that Chat Noir was the decoy, but what if they turned the tables on the creature?!
"Change of plan!" Ladybug called out to Chat Noir, who had just picked himself out of some prickly weeds. "You take the gem, I'll be the distraction!"
"You always know how to drive me to distraction!" Chat Noir called back, jumping into the vines toward their target.
Ladybug took off and veered around the shiny, raven beetle. She leaped over it's hard shell acrobatically, and jumped through the trees.
This time the creature morphed into a giant anteater. It shot it's long sticky tongue out at Ladybug, but Chat Noir grabbed it.
"What's wrong?! Cat got your tongue?!" he quipped.
The anteater whipped around, only focusing on the red and black spotted ladybug above. It shot out its tongue a second time and this time it caught her around the heel. This abruptly tethered Ladybug, and she crashed down through the canopy branches to the forest floor below toward the waiting claws and elongated muzzle of the huge anteater. Chat Noir, as always, veered off course, shot up using his baton, and arrived just in time to catch his Lady. Putting her feet back on solid ground, he breathed heavily, "you okay?"
"Chat! That was your opening! I was the bait, you were supposed to make it to the gem!" Ladybug pointed in frustration.
"Yeah, but I couldn't let you fall!" Chat Noir replied in surprise.
"I would've been fine! I still had my yoyo ready," Ladybug pointed out. "Your job was to get to the tree!"
"My job is to protect you," Chat Noir narrowed his eyes stubbornly.
"Kitty, I wouldn't have made it this far without you, but you realize right, how hard it is each time you sacrifice yourself for me! Sometimes I want to be the one to protect you for a change!" Ladybug put her hands on her hips.
Chat Noir crossed his arms, "I can't just let you put yourself in danger and not do anything to stop it. I just can't!"
"But can you trust me, the way I've always trusted you?" Ladybug put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Mi'Lady, what do you mean? of course I trust you!" Chat Noir looked at her startled.
"Then trust in my plan!" Ladybug smiled, raising her hands up to her ears, as she plucked her earrings out, dropping her transformation to become Marinette. Then she held out the earrings to Chat Noir. "It is time we switch things up on this creature!"
Chat Noir looked hesitantly from Marinette to the miraculous held out to him. He swallowed hard, removed his ring, and held it out for Marrinette. "As much as I'm looking forward to see Lady Noir again, I still don't want to see you take any risks!" Adrien put on the earrings.
Marrinette placed the ring on her finger, and called, "Plagg, Claws out!" Then, with her transformation into Lady Noir complete, she flicked her long braid over her shoulder with a sassy wink at Adrien. "Come on hot stuff, let's have a little fun!"
Adrien's mind would have short-circuited right there at the love of his life, dressed up in the tight fitting cat-suit, if it hadn't been for the massive anaconda that slithered up to confront them. Lady Noir flipped forward, twirling her baton in front of Adrien like a shield.
The imposing snake raised up on its thick coils and hissed angrily at the interlopers, confused by the new look of the adversary before her.
"Hey Mr. smartie, hottie, suavísimo, yummy-tastic spellbinder! Mind getting your spots on already?!" Lady Noir called over her shoulder to Adrien.
Adrien blinked twice, before a bright blush pushed up over his cheeks, and a smile crept over his lips, "Can you wear my ring more often?"
"You've got to be kitten me! Just transform already Buggaboy!" Lady Noir rolled her eyes as the anaconda tried to wrap itself around her baton.
Adrien looked like he was going to burst in happiness at his Lady's cat-pun, but in the urgency of the situation called out "Tikki Spots on," and transformed into his Misterbug form.
"You sure you want to go with the decoy role?" Misterbug gripped the yoyo, wishing with every fibre of his being that he could just jump in to save her...but the creature had already expected him to do just that. Lady Noir propelled herself into the canopy and the snake wound itself around the staff perusing her. Misterbug called out "Lucky charm!" A red and black copy of his baton landed with a thump at his feet. The creature thought that he was about to chase him and transformed into a colourful hyacinth macaw to fly after Lady Noir, who was climbing higher out of reach in the tree tops.
Instead of pursuing the threat to Lady Noir, Misterbug set his gaze entirely on the tree that held the gemstone. His yoyo shot him straight there, and he jumped off the branch above ready to grab for it.
The Macaw realized that it had been tricked, and called out with its great beak. Lady Noir spun her baton in its face to stop the creature from preventing Misterbug from accomplishing their task.
The creature transformed a final time into a beautifully fierce margay. The golden eyed cat, with ocelot-like painted spots hissed at her, and swiped her face leaving a painful sting of claw marks on her cheek, causing her to fall backwards out of the tree.
The incredibly agile cat, unlike others, had ankles flexible enough to climb down the trees head-first. With a flying leap it spaned a distance of 4 meters toward Misterbug.
Misterbug had the yoyo in his hand and was aware of three things. In seconds the love of his life would hit the ground, the creature would be within striking distance, and the gemstone was just barely out of reach. But when things are changing rapidly, you have to make decisions quickly. So he made his decision.
"Mi'Lady!" he shouted, as he launched his yoyo over his head, and used the miraculous lucky charm baton like a bat. The yoyo sailed over the margay's head, flying in the opposite direction. While she fell, Ladybug caught her familiar weapon in surprise , and looped it over a tree branch just in time.
As soon at Misterbug had struck the yoyo, he pressed the button on the lucky charm baton, and it extended down, popping up the gem into the air. Misterbug caught it in an outstretched arm, just at the margay came to a screeching halt nose to nose with him.
The margay tilted her head, immediately passified now that the trial was complete. The cat's mascara-lined eyes blinked at Misterbug, and the creature dissolved into a gentle mist of magic.
Misterbug raced over to help Ladybug lower herself down on the yoyo string to the ground. As he ran he tossed up the lucky charm baton, repairing everything and healing his Lady's cheek with the words, "miraculous Misterbug!"
"Good job, you did it...but you still couldn't resist saving me again after all!" Ladybug raised an eyebrow at Misterbug.
"You know I could never let you fall!" Misterbug shrugged unapologetically, "plus, technically you still saved yourself like you wanted...I just sent a lifeline your way."
The river otter giggled, and rolled over on her sleek back. "Haha! A leopard...or margay... may adapt, but it can never change it's spots! This weilder is as stubborn as you!" the otter pointed to Lady Noir and giggled some more.
"Hey! There is no way I'm as stubborn as him!" Lady Noir protested.
"Ha! He is practically a chameleon! I mean, he is practically a shape-changer himself! He adapts to his surroundings and enjoys new challenges and experiences. His whole being has been split into multiple roles (the expectations of his father, friends at school, and of course role as superhero of Paris). Top that off with a willingness to make sacrifices to protect the ones he loves."
"That's true...he is pretty incredible, isn't he," Lady Noir ran a finger down Misterbug's chest, and gave him a look that made his knees turn to jelly. "He can be pretty flexible when he wants to be!"
"You're so bendy too!" Misterbug slurred his words, having his brain turn to mush, practically drooling over the sexy curves of Lady Noir's costume. "I..I...mean flexible...like during battle...and strategy and stuff..." he tried to recover unsuccessfully.
"He is right," the river otter sat back amused. She is able to adapt to different situations, and creatively assess ever changing situations and quickly evaluate new villains. Her observation skills certainly help. Your rise to occation when needing to defend those you care about," the otter nodded in satisfaction.
"So we passed!" Ladybug and Chat Noir cheered, and celebrated with a fist bump.
"You can really get ready to celebrate now! You kids are on your way to the annual festival held in Parintins in Amazonas, here in Brazil!" the otter smiled.
"After all we've been through lately, I think we could use a party!" Misterbug draped his arm around Lady Noir. "I can't wait to party-icipate!" he punned.
Lady Noir face-palmed at the awful pun, but couldn't stop the smile that betrayed her. Then her mask folded in concern, "but don't you think with these costumes, we are going to stand out?" she wondered out loud.
"At Festival do Boi Bumba?! Don't worry girl, I think you'll fit right in!" the otter laughed again, and slid down the riverbank into the shifting water below.