Chapter 15:

"First thing to know about how Blake fights is he's a master of stealth. He's mastered the illusion of touch, which makes his illusions feel tangible - if he makes an illusion hit you, you're gonna feel it. Other than that, he doesn't have much in the way of offense. So, he avoids direct confrontations as much as he could. His role in the team is to buy time and get everyone else into position. If he's left with no one else to do the attacking for him, he'd be cautious and wait for the perfect time to pounce. So prepare for a tedious game of hide and seek."

Too bad that advice is proven to not be the case so far. Instead of hiding himself, he hid everyone from each other. He kept pouncing with illusions that can make them feel the sensation of getting hit by a blunt force. Aggressively. They're not playing hide and seek. They might as well be playing a one-sided game of dodgeball.

Smack! Right in the face! Ladybug held her perfectly intact nose in pain. She misses Volpina's psychological attacks… Nah, not really. She'd rather take the illusionary flute to the face.

"What's the matter, Ladybug? Is your Mirakung-fu not working?"

Ladybug was confused at his question. "I don't think I'm the Ladybug you think I am."

Volpino laughed at her like she's the one being delusional and carried on like he's right.

"This is rich! Your one ace - the one thing a brute like you is good for - doesn't work on me!"

Ladybug threw her yoyo at Volpino in retaliation, making the illusion pop. Tsk. He's hiding again. Only two things remained true to what Calico said: her brother is a slippery target and he's not a heavy hitter. Then again, looking up at her HP bar, he is nevertheless chipping it down bit by teeny tiny bit. She can't let it hit zero. Ladybug kept her guard up, hoping to ensnare him the next time he hits.

"As you are right now, can you confidently say you could keep Chat Noire safe?"

Three Volpinos popped into thin air and charged at Ladybug from different directions. She immediately popped one of them, then prepared to dodge the other two's attacks. One step back and her foot sunk into a mud puddle, leaving her stuck to get thwacked once more, her HP bar lowering by the slightest. She popped away the two annoyances. Ladybug gritted her teeth as she pulled her foot out of the puddle, shaking off some of the mud with a stomp.

"Calico forgot to mention how much of a pain in the butt you'd be to fight," Ladybug grumbled as she found her footing on stabler ground.

"I don't know what potential the guardian ever saw to entrust you with the Ladybug Miraculous."

The voice came from behind her. She turned around and expected to see his smug punchable little fox face. What she saw made her pause.

"You'll never live up to her."

Instead of Volpino, there stood a woman in red with black spots. Over her suit were flowing robes that resembled ladybug wings. There was her yoyo tied around her hip and a guardian staff on her other hand. And her face… it's longer and sharper and lined with age, but the familiar smattering of freckles over her nose and those bluebell eyes are unmistakably the same as hers.

Not wanting to hear any more of this, Ladybug popped the illusion of her future self.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that," Ladybug said, doing her best not to think too deeply about what she saw.

It only made Volpino laugh harder, his voice echoing in the fog.

"What's the matter? Hit a nerve there, didn't I?"

If mind games is his thing, it's too bad his AI can't seem to tell her apart from the future Ladybug. This is good, actually. Volpino's trump card isn't as effective as it could've been. Without that, he's not really that tough of an opponent. But he's certainly climbing up to the most annoying to deal with. His condescending way of doing everything is getting on her nerves.

"Is that all you got?" Volpino crooned.

"I'll show you," Ladybug gripped her yoyo, ready to throw it in the air and summon her power, "Lucky Ch-"

Wait a minute! Ladybug bit her cheek and narrowed her eyes at well… nothing really. He's back to hiding again. Doesn't matter. She saw through his ploy.

"So that's your goal," Ladybug smiled at her realization. "You almost had me going there. Being a weak fighter, the only other way you could've won is to get us to use our powers and wait for the timer to run out. That would've counted as your win, wouldn't it?"

Ladybug doesn't need to see his face to know she hit the nail on the head. Volpino's probably kicking himself for giving it away too soon. In this tower where Gamer 3.0 sees all, detransforming even once would count as a loss regardless of the game. Ladybug stopped spinning her yoyo to use it as a phone so she can warn the rest of the team.

But Volpino batted it out of her hand.

"Do you think I'd let it go that easily?" Volpino smirked.

Ladybug glared at Volpino. This is gonna be one long and annoying fight.

0-0-0-0-0

"Calico! I've lost contact with Ladybug and Volpino is not fighting the way you said he does! What's wrong with him?!" Rena Furtive badgered from the other side of the line.

"Nothing's wrong," Calico popped yet another illusion of Volpino before continuing. "As Volpino, he's no longer fighting to buy time."

Two more Volpino illusions attacked her. The first Volpino swung his flute high while the second Volpino did a leg sweep. Calico jumped between their blows before extending her staff to pop them both at the same time.

"He'll do whatever it takes to get our Miraculous."

Low static rang through her comm. Calico was expecting more questions to elaborate on that from Rena Furtive. She wasn't prepared for what Rena Furtive asked instead.

"… What you said back in the park… It wasn't just a hypothetical worst-case scenario. Your brother was akumatized, wasn't he?"

Calico refused to confirm Rena Furtive's deduction. The answer is pretty obvious by now… It should've been obvious back then too, if only she had listened to her bug. So she focused on popping as many Volpinos as she could until she's sure she's clear on her side.

Taking advantage of the brief reprieve, Calico focused on sensing the qi of the rest of the team. All living beings have qi, but none shine as brightly as a kwami's or a transformed Miraculous holder's. Not even akumas.

The three other Miraculous wielders stood out like beacons, each distinct with the power they radiate: the turtle's is hard and unmoving like a castle wall, the dragon's swirled like a brewing storm, and the ladybug's shined bright like the sun… That's where she's going.

If the floor bosses are meant to retain her teammates' behavior as she knew them, then Calico can guess who Volpino's main target is. That's where the real floor boss would be.

0-0-0-0-0

Ever since Ladybug cracked his ploy, Volpino's been relentless with his attacks. Volpino, much like his sister, was no quitter. He increased the number of clones and changed their attack patterns with every wave. However, Ladybug was able to repel most of them easily, taking only minimal damage.

"What's the matter, Volpino? Too much of a coward to attack me yourself?" Ladybug taunted the fox with his own words from earlier.

"I see you don't need Mirakung-fu to deal with my illusions. Time for a change of tactics."

A visage of Volpino appeared, lounging on a tree branch like a Cheshire Cat. Ladybug isn't sure if it's the real him or not. Before she can throw her yoyo at him to test it out, he was playing another melody on his flute. The ball of light at the end of the flute expanded into a flash…

When Ladybug opened her eyes, she was no longer in the boss room. What was once a cold foggy forest clearing set at night, was now a busy street surrounded by reddish-hued stone buildings. An impossibly huge tree loomed in the horizon. It looked no different from a modern European city, save for these little details that hint at a technology far more advanced than what's present today. Like those robots cleaning the streets, the floating traffic lights, the sleeker cars…

There was a loud honk and one of those futuristic cars was speeding towards Ladybug.

"Waaah!" Ladybug screamed as she leapt to the sidewalk. She knows it's all an illusion, but Ladybug isn't interested in knowing how it feels to get hit by a car even if it probably won't hurt her for reals.

"Excuse me," a pedestrian muttered to her after bumping into her.

Several other pedestrians walked around her, moving and talking, going about their day. The traffic lights above blinked, and the people responded accordingly. It all felt too real. From the warmth of the sun's beams shining down on her, to the sounds of a bustling city echoing all around.

Yet there was something missing… Something that fails to complete the illusion. It was enough to make this illusion of a lively red city become off-putting to Ladybug.

Orange flashed in the corner of her eyes. In the crowd stood Volpino, smirking at her. Ladybug pushed through the people to get to him but by the time she got to where he stood, he disappeared.

He showed up again across the street, making a come-hither gesture aimed at her.

He wants her to follow him? Fine. Ladybug followed his lead. Never mind the creepy atmosphere this incomplete reality is giving her, and the sense that someone in the crowd is looking at her.

On her path, she went past holographic screens advertising clothes. One of them made Ladybug stop in her tracks as the model was a familiar face.

"Blair?"

Now that she's looking for it, she can spot more ads featuring Blair scattered around the cityscape. It appears she may not be Adrien-level famous, but she's still a popular model in her own right. Ladybug's surprised Blair never once bragged about this. It's something Lila would've boasted about even if it isn't true. Except…

"I am not Lila Rossi.~"

Yeah. This yet another place they differ. The kind of accolades Blair wanted… It was never just about the fame for her, wasn't it?

Staring at the older red haired girl decked in fashionable clothes, another thought crossed Ladybug's mind: other than being seventeen years old and having a twin brother, Ladybug knew nothing about the girl behind the cat mask. A lot of what she thought about Blair were assumptions blinding her to what's there all along.

"Hey Lovebug, I get you've got a big fat crush on my sister, but don't get distracted," Volpino said, poking Ladybug to the side with his flute.

Ladybug flailed, squeaking in surprise, as she gracelessly hit Volpino with her yoyo which he simply batted away. Now that he had her attention, he grinned.

"Come on. I've got something to show you."

Ladybug stared after his back in confusion. He's not attacking her now? What's he up to?

… And the future bug has a crush on Blair?! Blair never once mentioned this, but Ladybug can kinda understand why she wouldn't wanna talk about it… Still, that's a bit Ladybug will keep in mind. It could be useful once she fights that other Ladybug as the next floor boss.

For now, she'll focus on following this floor boss. He might give away more useful insights Calico may not be willing to share. Just be on guard for now. She'll get through this.

Ahead of the bug heroine, Volpino smirked to himself. Because not far behind them, Calico almost reached Ladybug. He got her to move away just in time to avoid the cat's grasp, making the bug perceive Calico as a speeding car or use the pedestrians to make Ladybug move a certain direction. If she makes any attempts to call her team, Volpino could simply stop her.

Now to deal with his pesky sister.

0-0-0-0-0

"I knew you'd come this way, sis. Always so protective of the bug. Way to follow the footsteps of your predecessor," Volpino smirked as he parried away Calico's staff.

"What are you doing to Ladybug?!" Calico snarled, charging forward.

"The muscle head caught on faster than I thought… So I decided to throw him in for a loop."

Him? Wait…

"You think she's my Ladybug?!"

Volpino didn't respond to Calico's outburst. Instead he carried on monologuing like a cartoon villain. Master Hisui said akumatization lowers a person's inhibitions. In Blake's case, it made him more talkative.

"I'm gonna break his spirit by giving him a 4D clip show presentation of all his failures."

All his failures… Oh. This made Calico snap and fight harder.

"Oh no, you don't!"

Volpino laughed as he evaded her attacks, mocking her. Calico let out a frustrated growl and swung her staff vigorously.

"I'm gonna stop you no matter how many illusions I have to fight through to get to you!"

"Calico, calm down. It's not like Ladybug would get too hurt by a show made to break someone else… If anything, she'll get mad on your bug's behalf and fight harder. She's not gonna break from this," Rena Furtive tried to reason through the comms.

"Ladybug's not what I'm worried about," Calico grunted. All that effort to hit Volpino with her staff yet none of her hits landed.

All of her bug's failures… What kind of failures would a brother take personally from his sister's crime-fighting partner?

Calico and her bug are a team.

Her partner's failures are her failures.

0-0-0-0-0

Ladybug was led to a city square. It was a circular stone plaza with pathways cutting through the grass, connecting to the circular platform in the middle - from above, it resembles the sun with the paths as its rays. By now, the sun has set and the street lamps set up a warm atmospheric glow to the place.

At the center stood a statue of Ladybug's older self. The statue stood larger than life at fifteen feet tall. She looked so majestic with her stone robes flowing in the winds. A symbol of justice with her guardian staff on one hand and her yoyo on the other.

Ladybug can see how this grandiose statue can make anyone anxious of living up to her. If even Ladybug herself is anxious about living up to the future her, how much worse could it be for her successor?

"Citizens of Helios!" a male voice said.

At the base of the statue stood a young man wearing the same spots as hers. He held an arm out to an audience. He's no taller than Chat Noir, but his physique looks sturdier than him. His stance, his posture, he's like a stone wall that wouldn't budge. Dark hair and almond shaped brown eyes… This is Calico's bug.

"There is nothing to fear! I, Ladybug and my partner, Chat Noire are here and we will do everything in our power to keep you safe!"

He opened his yoyo and unleashed a swarm of purified white butterflies. Calico went to his side, congratulating him before facing a group of reporters. This brings Ladybug back to the day she first purified an akuma. How nostalgic. This must be Calico's and her bug's version of that milestone.

"Remember your first public conference?" Volpino appeared by her side and told his own takeaway from this moment. "Bold choice with the venue, by the way. You've made for quite the spectacle back then, having invited everyone to come at you and ask you questions head on. Of course, such a straightforward play is practically inviting Hawkmoth to crash your little party. And of course, you pulled through and then some…"

"What's your motivation to be a hero? I mean, if you don't mind me asking," asked a nervous young reporter woman.

The other bug froze up, nervous. So Chat Noire stepped forward and took the first plunge.

"I've always wanted to be a hero. Ever since I was a little girl… I've always looked up to them," there was a slight hitch to her voice when she uttered the last word and then she paused. When she spoke again, she looked sharply at whoever asked her and said, "So here I am."

Her voice held so much passion in her words, it's clear that there's nowhere else she'd rather be.

Blair… Her deepest desire is to be a superhero? Come to think of it, all those times she puffed herself up, it was always about being Chat Noire. It's not something Ladybug could claim to understand. She never dreamed to be a hero, even less so now that she has to be one. But Ladybug knows people who would want that for themselves regardless of the baggage it comes with. Those people tend to have strong virtues they believe in.

"And what about you, Ladybug? What motivates you?"

The sudden question made the bug boy jump in attention.

"Uhm… My reason-I just, uh… "

The bug lad fidgeted in place as he looked around the crowd. He must've found his answer when he calmed down and said this with complete certainty:

"I just want everyone to be safe, that's all."

Then the memory faded away into the darkness. In a blink of an eye, Ladybug was at a movie theater and Volpino was waving her over to take a seat next to him. Ladybug cautiously sat three seats away from the deranged fox boy, which made him pout at her. This got Ladybug to laugh at his expense.

"If you wanted to me sit near you, you could've at least gotten some popcorn," Ladybug mocked. Then a thought came up and she scrutinized the fox. "Can't your illusions do that?"

Volpino waved her off in favor of playing another melody with his flute. He pointed it's glowing end at the movie screen like one would do with a remote.

"You've made a lot of lofty promises that day. It's been almost a year since. How good are you at keeping your word?"

0-0-0-0-0

Ladybug was treated to a smash cut of some less than flattering moments of Calico's bug: Multiple instances of the bug boy being a people pleaser, stopping by to help every civilian who asked for his help no matter how mundane the task is. One incident had Calico's sleep deprived bug flung himself into a billboard. All his Lucky Charms appear to be simple and straight forward with their purpose. Though there were a few exceptions. Like that one time he threw a fire extinguisher Lucky Charm at a fire elemental akuma's head to knock him out instead of just directly using it to put out the akuma's flames. The other bug tried to mix his martial arts with his yoyo, which ended with him tied up in his own strings. And there was a series of failed attempts to create an anti-akuma charm. All of those magical charms broke apart as soon as he held it up.

Volpino called him a failure of a Ladybug. He is no good at all. The Ladybug Miraculous is wasted on a guy like him. The boy will never reach the greatness that is Ladybug's prime, blah blah blah.

Honestly, seeing Calico's partner fumble around like this made him feel more relatable to Ladybug. She found herself rooting for the boy. He's clearly doing his best and never let his failures keep him down. He doesn't deserve to be picked on like this… She told Volpino all this, fuming on her successor's behalf.

"Those are merely evidence of your incompetence. I haven't shown you the consequences."

As it turns out, Calico is what he meant.

Because the bug tends to recklessly charge into action, it was Calico who has to make plans around him to make it work. When they were starting out, the bug wore himself out to please other people on their mundane troubles, it was Calico who had to pick up his slack when it came time to fighting akumas.

"Bonjour, Ladybug! You made it just in time for the finale!" with her signature cocky grin, Chat Noire handed him the black book that's radiating that familiar corrupted energy of an akuma. "Here's the possessed item by the way."

"What just happened?" Ladybug said through gritted teeth, trying so hard to hide how out of breath he really is.

For all his bravado, Ladybug looks like he hasn't slept in days. His posture is wobbly, like a slight breeze can topple him. His mask couldn't conceal his now prominent eyebags.

"I saved the day?" Chat Noire flipped her hair in a show of confidence. "And I did it all on my own.~"

This started a long argument between the two where they traded barbed words to each other, which revealed more of where they were coming from. One was doing the right thing to his own detriment. The other was being practical at the cost of coming off as callous.

They've come a long way from this.

It's because he's a Ladybug that Calico has to sacrifice herself for him when it all comes down to it. Time and time again, if Calico couldn't scheme around danger, she resorts to biting the bullet for him.

Chat Noire's triumphant grin curled into a suspicious frown. "… You're awfully calm for someone who just got disarmed."

One look at the monochrome harlequin akuma's face confirmed Chat Noire's suspicion. She's smirking. Next thing that happened, Ladybug was shoved to the side.

A crackling red sword shot through the air and stabbed Chat Noire on the chest, right where Ladybug previously stood. Glowing red cracks were spreading from where she was stabbed, making her look like a broken mannequin.

From the ground, Ladybug had despair written all over his face.

"Cat…?"

Worst of all, he couldn't return the favor. Not even if he wanted to. One time, the bug took a hit from a cupid-based akuma that made him fall in love with her and fight on the opposing side. This forced Calico to seek help from certain civilians, such as her twin brother.

"That bug just had to get himself shot, didn't he?"

The red haired boy, Blake, grins at her mischievously. "Aww, so you do care about him.~"

"Zip it!" Chat Noire shot him an acid green glare, ears folded back and her claws shaking. "That overbearing bug is at Hawkmoth's mercy all because he took a hit for me!"

Another boy raised a hand in a placating manner, like he's approaching a cornered feral animal. "I'm sure he only wanted to protect you."

"Well, he shouldn't have! That should've been my job! Thanks to that, we now have no way of purifying the akuma or a Lucky Charm to fix everything!"

It always has to be the cat to sacrifice themselves so the bug remains standing to the end.

The present day Ladybug stood from her seat, spinning her yoyo threateningly at the reclining fox boy.

"I've seen enough. Stop calling them failures just because they've messed up from time to time!"

Volpino stretched languidly with a lazy smirk.

"But I haven't gotten to the best part yet.~"

The movie theater disappeared into black, making Ladybug stumble as she felt him pull her to another spot.

Then a spotlight shone, revealing a dinner table some distance away. Around the dinner table were a collection of people, some familiar, some not.

Blair sat in one corner, uncharacteristically morose and keeping a closed fist - the one with her Miraculous - close to her heart. Plagg was sitting quietly on her shoulder. Blake was slumped down with his messy hair covering most of his face, refusing to look at anyone as he fiddled with his locket. Across from them sat an Asian boy, a little older than Blair, looking side to side with worry etching his features. In contrast, next to him sat a middle aged Asian woman who observed the people around her with a sharp gaze.

At the head was Calico's Ladybug, leaning on the table with both of his hands firmly planted on the surface. He was staring down at an old lady in a jade green kimono.

"Hawkmoth knows her identity now. The Black Cat Miraculous is no longer safe with her," the old lady said calmly, with an air of authority befitting a guardian. "Plagg's Miraculous will have to stay with me until I can find a suitable replacement for your partner."

"There is no one more suitable to wield the Black Cat Miraculous than her! Hasn't she proven herself enough?! You won't get a hero better than her! Replacing her would be a big mistake."

The old lady observed him a narrowed critical gaze. Then, she spoke with absolute certainty.

"… I see. It's not just the Black Cat Miraculous that would be in danger if anything were to happen to Blair, now is it?"

Ladybug flustered red at the insinuation and sputtered transparent denials. Blair shot him a questioning gaze, which the bug hero willfully avoided making eye contact with her.

"It's because she's a highly capable partner," he was able to push out of his throat. More firmly, he added, "There's no one I'd trust to have my back more than her."

Literally nobody at the table thought that was all there was to it, despite what he said being true.

Not even his predecessor, the present day Ladybug, is buying his flimsy attempt to cover up his feelings. He has it bad.

"And how is this another failure?" Ladybug just had to ask.

Regardless of how she felt about her own cat, Ladybug would've done the same. It's the right thing to do. If anything, she regrets she hadn't pushed harder to defend her cat's position to Master Fu back when he was still the guardian. She's actually proud this bug got it right the first chance he got.

"Your sister got to keep her Miraculous in the end, didn't she? Calico… Blair is still his Chat Noire."

The future bug succeeded where she failed. Unlike her disastrous plans full of secrecy, his honest straightforward approach worked and his guardian heard him out. Ladybug wishes that's how things went with Su Han yesterday.

"He hasn't let his partner down."

Unlike her.

Volpino clicked his tongue.

"Of course, a Ladybug would say that. You feel no shame nor guilt because that's the status quo of things. You're at the top. Why give that up? I was stupid to think you would understand 'cause you love her," Volpino let out a deranged laugh.

Ladybug took a cautious step back. Volpino glared at her.

"Just because the previous Chat Noir was oh-so-willing to lay down his life for his Ladybug, doesn't mean all Chat Noirs should be the same!"

He took a step closer to Ladybug with every word he said.

"My sister had a chance to escape such a fate yet you had to pull her back in with you."

Spotlights flashed behind Volpino, shining down onto five shady figures dressed in various suits. Two of them in insect themed suits had the glowing butterfly masks for akumas. The man with the long black braid and the purple robes had the glowing winged mask for sentimonsters. One was a man with the peacock brooch pinned to his cape. The last was a fair woman in purple, her cloak shaped like butterfly wings, and her Miraculous pinned to a silk choker.

"It's because you didn't let her quit that she's still in danger!"

Volpino's flute lit up as he raised it. Ladybug braced herself with her yoyo.

"This is your greatest failure!"

Before his flute could strike down Ladybug, there was a flash of silver and a sound of breaking glass came from above them. Volpino looked up in time to have some sort of liquid splash on his eyes. The fox yelped in pain. He didn't pop.

This is the real Volpino.

The silver object continued flying until a clawed hand caught it. Calico stepped out of the dark and into full view.

"Please. Bugsy's great and all, but I'm not staying for him," Calico twirled her baton until it's as long as a staff. "I've wanted to be a hero long before I even met him."

"Still chasing shadows, I see," Volpino growled as he wiped away whatever Calico dropped on him. "When will you realize that dream of yours is a farce?"

There was a flash of hurt on Calico's face which she quickly covered up with a cold stoic mask.

"We've already talked about this."

Ladybug, after everything she's seen about Calico's past, no longer buys her unfettered act.

While the fox is focused on arguing with his sister, Ladybug took the chance and lassoed Volpino with her yoyo. She swiped at his necklace… Only to be met with a poof.

"Nice try, Bug," Volpino snarked even as Ladybug tightened her yoyo strings, making his breath hitch.

The two heroines were going to put the real fox down once and for all.

Yet he grinned at them like he had everything under control.

Then, a green light engulfed the whole area. The fox and his illusions disappeared. They were back in the floor boss's room, except all around, there was an overlay of a glowing green energy field…

They were inside a Shellter.

0-0-0-0-0

Volpino is quite the multitasker. All the heroes were dealing with their own set of illusions at the same time. It kept them in place, too busy to leave to join any of their teammates.

"Hisuikame's successor, you sure came late to the party," Volpino snidely remarked from the side while Carapace was busy fending off a pack of Volpinos.

This fox is a lot chattier than Calico said he'd be. Wasn't he supposed to be the quieter twin? And Carapace doesn't get some of his illusions. Calico and this dude in the ladybug suit, he can get it. Future heroes dissing their fellow heroes. But what's with the brown haired guy in orange plaid? Or the pink haired punk girl? Anyway, they were all saying mean things about him being a sucky turtle, but Carapace kept his cool. Sticks and stones, or whatever that saying goes. Seeing how unaffected Carapace was, Volpino's given up on those illusions and decided on a more direct approach: sic packs of fox boys on him.

So overwhelmed by the pack of fox heroes, Carapace didn't notice when one of them tripped him. He fell on his back, just barely managing to block another strike of a flute.

"Was that fight against Pavonis just a fluke? You're not as strong as I thought. Look! You're already down for the count."

Carapace looked up to see his HP bar is now in the red zone. While Calico was right that Volpino's attack isn't something to write home about, those little hits add up. This is a game! Not real life! His stupid HP bar is what decides if he's down or not, not him! He was wrong to think that as a turtle, he could take more hits than the others. Turns out, it only applies for attacks he blocks with his shield.

"You turtles are supposed to be infamous for your defense yet you're easily the weakest out of the team. How can they count on you to be their shield?"

Carapace flipped himself over and spun with his legs swinging out, popping a few Volpinos in his breakdancing move. He held up his shield, the power Ladybug entrusted him with. The power of protection. He's on his last legs, he may as well be of some use before he goes out.

"SHELLTER!"

0-0-0-0-0

A green force field spread across the clearing, pushing away the fog and the illusions. Only the heroes are left within its protection.

From beyond the Shellter, Volpino grinned down at them. Calico pieced it together just then - he pressured Carapace to use up his power to let him escape and start the countdown to their teammate's detransformation. Does that count as an automatic game over?

There's a reason Volpino is the first and only akuma to succeed in taking her Miraculous.

Calico and the others gathered around Carapace. His HP bar is in the red and his MP bar is empty. Once Shellter is up, it's as good as game over for Carapace. The beeps of his timer signaled to them they've got five minutes to enjoy the break from Volpino messing with their senses.

"Ryuko, once Shellter is up, use the Honey Cure on Carapace," Ladybug decided.

"What?"

Carapace was the most surprised by this.

"Why waste it on me?" Carapace pointed at Ladybug's HP bar, which now has a third of it gone. "Dude-uh, Ladybug, you've taken a few hits."

"You need it more than I do," Ladybug said like it's the most obvious thing in the universe. "You're about to detransform."

"So? Shadowmoth already knows who I am. It's not game over if I wipe out now," Carapace insisted, uncaring for where does this leave him. He looks down at his Miraculous with a frown. "What good is a shield if I can't protect anyone."

His Miraculous beeped, signaling they've only got four minutes now.

Before Ladybug could argue, Calico cut in.

"He's right. He's gotten us this far. Let's not waste the chance he's given us. We can move forward without him, but we can't do the same without you. If we should use Honey Cure on anyone, it should be you."

Ladybug flushed furiously at Calico. Oh boy, she stepped out of line again hasn't she?

"You don't get to decide who's expendable and who's not! I'm going to need every one of you to fight Gamer 3.0 at the top floor. We are gonna conquer this tower together as a team!"

That was enough to lift the morale of the team. But Calico isn't the sort to buy into blind optimism.

"It's a nice sentiment, and we will do our best to get there. But we have to be realistic here. It's you who needs to reach the top more than anyone. You're the only one who can set things right," Calico said, gentler this time.

She's told her bug time and time again, if it comes down to it, he has to be the last one standing. He's never taken this fact very well. She doesn't expect this Ladybug to take it any better, at least, not from her.

Instead of an angry outburst she was expecting, Ladybug looked at Calico with… a sad smile? Huh?

"Chat Noir would say something like that too," Ladybug shook her head. "But I disagree. Volpino's shown me a lot… A Ladybug is only as good as their Chat Noir. I'm not the only one who can set things right. You've proven that."

Calico froze over, internally screaming in delight at being acknowledged. Then she started internally screaming in horror when she realizes why she's being acknowledged.

"Just what did Volpino show you?" Calico said with narrowed eyes.

She didn't want to be praised out of pity.

"Nothing bad. I'm sorry I misjudged you," Ladybug offered Calico a hand to shake. "And if it's not too much, I would be honored to work with a hero like you."

Calico was over the moon when she took Ladybug's hand and shook it.

"No, it would be my honor."

Ryuko smiled proudly at their leader. Carapace isn't sure what's going on, he's just happy to feel good vibes all around.

"Speaking of things Volpino's shown me, I heard you're quite the strategist," Ladybug said, expectantly. "Care to explain what you did to the real Volpino back there?"

Calico grinned. This is it! This is her chance to shine!

She won't let this Ladybug down!

0-0-0-0-0

Shellter went down and there was a flash of golden light that followed after. They decided to use Honey Cure after all. Ladybug refused to budge on that one. Calico will just have to suck it up, which is fine. Not like her bug didn't help her get used to not always getting her way with things.

"All those illusions, especially the ones he used on Ladybug, would come at a price. He only has so much qi - or MP in this case. He can't keep this up forever."

The heroes stood in anticipation with their eyes closed. They won't need it.

"Volpino may fight like an akuma, but his skillset is more like Renard Rouge's. He's mastered fooling three out of the five senses."

There was a slight breeze… then Ladybug caught the scent of citrus. She sent her yoyo flying but it was batted away. She smirked. Bingo.

"You can't trust what you see, hear, or feel. But you can still trust what you smell. Or taste, but I don't want to think of a way to exploit that. It's why I dumped my perfume on him.~"

The heroes swung their weapons blindly whenever they smell the scent of citrus. Sometimes, they get a lucky hit. But it's fine so long as they don't fall into any more of his tricks. Seeing this, Volpino made one last pack of foxes to attack them, yet the heroes were barely fazed. With his MP spent and his HP quickly going down, a few more hits from the heroes was all it took.

Volpino was down for the count.

"I thought he'd be able to take a few more hits than that," Carapace said, not out of spite however.

Unlike Princess Honey who he sent flying to a wall, Volpino was only occasionally grazed by them. Yet that was enough to send him over the edge. Unless…

"His MP bar was empty long before we were able to hit him," Ladybug figured it out first. "The illusions he put me through must've taken its toll on him. Yet he still kept going. Without MP, he had to drain his own HP to keep attacking."

Translate that to real life, and you get an akuma who would go as far as to risk his life to take their Miraculous.

Calico kneeled down at her downed brother's side and fished his Miraculous out of his boot.

"Right where you hid it last time, you sly fox," Calico said.

"Danger," Volpino paused as his form flickered. "… follows those who wield the Miraculous."

His form slowly dissolved into 1's and 0's. But he kept talking.

"They don't care for those the heroes leave behind."

His disintegrating hand reached out for his sister.

"Please don't leave me like our parents did…"

And then he's gone.

CONGRATULATIONS flashed over the team.

Calico was notified of receiving the boss's item. It was a little whistle with a similar design to Volpino's flute. Mirage was the label, considering his last futile attack.

But none of that matters for now.

Calico's hand reached for her bell - the place where her locket should be. Her brother's former akumatized object.

Their last keepsake of their parents who left them behind.

Ladybug hovered over her in concern, asking if she was okay. That look on her face… It was full of pity. She found Calico pitiful.

Calico brushed it off with a smile.

"We've spent more than enough time on this floor. We should go. My Bugsy awaits.~"

Being a pitiful orphan is not the image she wanted the legendary bug hero to remember her by.

No. She is stronger than that. She has more power than that. She will not be left behind.

She will keep being the hero.

0-0-0-0-0

Anti-Camembert eu de toilette

It is a cologne that neutralizes the scent of Camembert. And only Camembert. Otherwise, it's a perfectly normal perfume that can come in any scent.

As a self-conscious teenaged girl, Blair always has this on her. Too bad her mission in this story made it so she had to smell like Camembert if she were to go around as Adrien. The only saving grace is it's Adrien people will perceive as smelling like Camembert, not her.

However, this wasn't always the case. Plagg insisted to Master Hisui to not give away this perfume to his wielders until at least a month. He claimed it's part of a test of character. Master Hisui didn't realize the purpose of such an oddly specific perfume so she went along with it, seeing no harm in following the instructions of one of her mentors' kwami.

And the reason for this cologne's existence? Adrien had his own self-conscious teenaged daughter avoid him out of shame for smelling like Camembert. He did everything in his power to prevent the growing distance between them, even bring out his inner Gabriel and delve into perfume making. Combined with some of Marinette's guardian tools, he was able to create this magical cologne. While it did solve the Camembert scent, it didn't cure him of his puns and dad jokes so his daughter still avoided him throughout her early teen years. Adrien's younger kids swore on Plagg's fermenting Camembert that they wouldn't be like their older sister.