A howl startled Ladybug causing her eyes to snap open. Still hugging Basil and Dawson by the shoulders, she released both of them and looked around in bewilderment: they were on Toby's back and headed back to the toy store where they found Fidget.

"What happened?" The doctor asked confused. He looked around and looked dumbfounded at Basil and Ladybug. "How...? We were in Baker Street and suddenly... that..."

"Ladybug, could you explain us what happened?" Basil asked.

"It's..."

"It's the power we told you about." The coccinellid-rodent and the two mice turned around and neither could hide their astonishment. They were Chat Noir and Olivia. "Ratigan used the power Papillombre gave him and that brought us back here."

"Chat Noir! Olivia!" Ladybug exclaimed happy and relieved to see them safe and sound. The girl ran to the heroine, the young woman knelt down and received the little girl with open arms. The young woman broke the hug and checked Olivia from head to foot. "Are you both okay? Nothing happened to you?"

"Calm down, My Lady! We're fine" said Chat Noir approaching the others

"We found my father!" Olivia announced.

"What?" Basil asked.

"As it was expected. Fidget took us to Ratigan's lair," the feline-rodent answered. "But we were in the bag the whole time, so we don't know the way."

"Chat, Olivia, what happened?" Ladybug asked.

Between the two, the young man and the girl told them what had happened: Olivia reuniting with her father, Ratigan preventing Chat Noir from using his power (the hero checked his right hand and discovered he no longer had the metal sphere), both being locked up in a bottle of wine, Ratigan and Fidget's conversation, the professor's punishment of the bat, and Ratigan's hint he had 'a little surprise.' for Basil and Ladybug. However, there was one part of the story caught the detective's attention.

"Was Ratigan surprised I'm helping you?" Basil asked. He had known the professor for years and that reaction on the part of his enemy was not normal.

"It must be because He didn't expect you to make alliances either, when you usually work alone!" Ladybug answered quickly, trying to confuse the mice.

"Sure? From what Chat Noir and Olivia said, it seemed more like Ratigan didn't want me involved. I would even dare to say he didn't expect me to be in London. And now I remember, Fidget said neither Dawson nor I should be here because you two were supposed to take our places. What did he mean by that?"

«¡Me recargo en la pared! ¡Mendigo murciélago chismoso!» (I lean against the wall! Gossipy bat beggar!) thought Ladybug concerned, trying not to show it on her face.

"Because of the fact Papillombre wants our Miraculous," Chat Noir intervened, "Ratigan assumed since it was something alien to you, neither of you would get involved!"

"But Ratigan had never seen Dawson, how...?"

"It doesn't matter!" Ladybug interrupted. "We have more serious matters to attend to!"

"Right," agreed Basil. "If Ratigan had Chat Noir and Olivia come back to us, and turned back time to this point, that just means..."

"He has a trap prepared for us, just as they just warned us," deduced the coccinellid-rodent.

"Elementary, my dear Ladybug."

The young woman smiled happily upon hearing it. Seeing his partner, Chat Noir felt a pang of jealousy and anger in his chest. How the hell was it possible for him to react like that to this mouse? It was an animated character created by an akuma, for the love of...! It was ridiculous, he was jealous of a simple cartoon who disappeared as soon as Ratigan was defeated and Ladybug returned everything to normal.

«Don't get upset over unimportant things. Focus on the mission and everything will go back to the way it was before.» the feline-rodent reassured himself.

Suddenly Toby barked calling the attention of those present.

"Oh, sure!" Basil said. The hound put his nose to the windowsill and the detective jumped out. "Splendid job, Toby!"

This time, Ladybug carried Olivia and jumped down, now paying attention to where she was walking, and with concern since she was carrying the little girl in her arms. Likewise, Chat Noir helped Dawson down to prevent Toby from carelessly throwing the doctor away. Once everyone was on the windowsill, Basil addressed the dog.

"Now Toby...sit!" he ordered the hound, and just like before, the dog didn't obey.

The detective sighed with resignation and looked jealously at Olivia, he knew the only way Toby would obey was if the girl told him. The little girl saw the detective and he pointed to the hound; With that Olivia understood she had to give the order to the dog.

"Sit, Toby," the little girl ordered gently, waving her hand for him to sit down.

Just like last time, Toby happily obeyed Olivia.

"I still can't believe Toby obeys the girl and not me," Basil commented somewhat annoyed.

"It must be because Olivia is sweeter than you," Ladybug opined. "But we'll talk about your problems as a dog trainer later. Now let's go into the toy store."

"Let's find another entrance," the detective advised. "It's too obvious in the door of the window there will be some kind of trap."

"Then wait here." Ladybug took her yoyo as she spoke and walked away from the others. "I'll go find another entry. Chat Noir will stay with you to protect you."

"Of course not!" The hero objected, going to his companion and grabbing her wrist, stopping her. "Ratigan is after you too. Going alone is like giving yourself on a silver platter. I'll go check, you stay with them."

"That's exactly why I'm going alone," answered the young woman, freeing herself from the boy's grip with a pull. "Basil and I are easy targets together, but if we're apart..."

"Enough!" the detective cut in. He passed his hand over his face and continued. "We will enter where we did before and remain alert, understood?"

"Fine," the Miraculous bearers answered at the same time.

"Shall we go as before?" The young man asked his friend.

"It's for the best," she answered.

"What are you talking about?" Basil asked.

"Before you and Ladybug 'fought', we walked through the toy store with her in front and me in back."

"Fight?"

Ladybug ran her hand down the back of her neck as her ears turned red.

"The 'dance step' you did with me to be at the head of the group and I tied your tail to a puppet."

Basil's ears also turned a deep red and he looked away in embarrassment at this childish act on his part. Dawson and Olivia looked at the others not understanding what they were saying because they didn't remember seeing that happen.

This time it was Chat Noir who cleared his throat to break the silence.

"We have to move. We don't know what that rat is planning."

"Right." Ladybug stepped forward on the sill. "Olivia, don't separate from the Doc at any time, understood?"

"Yes, this time I won't separate," promised the little girl.

"And I won't take my eyes off her," Dawson said, taking the girl's hand.

"Good. Chat Noir..."

"You know I will always have your back, My Lady," declared the feline-rodent, taking his staff and becoming alert.

The coccinellid-rodent smiled at her friend. She looked at Basil and that was enough for the detective to understand; he would go next to the young woman and they would be attentive to what could happen since the sewer rat wanted them both. Without further ado, the group finally advanced where they started.

They reached the secret door. Cautiously, Ladybug stuck her finger into the hole in the glass and slowly opened it. She took a look through the hole in the wood, at first glance it seemed there was nothing and no one. Carefully, the young woman entered the toy store. There were no Moors on the coast.

"Clear," Ladybug called. "Come in, quick."

One by one they entered the toy store again. Basil, Olivia, Dawson, and Chat Noir, the latter closing the door. He took out his wand and closed the entrance with magic while placing an alarm would notify them if someone managed to open it and enter the place.

"It's darker than last time," Dawson commented, looking around. "I hope I don't crash into another toy or worse."

"In the dark it's easier to be taken by surprise," Basil warned. "Isn't there some way you can tell if someone is there?"

Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other; they knew what spells to use, but they didn't know if one of these could discover something... Or maybe it could, and it was something that none of the mice should know. The hero took out his wand and pointed above them to cast the first spell, but the young woman ran towards him and stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

"What are you doing?" Chat Noir asked confused.

"Everything's fine?" Basil asked when he saw the actions of the youngsters.

"Yes, just...give us a moment." Ladybug answered, trying to sound calm.

She released her partner's wrist and pushed him away from the mice, but without losing sight of them.

"Now what's wrong with you?" asked the feline-rodent puzzled as soon as his lady left him alone.

"Don't even think of using Revelio." the coccinellid-rodent warned.

"Why not? It could work."

"Because the enchantment reveals hidden objects, messages, invisible things and secret passageways."

"And?"

The young woman patted her forehead.

"It can also be used on living beings to reveal their true appearance when it's altered by a spell and to reveal the footprints left by creatures, projecting an image of them when they leave them."

"Again: And?"

"What...!" Ladybug took a deep breath to calm down and not scream, she didn't want to attract the attention of the mice. Once calm, she continued. "Yes, we could use it to find out if Ratigan, Fidget or someone else is here, as well as find clues. But the problem is, maybe, it could reveal what Basil, Dawson and Olivia really are."

"They're not real, they were created by Papillombre's akuma," Chat Noir said, immediately understanding what his lady was saying.

"¡Gracias! (Thank you!) You already understand."

"Then let's rule out magic."

"Or at least the revelation spells. Let's just use Miraculouses for now, we'll use magic as a last resort."

As soon as they finished talking, Ladybug and Chat Noir returned to the others.

"Well?" Basil asked.

"We didn't find anything could help us detect the presence of other people." the young woman answered. "So we will have to go 'blind' and pay more attention to our surroundings."

The detective had a feeling the youngsters were hiding something (again), but this was not the time to find out. They resumed their walk through the toy store, alert for any danger. They walked the same path as the first time.

As they advanced, and without lowering her guard, Ladybug analyzed the facts: Based on the story of Chat Noir and Olivia, and remembering every detail of the movie, the course of things was going well: At the moment when the feline-rodent and the girl was taken to Ratigan's lair, she, Basil and Dawson went back to Baker Street, and it was supposed to be the scene where Basil went through Fidget's list, figured out where to find him, followed him to Ratigan's lair and the blissful 'little surprise." The fact the rat changed the course of history meant he was intimidated by having to face his original archenemy. Even so, having power over the story gave the professor a huge advantage over them and it was noticeable when 'rewinding the movie'; if things didn't hold their course, Ratigan would turn time back as many times as necessary or change it.

«This is serious. We went back to the toy store before we found SentiFidget and he kidnapped Chat Noir and Olivia. Why would Ratigan come back to this part? Will he use the books and thereby defeat us? If so, we are in serious trouble. However, Lily encouraged me not to be discouraged by it; It would be a fight like any other. I guess what's frustrating is Ratigan cheating by using an item I don't know about. Still, don't underestimate that sewer rat.»

"I advise you not to dwell on current events too much."

"Huh?"

Basil was aware of her concern and her mind working for answers and solutions. That really got his attention: That's how he handled his cases, especially against Ratigan.

«In truth, this woman admires me. She even behaves like me, though that's weird. Interesting, but strange» thought the detective impressed.

"Ratigan is a great enigma, difficult to crack thanks to his diabolical and twisted mind." Basil explained, putting his hands into the pockets of his Inverness cloak and not seeing the girl. "Trying to confront him based on his way of thinking will only boost his ego and give him a deadly advantage. It's better to just analyze your opponent and with that information design a strategy based on your skills and your environment, way you can easily defeat him. Well, that would be easy if it weren't for..."

"Because your opponent knows you and uses that method too." Ladybug completed.

"Exactly." The heroine was surprised to see the detective smile, but more so when she realized that it was nostalgic. Soon the smile disappeared and a serious expression appeared in its place. "It's the problem of a rivalry of years. Ratigan and I know each other too well and that's why we can't beat the other, not only because Toby howls". He said the last thing now, looking at the young woman and with a smile, remembering the scolding she and the boy gave him the first time they arrived at the toy store.

Ladybug was dumbfounded. She would be lying if she said she has never been curious about the history of the rivalry between Basil of Baker Street and Professor Padraic Ratigan. Unfortunately, the movie never showed it, not even a little mention of how it originated, and she assumed it would be explained in one of Eve Titus' books. The only reference she had was the fanfiction The Professor's Portrait by FantasmaTraNoi and despite not being canon it fit very well with the story of the movie.

«If this akumatized villain really did read the entire Basil of Baker Street series , please let him at least show some of that history.»

"By the way." The young woman interrupted her thoughts and turned to the detective. "How long have you been facing Papillombre?"

"If I don't have the account wrong, it's been more than a year."

"It's not much. Even so, it is not convenient Papillombre still loose around. It will eventually become more dangerous and that will cause you more difficulties."

"I know. Thanks to him, Chat Noir and I lost our master and guardian of the Miraculous. Don't worry, he's alive!" Ladybug hurriedly cleared it up at Basil's horrified expression. "Master Fu was the one who chose us to be the bearers of Ladybug and Black Cat's Miraculous and it is because of him we became superheroes to face Papillombre. Unfortunately, a few months ago Le Papillon (originally that was his name because he only used the Butterfly Miraculous) and Mayura (his ally who used the Peacock Miraculous) captured Master Fu and stole the Miracle Box because of my carelessness."

"Carelessness?"

"I went looking for the master transformed into Ladybug when I had always done it as a civilian to keep him safe. As soon as I walked away, Papillon and Mayura attacked him and captured."

The detective could not see the young woman's face well because of her hair and deerstalker, but just by listening to her, he could perceive her emotions: sadness and guilt, but also nostalgia, affection and respect. Whoever this man was had been a very important person to her. The girl took a deep breath before continuing.

"Papillon attacked the city. Chat Noir and I headed towards the source of the chaos and where they watched the attack and Master Fu, using the Turtle Miraculous, protected himself from their attacks. We couldn't save him right away because we first had to deal with the mess Papillon caused earlier. We beat them, but Master was very weak and we still had to retrieve the Miracle Box.

"Exactly what did Papillon want? Why kidnap the guardian if he and Mayura managed to steal the magic jewels?"

"If he took over the Miraculouses, he might gain new allies and thus have a better chance of taking over ours. Regarding Master Fu, it was to force him to reveal our identities to him."

"That way, if he lost that fight, getting that information would have been enough because then he could attack you as civilians at any time and without a chance to defend yourself."

"Elementary, dear Basil." Earlier the mouse would have been annoyed at the girl using his phrase, but now it didn't. He simply smiled at her and the young woman continued. "The good news, besides being obvious, Papillon couldn't discover our identities. The bad... the bad...·

"Calm down. If not you can tell me it's ok."

Ladybug inhaled and exhaled giving herself the courage to continue.

"The bad thing is that Master Fu lost his memory."

"Pardon?"

"Master Fu resigned from the Miracle Box appointing me as the new guardian. The Law of the Guardians says when the Guardian resigns their position they will lose their memory for the purpose of protecting the identities of the bearers of the Miraculous." The heroine sighed. Losing the Master and now being the guardian still weighed her down, but she had to work to fulfill her new responsibility. "Anyway, Papillon and Mayura escaped without the information or the Miraculouses, Chat Noir and I said goodbye to the Master helping him move out of the city to finally rest and live quietly, and now I not only have to protect my magical jewels but an almost full box of them."

Basil didn't know what to say. With the appearance of that young woman and her partner, he met and learned things he would never have imagined; he was a man of science, so the concept of magic was not something he could easily accept; although technically it could not be said that it was 'magic' because it exists since the origin of the universe. However, it was still somewhat difficult to understand.

Another thing that worried him was that some teenagers (at first glance he could tell they weren't even of legal age) would have to bear a responsibility as big as that, which should be taken on by an adult and not by children. And worst of all, Ladybug now had the obligation to protect the Miraculouses; even if it had been to protect her and Chat Noir from the enemy, why put such a burden on the shoulders of a young woman? Her only concern was to educate herself to become a lady, get married and start a family. Come to think of it though, Ladybug was one of those women 'ahead of her time': they weren't interested in marriage and they knew they were worth as much or maybe more than a man and they went out of their way to prove it. He had to admit the young woman really had the courage and strength of a man, and he liked that, at the same time it reminded him of someone.

That last thought made Basil stop and stare at Ladybug. Now he thought about it, the young woman looked a lot like her. The Woman. He hadn't thought about her for a long time and now his memory, which he thought had been forgotten, came back thanks to the heroine. His thoughts were not the only ones altered by the memory of The Woman, but also his emotions; the memory of the last time he saw her and spoke with her made his mind and heart flutter. If it wasn't for knowing Ladybug's true identity, he would have sworn it was The Woman.

"Basil? Everything is alright?" Dawson asked, seeing the motionless detective.

Ladybug and Chat Noir also stopped and looked at the three mice. The young woman realized Basil was staring at her and without any expression on his face, this caused concern in the heroine. Now what happened to him? She approached the detective and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What...?"

Of all they've been through so far, without a doubt this the coccinellid-rodent never saw coming: Basil was hugging her. She wasn't sure because she never read the books, but her only reference to the character was from the movie and it was obvious that it was based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels (regarding Eve Titus she could say that she only had the characters) and for the same reason the detective's attitude took her by surprise, because she remembered that the detective did not have a good relationship with women, rather it seemed that he was not interested in them.

«What fly bit you? First he's suspicious of me and now he cares about me? ¿Quién lo entiende) (Who understands him?»

The others only saw the interaction of Basil and Ladybug, but with different reactions: Dawson was surprised, Olivia smiled at the same time as being curious about the attitude of the young woman and the adult. And Chat Noir... his first reaction was shock which was immediately replaced by jealousy. This was the last straw! What the hell was going on? At first Basil was cold and distrustful towards Ladybug, even being rough with her, and now he was hugging her? Why that change? What bothered him the most (and was the trigger for his jealousy) is she just froze.

And speaking of Ladybug; the young woman was still static, with her hands at her sides and her tail raised in astonishment. The questions kept spinning in his head: What was happening? Why did Basil suddenly hug her? She didn't know what to do or say. Did something she said trigger that behavior? She remembered what she had talked to him about, trying to find an explanation, but she couldn't think of anything.

"Uh... Basil?"

The girl's voice brought the detective back to himself, realizing what he was doing. He broke the hug holding Ladybug by the shoulders and separated from him with his ears completely red and embarrassment plastered on his face.

"I..." Basil finally released the girl and cleared his throat before continuing. "I am very sorry for that behavior. It will be better to continue." and without more to say, the detective resumed his walk.

Ladybug watched the mouse walk away with a raised eyebrow. If they managed to have a quiet moment she se comería un pollito* (would eat a chicken) with Basil.

"Did something bad happen, Ladybug?"

The heroine looked away from the detective, turning to Dawson.

"I really have no idea, Doc. We were just talking and suddenly he reacted like this." Ladybug sighed wearily as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Let's put the subject aside for now. Let's keep going."

The doctor nodded. He took Olivia's hand and they resumed their walk leaving the Miraculous bearers alone. The coccinellid-rodent looked uncomfortably at her companion, the feline-rodent stood with his arms crossed and looked at his companion with a frown, a clear gesture asking for an explanation. She grabbed Chat Noir by the wrist and the two of them walked almost quickly after the three mice.

"First of all, turn down your jealousy. Understand once and for all we are a team. Companions. FRIENDS, NOT PARTNER."

"I already know it. But also understand my feelings for you will not disappear overnight." The hero sighed before continuing. "The most pathetic of all, not to say ridiculous, is I am jealous of a cartoon."

Ladybug's ears turned red. The two stopped walking again, the young woman let go of Chat Noir and looked him in the face.

"Don't misunderstand things. It's true I have affection for Basil, but not romantically as you think, but admiration. Basil is my favorite character since I was a child and when I discovered what Papillombre did, I was moved; I would live the adventure of my favorite movie and solve cases with Basil of Baker Street, the great detective mouse. Well, though, things don't have that touch of 'Disney magic' thanks to the akuma and amok." Ladybug sighed and looked over her shoulder at Basil, Dawson, and Olivia. "Believe me when I tell you I am really taking the mission as seriously as any other. Just be patient with me in case I get excited again."

Chat Noir listened carefully to everything his lady told him. Once again his partner spoke of something personal, she opened up to him; true the first time was because the mouse detective asked his friend (it hurt him to think and say that word to refer her) about his strange behavior on the chessboard. However, he didn't expect Ladybug shared something personal with him again, but this was due to his jealousy towards Basil.

«I don't understand much of this about animated characters and 'being fond of them', even after Animaestro. But, anyway, I trust Ladybug and if she shared this with me, it's for a reason.»

"All right, I'll try not to get mad again. But if that detective gets too smart, then don't ask me to calm down, okay?»

"As if there was a chance something like that could happen."

The Miraculous bearers laughed. Chat Noir raised a hand towards Ladybug's shoulder, but suddenly a hand stopped him by grabbing his wrist. They turned to find Basil, upset?

«Okay... this is getting weirder and weirder.» the heroine thought looking confused at the detective.

"Er... Basil?" called the coccinellid-rodent doubtfully. "What...?"

"I don't know what you're doing and I don't care either," said the mouse detective, glaring at the feline-rodent, who responded with the gesture. "But right now we have more important matters to attend to, so cut the bullshit and let's move on. Young Chat Noir, you keep watching our back." He released the hero, turned to the heroine and gently took her hand. "Ladybug, let's stay ahead and be very careful."

"Y... yes."

Basil gave the hero one last angry look and walked away, taking the heroine with him. Ladybug gave Chat Noir a quick look of confusion, hoping her partner would understand she didn't have the slightest idea what was happening to the detective. The feline-rodent watched them walk away; maybe his lady didn't know, or didn't want to see it, but whatever they had talked about affected the mouse and that's why he acted like that with her now.

«Cartoon or not, he will stay away from MY Lady»

They reached the toy ladder. Chat Noir watched Ladybug and Basil waiting for them to fight like the first time to see who would go up first. However, the detective let go of the girl's hand and with a gentlemanly gesture invited her to go upstairs first. At this point, the coccinellid-rodent didn't know what to do; be amazed, scared, worried or what. The young woman went up the stairs, before reaching the end she took out her yoyo, opened it, activated the camera function and raised it; that way she could check if there was someone at the bottom of the stairs. Seeing no danger, the young woman closed her yoyo, but did not put it away. She finished climbing and checked it was clear.

"Free ride." Ladybug announced. She carefully peeked over the edge of the stairs. "You can go up, but do it fast."

As soon as the girl gave the indication, Basil quickly went up the stairs, he couldn't and didn't want to leave Ladybug alone. Dawson and Olivia came up next. Chat Noir let the little girl go up first and as soon as the girl was with the others, the young man rejoined the group. They walked calmly past the music box of the fire band.

"Olivia, this time don't go near the box or any toys," Ladybug said. "We must be as quiet as possible so neither Ratigan nor Fidget knows where we are, understood?"

"Yes, Ladybug," the girl replied.

To show this time she would obey, Olivia separated from Dawson, went to Ladybug and took her hand. The heroine was moved by the little girl's gesture.

The five of them moved carefully. Everything was calm and completely silent, just like the first time, until deafening music sounded behind them, surprising the five individuals. Just like before, Dawson jumped into Basil's arms and Chat Noir drew his staff and went on guard. Ladybug and Olivia hugged each other, the young woman worried and the girl scared. They turned to the source of the noise and Ladybug, Basil, Chat Noir and Dawson's ears paled as fear flashed across their faces: The fire band's music box was on!

Chat Noir was the first to react, throwing his staff at the lever on the music box and turning it off. The weapon bounced back into the hero's hands. It took a few minutes for them to calm down. The doctor got out of the detective's arms and put a hand to his chest.

"Good heavens! This is scarier than last time," Dawson commented, adrenaline still coursing through his body. "What happened? How come that music box turned on by itself?

"Isnʼt it painfully obvious, Doctor?" Basil spoke, a little calmer than his companion. "Ratigan and/or Fidget turned on the music box with the purpose of upsetting us, as well as proving they are closer than we thought."

"Rather, they wanted to save themselves the trouble of confronting us and wanted to scare us to death," said the feline-rodent.

A cry attracted the attention of the men, they turned and saw little Olivia crying covering her eyes with her hands and Ladybug kneeling in front of the girl trying to calm her down.

"Sh, calm down Olivia. It's over."

"I am very afraid! I want my daddy and go home!"

The coccinellid-rodent glanced sideways at the three mice. She understood Olivia was scared and wanted to leave, but thanks to Ratigan things changed and she didn't know what could happen. She took the little girl's hands and removed them from her face to look into her eyes; the tears kept flowing and the fear impregnated in her little face.

"Understanding you're scared. This is not something that a little girl like you has to go through, but sometimes life puts us in situations like this to prove to ourselves what we are capable of doing, even though they always say 'it's not a girl's business' or ¡it's not a women's business.'" she said the last thing with a sidelong glance at Basil and the detective adjusted his tie sadly, taking the hint. "Do you remember what I told you? About me and my friends when we were eleven?" Olivia nodded as she wiped away her tears. "That is an example; It is assumed my best friends and I were only concerned with studying, playing and living with other children. But for some reason the four of us had to discover the existence of that stone, that someone wanted to steal it and we decided to protect it.

With that last statement the girl and the men were stunned. Protect the stone? A children? Seeing their reactions, Ladybug continued:

"We told a teacher, but she didn't believe us claiming the stone was safe and told us to leave. None of the four of us stayed calm, at night we went to where it was sheltered passing the tests protected it. We achieved our mission: we prevented the theft of the stone and the thief disappeared «because I can't tell them he actually died since it would worry them too much, besides it would rain questions and demand explanations.« "But that doesn't mean we had normal lives after that."

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked curiously.

"From that day my friends and I lived all kinds of adventures. Over the years it became more dangerous than the last. Fortunately, that didn't prevent us from experiencing what anyone our age should experience and enjoy." She wiped away the little girl's tears and caressed her cheek lovingly. "We will find your father very soon. I don't promise you will forget this adventure, but one way or another it could be good for you: you will show your courage and what you are capable of 'despite being a little girl'."

Olivia and the men looked at Ladybug in shock; when they thought the young woman could not surprise them anymore, she proved she could. That was one of the reasons why Chat Noir loved her despite the fact the coccinellid-rodent always rejected him and, obviously, not knowing her identity. Basil no longer knew what to think of the young woman; his mind warned him not to trust her or let his guard down, but his heart...wait, his heart? The detective shook his head and looked away from the heroine, what the hell was wrong with him? What the hell had that young lady done to him?

The little girl finished wiping away her tears. Ladybug's words calmed and motivated her; with the help of the youngsters and the adults she would find her father. She raised her right hand pointing her last finger at the heroine. Ladybug seeing that gesture immediately understood the girl wanted to make the 'little finger promise' with her.

«Well, being mice this is the closest thing they have.»

"Do you promise we will find my daddy and we will all return home safe and sound?" Olivia asked.

Ladybug looked puzzled at the little girl. If she followed the course of the film, she could be certain without saying a word, but now with this change she was no longer sure. No, she couldn't think like that! All her missions were an adventure into the unknown, and she came out ahead and victorious alongside Chat Noir and her new allies, this would be no exception. She raised her right hand and laced her last finger with the girl's.

"I promise."

Olivia smiled enthusiastically. She uncrossed her fingers and hugged Ladybug warmly, the heroine was like the older sister she always wanted. None of those present, and less the bearer of Ladybug's Miraculous, noticed a pink light came out of the earring had contact with the girl and went towards the little girl. Before Ladybug and Olivia separated the light disappeared.

The coccinellid-rodent stood up, took the girl's hand and turned to the men.

"Let's hurry up and find that sewer rat and defeat him."

"You never cease to amaze me, My Lady. You know, right?"

The aforementioned simply smiled. Thus, the group once again resumed their journey.

They got to the chessboard again and this time Basil didn't move any pieces nor did Ladybug walk around it absorbed in her memories. Upon leaving the board, everyone looked at the ground expecting to find Fidget's footprints again, but was greatly surprised to discover they weren't there. They looked around and found none, not even a new clue. Almost running they went to where the toy soldiers of the Royal Guard were; the toys no longer had their uniforms, so the bat had to be somewhere.

Suddenly an evil laugh broke the silence. Chat Noir got defensive as Olivia hugged Ladybug, they both knew that laugh. Basil also recognized him and quickly moved in front of the young woman to protect her by surprising her.

"No matter the situation, you never stop being a gentleman, do you, Basil?"

"One more proof of the great difference between you and me. Or should I say, from a mouse like me and a sewer rat like you, Ratigan."

No one was to be seen, but several gasps could be heard around the Miraculous bearers and the mice. Basil and Ladybug knew this reaction was because Ratigan became dangerous (more than usual) as soon as he heard that word. The professor hated being called a rat, despite being one.

«Existential Doubt: Why does Ratigan get angry when called 'rat'?»

Silence filled the place. The five mice looked around; Suddenly footsteps were heard. Everyone focused their attention on the direction the footsteps came from, accompanied by the evil laugh from before. A shadowy figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing a large rat with gray fur, fangs, claws covered by white gloves, and a long pink tail. He wore a black tuxedo, a black cape with a red underside, a white high-collared shirt, a dark gray vest, gold cufflinks, and a pink and purple striped tie. His black hair was neatly combed, his face was clean-shaven, and lavender circles framed his eyes (the color was not clear, but the heroine was sure they were red) and yellow sclerae, and thick black eyebrows.

The Napoleon of Crime, Papillombre's akumatized villain: Professor Padraic Ratigan.

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*Comerse un pollito: Mexican expression used to tell someone that there is a pending conversation and/or discussion.