To Be a Hero | MLB

20: The Chase

"Pinion."

I step back as she summons her yo-yo back to her palm. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

She sighs. "We've been over this. Now, I've tried playing nice, but if I have to fight you for that Miraculous, I will. You've already proven you're not fit to hold one, anyway, so if you just—"

"What did you just say?" I step toward her again. "Of course I'm fit to hold one. And even if I'm not, you're the one who gave it to me."

"I made a mistake. I may be a superhero, but I'm still human." Then she holds her hands up in surrender, starting toward me. "But, I've learned it's never too late to make things right. So, give me your earring back, and you can fix your mistake as well."

She holds her hand out to me, and I feel myself beginning to believe her. Maybe she and Lorri are right. Maybe I am using my Miraculous for the wrong reasons.

But... my Miraculous is my ticket to getting myself seen. It's my ticket to happiness. And I can't give that away—not even to a superhero.

She just doesn't understand. She probably thinks I only want the attention and admiration that come with the suit. She still doesn't get how badly I need them.

"Ladybug, you can break into my room or chase me around the city all you want, but I'll never give you my Miraculous. Well, not until I'm done with it, at least."

Her outstretched hand balls into a fist, and her face settles into a scowl. "Looks like I'll just have to take it back, then."

"But you'd have to catch me to do that," I say, smirking. "And only one of us can fly." Then I turn and launch myself into the air, away from her. I hear her throw her yo-yo, so I turn left and dive toward the street below. She follows me, so I test the precision of my new wings and soar back up into the air a moment before I hit the ground, startling the Parisians and tourists around me.

I risk a glance backward and see that Ladybug fell for my stunt. She rolls once on the ground, then stands and searches the air for me. When she spots me, she flings her yo-yo again, and I speed up, heading toward a cluster of buildings in front of me. I dive between them, turning tight corners and weaving through narrow alleyways. Ladybug has some trouble keeping up in such tight quarters, and after a few minutes, I stop behind a trash bin to catch my breath. Luckily for me, Ladybug soars right over me, thinking I kept flying ahead.

"Lorri, time to rest," I whisper, and my kwami flies to rest in my palm. I feed her some more tortilla chips I had stashed in my bag, and she gobbles them up quickly.

"You know, Tori, you really should give Ladybug your Miraculous back. It's the right thing to do."

I groan. "No. I'm not listening to this speech again. And I need to put some more distance between Ladybug and me, so... Lorri, time to talk!"

Now, as Pinion again, I turn and fly back the way I came, not stopping until I'm halfway across Paris. I land on a high rooftop and sink down to sit cross-legged, feeling my wings fold back into my suit.

I gaze up at the afternoon sky and feel my anger toward Ladybug rush back into my mind all at once. She's just like everyone else in my life. I was invisible to her until she needed me, and even then, she didn't really see me. She just used me for what I could give her—in this case, my powers. And then, when my services were no longer needed, she tried to discard me, like I was nothing.

Or no one.

She said it herself: She thinks giving me a Miraculous was a mistake. So now she probably just wants to take back my powers, move on, and pretend we never even met.

Well, I'm not going to let her treat me like that. I'm going to make her see me... I'm going to make everyone see me.

And just like that, I know how to complete the first step of my plan and make a name for Pinion.

I'm going to take over Ladybug's superhero "team."