MIRACULOUS ALLIANCE
EPISODE 10: MINOSCORN, PART IV
It was after a final cleanup and patrol after fighting the two versions of Minoscorn and a Minotaur Frog, but they still hadn't found Mayura. Of course, if she had detransformed, they wouldn't recognize her, as they don't know whom she was behind the mask. They hoped where ever she was, she was okay. Now the fight was over and their search amounted to nothing, they had to return to school. Miss Bustier greeted them with a kind smile. "I'm glad to see you are all right, and your parents and guardians will be too. I hope you didn't have a run-in with the Akuma?"
"No, we got ourselves a really good hiding place." Adrien assured her.
"That's a relief. Well, since you missed a few classes, you will have to get caught up. I'm sure one or several of your classmates would like to borrow you their notes." Miss Bustier said. "Now the only person missing as of now is Mr. Legrand himself, he still has a talk with the principal to get to."
"That won't be a problem, Miss Bustier!" a voice sounded. Vincent Legrand walked in. Bullhead now had Noel Legrand trapped in his horns like they were an oversized pincer, as Noel struggled and let out a series of profanities. "I managed to catch up to him after he was deakumatized."
"Let me go! I did nothing wrong! People just can't handle me. They are too weak! Let me go!" Noel said, his struggling being to no avail. Everyone else sighed. That was going to be a long talk Principal Domacles will have with the Legrand family. Noel was soon forgotten once the robot bull and Vincent had carried him off.
The rest of the school day didn't last for that long. Adrien was just happy to go home, with his Uncle Greg. "I'll see you tomorrow, hot stuff?" Marinette asked as she kissed her boyfriend.
"A moment away from your gaze is eternity passed." Adrien said.
"You Shakespearian dork!" Marinette said as she flicked his nose with her finger. "Just don't try to feel too down, okay? Call me if you need anything."
"You are not just 'anything', Princess." Adrien said. "You are my 'everything'. And I need you."
"If we keep being sickenly sweet, we're here all day." Marinette said as she gave her boyfriend another kiss. "Bye, sweet cheeks." she said as she headed home.
Adrien smiled with his signature dopey love-struck kitty grin. He stepped outside the school gates. Like he expected, his Uncle Greg stood there, ready to pick him up. However, there was someone else standing beside him, someone he hadn't expected. Nathalie was talking with Greg. They noticed him arriving and stopped talking. Nathalie started fidgeting and look nervous, so unlike her normal composed behavior. "Nathalie?" Her name is all Adrien could say for the moment, due to several mixed emotions welling up inside him.
Greg looked at Nathalie and then at Adrien: "I think she has something that she wants to tell you." he then gestured for Nathalie to step forward.
"Hi..." she said, more nervous then she ever looked before. "You probably already heard from Greg that I came by to drop off some of your stuff but I..." Nathalie said. "I didn't dare to come in because I was ashamed of myself. Because you were right in that I was a coward."
"I...didn't mean...I shouldn't have said it like that." Adrien stammered.
"No, you were right. I have been a coward. I just...I have been a terrible godmother. I should have spoken up more against your father in the past..." Nathalie said.
"I don't like to refer to him as my father anymore." Adrien interrupted.
"Right, I should have done more to try and talk sense into Gabriel in the past. I have been trying to do that since you left but I don't think he is listening." Nathalie said. "I heard an Akuma was after you today, are you okay?"
"Nothing to worry, I had a good hiding spot, and the Akuma wasn't terribly bright." Adrien reassured her.
"That's a relief." Nathalie said. "Adrien...I am so, so sorry. I should, I could have done more but I allowed myself to be pushed around and you had to suffer for it. It's ok if you don't want to talk to me again or call me godmother again, but I couldn't be running away forever and...even if it is too late, I didn't want to be a coward for once in my life."
Adrien looked at her with a puzzling look. "I am not mad, Nathalie. I am not happy but I am not mad." Adrien said. "I think that in time I may want to forgive you. Because you realized you were wrong and some part of me wants to believe you want to do better. Maybe I'm not willing to lose more people in my life but...I think things can get better."
Nathalie's face softened. This was more then she already could hope for. "Thank you, Adrien." she said as she hugged him. Adrien was clearly surprised by this. Nathalie let go as she jumped back. "I'm sorry, was that too much?"
"No...it's fine, it feels nice." Adrien said honestly. Nathalie felt relieved and smiled. She then started to violently cough. "Nathalie?"
"Nattie, that is some nasty cough, your lungs almost came out, are you okay?" Greg asked worried.
"I'll be fine...I just got a really bad cough as of late. Maybe I'm coming down with a little cold or something. I'm just going to bed early and take some herbal tea, and it will be over quickly."
"Just...don't overwork yourself, okay?" Greg said. "There are still people whom care, you know?"
"I'll try to...No, I will keep that in mind." Nathalie said. "I am going to rest up. I promise I'll keep in touch. Should you hear something odd in the next couple of days...Don't be discouraged, okay? You two, keep going as you are now. Don't...don't try to give in to despair, okay?" she said. The two looked oddly at her, but nodded. Nathalie then took her leave.
"Did she feel off to you at the end?" Adrien asked Greg. "You think she is going to do something foolish?"
"Nathalie may be many things, but foolish isn't one of them. Even when misguided, she always took the logical approach." Greg assured him. "Now, let's go home before any fangirls show up. I am pretty sure you only have eyes for one special girl whom you were being adorkable with a few minutes ago." This got a chuckle out of Adrien. While the feeling of worry hadn't faded, he decided to believe in Nathalie, and in Mayura.
After Marinette came home, had dinner and got her homework done, she phoned Alya about earlier. "How are things with Mayura coming along?" she asked her dear friend.
"Not easy. We know nothing about her, aside that unlike us she is not a child. We know because during her first bout she kept reusing the Amok, so she didn't have the countdown. But that doesn't narrow it down enough. Though people probably have noticed Mayura, they still won't know a lot about her. I wonder if I should put it on the blog though so people can keep a lookout?" Alya responded.
"You do recall her ties to Hawkmoth? We don't want to lead her to Mayura by accident, and if she indeed had former ties with him which she severed, she may have ended up on his hit list?" Marinette said.
"I'm not sure if we can trust her to the fullest. But maybe we can keep it on the down-low until we have more info. You are right into not jumping into things too hastily." Alya responded.
"Oh, wait...I got another incoming call, asking for a three-way conversation. It's Chloé." Marinette took the call. "Bonjour?"
"Hey Marinette, Alya, got any more news on the Mayura front?" Chloé asked.
"None yet." Marinette answered. "We want to know what we're looking for without putting a target on her by Hawkmoth."
"We have to keep a low-key investigation. But we can't be heroes all the time and we're going to need someone whom has to be in the know about...you know, if we want to pull that off. But Fu is getting on in years and I am not sure whom else may fit the bill." Alya explained.
"We can perhaps bring in Lila. She wanted to build up her civilian life again but she asked to call in case of emergency. And her mother is a diplomat, that means she probably will have some connections?" Marinette suggested. "I need to talk to her as Ladybug though before we can do anything."
"It is a viable option, but I want to add my own suggestion. Sabrina could be of use." Chloé noted.
"Sabrina?" Both Marinette and Alya asked.
"I suspect she knows about me being Queen Bee. And of course it wouldn't be hard for her to deduce your identities. But she has clearly not spread the word and kept quiet. In fact she seems to readily go along with all my excuses and gives me chances to get away and transform...But I have to verify with her first before I can say that for certain." Chloé said.
"Ok, so she may know who we are but what skills..." Alya began.
"Don't underestimate her." Chloé said, defending her redhead friend. "She has real detective skills, learned from her father. She put them to good use, and she has several good contacts. Those two came in handy when I used to ask her to run errands for me when I was a brat."
"Sorry..." Alya said shocked. "I suggest you two talk to your targets, update me as fast as you can. Even if we don't find out about Mayura, this may still be beneficial in the long run. We are not closer to finding Hawkmoth on our own, and a network may come in handy." Alya said.
"We all know what to do. Alya, you inform Nino, and Chloé, if I can't reach Adrien in time, you can inform him over the developments. More powerful creatures break through the barrier and Hawkmoth is clearly experimenting with the full extent of his power, and we may lose a potential ally if we don't figure this out. We have to step up our game." Marinette said in her 'leader voice' and both Alya and Chloé agreed. Hopefully they will able to make this work.
"No! I won't go, you can't make me!" The shouting came from Noel, whom was no agreeing with what his parents and the principal had told him.
"You leave us no choice..." Noel's father, whom looked a lot like his eldest son, but smarther and with a thick, blonde mustache. "You bully students, harrass girls, disrupt peace, don't bother to do your school work, cause trouble and don't think we have forgotten that stunt at the robot competition. A new school for troubled youths just like yourself, they'll knock those nasty habits right out of you."
"You betrayed me, my own parents, you should be on my side!" Noel screamed.
"We are on your side, and that's why we do this." Noel's mother, a short chubby woman with brown, curly hair. "If we don't fix this outrageous behavior you will get into trouble later in life, and for you get a chance at salvaging your future, we'll have to do this."
Noel spat out a series of curses, but then he was taken back into a vicegrip by Bullhead's horn clamp, as a mechanical arm extended from the bull's back, showing a brush with soap on it and stuffed it in a struggling Noel's mouth. Noel's father then turned to Principal Domacles. "I am so sorry, I didn't teach him those words. I don't even know what we did wrong. Vincent turned out as such a good young man, I don't know what Noel's problem is."
"Yeah, unlike Noel, Vincent is one of the top students of that year, only matched by the likes of Max Kante and Adrien Agreste..." Principal Domacles said as Noel went red in the face and screamed. They didn't know if the foaming was his own doing or the soap, but he looked rapid. "Oh, it seems his brother is a touchy subject."
"Bullhead, be a dear and please carry Noel outside, otherwise we will not be able to properly talk with the Principal." Noel's mother asked. The robot bull nodded, shaking Noel around a bit more as he dragged the kicking and screaming jock along, as the jock's parents would continue their talk with the principal. No one else gave a f***.
Meanwhile, Adrien had to go from school to his next appointment with his therapist. Dr. De La Mer was a kind looking woman with short red hair and freckles and a pair of glasses to make her look professional. "How are you doing, Adrien? Anything interesting happening this week?"
"Oh, things are looking up. My girlfriend made a special privacy coat so I don't get harassed when going out. It is a huge relief. There was an akuma, a bully whom trash-talked me and my girlfriend. But he was quickly disposed off and I wasn't in real danger." Adrien said. He sighed a few times. "There are a few people I'm worried about. Now, there is this...person. We only met her a few times. Both times she has been a help. But she has ties to some less savory people. But in the end she decided to help us instead of them, she made the right choice...but we haven't seen her since. We don't know why she keeps distance or why she doesn't want to share what she knows because...the people she used to have ties too are people that should not be going free. And I'm worried for her."
"That is more then normal. Lot of good people can make bad decisions and get caught up into dangerous situations. Now, this sounds like something the police..." Dr. De La Mer said.
"Oh, someone is already one the case." Adrien said quickly. It was not exactly police, but superheroes counted, right? "They have capable people on it and I'm sure they'll eventually resolve it. But she was not the only one I worry about. I have told you about my godmother, my father's personal assistant..." the Doctor nodded in understanding. "She has come to apologize. She was never as bad as Gabriel but she went along with everything he said. But she seems to have...found her bravery to stand up to him again, and wants to make things right. She apologized and...I accepted it for the moment."
"Are you bothered?" Dr. De la Mer asked.
"No...yes...I am not forgetting what she did, but I want to forgive. But I don't know if I was too hasty. But I felt she may genuinely be sorry and...I already lost so many important people in my life and I couldn't cut her out. Nathalie, unlike Gabriel admitted she was wrong and...am I being too much of a doormat again?" Adrien said.
"I mentioned before that good people can make bad decisions. It is not wrong for someone whom admitted their wrongdoing and wanting to make up for it, to be given a second chance. It is not weakness, but strength to forgive instead of carrying a grudge. As long as you can say for sure she is genuine, you should not feel bad for it." The doctor said. "And it is not wrong to not just drop people easily. Since your upbringing was quite isolated and lonely, you don't want to just abandon people."
"I did for Gabriel though." Adrien noted.
"From what you told me and from what I've been able to confirm, you were right. It was not a healthy relationship of father and son. In fact, maybe Gabriel could do with a therapist himself." Dr. De La Mer said.
"He'd never go for it. He doesn't believe in therapy or shrinks. He thinks that his rep may suffer or that it may be perceived as weakness. Luckily Uncle Greg assured me it is not and it has helping me quite a bit..." Adrien said as he suddenly let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Is there something else you want to address, Adrien?" Dr. De La Mer said.
"I am still unsure what to do with my life. For a long time, my activities, my future was determined for me. I have the choice now to do what I want with my future but I still don't know what I want. But I have little in terms of interests of my own, and I am still trying to think of whom I am outside of Adrien Agreste and..." Adrien babbled as he then shut himself up.
"Mh...maybe you can try to think not of what you can already do or what you enjoy doing...But what traits define you. Whom is Adrien Agreste, not the model, but the teenage boy. What does he value more about anything else? Not specific people I mean like your godfather or girlfriend, but a trait..." Dr. De la Mer asked.
"I..." Adrien thought for a few moments. Maybe more then a few moments. "I like to help people." He wasn't lying. He saved people as Chat Noir, tried to cheer them up or comfort them after they were deakumatized, and he would do anything for his friends even when he himself used to have such a busy life. But superhero isn't a career, it is more of a mission. But he could also help people outside of the mask... "I have been given a lot to think about now. I cannot say anything for now, but I think I have a direction I want to go."
"That's good. Even if it is just a concept, a concept can become more. I suggest that you keep thinking it out over the next few days and perhaps talk to some people whom may give you advice on the direction you want to take your life in." Dr. De La Mer said.
"If it is not too late to go in that direction..." Adrien said.
"Adrien, you are sixteen. YOu are still young, there are still so much endless possibilities for you. It is not something you should worry about. As long as you have an idea on where to go and you are willing to work to get there, it should be fine." Dr. De La Mer. "That's all the time we have for today. I feel like we may have made some progress, what about you?"
"I think it was a good talk. Thanks, Madame de La Mer." Adrien said with a smile.
"It's nothing. It is my job to talk to people." she replied with a warm smile. "So, for next time, does Saturday work?"
"I'll be spending the time with Kitty Section." Adrien handed. "And Monday after school I have a appointment with my new dietitian, you got a slot on Tuesday?"
"Tuesday I have a slot open at six PM." Dr. De La Mer responded.
"Perfect. I'll take that slot. Thanks again, ma'am. And tell Ondine I said 'hi'." he said as he grabbed his coat of the rack.
"I will. Bye Adrien." Dr. De La Mer said. After the payment for the session was done, and Adrien left for home, it was time for her to close up for the day. After stacking most of her papers and important stuff in her briefcase, she quickly grabbed the picture that was on her office's desk. A younger looking redhead, which was obviously Ondine, Kim's girlfriend and the heroes' friend from Mendeleiev's class. Dr. De La Mer saw herself in the picture with a t-shirt that said 'Number One Mom'. She sighed happily as she stored the picture in the drawer of her desk.
Gabriel was inside his lair, staring out the window. He hummed softly in displeasure. He heard something behind him. "Hello, Nathalie." he said, his expression not changing. "You got a lot of nerve, showing up after you betrayed me."
Nathalie's eyes were cold and steel-like, and if looks could kill, Gabriel would be dead. "You are the real traitor. You betrayed everything...everything Emilie believed in. You betrayed me, by trying to force me to discard my honour, and you betrayed your son by treating him like a trophy instead of an actual son. I should have never let you put on that Brooch. It has caused so much grief...so much hurt. To the people of Paris...to me, to Adrien, to everyone! We thought a bit of suffering would be worth it, that after the wish everything would be okay. But we were just kidding ourselves. Things will never be as they were before." Nathalie said.
"What are you going to do, Nathalie? Take the brooch from me? Condemn Emilie?" Gabriel asked.
"Don't you 'Emilie' me...The brooches are both being returned to Ladybug and Chat Noir. They know the guardian, the guardian will fix it." Nathalie said.
"You think that if they know who you are, whom I am, that even if you get past the vow that you will be trusted? If I go down, you go down with me." Gabriel said.
"I am willing to take the tumble. I already messed up enough. I made mistakes and I am ready to owe up to them. I take responsibility for my actions. For once in my life I am going to do the right thing. For once I am not going to be a coward..." Nathalie said as she removed her glasses and put her glasses aside again. "Duusu..."
The peacock kwami flew out of his hiding space. "With you all the way, Nattie." Duusu said calmly, before switching into a happy go lucky mood. "Let's kick his butt!"
"...Fan out!" in an instant, she transformed into Mayura, in a burst of blue energy. This time there was no fanfare, not badass entrance of elegant posing. She immediately plucked a feather from her fan. "One last chance, Gabriel. Stand down, give me the brooch. Emilie will be healed, but no one else have to be hurt. It doesn't have to be about you...we can end this peacefully. If you try hard enough...the family can be healed, not with magic, but with a bit of human decency."
"You think you have the upper hand here?" Gabriel turned around and from the shadows, hundreds of Moth Swarm Drones crawled out. Their predatory purrs filled the room, they sharpened their butterfly knives against their claws, spreading their wings menacingly, their jerking movements unnerving.
Mayura looked in disgust at Gabriel. "Why do you insist on being the villain? It won't matter if you think you can erase it. It is not what Emilie would want. It would not change you hurt your son. It doesn't change that others had to suffer..." She sighed.
"You know, you remind me of Emilie at this very moment. She did the same you know, she begged me to stop. She begged me to not lock her and Adrien off from the world. She begged me not to play with forces beyond understanding. She was so convinced that I was in the wrong, she wouldn't listen to reason. And you are doing the same. You wavered, you allowed yourself to be misguided." Gabriel said softly.
Mayura's eyes went wide. She had a realization. "Emilie realized what a monster you were. She didn't don the Miraculous because she wanted to relive her past. She wanted to use it to get away from you. You forced her hand and hence she is in coma now..." she breathed heavily, due to her world being turned upside down, due to anger welling up inside her. "You didn't seek out the Guardian for help because he would bring back Emilie as she was before. But you wanted the Miraculous to not wake Emilie up, but to mold her in your image, to your vision..."
"If I brought her back the normal way she'd still be flawed. She would still think I was wrong. I have to fix her. You also need to be fixed, Adrien needs to be fixed...and then I'll fix Paris. A city full of useless pawns, none whom could do their job proper when under my thrall, whom paint me as the villain just because they don't understand my noble goal..." Gabriel said. He looked mad in every sense of the word.
Nathalie would look ill if her blue complexion would allow her to pale. It was like she saw Gabriel for the first time. "You are insane! You...you're sick."
"I am not sick. I am the only one whom knows what is right, and I am surrounded by fools whom just don't get my vision..." Gabriel said as he touched his brooch.
Nooroo flew out of Gabriel's jacket. "Master, I beg you. The madness has gone on long enough. You think you will fix everything, but you'll only destroy..."
"SILENCE! You will not speak another word. You will never speak again. You will only speak when I tell you to!" Gabriel said. Nooroo slumped in the air, unable to defy the one whom holds his Miraculous. "Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!" In a flash of purple energy, he transformed back into Hawkmoth. "Now, Mayura...if you want to play the hero, you are welcome to try."
"You have been standing around in your lair and let others do the job, but I am not afraid of getting my own hands dirty." Mayura said as she fiddled with the feather in her hand. She noticed the Moth Drones slowly approaching her. "As for these bugs...They don't scare me! Amok!" she turned the feather blue and they entered the glasses she discarded earlier. Then all of a sudden, a blue blob of oily blue energy formed and took the shape of a Minotaur Frog, not unlike the one the heroes defeated earlier. Only it had Mayura's colors, shades of blue with magenta accents. "Feast...dinner is served!"
Feast let out a huge croak/roar as the Moth Drones scattered and the huge blue frog started snatching the moths out of the air with its maws, or grab them in his paws to then stuff them in his maws, or shoot out his tongue and resulting it in once again being stuffed in his maws. Mayura shot forward, fan spread as Hawkmoth pulled the sword out of the hidden sheath inside his cane, it clashing with Mayura's weapon, sparks flying out as they collided.
At Greg's place, Adrien and Greg were having dinner. Adrien was a bit silent. Greg didn't ask at first as he wanted Adrien to take the first step, hopefully him learning to take initiative. "Uncle Greg..." Adrien asked. "Can I ask you something?"
"You already did, but you can ask another question." Greg said jokingly.
"I...I kept wondering what I want to do in life now. I thought a bit. Now, I always had an admiration for people whom go out of their way to help others. Mostly the superheroes of Paris, but...also you for setting up that hospital." Adrien said.
"Africa is a place that needs more good hospitals, but you are still a bit young to suddenly decide to skip continents..." Greg said.
"No, not like that. But it is sort of an inspiration. Maybe I could, in the future, help set up...I dunno, something of a Youth Center? A place where kids can go to when they have nowhere else to go? Because they have no one; or because the ones they have are no good to them..." Adrien said.
Greg's spoon was halfway towards his mouth, as he lowered his spoon and the bite that came with it back into his bowl. "That is a very noble goal, Triple A."
"Yeah...Gabriel always looked after his own interests. But I want to look out for others. I am going to work hard to make it a reality. But I would also want to ask you for help. You may not be a medic but you still did everything to make sure others good good healthcare, you made the right connections to have it happen. I want to learn that from you."
Greg sighed, looking happy. "Triple A, I am proud of you, that you want to do that. Though one thing at the time. You have to work out a concept, learning how it works, that sort of stuff..."
"Yeah, I know I need to work out the details. But I am sure I will have a lot of support. And I know I can make it a reality." Adrien said.
"No doubt about it, kiddo!" Greg said as he ruffled Adrien's hair. "Now, let's finish dinner and then write down what you already got, ok?" Adrien beamed at that. Most of the choices he made or the things he didn't want to do were not supported by Gabriel. So he needed someone whom would be behind him. And what godfather would he be if he weren't that person?
In Hawkmoth's lair, the clash continued. Mayura wouldn't have to worry about the Moths, as her idea of using a Sentimentel in the image of their natural enemy would be enough to handle them. She and Hawkmoth clashed their weapons with such speed, metallic sparks flying off with each clash, they move so fast that you barely can keep up with the naked eye. At one point they clashed but they kept pushing their weapons together, the blade of the sword and the fan pushing as they tried to overpower each other. Hawkmoth still had the staff sheeth in his other hand and tried to bludgeon Mayura with it but she grabbed his wrist before he could hit her with it. They then just continued trying to overpower each other.
But Mayura planted her foot in Hawkmoth's stomach, then kicked off and broke off with a backflip as Hawkmoth staggered back. Mayura landed and delivered a sweep kick, knocking the cane out of Hawkmoth's hand. Though she couldn't do the same for the sword as he took a step back and then tried to stab her with it, but she moved sideways and then grabbed his arms and twisted it. Hawkmoth's teeth gritted in pain, before his grimace turned into a grin. Then Mayura felt something hit in her in the head. She staggered as she saw the can had flown back to Hawkmoth on its own. Hawkmoth then tried to lash with his sword at her, but a big, meaty arm blocked the way, as Feast formed a shield with its arm and the sword bounced off its tough skin. He then continued trying to gobble up all the Moths he could find.
Hawkmoth summoned one of his butterflies and infused it with energy, intending to akumatize one of his Moth drones again. Mayura was faster though, as she folded her fan and shot it out as a huge dagger, as she then impaled the Akuma onto the wall, the butterfly dying as the dark energy left it, and Hawkmoth having wasted his energy. But Mayura's fan was still stuck to the wall so he didn't waste time rushing forward. Without her weapons, and the long reach of his weapons, he would be able to force her on the defensive. He did just that as she tried to dodge all his sword swipes and blows from his cane.
However, Hawkmoth was hit in the head instead and found that similarly to his cane, the Fan had as if on telephathic or telekinetic command, had returned to Mayura on its own. Now with her fan back and Hawkmoth dazed, she swiped at his face, the silver cowl cut as if there was a scar. Hawkmoth's teeth gritted in anger again as he lashed out, getting a lucky shot with his cane and knocked her onto the ground. He advanced on her but she landed a double kick in his chest and sent him flying back. Hawkmoth dropped his weapons in the process. She then split her fan in two and impaled both the sword's hilt and the cane on them, pinning them on the ground and cutting them off from Hawkmoth.
Hawkmoth thought that by both being weaponless they would still be even. However, he thought wrong. They became a flurry of punches and kicks first, going rapidly to follow with the naked eye, but one hit from Mayura on hawkmoth's arm had the villain scream out in pain as his arm felt limp as he held it. Then he was kicked in the knee, forcing down down and one sweep kick knocked him flat on his back.
Mayura panted. Hawkmoth was tougher then she had expected, but she was not the owner of three black belts for nothing. She approached Hawkmoth to deliver the winning blow, and take the brooch. However, she found herself staggering but not because of the damage of the fight. "No, not now..." she muttered. She had wanted to finish it before the peacock's side effects kicked in. She could endure it long enough to take the brooch and get away, she'd be golden. She reached out, desperately trying to keep herself strong. But Hawkmoth recovered and kicked her hard in the face, knocking her down.
She could barely breathe, she was dizzy...Either she'd be knocked out or she could pass out from the side effects. As of now, she felt like she couldn't win this...No, she would not give up, not give in, she'd remain defiant. She tried to scramble up, but couldn't stand on her legs. Hawkmoth towered over her. He was still limping and holding his arm, but he had managed to pry his cane loose from where it was pinned by the fan. "Poor Nathalie, you fought so hard...But the Peacock does things to you, you know. You could use some rest!" He then whacked Nathalie hard with the cane, knocking her out and detransforming her.
Nooroo flew out of the brooch and growled like a rapid dog, screaming and rushing at Hawkmoth, only to be grabbed by a Moth drone. He struggled and bit at the fingers of the drone, but more of them came by the pin the kwami to the ground. The Sentimentel, without guidance from its master stood there, still like a statue. Hawkmoth plucked the brooch of Nathalie, as well as the glasses that held the Amok. "I must thank you Nathalie, for returning the brooch and providing me with a Sentimonster. But what to do with you now?"
END OF EPISODE
ARTIST'S COMMENTS
Not only I this episode was in more parts then I thought it would be, this is a long last part of this episode.
Yeah, there is a reimagining of the Sentimonster Feast. I intend to have Master Fu's backstory differ from the canon. It is already an AU of season two so you can't judge me.
I included a therapist oc and made her Ondine's mother because there'd be a point to her and I don't have to make up more characters that are going to be just there.
Two more episodes and then we get to the Heroes' day adaptation.