Chapter 24: Black Thorn
It's before school, and Max Kante and Le Chien Kim are up early, playing video games. Kim is used to being up early for early morning swimming. However, today the pool is being cleaned, so he dropped by Max's. Max is happy to have someone to test the video game he made, from scratch, himself, so they're playing. It's a brawl-style game using all the akumatized victims. They're having fun, and Max's mother serves them crepes while they play since she has a tiny bit of time off before she begins her astronaut training.
Once she's out of the room, Max begins talking about the akumatized victims and heroes. Kim then notices that Max didn't include any of the heroes in his game. Max says he wanted to focus on the akumas; he's intrigued by their powers but felt he had a better grasp at understand how they worked. He's still puzzled by Ladybug and Cat Noir.
While they bash each other in-game and talk and laugh, Max broaches the subject while Kim is completely focused on playing. "So, what's it like being Dauphin?" Kim, attention still on the screen, immediately begins to answer honestly about how cool it is to be able to swim without surfacing for air and lift all kinds of weight while underwater—and then his eyes grow wide and he realizes he said way too much.
Kim tries to backpedal, but Max isn't believing the half-baked excuses. Kim slumps and confesses, but makes Max promise not to tell anyone. Max says he never did intend to tell anyone. He also assumes that means Dauphine is Ondine. Kim confirms that; he asks how Max found out. Max mentions he saw Dauphin fighting the space whale while aboard startrain (he might even mention "from the second car"). The way Dauphin moved reminded him exactly of how Kim moved. Furthering is theory was the fact that Dauphin had to be on startrain because he likely didn't travel there with Ladybug or Cat Noir. That narrowed down possible civilians. He then asked around, and no one saw Kim as the train dove into Big Ben. "That placed the odds at 91% that Dauphin and Kim were the same person."
Kim doesn't fully follow Max's complex logic, but he is impressed. But he repeats that Max can't tell anyone. He has to keep his superhero persona a secret. Max again repeats he will (because he now knows what it's like to have a superhero persona). Max begins to ask Kim about Dauphin's powers and how they work, mentally comparing and contrasting the dolphin to the horse.
Kim readily blabs about much of it, including how he shares the anklet with Ondine and how their Echolocation ability works and how the surfboard just appears. Then Max trips himself up. He asks Kim what his kwami's name is. "Kwami? We don't have kwamis. I guess apparently Ladybug and Cat Noir do (as he just learned about Kwamis from Alpha in the prior chapter), but we…hey, wait a minute! How do you know about kwamis?" Max realizes he overspoke. Kim asks Max if he's Cat Noir, but Max sorta laughs at that. "Oh, right, Cat Noir was there when you got akumatized into Gamer. Wait…then, who are you?" Max insists he's no one, as the existence of Pegasus has not been made public, and literally the only two people who know of the hero Pegasus are Ladybug and Cat Noir.
Point being "people." Unfortunately for Max, Markov is also present. Not fully knowing secrets or social cues, it's Markov who answers Kim's question that Max was temporarily given the ability to become the hero Pegasus. Max face!controllers. Kim, however, gets pumped over this and begins asking questions in return. Max admits it was just a one-time thing. Ladybug and Cat Noir needed his help to save everyone on startrain. It was totally cool, but Max gave the horse miraculous back and does not expect them to ask for his help again. He also then lightly scolds Markov, telling him that he should never blab a superhero's secret identity to people who don't know. Markov adds this to his programming.
By now, it's time to get to school, so Mrs. Kante shuffles Max and Kim out the door. They talk about superhero stuff all the way to school. However, several times Max has to keep Kim from getting too loud and obvious. Kim tells Max that they need to meet with Ondine after school as she deserves to know that Max knows that she's Dauphine. Max agrees to this, but he doesn't want her to know he was one-time Pegasus. Kim doesn't think that's fair: he knows who she is, but she doesn't know who he is? Max points out that the odds are against him ever being Pegasus again. Plus, it's a secret identity, remember? Kim still thinks it's not quite right, but Max is better at logic, so he prevails.
They drop the subject as they get surrounded by other students inside the school and head to their lockers. There's still some time before class, so everyone is milling about yet again. The focus shifts to Gilles Chastain, a student in Class B. He's a nice guy with excellent chemistry grades; he is known to be a hard worker and does some volunteer work on the weekends. He's also noted to having a mysterious sweet aroma that seems to follow him around. Gilles often denies it, but several other students wonder about it. Meera Pugliese notes it as he passes by her locker, commenting on it in a very space-case way. Gilles insists it must be because he showers before he comes to school.
Once more, we also get snippets of the other characters and what they're doing (you can see who they are (( photos . app . goo . gl / cgLSrNi71rxfep9e8 ))(remove the spaces)). Lila Rossi is bragging to Tsuyu Asui, Genevieve Faucher, and Yvonne Garnier about alleged charity work she's doing (more lies). Tsuyu asks if this is a schedule conflict with the brunch Lila claimed to have with a prestigious fashion magazine editor. Which it does, as both are lies, but Lila lies some more to hide her lies. Tsuyu just sorta blinks at her. Pierre Lefevre is listening, enamored with Lila. Mylene Haprele and Ivan Bruel ask her about the Cristina Vee tickets she promised back in Startain. Lila claims she left them at home, but she'll totally bring them in tomorrow. Fumikage Tokoyami is debating manga with Nathaniel Kurtzberg and Marc Anciel. Mylene joins her father to help carry the items he needs for today's lessons to the classroom. Stella Tenebrae yawns, grumbling about mornings; Alix Kubdel laughs. Sabrina Raincomprix shows Chloe something on her phone, and Chloe Bourgeois seems maliciously intrigued by it. Giselle Winters-Blanchet tells Meera and Raissa that she joined the ice rink and her first lessons are that afternoon. Cameran Tyler is checking American baseball updates on his phone.
Gilles Chastain ducks into Ms. Mendeleiev's class. He's running a chemistry experiment for extra credit, and it involves organic compounds and their effects on plants (in short, he's working on a super fertilizer)—he's checking to see how the plants are growing before he has to get to his homeroom with Mr. Haprele. Ms. Mendeleiev comments that his experiment is growing well, and she's impressed with his thoroughness to the scientific method. Gilles thanks her. She makes a passing comment about a sweet smell, but Gilles denies it and hustles to his homeroom.
Marinette Dupin-Cheng and Alya Cesaire take their seats in class only to notice Nino Lahiffe is sitting alone in front of them. Marinette starts to imagine worst case scenarios about Adrien being sick or in an accident before Alya tells her to chill. Adrien Agreste has a photo shoot that morning; he'll be in after lunch.
When classes end, Max and Kim meet up. Kim feels he owes his girlfriend to be upfront about the fact that Max put two and two together and figured out their identities. And Max wants to talk to Ondine about her experiences as Dauphine and see the anklet that's in her possession.
The pool is still being cleaned, so they all meet up for lemonade in the park. Kim and Max explain to Ondine that their identities have been ousted, which Ondine is a bit put off by. But she does recover fairly quickly as she knows Max is a decent guy and trusts Max to keep his promise not to tell anyone. They don't tell her that Max was temporarily Pegasus though. They start to fill her in on their morning conversation.
Meanwhile, Gilles returns to the science classroom to work on his extra credit experiment more before going home. He's elbow deep in his work when Chloe enters, talking loudly to Sabrina. It's clear she's trying to catch Gilles' attention, but he does his best to ignore them both.
Chloe then plants (pun intended) herself in front of him so he can't ignore her. She out-right asks "Are you ignoring me?" Which Gilles honestly answers with "yes." She then says she knows his secret—the one thing he doesn't want anyone else at the school to know.
Gilles denies there's any secret. Chloe takes Sabrina's phone from her hands and shows him the photo Sabrina took. It's of Gilles working in a flower shop. "What kind of guy likes working with flowers anyway?" Gilles grinds his teeth and says it's his family's shop. In fact, he's working on developing a new, organic chemical fertilizer to help their plants grow. Chloe laughs aloud and berates him about his "unmanly hobby" and how his family actually expects him to work. She'd disown her parents if they expected her to get a job! Chloe continues mocking—it's clear she's just taking stress out on him. In fact, when she's done, she flounces away. She even says "I feel better now" and orders Sabrina to follow her. This cuts Sabrina off, who was just about to compliment Gilles on his blossoms.
Gilles clutches his vial of formula tightly. It's true. He didn't want anyone to know he works for a flower shop or that he enjoys it. He even tries to shower every morning to wash the floral scents out of his hair, but it's apparently not enough. And now Chloe knows—she's going to tell everyone else and bend it to sound the worst it possibly can.
An akuma lands on his vial, and Hawk Moth turns him into Black Thorn, an akumatized victim who has control over plants and can make all kinds of things grow rapidly. The first thing Black Thorn does is swamp the school in vines, turning it into a veritable jungle. He then leaves his akumatized item inside a tangle of roots in the heart of a trunk so thick it seems as if no one could get at it.
The remaining students and teachers flee and start submitting Akuma Alerts. At the same time, Black Thorn leaves the school, walking into the streets of Paris, spreading roots and branches, trees and vines and flowers, wherever he goes. Ladybug and Cat Noir catch up pretty quickly as he's moving slowly to use his powers.
The scene pans across the B Team, who also get the notification on their phones. The start texting rapidly, again using burner emails so they don't know who each other is. Kim notes that he's not far away as the fight is approaching the park where he and Ondine and Max are meeting. Max wonders who Kim is texting, and Kim says "the other heroes." Max is surprised. "You know each other?" Ondine shoots Kim a look for running his mouth again. She then chooses her words carefully and explains to Max that while they talk to each other, they have no idea who the other heroes are.
In that time, Tsuyu/Froppy and Fumikage/Tsuyuyomi also reply, saying that they're not far around from the akuma either. Nathaniel/Firefly chimes in, saying he's too far out, but if they need him, he'll catch the subway. Tsuyu then asks if they're really going to do this—they're going to stop hiding in the shadows in fear and go back to being heroes again. Luka/Alpha says yes. But they have to remember the three conditions. They only enter the fray if it's an absolute emergency. They only enter the fray if it's a situation Ladybug and Cat Noir cannot handle on their own. And they only enter the fray if they have one ally, not transformed, who can help them or at least call for help if something goes wrong. He then has to reluctantly admit he has no one for the third condition, so he can't help them now (it might be different if it were an absolute emergency and no one else was around, but it's clear other members of the B Team can make it, so he willingly sidelines himself.)
Fumikage and Tsuyu reply, saying one of them will transform and one will spot. Kim looks up and Ondine and Max and relays the conversation. By now, Ondine is tracking the situation with the Akuma Alert app, and Max has the newscast pulled up on his phone.
They talk very briefly before Ondine says that this time, Kim should be the one to go. His strength would be needed over her speed. Ondine hands him the anklet. Then, at the same time, both she and Max offer to be his backup. Kim shrugs and says why not both. He takes the anklet and transforms. Max notes that it does look a lot like a hero transformation, similar to Pegasus, than an akumatization. However, he keeps his observation to himself. Dauphin tells them to follow but keep a safe distance as he hurries to the fight.
The texting conversation ends for the B Team with Luka looking down at his phone in frustration at his own self-imposed rule. He does need an ally though; he doesn't think it's wrong to be cautious. Even if he did jump in against Desperada, but that was an absolute emergency. He wonders who he should tell. Marinette? He loves her, and he knows she likes him, but they're not dating yet. And Marinette clearly has feelings for Adrien as well. Juleka, his sister? Juleka can be a bit shy and unconfident. Does he burden her with this? Should he just tell Ladybug outright? After all, she trusted him to become Viperion. However, she might try to take away the wolf miraculous. He could handle that, but she would want to know about the B Team too, and he has to look after his pack.
The fight with Ladybug and Cat Noir and Black Thorn continues. Black Thorn can cause plants to grow at an alarming rate, which whip Ladybug and Cat Noir around. They can't get close. Their long range attacks are also deflected, and things like exploding dandelion seeds become traps and hazards if they aren't watching where they're going. Cat Noir suggests Cataclysm'ing the whole thing, but Ladybug points out that even if Cat Noir can kill off one plant, there's hundreds more surrounding Black Thorn. She instead uses her Lucky Charm and tells him to wait for his moment. (Whatever item she's able to conjure.)
Ladybug looks for an opening to use her item while both she and Cat Noir try to get close enough to Black Thorn to destroy the item—and they still don't even know what item was akumatized. But he's a very fierce fighter, and his plants are very versatile. They're struggling.
That's when Tsukuyomi and Dauphin enter the fight. (Everyone but Dauphin calls Tsukuyomi "Crow-man" still.) In the not-so-distance, Tsuyu and Max and Ondine are watching, saying out of the brawl but keeping close enough that maybe they can help. Ladybug and Cat Noir are relieved to have the help even though Ladybug does make a comment or two about them needing to be careful about Hawk Moth and how they should trust her and Cat Noir to handle things. Dauphin says, quite loudly, that it's okay. They have a plan now so they can help people in need too, without worrying about causing problems. Ladybug pries for more information, but Tsukuyomi tells Dauphin to keep his mouth shut and not reveal any more.
Hawk Moth notices this, through Black Thorn's ears. It confirms what he suspected before as he could sense the miraculous without kwamis gathering regularly. The B Team is in communication with each other.
The fight continues, four on one, and even that is a struggle just because of Black Thorn's skill set. It's a very intense fight. Tsukuyomi uses his feather darts and we see his special ability: Abyssal Black Body, which covers himself in living shadow as both armor and a weapon—and even flight. Dauphin uses his surfboard as a shield and Echolocation to navigate his way through the plants. Max and Ondine watch from the distance as the heroes steal and break several items on Black Thorn's person without releasing the akuma. Max deduces, by process of elimination and how Black Thorn is acting, that he doesn't keep his item with him. They visually trace the roots and vines with their eyes. Max says that it's most likely that the akumatized item is in the school.
He and Ondine talk about sneaking into the school and finding the item and breaking it to help everyone. However, Ondine points out that one of them has to stay and keep an eye on Dauphin. They quickly debate their options and decide that Max with Markov's scanning abilities has the best chance of finding the item, so Ondine can keep an eye on Dauphin while Max looks for it.
Opposite of the fight, unseen by them, Tsuyu Asui is tensely watching over Tsukuyomi. (Another friendly reminder that both of them are borrowed from My Hero Academia.)
Max Kante and Markov struggle through the jungle that is the school while the intense fight continues. The scene switches back and forth between the two parties until it hits the climax where Max finds the heart of the trees in the science classroom and Ladybug comes up with a purpose for her Lucky Charm. First, Markov tries to cut through the roots, but he isn't strong enough. Then Max comes up with a concoction to burn through the roots (possibly by overdoing the fertilizer, something Gilles was trying to avoid earlier in the chapter).
Ladybug, with the help of the other heroes, manage to pin Black Thorn down and stop him from sending off any more vines. Max destroys the akuma, reverting Black Thorn back into Gilles Chastain. Ladybug's crew is surprised. Max shouts to Ladybug to purify the akuma, which is still in his direction while Ondine and Tsuyu lay low so as not to be seen spotting.
Ladybug purifies the akuma and does her world-healing wave. All four "Pound It." Then Ladybug and Cat Noir open a conversation with Tsukuyomi and Dauphin. Cat Noir emphasizes that they're grateful for the help; Ladybug emphasizes the danger of either being controlled by Hawk Moth or of Hawk Moth stealing their powers—most likely the former. Tsukuyomi, who still doesn't trust either of them, cuts in with some sarcasm about "we know where this is going; you just want us to give our (miraculous) items to you." Ladybug is a bit surprised by his curtness, but she admits that this is the case because it's probably that Hawk Moth himself is the source of their powers. Dauphin, rather laid back, tells her not to worry because they've got it covered. Just accept the additional help.
Ladybug doesn't like this, and even Cat Noir is torn. Tsukuyomi points out that if he were to ask Ladybug for her earrings, would she give them to him? She instantly answers "no," and he says that they feel the same way. Speaking of earrings, hers are getting low on the counter. Cat Noir tells them to be careful (it seems as if characters are saying that a lot to each other), and Dauphin tells them that they respect what Ladybug and Cat Noir do (Tsukuyomi huffs) and realize that Ladybug is the only one who can purify akumas and undo damage. Trust them; they know what they're doing. They want to help, and they won't be Hawk Moth's pawns.
This conversation needs to make it clear that what Master Fu and Cat Noir and Ladybug planned at the end of Chapter 14 won't happen; that the B Team will not be talked into giving up their miraculous. It also needs to be clear that internally, Ladybug and Cat Noir have consciences too strong to try to steal the miraculous without kwamis. In addition, they won't be able to convince the rest of the B Team to retire like Chloe Bourgeois and Giselle Winters-Blanchet. That means Ladybug and Cat Noir, in this scene, need to adapt to realizing the B Team is going to be sticking around.
Cat Noir, as half a joke, suggests a "why don't we call you when we need you?" Dauphin takes him seriously and asks "really? You will?" Ladybug glares at Cat Noir, but both have to "bug out" before they can pursue that line of thought. As they leave, Tsukuyomi comments to Dauphin that Ladybug and Cat Noir would never call them for help. The two split and secretly return to their spotters, where they de-transform. Kim gives the anklet back to Ondine and thanks Max for finding the akumatized item. Tsuyu can see Fumikage is tense, so she suggests they grab something to eat. (If I do want to ship these two, it would be the perfect time for them to go to Andre's for ice cream.)
It's a bit later, and Ladybug and Cat Noir meet up at Master Fu's to tell him of the situation and that the B Team cannot be convinced to give up their miraculous. Master Fu isn't happy with that nor does he like the idea of the B Team acting as heroes of their own accord without accountability or even certainty of their powers' origins. Cat Noir does point out that it's helpful to have them around. Master Fu says that the risk is real though; Hawk Moth does have a tie to their magical items. Ladybug asks what they should do though. She and Cat Noir have already agreed they can't steal. The only identity they know is Fumikage, and it's clear he's the one who trusts them the least. Meeting with them won't change their minds. They could follow Fumikage to maybe find out the identities of the others, but that doesn't seem fully honest as she and Cat Noir both respect secret identities. It would be hypocritical. Ladybug states that they need the B Team's trust.
Cat Noir ponders aloud—what if we take them up on the offer? Become allies with them, and then call them if we need back-up? Ladybug points out that they already have Rena Rouge, Carapace, Kamaitachi, and now Pegasus and Viperion if they need help. Master Fu states "unless you're thinking about making an alliance and then never calling them?" Cat Noir shakes his head as he doubts that would work for very long, and it also seems like a dishonest approach. "But if we at least can keep an eye on when they jump in, we can keep an eye out for Hawk Moth using them too?" None of them are really happy as there is no easy solution. Master Fu is especially unhappy as his studies of the bee comb and snow leopard bracelet are turning up nothing. However, he does see wisdom in their suggestions; Ladybug's right about needing trust and Cat Noir's right that communication can lead to trust. So he does suggest Ladybug and Cat Noir open a line of communication so long as it doesn't compromise their secret identities, like Cat Noir half-proposed. Maybe through this they will learn something that can remedy the situation and lead to Hawk Moth's ultimate defeat.
To be continued in Chapter 25: Onyx Leopard…