Chapter 5: Tempest
Several days later, Fumikage Tokoyami enters the school building. Since it's before class, most students are playing in the courtyard. Tristan Fortier is working up the nerve to talk to Rachel Beauchene, who is hanging out with her best friend, Meg Delphinus (all expanded upon from background characters. If you want to see who is who, (( photos . app . goo . gl / cgLSrNi71rxfep9e8 )) (remove the spaces)). Yvonne and Genevieve of the school newspaper are swapping accessories and discussing the topic of the next article. Max, Alix, and Kim are playing a 4-player tablet game. Down one person, they invite Fumikage to join. He is surprised that they aren't put off by his expression, but he does join them and has fun. Max has also brought Markov, making this his robot's first introduction in the fic. They talk a bit about that "Crow-man" akuma, and Fumikage grumbles that the name isn't "Crow-man." However, he does keep his own identity a secret, and it does become a running gag throughout the story that Fumikage's alias is Crow-man instead of Tsukuyomi.
Tsuyu Asui notices Giselle Winters-Blanchet by herself and offers to talk with her. However, Giselle declines. She's still worried about her potential powers. One thought echoes: was I akumatized? Am I still akumatized? She's worrying about the trouble she might cause other people. Tsuyu notices something is bothering Giselle, but everyone else shrugs it off. Tsuyu is fairly observant and a bit blunt about it; she does say she notices something changed about Giselle, but she doesn't suspect akumatization.
Giselle decides the best way to get answers is to do research. She's done what she can with the Ladyblog for now, so she starts to ask around. At lunch, she again talks to Marc Anciel and Nathaniel Kurtzberg. She gets them to talk about the inspiration to their comic, which they reveal to be their real experiences being akumatized themselves. That leads the conversation to their theory—people only remember being akumatized if they enjoy it. Marc admits the entire time is just a huge blank in his memories. Nathaniel says he only remembers fragments of being with Marinette, then it's all black. He blushes a bit. Giselle thinks for herself that since she remembers everything, she couldn't have been akumatized because she doesn't want to be a villain. Right? Unless the amnesia only hits after you're de-evilized. As they part ways, Giselle compliments Tsuyu on her new swim goggles. Tsuyu thanks her and says she bought them because she's going to be joining the community swim club (the same one Kim and Ondine are a part of) that afternoon. It's also implied Tsuyu already knows Ondine, who is the one who invited her to join the team.
Alya Cesaire is encouraging Marinette to yet again speak to Adrien Agreste. She even has Nino Lahiffe delaying Adrien so Marinette has a chance. However, that plan gets waylaid when they find Chloe Bourgeois and Sabrina Raincomprix mocking Aurore Beaureal. Aurore's grades have been dropping since she started working as a junior newscaster. Chloe mocks this as well as Aurore's lack of popularity when compared to Mireille Caquet as well as Aurore's time as Stormy Weather. Marinette intervenes and chases Chloe off. She also offers to help Aurore with tutoring. Aurore thanks her and walks off, still upset.
This opens her right up for akumatization. Hawk Moth upgrades her powers, turning her into Tempest. The first thing Tempest does is create a tornado and sic it on the school after Chloe. Adrien and Marinette transform into Cat Noir and Ladybug to deal with it while the teachers try to get all the students to safety and the students try to find their friends. Principal Damocles activates the Akuma Alert.
Tsuyu happens to be one of the students who fails to find safety. She gets caught up in the winds and thrown towards the roof. She's soaked in the downpour and has a flash of deep fear for her life. This activates her miraculous, her swim goggles, and turns her into a frog-themed heroine as the element she needed was water and the negative emotion was fear.
Her outfit is from My Hero Academia. It consists of a green and black wet suit, white gloves with frog fingers, and a white swim cap. Her face is concealed behind her goggles (two round lens style goggles, as contrasted with the future Dauphin/Dauphine's single plate style goggles). She also has large green flippers that act as thigh high boots and a white utility belt. Her weapon is a fish line with a hook, which is usually kept curled up in a pouch on her belt. She can also use it for travel. She's able to keep from getting blown away by catching the flag pole with her tongue.
Ladybug and Cat Noir are able to drive Tempest away from the school. Unfortunately, that leads her into Paris proper. She stops with the tornado and starts with a blizzard, leaving Nadja Chamack (the news caster) with one interesting weather forecast.
Tsuyu watches the fight leave the school, also bewildered by her new powers. She considers her options: to help the students or to help against the akuma. Seeing as the school is okay, Tsuyu takes off after the fight just in case there's a chance she can help. She catches up fairly quickly by power-jumping from roof to roof.
The fight continues with Ladybug and Cat Noir against Tempest. Ladybug gets her Lucky Charm (whatever that may be). The fight makes its way over to the Eiffel Tower, which has been evacuated thanks to the Akuma Alert app. Things are very close in the fight between the three. However, Tempest manages to act before Ladybug can use her Lucky Charm. She's able to pin them both to the metal of the Eiffel Tower with freezing ice so they can't move. Then she summons a massive lightning bolt with her umbrella.
Tsuyu catches her from behind and uses her tongue (while hanging off the side of a wall) to steal the umbrella from Tempest. Cat Noir, Ladybug, and Tempest are shocked by the appearance of a new heroine. Maybe Cat Noir even blurts out "another one?!"
Tempest says she still has powers even without the umbrella and causes a downpour. Tsuyu points out she's a frog; she doesn't mind the rain. She hops over to the Eiffel Tower/hops lower on the Eiffel Tower to get to the heroes.
Tempest moves to stop her. In the distraction, Ladybug is able to break both herself and Cat Noir free. Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm conjured item to hold Tempest back while Tsuyu throws the umbrella to Cat Noir who Cataclysm's it. This undoes Tempest's akumatization, and Ladybug's world-healing wave fixes Paris. "Pound It!"
Ladybug and Cat Noir try to have a conversation with Tsuyu, who introduces herself as Froppy. Ladybug (on behalf of Master Fu and herself) badly wants to know where these new superheroes are coming from and how they got their powers. Tsuyu admits she's a bit confused about it herself. The word "kwami" gets introduced into the conversation, and Tsuyu says she has no idea what that is. This thoroughly confuses Ladybug and Cat Noir. After all, how can heroes have powers without kwamis? Unfortunately, their transformations are timing out, so both have to leave before they get answers.
Later that evening, Marinette speaks to Master Fu. He admits he is very worried about this. They need to proceed with caution and find answers. He says it would be ideal if they could get a hold of these new miraculous, if they're even miraculous, to study. He hints about other orders of the miraculous and guardians but doesn't think it's them. However, he encourages Marinette to be extremely careful as he's sure Hawk Moth will be trying to work his advantage too. Marinette wonders about the secret identities of the new heroes, and Master Fu says she should try to learn them so amateurs don't get hurt. But Marinette points out that it does seem a bit hypocritical as she keeps her identity a secret (even though she did inadvertently learn Crow-man's.)
Meanwhile, the new heroes are at their homes, boggling over what's going on. Nathaniel is doing research by reading superhero comics. He wonders if he needs an "Alfred." He also wonders if he should talk to Fumikage, the only other hero whose identity he knows. But is he really a hero? Or did he go berserk because he's an akuma? Luka Couffaine is struggling to play music, but he keeps tugging at his ear cuff. However, nothing he tries can seem to get it to activate. Giselle is reading through the Ladyblog again, trying to find patterns among the akuma victims and wondering if she's one. Tsuyu hops over to Fumikage Tokoyami's, still transformed, as she has no idea how to transform back. She knocks on his window, and he's surprised to see a heroine just outside. He lets her in, not recognizing her. Tsuyu introduces herself as Froppy and then tells him directly she's Tsuyu. She asks him if he knows how he de-transformed, and he has no idea. He asks her why she's telling him her secret identity. She says that it's only fair that he know since she knows his. Her transformation wears off then, and they both laugh awkwardly. Both are equally clueless as to what's going, but decided to share any answers they find.
To be continued in Chapter 6: Weredad…