Chapter 29: Alchemist
It's after a conflict, perhaps even after Mama Piper. Nadja Chamack is getting a few interview questions in with Ladybug and Cat Noir before they have to leave. Since it's at the usual school, Ms. Mendeleiev pushes through with some questions of her own. "How do their powers work? Is Cataclysm a perpetual motion machine? Do their outfits involve a titanium alloy? How can Ladybug conjure a Lucky Charm when matter cannot be created from nothing or destroyed, only changed forms?" Ladybug and Cat Noir shift eyes at each other and "Bug out."
Ms. Mendeleiev heads back to her classroom, a combination of frustrated and dejected, curious and focused, inspired and walled. Gilles Chastain, who is working on his organic chemical fertilizers, asks her what happened. Ms. Mendeleiev says she's working on an academic paper to explain scientifically how Ladybug and Cat Noir (and everyone else's) powers work. She is very intrigued by the concept, but she can't pin Ladybug or Cat Noir down for a proper interview. Gilles suggests it's magic, but Ms. Mendeleiev counters with "Any sufficiently advanced technology/science is indistinguishable from magic." As it's her theory that Ladybug and Cat Noir are using some very advanced science/technology to gain their powers. Hawk Moth too. "Not that they understand the powers that are right there in their hands." She also grumbles about them being the types who didn't do their homework as they clearly didn't know about Newtonian laws and whatnot.
Cut to Marinette Dupin-Cheng freaking out that she forgot to do her homework. By now, it has to be fairly late in the evening since Gilles does his experiments after school. Tikki tells her to calm down and get to work. Marinette is trying, but it's a big assignment she hasn't even started because she was busy watching Adrien commercials, helping her parents in the bakery, and being Ladybug. Tikki basically says "one of those isn't like the others."
Of all irony, Adrien Agreste is in his bedroom facing the same problem as he tries to finish his homework. Plagg argues "You're going to fail anyway, so might as well stop doing that and spending time doing the things you love." Adrien counters that as Cat Noir, he can't afford to get grounded for bad grades.
The next day at school, Nathaniel, Marc, Tsuyu Asui, and Fumikage are debating manga: Nizuma versus Ashirogi's newest volumes. Fumikage Tokoyami pulls Viktor Vasiliev into the conversation. Stella Tenebrae and Alix Kubdel are talking as Alix takes off her skates as usual. Monique Imhof and Mathieu Anciel are flirting. Kagami Tsurugi intercepts Adrien to talk about fencing, which frustrates Marinette.
Yvonne Garnier and Genevieve Faucher approach Marc and ask him to be a guest writer for their school newspaper. Marc is surprised and hesitant, but Tsuyu and Nathaniel encourage him to accept their offer, so he does. Yvonne explains the school newspaper is only them and Etienne Fontaine as the photographer, so they need all the help they can get. Genevieve says they would like an article on the fencing club, with photos, if Marc can manage it by Friday. Marc agrees. (All background character images can be found (( photos . app . goo . gl / cgLSrNi71rxfep9e8 ))(remove the spaces).)
So all of them approach Adrien and Kagami, who are still talking. Both agree to be interviewed for the school newspaper. Yvonne flags Etienne down, telling him that they'll need photos; she arranges for him to photograph the fencing club after school. "And no selfies" she says as he's already taking pictures of himself during the conversation.
Marinette's jealousy sparks at the thought of Adrien and Kagami being in a photo shoot together, so she volunteers to help. Alya Cesaire rolls her eyes, but she also offers her services. They can help with lighting and stuff. Yvonne is thrilled to have more people on hand as the school newspaper is always struggling with staff, so they all agree. Kagami eyes Marinette—she can see what's happening here.
Meanwhile, Ms. Mendeleiev is preparing her academic presentation to a board of other scientific scholars; perhaps she's also trying to get a grant or something, to further be able to research superpowers. She does a pretty impressive presentation (perhaps over a conference call?) to demonstrate that Ladybug and Cat Noir as well as Hawk Moth do, indeed, have super human abilities.
However, after her presentation, the board just laughs. "What you're asking for is a grant to study magic. No one is going to accept that." Ms. Mendeleiev insists that isn't the case; she repeats that her theory is that the heroes are using advanced technology that the whole world can benefit from. The head of the board tells her to forget it; Hawk Moth is a terrorist, and they do not want to get involved with him. Her request for funding is denied. One board member even remarks "what next? Are you going to try to turn lead into gold too?"
Hawk Moth picks up on her humiliation, frustration, and despair. He sends his akuma. "If they want to mock you and your science, then I'll give you the power to really turn lead into gold." He akumatizes her into the Alchemist, whose abilities are to turn any substance into any one element from the periodic table. Alchemist leaps into action, immediately hunting down and targeting the board that rejected her.
It's after school, and the fencing club is practicing. Marc Anciel is watching, taking notes. Alya and Marinette are helping Etienne Fontaine get pictures as well as keep him from getting distracted by his own reflection. However, Marinette is equally distracted by Adrien practicing. As practice winds down/heads into a break, Marc asks Adrien and Kagami about the club and the techniques they used and other things. Alya and Marinette set up the lighting and those big, round reflective hoops so Etienne can get some photographs.
That's when the Akuma Alert evacuation plays over the school PA. Everyone checks their phones. Some are viewing their Akuma Alert app; others pull up the news to watch the broadcast. Alchemist has forced herself inside the Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University(?), where most of the board she met with digitally work. As the broadcast airs, Alchemist turns the locked doors into oxygen so they float away. She also turns Roger Raincomprix's car into gold so that it's too heavy to operate (that makes some looters very happy).
Kagami points out that the university isn't all that close, so they can continue to practice instead of having to evacuate. Adrien and Marinette, however, insist on evacuating (mainly so they can run off and transform). Alya says they should evacuate because she wants to go film what's going on for her Ladyblog, and Marc agrees because he secretly wants to find Nathaniel in case Nathaniel needs to transform. Kagami sighs at their "lack of discipline and spirit" but agrees to call practice. Marinette and Adrien run off to transform.
Ladybug and Cat Noir meet up just outside of the university. Cat Noir asks "who is it this time?" but Ladybug doesn't know. She points out that this akuma victim can transmutate objects, so they'd better watch out for their own weapons (as she won't be able to purify the akuma if her yo-yo gets turns to mercury). Then she heads in, Cat Noir following.
When they find Alchemist, she's just finished turning the final member of the board into lead. Ladybug and Cat Noir confront her. Any blast Alchemist misses turns what it hits into air or metal. In some cases, Alchemist proves her scientific knowledge by turning two items that will react when together. One such explosion forces Ladybug and Cat Noir back. They realize they have to get her away from people and preferably away from objects she can transmute.
So they lure her to the park—the same park with the new love-lock fence. However, even with no doors and desks around, Alchemist begins to transmutate the air around them. That means they can't even get close to her as she has a great offense and defense. Cat Noir laments again that his Cataclysm can only break one thing she conjures. So Ladybug does her Lucky Charm, which points her to Master Fu. Ladybug hands the item to Cat Noir—"you know who we need. I'll distract her." Cat Noir is not happy about leaving Ladybug to fight an akuma victim alone, but he respects what needs to be done. He runs as fast as he can and accepts the preying mantis miraculous. He finds Kagami leaving their school and gives it to her. Kagami greets Tiia as a friend and transforms into Kamaitachi. Both race back to help Ladybug. (Remember, the bee comb has been changed in this fic to a miraculous without a kwami while the preying mantis ring has taken its place with Tiia as its kwami.)
Ladybug is getting progressively boxed in by all the substances Alchemist has transmutated. However, that's giving her an idea on how to beat the akuma. And just in time, Cat Noir and Kamaitachi show up.
At first it's a stalemate, but at least Kamaitachi is fast enough to get close to Alchemist with her twin sickles before she can transmute anything, putting pressure on the akumatized victim. Ladybug navigates through the chaos, ducking the elemental explosions that happen. With Cat Noir's help, she begins to turn Alchemist's tricks on her. Causing things to explode too early before Alchemist can get away by throwing the proper element at the newly transmuted item. Boxing in Alchemist with metal so she can't move without dissolving her transmutation; at one point in time creating a tunnel through the mess using Cat Noir's Cataclysm. This allows Kamaitachi to move in for the final strike with her Speed Strike ability and destroy the akumatized object. Ladybug purifies the akuma and does her world-healing wave. There's a lot of damage that is undone this time around. "Pound it!"
Cat Noir is impressed. How did Ladybug know to pull off all those chemical combinations? "I did my homework," she replies with a smile. Cat Noir makes sure Ms. Mendeleiev is okay and offers to take her back to the school since he still has time on his counter. Ladybug agrees and heads off. Kamaitachi follows Cat Noir. Ms. Mendeleiev comments about their abilities and powers. She knows there's something worth studying there. Cat Noir can't rely deny it, but he does point out that they're dealing with Hawk Moth—so what's most important is protecting Paris. Ms. Mendeleiev reluctantly agrees and says she's probably ahead of her time. She then changes her tune to "any sufficiently analyzed magic is no different than science." Cat Noir and Kamaitachi just shake their heads.
Once Ms. Mendeleiev is in her classroom, Kamaitachi returns the miraculous to Cat Noir, who makes sure it gets returned to Master Fu.
A few days later, Marc's article complete with Etienne's pictures are in the paper. Marinette folds it so only Adrien is visible and hangs it in her locker. Kagami is reading the article when she notices what Marinette did. (Alya is there, teasing Marinette about it.) Kagami tells Marinette that she might have made some misjudgments, but she hasn't misjudged the fact that Marinette needs to speak up about what she's feeling. Kagami is giving her a chance, but she won't wait forever. If Marinette won't talk to Adrien, Kagami herself with strike. Marinette freezes up. Alya counters that Adrien also has a choice in this matter. Kagami and Marinette lock eyes. The gauntlet has been thrown.
To be continued in Chapter 30: Party Crasher…