Marinus held his breath as long as he could, watching as the bubbles of escaping air danced to the surface. A few seconds later he pushed himself to the surface, taking a deep breath as he then rested his arms on the edge of the pool standing in the 4ft end of the pool. He sighed heavily, still catching his breath as he looked up at Kim and Ondine.
"What's this for again?" He asked, taking off his swim cap and goggles, trying to ignore Kim's laughs at now matted up hair.
"Controlling your breathing is one of the basics," Ondine said helpfully. "One you get the hand of that, maybe we can teach you how to swim without the floaties." He chuckled as Marin laughed along sarcastically.
"Ha ha, very funny. It's not my fault I sink, I'm made for sewing, not being a fish." He said lifting himself out of the pool to dry off, wearing black jammer trunks with pastel pink stripes in the side.
Ondine hummed to herself for a moment, "Are you pure muscle or something?"
"I dunno." He said sitting down next to her as he dried his hair with a towel.
"Hey, you wanna walk over to the movie together?" Kim asked holding up his phone to check the time.
"I can't I have chores," Marin remarked as he left the towel on his head. "Maybe I'll have some free time later on."
"Whaaat?" Kim remarked. "You say you're working all the time, you need to have some fun once in a while dude." Suddenly his eyes widened. "Hey, wanna see how fast you'll sink?" he asked seriously as Marin looked at him with a deadpanned expression.
"Yes Kim, I'd like to see how fast I'd sink." Marin said sarcastically but felt a sinking feeling as Kim's eyes lit up. "Kim. Kim no. Kim. KIM-" Marin called out, trying to escape. But unluckily, his friend wrapped his arms around his waist, easily picking him up.
"BONZAI!" Kim yelled out as Marin cried out in a panic as both of them ended up in the pool while laughter echoed through the pool hall.
Marin sighed heavily after he drank the hot tea within Master Fu's shop. He wore his cat hoodie and still smelled like chlorine, only hoping that he wouldn't fall sick after his make-shift swimming lesson. "Master what did you want to talk about today?" He asked as Tikki and Wayzz chased each other playfully around the shop.
Master Fu nodded towards him, gesturing him to follow. Marin placed the cup back on the table as he placed his hood over his head while Wayzz and Tikki followed. "Hold on." Master Fu said holding out his hand before the Kwami's. "You both stay here." He said sternly.
"Oh, Master, please!" They both pleaded, giving the master puppy dog eyes. But Master Fu was immune to their cuteness.
"Kwamis must never know the recipe that can modify their powers. Ever! Imagine what would happen if one of you were captured by a villain just like Nooroo."
Both Kwami's gasped fearfully, flying under the mattress as Marin's heart melted at their adorableness. As he walked into a strange part of the shop, filled with various jars filled with strange-looking ingredients.
"Uh, what are you cooking exactly?" Marin asked as Master Fu handed him a cup of hot tea.
"When fed with a specific blend of ingredients, the kwamis can grant special power. Each power's specific mix is listed here, encoded in the Grimoire. I've deciphered most of the ingredients; for example, to trigger aquatic powers you need a branch from the dragon king's garden — that's seaweed; then, a secret kept in a shell — that's an oyster pearl. But the last one still puzzles me: a tear of joy. I can't figure it out, and it's required for almost every blend. Oh! Maybe it could be some dancing ant honeydew." He thought out loud as he picked up a nearby bottle, placing one drop from the bottle into the brew, producing a small blast. Marin flinched back in surprise as Master Fu smile. "think I may have finally got the right mix." He said eagerly pouring some of the brew into a small vile.
As they walked back into the main room, Tikki and Wayzz flew to Marinus, hiding in his pockets for security.
"Wayzz." Master Fu called out as the turtle Kwami flew before his partner. He looked curiously at the vial as he drank a little bit from it, savoring the taste. "Does this taste familiar?"
Wayzz hummed for a moment, "Mmmm, there's a slight flavor to it. Yes, I remember it being a lot like this." He said with a smile as Master Fu smiled holding up his Miraculous. "Wayzz, power up!"
Wayzz stiffened for a moment, but then fell as he didn't change, shrugging his little Kwami shoulders. "A little more salt, maybe?" He suggested as Master Fu sighed.
"Well, back to the drawing board." The Master muttered, handing his head.
Marin stepped towards Wayzz, nuzzling his cheek as he smiled at his touch, effectively improving his mood. But all of them turned towards the Master as when he opened the door, water flooded in, knocking him back. Marin was stunned for a moment before he helped Master Fu to his feet, starting to feel fear as he saw the water slowly rise.
Adrien narrowed his eyes as he watched a new report on the previous day's Akuma attack. He felt guilty as he was unable to help his partner, but at the same time, felt somewhat pointless as Ladybug hadn't needed his help to defeat the villain once more.
However, he pushed those thoughts back as he noticed his shoes were wet, realizing that his room was slowly filling with water.
"Plagg? Plagg!" He called out looking for his Kwami. His panic grew as he looked all over his room slowly flooding, but sighed in relief as he found Plagg napping in his dirty laundry basket.
"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien exclaimed as Plagg suddenly woke up, trying to grab onto the basket, but was ultimately sucked into the ring.
Marin placed the last jar on the roof of the building, helping Master Fu in transporting his ingredients to safety. He then looked out towards the city now flooded, growing more anxious. "There's no way Chat Noir or I will be able to handle this...change in scenery." He remarked turning back towards Master Fu who held the grimoire in his hands.
"I know, and unfortunately I haven't found the correct blend that could help you both out." He sighed heavily. "I'm afraid I've failed you both."
"No way!" Marin immediately said, "We are gonna find that last ingredient!" Wayzz and Tikki nodded in agreement before Marin took the grimoire from the Master's hands, and they turned their back to him. He looked down at the tablet questioningly as Master Fu turned back to his brew.
" I've tried everything: water from the Laughing Fountain, melted snow from the Mountain of Jubilation, drops of pure chocolate extract."
"But have you tried a real tear of joy?" Marin asked as Master Fu looked at him questingly.
"Come on, tell me a really funny joke!" The tall boy insisted.
"Do you think this is really the time to have fun?" The master asked, clearly on edge due to the situation at hand.
"Okay, why did the pepper put on a sweater?"
Master Fu tilted his head in confusion. "I don't know."
"Because he was a little, Chili," Marin said with great expectation but felt a little undermined as Master Fu didn't laugh. "Okay, well. What goes up, but doesn't move? Stairs!"What does a snail say when it's riding on a turtle's back? Wooohooo!" Again, Fu didn't laugh, almost looking sorry as neither of the Kwami's laughed either, their faces laden with sympathy.
Then, Marin slapped his own forehead in defeat as he remembered, he wasn't funny. So instead, a smile came over his face as he gestured the two Kwami's come over. They rested in his palms as Marin turned his back to the Master who looked at them curiously.
"Okay NOW!" Marin shouted as the two Kwami flew towards that master, tickling him furiously as Master Fu couldn't hold back his laughter. He even fell to the ground as the Kwami's were merciless, even laughing along with him. Marin smiled victoriously, as he saw a tear falling from Master Fu's eyes, quickly wiping it off as he carefully transferred it into the brew. The potion suddenly burst into green fire as the tickling stopped and Master Fu immediately jumped to his feet.
"I think you have just found the magic ingredient, Marinus." He said cheerfully as he scooped some of the green potion into a spoon, gesturing Tikki to approach him. The red Kwami drank the portion, licking her lips
"Mmm! Yummy!" She said as the black dot on her head started to glow.
Marin smiled at his Kwami as he and Master Fu nodded in victoriously. "Tikki, power up!"
Tikki started to glow, her entire body is enveloped by light as she gained fins. "Aqua-Tikki!" She remarked as Marin walked up to his Kwami smiling brightly.
"Woah," He said in amazement as he gently touched his Tikki's cheek, noticing that she had gained scales instead of skin. "Ohhh I wanna take picture of you so much sugar cube." He said as he looked at her lovingly while Tikki giggled.
"Firsts thing first Marinus." Master Fu reminded as Marin nodded.
"Aqua-Tikki, spots on!" He said, transforming. His new form had scales as well, relacing the spots. Then turned to see he gained more fins on his arms and feet, his scarf had also transformed into a makeshift fin on his back, leading off into what appeared to be a koi tail-like design. His hair also had appeared to have changed, having light pink highlights at the tips and was more similar to his usual bedhead as his hair had grown out longer. For a moment he admired the new transform as he turned back to the master. Master Fu handed him a green vial that was radiating some light, containing the potion.
Chat Noir's share.
"Be careful Ladybug." Wayzz said as he hugged his friend's cheek for a moment.
"I will, don't worry." Ladybug said reassuringly as he placed the vial in his yo-yo, then jumped into the flooded city. For a few moments, he held his breath, beginning to sink as he saw air bubbles escape to the surface. But when he finally couldn't hold his breath anymore, he realized that he could breathe easily. And within his new form, he wasn't completely hopeless in the water, kicking his legs as Ondine and Kim had taught him. A smile touched his face as could actually swim through the water without fear of drowning, his vision clear as it was on land.
Chat Noir leapt between roofs with his staff, looking out over the city but he couldn't see any sign of his partner. "Where is that guy?" He murmured to himself as he shortened his staff, activating it's phone mode as the hero dialed Ladybug up once more. He tapped his foot impatiently, frustration growing as this was the tenth time, but then dropped the call as he spotted his friends and a few other people on top of the movie theatre. He paid it little mind until he spotted Kim jumping into the water, yelling something out happily until a dorsal fin started swimming towards him at great speed.
Chat Noir's ears twitched as he immediately raced towards his friend, using the momentum of his staff to hit the water just as Kim was snatched from under. Chat Noir's vision went hazy for a moment as the saltwater made his vision fuzzy. He could make out Kim's orange jacket as well as something else that was brightly colored, probably another Akumatized villain as he used his staff to breathe underwater. He swam towards the two trying to reach Kim but was kicked back by the new villain who knocked him to a nearby wall, making him lose grip on his staff and sight of his friend.
As he tried to look around for his staff his vision quickly fading, he panicked as he saw something draw closer to him. Something large and grey with many teeth, trying to swim away, more air escaped his breath, which made him panic. Until all of a sudden, he saw a flash of red, the giant fish swam away fearfully as Chat Noir suddenly could breathe as something was pressed to his mouth. He realized he was holding Ladybug's yo-yo in hand as his partner wrapped his arm around his waist, leading him to the surface.
Chat Noir coughed, as the yo-yo was removed, looking at his partner in surprise as his appearance was different from his normal form, more, scaley. "Ladybug?" He was speechless for a moment until he smiled cheekily. "Or should I call you my Merbug?" he asked chuckled before he started coughing, still having some water in his lungs as Ladybug helped him onto a nearby roof. "You didn't tell me we were going swimming today." He remarked as he handed Ladybug's yo-yo back.
"I wasn't planning on it; this Ladybug isn't exactly cut out for deep-sea diving." He remarked opening his yo-yo up.
"Could've fooled me, what's with this?" He asked gesturing to his partner's new form. "You're looking a little under the sea." He remarked chuckling to himself as Ladybug held out a vial of a glowing green liquid.
"Here." Ladybug said simply.
"Uh, what's this?" He asked looking at it curiously.
"Your Kwami needs to drink it." Ladybug explained as he turned his back towards him, sitting at the edge of the roof with his legs crossed.
Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders, "Alright but no peaking." He remarked, not receiving a response from his partner. "Plagg, claws in." He said, as he smiled at his annoyed Kwami who looked away from him, still angry about earlier.
"Plagg?" Adrien said sweetly as he folded his hands behind him, "I have something for you." He said, smirking in amusement as Plagg looked at him for a moment and groaned at the vial.
"Ughhh, I hate transforming." He grimaced, but then looked back at the vial in surprise then towards Ladybug. "I thought the master said neither of us was suppose to meet him." He said as Ladybug then froze for a moment, feeling both his partner and Plagg's gazes on his back, sighing heavily as the cat was out of the bag. So to speak.
"It's a long story." He said, hoping that they would take him at his word.
"Who is the master?" Adrien asked.
"The Master of the Miraculous, if he'd made the potion then it means that he has the-"
"Plagg." Ladybug said sternly, silencing him as Plagg obeyed.
"Has the what?" Adrien asked now growing frustrated.
"We don't have time to go over every detail, trust me on this." Ladybug asked with his back still turned.
Adrien's gaze lingered for a moment as he handed the vial over to Plagg who gagged before chugging it down. The black Kwami began to glow as his new form traded his paws and tail for fins. "Aqua-Plagg!"
Adrien gasped in amazement at his Kwami's new from, wishing that he could take a photo as smiled. "Aqua-Plagg, claws out!" Once Chat Noir transformed he noticed he had gained extra fins, though his transformation wasn't as colorful as Ladybugs.
"Well, this helps, but how do you suppose we track down our Syren in the flooded city?" He asked stretching his arms over his head.
Ladybug though for a moment, placing his hand over his mouth as he closed his eyes, seemingly trying to recall something. "Wasn't Kim taken?" Ladybug recalled as Chat Noir nodded his head. Ladybug's eyes widened with realization as Chat Noir spoke again, realizing the only person who could have taken Kim in this situation.
"Yeah, Syren grabbed him." Chat Noir remembered as Ladybug faced him.
"I know where they are." He said, jumping into the water closely followed by Chat Noir.
Ladybug and Chat Noir swam directly towards the public pool, surprising Chat Noir as they closed in. "It wouldn't be that obvious right?" Chat Noir asked as his ears suddenly twitched, hearing something inside as the two swam faster inside.
"Wait! Does this mean I never get to see Mecha Monkeys vs. Cyber Sharks 3?" They overheard Kim said as Syren held his face in her hands, but recoiled back as she looked flabbergasted.
"What?!" She snapped as she was suddenly knocked back by Chat Noir's staff as the two heroes placed themselves between Kim and the villain. "I think you'll be able to make the next showing." Ladybug remarked.
"Ooo, the three of us can go together. I'll even share my popcorn." He remarked with a smirked as Chat Noir swam towards Syren at great speed, keeping her distracted while Ladybug turned towards Kim.
"Your new outfits are so cool!" He said excitedly as Ladybug handed him his yo-yo.
"You can breathe through this." Ladybug directed as he took Kim's hand, helping him enter the water again as they swam out of the building.
Syren glanced at the two, growing angered as she swam towards them, "Kim!"
"Hey! We're not done yet!" Chat Noir called out in annoyance as he swam after her.
Ladybug picked on the fact that he couldn't outswim Syren, so instead, he jumped onto the room with Kim in his arms. He yelped in surprise as Ladybug placed him safely on the ground.
"Stay here, I'll save your friend," Ladybug promised about to jump back into the water.
"Uh Ladybug," Kim said guiltily as Ladybug stopped for a moment. " It's kind of my fault this happened. See, me and my friend Ondine were playing a game of secrets, and I think she was trying to tell me that I'm the boy she likes. But, I was a doofus and didn't realize.
"Game of secrets?" Ladybug questioned, "What kind?"
"It's a game Ondine invented." Kim explained, "You write down a secret and put it inside the bracelet's capsule. It's awesome! You wanna know my secret?" He asked but Ladybug shook his head.
"Some other time maybe." He said throwing up his yo-yo in the air. "Aqua Lucky Charm!" He said, and a pair of car keys fell in his hand, a smile drew on his face as he glanced back at all the cars partially submerged in the water.
Chat Noir kept his eyes trained on Syren, as they raced through the underwater city. He kept his eyes trained on her, even within his new Aqua form, Syren was much faster than him. But his attention was then stolen by Ladybug who floated in the middle of the street, seemingly waiting for them.
"Ladybug! What have you done to my prince?" Syren demanded as Ladybug simply winked at her, making her grow more enraged as she chased after him. "I won't let you steal him from me! Kim is mine!"
Meanwhile, Chat Noir, cut across the rooftops to catch up to his partner, spotting Kim hidden on the rooftops as he dived back into the water, now closer to his partner a few meters away. Ladybug spotted him, holding up a pair of car keys to which Chat Noir nodded to with realization, hanging back for a moment as Syren almost caught up. She held out her arm slowly closing the gap between herself and Ladybug as he suddenly swam through a car.
Chat Noir hit it with the full force of his bow staff, triggering the airbag as Syren was trapped. Both Chat Noir and Ladybug closed both doors, locking it as Ladybug then tied his yo-yo to the spoiler. He swam up to the surface with Chat Noir, the two of them landing on the roof as Chat Noir took the yo-yo from Ladybug's hand and tying it to his extended staff, holding it like a fishing rod.
"Oh, looks like I got a nibble!" He remarked playfully as he pulled the car out of the water and onto the roof.
Syren glared at the two as Ladybug opened the door releasing all the water as he broke her bracelet as an Akuma few out.
"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" He said and everything turned back to normal.
Ladybug and Chat Noir bumped their fists together victoriously as Ondine transformed back to normal. She looked around in confusion as Ladybug handed back her bracelet. She looked down the bracelet sadly, but then lifted his head as Ladybug helped her to her feet.
"I'm sorry Ladybug, Chat Noir, this is because of a silly crush of mine."
"Have you asked Kim directly how he feels?" Ladybug advised as Ondine looked up at him in surprise, just as his Miraculous beeped. "Chat, would you mind taking Ondine back to the pool?" He asked walking past him, but Chat Noir held his arm, glancing at him.
"I want to know more about today, about the person you got this potion from." Chat Noir remarked, but was surprised as Ladybug pulled his arm away.
"There's nothing to say." He said, in a monotone voice, bangs hiding his expression as he said. "Tikki, power down." He said as he turned back into his normal form, trying to ignore the hurt expression on Chat Noir's face.
Marin sneezed into his handkerchief as Master Fu held a rack with seven vials containing potions of different colors within his potions room.
"Each blend corresponds to a new power. You should keep these vials with you at all times, just in case." He advised as Marin looked over them apprehensively.
"Hm." Marin hummed to himself placing his handkerchief back in his pocket. "It's not very practical."
"Only the ingredients matter. They could be contained in anything." He said grabbing a piece of paper and handing it to Marin who looked over the ingredients with a smile, placing both the vials and the paper in his bag.
"Leave this to me Master, I'm not a baker's son for nothing." He remarked with a swell of pride as he walked towards the door. His hand was on the handle as Master Fu spoke up once more.
"Marinus," Master Fu said seriously. "You know Chat Noir will need these powers as well." He said knowingly as Marinu's smile fell for a moment recalling his previous coldness to his partner. However, a smile broke back out on his face once more, a little more sullen, but still retained it's reassurance.
"Like I said Master, leave it to me."
Notes:
-Concept Art for Aqua-Ladybug.- /c/miraculous/page/blog/miraculously-ladybug-chapter-update-sigh-ren/kR6L_G2iGup4gj21Gb1okv30oJkDjr5zBG
- Both Chat Noir and Ladybug are written more selfishly in their hero forms to an extent. But in very different ways.
- Marin still can't swim after this episode, but he's trying.