1357/A Thorny Promposal

A Thorny Promposal
Date of Scene:	27 March 2024
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	When a boy is utterly rejected for his promposal, Hawkmoth akumaizes him into the Rose monster, Thorn! A small group of heroes defeat the monster, free the boy and he and the girl make up. Happy endings for everyone?
Cast of Characters:	Bow, Hitomi Kobe, Gabriel Agreste, Sugata Shindo, Chrono Harlaown, Adrien Agreste, Yaling Yao
Tinyplot:	Princes and Princesses Prom

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Bow has posed:
Fuyuki has been near Ema since their first year of school. They lived in the same neighborhood, their fathers worked at the same company. For years, Fuyuki has been in the same classes with Ema, they rode home on the same train, they walked to the same block. In Fuyuki's mind, Ema was the girl he was going to be with for the rest of his life. He was already imagining a wedding, a family, his life with the pretty girl that he was absolutely infatuated with.

His first step to that was after school today. He had gotten some of his friends together and left class early for a 'sickness'. Now, as Ema is coming out of class and heading for the walk home, she's confornted with Fuyuki's feelings.

A large heart made of chalk drawings. Pictures of the pair of them - not really together, just in the same frame of the picture, from the time they were school mates in grade 1 until now. A three piece band of guitar, chello and violin playing music. And Fuyuki. In a full tuxedo, complete with red rose boutineer, holding a box of candy that has a big ribbon on it that reads:

'My Sweet, Will You Be My Prom Treat?'

Fuyuki held his breath. He had done everything he had seen in an American movie about proms. If this was how that American Luke Armbruster asked the cute Sayaka Miki to prom, surely it will work for him??*

Ema had grown up with Fuyuki. She always thought he was shy, a little quiet. And then strange. He rarely talked to her. He never made conversation. He just hung around her all the time. On the way home, after class. She was trying to be polite. But she was really getting tired and frustrated of his hanging around. But she tolerated it because his father was her father's manager and she didn't want to cause trouble.

But now, as she stepped out into the afternoon sun, she finds herself confronted with her worst nightmare. Her mouth opened, trying to work. Before finally managing?

"Why are you in a tux, Fuyuki-san? What's with the music, what are you... oh." She finally spies the box of candy, and the words on it. She froze in place. Her eyes wide. And then, blossoming in her cheeks of red. Not of embarassment - but in anger.

"NO!" she exclaims. "You never ever talk to me, you just hang around and you want me to go to... JUST NO!" she shouts, suddenly realizing how many people are around, anger turning embarassed and she just turns away, throwing her head up in the air. "Walk home by yourself, Fuyuki-san, I am not interested in you!"

Fuyuki stands in the courtyard, stunned, as the music stops. There's a few sympathetic noises. A few groans. And a few snickers. And Fuyuki starts to grow angry and embarassed as his imagined life crashes around his ears.

* This is absolutely not how Bow asked Sayaka to Prom.

Hitomi Kobe has posed:
    There's a Prom?

    Hitomi Kobe had been predictably up in a tree trying to get a better bead on the layout of the land (on suggestion from Panko, mind you, who is a flying squirrel and of course would be up in a tree to get a good lay out of the land... err... school. She makes a slight face as she sees someone showing up with a tux and a box of candy, and leans onto a bough so she can rest her head in her arms, her dark hair pulled back and dark eyes watching creepily from the spring leaves.

    "Seems kind of cute, doesn't it Hitomi-chan?" Panko squeaks as the ball of fluff wriggles out of Hitomi's blazer jacket.

    "Mmn." Hitomi replies, crossing her arms a moment, her fingers curling against her elbows. She was absolutely not green with jealousy there, but she does flick some loose bark off the tree in question.

    "Aa. It's like in a movie, but it's gonna fail. Look at the pictures, they're not together-together, ne?"

    And as Ema emerges from the school and shoots down the boy, the girl in the tree gives a soft 'hm'.

    "Ouch." she comments.

Gabriel Agreste has posed:
Hawk Moth was in his Butterfly pavilion, in his penthouse, listening to the woes of the world. Someone would make a good target today.

Oh. OH There's a tasty one right there. Prom rejection. Hawk Moth curls his fingers around one of his butterflies carefully and imbues with dark energy, the butterfly flapping off into the city, into the school.

"Go my little akuma, nd evilize their fragile heart!" he says as the circular glass door closes in the top of the pavilion.

It flies and flaps through the air and enters the boy's boutineer.

Instantly, a purple vaguely butterfly shaped mask appears over the boy's face. "Thorn!" says the voice.

"You've been rejected. That's so sad. But you can get revenge, maybe make her change her mind with the power of roses! Go forth and show her what's what!" he says.

"-oh and if Cat Noir or Lasybug show up, get their Miraculous, for me!" he says cruelty.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
Sugata is walking out of his own classes when he catches the start of the whole sorry scene. He doesn't know either of these students, but then, that's not a surprise - he's only been in town for about a month, and his general level of interest in the average person on campus hovers just below zero.

Even without knowing these students, he's not surprised to see it all crumble. A public display like this, in front of the school, without a guarantee of a yes in advance? Sugata shakes his head. What was the idiot thinking.

He doesn't take a picture. He also ponders that he hasn't technically asked Wako and Takuto to the dance - but then, Takuto's already promised that they'll be there, so it's not like he has to. Sucker. He should have gotten engaged in childhood and then completed an impossible year of combat and self-growth with the object of his affections.

Sugata TXT to Wako and Takuto: some sap was shot down in front of a a fifth of the class. More people should try being good at this.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown was... well, was out with Adrien. After all, the two were buddies... Sure, ti was because they were roommates, but that still counted. Adrien put up with Chrono's... unique behaviors.

Like coming in late with a mild concussion and muttering about 'belkans' under his breath.

And Chrono hadn't killed Plag, no matter HOW much he deserved it. And so it was that he was leaving the school, at Adrien's side... and saw the ordeal. "Ow..." he whispered. "That. That looked painful." Lucky for him he was far too busy to worry about such things. Also, he had an amazing girlfriend. "So... I'm not supposed to ask Rashmi out, right? I mean, since we're already dating? It's just assumed I'll be going with her? Or should I ask her out next time we're on patrol?" Pause. "You're going with Naru, correct?"

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Grand displays of affection were right up a certain French boy's alley! Of course he already had a relationship with the person HE did grand displays toward at Valentine's, so when Adrien catches sight of this failed proposal he winces in sympathy. "I hope he didn't get inspired to do that from what I did on Valentine's Day for Naru." Oh that would just make him feel *awful*. Then again he didn't hire a band.

When Chrono asks he remarks, "You ask her officially any way, and then you can ask what color she's wearing to match your tuxedo or boutiniere to her dress." THAT he knew, come on, that's basic. "I already asked Naru and yes--" He pauses when he sees that familiar butterfly appear. Oh no.

"Hawkmoth," he whispers. Perhaps Chrono hears, they are standing beside each other. Reaching out for his friend's arm he drops his voice, "I need to go uh, change, and if you can isolate the area? It's about to get messy."

Yaling Yao has posed:
Yaling is sitting on a campus bench in the tepid warmth of a nice March sun, her mind completely taken up by the manga she is reading, a low tension romance manga about a volleyball player that somehow finds herself conscripted in a battle against a student from her school's tennis club. The challenge? Prove which sport is more popular among their peers. As the two reluctantly see each other more and more...

Yaling's attention is snapped away from the manga from the rejection at the poor attempt at romance that she just barely missed, the loud no and the refusal to go home with the boy really all she heard with how engrossed she was in the manga.

"What has happened here, BaiBai?", the green-haired girl asks the snake coiled around her neck. "A clueless boy who put all his effort into doing things the wrong way, and he now is getting humiliated for it. No parents around to advise him better, I bet", the white snake replies after blinking at Yaling.

Bow has posed:
'Thorn!' Fuyuki hears that voice in his head. And he feels the power of the Akuma bind with him. "Yes! I will win her heart in a bed of roses!" he proclaims as he transforms. Where there was a Japanese teen with black hair and dark eyes is now a rose creature. A large blossom for a head. His green body is covered in thorns, still covered in a tuxedo, even as the thorns stick out of it. Both of his hands end in similar rose blossoms. His appearance is certainetly only a coincidence with a certain plant based Pokemon.

But as the students start to flee in terror, dark energy erupts from the figure to try to incapacitate everyone.

Especially... "Ema!" he calls out, waving his hand - and from beneath the rejector, large vines burst from the ground, entwinging and capturing the girl in a cage of thorns. "Now you HAVE to say yes!" he cackles manically. "Or I'll keep you forever!"

Adrien's right. It's about to get messy. So very messy. The box of candy falls to the ground, forgotten about.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown sighed and gave a nod. Then... "Yeah, I'll get everyone's focus." He then pulled out a card, flipping it and, with a flash... Soon he was overhead, looking down on Thorn. "I am Time Space Administration Bureau Chrono Harlaown. Thorn, please place the young lady down and cease this agression or I'll be forced to respond in kind. Everyone else, please seek shelter in the school!" he yelled.

He gave everyone a... few seconds, you know. To clear out... Before holding up his device. Reality shifted slightly, the magic washing over it and then everyone was, miraculously, shunted out of reality! Well, those NOT of a magical nature.

If that managed to save Thorn's crush was another matter. Hopefully it sent her out of the barrier, but magic.

Hitomi Kobe has posed:
    It is indeed about to get messy. There is enough coverage in the tree, Hitomi hopes, and she pushes herself up and off the branch as Fuyuki decides to not take 'no' for an answer.

    "Mystic Saiboshi to me -- /Let's Cook/!" Hitomi whispers, the wind taking on a slighty greasy quality to it as it ruffles through the young leaves of the tree she was occupying.

    Eyes and hair now green, clad in a modified uniform of a traditional cook, she spins her spear and hops a little higher up in the tree, rattling through the leaves -- Chrono it appears is already working on helping to clear out bystanders.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
Rather than watch the continued fallout, Sugata keeps his attention focused on his phone, idly texting with Takuto.

    Takuto Tsunashi texts: shot down like with a heartstealer rifle or like asking someone out bc i feel like git gud applies to both
    Sugata Shindo texts: like asking them out.
    Takuto Tsunashi texts: lol rip

The conversation from there might have turned to other things, if not for a sudden transition from school humiliation to sudden monster. These things really did just happen all the time, didn't they?

    Sugata Shindo Texts: looks like he's turning into a monster about it.
    Takuto Tsunashi texts: rip x2
    Takuto Tsunashi texts: try not to flatten the school
    Sugata Shindo texts: no promises

Slipping his phone into his pocket, Sugata idly tosses his bag aside and turns to monster and small boy alike.

"Was one shameful display not enough?" He asks the monster pointedly. "If all you wanted was to be embarrassed, you should have come down to the kendo club instead." A pale blue light shines on Sugata's chest, the symbol of Samekh shining brightly as he sweeps a hand out. The light pulses over his skin - in an instant, his school uniform becomes the military-style uniform of Ginga Kingu. Yes, right there in front of Godoka and everyone.

At his side, a pale blue bubble; inside is a miniature robot with a slender body, stocky legs, and a cloak of metal plates nearly as long as it's body.

The robot is pointedly ignored. "Give up the girl, and you might survive."

There are enough people around that Sugata won't be going for a King's Pillar right away - instead, he brings a fist to his chest and draws out a shining white sword, shaped literally like a four pronged bolt of white energy. "Star Swordo! Diamant!"

The barrier slides into place, a strange sensation, as all the civilians - save for the captured girl - disappear. He glances skyward, but there's no endless field of stars, so this isn't Zero Time...

Still, why worry? He lunges not for the monster, star sword in hand, aiming to cut through the bars of the cage. As he does, his phone dings! Text message received.

    Wako Agemaki texts: I'm not sure you have any room to talk about him like that

Adrien Agreste has posed:
"Thanks, Chrono," Adrien offers as he steps to the side of the walkway so that he can bolt for some nearby trees. His hand grasps the strap of his messenger bag tightly as he does.

"It's the first time I've seen Hawkmoth in awhile, Plagg. He's starting to become more active again."

The cat kwami of destruction emerges from the bag to hover in front of him. "And he's sure not doing that kid any favors! Oof, as if people weren't already staring at him. Poor guy."

"He'll live. Best to get him back to normal first. Plagg, Claws Out!"

The transformation is quick, and hidden. He's beginning to think that it's helpful having at least a couple of people who know his identity. He wouldn't have been able to ask Chrono to cover for him otherwise. The barrier was also rather nice.

The darkly clad Cat Noir lands lithely on his feet, as cats do, off to one side. His staff is held behind his head with both arms resting jauntily on it. "Take it from a purr-fessional, buddy, this is not the way to win a girl over! If you let her go now, I'm sure you'll be just vine."

Sugata the sword weilder ears a little twitch of an ear his direction that was surely just a play of the light. Did someone say kendo club? Something for later!

Gabriel Agreste has posed:
Hawk Moth continued to speak to the boy in the akuma. "Yes, that's it!" he says as he balls up his fists and throws his hands up in his pavilion.

Then when the strange barrier appeared he slacked and rolled his eyes. "This again." he says as he uncurls his fingers and watches the fight unfurl from the eyes of 'Thorn', the Akuma. "Thorn! Ignore the girl! Get Cat Noir!" he says dramatically. Akumas sometimes have a mind of their own. He might not listen!

Yaling Yao has posed:
Yaling is about to go back to her manga, trying to ignore the ridicule going on not too far from her. Why is the boy still lingering there? Is he a glutton for punishment, or what? Well, she wouldn't blame him if he felt he deserved that, even if it would have probably been best if he rushed away all the same.

That is when the dark energy spike distracts her attention again, and that weird rose mutant is now the one gathering all the attention. "That is not a distortion in history, right?" she mutters at the unknown threat. "Doesn't really feels like it, be on your guard."

Luckily, the bench she is at is already secluded from everyone's gaze, and the youma is attracting all the attention anyway. "Wellness, warmth and wisdom from White Snake's gaze", Yaling starts reciting as she plays the ethereal jade pipa that has just now appeared in her hands.

A vortex of loti flowers surrounds her, and when it dissolves she is in her henshin. "You have trampled the beauty of prom invitations, and your manners are as impure as the darkness you have allowed to take you over. This is White Snake's Historic Legacy! Cure Suzhen!"

Bow has posed:
As Chrono shifts away the rest of the students, Thorn frowns. "No, I wanted an audience to see Ema finally, finally confess her feelings to me like she should have done a long time ago!" The poor girl in the cage is still in the cage, unable to escape, the dark energy holding the girl in and hostage!

An arm is raised towards Chrono, and he seems cofused, "Then why don't you crawl back in your TARDIS and phone home!" he yells out as he sends a stream of thorns flying towards the TASB officer! Clearly, our antag is a sci-fi nerd.

Hitomi, for now, is ignored, or just not noticed. She's green and camoflauged amongst the leaves of the tree as she works her way up, above the evil rose creature on the ground, apparently she has the high ground. Or you know, she's just a cat.

And then there is the arrival of Ginga Kingu. A mecha?? A whole ass mecha?? How... that is so cool! But the akumaized don't get the option of gawking over someting as trivial as a robot! Instead, as the vines of the cage are cut through - it reveals the girl that is trapped within, apparently asleep at the moment - while Chrono could not get her out, she was blissfully unconscious.

But, with the vines cut, they lurched upwards, attempting to entangle the Ginga Kingu, tighten and pull it down or crush it's armor!

And then, there's Cat Noir - and Hawk Moth's orders are heard, turning directly to face the Miraculous User. "You!" he calls out. "Give me your Miraculous!" he demands, and in order to try to entice Cat Noir to surrender Plagg, the blossom on the top of his head opens. "Flame Blossom!" Dozens of rose petals are launched into the air, the blossoms exploding into little blasts of fire against anything that they happen to touch, even as Thorn is preparing to concentrate fully on attacking Cat Noir and noone else. Because orders.

And then there is Cure Suzhen's arrival. "No, she said NO!" Thorn protests as he twists around, his eyes focused on the Pretty Cure that just arrived. "None of you understand! Noone understands! She's never talked to me! I just wanted her to finally notice me!" His foot lands on the box of candy, destroying it as he sees what effects his fire petals has as he tries to draw closer to Cat Noir.

Hitomi Kobe has posed:
    At least there's other female powers on the scene!

    She was going to make an entrance when a flash of black passes her by and she gives a slight gasp of surprise, watching Cat Noir make his entrance first.

    She flails one arm a moment, green eyes going wide as a cat upstages her. (naturally, it is Cat Noir), and then she gives a huff, settles, and takes a couple branches higher.

    There is a flash of bright hot steel among the leaves as Culinary Guardian Kushiage leaps from the top, arching up and over in a proper dragoon's introduction, up and over the erupting target Miraculous user, the first time making an appearance without her helmet to cover her freckled cheeks as she swings her yari around, looking to snap more of those vines reaching up towards Giga Kingu as the culinary guardian comes down.

    "And you should respect that she said 'no!'" she adds, her tone tinged with angry spice to it and the heat of hot pepper oil.

    She also eyeballs Cat Noir.

    "Purr-fessional?" she asks.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Cat Noir jerks his head up to watch another green clad mahou enter from... the same tree. Oops. Looks like he stepped on some toes. Called out about his pun he can only shrug helplessly. "In love~!" He teases with a wink. Right before scrambling to dodge vines coming up after him. "Woah! This kitty does not need a new scratching post!"

Apparent bumbling aside, the direction of his bolting purposefully tries to take Thorn's attention away from the trapped girl that Sugata was working on freeing. While he wasn't a familiar face to the blonde cat boy, he was helping. That could be universally understood.

A few vines are fought off with quick swings of his bow, and a swipe of clawed gloves, but he really is getting hammered. Vines were not what he was really ready to deal with.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
The mecha is indeed a mecha! A tiny one, barely a foot tall (the bubble it self being a foot and a half tall, and a mere foot wide), with it's arms crossed. The facial plates don't give much in the way of expression, but Samekh conveys disapproval with great ease nonetheless.

"This is foolish. What worth does a single girl have?"

Ginga King taps the bubble with the edge of his sword, sending the little robot tumbling back as it rolls away. Ignoring it's frustrations, he clamors up and reaches into grab the girl, slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

"If you wanted her to notice you," he says, "You should have tried being worth noticing."

And then, in the middle of a combat situation, he does fully just reach for his phone, rolling his eyes at the text he sees waiting.

    Sugata Shindo texts: you wound me.
     Sugata Shindo texts: besides, i knew better than to draw a heart in chalk and cover the pavement with pictures of us.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave the most exhausted of sighs. Always with the puns... However, Ginga Kingu's arrival diiiiid make him a little... worried. Whoever that person was sounded a bit... eh. No matter. 'Might survive'. Probably just an attempt to intimidate. He had to focus on the battle at hand.

He glanced to Kushiage and... "He always puns. You get used to it..." Pause. "Alas, it's a bit... infectious," he said. Just a tiny hint grudgingly.

"For example... FREEZE!" he yelled, before waving his staff and diving down, narrowly avoiding the thorns as one glazed past his arm, slashing open the sleeve and revealing the metal gauntlets beneath.

            <<Subzero Stinger Blade!>>

A blade of blue magic, woven of ice, appeared overhead for a moment. It spun once, before launching itself at the 'cage' around the poor girl...

Once connecting, it'd shatter. Before the ice began to try and spread, attempting to freeze the prison so it could be shattered.

Gabriel Agreste has posed:
Hawk Moth watches 'Thorn' start to do as he orders. That's good.

A green haired 'chef' come out of nowhere and starts to try to snap those vines. Hawk Moth looks on with a hard frown. Cat Noir makes another pun (what else is new) and Chrono tries freeze-cracking open the prison the girl has been trapped in.

Hawk Moth notices the blue haired boy with the sword picking up the girl. Hawk Moth clenches his fists. "Keep concentrating on Cat Noir! Don't worry about anything else right now, Thorn!" Hawk Moth commands through the energy mask.

Hawk Moth taps the cane to the floor, sending butterflies scampering away from him in his apparent own frustration. Hopefully the boy choses the cat over the girl.

Yaling Yao has posed:
"You aren't owed being talked to. If you never put in the effort, the others just aren't going to know what kind of person you. What are you going to gain from imprisoning her like that? She is not going to say yes!" But it's not like he is probably going to listen to reason from just that.

Yaling eyes the boy that sounds like a police officer boy and makes it seems like he is listening to 30 puns per day. Are his colleagues so tiring? "Is Mr. Cat always trying to keep an audience cattive?" Yaling says, only really paying half-attention to that bodysuit cat as the slow realisation reaches her. He really is infectious!

"Uh, anyway! That's the only way you should take hold of someone, not that torn cage!", Yaling tells Thorn. "But love is unfailing, and shall wash away your poor manners! Torrential Embrace!" she exclaims, a jet of water forming above her before striking at Thorn.

Bow has posed:
As the others are attacking the cage, working to free the girl within, the vines seem to keep growing and forming - that is until Chrono comes in with his ice strike just as Sugata rescues Ema, throwing her over his shoulder. They have her secured and safe at least.

But as Cat Noir is lashing at the vines - another set of vines, these from Thorn - last out, looking to engulf the cat boy and secure him in his clinging, sharp vines. "You're Miraculous is going to be mine!" Thorn yells at the Cat. "And once it is, then Ema will notice me!"

Because the answer is always Cat Boys.

And that's when the wave of water splashes down on him, flooding him over as he's knocked back, momentarily losing his grip upon Cat Noir. And all of his attention turns towards Cure Suzhen as he lifts both arms and starts to send thorns flying to try to strike the Pretty Cure and rip into her. "You're keeping me from her!" he roars in defiance, for a moment, forgetting about Cat Noir and looking around instead for Ema.

Hitomi Kobe has posed:
    There is a joke to be made about a guy chasing a cat with all his focus -- but hey, whatever works!

    The green-clad culinary guardian is on the run after Cat and Thorn, green eyes narrowed as she steps quickly, tabi pounding on the ground before she uses her spear to bolster her skyward again, this time trying to cut across the front of Thorn and distract from the cta.

    "And what will Ema see when she does?" she questions as she tucks, rolls, and gives a huff.

    "What kind of person are you?"

Sugata Shindo has posed:
    Wako TXT: okay that is pretty embarrassing
    Wako TXT: at least he put in an effort though
    Wako TXT: I feel bad for him
    Sugata TXT: would you like me to put in effort?

Leaping from the cage with the captured girl, Ginga Kingu continues to text - perhaps not the most polite thing to do in battle, but there's running commentary to respond to! Besides, he can't allow Wako to labor under misconceptions.
    Sugata TXT: he's trying to keep the girl captive in a rose cage because she said no, so, he's not worth your effort.

There's a brief pause in texting as Sugata surveys the ice attack, spreading bits of ice down the cage, making it impossible to use as a place to imprison the girl, and he turns to glance at the boy who'd called himself a member of some kind of Bureau.

"Good job," he offers, high praise from him, before leaping to the ground, the unconscious girl thumping against his back. With his free hand, he checks his messages -

    Wako TXT: ......
    Wako TXT: all right I don't feel bad for him any more
    Wako TXT: what's happened? Did he turn into a youma or is he just a magic creep?
    Sugata TXT: he's turned into some kind of rose monster.
    Sugata TXT: he's not very good at it.

Certainly not. With the girl in his arms, it's going to be hard to fight; it wouldn't be good work to rescue her just to get her injured, and he'd probably capture her again if she was just left on the ground... alright, nothing for it then.

"Samekh! Make yourself useful!"

"That's no way to speak - what are you doing?!"

Ema's unconscious form is draped over the bubble containing Samekh, and it continues to float, keeping her off the ground, and out of his arms. For once, Samekh was proving useful.

    Takuto TXT: well maybe its his first time. i heard some people dont do great their first time
    Wako TXT: not that you two would know anything about that? XD
    Takuto TXT: i'm sure i dont know what you could be implying~
    Sugata TXT: I think I'd make a great monster. @emit "My boyfriend is suggesting that the reason you're not very good at this is due to it being your first time," Ginga Kingu informs the boy, raising his sword once more. "You might want to work on that, before you try and win over a girl."

A cat boy, a green haired girl with an oversized weapon, another girl with a snake emblem... Tokyo really is just as interesting as Takuto and Wako made it out to be.

"Do any of you have any suggestions on handling this? I have ideas of my own, but they're a tag destructive."

Just a bit.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Cat Noir grins a bit as the puns are picked up by a few others. It was really only when Cat Noir that he was so 'catty' but it was a bit of an amusement as well. The thought is struck from his head as he destroys one vine only for several more to shoot up around him.

"I'm sorry you didn't get your main squeeze but I'm not up for being your second squeeze!" He blurts out as he's engulfed even while struggling to escape. This was not good at all.

The deluge of a watery attack from Cure Suzen. He's more than a bit damp once he leaps free using his staff to propel him higher into the air hopefully away from the vines.

"He's possessed by an Akuma!" He calls out to inform the others. "It'll be in an object on him. If it's destroyed he's freed! That's how Hawkmoth works. He uses peoples emotions to turn them into monsters. He's still an actual *person* in there though!"

"If we find what his item is and destroy it he'll be fine. Or find it and throw it to me, I can destroy *anything*!"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
The hostage was secure. Repeat, the hostage was secured. Good. "I guess we should prune thi--" Pause. "UGH! No. Not saying it!"

            <<Stinger Blade!>>

Five blue swords appeared overhead. They spun once, before descending on the source of the growing vines, attempting to slash through them and, at least temporarily, disable the viney threat.

"Cat Noir, is it possible the threats are it, or is it more likely to be his tuxedo? Or.... It's not likely to be something inside him, is he?" Well... HOPEFULLY not. He uhhhh... didn't want to have to consider that.

Yaling Yao has posed:
"So we should search out anything particular he is holding, got it. And it can be absolutely anything, right?", Yaling checks for confirmation as pays attention to the information being given to them by Cat Noir. Maybe a chocolate box? There were things like that around, or anyway, it's likely one of the things he was getting her.

And she just has the thing for this, even if's a tad inefficient. Though, she first has to deal with the thorns aiming at her. Not just because they are dangerous (even if they are), but also, what gives making this bad reputations for plants!?

In the midst of avoiding them and keeping BaiBai safe, she does get hit by a few of the thorns, but the garden the pop ups under her feet does immediately start providing a bit of relief to the wounds. And then she sends a few vines to search Thorn. They are very weak against a person, but maybe they can sneak in enough to grab that object?

Bow has posed:
While Kushiage is making an excellent point, Thorn is having nothing really to do with logic or reason. So instead of answering her logically, he lashes out with a heavy vine, looking to whip it into the girl and knock the Culinary Guardian to the side and injure her!

And as Cat Noir draws the attention back to himself, the vines race to try to grab at him again, but it seems the cat has been just one step ahead of the impending appendages as they lash out at him.

And as Chrono is turning his attention from hostage rescue to plant control, the vines are slashed into at the source, for a moment showing, a seed thst Thorn had planted in the ground - right on top of one of the few pictures of him and Ema actually sitting together and smiling, at a company retreat for their fathers. He better destroy it quick before it has a chance spawn more vines!

That boutinere that Fuyuki was wearing at the start of all this is still on his chest, with it's pretty little blue rose that just seems to flicker now and again, like a butterfly batting it's wings.

And as Suzhen sends out her vines, Thorn doesn't notice them until they are upon him, but his own vines start to tangling with hers, trying to pull them away and grasp at them - maybe this was the girl he should have asked to prom, they're both blooming after all!

Adrien Agreste has posed:
"It'll be on him! Something that didn't change when he did!" Cat Noir calls out from his perch where he is very precariously balancing on the top of his bo staff. Which grows abnormally in height so that he can leap away from those vines.

"Like a hat or a belt or a... Boutinere!"

The flower on Thorn's chest catches his gaze and he certainly HOPES that's right.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown lifted his device to the heavens. Was... that picture the akuma? No? Maybe? Okay, it wasn't, but HE didn't know that. But he knew there was a plant... and it was coming from the ground.

So he suddenly dropped.

And Cat Noir figures it out.

<< Everyone, destroy the Boutinere. I'll give you an opening and stop his vines. Not sure how long it'll hold for, though. But break it! >> Chrono said, using his telepathy spell.

And he suddenly just DROPPED from the sky, driving his staff down and...

            <<Subzero Tomb!>>

Where the staff connected with the ground, ice spread out. Racing over the ground holding the seed, the vines themselves and likely Thorn's feet. An icy binding spell, designed to trap... and hopefully binding the vines long enough for everyone else to blast the boutinere.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
There's too many people here to act carelessly. King's Pillar would flatten at least one of the nearby buildings, half the trees, and also, every othe fighter here, probably. Sugata knows what Takuto can withstand - he isn't sure about these others, and he doesn't need to make trouble for his partners by injuring one of their probably-allies.

So instead, he grasps the his sword and executes a single, perfect blow, crossing the distance between him and Thorn in an instant, sheering away the boutinere so that it goes fly free, ready to be destroyed.

He didn't even cut the young man-turned-monster in half. Wako and Takuto would have nothing to complain about.

Yaling Yao has posed:
Cure Suzhen's vines get completely and mercilessly tattered when Thorn does notices her attempt and opposes her. Yes, they are that weak. They are pretty much only good for carrying things, and the main focus of that magic is the healing garden that has shown up, anyway. Not that it is doing anything for a meanie like Thorn anyway. Yaling can heal him, after they got this evil bug out of him.

Cat Noir is able to identify what her filmsy vines should have gone for, and she gets a voice in her head saying that too. <<Oh, hey, this is fancy, and awesome, how do you do this!?>> she asks, amazement taking her over first. <<But ok, I see that, and will do my best!>>

That ethereal jade pipa starts appearing in Yaling's hands as she she focuses on her instrument and not the unpleasant hunch that Thorn just thought something she very much wouldn't like. Clouds starts gathering above her as lightning strikes at Cure Suzhen, but the crackling electricity instead gathers at the green haired girl's fists.

"I hope you don't mind the glow up!", Yaling says as she jumps at Thorn to strike the boutonniere with her thunder fists.

Hitomi Kobe has posed:
    The boutineer is in the air, flipping slowly in that manner of motion for dramatic purposes.

    There wasn't going to be any getting through to the eyoung man with logic -- Kushiage knew this, and she catches the blue flit of butterfly-like glimmer in the air on the blue rose -- but she did catch the gist of destroying the object.

    She turns, she skids on the ground, and then she poles herself into the air again using her spear, and she focuses.

    "HIGH TEMPERATURE OIL SPLASH!" she bellows out, turning her yari in the air, adding to the destruction of the rose with spicy hot oil to wreck it!

     And with the splash of oil dispersed, she makes an escape to let everyone else handle clean up!

Bow has posed:
As Chrono's ice spreads along the ground, Thorn was approaching in, to slug him with one of those large floral fists - that never happens however as the deep freeze overtakes his lower legs, seizing him, holding him in place, keeping him from advancing further. It also keeps him from moving or defending himself as the ice, in concert with Yaling's vines seem to be holding Thorn into place - as Sugata comes up.

That's when the sword swipe comes in, slicing through the tuxedo jacket. It collides with the boutinere, sending it flying high up into the sky, a flittering, glittering target as it twists around in the air, briefly noticed in it's blue flashing.

And that's when the deluge of hot spicy oil comes down onto it, boiling and frying the the rose in it's heated goodness, just as Suzhen comes in to strike -- completeing the attack of the girls with the green hair as her thunder fist slams into the small flower as well, and it, along with the akuma, are destroyed.

As it fades away, Fuyuki returns to normal and curls in on himself, holding his hands over his head, sobbing openly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean... oh... I so didn't mean..."

Ema, who has come to, looks at the boy, and comes over to him. "...look. I still don't want prom." she says quietly, and places her hand on his shoulder. "...we can start with talking as we walk home. No promises. No nothing. Just. Walk me home?"

Fuyuki looks up at Ema, and nods. "...o-oh kay. No promises." he echoes, as he gets to his feet, looking at the mess he is. And then back to the others. "I'm sorry..." he manages, as he prepares to leave with Ema.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
When the vines are beaten back, Cat Noir takes the opportunity to drop down to the ground again. From the destroyed rose a small darkly colored butterfly flies free only to absently float away on the wind.

It's this that the punny catboy follows after a step or two with a very firm, serious frown. "I... don't think I can..." He mutters to himself only to stop and stare down at one clawed hand with a worried frown. A deep breath is drawn as his fingers flex and curl shut into a fist. He couldn't purify. It would just have to wander off on it's own for now. Possibly taking over another later.

Turning away, looking quite frustrated, he finds himself staring over at all the others. His expression quickly changes. "Thank you for the help. It's tough dealign with Hawkmoth because of how he takes people over. I appreciate you all being careful not to hurt anyone."

Nevermind HE was pretty useless.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
And just like that, instead of a furious monster, there's a sobbing boy and a newly conscious girl. Sugata raises a brow as she offers an olive branch - entirely unearned and unneeded, in his view, but if Wako-chan pitied him, it was all too likely that someone who actually knew him might pity him yet still more.

Besides - there's someone speaking to them, and someone running away. The girl who flees is nothing, but the cat boy who'd instructed them seems to have more to say.

"That butterfly creature is what caused the problem, then?" Ginga Kingu tilts his head in the direction of the creature, still soaring off. "Shouldn't we destroy it then, before this Hawkmoth causes another problem?"

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Cat Noir gives a firm, simple nod at Ginga Kingu with lips pursed together tightly. "It's how he takes them over. It's a nature spirit that he's corrupted." Here he looks up, and though his green eyes were slitted like a cats, he looks pained somehow. "My partner usually purifies them after to put them back to normal, too, but my powers are only destruction. I'm not certain destroying a nature spirit is a good idea."

Looking a bit hopeful he asks, "I don't suppose any of you all can purify?"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown stared at the pair and then, very slowly... he lifted his staff to the air and dispelled the barrier. However, his eyes then moved to Cat Noir...

<< Cat Noir, >> he said into his head alone. << You and I need to have a talk later. >>

"For now... important question. Is putting one of them in a bottle an option?"

Chrono couldn't purify either. But, that was the fun of being part of a group. Everyone had their own part they could play.

Yaling Yao has posed:
"Is that done?" Yaling asks for confirmation towards the group of assorted mahous. Sure, the boy seems normal, but she is going to defer on the experts on this one. She has a promise to fulfill then, after everything that went on.

Though, by Cat Noir's own words, things being over seem pretty likely, so Yaling allows the garden's healing to cover Fuyuki too, just in case anything was left over after the henshin.

"Oh, I can!", Yaling raises her hand as a volunteer as Cat Noir explains that weird bug has to be purified. "I have a localised rain purifier from the Li Shan teachings After following her own suggestion, the Precure's pipa spreads its melody once more and grey clouds start gathering over the area surrounding it. "Li Shan Drizzle", Yaling calls out as gentle rain is released right onto the Akuma, its water washing impurities.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
When the purifying rains drizzle down on the akuma, it flutters a moment as if it were in turmoil of some sort. It goes from dark black with electric purple energy rippling through it to the pure white of innocence. Purity.

Instead of struggling now it flaps it's wings higher so that it spirals upward. If such a thing could be called 'joyous' it certainly would be this. It was purely what it was, innocent and free of the mind that had twisted it into such a corrupt state.

Cat Noir watches with a sigh of relief as he nods. "Perfect, like that." And then he winces when he hears Chrono's remark sent via whatever means he had, a single nod given. "It could maybe be trapped, but a regular bottle would just become corrupted too. It's possible to avoid being posessed by them, though! You just have to stop feeling negative emotions. Whether anger or pain or anything like that." A pause, before he adds, "Which is sometimes easier said than done but that IS how to avoid it. It can't corrupt you then."