Sapotis

"Trixx, let's pounce!"

- Alya Césaire

"" is the tenth episode of the second season of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. It premiered on March 30, 2018, on Netflix.

Synopsis
During a sleepover with Marinette, Alya punishes her twin sisters, Etta and Ella, who get akumatized into monsters that multiply when they eat.

Plot
Marinette is at the Césaire apartment for a sleepover with Alya, and is on the phone with Alya's mother, assuring her that they are getting Ella and Etta to bed. The two rambunctious girls, meanwhile, are pretending to be the "Sapotis". Alya puts her sisters to bed in their room, although they are reluctant to sleep because they want to stay up like Marinette and Alya. She asks the twins how they expect to go to the amusement park tomorrow if they stay up late, using Marinette as a demonstration of the sisters being tired and falling asleep at the amusement park. Ella and Etta finally acquiesce, and Alya allows them to wear their hats while they sleep as long as they stay in bed. She leaves the room and shuts off the light.

Back in the kitchen, Marinette compliments Alya's ability to control her sisters. She asks what the Sapotis are, and Alya explains that they are mischief-causing creatures from Creole legend. Alya then excitedly shares her newest findings on Ladybug with Marinette. She explains that Ladybug has existed since the time of the pharaohs, although the one they know couldn't possibly be five thousand years old; so she decided to investigate by analyzing audio recordings of Ladybug. She found that Ladybug’s voice frequency matches that of a girl their own age. Marinette is anxious to find a way to stop Alya from trying to find more clues to Ladybug’s identity, and at that moment she notices that the orange juice they were going to drink is gone, and points it out to Alya. Discovering that her sisters had drunk the juice, Alya cleans the girls up and puts them back to bed as they playfully insist, "It was the Sapotis!" In the continued discussion of Ladybug, Marinette points out that it's important to Ladybug to keep her identity a secret, as exposure would endanger her friends and loved ones. Meanwhile, the twins repeatedly get out of bed, annoying Alya more and more. Finally, Alya angrily scolds them for disobeying her, takes away their hats, and tells them that they won't be going to the amusement park tomorrow. She leaves them, and the twins start crying.

Hawk Moth, sensing their sadness, sends an akuma to them. It infects the hat that Ella and Etta are fighting over, and Hawk Moth tells them that he'll give them the power to do whatever they want if in return they’ll get Cat Noir's and Ladybug's Miraculouses. Ella and Etta agree, and they transform into actual Sapotis. Hearing a noise from her sisters' room, Alya becomes angry that the girls disobeyed her yet again; but is shocked when she sees that they have become akumatized monsters. They break out of their room and cause a ruckus throughout the apartment. Marinette begins to think that Alya might have been a little too harsh on them, but Alya responds that this is not the normal result of being strict. During the little monsters' rampage, Marinette observes them multiplying when they eat. Then several of them escape the apartment through an open window. Alya tells Marinette to keep her eye on the ones still inside while she takes care of those that got out. When Alya leaves, Marinette transforms into Ladybug and swings off after the troublesome imps.

The ever-multiplying Sapotis continue to cause havoc in the city, such as driving a car with Penny Rolling and Jagged Stone inside, and other such disturbances. Nadja Chamack tries to do a news report on the creatures, but gets tackled and interrupted by one of them. Seeing the commotion from his television, Adrien knows that he has to do something and calls Plagg, who joins him after locking up his cheese supply. Adrien then transforms into Cat Noir.

In the midst of the Sapotis' rampage, Cat Noir and Ladybug find one of them playing with a traffic light, and they cause it to get tangled in the wires. Ladybug destroys its hat, making it disappear. Cat Noir asks how she knew to go for the hat, and she says that it was through trial and error. He points out that no akuma was released, and Ladybug explains that that's because it was just a clone. She also says that they’ll have to catch them all in order to find the original pair. Ladybug and Cat Noir go through multiple Sapotis, but have no luck finding the right ones.

When Ladybug and Cat Noir are at the pier, Hawk Moth instructs the Sapotis to take their Miraculouses. Despite their best efforts, the heroes come to realize they are outnumbered. As a last resort, Ladybug summons her Lucky Charm and receives a teapot. It strikes her as familiar, and she looks around for any clues from her Lucky Vision, but gets none. When Cat Noir remarks that his kung fu is insufficient to fight off the Sapotis, Ladybug realizes the purpose of the object and tells her partner that she has to go. In shock, Cat Noir protests, but Ladybug tells him to trust her, before heading off.

Marinette, detransformed, arrives at Master Fu's massage shop. Upon seeing her, Wayzz tells her that it's dangerous to come there, but Master Fu says that they should give her a chance to speak. Marinette explains to Master Fu that her Lucky Charm sent her to him. Master Fu understands and recounts how he has already talked to her about the Miraculouses and their powers, but points out that hers and Cat Noir’s are the most mysterious and deduces that her Lucky Charm was telling her that they need help. As he goes to the Miraculous Box in the phonograph, Master Fu becomes hesitant about the use of another Miraculous, but Marinette reminds him that she and Cat Noir have always been very careful when using their powers. Reassured, Master Fu sets the Miraculous Box down between them and opens it up, revealing many Miraculouses inside of it. He tells Marinette to choose a Miraculous for a trusted ally to help them, but also reminds her that their powers are supposed to be used for good and must not fall into the wrong hands. He also says that when the mission is over, she must return the Miraculous to him. Marinette chooses the Fox Miraculous and confidently states that she knows the perfect person for the job.

At the park, Alya tries to reason with some Sapotis, but to no avail; then Ladybug arrives and destroys them. Alya expresses her need to help her sisters. Ladybug then asks Alya if she’d like to help her and Cat Noir, and she enthusiastically agrees. In her excitement, Alya is eager to tell Marinette, and reaches for her phone to call her; but the superheroine stops her and says that this must stay a secret from her friends and the Ladyblog. Alya understands and puts her phone down. Ladybug then presents her with the Fox Miraculous, and makes Alya promise she'll use its powers for good and return it once the mission is over. Alya opens the Miraculous box, and is startled by Trixx, who introduces himself as her kwami; but she quickly becomes fascinated by him and figures out that he will give her powers. Trixx is impressed by his new wielder’s observational skills. Alya becomes even more excited and asks Ladybug a bunch of personal questions, until Ladybug reminds her to focus. She apologizes and puts the necklace on. Trixx tells her what to say in order to transform, and after doing so, Alya finds her new outfit amazing, but comments on the fact that she looks like Lila's akumatizied form. Ladybug explains that Alya nevertheless is a superhero now, and takes off, with Alya happily following behind her.

Meanwhile, Cat Noir is overwhelmed by the numerous Sapotis clones. Seeing him surrounded, Hawk Moth orders the Sapotis to take his Miraculous. They pile up on him and almost grab his ring, but before they can, Ladybug saves him, and she and her new ally fight off other Sapoti clones nearby. Amazed on seeing the new superheroine, Cat Noir comments that he thought he was Ladybug's only superhero friend. Ladybug introduces their new comrade but stumbles on what to call her until she introduces herself as Rena Rouge. Cat Noir playfully jokes around with her and welcomes her to the team, jovially offering her superhero advice if she needs it. When Rena Rouge coyly asks Cat Noir for Ladybug's phone number, he says that he has a feeling it's going to be a lot of fun having her around, causing Ladybug to laugh.

Hawk Moth is surprised that there is a new superhero, but comments that he had suspicions about there being other Miraculouses in Paris. He remains unfazed, however, and orders the Sapotis to band together and defeat the trio, or else he'll take away their powers. Seeing that there are too many around them to fight, the three superheroes retreat. Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm once again and receives a unicycle. She quickly comes up with a plan and gathers a bunch of items. Rena Rouge is very curious about how the items will help but Ladybug says to just trust her. Then while Ladybug lures the Sapotis into a confined alleyway by telling them of an amusement park called Sapotis-Land, Cat Noir sees them coming and tells Rena Rouge to use her powers. Although she's a little nervous, he tells her to concentrate on the illusion she wants to make. She blows on her flute, summoning Mirage and creating an illusion of an amusement park. The Fox Miraculous then beeps and Rena Rouge realizes that she'll detransform soon. Cat Noir playfully assures her that he'll keep her identity a secret but she retorts by saying a superhero never reveals their identity. He praises her for learning quickly, and she teasingly counters by quoting his words from earlier, "If you need any superhero tips, you know where to come."

As Ladybug continues to call the Sapotis, Hawk Moth senses the deception and tells them that it's a trap, but they ignore him. Signalling Cat Noir, Ladybug tells him to start phase two. After he wedges the prepared object into the narrow alleyway, Ladybug uses her yo-yo to rotate it, and it scoops all the hats off the clones and hurls them into a garbage bin. Once every hat has been captured, Cat Noir uses his Catalysm to destroy the container, and the clones disappear, along with Ella and Etta being restored to normal. Ladybug catches the akuma and uses Miraculous Ladybug to reverse the damage the Sapotis did. Cat Noir tells Rena Rouge he looks forward to seeing her again, before she leaves with Ladybug to detransform. As they depart, Ladybug asks Cat Noir if he can take the girls home. He tries to ask them where they live but the twins ecstatically jump on top of him. Hawk Moth says that although he was defeated, he now knows that there are other Miraculouses in Paris and maybe even a guardian.

After Alya detransforms, she is overjoyed about her first adventure as a superheroine. Ladybug thanks her for the help and puts her hand out for the Miraculous, but Alya is hesitant to return it. She says she wants to keep it so that she can continue helping Ladybug and Cat Noir, and states that they make a great team. Ladybug reminds Alya of her promise, but seeing that her transformation is almost up, she goes inside a nearby building, telling Alya that she trusts her. When Ladybug is gone, Trixx agrees with Alya that she makes a great superheroine, citing her best qualities including, above all, trustworthiness -- the push Alya needs to make the right choice. Inside the building, Marinette detransforms, and at first believes that Alya won’t return the Miraculous, which saddens her. But then the door opens, and Alya places the Fox Miraculous inside. This gratifies Marinette, and she returns the jewel to Master Fu, who praises her for making the right choice.

Back at her home, Alya hears a knock at her door and sees Marinette, who tells Alya that she tried calling her, but she didn't answer. Alya almost tells Marinette about her time as Rena Rouge, but quickly remembers her promise to Ladybug and instead says that her phone batteries died. When Alya remarks that everything turned out well thanks to Ladybug and Cat Noir, Marinette mentions hearing a rumor that a third hero also helped out, and Alya begs her for details.

Major characters

 * Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug
 * Adrien Agreste/Cat Noir
 * Alya Césaire/Rena Rouge
 * Gabriel Agreste/Hawk Moth
 * Tikki
 * Plagg
 * Trixx
 * Akuma
 * Ella Césaire/Sapotis
 * Etta Césaire/Sapotis

Minor characters

 * Marlena Césaire (mentioned)
 * Ancient Egyptian Ladybug (pictured)
 * Mireille Caquet (pictured)
 * Aurore Beauréal (pictured)
 * Rose Lavillant (pictured)
 * Sabrina Raincomprix (pictured)
 * Jagged Stone
 * Penny Rolling
 * Théo Barbot
 * Nadja Chamack
 * André
 * Master Fu
 * Wayzz
 * Lila Rossi (mentioned)
 * André Bourgeois (pictured)
 * Jean Tretiens (background)
 * Civilians

Trivia

 * The name "Sapotis" is actually from a Créole fable about troublemaking jester monsters.
 * Rena Rouge debuts in this episode, although she gives her Miraculous back to Ladybug after defeating the Sapotis.
 * A DVD cover that Marinette shows Alya is for a Ladybug animé, and it includes a screenshot of Ladybug from the Ladybug PV.
 * Marinette's alternate pajamas were first shown on a special poster by SAMG Animation for the show's second anniversary.
 * The design on Alya's pajama top is a reference to one of her favorite superheroes, Majestia.
 * An alternate version of Ladybug's transformation sequence is shown when Marinette transforms in her pajamas rather than in her everyday attire.
 * Besides the main seven Miraculouses, the Miraculous jewelbox is revealed to hold twelve other Miraculouses, corresponding to animals of the Chinese Zodiac.
 * Unlike previous situations, Ladybug's Lucky Charm (the teapot) doesn't give her a clue on how to defeat an akumatized villain, but instead, it prompts her to get help from someone.
 * It is revealed that more than one person can be akumatized at the same time if they are both holding onto the object the akuma enters.
 * Alya mentions the ancient Egyptian Ladybug and the time of the pharaohs, referencing the events of "The Pharaoh".
 * In the French version of the episode, Wilfried Pain voices some of the Sapotis.
 * This is the second episode to have two characters in its title, the first being "Ladybug & Cat Noir (Origins - Part 1)".
 * Cat Noir destroys an akumatizied object with his Cataclysm for the second time following "A Christmas Special".
 * Trixx's voice actors in the French and German versions are male, but for the English dub, Trixx's voice actor is a female, making it uncertain what the gender pronouns are in the English version.
 * When Alya transforms into Rena Rouge, her body is slimmer than her regular body.
 * In the English dub, the moment when Alya opens her apartment gate and gasps is recycled from the French dub.
 * Additionally, although the majority of the sound effects that the Sapotis make are modified in the English dub, quite a few of sound effects are also reused from the French dub.
 * The behavior and method of multiplying is reminiscent to that of the Gremlins from the movie franchise Gremlins.

Errors

 * Alya's bangs are miscolored in several scenes throughout the episode.
 * When Marinette heads over to Alya's apartment balcony, she is wearing her purse despite not wearing it beforehand. However, in the next shot, before she transforms into Ladybug, her purse is gone again.
 * Both of Marinette's pigtails freeze for a whole frame during her transformation, but when the camera zooms into her earring, they start to move again.
 * After Rena Rouge uses her Mirage power, her necklace's top section turns black. However, in the shot after the three-way fist-bump, it's orange again.
 * When Rena Rouge transforms, Trixx does not go inside her necklace, but when she detransforms, Trixx comes out.

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