One night, the Gaulish village is visited by two Arverni chieftains, Monolithix and Sidekix, who were lieutenants to Vercingetorix up to the fateful battle of Alesia and thus good acquaintances of Vitalstatistix. To everyone's surprise, they have a young girl in their company who is revealed to be Adrenalin, Vercingetorix's daughter. She and her companions were sent away just before the final battle in order to carry on the fight against the Romans, with Vercingetorix's torc to identify her as his successor as a symbol of resistance. However, Julius Caesar has learned of her existence and wishes to have her taken captive and re-educated to the Roman ways; as a result, the Romans are hunting her, led by a Gaulish traitor named Binjwatchflix, a former scout for Vercingetorix who felt unappreciated by his leader and now serves the Romans. Consequently, the two chieftains took Adrenalin to the village, the only place avoided by the Romans, to keep her safe until they can relocate her to Britain, where the Romans will not expect to find her.
Vitalstatistix agrees to safeguard the girl, telling only Asterix, Obelix, Getafix, Impedimenta and Geriatrix about her origins, although the latter two swiftly make the whole village know. Asterix and Obelix are assigned as her bodyguards; but Adrenalin, in her teenage years, is rebellious and self-reliant, and quickly becomes weary of the ways of the village's adults while at the same time making friends with the younger generation, particularly Selfipix and Blinix, the eldest sons of Fulliautomatix and Unhygienix respectively. Soon, she decides to run away from her role as a figurehead of war, and her new friends help her sneak out of the village.
However, Binjwatchflix has managed to track down Adrenalin and puts the surrounding Roman garrisons on alert. During the chaotic search between the Gauls, the Romans and Binjwatchflix for her, Adrenalin comes across two of the Pirates collecting fresh water and, to Redbeard's consternation, commandeers their ship in order to sail to Thule and live her own life in peace. However, Asterix and Obelix spot the pirate ship sailing away and take up pursuit, along with Selfipix, Blinix and Dogmatix; and additionally, Binjwatchflix has stowed away on the ship. In a rapid sequence of events, the Gauls and Pirates are forced to contend with Adrenalin's stubbornness and a Roman galley attacking them, and amidst the fighting, Binjwatchflix grabs the girl and the torc and entrenches himself in the pirate ship's lookout post. Obelix simply rips out the mast, causing the ship to sink and dropping Binjwatchflix and Adrenalin into the water. As he tries to get into the boat the Gauls have come in, Binjwatchflix drops the torc, which sinks to the bottom of the sea. Determined not to be thwarted, Binjwatchflix jumps overboard to swim to shore, but is unknowingly followed by a shark, leaving his fate in doubt.
Once safely back in the village, Adrenalin openly defies Monolithix and Sidekix, wishing to be no part of their rebellion. However, the Arverni soon find that one of their warriors is wearing Vercingetorix's ceremonial helmet and so make him the new figurehead of their resistance. After giving her blessing to Asterix's village as Vercingetorix's true successors, Adrenalin departs for Thule, but eventually ends up at another, multi-ethnically inhabited island. The Gauls and their Arverni guests end the story with their traditional feast.
Tropes:
- Agony of the Feet: The scene of Vercingetorix throwing his weapons on Caesar's foot when he surrendered is shown again, as well as Caesar getting his foot bandaged up afterwards.
- The Alcoholic: Because they stole a large supply of wine from Ekonomikrisis, the majority of the pirates spend the entire story being drunk.
- Brief Accent Imitation: While she doesn't normally have an Arveni accent, Adrenalin mutters "That'sh right, that'sh right" when she walks out on them.
- Boulder Bludgeon: Obelix throws a menhir at Fulliautomatix and Unhygienix to break up an argument. It doesn't work.
- Calling the Old Man Out: After the adventure at sea, Adrenalin calls out Monolithix and Sidekix for only caring about her torc, and not her as a person.
- The Cameo: Ekonomikrisis the merchant. He only appears briefly on 2 panels when Asterix and Obelix pass by his ship.
- Catch and Return: Thanks to the Magic Potion, Asterix catches an arrow between thumb and index finger (an inch from his nose), and then throws it bare-handed back at Binjwatchflix, cutting the string of his bow.
- Children Raise You: The entire story is really all about the older cast (especially Asterix) coming to terms with the fact that the younger generation may not share their same values or ideals and will eventually lead their own independent lives. Examples include:
- Fulliautomatix, Asterix and Unhygenix getting into a fight over differing parental styles; Fulliautomatix and Asterix being against corporal punishment while Unhygenix sees it as necessary for discipline. Ironically enough, both of them dish it out in spades to both Blinix and Selfipix upon discovering that they were complicit in the plot to smuggle her Adrenalin of the village.
- Peacenix describing his wish that Romans and Gauls can live peacefully together in a unified country alarms Monolithix and Sidekix. It takes Adrenalin to openly denounce their desire for her to start a rebellion and reclaim Gaul in Vercingetorix's name to realize that the young may actually have different views on the world.
- Monolithix and Sidekix (and even Asterix and the entire village, to varying degrees) insisting that Adrenalin honour Vercingetorix's memory by mobilizing the Gauls for a rebellion to reclaim their land. Only at the very end of the story do they realize that Adrenalin values the peace that they currently have and has no desire to plunge Gaul into another war.
- The leader of a patrolling Roman ship, Strictosensus, outright lampshades this after their brief battle with the Gauls and offers Asterix important advice about not overparenting the young.
- Conflict Ball: Adrenalin considers herself a living version of this, as her lineage of being the daughter of Vercingetorix while wearing his torc manages to always cause everyone around her to take up arms and fight one another.
- Continuity Nod:
- Several to Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield. People are still reluctant to mention Vercingetorix and his loss in the battle of Alesia. Also, a flashback once again shows Vercingetorix throwing his weapons on Caesar's foot when he surrendered.
- Like in Asterix and the Normans, it is mentioned that teenagers actually like Cacofonix's songs.
- Cool Old Guy: Geriatrix gets his moment to shine this story. He violently attacks Binjwatchflix with his cane when the latter has Adrenalin trapped, and calls him out on his betrayal. It doesn't last long though as the much younger and bigger Binjwatchflix easily overpowers him, but by then, Adrenalin has already escaped.
- Crown of Horns: The Averni have in common to be wearing helmets sporting cervid horns. In a minor gag, they often clang said horns together.
- A Day in the Limelight: This album is probably giving the Pirates their biggest role yet.
- Every Episode Ending: As usual, the story ends with a large feast, while Cacofonix is being tied up. Slightly different than usual; he is being tied up by children, and for once doesn't seem to mind.
- Exact Eavesdropping: A villainous example; Binjwatchflix is in the right place and time to overhear Adrenalin planning to run off that night.
- Fiery Redhead: Adrenalin. She's a Tomboy who outright states her dislike for girl clothes, and is known to run off from her caretakers, and manages to get Redbeard and his crew to take her with them.
- Funetik Aksent: Both Monolithix and Sidekix appear to have a Speech Impediment, but it's soon revealed to be the dialect or accent of Vercingetorix's Arverni tribe (from modern Auvergne, France) and their warriors all speak like that too. For example, they pronounce "The Romans have been searching for her ever since." as "The Romanj have been shearching for her ever shinshe." Only Adrenalin doesn't have it because she grew up elsewhere. The exaggerated Auvergne accent was there in the original French ever since Goscinny's time, as seen in Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield, but the English translators at the time opted to leave it out since English people wouldn't get the joke,
and instead added more puns. - Historical Character's Fictional Relative: It's not know if Vercingetorix had a daughter, but she probably didn't have a Punny Name.
- Historical In-Joke:
- Brutus, when told by Caesar he won't be getting an adoptive sister (Adrenalin) soon, says he's not much of a one for family, while holding a knife.
- Adrenalin complains about not being allowed to wear Goth fashions.
- Hypocritical Humor: After being told by Getafix that violence is pointless when educating teenagers, Obelix breaks yet another fight between Fulliautomatix and Unhygienix... by bashing them both with a menhir while yelling at them that violence is pointless.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Adrenalin hates the fact that everybody is after her just because she happens to be Vercingetorix's daughter and has his torc.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Monolithix and Sidekix invoke a parental variant of this trope at the story's conclusion, where they appear to reconsider their plans for an uprising after seeing how youngsters like Adrenalin and Peacenix value peace over war, conquest and sovereignty.
- Living MacGuffin: Adrenalin. The whole plot resolves around Caesar wanting to capture her, and the heroes having to defend her. She comes with a more regular MacGuffin: her torc.
- Lower-Deck Episode: Downplayed; while Asterix and Obelix are still the stars of this story, the youths of the Gauls' village are given more focus here.
- The Mole: Binjwatchflix during the battle of Alesia. He informed Caesar that Vercingetorix had a daughter whom he sent away to safety.
- Monochrome Past: The flashbacks to Adrenalin's backstory that happened at Alesia are sepia-colored.
- The Mutiny: Adrenalin successfully pulls one off against Redbeard when she reveals her plans to go to Thule, something the other pirates instantly agree with. She doesn't get to enjoy it for long since a Roman ship immediately shows up.
- Not So Innocent Whistling: Done by Asterix when he and Obelix try to discreetly keep an eye on Adrenalin.
- Pinned to the Wall: Binjwatchflix pins Adrenalin to a tree by shooting an arrow right in-between her torc and her neck.
- Platonic Co-Parenting: When saying goodbye to Adrenalin, Monolithix and Sidekix actually use the phrase "your dads" in the French version, and in English too. She later calls them the same.
- Remember the New Guy?: Both Fulliautomatix and Unhygienix are revealed to have teenage sons, whom we never saw before. It's explained they're usually studying in Condate and are paying a visit to the village.
- Retcon: Brutus was revealed to be back at Julius Caesar's side despite being supposedly banished for causing the events of Asterix and Son. Even if it's handwaved by having his banishment be over, this makes Julius Caesar dumb as bricks due to allowing Brutus to stay by his side even after his attempt to murder Caesarion.
- Running Gag:
- People not knowing who Vercingetorix is, or that he had a daughter.
- People either refusing to say Vercingetorix's name, or only whisper it.
- Obelix trying to get Dogmatix to seek Adrenalin, even when they are in a boat in the middle of the ocean.
- Baba the lookout complaining about someone stealing his position whenever a character hides in the crow's nest.
- Shout-Out:
- Binjwatchflix to binge watching and Netflix.
- Selfipix (Or Selfix in French) to selfies.
- Selfipix also makes a helmet resembling a baseball cap (and actually names it as such), which he claims you can wear backwards.
- While pursuing Binjwatchflix, in the same panel Fulliautomatix throws his hammer and Vitalstatistix throws his shield like a discus. Remind you of something?
- One of the pirates (who has never been seen before) is a caricature of singer Charles Aznavour. He is drunkenly quoting one of Aznavour's songs, though at the same time (at least in the English version) the other pirates are singing a version of "Karma Chameleon".
- Third Time's The Charm: For the pirates when it comes to robbing Ekonomikrisis the merchant. They tried to do this in two previous stories, but both of those times, Asterix and Obelix where there to defend Ekonomikrisis. This time, the poor guy was not so lucky.
- Threatening Shark: The last we see of Binjwatchflix is him being stalked by a shark as he swims away.
