All rights to Miraculous Ladybug belong to Zagtoon, Method Animation, Thomas Astruc, and Disney. All rights to Persona 5 go to Atlus and Sega. This is my own creative work.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news!" Yeah, Ladybug was anything but bemused.

If anything, she was ready to tear the upholstery in the couch she was sitting in apart. Her fingers grasped at the fabric and she could hear tears forming. The spotlight was practically laughing at her, beaming down, putting her on the spot for her latest show of incompetence.

She sat before a happy Nadja Chamack, waving to the camera and denying her journalist instincts to inquire, thankfully. Her suit and designer jeans looked so perfectly ironed and pressed – it was a forgotten joy to Ladybug to appear so pristine. Cat Noir was looking the same way, sitting next to her and giving a trademark wink to the fans at home.

"Welcome back to our primetime segment, everyone. I'm here with Paris's superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir to talk about the latest incident to hit Paris. Give them a round of applause."

She didn't even deserve machine-generated clapping. It had been a full week since her bizarre adventures with angels and phantoms. She had spent the days after scratching her head as to what had even happened, never mind the talking cat to wrap it all up. The heroine had gone through every scenario in her head of what it was: magic, illusions, some bizarre cosplay enactment, nothing that made any more sense than the previous guess. Her parents had been quick to note the growing bags under her eyes.

Then came that morning…

The fashion world's jaws collectively dropped. The city of lights nearly went dark.

Camille Pernet came racing out of her hotel room, in cheap rags of clothing including sweatpants, and screamed with bawling eyes. They'd barely caught her stringing words between all the wails as she ran to the police station. She barged in and collapsed on the front desk, confessing to all manner of crimes. Her manipulating young men and women, pressuring people in high positions, and using some strange ability to control Antonio Silva.

Her image came up on the large monitor behind them. Ladybug's face went rigid and she turned away at the sight of the woman. Cat turned to her and blinked, and she turned her head further in that moment.

"There were reports of such behavior, but it was nothing the police could prove until this incident." Nadja continued.

"It really was something." Cat shrugged. "Heard social media's meming the heck out of it already."

Right. Everyone else was treating this as the trend of the day. Her foot began to tap up a storm.

"Based on reports we've gotten and the matching circumstances from a while back, many people have confirmed that this was indeed the work of the notorious Phantom Thieves." She smiled as if nothing was wrong with that.

"Nobody can say those guys don't make a flashy entrance." Cat chuckled. "I think they've left us all paw-sitively speechless."

Both were smiling, laughing, no different than the hordes of masses that got a day's worth of entertainment. The heroine had half a mind to scream and call them out, but she paused. That would make her seem rude, or crazy. Better to let the laughs out and cross the bridge of serious matters once they'd gotten their footing on the mood.

"So we want to hear it from Paris' top two heroes. What do you think?"

"Huh?" Ladybug jumped.

"Your thoughts on this matter." Nadja smiled professionally. "Do you believe this was the results of the Phantom Thieves' actions?"

"Well… I-I mean…"

What did she say here? She had gotten the hang of interviews after a while and thank god Nadja wasn't talking about her and Cat's relationship status. This was business, pure and simple. She took her breath and looked back on the matter.

"I can definitely confirm this was them. I met with Mademoiselle Pernet the morning after they had made their announcement." She spoke steadily. "I saw the calling card that had been sent. No doubt it was the real deal."

"Wait, seriously!?" Cat blinked. "This is a yarn to me!"

"Were you able to see the Thieves?"

Oh, she saw them, all right. Ladybug bit her lip. The question was how to explain the heavenly castle and Pernet turning into a monster. Paris had its fair share of weirdness due to Miraculous and Hawk Moth, but this was too much. It wouldn't convey much confidence if she had no clue of what happened.

"… I didn't." Her fists grabbed the magic-made fabric of her suit. "There was no trace of anyone."

"Archangel showed up." Cat shrugged. "Nothing a little Cat attack couldn't handle. It was weird though. Halfway through the battle, he just froze…. Then he turned back."

That was the other weird thing. Silva had been admitted to the hospital at the end of it all, escorted by the police and medics. The model had recovered around the same time Pernet had given her confession – at the exact same time, in fact. What made it baffling was that he had no memory of ever getting Akumatized, or arriving in Paris, or even being in a relationship with Pernet. His doctor and manager had classified it as amnesia brough on as the result of the incidents.

She didn't buy that for a minute.

Nadja turned back to the camera. "For those who don't know, there's been a longstanding debate surrounding the Phantom Thieves, even in their home country of Japan. Some believe the Phantom Thieves are vigilantes righting wrongs the law does not catch. Others believe they are criminals causing chaos."

"If I were a Phantom Thief, I'd want to be the good guy." Cat chuckled.

"Cat!"

"What?"

The newswoman scrolled through her tablet. "But we want to hear from you viewers at home! What do you think of the Phantom Thieves? Let's get our first caller!"

The screen behind them warped into a colorful mess of pixels that quickly shifted. Ladybug startled watching the familiar shade of her best friend's eyes come into focus and snapped her head away. The journalist-to-be didn't notice.

"Alya Cesaire, one of our regular guests!" Nadja clapped. "Good to have you back on the show!"

"Thanks, Nadja!" Alya waved. "Sup, peeps! Be sure to check out the Ladyblog, as always!"

The strange thing was, the moment of self-promotion brought that tinge of exasperation that helped her relax. The heroine's smile was a bit less forced as she and Cat gave their greetings. Alya gave a bright fangirl smile as always.

"So, Alya, we want to hear from the hero authority herself. What do you think of the Phantom Thieves?"

"Are you kidding!? The PTs are awesome!"

Ladybug could feel her eye twitch, a reaction straight from Marinette.

"No surprise," Nadja spoke laughing. "Kids your age are fans of the Phantom Thieves overseas. They do seem to appeal to the young for the most part. What's your reason for supporting them?"

"Well, I mean, clearly they took down a bad guy." Alya crossed her arms, nodding. "It's crazy to think Camille Pernet was up to shady business like that, but hey, if you do the crime, you gotta do the time, right?"

The eye twitch got stronger. It traveled all the way to her left foot, beginning to tap.

"They helped a lot of people. I don't think there's any denying that. If you wanna throw a book of law at it, tell me where Ladybug and Cat Noir saving people from Hawk Moth is illegal."

Her foot was a jackhammer puncturing the ground at that point.

"You can never have too many heroes, am I right?"

"I THINK-!"

Her motormouth now had every eye in the studio, present and otherwise, on her. She wasn't even sure where the energy for that half-response came from and she certainly didn't know where it was going. Darting her eyes between everyone, Ladybug bounced her brain in the same way for a response.

"I think… uh… I-I think… you have… strong viewpoints?" That was her best shot? What did that even mean?

"Uh…" Cat and Alya were equal levels of confused.

Nadja cleared her throat and turned back to the camera. "Yes, well… thank you for calling Alya. We'll be sure to talk to you soon for the latest Ladyblog updates." Ladybug near sank to her knees when Alya vanished from the screen, her blood pressure sinking to human levels. "Now for our next caller!"

The screen switched again. This time, Mayor Bourgeois was front and center. Chloe's father maintained the air of authority as best he could, but the dimming angle and tinges of static couldn't hide the beads of sweat on his face. Ladybug cringed seeing it pool in his armpits and fought the urge to gag. The man was an official puddle.

"Mayor Bourgeois, an honor to have you on the sh-"

"This is a travesty! An outrage! An insurrection!"

"Uh, Mr. Mayor?"

"I swear to you, this will not stand! I am the mayor of Paris and I will not have criminals run loose in our city!"

"Mr. Mayor, if I could have a word-"

He slammed his fists on his desk. A few words had triggered him into the state of a raving, out of control wreck. "What is there to say, Ms. Chamack!? A band of renegades who just jump into the city and think they can do the police's work with their bizarre powers!? They are dangerous and should not be allowed to run free!"

Cat piped in, scratching his head. "No offense, Mr. Mayor, but Bugaboo and I sorta fall into that category ourselves."

"Eh… true." That little realization seemed to calm the mayor down, though it only sent Ladybug spiraling further. "Well, they've still sent our city into a full-blown panic! Their actions on Ms. Pernet can be considered an assault. Whatever heinous means they used to utter that out of her, it should not be left to chance!"

"So…" Nadja piped up this time, almost forgotten. "I take it this means you aren't a supporter."

"Hardly! And I hope the people of Paris will remember who defended them from these vicious renegades come Election Day."

"Yes, well, thank you Major Bourgeois." She swiped her screen and the man's face was gone. "So, we've heard two VERY different opinions just now. But let's hear once again from your special guests."

"Wha-" Ladybug stammered.

"We've seen firsthand how divided the public is on the matter. But what say the expert heroes?" She leaned in with rapt interest, her gaze laser pointed on her face. "What do you think of the Phantom Thieves?"

She froze, turning to anywhere else but the reporter. The camera crew and busy executives had all dropped their work to hear. The technicians in the glass overview above were standing over their equipment and staring down. Overhead, the buzz of the lights doubled in volume. Every speck of dust might have been staring at her had they the eyes to do so.

Every bit of tension she ever felt when doing class reports was there in spades. There was no right answer, no speech that could give her a passing grade in everyone's satisfaction. If she sided with the Thieves, she risked looking like a sympathizer to criminals in the eyes of power. She called them villains, she'd be hogging the spotlight and shatter the virtuous, ideal image the kids of Paris held of her. Dissatisfaction was a rocky, downhill slope to disappointment, then to anger, and Akumas waiting at the bottom.

Whatever word would slip out of her mouth now would turn half of Paris against her. And the only one who could hand hold her to the best decision was gone, living in ignorant bliss. All because she made a single mistake. She was no heroine now, she was a little girl in a costume and on the verge of tears.

"Well, as long as their talk of helping folks is fur real, I think we can all chill." Cat shrugged, leaning in. "Nobody's purr-fect, am I right?"

"C-CAT!"

Her jaw dropped. Of course this clown would say the most reckless and irresponsible thing!

"Interesting! Are you saying you approve of the Phantom Thieves?" Nadja asked.

"Maybe a little more like-"/"That's not what he meant to-"

A small chime rang and the theme for Nadja's show began to play. They had literally been saved by the bell.

"Ooh, sorry folks! That's all the time we had for tonight. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll see you next time. As always, don't be bemused, it's just the news!"

Ladybug rose from her seat and dragged Cat by his fake black ear. The action seemed to cause him pain, the boy hopping on one foot and muttering all the way out the door. If he was lucky it wouldn't be the last TV appearance of his life.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?"

The heroine had her partner forced to the wall in the darkest recesses of the studio, far from prying eyes. She didn't dare risk anyone seeing and resurrecting dead rumors of their relationship status. All they had for spectators were broken and unused stage lights, wires and the odd pack of cleaning supplies. A crack from the nearby door allowed him to catch the blaze of red fury that matched the hue of her suit.

Cat Noir held up his clawed hands in meager defense. His voice was more like a mewling kitten's begging for milk, rightfully. "Easy, milady. I just couldn't help but notice that the cat had gotten your tongue."

"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M IN THE MOOD FOR PUNS!?" She grabbed the boy and shook him by the shoulders. "Now people think we support the Phantom Thieves. That we approve of the actions of a bunch of vigilantes who came out of nowhere and did who knows what to a civilian to force that confession out of her!"

Cat's voice wobbled like a pinball in motion. "Well, don't we?"

She stopped hard. She gave a stare that could melt the wall behind him. "What?"

The feline hero sighed. "Okay, real talk. I wanted to help you 'cause you were fur-eaking out over this. If I had to give an honest opinion then, that was it."

"We don't know anything about-"

"Bug, they helped people. You can't deny that."

Of course she couldn't deny it. Because of the Phantom Thieves, girls with aspirations of making fashion had their dreams back and the means to achieve them. No one would ever suffer pressed under Pernet's golden-nailed thumb ever again. All that they needed was hard work and motivation, rather than the miracles it took to break through her. As Marinette she had seen some girls and even boys Pernet had used hug their family and friends in relief.

She pulled away and bit her lip.

After a long pause she turned back to Cat Noir, as steeled as ever. "We don't know if what they did had any kind of side effect. It might cause some long-lasting damage. The ends don't justify the means."

"So… you think they're bad guys?"

"No, no I… don't. I mean, they did… and they-"

"Let's take a few cat-steps back. You were like this during the interview too." Now it was his turn to grab her by the shoulders, and he could hold her down with the strength of a lion. "Is something going on?"

She ducked her head and swiped at her eye. Not even he could see her like this. She thanked the gallons of darkness in the rook for hiding her face. Though Cat's night vision could easily have caught her movement. Sometime those cat features of his could be more annoying than useful.

"Look, never mind. I'm just exhausted." What she wouldn't give to crash into her bed and sleep the stress away. At least a full 24 hours of sleep would get her back on course. But reality wasn't kind. "We can discuss this some other time."

"Time to hit the hay, then? No moonlit patrol route?"

"And no romantic dinner at the end." She shoved his face back when he was getting a little too close. "We've still got rendezvous plans, though."

The boy blinked. "Huh?"

She sighed. "The truth is, we've been called to a meeting. I had a bit of an unexpected encounter."

Cat flinched visibly, his ears pointing up. "What!? Are you trying to say there's another cat in your life!?"

"That's one way of putting it." She took her yoyo and hooked It to the rafters, swinging up and landing atop the beam. "We've got ourselves a meeting… with the Phantom Thieves."

After a series of bounds and leaps atop their sidewalks on the roofs, the two heroes touched base on the Grand Palais. Save for the mutters of a few random passersby and the odd passing car, the area was silent. Every light was out, barely any security guards around. The perfect setup for some kind of nefarious trap.

They had to be out of their minds to be doing this.

Being his goofy gentlemanly self, Cat opened the skylight. Sans the wide Cheshire grin he sported. "After you, milady."

She hopped down without a word, and Cat followed. She caught his fake tail twitching with the shimmers of moonlight on the magic leather. Cat always walked the borderline between grudging acceptance and refusal when it came to secrets. She was blowing him too far in that second direction right now. In her defense, it was a little hard to explain that she interacted with criminals, and that's once she got past all the other crazy things.

When Ladybug last set foot in here, she walked on clouds with gilded pillars of gold. Now her foot hit a marble floor with the crack echoing across plain stone walls. A prayer for normalcy was answered by the sight of the same large space for events. The same massive stairway and glass ceiling she had seen a bunch of times. Its plainness was divine singularity to her, though questions still rolled around in her head.

"Keep your eyes peeled. We don't know when or where they might strike." Ladybug raised her yoyo and began to swing it in defense.

"Should be soon, since, you know, you arranged a meeting."

She shot him a glare. He huffed a tired glance right back. Submitting, he drew his baton and extended it.

Backs pressed and weapons raised, they circled around. No avenue would be available for them to attack. Both kept their eyes to every shadow, focusing so as to push them back and expose whatever might have hid there.

But after ten whole minutes… nothing.

The two stood upright once more as Cat scratched his head. "Uh, maybe you got the meeting place wrong?"

Ladybug shot an irritated glare across her shoulder. "One, I know this city like the back of my hand, same as you. Two, I got the location very clearly from the talking cat."

"TALKING CAT!?" The male hero gasped. "Is there another feline in your life!?"

"In a manner of speaking…"

They both paused. Something in the air changed. A pulse that rippled the space like water.

Despite the similar surroundings, there was that strange sensation again. That feeling like the floor she walked on was an illusion as no sound came from her steps. Like the world around her was an elaborate painting with nothing to tell her senses it was real. Moments passed, yet the building, or the structure that resembled it, remained the same. Ladybug expected angels to descend from the ceiling for a split second. But the sound of people, even if only muffled before, had vanished completely.

Then a click came, and behind them, a wide TV screen that had gone unnoticed until now, switched to a static screen that slowly came into focus. It revealed eight bodies standing side by side, silhouettes against the light.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir. Welcome." The voice of the Phantom Thieves' leader, if slightly disguised by technical edits, came unmistakably to Ladybug's ears. "We've been expecting you."

"Phantom Thieves…"

There were quite a few new faces, even if all were hidden in shadow by the light hitting their backs. Still, she recognized the four that she had encountered in that strange place. Fists clenched, she took a step forward and grimaced staring at the screen, knowing it was the closest she could get to staring the leader in the eye.

Cat took a much less serious approach. "So you're the new cats on the block. Hey, there."

"Oh, a pleasure to meet you." The girl in the feathered hat took as kindly an approach, even bowing.

Ladybug jabbed in in the elbow. "Cat!"

"What? No need to get our tails in a twitch."

She dragged a hand across her face and turned back to the screen. "What happened last week? What did you do to Camille Pernet? And Antonio Silva?"

"The circumstances regarding Antonio Silva were unique to us." The short-haired woman with spiked shoulders spoke. "As for Ms. Pernet, you should already know the answer."

"Right, you 'stole her heart.' What does that even mean? How do you steal someone's heart?"

"Maybe the way you stole mine, bugaboo." Cat shrugged. She glared at him.

To be more precise, we stole the warped desires contained within her heart. It appeared at the time that Mr. Silva was the source of said desires." The tall boy spoke in a cordial manner. "Though as was previously stated, it is a new circumstance that a person is the source of another's desires."

"Kitty cat pretty much got it right, in a manner of speaking." The goggle-wearing girl, Oracle, stated.

They thought they were superheroes, of all things. At this point, they were just playing mind games with her, and her nerves were taut and strained enough as it was. Even as she shot rapid-fire questions she was squinting, looking past the shadows and masks for any hint of the humans beneath. They had to be human, right? Though, given everything, she couldn't even be sure of that anymore.

Ladybug took in air through every possible entryway. She blinked away the screen's brightness imprinted in her eyes. Calm and cunning were the keys to victory here. She had to piece her words together carefully. "Alright, let's try this again. What is it you're after?"

"The Phantom Thieves change the hearts of evildoers. We help the weak and crush the strong." The small creature at the bottom piped in. Odds were high that was the talking cat, Mona. Aside from that, they either had a major hero complex, or it was only justification behind something more sinister.

"I'm guessing there are a lot of evildoers in Japan, aren't there?"

"There are people like that everywhere you look." The girl with pigtails spoke up, tension growing in her own voice. "People who do whatever they want, hurt whoever they want. They're like roaches: you'll find a swarm of them under any rock. They can be closer than you think."

She grit her teeth. They'd dodged the question. "So why come to Paris? Why now, of all times?"

"There's an important matter we need to discuss with you." The short-haired girl spoke again.

"Does it have to do with your 'mission?'" She crossed her arms and gripped them with the strength of iron clamps.

It was beginning to add up – good intentions on paper coupled with bizarre powers equaled those same intentions taken to a megalomaniacal level. They had no Miraculous of their own, that was established, but that didn't necessarily mean a Miraculous wasn't in play at all here. The repeated showdowns with Archangel might as well have been the perfect set-up. She'd seen people with pure thoughts taking it a step too far after Hawk Moth nudged them in the wrong direction, towards where his Akumas were waiting.

Still, if these were agents of Hawk Moth, it was strange that they were playing the long con. Their longtime foe would have just made an open grab for the Miraculous and been done with it. She kept her hands fixed on her arms; making a move to guard her earrings might show she was on to their game.

"Okay, people. Let's tone it down a few degrees, shall we?" Cat stepped in with a wide grin on his face and a rosy tint coming in clear in the moonlight. "No need to go at it like cats and dogs."

"Cat, will you please-"

"No, he's correct. There's no need for all this." The girl with the hat said. "We called you here this evening because we wish to discuss the possibility of a deal."

They both stopped. "A deal?"

"If you cooperate with us and we know you're on the same page, we might be a little more willing to share our methods." Mona spoke again, a taunt glistening on the tips of his small fangs. "You've made it pretty clear that's what you want. Don't show your hand before making any moves – that's the most basic of basics."

"They got you good, milady-tective."

All pretenses gone, she clutched at her earrings and stared daggers at the screen hoping their gazes were locked together. "You can't seriously expect us to trust you. How do we know all of this isn't some elaborate trap?"

"You can always walk away and risk another Archangel showing up." Joker said.

"We can handle it."

"Can you?"

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing!"

She shouted Alya's advice, the words that had given her strength for so long, to the building, the screen, and the thieves hiding behind it. She expected it to rattle them to their core, to shoot some pulse of integrity down their spines.

It did not go the way she'd hoped.

"…What?"

The pigtailed girl was clenching her fists, her hairs almost bristling. She stepped forward, and even though the two of them were separated by a screen, possibly millions of miles, Ladybug took a step back.

"W-What…?"

"Do nothing?... Good people don't do nothing."

Whatever blind resolve she had crammed into her petite frame was gone. She watched as the flames began to flicker from the girl's eyes and burn away at the edge of her mask. It was finally dawning on her that she was in the presence of strange beings with strange powers, a world unknown to her. A bead of sweat ran down her face as the blood drained and the room went cold.

"I don't care who you think you are, all you're doing is taking down the baddie of the day in some stupid comic-book fantasy come to life. You don't know the first thing about helping people in real need! So keep your high and mighty BS to yourself!"

"Panther!" Joker called out. "That's enough."

The fires on the other girl settled, yet she still focused on the heroine with a steely glare. The blues of her eyes became radiant, still lit with that ethereal blue flame like a lantern in the darkness. Ladybug found herself short of breath continuing to stare.

She shook her head and slapped herself. Communications were breaking; she had to compose herself and get back on track. The heroine wrenched her gaze away from Panther and turned instead to Joker. A poor move, as his gaze was just as steeled, even without the flicker of rebellious flames.

"Well, I mean, it's just some advice I-"

"Uh, right…" Cat piped in, forgotten in the heat of the moment. "You guys… said you wanted to make a deal?"

"Indeed." The tall boy spoke. "We're quite aware the situation with Archangel was an entirely new phenomenon?"

"Yeah, he just kept appearing, no matter how many times we took him down. He really needed to take a chill pill."

"Considering what happened when you confronted Pernet, there are too many foreign variables here." The short-haired girl explained. "We'd look into this ourselves but there is the chance this will bleed over and cause problems in the city. Our abilities have limits."

"That's not exactly something you should be saying to a superhero."

"At this point, I'm not even convinced you're ANY kind of hero. So. Shut. UP." Panther seethed.

Ladybug flinched visibly, the jolt running down her spine like lightning.

"It will be too much of a hassle for either of us to go it alone, so the best solution is that we cooperate on this matter." The other girl continued.

"So we propose a deal." Mona added, crossing his arms, or paws, and doubling his presence. "At least until this is resolved, we work together. You don't betray us and we don't betray you. That's the code of the Phantom Thieves in these situations."

Ladybug swallowed hard wrenching at her wrist and put her mind to work. There was no way to turn this around and no way it would turn out good on any end. She glanced to Cat Noir, who only returned her look, the one of dependence. She reached for her earrings, then to her yoyo, then to open air, knowing not one would help her in this situation. There was no way to win.

No way… save for the least savory option.

"We can… do this-"

"Can you?" Joker asked.

"It took you guys a whole month just to deal with the angry pigeon. He'd still be slicing buildings if we hadn't shown up." Oracle went and rubbed salt in the wound. "You guys are way too low-level to handle this yourselves."

"Working together may be the only way we'll figure this out." Joker finished. "So, deal?"

She'd resisted, but it was to no avail. The least savory option it had to be. And who knows where any of them would be when it was all over. Too shaken to even consider her prior theories or summon up her courage, the word that sealed their fates for the immediate future escaped her lips beyond her control.

"…Deal."

Joker only nodded, as the rest followed. "We'll be in touch." With that, the screen shut off and the space returned to normal. Ladybug and Cat Noir stood together alone, beneath a lone beam of moonlight at the blank glass.

What now?

Thank you all for your patience. I had a lot on my plate, and a lot was going on over here. All in all, I'm glad everyone hung in there for this chapter.

The second part was something I was really looking forward to writing, but at the same time, it was difficult to think of how it would play out. After all, the PTs don't change outfits unless they're in someone's Palace and the Palace ruler sees them as an enemy. With Pernet's distorted desires gone, there's nothing overshadowing the Grand Palais's form. They'd just appear as normal. I figured they'd have to pull a similar trick to their mass media takeover in Japan. We can't have identities spilling out so soon right?

Another part that was interesting for me to consider was that small clash between Ladybug and Panther. I have to admit, I didn't really understand the meaning behind that phrase of Majestia's: "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing." Here, I guess I just interpreted it as 'don't do anything reckless or that you might regret. Just live your life and stick to the right path and good will ultimately win in the end.'

That wouldn't sit right with Panther. Persona fans and those who know Ann will understand the reason why. Besides, Ladybug is based off of Spiderman and as opposed to her, that guy has MORE than his fair share of critics (looking at you, JJ). It does go into her character arc, but aside from that, I think its pretty unrealistic that she could go this long without public criticism.

And for those who are asking about the sequel to my Skylanders Academy story, I hear you. In fact, that's my reason for being so late with this chapter – I am working on it. I just had notes on it before, but then I lost those notes and now I'm having to set up the storyline and the character arcs and all that jazz all over again. You just need a little time for story ideas to stew and to gain reference to build a decent plot, am I right?

Anyway, I know it's late, but let's hit up some reviews:

Tinnyterror: I usually draw whatever comes to mind. I've tried to draw my own original characters at some point, but I'm also looking at tutorials to really refine my art process. I've been a traditional kind of guy for a long time.

Nighthawk6595: Yeah, that pretty much sums up the last chapter. Marinette's in a position where the unknown scares her a little bit. She has to keep everything under control and the Phantom Thieves are just too chaotic a variable right now.

Cold-heart-Angel23: I know Ladybug is supposed to be portrayed as this heroic figure who can do anything to girls, but even she's got to have challenges. That makes people root for her all the more. But yeah, I've been putting her through the wringer.

Empourer: I won't say whether they are or they're not. I figure if that were to happen, doing it so soon in the story might be a little anticlimactic. Awakening to a Persona is basically a declaration to the world that you're not going to be screwed with. That might have to be earned a little.

Nathan Dripps: I'll be honest, crossovers aren't usually my thing either. It just seems like there's way too many clunky ways to set them up and so many ways they can go wrong. I don't really want to just write something where 'hey, these heroes from different universes team up or meet each other! So Awesome!' happens. I want everything to feel alive, the crossover to feel like something that can happen, and of course I want the characters to have personality. Superhero team-ups are always rocky at first – I just find that believable.

Anyway, that might be it for updates on this one for a while. I set myself so I can work on updating other stories once I got past this chapter for TYH. We'll see which one I want to work on. I have enough to start on the first chapter of Skylanders Academy Pt. 2, or I can work on Dragons: Race to Tomorrow since I've let that one sit long enough. I even have that Digimon story in the works.

Oy, I do too much.

Well, as always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!