La gran diosa zorra fantasma: Glad you enjoyed the chapter; I thought it was a fun combo thematically. Yeah, ML season 5 is a disaster and that's a mild description for it. Also yes, I saw the Miraculous movie. It had a few things I liked seeing, such as Marinette's anxiety, Nino skateboarding, and Adrien finally being allowed to call out Gabriel on his neglectful parenting, but most of it was lackluster.

Symbolic Joker: Yeah, Owl House resonated with me so much that I wanted to focus on that for a while. If you visit my AO3, you'll see how active I've been in that fandom. I hadn't thought about Tucker collecting obsolete technology as a hobby, but that's a great idea; he definitely does now. I can also confirm that Ember's cameo in the line for the portal was in the canon show; it helps that she is due to show up soon.

Matt: Yeah, season 5 is getting overhauled HARD because of how much I hate it. As for Mendeleiev, I already said in my Evillustrator notes that while, yes, she was justified in giving him detention for not paying attention in class, it's another thing to publicly announce him failing the class to his peers and calling his art, something he takes pride in, chicken scratch. She was both right and wrong.

Jebest4781: Glad you liked the chapter.

Johnymike98: I can confirm that Ali is not involved in Juleka's akumatization into Reflekta.

Pokémon fan 1991: Glad you enjoyed the parallels in the chapter; it really came together for me when I was planning the chapter. Good to see another season 5 hater; I understand wanting to make it better.

Spear: Glad you liked the chapter. I thought with magic being a thing it would be fun to play with the idea Juleka's jinx was real. It's funny that you mention the DP and ML group joining forces.

Sonic: Yeah, it does. Glad you agree.

Tiamat Dragoness: Welcome back! Glad you liked the stuff with the jinx and Ali subplots.

Erica phoenix16: Thank you for reading!

Friendly reminder that speculation about future chapters and what you want to see is okay, but please leave a comment about the chapter I just worked very hard on if you intend to speculate.

Also, Two Kinds has a TVTropes page, so if you think of any trope examples for it, go ahead and add them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or Miraculous Ladybug. They belong to their respective owners. Any and all familiar dialogue is for the sake of the plot.

One Kind of Romantic Luck, Part Two

Adrien checked his hair one more time in his mirror. He messed with some strands.

"And… done! Perfect!" Adrien smiled at his reflection.

"Finally!" Plagg flew over, grumbling. "Why are you taking so long with your hair today? You've been fixing it forever."

Adrien turned away from the bathroom mirror. "It's school picture day, Plagg! My first one!"

"School picture day?"

"Yeah. Schools all over the world print out yearbooks every year so students can remember their classmates and teachers. To make the yearbook, everybody gets their picture taken on school picture day." Adrien and Plagg left the bathroom so Adrien could grab his backpack from his computer desk. "We can also order copies of our pictures to share with friends and family members. Since this is my first picture day, I want to look perfect."

Plagg rolled his eyes at his holder and dove into the backpack. "Don't see why you need a whole book full of faces you don't know. You only know what? Twenty people at that school in total?"

"Maybe, but I haven't even gotten to the most exciting part. Since yearbooks are handed out at the end of the school year, everybody gets theirs signed by their classmates. We get to leave fun little messages for them to remember us by."

"You can do that at any time with a letter or a sticky note."

Shaking his head fondly at his kwami's argument, Adrien left his room to go downstairs. When he got down there, he was met by Gabriel, Nathalie, and the Gorilla.

"You seem rather eager to get to school today, Adrien," Gabriel said, arms folded behind his back professionally as usual.

The teen model nodded. "Picture day at school, Father. I'll be getting my picture taken like everyone else."

Gabriel frowned. "Unfortunately, that will not be necessary." He glanced over at Nathalie. "Find out who is in charge of picture day at the school, and send them one of Adrien's modeling photos."

Adrien gave his father an uncertain look. "Um, I think only the seniors are allowed to send in professional photos. Since they won't be in the yearbook next year and all."

Gabriel turned his back on his son and walked into the office. "I'm sure they'll listen to reason."

"You should be on your way to school," Nathalie added, following her boss.

The Gorilla grunted an acknowledgement and gestured for Adrien to head out to the car. Frowning at his father's back, Adrien went outside with his bodyguard. He and the Gorilla got in the car, driving out of the Agreste Manor driveway.

The Gorilla dropped Adrien off at the curb like every school day, and Adrien walked inside Casper High on a mission as his bodyguard drove away.

"So much for picture day, huh?" Plagg asked, poking his head out of the open zipper on Adrien's backpack.

Adrien shook his head, stating, "I'm not giving up, Plagg. This is something normal kids do every year, and I am not missing out."

He had heard pictures were typically taken in the gym, so that's where he decided to check first. Upon entering the gym, he found he was correct; cameras, lights, and generic backgrounds were being set up all around so multiple people could get their picture taken simultaneously.

He did show some surprise at who oversaw the project, though.

He approached the head photographer. "Giuseppe? You're in charge of picture day?" He asked his usual modeling photographer.

The man smiled at him. "Ah, Mr. Agreste. You didn't think the Gabriel brand was my only client, did you?"

"All set up over here, sir!" Adrien and Giuseppe turned and saw another photographer coming over. Once again, Adrien did a double take.

"Vincent Aza? You're helping with picture day too?" Adrien blinked.

The younger photographer shrugged. "Well, if I can't photograph the rest of Jagged Stone's tour this year, I have to find other gigs to pay for my studio somehow."

"The lengths Mr. Aza is willing to go for a picture sometimes are… questionable, but there's no denying he has an eye for a good shot. I've seen his portfolio," Giuseppe remarked, standing beside Vincent.

"Thank you!" Vincent said brightly.

Nodding at his associate's gratitude, Giuseppe returned his attention to Adrien. "Anyway, did you need something, Mr. Agreste?"

Adrien brightened at the question. "Actually, yeah. My father wants to send in one of my professional photos for the yearbook instead of me getting my picture taken like everyone else. The thing is professional photos are supposed to be for the senior students only, but my father is going to argue otherwise. Any chance I can get my picture taken like my classmates, and you can 'make a mistake' and print that one instead of whichever photo he and Nathalie send in?"

Giuseppe put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Sounds like a complicated situation you have. On the one hand, we should follow school picture day rules. On the other hand, your father has a very powerful influence in the photography industry. I could get in trouble if I don't do as he says."

Vincent seemed to be thinking it over too before he raised his hand. "Let me take the heat for it. I don't have a contract with the Gabriel brand, so I would think he can't do much to me." He clapped a hand on Adrien's shoulder supportively. "Don't worry. We'll get that picture sorted out for you. Your picture in the yearbook should be the one you want, not what someone else wants."

"That would be great. Thanks, Vincent! And don't worry about taking the blame, I'll tell Father that I ignored his orders and had the one I wanted put in." The teen model smiled cheekily. "Besides, the yearbook won't be published until the end of the year, right? I'm sure he'll have forgotten all about this by then."

"Let's hope," said Giuseppe. [1]

Feeling the situation would be handled, Adrien left the gym, waving to the photographers. "See you later for my picture!"

"The seniors will be getting their pictures taken first, followed by the juniors, and so on. Your last two periods for the afternoon are cancelled since you will be going last, but you are still expected to attend the rest of the classes for the day." Ms. Bustier explained to the class at homeroom.

Multiple students groaned at the thought of still having to attend class.

Kim groaned to Max. "So much for a free day."

Once Ms. Bustier declared the rest of the period was theirs to do as they wished, everyone either started doing homework they had yet to complete or began talking with each other.

"This picture day is so exciting!" Marinette squealed to Adrien, Alya, and Nino around her. "This picture day is important for so many reasons."

"Yeah! My first picture day since moving here!" Alya cheered. "The twins were hyped up this morning about it too."

"This is my first picture day ever," Adrien declared. "I can't wait to have another normal kid experience, even the waiting in line part."

Nino pointed at the back corner of the room near the window, where Juleka and Rose sat. "It's also the first picture day for Juleka since you managed to break her jinx, Marinette." Rose seemed to be rambling to Juleka, who bobbed her head every few moments and kept rubbing at her new wrist mirror. "I don't know how you did it, dudette, but that was mondo cool."

Adrien looked at Marinette in confusion. "Speaking of, how did you break it, anyway? You never told us."

Marinette thought back at his question.

She put the finished wrist mirror in the gift box, but didn't wrap it.

"So, this friend you're taking the mirror to is who again?" Marinette asked her kwami.

"The Guardian of the Miraculous. He's the one who gave you and Chat Noir yours," Tikki answered confidently. "He's the only person I know that might have an idea of how to lift the jinx."

Marinette looked between her and the box. "If he's the Guardian, then why haven't we met him?"

Tikki shook her tiny head. "He instructed Plagg and I to only take you both to meet him when something important comes along. He's trying to stay as hidden from Hawk Moth and his akumas as possible. Since Plagg and I can sneak around easier, it shouldn't be a problem if I take the mirror and have him put some enchantment on it to counter the jinx." [2]

"I don't know…" Marinette hesitated.

The red kwami landed on top of the gift box. "Trust me, Marinette. This is for Juleka. The time will come when you can meet the Guardian in person."

The human girl thought for a moment and took a breath. "Okay. For Juleka. Just let me put a ribbon on this so you can carry it easier." She dug in a drawer and withdrew a roll of ribbon.

Coming back to the present, Marinette started to speak up after realizing she hadn't answered the question yet.

"Uh, you know…" Her face grew red at her crush's attention on her. "Just… thought… present… good?"

"Like a good luck charm, or something?" Nino clarified.

Marinette squeaked, still staring at Adrien.

Something clicked in Adrien's head and he reached into his backpack. "Oh, you mean like the good luck charm you gave me?" He held up the charm she gave him during their practice for the game tournament.

She squeaked again when she saw the charm, her face gaining deeper shade of red.

Her reaction seemed to confuse Adrien, who looked at Nino and Alya for help. Neither best friend had an answer for him, though Alya had a better idea and wouldn't reveal it without Marinette's approval.

The day progressed with the seniors getting their pictures taken and then the juniors. The break for lunch was announced, and plenty of students took extra care to eat cleanly for their picture in the afternoon.

Rose and Juleka had barely left the lunch line with their trays loaded when Rose was swarmed by the A-lister girls.

"Rose, come with us! We're sitting over here!" Star declared.

"Yeah!" Paulina squealed. "We have to catch up on cute outfits and perfumes!"

Taken aback, Rose put up slight protest, not wanting to be rude. "Um, okay? But I was going to-!" She threw Juleka an apologetic gaze when Paulina, Star, and a few other popular girls forcefully guided her over to their table.

Left behind, Juleka sighed and went to find another seat. She stood in the middle of the cafeteria, searching until someone flagged her down.

"Juleka, over here!" Marinette waved her arm above her head.

Juleka, rather reluctantly, went over and joined Marinette's table. Her head lowered, she could still sense the presence of Marinette, Alya, Nino, Adrien, Danny, Sam, and Tucker around her.

"The A-listers are still going crazy over Rose, huh?" Sam asked.

"Yeah… it's been a week since those articles released… I just want everything to go back to normal already…" Juleka used her fork to roll her food around her tray, her appetite suddenly gone.

Adrien tried to give her an encouraging smile. "Well, I'm sure Rose will come back soon. Take it from someone who was part of the A-listers, the glamour wears off after a while."

"Ditto," Danny agreed.

Across the cafeteria, Chloe seethed from where she and Sabrina stood observing the A-listers, waiting for Chloe's butler to arrive with their lunch for the day.

"This is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous," Chloe complained to her best friend. "They're still worshipping Lavillant just because she was seen in photos with Prince Ali. They should be worshipping me instead because he was staying at my daddy's hotel!" She stomped her foot, annoyed.

Sabrina tapped at her phone. "Well, it's not like you could tell them he was staying at the Grand Amity Park. You, your father, and all the staff signed non-disclosure agreements, remember?"

Chloe snarled at her. "Yes, I do remember. Thank you, Sabrina!" She returned her gaze to the A-listers, specifically Rose surrounded by them. "I was just starting to assert power over the A-listers now that Gray is out; I can't have Sanchez rising back into the top spot again. We need to make her leave the A-listers and crawl back to her own little group of losers, but how?" She tapped her foot impatiently, crossing her arms.

Looking up from her phone, Sabrina happened to notice Juleka getting up from the table she was at and pointed. "Hey, what about Juleka? She and Rose are really close. Maybe if we accuse Rose of forgetting about her, she'll go back."

The hotel heiress considered Juleka's downtrodden body language as she left the cafeteria, and smirked. "You might be onto something, Sabrina, but I think I have a better idea."

Juleka stood in the restroom nearest to the cafeteria, flipping through pictures of Rose she had saved on her phone. Sighing, she rubbed at her new wrist mirror, trying to remind herself of the new positive in her life.

She flipped back to the selfie Alya and Marinette had sent her, the one of them in homeroom the same morning she had gotten her wrist mirror from Marinette, the first picture she had of herself since the jinx started. Even if she wasn't the focus of the photo, her face was completely unobstructed and fully in frame. When she asked Marinette how that was possible, her classmate had only hinted at the mirror being a charm of sorts. As long as she wore it when she was having pictures taken of her, they would be successful, she claimed. [3]

She hadn't even told Rose yet; her best friend was caught up in being friendly with the A-listers that they hardly spent any time together outside of homeroom in the past week, including the weekend when they usually hung out.

"Rose…" The shy goth whispered the name on her breath.

The door to the restroom slammed open, and Chloe sauntered in with Sabrina dutifully by her side.

"Having a good day, Couffaine?" Chloe sneered haughtily.

Juleka refused to look at her. "Leave me alone, Chloe…"

The bully stepped closer and Juleka took a step closer to the wall.

"Lavillant's having a lot of fun hanging out with the A-listers, you know. The others love having her around, for some reason, and she loves telling them all about her stupid perfume and how meeting that prince was like some cliché fairy tale," Chloe rambled on.

Juleka trembled as Chloe moved nearer and continued to do so until she backed against the wall. "Please stop…"

Chloe pretended to examine her nails. "I shouldn't be surprised. Nobody can resist being surrounded by the most popular kids in school. Pretty soon, she'll probably forget all about you."

"N-no. Sh-she wouldn't."

"I don't know. I think she already has," Chloe taunted, looking up from her nails. "This whole time she's been with us, she hasn't so much as mentioned you. Sabrina, do you remember hearing about Couffaine from Lavillant?"

Sabrina pretended to think about it. "Mm… nope!"

Chloe laughed. "Just as I thought. You better start looking for a new group of losers; I don't think she's going to be coming back to you any time soon." Turning, she left the restroom. "Come on, Sabrina. Jean-Robert should be here by now."

"Coming!" Sabrina chirped, leaving Juleka alone.

Weakly, Juleka slid down to her knees. "She… she wouldn't just leave me behind… Rose…"

-LB-CN-P-

"Poor girl, feeling so lonely and ignored. How terrible it must feel that you don't even exist. Come here, little friend." Hawk Moth allowed a butterfly to land on his palm and he gave it his power. "Fly, my vile akuma, and give this transparent soul a voice and vision!"

The butterfly flew out the window towards Casper High.

-LB-CN-P-

The tears began to fall to the restroom floor when the butterfly arrived and entered Juleka's wrist mirror. She stopped crying almost instantly and the outline of Hawk Moth's mask framed her half-hidden face.

"Reflekta," she heard his voice in her head, "I am Hawk Moth. From now on, you will be the only one people will see! No one will ever ignore you again! However, you must do me a favor in return when the time comes."

"Yes, Hawk Moth…" Juleka murmured, and the dark energy washed over her.

Marinette couldn't help constantly peeking over at Juleka's tray worriedly. "Juleka's been gone a while. Do you guys think she's okay?"

"Maybe we should go check on her?" Nino suggested.

The door to the cafeteria was kicked open. Everyone turned and stared at who entered so intensely. Juleka's form had changed. Her skin was pale, like a vampire's, but now she wore heavy pink makeup that made her face resemble that of a clown's, and she wore a pink blouse and skirt with pink eye motifs on the sleeves and skirt. She also wore high-heeled boots and a twisty pink hat that resembled cylindrical horns.

"Hello, Casper High!" Reflekta announced wickedly.

At the A-listers' table, Paulina began to laugh maliciously. "Who let the clown in the school?" At her laughter, the rest of the A-listers started cackling as well.

Rose, who sat in the middle of several girls in the popular clique, wisely kept quiet.

"Nobody's ever noticed me, but those days are over! But from now on, everybody will notice me because everybody will look like me! Time to get a new look!" To prove her point, Reflekta fired a beam from her wrist mirror at the students seated closest to her and turned them into identical copies of herself. The transformation seemed to be the signal everyone needed to panic. Most of the cafeteria jumped from their seats, screaming and attempting to flee. "Soon there will be Reflektas everywhere! No need to panic! Who doesn't love an extreme makeover?"

Marinette, Adrien, Danny, and their friends had enough sense to duck under their table right away while Reflekta beamed most of the A-listers.

"I don't want a makeover, especially not that kind!" Tucker remarked frantically. "I just reclaimed the techno geek look!"

Alya had her phone out, accessing her Ladyblog. "Just who is that? What do they want?"

Sam peeked out from under the table and quickly hid underneath again. "It has to be Juleka. She must have gotten it into her head that Rose is ignoring her and is trying to make her notice her again."

Adrien glanced at the others in confusion. "But, Rose isn't like that. Where would Juleka get that idea?"

"Soon everyone in Amity Park will look like me! Including Chloe Bourgeois!" Reflekta boasted. "Has anyone seen Chloe Bourgeois?"

The expressions of Adrien's friends immediately went deadpan at Reflekta's mention of Chloe.

"That would do it," the six students said in unison, unnerving Adrien.

"We need to split up," Danny decided. He pointed at himself, Sam, and Tucker. "We'll try sneaking out through the kitchen." He then gestured to Marinette, Adrien, Alya, and Nino. "You guys try sneaking around Reflekta and going out the main exit."

"Right! Come on, guys!" Marinette took point and crawled away from the table, and her three friends followed. While they did that, Danny and his group went the other way.

Reflekta walked among the fleeing students, zapping them left and right, until she arrived at the A-listers' table, where Rose was still sitting nervously.

"Won't be so easy to forget me now. Huh, Rose?" Reflekta sneered, jumping on top of the table.

Rose gasped. "Juleka?"

"I'm not Juleka anymore. I'm Reflekta!" Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Reflekta spotted the group of Marinette, Adrien, Alya, and Nino trying to get out the cafeteria's exit. Spinning quickly, she fired beams at them, hitting Alya and Nino but not Marinette and Adrien, who were quicker. "Nice try!" She allowed herself a smirk briefly before scanning around and not finding her target. "Where is Chloe Bourgeois?!"

Jumping off the table, Reflekta ran out the exit to continue the search. Behind her, Rose finally stood from the table.

"Oh no, this is all my fault!" She clutched her head, close to tears.

"Chloe Bourgeois!"

Marinette heard Reflekta's yell, but didn't stop running until she hid in the nearest girls' restroom. In the safety of a stall, she let Tikki out of her purse. "Reflekta won't be able to ignore Ladybug. Tikki, spots on!"

Meanwhile, Adrien managed to find an unlocked supply closet and hid in there.

"Guess picture day isn't going to turn out like you thought it would," Plagg remarked once Adrien let him out of his shirt pocket.

Adrien grinned at him. "Hey now, if we hurry, there's still time. Plagg, claws out!"

In the back hallway behind the kitchen, Sam and Tucker kept watch while Danny transformed.

"Going ghost!" Danny declared, the familiar rings forming around him.

Giuseppe, Vincent, Mr. Damocles, and Mr. Lancer were in the gymnasium with some of the students, the adults talking about the day's progress when Reflekta kicked the doors open and started zapping them with her beam.

Once she got everyone, she assessed them then stomped her foot. "None of you are Chloe Bourgeois? She must be trying to escape the campus!" She turned and ran back out into the halls, doing it surprisingly easily with her high heels.

Quickly making her way out of the school, she found Chloe and Sabrina running toward the limo that Chloe had summoned.

"Let's get back to my penthouse! We'll be safe from that hideous akuma there!" Chloe told Sabrina as the pair ran.

Reflekta jumped down the front steps of the school and fired her beam at them in the back. Having experienced the change mid-run, the two girls tumbled to the ground halfway to the curb.

Chloe looked at her arm in disgust. "Eugh! Gross!" Looking down at herself, she realized she was no longer wearing her chosen clothes for the day. Rolling over, she saw Reflekta sashaying in her and Sabrina's direction. "You! Do you have any idea how much my outfit cost?"

"You should be thanking me," Reflekta mocked, "you look a thousand times better looking like this!" Laughing to herself, she ran down the street to continue causing mayhem.

Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Phantom all convened at the gym, where the transformed adults and students were lingering around, unsure what to do.

"Did Reflekta come through here?" Ladybug asked.

"She did," one of the Reflekta clones, Giuseppe, spoke up. "But she quickly left when she realized none of us were her target."

One of the other clones, Vincent, added, "she said something about Chloe trying to leave the school, so she might already be out in the city."

Chat groaned, turning to his teammates. "It'll take forever to find her if she's out there."

"Ladybug, Chat Noir, Phantom!" Rose's voice came from behind them.

The three heroes spun around and found her rushing up to them.

Chat blinked at her, surprised. "Hey, you're not transformed."

Rose shook her head. "She didn't want to hurt me. It's my friend, Juleka, and it's my fault that she's like this."

Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Phantom shared a glance before Phantom asked, "What do you mean?"

"It was an accident. I didn't mean to ignore her all week," Rose blubbered, eyes wet with tears. "The A-listers wanted to be my friends, and I couldn't say no, and-!"

Ladybug approached her and rested a calming hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. We'll fix this, and you'll have Juleka back soon."

Rose sniffled. "I just wish those photos of me with the prince hadn't gotten released online. They're the reason why the A-listers and everybody started paying a lot more attention to me."

"…Oh. That might have been my fault." A voice piped up.

The heroes and Rose startled and looked at one of the Reflekta clones.

Chat blinked upon recognizing the voice with his sharp cat ears. "Vincent?"

The clone fiddled with his hands sheepishly. "I thought I recognized you, miss. I may… have been the one that got those pictures released."

"Excuse me?" Rose's jaw dropped.

He bit his lip when everyone else started looking at him too. "I'm sorry! After I had to stop taking pictures of Jagged Stone's concert tour, I've been taking up different photography jobs including the one today for the school to keep up with my studio's rent. Last week, someone at this press website got a tip about Prince Ali being at the Grand Amity Park and hired me to get some photos of him while he was in town."

"Well, that was rude," Rose chastised, wagging a finger. "All Ali wanted was to sneak out and have fun for once. How is he supposed to do that next time if he's worried about photographers like you following him?"

"Again, very sorry about that." Vincent rubbed the back of his head. "Sometimes you forget that celebrities are normal people too."

Done scolding the photographer, Rose faced the heroes once more. "Please, you must save Juleka. I have to make this right."

Ladybug patted her on the shoulder. "We will. And don't blame yourself for Juleka getting akumatized, she's targeting Chloe, so evidently Chloe must have said something that upset her."

"Alright, here's the plan. I'll fly downtown, and see if I can find, what did she call herself?" Phantom snapped his fingers after a moment. "Reflekta! If she's zapping everybody she can, she'll leave a trail I can follow." He pointed at his teammates. "You guys figure out a plan for stopping her."

Phantom phased through the roof and flew downtown in search of the akumatized villain.

Still in the gym, the other two heroes started thinking up plans.

"Okay, what do we know about Reflekta?" Ladybug asked Chat Noir, Rose, and the other civilians in the room.

Rose raised a hand. "When she was attacking everybody in the cafeteria, she was hitting everyone with a beam from something on her wrist. Do you think that's where her akuma is?"

"Could be," Chat Noir agreed, crossing his arms. "But if the akuma is in the same object that's her weapon, we're going to have to be careful so we don't get hit. We'll need some sort of ambush."

Ladybug smiled at him. "Good thought, Chat." She looked around at the photography equipment in the gym then removed her yo-yo from her waist and flipped it open to the computer function. "And I think I know just how to ambush her."

Downtown, Reflekta hit every passerby she could see on the street, causing traffic jams and crashes because they wanted to avoid hitting her while she was strolling down the center of the road.

"This is more like it!" Reflekta cackled. "Soon, everybody will be me and nobody will forget who I am!"

"You know, turning everybody into clones of yourself is totally unnecessary," Phantom said, floating down into view and ready to fight. "Nobody was going to forget you already, not with that clown makeup you put on."

Reflekta snarled, curling her hands into fists. "Phantom! Where's Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

Phantom shrugged. "Around. Who knows? Maybe you zapped them already."

"If that's the case, then why don't I zap you so the three of you can be a matching set?" Reflekta pointed her wrist at him and fired a beam.

Phantom dodged to the right and fired an ecto blast in return. He managed to hit by her feet, flinging her against a parked car. She hissed in pain as the car's alarm blared, rising to her feet and taking cover behind the noisy vehicle while continuing to zap at the ghost hero. He flew and swerved to avoid each beam. When he noticed one was going to connect, he quickly put up his ecto shield which dispelled the hit.

"No thanks," Phantom quipped behind the shield, "I'd like to keep the ghost hero style." He turned intangible, lowering the shield so he could attempt a sweep towards her.

Reflekta kept blasting, unsure of where her opponent was. It wasn't until she felt a breeze by her that she had a guess. Right as he made himself tangible again so he could properly punch her, she spun in his direction with her wrist ready.

"Gotcha!" Reflekta laughed, zapping him in the face.

The transformation disoriented Phantom, causing him to stumble to the ground and tumble past her until he rolled to a stop. He got on his hands and knees, and opened his eyes to notice his gloved hands were now pink instead of white.

"Great, now I look like everybody else," he complained. He got up, but found it hard to stand on his new high heels.

Reflekta chuckled at his attempts to stay balanced. "And don't you look beautiful. Maybe pink is your color."

Once he thought he had his balance under control, he raised an arm. "We'll see if you're still laughing once I hit you with another blast, to the face this time." He flexed his arm, but nothing happened. The ghost hero looked at both his hands and discovered neither were glowing like they were supposed to. "My powers, I can't use them." Testing further, he tried to jump up so he could fly, but he sunk back to the ground. "Why can't I access my powers?"

Reflekta hummed thoughtfully. "Interesting, it seems my powers nullified yours once I hit you. If I can do that to you, perhaps I can do the same to Ladybug and Chat Noir." She grinned wickedly. "Perfect! I'll hit them with my beam, and they won't be able to fight me. Their Miraculous will be mine!"

"Excellent plan, Reflekta," Hawk Moth told her in her head. "Now all you have to do is find them!"

While she was distracted with the butterfly villain's communication, Phantom stumbled over and tried to punch her. She managed to duck in time, and easily stepped around him so she could grab his other arm and pin it behind his back.

"Agh!" He yelped when she twisted it at an uncomfortable angle.

"Where are they?" she demanded. "You must know."

"We met up at the school you attacked. Casper High. Ah!" Phantom hissed as she bent it further.

Reflekta frowned. "Casper High. I just came from there! Ugh, I hate backtracking." Annoyed, she shoved him to the ground and continued down the street.

Phantom pushed himself up on his elbows, pointing in the opposite direction. "Uh hey, Casper is back that way!"

"I know," she sneered, glancing over her shoulder, "but if I'm going to defeat your friends, I need bait."

The ghost hero tried to get up and follow her, but the high heels of his new form prevented him from doing so. His attempts at walking were like a clumsy baby deer taking its first steps.

In his office at city hall, Mayor Bourgeois watched a video that had been sent to the local news station by Ladybug and Chat Noir; Nadja Chamack had been quick to put the video onscreen when she received it from Ladybug, asking for her help in spreading the word.

"People of Amity Park," Ladybug said in the video, Chat Noir doing the recording. "Reflekta is not invincible. You can help, all you have to do is put on a disguise! Then we'll be able to spot the real Reflekta and bring her down!"

At that moment, Reflekta burst into his office with her wrist mirror pointed at him.

"Everyone must look like me, even you, Mr. Mayor!" Reflekta threatened. She then noticed the video on his computer. "What is that?"

"Remember, put on a disguise!" Ladybug concluded as the video ended.

"It was just aired on the local news," the mayor answered, rising from his chair to stand taller than her. "No matter, you are no match for the heroes. They will save us."

She zapped him with her beam, turning him into a copy of her. "The heroes won't be saving anybody, and you're going to help me."

Staring down at his transformed body, the mayor timidly gulped at the akuma's suddenly intimidating presence.

Back at Casper High, Ladybug paced in the gym while Chat Noir sat on a crate of photography equipment with Rose. The two heroes had coaxed the transformed citizens out of the room to avoid them getting in the way of fighting Reflekta; Rose insisted on staying around because the victim was Juleka, and the two heroes couldn't find it in themselves to deny her request. [4]

"She sure is taking her time," the cat hero commented, "you think she saw the video?"

"She must have. I had Nadja broadcast it," Ladybug said.

Chat Noir's ears flicked and he stood ready to fight. "Someone is coming. Rose, hide."

Squeaking fearfully, Rose went to do as told.

Ladybug and Chat Noir faced the door he heard the noise from, and in walked Reflekta. Quickly, Ladybug lassoed her with her yo-yo while Chat went for the mirror.

"Checkmate, Reflekta!" Chat Noir broke it, but nothing came out. "Huh? This isn't the real one?"

The Reflekta they caught frowned miserably as Ladybug reluctantly released them. "I'm sorry, she promised that she would change me back if I tricked you."

The two heroes recognized the voice of their classmate's father and the most important man in Amity Park. Ladybug asked, "Mayor Bourgeois?"

Reflekta burst into the gymnasium, laughing as she fired beams at the heroes. The two were quick to jump away to avoid being hit.

"Careful, Reflekta," Hawk Moth cautioned through the connection, "if you change them, you might not be able to retrieve their Miraculous."

Reflekta vaulted around the room, up and down the bleachers same as the heroes to try and zap them. At one point, she managed to line up a shot at Ladybug while she had the high ground and the bug hero was on the floor.

"Look out!" Phantom's voice rang out, and he quickly dove in front of Ladybug, taking the hit. He fell to the floor, giving his teammate a grin. "I've already been changed, so I'm safe."

"Thanks, Phantom!" Ladybug said gratefully.

Chat Noir grabbed onto the basketball net, dodging another beam. "Ladybug, your Lucky Charm!"

Ladybug took the hint and threw her yo-yo up. "Lucky Charm!"

In her hands fell…

A red and black spotted photography camera?

"A camera?" While Phantom continued to tank hits from Reflekta, Ladybug observed the gym. She saw the camera, Rose by the light switches, and her teammates. Her plan formed. "Rose, the lights!"

Rose looked around for the switch, and reached for it. "You got it, Ladybug!" She pulled the switch down and the gym went pitch dark.

Rushing to where she last saw Reflekta before the lights went out, Ladybug started taking pictures with her spotted camera. "Over here, Reflekta!" Ladybug called and snapped photos. With the room being dark, the flash from the camera was extra bright and blinded the villain. With the flash going off several times, Reflekta couldn't see a thing. "Chat Noir, now!"

Using his night vision, Chat Noir pounced over and took Reflekta's hand that had the mirror. "Cataclysm!" Compared to how he usually slapped his target with his power and let the object crumble, this time he concentrated on making only the mirror embedded in her hand crumble to avoid hurting the rest of her as well. [5]

When Rose saw the neon purple lines of the butterfly's wings emerge, she turned the lights back on.

Ladybug squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light again and quickly shook it off, opening her yo-yo. "No more evildoing for you, little akuma! Time to de-evilize!" She caught and purified it, sending the newly cleansed butterfly on its way. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!" Then she retrieved her camera and dispersed it to cast the cure. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Everybody who had gotten hit with the beam were changed back into their previous selves, including Phantom who was luckily still in his hero form when the transformation was reversed.

Reflekta reverted into Juleka, who sat on her knees in a daze. "Where am I?" she asked.

"Juleka!" Rose screamed, and the goth suddenly had a blur of blonde hair and pink clothes tackling her in a hug.

While Rose hugged her best friend the tightest she ever had, the three heroes fist bumped a job well done.

"Pound it!" The heroes chorused.

-LB-CN-P-

"You may have won today, you miserable heroes," Hawk Moth growled as his window to the city closed, "but when I finally do win, I will capture the moment in a frame and never forget!"

-LB-CN-P-

The heroes left to transform back into their civilian selves, and people slowly began to congregate back into the gym. When they entered, they saw two best friends on the floor with one hugging the other. Eventually, Rose pulled back so she could gaze into her best friend's eyes, tears threatening to overflow.

"Juleka, I am so sorry for ignoring you all week," apologized Rose. "I didn't mean to do it. Everything was just happening so quickly with the pictures and then the A-listers and everybody else-!"

Juleka's eyes watered. "I understand. I'm just glad to have you back." She was the one to initiate the hug this time, and Rose eagerly reciprocated.

They would never let anything like overnight popularity separate them again, and when the A-listers tried to pull Rose back in, she firmly but politely told them no.

Chloe and Sabrina were the only ones initially happy with Rose's decision, the rest of the A-listers doing everything they could to persuade Rose to return to their group, but over time Rose's fame declined and the status quo returned to as normal as it could get.

Click!

"Next!" Giuseppe announced as Mireille left the stool and went to hang out with her friends until pictures were over. Another student came along and took a seat on the stool, the photographer giving them instructions on how to pose. "Okay, smile like you're about to enjoy a big plate of spaghetti!"

Once the cure turned everyone and everything back to normal, picture day resumed without issue due to the akuma occurring during lunch break. It was finally the freshmen's turn, so Bustier's homeroom was in the gym, waiting in line.

"Well, this is it," Adrien said to Nino and the others. "Do I look okay? I tried to get my hair just right this morning."

Nino clapped him on the shoulder. "You look fine, dude. Don't sweat it."

"I know, I know, I just want my first one to be perfect." Adrien smiled at his best friend's assurances.

Further back in line, Sam smirked. "Just be glad that your father didn't try to stick you in a lame outfit for this." She rolled her eyes at a memory. "My parents kept trying to make me wear extra girly clothes for this up until two years ago when I hid an extra change of goth clothes at school and switched outfits before my turn." Her smirk returned. "Once they realized I would just do that again, they gave up."

Adrien winced. "I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to do something like that next year once he realizes what I did for this one, if he even cares about it in a few months when the yearbooks come out."

"Next!" Giuseppe turned to the line and smiled. "Adrien, your turn."

"Here I go!" Adrien said excitedly, hurrying over to the stool and following Giuseppe's directions.

Marinette sighed, watching him in his natural element. "It doesn't matter how he tries to pose or how his hair looks. He could sneeze in the middle of the picture being taken, and it would still come out cute…"

Alya snorted beside her. "You've got it bad for him, Mari."

Further back in the line, Rose stood with Juleka, the pair holding hands as soon as they met up in the line after their last class.

"I guess I was wrong about the jinx," admitted Rose as Adrien's picture was taken and Nino took his spot on the stool moments later. She pouted apologetically. "I'm sorry, Juleka. I wasn't there when you really needed me." Her gaze flickered to the wrist mirror. "Thank goodness for Marinette and this cute gift she gave you. Now, you can finally have picture day without something going wrong."

"Yeah…" Juleka murmured, rubbing at the accessory. "Rose… you don't have to apologize for being too busy making friends with Prince Ali to help me. I know how much you idolize him and how meeting him was important to you. I'm glad you got that chance." She gave her friend a small smile.

Touched by her friend's words, Rose hugged her. "I would have been just fine if I never met him. Who knows, maybe I would have met him eventually. But if I had to pick between you and him? I would choose you every day; you're more important to me than anyone."

If it were anyone else hugging her, Juleka would have been surprised. Years of close affection from Rose caused her to expect such reactions from the cheery girl, and so she was okay with hugging back. "Right back at you, Rose…"

The shorter girl peeked up at her, blushing. "Um, Juleka?"

"Hm?"

"Would you… and your family like to come have Thanksgiving with me and my family?" Rose asked timidly. She was acting so much like how Juleka usually acted, it was adorable.

"I'll have to talk with Mom and Luka, but I'd like that," said Juleka, her face red as well.

"Next!" Giuseppe called out; Rose and Juleka were next in the line by now.

Rose was the first to pull away and gave a friendly push to Juleka's back toward the photographer. "You first. You deserve it."

Juleka blinked at her then nodded. "Thank you." Looking at her new wrist mirror one more time, Juleka walked to the stool with more confidence than she's had in a long time, and sat down. While Giuseppe fiddled with the camera and gave Juleka instructions, she tried to brush her bangs away from her normally covered eye so hopefully both could be seen in the photo.

Once Giuseppe saw she was done fixing her hair, he got behind the camera. "Alright! Plate of spaghetti on three! One, two, three! Spaghetti!"

Months later when the yearbook came out, Juleka would have the best school picture she had in years.

A few weeks later, Thanksgiving was upon Amity Park. Families and friends gathered around tables to eat and reflect, others spending their quality time watching the holiday football game.

Most residents of the Ghost Zone did not celebrate Thanksgiving, but those that celebrated it in life continued to do so in their afterlife. Group lairs like Poindexter and Lunch Lady's Casper High gathered in the cafeteria for a feast. Others like Technus and Box Ghost ate alone. [6]

Then there were situations like Johnny, Kitty, and Shadow.

Johnny never considered himself much of a cook in either of his lives. He was simply too busy most of the time tuning his motorcycle or being a rebel to do anything more complex than heat something in the microwave. He tended to order takeout if he didn't even want to take the time to use said microwave.

For this holiday, he tried. In years past, this was one of few meals he and Kitty made sure to sit down and share as a couple, to be thankful they had each other after everything.

This year, it seemed like their tradition might finally be broken due to circumstances beyond their control.

Johnny put the dish of pasta on the table in the lair's dining room, and looked at his work. He made a bunch of Kitty's favorites and none of his own; it felt selfish to make his own favored foods with the state Kitty was in. He wanted to do right by her.

The food was prepared, the table was set and decorated, and he had even showered without Kitty needling him to do it because he smelled too much like his garage. All that was left was to light the candles he set out, the candles he and Kitty only put out for important dates.

He finished lighting the last one when Shadow emerged from the floor. The biker froze when he saw his loyal friend.

"Shadow?" Johnny asked. "What is it?"

Shadow growled something, gesturing upstairs, and slinked back up the way he came. Being careful not to knock over the candle and accidentally start a fire, Johnny ran to follow. The pair climbed the stairs and through the second-floor hallway until they came to Kitty's bedroom door. Fearing something was wrong, Johnny flung the door open.

If he was still alive, his heart would have been pounding as he stared into her room.

Kitty was tucked in her bed, as if she had been merely sick all this time and not trying to regain her form. Her jacket was hung on one of the posts at the foot of the bed, and her scarf and ring were on her nightstand next to her lamp.

Having heard the door, Kitty strained to turn her head in her boyfriend's direction. She quirked her lips upward slightly at him. "Hey, Johnny."

"Kitten," he whispered her name on his breath. He ran over to her bed and embraced her, close but not tight enough to agitate her pain. "You're back."

"Yeah," she mumbled into his chest. "Would not suggest getting stuck in a closing portal door. It hurts big time."

"I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you." He gently pulled back so he could look at her. "I was so eager to get us back into the living world, so we could joyride down our old trails like before, and I got you hurt."

"I get it. I wanted that too." She hissed in pain, but kept looking at him to assure him she was going to be fine. "We'll try again sometime, but let's not try to force the door to stay open when we try to go through. Sound good?"

"Whatever you say, baby. I'm just happy I get to hold you again." He brushed some of her hair away from her face. "Happy Thanksgiving, Kitty."

"Happy Thanksgiving, Johnny."

The two ghosts pressed their lips together, kissing on the bedside.

Shadow trilled a happy sound and stretched so he could hug both of his friends while they embraced.

The trio had much more to be thankful for this year, and it seemed like their tradition wouldn't be broken yet.

Happy Thanksgiving! This one is obviously much shorter than the one before because it's more straightforward without any extra subplots. Going into Reflekta, I knew it was going to be set up differently; the first reason is I didn't care for the canon episode much and how it set up Juleka being akumatized, and the second reason is I think American school picture day is different from French school picture day if how Francois Dupont had it is any indication. I also shifted the focus of picture day from Marinette to Adrien so we can keep the spotlight of the three leading heroes balanced and get more perspective of Adrien's first year attending public school, which is good for character development.

So, remember how back in the "One Kind of Rocking Introduction" chapter I mentioned that I had ideas of how to continue using Vincent Aza? This is one of them. Once I had a paparazzi take pictures of Rose and Ali, I realized he could be the photographer and continue building continuity ML desperately needs. I know Kitty recovering at the end might be quick and sudden, but I wanted the two-parter to end on a happy note and I didn't want to add a Johnny and Kitty plotline to the stack of continuing plot points when we already have so much in motion. Also, in case it wasn't clear, Rose asking Juleka and her family over for Thanksgiving dinner is basically her asking out on a date. Unlike canon, I'm not afraid to show her and Juleka as a couple.

[1] – The photographer for Adrien's photoshoots was originally named Vincent in the Reflekta episode in canon, but would later be named Giuseppe in the Sentibug episode. To avoid there being two photographers named Vincent in the cast, Giuseppe will be the name of the picture day photographer.

[2] – This is my explanation for why Tikki and Plagg didn't introduce their holders to Fu right away. It will take something important like Tikki getting sick or Plagg finding the grimoire to convince them to reveal Fu's location.

[3] – I want to be clear that the wrist mirror thing is a temporary solution to Juleka's problem. If she truly wants to be a model like Adrien in the future, then eventually she will need the jinx permanently broken to have a chance at a career. I doubt any modeling gigs would allow her to have that mirror on the whole time.

[4] – Changed the fight location from the TV studio to the school to simplify things.

[5] – I know Ladybug broke the mirror in canon, but I don't want Chat's power to be sidelined too many times. Kwami knows he's been sidelined far too much in canon.

[6] – The only ghost holiday we really know about in canon is the Christmas Truce. For holidays like Thanksgiving, I think only a small portion of the Ghost Zone's population celebrate it if they were previously human.

Review in the box below, and remember, reviews are awesome! Also remember to say something about the chapter I just worked hard on, don't just use the review box to speculate on future plot points and what you want to see.