Chloe was certain that this was Hell and that the Devil had a sense of humor. She went out of her way to prevent an akuma and wouldn't you know it, someone else got akumatized! And guess what? It was probably her fault this time too, if she knew her luck. Chloe sighed as she kept her back pressed against the door to keep it shut.
"This is just great," she muttered to herself before daring to open the door slightly to peek out and see a student get captured in a picture by the akuma. She frowned, "Is it the photographer? What the hell happened while we were gone?"
"I don't know but I don't think I want my picture taken by him if that makes you feel better," Juleka said, peeking out with Chloe before they eased the door closed. "I guess I am a jinx aft-" before she could finish Chloe put her hand on her shoulder
"Listen, after this is over I'll take your picture, or hell, I'll paint a portrait of you. And if something tries to stop me, bad luck or no, we'll see how it fares against me. Right now though, we've got an akuma out there and we're trapped in a bathroom with one exit and Ladybug is not here yet," Chloe said, looking around the restroom.
The restroom was simple with a few stalls and sinks. It wasn't until she spotted the high windows in the back.
"There, we'll use a window to esca-" Chloe was about to say but heard a student call for help from the courtyard and froze. Was she really going to run away? She didn't have powers but would she be any different from her old self if she just abandoned those kids out there? She looked to Juleka, who was waiting for her to finish speaking, then she straightened her posture. "I'll help you up to a window and you'll go find help, ok?"
Juleka looked to the windows and back to her.
"What about the others?" Juleka asked, worried slightly and shaking after they heard another scream outside.
"I'll try and find that out while you get help. After all, I'm the loudest. I should be able to make his ears bleed and while he's busy chasing after me, the others can get to safety until Ladybug arrives," Chloe said with a confident smile but Juleka looked at her like she was truly crazy. Before she could speak, Chloe started moving her towards the window. "No time to argue so up and out the window for you."
"But what if something worse happens?" Juleka asked in a shaky tone once they were at the window. Chloe stood in front of it and crouched to give her something to stand on.
"Then something bad happens, but right now isn't the time to discuss this. Now up you go," Chloe said in a stern tone, looking at Juleka with a gaze she often used on her most defiant students, which had been mainly all of them. It worked as Juleka took a moment before nodding and climbing up, placing her foot on Chloe's hands and Chloe helped push her up. Once Juleka was up and out the window Chloe dusted off her hands.
"I promise I'll be back quickly, ok? Don't do anything stupid!" Juleka said from the other side before going quiet. "Well stupider than what you're about to do." With that Chloe could hear Juleka running off. Chloe let out a sigh of relief before making her way to the door and opening it to the madness on the other side as students ran around in terror while others disappeared in a flash by Picture Perfect.
"Well Chloe, you said you'd distract him, time to do your best." She ran towards the area where the akuma was and once she was close enough, "Are you that pathetic? I mean really? Just cause two kids weren't in your shoot that you couldn't even get right, you go full akuma? That's just sad."
At that, the akuma turned to look in her direction, giving her a good look at him. It was definitely the photographer and he had been transformed into a black suited figure with a camera lens in the center of his right palm and the flash from his camera in his left. He frowned deeply at Chloe as he hovered in the air.
"Kids? There were no kids missing! It was a bird! It ruined my perfect shot! So now I, Picture Perfect, will give everyone," he held up his hand with the camera lens, "a perfect shot!" He laughed before pointing his palm at Chloe, making her yelp and dive to the side as he took a photo capturing the door and some of the wall behind her. "Hey, stay still! You look like you'd take great photos!" He laughed as he tried to take another photo of her. She fled from his shots, watching items or chunks of the building disappear into photographs, all the while she was cursing in her head.
"Well it's gonna suck for you, cause I'd rather let a homeless blind man take my picture before I let you!" She heard him yell in anger before she dove for cover in the science classroom on the ground floor. She quickly crawled for the teacher's desk on the raised dais in the room, spurred on by the akuma's approaching footsteps. She tried to still her heaving chest as he checked inside, his steps around the class getting closer.
"Come on out miss, I swear I'll give you a picture you'll never forget. You'll never ask for another ever again," he said with smug malice. As his feet drew closer to the desk, she held her breath, readying herself to bolt for the door.
"Hey discount photobooth! You missed someone! I guess that's two shots you've ruined!" someone yelled from the entrance and Chloe recognized the voice of Alix, a punky tomboy in her class. Alix started running the moment Picture Perfect turned to chase after her, his feet stomping loudly as he left. Chloe waited for a moment before poking her head out.
"What is wrong with that girl?" Chloe breathed out
"I could ask you the same thing?" Chloe jumped, looking to her side to find the poppy red haired girl beside her.
"Wait, but how did you-?" Chloe looked at Alix in confusion.
"Yeah, he's not that smart. The moment he shot out of the class I got Kim to nail him with one of his shoes, so now he's after him while I get you out of here. But first, what is wrong with you?" Alix said, waving her arms about. "I get you like the attention but you are trying to get yourself killed? Or is this some crazy cry for attention? Everyone else got out but here you are pissing him off!" she sighed and looked out the door.
They could hear Picture Perfect ranting as he tried to catch Kim. Chloe was worried that despite Kim's athleticism, he would get caught. She was about to get up and go outside but Alix grabbed her wrist and Chloe turned to look at her with a stern glare that made Alix pause before giving herself a shake and gathering her resolve.
"Just stay here! Ladybug will be here soon and she will fix everything. No offense, but I don't think someone as pampered as you can stop him or do much more than annoy him," Alix chided but Chloe pulled her hand free and quietly made her way to the door. She ignored the angry looks Alix shot her and witnessed Picture Perfect catch Kim in a photo, trapping him before he went looking for more students. Chloe motioned for Alix to hide as she took a deep breath.
"HEY LOSER! YOU MISSED ME! " she shouted, getting him to turn towards her. She bolted the moment the words left her lips, hoping to lead him deeper into the school but a voice surprised her and stopped her dead in her tracks.
"Juleka? Chloe? Are you here?"
Chloe turned to see that Rose hadn't left with the others but instead had gone looking for her and Juleka and was just exiting the bathroom. Chloe's heart sank at the sight of the petite blonde looking around desperately but when Picture Perfect turned to look at Rose, readying his camera hand to catch her in a photo.
"Rose, run now!" Chloe shouted. Her body lurched as she started to run for the other girl, reaching her hand out in a futile attempt to warn her as Picture Perfect was about to snap his shot. A textbook soared through the air past Chloe and she glanced back to see Alix standing in the doorway of the science classroom, her focus on the book she had thrown.
The book hit Picture Perfect's arm with enough force to make him spin and his hand went up as his power went off. Chloe's eyes widened in horror as one of the two tethers holding the basketball hoop in the courtyard disappeared into a photo, causing the hoop and backboard to swing down like an athletically themed blade, right towards Rose.
"No!" Chloe screamed, her voice cracking as panic and terror welled up inside her until it felt like time slowed around her. It didn't change anything as Rose turned from Picture Perfect to the basketball hoop, her brilliant blue eyes widening in fear.
The thunderous crash of the hoop made Chloe wince but she still ran towards Rose, heedless of Picture Perfect's threatening presence. There was a small cloud of dust that had been kicked up from the crash and Chloe tripped over debris as she ran into it while she searched for Rose, ready to drag her out from under the fallen object. She hissed as she felt a stinging pain down her arm and saw a splintered piece of wood as scored a long red line along her forearm. She pushed the pain aside as she looked for Rose. Amazingly, Rose was nowhere to be found and Chloe found herself dizzy with relief and confusion.
"Chloe," a voice called out to her in a loud whisper and she looked to see Rose standing by the lockers, nearly two whole meters away from the debris.
"How-?" Chloe began to ask before maniacal laughter reminded her of the looming danger of Picture Perfect. She rose and spun back to face him and found he had her dead-to-rights. There'd be no dodging at this distance.
"Smile for the camera," Picture Perfect said wickedly before a red yoyo with black dots wrapped around his arm and yanked him off his feet.
Ladybug swung down from above, using Picture Perfect as a counterbalance to come down and scoop Chloe up to carry her away to the far side of the courtyard. Chloe couldn't help being stunned, even after everything she'd been through, the sight of Ladybug still filled her awe but now there was an undercurrent of guilt at seeing her old hero again. She quickly righted herself and pushed herself out of Ladybug's arms, surprising Ladybug and causing her to frown, which made Chloe flinch in shame.
"T-thank you Ladybug. I think I'd be a picture in a scrapbook if you hadn't shown up," she tried to say appreciatively but Ladybug continued to frown before sighing.
"What do you think you were doing?" Ladybug asked as she crossed her arms.
"I was distracting him so the others could get away. You weren't here yet and he was capturing people, so I took it upon myself to help them," Chloe said. She tried not to sound so timid but there was a nagging thought in the back of her head that this situation was still somehow her fault. "I mean what else was I supposed to-" She was cut off as Ladybug raised her hand.
"Chloe, you're not a hero," Ladybug said in a stern, lecturing tone that made Chloe straighten up. "You don't have any powers and you could have been seriously hurt-"
"I hate to interrupt your little talk, m'Lady, but we should probably see to our friend here," Cat Noir called out, making them both turn to see that he was fighting Picture Perfect with his staff, knocking the akuma's hands aside to keep him from using his powers.
"Chloe, get somewhere safe," Ladybug commanded before she threw her yoyo and swung up to the roof of the school. "Hey Picture Perfect! Let's go someplace more scenic for a real photo op!"
"Come back here!" Picture Perfect shouted as Cat Noir followed Ladybug with his extending staff and the two of them led the villain away.
Chloe's knees gave out as quiet descended over the courtyard and the rush of adrenaline that had fueled her passed.
"Chloe!"
Chloe looked up to see Rose rushing towards her. The smaller girl knelt beside Chloe and began looking her over frantically.
"Are you ok? I thought I heard you cry out after the basketball hoop came crashing down," Rose said, though clearly she was still too rattled to notice the ugly scratch running down Chloe's arm.
Chloe quickly pulled her sleeve down to hide the injury. There was no need to panic the other girl more than she already was.
"I'm fine. How are you ok? I was certain that backboard was going to take you out," Chloe said as the memory replayed in her head. She was even more certain as she thought about it.
"Me too!" Rose said, her voice climbing so high it was almost a squeak. "One second it was coming right for me and the next I was nearly halfway back to the bathroom. Maybe I jumped back without realizing it?"
Chloe felt that reasoning was dubious but she didn't have a better answer at the moment. Before she could puzzle over it more, another voice called out to them.
"Rose! Chloe!"
They both looked to see Juleka running down the entranceway stairs towards them. She enveloped Rose in a hug before surprising Chloe by reaching an arm out to bring her into the hug as well.
"I'm so glad you're both ok!" Juleka said softly.
"Juleka!" Rose cried out happily. "I was so worried about you. You wouldn't believe how brave Chloe was facing off against that akuma."
"I bet I have an idea," Juleka murmured as she pulled back and gave Chloe an appreciative look.
Before anymore could be said a swirling storm of ladybugs swept through the area, restoring those who had been trapped in photos as well as repairing the damage caused by Picture Perfect. A cheer went up at the sign that Ladybug and Cat Noir had won the day again.
Juleka and Rose both stood and offered their hands to Chloe to help her up. She took them and winced as pain shot down her arm.
'The scratch is still there?!' Chloe thought to herself. 'How? Ladybug's magic always fixes everything that results from the akuma's attack.'
"Is everything ok, Chloe?" Rose asked, bringing Chloe back into the moment.
She managed a small smile and nodded, "Yeah, I just hope we're finally done with that photographer. I don't think I could stand to look into a camera lens at the moment."