Dinner had just ended at Kadic Academy, and Aelita, Jeremie and Ulrich were walking down the hallway towards their rooms.

"It's strange that Odd missed dinner today", Aelita said. "That's not like him"

Ulrich shrugged. "Maybe he decided to stop being such a slacker all the time and skipped dinner so that he could study"

There was a brief pause, followed by all three of them laughing. By this point, they had arrived in front of Jeremie's room. However, as Jeremie was about to open the door, he paused.

"That's weird"

"What is it?" Ulrich asked.

"This door isn't locked. I could've sworn I locked it before I left"

"Relax Jeremie, anyone can forget something like that" Aelita said.

"Yeah, you're right" Jeremie began to open the door. "I'm probably just worrying over noth- OH NO!"

"What's wrong?!" Ulrich's question was quickly answered as he ran into the room. Jeremie's computer and monitors were no longer there.

"Someone stole my computer! I can't believe it! I have so much vital data relating to the supercomputer and XANA on there!"

"But how did it happen?" Aelita asked. "Do you think XANA could be behind this?"

"I don't know, but this is a major issue – we'd better warn Odd and Yumi about it ASAP. I'll call Yumi now, and Ulrich, you go and tell Odd"

"Alright" Ulrich dashed towards his room, and tried opening the door, only to find that it was locked. He reached into his pockets and realised that he had forgotten his key. He banged on the door.

"Odd, let me in!" There was no response, though Ulrich could hear muted sounds blaring from inside the room. "This isn't a joke, Odd! Something really serious has happened!" There was still no response.

"Damn it Odd, if you don't open this door right this second I'm gonna tell Mr. Delmas that you keep a dog in your room!"

The door opened straight away. "Alright, alright", Odd said. "You don't need to resort to threats, sheesh"

"Odd, this is my room just as much as it is yours, and –" Ulrich stopped when he saw what was inside their room. "Odd, PLEASE tell me that isn't what I think it is…"

On the desk behind Odd was Jeremie's computer, which was running Mortal Kombat 2.

"Well, I could tell you that, but then I guess I'd be lying" Odd giggled and grinned sheepishly.

"You stole Jeremie's computer so that you could play a dumb video game?!" Ulrich was livid.

"First of all, this is not some 'dumb video game' – this is Mortal Kombat, one of the greatest fighting games of all time. Secondly, I never STOLE his computer, I just borrowed it… without asking"

"That's stealing"

"No it isn't. Seriously, Ulrich, don't get so stressed out"

"Odd, that computer is not a toy – Jeremie needs it so that we can fight against XANA! Didn't you ever stop to think about how he'd react when he realised it was gone?!" Ulrich shouted. "You have to be one of the most selfish, thoughtless and irresponsible guys that I've ever met!"

Ulrich's shouting had alerted Jeremie and Aelita, and soon enough they had rushed to join him.

"What's all the commotion ab-" Jeremie paused mid-sentence, seeing his computer through the doorway. For a few moments he simply stood there in stunned silence, but eventually he found himself able to speak again, but only in a flat monotone. "Odd, this is quite possibly the most disgusting betrayal of trust I have ever experienced in my life, and trust me, that really is saying something"

"Woah Einstein, take a chill pill, I was just borrowing it!"

"What did you even want the computer for anyway?" Aelita asked.

"He's playing that dumb fighting game from the 90s" Ulrich responded "Lethal Battle or whatever else it's called"

"IT'S MORTAL KOMBAT!"

"Whatever", Ulrich said. "The point is that you were grossly irresponsible and put our fight against XANA in jeopardy for the sake of a video game"

"This isn't just ANY video game", Odd said defensively. "Mortal Kombat revolutionised fighting games as we know them today – tell them Einstein"

"Well", Jeremie said, his regular tone of voice having returned, "Odd does have a point, in that Mortal Kombat introduced many new gaming mechanics that had been previously underdeveloped or even completely unheard of, and furthermore the digitized sprites and excessive gore, whilst primitive by modern standards, were also revolutionary for their time. That said, the game also has many huge flaws in its core gameplay that render it hopelessly outdated in this day and age" Aelita and Ulrich stared at Jeremie, their mouths agape.

Odd, however, was sulking. "Hmph, primitive, so disrespectful"

Jeremie blushed. "Sorry. I happen to be something of a fighting game enthusiast in my spare time… now, where was I?"

"You were upset with Odd for stealing your computer", Aelita pointed out, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Quite right. Odd, this is the final straw! Your careless and self-centred attitude have gotten in our way several times in the past, but this really is the last straw. Until further notice, you're out of our group!"

"What?!"

"You heard me!" Jeremie had all of a sudden become enraged. "You're not to talk to us or fight against XANA with us until I say you can!"

"Uh, since when were you the only one that got a say?" Odd responded sarcastically. "We should at least let the other three vote on this issue too"

"I agree" Ulrich said.

"So do I" added Aelita.

Odd deflated. "Oh…"

Jeremie suddenly received a call on his mobile. "Hello?"

"Hi, it's me, Yumi! I'm almost at Kadic now!"

"Don't worry Yumi, we found the computer after all. Odd took it to play Mortal Kombat!"

"Are you kidding me?! That kid is such a selfish jerk sometimes! I swear, the day he thinks about someone other than himself is the day that the world stops spinning!"

Yumi's words leaked out of the phone, and Odd was able to hear every syllable of it. He was dumbstruck, unable to say a single word.

"I don't know about you, but I'd say that's pretty unanimous", Ulrich said. Odd was still staring into space, scarcely moving.

"Now if you don't mind", Jeremie said, "I'll be taking MY computer back" Jeremie went over to the electrical socket and unplugged it.

"Hey!" Odd was suddenly snapped out of his trance. "I was just about to get my biggest online win streak yet!"

Aelita was incredulous. "Odd, do you even listen to yourself when you speak?! How can you be so thoughtless?"

"HEY, WHAT'S ALL THAT RACKET?!"

"Oh no", Ulrich said. "It's Jim – what are we going to do?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan. Aelita, you go back to your room – quickly. I'll stay here for a little while"

Aelita dashed back to her room. A few seconds later, Jim arrived.

"What do you think you're doing causing this much ruckus, huh? Answer me!"

"I was, er, just lending Odd my computer, sir", Jeremie said. "He needed it for a really important assignment" Ulrich glared at Odd.

"So why couldn't he have just come to your room and used it there, rather than you having to lug all your computer stuff over?"

Jeremie smacked his face with his palm and feigned a look of surprise. "Oh, I'm such a doofus sometimes – I never even thought of that"

Jim glared at Jeremie suspiciously. "That's not like you, Jeremie… oh well, I'll let you off with a warning this time. But keep the noise down. Got it?"

"Yes sir" Jeremie, Ulrich and Odd said simultaneously.

Jim turned around and left.

"Thanks for covering my back, Jeremie" Odd said sheepishly.

"Odd, just… don't. Don't speak to any of us" Jeremie grabbed one of his monitors, while Ulrich grabbed the computer, and they both left the room. After a few seconds, Odd, shaking, ran out of the room as well. But he kept on running - out of the corridor, out of Kadic Academy and out across the streets. He didn't know where to go next, but he knew where he wasn't wanted anymore.