Fight to the Finish
Note: Code Lyoko, reincarnated earth time line. Taking place soon after the events of "Chrono Chaos". XANA teleports the Warriors (young and old) are spirited to another plane (and it's not Lyoko), to participate in a fighting competition. The best 13 are chosen to face each other in a final bout. Only the best man shall win this battle.
It's about to get messy.
Chapter 1—A Somewhat Boring Day
Though midterms had ended and the stress had been uplifted, there weren't an awful lot of exciting events going on at Kadic, except for the upcoming Spring Formal, and an open casting call for Romeo and Juliet. Nothing very important was happening in the way of academia, in general. No tennis games, no soccer, no basketball, and it was too frigid to begin swimming competitions. Many were starting to feel the affects of the monotony of the day.
"I could go to the arcade, but I need the rest of my money to buy lunch.", Odd whined.
"Hey, I could help you. I have enough money for you and myself.", Zack offered.
"I couldn't do that, Zack.", Odd said.
"It won't be the same without you !", Ziva confessed.
"My sister speaks the truth.", Zack said, with a huge grin.
"Alright, but the rest of the gang.", Odd said, with a wolflike smile outshadowing Zack's grin.
"Deal, we're on.", Zack said, shaking his friend's hand.
With that the Rozenheim teens and Odd and the gang had gone to the arcade to melt away some of the boredom they had been feeling. Zack and Ziva were off playing DDR and the others were playing different arcade games from fighting, to shooters, to the old school games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Galaga. Strangely enough, Jim, Susanne and Emily had the same idea to go kill some time at the arcade.
"Hey, guys ! Fancy meeting you here !", Jim said, laughing. Emily had already gone off to play some ski-ball and she was accumulating a vast amount of tickets already.
"I swear, in a past life, she probably played baci ball or bowled !", Susanne chuckled.
"You never know, dear. So, what are you doing ? Anything exciting ? I see the Rozenheims are here too.", Jim said.
"Like yourselves we're just waisting time.", Ulrich piped up.
"It seems like most of Kadic is here.", Samantha noticed.
"That's...odd.", William added. But it didn't seem like too much of a reason for them to become concerned.
"At least we're having fun !", Naomi chimed in, being the eternal optimist.
"True, true. I couldn't have said it any better.", Nicholas agreed.
"I guess we'll be on our way, woah...Go Emily !", Jim said, catching up with the latest score his daughter had made in ski-ball. Susanne followed closely behind him, her arm entwined around her husband's arm.
At least for a while, the day had some excitement added to it, but once tomorrow began, it was even more boring than the day that had preceeded it.
Chapter 2—Snatched From the Mundane
The students found themselves nearly falling asleep in their courses, and not because the subject matter was boring, but because it was one of those days in which everyone wanted to be lazy or go back to bed and nap. Many of them yawned and stretched in class, while others doodled. Then, the unusual began to occur. The sunny sky began to become ominous and dark, and thunderclouds blocked the sun out. It was almost dark enough to be night. When the thunder began to crash, Odd jumped out of his seat and shrieked.
"It's probably just a passing storm, Odd. Nothing to fear.", Susanne said, to calm him. Odd's breathing began to lessen and resume a normal pace, but by the time the next thunderclap occurred, it was so blinding and so loud, that it disoriented everyone.
By the time that Odd had uncovered his eyes, he found himself in a completely different outfit. He was dressed in athletic clothes, and the place he was located was unfamiliar.
"According to my read-outs, we're not in France anymore.", Jeramie said, reading the results of his travel GPS.
"It's not Lyoko either.", Aelita said, raising an eyebrow. The skies were always twilight, and there were triple moons rising. And if they weren't imagining things, there was the occasional dragon flying by with a rider on its back.
Chapter 3—Otherworldly
Before anymore questions could be asked, the teens and Jim's old friends from his past heard a strangely familiar voice.
"Welcome, champions all. All of you have been sent to the Realm of Warriors for one purpose: to win in your upcoming battle.", the echoing voice said.
"Battle ? What if we don't wish to fight ?", Naomi asked.
"Young lady, you will have no choice in the matter. All of you will fight and the 13 of you who continue in the next round will have the honor of competing until a champion is found.", the voice responded. Naomi didn't much like this, but she wasn't afraid to fight when the circumstances were harsh. Jim's friends weren't certain what they would make of this either. But at least for the time being, the battles hadn't begun yet.
"At this time, I have allowed you provisions for your needs. You will find your accomodations in the city near this arena. Come dawn, the battles begin.", the voice mentioned and then, for a while, all that could be heard were the mournful cries of dragons soaring itno the horizon.
Each of the Warriors went into their rooms outside the Colluseum-inspired arena. This "Realm" was a combination Golden Age of Rome with the Feudal Age of Japan. A strange, but quite complimentary mesh of unique and different eras. The Warriors hadn't spoken to each other after hearing the instructions from the cryptic, mysterious voice, but they were all tired from their journey there.
Sissi had left her door slightly open to have a bit of light to accompany her to sleep. Soon as she had fallen into a deep delta sleep, XANA had sneaked into her quarters.
"Soon, very soon, my dear...All of this will be over, and you will be given a much-deserved award.", he said, leaning over to kiss her deeply. Sissi stirred somewhat in her sleep and sighed.
"Odd, my love...", she said sweetly. He sneered a little at her comment, but smiled again. He couldn't continue to be angry at her, because she was so ravishing. He was moved to kiss her again and did so before he left in a flourish of smoke, smog and whispy dark clouds.
Chapter 4—Showdown in the Colluseum
When everyone had awakened in the morning, they had been treated to a continental breakfast that was fit for royalty. Plenty of protien to keep them nourished before the oncoming battles they would be participating in.
One by one, the matches were set, and friend had been set against friend. It had been difficult to begin when friends had been forced to fight each other, but one of the two would come out victorious. At least rules and regulations had been set, and these matches weren't "to the death". If they had been, one of the fighters would have to forfiet since many of them didn't believe in killing just for victory.
Battles were harsh and fairly bloody, and there had been many injuries that had occurred.
By the time the 13 victors had been assessed, they had been sent to the healer in the city that tended to their wounds. Among those Warriors were Jim, William, Aelita, Sissi, Yumi, Jeramie, Herve, Nicholas, Samantha, and Naomi. There would be one of them that walked away with some sort of reward, but the reward itself seemed shady. Jeramie already felt that XANA was the one staging this created realm, the combat, everything. He didn't want to go through with anymore of it, but knew he couldn't back out now. He had beaten a tough opponent, who shook his hand after the fight and bowed to show respect. The young man had been sent home, but not without his pride being bruised.
Sissi ached somewhat from being healed by one of the shamans in the city, but her wounds had dissolved once the doctor treated them. Her aches were gone, but she, like her friends, was feeling tired and weary from her recent victory.
"I don't know how much more fighting I can watch, Sissi.", Emily said, nuzzling her surrogate mother's heart gently.
"I wouldn't worry, Emily. Your dad's strong, and so are you. Don't worry about any of us, we're stubborn, remember ?", Sissi said, tussling the little girl's hair playfully.
"You moreso than others !", Emily said, laughing, tickling Sissi to release her from her strong grip. Emily laughed as she ran away, and Sissi just shook her head.
"Kids !", she thought to herself as she stretched and yawned and returned to her quarters.
Chapter 5—Sinisterly Attractive
All the fighters that had lost were already back home in their own beds. Sissi wished she was among them, but knew her trials would soon be over. She didn't want to go up against the gorgeous Japanese fighter, Saya Hokkaido, but couldn't run away from her destiny. Running away never solved anything, anyway.
Falling into delta sleep once again, XANA snuck into her room and stripped himself of his clothes, then took off Sissi's night clothes and got into her bed. All she had on now was her bra. He moved Sissi so she was in a supine position, then laid on top of her. He began moving his hands all across her breasts, her side, even her face. He then starting kissing her, and, stirring in her sleep, Elisabeth seemed to kiss XANA in return, but she was actually dreaming of Odd kissing her. The sexual intercourse continued for a few more hours, with Sissi moaning and giggling in delight. XANA moved his hands all across her chest again to increase the pleasure, and kissed her neck. Sissi's heart began to beat, and her blood vessels were widening. She was feeling sexual pleasure for the first time, even though she was thirteen. The size of Sissi's breasts began to increase somewhat, as well as the size of her uterus, but XANA's sperm (which was a black-ish hue in color) did not penetrate the ovum is Sissi's womb.
When the encounter with XANA had come to an end, Sissi snapped out of the spell and noticed she looked somewhat different in the mirror. Beginning to become horribly scared, she screamed in terror and tears began rushing down her face.
"Did I just do what I think I did ?", she thought, blood rushing to her cheeks. Just then, Jim rushed into the room and noticed that Sissi was covered by only a silk sheet. He didn't seem to mind because he was more concerned with her state.
"What's the matter ?", Jim questioned. Sissi began telling him about what happened.
"Oh my dear, that's horrendous. That cad. He had no right...", Jim said, his anger starting to boil within him. Jim hardly ever became angry, so to see him this upset nearly made Sissi's hair stand on end, but she knew he was on her side. So there wasn't anything to fear.
"Sissi, you're still the same beautiful young lady to me. We'll do a test when you return. Please don't worry. Whatever happens, I love you.", Jim said, holding her close and smoothing her hair lovingly. For some strange reason, her nerves had been soothed almost instantly. Though she was anxious of what Odd would think about her now, at least her nerves had been calmed for the time being.
Chapter 6—Winner Take All
The final fights had begun soon after each combatant had nourishment and some refreshing orange juice to drink. Sissi had told Odd of what happened, and suspected all along that XANA had been the one responsible. Sissi wasn't at fault, and Odd was aware of that. He reassured her everything would be alright even though she was still pretty shaken up. When they arrived back home after all of this insanity, he vowed he would be even closer to her. He was her white knight, afterall, and to do so was his duty and his pleasure.
The current fighters that had lost their bouts had already vanished, and only 2 were remaining. The women had been rooted out, and now, only men remained. Strangely enough, it wasn't Jim, nor had it been any of the original Warriors of Lyoko. They were in the stands, watching everything unfold.
"So, why are we still here watching the competition when we should be home like all the others ?", Samantha asked.
"I have absolutely no idea.", William answered. They all looked at Herve and Jeramie, hoping the two intellectuals of the team would have some kind of reponse. But even they were flabberghasted by the whole incident. None of them really knew why they were being held in this faux realm but the answers would be made clear to them when the final warrior was announced.
The last loser had already been transported home when the final combatant walked out. His brow had been fevered with sweat, and his hair was matted down. His bandaged hands were somewhat bloodied from combat, and he rubbed them to sooth the slight pain he had.
"That's Bill !", Jim said, his mouth practically dropping. But if anyone were to win the tournament, it was Bill.
"Hey, Jim. Hey, what are you still doing here ?", Bill questioned, curiously.
"That's what I would like to know.", Bill said, arms akimbo. Instantly, there had been a shift in the scenery and The Realm of the Warriors was gone. For a while, grids, numbers, matrises of katakana, hirigana, different languages, could all be seen.
"We're in the Internet, and we're being moved...", Jeramie said, fascinated by seeing the Wired for the first time.
"Where are we going ?", Naomi inquired.
"I recognize this quadrant. It's Lyoko.", Aelita said, also wide-eyed in wonder. Their tormentor was about to be revealed.
"Well, well, well. So glad you could come.", XANA said, with a sardonic smirk. His eyes were particularly piercing and icy to Sissi, but she was no longer influenced by his hypnotic gaze. It seemed that she had grown stronger, even after going through the horror she had endured.
"Now what ? Aren't you through with your sick games yet, you JERK ?!", Odd yelled, becoming the most angered of all of them.
"Yes, in fact I am. But I believe it is you who's through.", XANA said, beginning to transform a group of his best monsters into an "endgame boss".
"An endgame boss ? That's the best you could come up with ? La-ame !", Odd retorted, giving the boss a Japanese raspberry. It wasn't the best course of action to taunt the uberboss, but Odd had already been fired up.
GYRAAARRRRRGGHHHH !
The abombination bellowed an unearthly combination growl and scream, slashing and hacking all in vain. He was strong, but he was weighed down by his bulky arms. Herve noted that the weak spot the gargantuan beast had was on his chest.
"XANA's mark is on its chest, aim for that !", he said, beginning to charge toward the creature. As a team, they all rushed forward, but it was Herve that ultimately destroyed the endgame boss. XANA beat his fist into the earth of Lyoko and left in a huff. He wasn't able to harvest the energy he needed, but he thought he had gotten what he wanted. In his mind, Sissi was pregnant and would soon be giving birth to earth's ultimate demise, XATHURA.
Chapter 7—Sigh Of Relief
Though Sissi had been experiencing contractions, the only other bodily changes she had were her breasts feeling slightly tender. She had been sent to get tested for possible pregnancy and the worst part was the waiting. But all the while, Odd had been with her to support her.
As they waited, he held her hand and kept telling her he loved her no matter what. Then, came the results, and Yolande was grinning.
"Good news, you're not pregnant. Also, your symptoms should be going down soon. You'll be back to normal before long.", Yolande said, patting the girl's shoulder.
"Oh, thank goodness !", Sissi said, hugging Yolande and half the nurses in the room. After getting some strange looks and clearing her throat, she and Odd left the clinic and then whooped and hollered in delight.
"What are you two so happy about ?", Aelita questioned, finding Sissi and Odd's behavior interesting.
"The test was negative !", Odd said, hugging Aelita and swinging her around before putting her down. She had been aware of what had happened in the faux realm, but was glad Sissi had been so resilient. To be as trusting as she was to let another man even near her took quite a lot of resolve.
"Exceptional news then. We should probably celebrate.", Aelita mentioned, with a gentle, soft smile.
"You're brilliant !", Sissi complimented, causing Aelita to blush. But, no one objected.
She and all of her friends, including Jim's old buddies and the Rozenheims, really painted the town and enjoyed the evening as they enjoyed a meal at an old fashioned replica of an ice-cream parlour.
Epilogue
Though the tournament was over, and the tribulation for all the entrants had come to an end, XANA had not lost his interest in Sissi. Though his view of the concept of love was incredibly convoluted, he indeed "loved" Sissi. He wondered if Xathura had come into the world yet, and what he was like, but had felt no life force from Earth. Realizing he had failed, he didn't let it get the best of him. He would have to intiate Phase 2 of his plot to make Sissi his own by impregnating her without fail. But, he would bide his time for the moment since he was weakened from putting the uberboss together. Time would be on his side again and he would be victorious, but that would come another day.
Romeo and Juliet had taken off well and the Spring Formal had been the it event. Though everything had picked up during this week, it would soon lead to finals and spring break among the beginnings of soccer games and the start of cricket as well as tennis. No longer was it mundane and monotonous. Of course, a bit of the spring fever had gotten into just about everyone, so keeping one's mind on homework had been challenging. Even the Principal could be noticed whistling through the halls with a spring in his step. With nature reawakening and the weather becoming nicer, it wasn't hard to see the effect it had on everyone in and around Kadic.
Though events had kept everyone, faculty and students busy, there had been time for play outside of work. Soon, the much anticipated spring break came and many attendants of Kadic had headed to the beaches of France to soak up some sun. Others travelled to Spain, Italy or even Greece if they could afford it. There were those that stayed home and revelled in the constant sunlight, and among those were the Warriors, old and new. Of course, work would begin again and there would be XANA to fight someday. However, the present was their only concern, and knowing (particularly Sissi herself) could thrive from the unconditional love they shared, they could face whatever slings and arrows of outrageous fortune hurled at them.
The End