Words from the Author:
Thanks again for reading the second chapter of my series. Although not that many people are reading this story, I am glad for the strong following that I've developed, which is mainly the people who have been leaving me reviews. As of right now, you are reading the largest Code Lyoko fanfic on which was no easy feat for me to accomplish. Please enjoy this chapter and if you like it, spread the word around. I would love to share my work with more people.
Episode 2: Seeing is Believing
"This has got to be the longest class period that I've ever had," Odd mumbled to himself.
Currently he was in Mrs. Hertz's physics class, his last class before lunch, and was bored out of his mind. It wasn't that he hated the subject, it was just that he had a hard time focusing on the lesson plan today. One top of the usual lecture Mrs. Hertz's would give to her students on a daily basis, she decided to invite a "special guest" to talk to the class today, Dr. Delakar . He was from the local power plant and could be best be described as having a personality of a doorknob on his best days. With the aid of Mrs. Hertz and her slide projector, he began to speak to the class about the "wonders" of the place he works at.
Things were unusually quiet at Kadic Junior High. XANA had been quiet recently and now it's been two weeks since he had his "little" teddy bear attack the school. XANA's little hiatus has given the group an allusion of a "normal life" as they were now able to focus on their school work much to Odd's disliking. It wasn't that he was bored or anything, it was just that he enjoyed the rush of combat in Lyoko just a little more than his friends. When the adrenaline was pumping through his veins, Odd usually felt like he could take on the world and on many occasions he tried. Jeremie stood up next to him and asked a question further reminding him that he was still indeed in school.
"Dr. Delaker, I was wondering if there was a way to fuse virtual particles so that they could be materialized in the real world?"
To the untrained ear, Jeremie's question seamed a little out of place in their current discussion about the nuclear power plants. However, Odd knew better.
"Tsk, Aelita's materialization.," he whispered to himself still staring off into space. "Real subtle there Einstein."
Dr. Delaker was slightly taken back by the absurdity of the young boy's question. He tried his best to contain his amusement before giving him a very straight-faced answer. "Though I admire your imagination, your question is more based on fantasy rather than fact."
The rest of the class had no trouble in expressing their feelings toward Jeremie's question and that feeling that was being exhibited was laughter. Pure inhibited laughter.
"Aw man, what a loser!" Clayton said holding his sides, "Somebody has been watching Tron too many times!"
Dirk soon joined in with the insults as well. "Next thing you know, that nerd is going to start asking if his Dungeons and Dragon's character would be able to come to life!"
"Don't worry Jeremie," Odd said as he patted his shoulder. "It's like what they say. There is no such thing as a stupid question." With that said Odd glared at the back of the room effectively stopping the laughing fit.
Jeremie recovered from his social embarrassment and expressed his words of gratitude.
"Thanks Odd."
"By the way, how much longer till class ends, I can't wait to get to lunch. "Odd whispered to his companion.
"Fifteen minutes," he answered not surprised by his friend's hunger attack.
"Oh don't forget, we're all gonna meet together about our little side project."
"I won't"
Odd pulled out a sheet of paper and began writing on it. From Mrs. Hertz's vantage point, it looked like he was being a dutiful student who was painstakingly taking notes, but in reality he was just drawing a picture of Kiwi to kill time.
Mr. Delaker resumed his presentation once the laughter died down allowing silence to return to the room once more. "Next slide please."
Mrs. Hertz pressed the small red button once more expecting the next slide to show up on the projector, but it never came. "Hmm" Mrs. Hertz pondered the fate of the missing slide. "Must be a slight power outage, don't worry."
The "slight" power outage was small enough to cause a look of worry on Jeremie's face. Odd didn't see the dire emergency in the mechanical failure as he was too busy thinking of the great time he was going to have outside of class that day. For Odd, the peacefulness of everyday life proved to be a little too boring for his taste. He was looking for something exciting to do, something that would recreate the adrenaline rush he felt when he was in Lyoko combating the forces of XANA. Escape was provided to him in the form of his group's side project. Prospects of working on it after school made Odd extra anxious as he watched the minute hand of the class room's clock tick by, drawing him ever so closer to the end of the day. The idea for this subject came to Odd one day when all his friends decided to pay him a visit in his room.
"And his name is Kiwi?" Jin asked looking at the peculiar looking dog that Odd had managed to sneak into his room, "Looks more like a pineapple to me...or maybe a banana."
"Well his name is Kiwi and that's that," Odd replied trying to defend his dog's feelings.
Yumi was holding a tennis ball with one hand and was throwing it against the wall while watching Kiwi try to catch the round object to pass the time.
"You know what I've noticed guys?"
"What?" They all asked at the same time.
"XANA's been really quiet recently."
"Yeah I know," Ulrich said as he leaned against the back wall of his room. "But it's kind of nice not having to worry about him on a constant basis. We could all use a vacation, especially from him."
"I don't know guys. Maybe he's just plotting another attack and could strike at any given moment," Jeremie said trying to be the voice of reason.
"Or maybe, when he found out that I joined your team he got scared and ran away," Jin said, providing his own explanation for the awkward peacetime that they were experiencing.
"Suuuuuuure and after that Sissy is going to be the next Mother Teresa," Odd chuckled.
"Hey it could happen."
"What, XANA running away or Sissy being a patron saint?"
Too busy in thought, Yumi lost control of her throw causing the tennis ball to veer off course and into the dorm's closet. Kiwi, not knowing better chased after it, disappearing into the black void of the closet's shadow.
"Hey Kiwi get out of there," Odd said trying his best to control his dog.
"Don't worry. It was my fault. I'll go get him for you." Yumi stepped into Odd and Ulrich's closet and found Kiwi huddled in the corner right next to a long object that caught her attention. "What's this?" Yumi thought to herself and she grabbed the object's handle and brought it to the light.
"Hey Odd, I didn't know you played," Yumi said as she revealed the mysterious item that she was holding, a black electric guitar.
"Well you do now."
"Then how come we don't see you with your guitar more often?"
"It's very hard to play in here with Jim patrolling the floors like a hawk. Plus I prefer to practice alone."
Yumi's interest was sparked and wondered if there were any other surprises that the closet held. She threw the doors wide open and returned to the location where she found Odd's guitar and found another piece of musical treasure.
"Now this is something!" Yumi yelled from the confines of the closet. "Who here plays the keyboard?"
"That would be me," Ulrich answered back.
"Ulrich!"
"Before I moved into the school, I used to take piano lessons back home. Seeing how I couldn't carry around our grand piano everywhere, my parents bought me a keyboard so I could still brush up on my lessons."
"Looks like you do learn something new every day huh?" Jin commented "So how long have you been tinkering with the ivory keys?"
"I started when I was six so that's about seven years."
"How strange, Yumi's been taking singing lessons ever since she was six too."
"Jin, don't put me on the spot like that!" Yumi said slightly embarrassed about the tidbit of information that Jin released to the general public.
"Don't worry Yumi," Ulrich said trying to calm her down. "You shouldn't be ashamed of that. I bet you that because of your lessons you can now carry a tune a whole lot better than most people."
"Thanks"
Jin had a crazy idea in his head. Knowing full well of its absurdity, Jin decided to share it with the rest of the group for fun.
"I'm thinking out loud here but you know what would be really cool? If you, Odd and Ulrich could find some song to play together"
Odd's eyes lit up with excitement as he heard Jin's "suggestion". "Yeah like a real band! I always wanted to do something like that! Just think of the possibilities!"
"A band huh?" Ulrich said, raising one eyebrow, "Sounds like fun. Ok I'm in."
"Me too," Yumi then turned toward Jeremie. "What about you Jeremie, do you have any musical talents that you're hiding from us?"
"Sorry Yumi, all my talents are limited to school and Lyoko."
"Really, that's a shame, because Aniki here..."
"Ssssshhh," Jin hushed to interrupt Yumi. "What I mean is...Aniki here is also musically untalented."
"Except for dancing"
"Except for dancing." Yumi looked over at all the instruments in the room. "Wait a minute guys. We can't start a band now. We have no drummer. How are we going to find one?"
"We'll just hold an audition for one," Odd said full of glee. He couldn't believe it, he was actually going to be in a band.
"Just one problem guys," Jeremie said bringing up an unforeseen problem. "The principal is not going to just sit there idly by and let us hold a band tryout on campus.
"Then we'll just have to ask him," Odd said, giving the most obvious answer.
Jeremie adjusted his glasses to they would fit better on his face. "Fine by me. Why don't you and Yumi handle that. I mean it was both your ideas."
"Sure thing Einstein."
"Ok guys it's official," Yumi recapped. "We're going to be a band. This is going to be SO cool."
Jin silently observed the conversation until he realized that a critical issue had yet to be addressed by the others, so he took it upon himself to do it for them.
"Hold it guys aren't you missing something."
"Like what?" Odd asked still caught up in the excitement of the moment. "We got our instruments, our singer, heck we even going to get permission to perform at school. What are we missing?"
"A name"
"You raise a good point Jin. What should our name be? Any suggestions guys?"
The rest of the group was now in deep thought.
"Well I want a name that gives the band an upbeat image," Odd said throwing his opinion into the mix.
"Whatever floats your boat," Ulrich said, shrugging his shoulders.
"How about the Pop Rock Progressives!" Yumi suggested.
"Now that's a good name sis. How did you come up with it?" Jin commented on Yumi's selection.
"Well I knew that we would mostly be playing pop rock and I just threw in the word progressive just to make the name sound cooler."
"I got a name too!" Odd exclaimed, snapping his fingers as the moment of enlightenment hit him. "ANAX!"
"ANAX?" The group asked wondering about the name's origins.
"It's XANA but spelled backwards."
"I have to admit, ANAX sounds pretty cool also," Jin said as he compared the two names together.
"What about you Ulrich?" Yumi asked, "Should we be the Pop Rock Progressives or ANAX?"
"How about you guys vote on it?"
"Fine. Jeremie, what's your vote going to be, ANAX or The Pop Rock Progressives?"
"I'm not really part of the band so I'm backing out of this vote."
"Ditto for me." Jin said raising his arms up in his defense.
"Ok Ulrich, it's between you, me and Odd so...what's your choice?"
"It doesn't really matter to me. That's for you and Odd to decide."
Yumi and Odd were now charged with the burden to choose a name for the band. However with only two people the only outcome of them voting would be a tie. Jin stepped forward and offered his own solution.
"There's only one way we could solve this."
"And what way is that?"
"The best way one can solve any problem. We'll use some old fashioned school yard justice...ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!"
"Let's do it then." Odd said as he drew back his hand and prepared his move. Yumi followed suit. "Ok, ready?"
"ONE, TWO, THREE." they yelled at the same time before revealing their choices. Odd shot his hand forward with two outstretched fingers while Yumi just held her 's tight in a fist.
"Rock beats scissors. Pop Rock Progressives it is"
Despite losing the match and his opportunity to name the band, Odd didn't look disappointed at all. Ulrich was the first to notice this fact and brought it out in the open.
"Hey Odd what gives? Yumi won the match yet you're not the least bit upset."
"I should have known she would have thrown rock. Earth is her element."
"Look like you told Odd about our little conversation about Taoism huh Ulrich?" Yumi said knowing full well the subject he was referring to.
"Hey its fascinating stuff. I had to share the knowledge."
"Well it's been fun talking to you guys but Jin and I have to get home. We'll talk more about the band tomorrow. See you later guys."
"See you later Yumi." Odd watched the two siblings walk out of his door while he waved goodbye.
RING!
The school bell rang, disrupting Odd's moment of reflection and brining him back down to reality.
"Ok class see you tomorrow, with that, you are dis..." Mrs. Hertz was soon interrupted by Odd's shouting.
"WAHOO!" Odd yelled as he bolted out the classroom door.
"Ulrich, Jeremie, what's gotten into Odd?" Mrs. Hertz asked wondering about his strange behavior.
"He's just really hungry today" Ulrich said unsure of his own answer.
"Well alright, see you tomorrow boys." Mrs. Hertz waved to them goodbye and began to pack her things as well.
"So Ulrich, how long do you think it will take for Odd to calm down?" Jeremie asked, confused by Odd's behavior.
"Don't worry Jeremie I'm sure he'll clam down eventually...I think...I hope...I pray."
Odd ran down the hallway as he began his search for a special pair of fraternal twins.
It was weird having Jin back in her life. For all this time, she was used to walking down the halls of Kadic Junior High alone, except when she was in the company of her friends. Now there was some always with her providing her with company on a constant basis. Jin's first real day of school was an unusual day indeed. He decided to come dressed in a black turtle neck and jeans making it painfully obvious that the two were brother and sister. Because of the entrance he made when he first showed up and the performance he gave at prom, he had an easier time making friends. He was either known as "Yumi's Brother", "The Michael Jackson Kid" or her personal favorite "The Dirk and Clayton Slayer".
"So Jin, are you excited about today?" Yumi asked not bothering to look at his face and continued to stare straight ahead during her walk. She waited a few moments and prepared for his answer but was confused when she didn't receive one. Thinking that Jin simply didn't hear her question, she asked again. "So Jin, are you excited about today?" she said slightly louder to make sure that he heard her this time but still she got no response. She finally turned toward his direction and saw that he had his headphones on and was singing to himself.
'Cause
this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from
the beast about to strikeYou know it's thriller, thriller
night
You're fighting for life inside a killer, thriller tonight
Yumi stared at the sight for a few moments and sighed to herself. Sometimes she wished that Jin's personality would hold more similarities to hers. Yumi was surprised to see how quickly Jin adjusted to his life back home. Smiling to herself, Yumi grabbed Jin's headphones and removed them from his head promptly ending his singing.
"Aniki, don't you know that there are people here giving you strange looks?"
"Ah let them stare, I'm just having a good time that's all. No harm in that."
"Still the same goofy boy who left home two years ago."
"Least now I'm that goofy boy who can save the world."
Odd found the two individuals he was looking for and stopped his sprint.
"Yumi, Jin" Odd said frankly, hiding his enthusiasm.
"Hello Odd" Jin replied in the same cold tone of voice.
The two of them stood there for a couple of moments each giving the other an icy stare until neither one of them could contain their excitement any longer.
"TRY OUTS TODAY!" The two boys yelled out startling Yum.
"Wait a minute Aniki. You're not even in our band. Why are you so excited?"
"Don't know but Odd's letting me watch the auditions for my input. Remember you gotta please the average spectator and that's me."
"Aniki, there is nothing average about you," Yumi jested. "Now let's go guys. Jeremie and Ulrich are waiting for us."
It was just a simple power outage, the whole event didn't even last a minute and the only damages that were caused was a delayed slide in a presentation. However, no matter how insignificant the event seamed, Jeremie couldn't shake his apprehension as he continued to think that it was another XANA attack.
"XANA has been quiet for about two weeks. This has to be his handiwork Ulrich."
"And I say that it was just a simple power outage."
"What about XANA?" Yumi asked quickly entering herself into the conversation. Odd and Jin appeared shortly after and were apparently having discussion of their own. "Look if we're going to talk about XANA , can we at least do that outside? This hallway is full of people and anyone of them could be eavesdropping on us."
Complying with her demands, the group walked outside into a quiet area. Checking if the coast was clear Yumi then resumed the conversation.
"Ok Ulrich, what's going on?"
"We had a small blackout in our class and Jeremie is already assuming that XANA is behind it."
"Come on guys, XANA been a little too quiet as of lately. He won't just give up without putting up a fight" Jeremie said in his own defense.
Jin reflected upon this newfound knowledge before he spoke, "Jeremie does raise a good point. It's been a little too quiet here. One of us should check this out just incase. You always got to be prepared for something like this."
"I'll go to my room and ask Aelita to scan Lyoko for me. See you later guys." Jeremie then ran off toward the direction of the dorms now determined to find to root of this problem.
Jeremie's place in the conversation was soon replaced by the school principal as he began to question the group.
"Odd, Yumi, I've decided to allow your band to play here. The Fox Trout Fanatics."
"It's Pop Rock Progressives sir and thank you for allowing us to play."
"Just remember you have to let anyone who wants to try out to do so. You can't play favorites here. These positions must be opened for everyone."
"We'll keep that in mind sir. Have a nice day." Yumi waved goodbye to principal as the rest of the group watched him walk away.
Since the school experienced a sudden power outage so that seamed like an obvious place to check, the school's electricity grid. Jeremie scanned through the electric reports like a man on a mission determined to find something that would pose as a threat.
"Jeremie is there something wrong?" Aelita asked now concerned for her friend. Only the clicking of Jeremie's keyboard gave her any indication that he even alive. "You know, if you are troubled then you could always talk to me." Aelita was fully aware of the countless hours and sleepless nights that Jeremie invested in trying to materialize her. However, she didn't just ask this question out of obligation. To her, Jeremie was another part of her and most important of all her "friend". Friend, she liked how that word sounded and the meaning it carried as she promise herself to keep all the friends she had and to make new ones.
"AH HA!" Jeremie exclaimed as he found a potential source of the problem. "A large amount of electricity has been gathering near the school but for what reason? Does XANA need to power something or is he just going for a simple blow out?" Jeremie looked up at Aelita and flashed her a small smile. "Thanks for you offer Aelita, I'll keep that in mind. How are things in Lyoko, any pulsations?"
"Everything is normal here."
"Strange, well I'm going to lunch. They're serving Brussels sprouts today."
"Are they good? I've never really tasted them before."
"It's pretty hard for me to describe it to you since you don't have to eat in Lyoko but let me just say that I enjoy eating them very much."
"Brussels sprouts! YUCK!"
Ulrich pushed his tray away in disgust, he never really did like Brussels sprouts but fortunately for him there was someone in front of him who did.
"Hey Ulrich are you going to finish those?"
Ulrich slid the try of uneaten sprouts in front of him allowing Jeremie to dine on his leftovers. "I don't see what you like about them so much. I really hate the taste"
"Oh come on Ulrich, you just gotta give them a chance."
"I still find it weird that you were asking me for food. That question is usually reserved for Odd."
Jeremie scanned the table and noticed that two people were currently missing. "Speaking of Odd, where is he?"
"He's with Jin passing out flyers over there."
Jeremie looked up and saw the two students in question giving out flyers to anyone that was in close proximity.
"Tryouts at the gym today. If you're interested, we really need a drummer!"
Odd was on fire. So far, during lunch, he was able to pass out half the total flyers he had printed out the night before without breaking a sweat. His streak soon ended once he caught sight of Nicholas' outstretched hand just begging to be filled. Odd looked at Nicholas for a few moments before turning his back away in disgust. So one could imagine the shock on his face when he saw Jin give him the piece of paper.
"Why did you do that!" Odd asked slightly angrily.
"Chill out Odd. I'm just doing this so that way Sissi doesn't bust us. Think of it, first we turn down Nicholas. Then Sissi's goes to her father screaming "Daddy they were so mean to Nicholas" Next thing you know, The Pop Rock Progressives goes poof in the blink of an eye. Besides this is Nicholas we're talking about, how good is he going to be?"
"You're right Jin, thanks for looking out for us."
"Don't mention it." Jin looked up and saw Clayton and Dirk make their way through the cafeteria. "Now, if you turn these guys down, that would be understandable."
Dirk snatched a flyer out of Odd's hand and began reading it silently.
"Band tryouts today huh? Maybe we will show up?"
"Sorry Dirk, we don't need anyone to play the crash cymbals."
"What the heck does that mean Ishiyama?"
Jin was known for his strange remarks but not even Odd was able to understand the joke that Jin cracked.
"I'm surprised that you don't know Dirk. You see, monkeys and cymbals were made for each other."
Jin set down the stack of flyers that he was holding and opened his eyes and wide as he could. He then flashed a large toothy grin and clapped his arms like a seal in his best effort to imitate the famous windup toy.
Clayton's fist had finally healed just a few days ago and how lucky for him that he got the opportunity to test it out at this given moment.
"Clayton, you wouldn't be thinking about punching me again in front of all these people now would you?"
Clayton stopped his attack to think of the consequences.
"Let me give you the play by play. First you will try to swing at my face again, an attack that I can dodge easily. Then I'll fire a roundhouse kick to your gut knocking the wind out of you causing you to fall over. Dirk will then get all irate and try to knock me out, at that moment I'll launch another roundhouse but this time I'll aim a little higher and strike the sucker right in the face and he'll just topple over like a ton of bricks. Jim will then come in and see your battered bodies and will ask what happened. At that moment I will have about..." Jin looked around at the cafeteria's occupants. "Oh about three-hundred plus witnesses that would say that you hit first. So not only would you get another beating, but also to add insult to injury, an explosion."
Clayton unclenched his fist admitting defeat and, along with Dirk, walked away.
"You handled that one peacefully this time. Even Dirk walked away without saying a word."
"You just gotta know how to talk to people. Plus Dirk didn't want me to kick his face in again but don't think this is over. Dirk is plotting something as we speak, he always is."
"In times of great strength, show your enemy weakness," Dirk quoted a passage from The Art of War to himself as he and Clayton walked away from Odd and Jin.
"What does that mean Dirk?"
"It means when you know you have the upper hand in a conflict, you act like you're about to lose, luring the enemy into a false sense of security right before you size the moment."
"And what does this have to do with us?"
"Jin thinks he has me beat, but I'm just getting started. Why don't we pay our "respects" at the tryouts later today." Dirk chuckled to himself as he thought of the marvelous plan he was about to execute on the hopeful band.
"And I say I don't care how much you like them Jeremie. I just don't share your love for Brussels sprouts."
Yumi buried her face into her palm in disbelief. She couldn't believe for the entire time she was sitting here. Ulrich and Jeremie were talking about, above all things, Brussels sprouts.
"And I think that you're being a little too closed minded to the subject."
"So sis, what are they talking about now?"
Yumi was surprised with Jin's sudden entrance. "Oh it's you Aniki. Can you believe this, for the entire time you and Odd were passing out flyers those two have been talking about Brussels sprouts!"
"What's wrong with Brussels sprouts?"
"There's nothing wrong with them. I think they're ok to eat and are a great source for vitamins, but when you have an entire conversation based off of them then we got some problems."
"Speaking of getting your daily dose of vitamins, passing out all those flyers really made me hungry." Odd looked up at Jeremie and Ulrich. "Hey guys! I'm heading to the vending machines outside. Want to come?"
"Sure Odd, whatever those vending machines have will certainly taste better then Jeremie's sprouts."
Jeremie just shrugged his shoulders at the cheap shot Ulrich threw at him and followed the group outside.
"What's it gonna be...so many choices." Odd said hunched over at the machines buttons trying to get a better view of his "menu".
"So Aniki, what was the overall response to our flyers?" Yumi asked wanting to participate in a conversation that did not contain a little green vegetable from the capital of Belgium.
"Pretty smoothly until Dirk and Clayton decided to pay their "respects" I'd watch out for those two."
"You don't need to tell me twice."
Odd was too busy trying to make a selection to care. "What's it going to be?...what's it going to be?"
Ulrich really wanted Odd to make a decision already. He too was hungry and wanted Odd to move away from the machine. There were other people who wanted to eat, mainly himself. A then impatient Ulrich extended his arm and pressed a random button on the machine and waited for its contents to fall into Odd's cup.
"Hey you pressed soup! That stuff taste like moldy bread."
"Well you should have made your choice sooner"
Odd lifted his cup from the machine and found it surprisingly empty. Checking it, he found that there were only a few drops of actual soup in the cup for it was mostly empty. Jeremie was immediately alerted by the machines failure for it to produce the liquid product which Ulrich "suggested" for Odd to buy.
"Twice in one day, this is bad!"
"Oh come on Jeremie," Odd said, throwing his cup into the trashcan. "You've been on edge recently. If Kiwi were to suddenly sneeze you would blame that on XANA too."
"I don't know Odd" Jin said with his arms flooded across his chest." Like I said this morning, I don't think our worst enemy's hiatus would last this long. Maybe Jeremie should check this one out."
Jeremie thought of a plan while Odd and Jin were speaking to each other. "Ok guys listen up. I'm heading back to my room to scan Lyoko again if I find anything strange, I'll call you. Good luck with the tryouts, hope you find someone good." Jeremie said nothing more and ran off to his room.
Mike approached the drum set and wrapped his hands around the sticks. Clicking them together a few times for good luck he began to play his heart out. He only had thirty seconds to impress the group of judges so he knew he couldn't waste his time. Mike kept the beat in his head while his hands brought it out for all to hear. He was playing like a demon crashing every snare, every tom, tom, every high hat with an almost animal-like instinct as his primal rage brought him to his climax. Giving the cymbal one last hit for the road, Mike stood up and gave his audience a bow thanking them for their time.
Yumi was the first to provide her evaluation. "That was pretty good Mike. Your style...it's heavy metal correct?"
Mike shot out a look of confidence as he stuck out his chest and pointed at it with his thumb.
"Of course, no other style comes close baby."
"Yes but we were looking for something a little more...um...traditional," Yumi said struggling to find the right word to describe what she had in mind. "But I'm sure if you keep drumming like that, you'll find a band to play for sooner or later."
Mike was stunned, he thought for sure that he had won them over with his drum solo. Hanging his head in shame, he walked out of the room."
"Who knew he had it in him?" Ulrich said once he was confident that Mike left the room. "That guy acts like he's possessed by the devil when he plays. That was some CRAZY stuff huh guys?"
Both Odd and Jin hung their heads down low and placed their heads in their palms. "This is going to be harder that I thought." They both said as they waited for the next hopeful.
"Hello Jeremie, how were your Brussels sprouts?" Aelita asked wondering about the dish that her friend enjoyed eating.
"I'd love to answer that question Aelita but I got a potential crisis on my hands. First off, how are things looking in Lyoko?"
"Nothing has changed. I haven't felt any pulsations yet."
"This has to be XANA. I just know it."
"Well maybe..." Those were the only words he heard from Aelita as he saw his computer screen turn black. "What the!"
This was the third power outage in less than two hours. Jeremie checked his lamp on his desk to see if this was either him having a broken computer or another blackout. He flipped the switch and the latter proved true.
"It's about time I get to the bottom of this!" Jeremie said to himself as he ran down the stairway to check on the school's pylon. He looked to the sky and saw a huge electrical field emitting from the object in question. Its blue sparks created a light show that was both as beautiful as well as it was deadly. Jeremie stood on the other side of the school's chain-linked watching the whole spectacle before him with a look of pure fascination and horror. He managed to break free from the hypnotic sight and uttered a small single-syllable word underneath his breath.
"XANA"
A young girl wearing a short-skirt and a simple tank top walked into the gym and prepared for herself for her moment in the sun.
"Hello Odd," Naomi greeted the boy with a smile that seamed to both radiate around the room and put Odd under its mercy.
"Hi Naomi," Odd said weakly, enchanted by the girls presence so are you going to try out for our band?"
"Of course."
Naomi approached the drum set and wielded the sticks in her hands. She closed her eyes before beginning her solo. Naomi struggled as she attempted the daunting task of both pumping for the peddle for the base drum with her foot and maintaining a consistent rhythm using the snares and high hats. Her performance contrasted greatly with Mike's. While his solo was bold and unrelenting, Naomi's sounded meek and passive. Unfortunately for her, there was one more aspect in which they differed immensely, talent. Mike sounded like a battle hardened veteran while Naomi came off looking like a green rookie just getting used to the game. Naomi placed her sticks down and flashed Odd another warm smile before speaking.
"So, am I in?"
There were many things one could say about Naomi's audition. Using the wide selection of words offered by the English language, the average human being could string together a series of words and exclamations that would be able to express their overall dissatisfaction with Naomi's routine. Currently, Odd was participating in this delicate process cutting and pasting his own phrase to deliver to her. However, Odd's reaction was everything but expected.
"Bravo! Bravo!"
He gave her a standing ovation.
"Thank you Odd," Naomi said as she bowed toward his direction.
The rest of the group waited until Naomi exited the gym before collaborating for their final decision.
"She was great wasn't she?" Odd asked his friends thoroughly impressed by the lack of talent that Naomi was able to show.
"Odd were you watching the same performance as us!" Ulrich said not believing his ears.
Jin too decided to share his opinions with the misinformed Odd. "I agree with Ulrich. In the words of the great Simon Cowel...that was absolutely horrible." Jin said the last part of his phrase in his best imitation of the British critic which did sound almost like the real deal.
"Ahh you guys are just jealous."
"Jealous!" Ulrich replied back taken by surprise at Odd's statement. "Look can we talk about this later, we got more people who want to audition."
Yumi let out a sigh of despair and was thankful that she wasn't sucked into Odd's fascination with Naomi's drumming "expertise" she silently sat in her chair and prayed that they would find a worthy drummer sometime this century.
"Can this possibly get any worse?" She wondered
"Ahem," came a voice that was all too familiar to the group.
"Looks like it will," Yumi finished her thought and looked up at the group of three students who were currently sitting in front of her. "Can I help you Sissi?"
"Sissi!" Jin said slightly frightened by the girl being there. "Oh God please don't tell me you're going to sing for their band because if you are, I advise everyone to move away from the windows for they will shatter the moment she utters a word in the microphone."
"Real funny Jin, but I'm not here for me."
"That's a first."
"Listen will you!"
"Geez you don't have to yell."
"And you don't have to be a smart alack all the time."
"I'm not a smart alack all the time. That position is reserved for Odd."
"Never mind. As I was saying before I was ever so RUDELY interrupted. I know that both our groups don't see eye to eye on many issues, but I'm here for Nicholas' sake, he just loves to play the drums."
"On what, his mother's pots and pans," Odd joked. "Or maybe on your empty skull Sissi. I bet he gets a nice good hollow knock every time he hits it."
"WILL YOU JUST STOP!"
"Ok then, sheesh"
"I don't have to tell you that my father said that everyone should be able to tryout, and Nicholas is no different."
"Ok Sissi you win." Ulrich said trying to keep the peace.
Nicholas placed the drumsticks in his hand one at a time and began to play. Warming up with a crisp drum roll, he began to work the peddle to the bass drum providing a nice consistent back beat to play over. Handling both the snares and cymbals with ease Nicholas let lose a drum solo that was both fast paced while at the same time smooth and elegant.
It was now Yumi, Ulrich and Jin's turn to give a standing ovation for that day. The three of them watched the entire performance with their jaws wide open, totally in awe at the sheer amount of prowess that Nicholas wielded. He handled the drum sticks as if they were an extension of his own body rather than just two pieces of small wood. There were only three people in the gym who did not share in their excitement. Odd and...
"That was pretty good Nicholas."
Dirk and Clayton.
"If your definition of good is me wishing that God would take away my hearing so I don't have to endure another note of your playing."
Sissi stood up to defend her friend.
"I don't know what you two bozo's saw, but Nicholas gave it his all and put his very heart and soul in that performance! I don't see you guys doing anything half as good as what my friend accomplished today!"
"I have no time to talk to a stuck up material girl right now." Dirk snapped his fingers and had Clayton shove past Sissi thus allowing him to pass.
Jin sat relatively close to the two bullies and strongly considered grabbing metal chair he sat on and using it to smack Clayton and Dirk around for disrespecting Sissi like that. He still remembered the act of kindness she showed toward him when he was lying on his back on the verge of unconsciousness during the last XANA attack. She went out of her way to both try to save him and warn his sister about his current condition. Although his group of friends would tease her on a frequent basis, it was noting too serious. Now having your strong arm thug shove someone out of your way through because you were too lazy to just walk around a single person, that's enough of a reason to allow Dirk's face meet metal. However, Jin soon abandoned his plan since he did not wanting to start a brawl that would tarnish the band's reputation, Jin calmly stood up and talked to the both of them.
"So what brings you two here?"
"Nothing much Ishiyama. Just selling insurance."
"Insurance?"
"Yes you see, although your friend's band is pretty sub par, I would really hate to see something bad happen to it."
Whatever feelings of anger that Jin was hiding, Yumi expressed it for him as she challenged her two enemies. "What do you exactly mean?"
"It's simple my dear Yumi. You and I both know that the resources that I possess at this school are virtually endless. If you wish to grant your band complete safety, then I highly suggest purchasing insurance from us to prevent any more visits from any "unexpected" strangers."
Ulrich stood straight up after hearing that remark. "That's really low Dirk, even for you. Where did you get your inspiration for this scheme of yours, old gangster flicks?"
"I assure you Ulrich. This is no laughing matter. I highly suggest complying with our demands or else."
"Or else what!" Boomed a gruff voice from the other side of the building which came out more as a statement rather than a question.
"Jim!" The three friends said startled by the man's sudden emergence.
"It's nothing Jim. We were just talking about our classes. "Dirk lied, trying to save himself.
"Nothing! Far from it! I've heard your little "proposition" Mr. Al Capone in training. Don't worry kids. I'll let the principal deal with these two."
"Thanks Jim" Yumi said, happy that Jim was in the right place at the right time.
No sooner did Jim leave did Jeremie appear standing in the doorway and out of breath.
"Jeremie, what's wrong?" Yumi asked preparing herself for some bad news.
"It's XANA, he's storing energy in the school's pylon and is planning something sinister with it! I'm going to the factory for more information. I'll keep you posted."
"Good luck," Yumi watched Jeremie leave just as quickly as he came.
Odd still had some unfinished issues to attend to.
"Ok guys who is going to be our drummer?" "Isn't it obvious Odd?"
Ulrich answered first, "It's most definitely Nicholas. He's really good."
"NICHOLAS! You're kidding me right! There is no chance in Hades that I'm going to let that red running shorts wearing, Sissi lackey in our band!"
"But he's an awesome drummer."
"Naomi is way better then he is. She's just a little rusty, give her sometime."
Seeing how Jeremie was absent at this given moment, Jin decided to be the temporary voice of reason.
"Listen Odd, the purpose of these tryouts is to find the best drummer we can find and I'd hate to admit it, but Nicholas is the best."
"Who's asking you! You can't even play a musical instrument so why should we even consider your opinion! Here's my offer, if you want Nicholas so badly then you can have him, but you're gonna have to deal with not having me as lead guitar player."
"Playing hardball huh Odd? Well I have an offer of my own. If you keep acting like that Odd, you're going to lose your lead singer." Yumi retorted by making an ultimatum of her own.
Just when it looked like that the Pop Rock Progressives were going to separate before making their first song, Jim returned to the gym holding his precious instrument.
"By any chance do you guys think you could use a slide trombone player?"
Jeremie had safely managed to get to the factory's computer in on piece and was in the process of contacting his virtual companion.
"Aelita, sorry about the sudden disconnection but I think XANA has launched another attack!"
"You were right Jeremie. I'm beginning to feel the pulsations here on Lyoko. What could XANA want with all that electricity?"
Jeremie wanted that question answer also. Once again he brought up a map of the city's power grid and sure enough, he saw that one of the pylons was storing a large amount of electricity. Jeremie clicked on the pylon bringing up its current electrical storage percentage on screen so he could further observe it. A clear red line outlined the path that the electricity was going to be sent outlining its potential target. Seeing the building that XANA intended to destroy, Jeremie reached for his cell phone.
"This is bad, real bad Aelita. I'm going to contact the others. We have to stop this ASAP!"
"Why does XANA want all that electricity?
"HE'S GOING TO BLOW UP THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT!"
Thoughts of leaving the band and choosing a new drummer were instantly discarded as all four of the judges turned and faced their P.E. teacher.
Ulrich was the first to recover from the initial shock. "Slide trombone?"
"You heard me right, a slide trombone player. I'm really good. You just have to let me in."
Seeing how Jim had just saved the group from another messy Dirk and Clayton encounter, the decided to hear him out seeing how they were some what indebted to him.
"Ok Jim, let's see what you're made off."
Jim readied the instrument and pressed the valve to his lips. Playing an impromptu song Jim's lifted his legs and stomped his feet giving off an indication that he was totally enthralled with his own performance and nothing else. Holding out his last note for a considerable amount of time, Jim relaxed and began to catch his breath.
Odd decided that he would be the one to break the awful news to Jim. "Uhh..Jim, we're a rock band, not a military marching group."
"Hey I demand a spot in your band! I'm your P.E. teacher, incase you forgot!"
Odd suddenly remembered the guidelines the principal set for them and used these same regulations in his favor. "Jim, these tryouts are open for everyone and we can't play favorites. Those were your boss's words, not mine."
Jim stormed out of the room with a mixed feeling of anger, frustration and a little disappointment raging in his gut. Ulrich walked to the gymnasium's doors and peered outside to see if there was anyone left who wanted to try out for their band.
"Looks like were finally done for the day," he said as he stared down the vacant hallway. "Pat yourself on the back guys, that was no cake walk."
Jin stood up as if to check the validity of Ulrich's statement but then made a one-hundred and eighty degree turn and walked toward the stage.
"Hate to crash your celebration Ulrich," Jin said as he removed a black case that he concealed behind the stage curtains. "But I'm afraid you have to sit through one more performance."
"Jin! I didn't know you played anything remotely close to rock and roll, with all that Michael Jackson music you're listening to." Odd said with a raised eyebrow.
"Well my sister almost spoiled the surprise when we were in your room talking about the idea before I hushed her. You see, it was because of the Michael Jackson stuff that I decided to surprise you since I knew you would draw up a conclusion like that."
"Well you got me Jin. Let's see what you got for us. Remember Yumi's brother or not, we still can't play favorites. What position do you want?"
Jin opened the black case and pulled out an acoustic guitar and sat on a nearby stool. "Since you're already playing the lead Odd, I thought I could just settle for playing rhythm guitar."
"Fine by me Jin, play away."
Jin wasted no time and began playing his song. In his true fashion, Jin selected a song that was both cherry and energetic. His fingers danced around the guitar's strings as he began to sing the first verse. Jin's taste in music reflected is offbeat personality.
I'm
so cool, too bad I'm a loser
I'm so smart, too bad I can't get
anything figured out
I'm so brave, too bad I'm a baby
I'm so
fly, that's probably why it
Feels just like I'm falling for the
first time
I'm
so clean, it's really amazingI'm so clean, too bad I can't get all
the dirt off of me.
I'm so sane, it's driving me crazy
It's so
strange, I can't believe it
Feels just like I'm falling for the
first time
The judges were impressed with Jin's playing. Although the song did seam to be difficult, Jin didn't look like he was struggling. In fact, it appeared that he was having the time of his life. His cheerfulness and energy became contagious as the rest of the room was now wearing a smile. The song he choose to play fit him perfectly, as if it was the story of his life. Although Jin was capable of such great acts of heroism, his childish persona counterbalanced his image making him a walking paradox of personalities.
Anyone
perfect must be lying, anything easy has its cost
Anyone plain can
be lovely, anyone loved can be lost
What if I lost my direction?
What if I lost sense of time?
What if I nursed this infection?
Maybe the worst is behind
It feels just like I'm falling for the
first time
It feels just like I'm falling for the first time
Jin continued to play the song, giving it his all and not caring about the outcome but the overall joy he experiences while playing his song. He finished his performance early since he only had thirty seconds and sat down his guitar while wearing a huge grin.
"Wow, where did you learn how to play that!" Ulrich praised while clapping his hands.
"You know how I said Yumi was taking singing lessons since was six years old?"
"Yeah"
"Well our parents didn't want just one of their kids to be musically talented, so I choose to play the guitar at that precious age of nine. Please let me in your band, I promise to be a good little boy."
Before Jin's question was answered, Yumi's cell phone rang.
"Hello Jeremie," Yumi answered guessing the caller's identity.
"You guys need to head over to the factory NOW! We're in some serious trouble," Jeremie yelled from the other line not wasting any time.
"Ok, I'll tell the others, we'll be there shortly just hand tight till then."
Yumi turned off her phone and turned to the rest of the group.
"XANA has activated another tower! We need to get to Lyoko right now!
Odd looked over and Jin and flashed him a smile. "Alright! Not only do I get to go back into Lyoko, but I also get to see what all the fuss is about your character."
Dave Morgan and his firemen unit were the first to arrive on the scene. Their station was flooded with calls from people in this area complaining about an electrical disturbance. Although they were no electricians, the group knew that this was a potential fire hazard and set off to investigate it. Dave stepped out of the fire truck and began to gaze at the pylon which was storing electricity at a critical level.
"When they called, they said that this was an electrical disturbance. Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I'd like to say that it's now a full blow emergency!" He grabbed his walkie talkie and began to radio his station for help.
"Hey guys listen it's me, Dave, we need you to try and contact the nuclear power plant so we could cut the power off this live wire."
Dave returned his walkie talkie to its original space and began to collect his team together.
"Listen up. I want everyone here to set up roadblocks all around that thing. Make sure nothing even gets remotely near that pylon. Who knows what will happen if someone were to disturb it
"And what are you going to do?" Asked one of Dave's teammates.
"I'm going to talk to the principal of this school to let him know of the current situation. Stay in touch and be careful. We don't know what that electricity inside that pylon is capable of."
Dr. Delaker was the first to hear of the firemen's request. Adjusting his glasses, he began to spread the news all over the plant.
"May I have your attention everyone!" He screamed out "We have a power build up in sector seventeen near the school. We've been ordered to shut off all electricity near that area in order to help quell the problem. Time is of the essence people. We need to act fast!"
Admits all the confusion and chaos that the order started, Dr. Delaker was able to keep himself clam and not lose his head over the ordeal. However, there was one man who needed to be informed about the emergency and that man was the principal of the school in which the pylon was located in. Upon receiving this thought, the doctor quickly ran outside and got into his car all in the effort to warn the principal of the potential danger that the school was in.
"So Jeremie, what did Yumi say?"
"She said that the others would arrive here shortly and we have to just wait until then."
The elevator doors opened in front of Jeremie revealing the four heroes.
"Ok Jeremie" Jin stepped forward "What's XANA up to this time?"
The rest of the group walked over to Jeremie's computer and stared at the screen. A holographic pylon was being displayed along with two numbers that were slowly counting up. At that moment, the counter was at fifty-five percent.
"XANA has been storing electricity in the school's pylon. Currently being shown is the total amount of electricity that's in it. So far, XANA has been able to fill more than half the pylon ever since he executed his plan."
"What happens when the pylon is full?" Jin asked knowing that he was not going to like the answer that he was going to hear.
"XANA will then redirect all the electricity he's stored right at the nuclear power plant causing a meltdown."
"A MELTDOWN! Geez Jeremie you weren't kidding when you said that XANA was planning something big."
Yumi was horrified after hearing XANA's intended target. This has got to be the most dangerous plan that XANA has concocted.
"A meltdown Jeremie! This is REAL serious! Maybe we should tell the others about this?"
"What are you saying Yumi!" Jeremie answered back equally as scared of her suggestion.
"This is really dangerous Jeremie. If we fail, countless people will die and it would be our fault. We might as well tell them that way they can get everyone out of the city and to a safe area."
"But if we tell them about XANA then they'll just simply walk into the factory and unplug him destroying Lyoko and..."
"And Aelita will bite the dust!" Odd said completing Jeremie's statement.
"Correct Odd, we have to keep this under wraps for Aelita's sake."
Yumi was furious with Jeremie's statement. "Listen to yourself Jeremie! We're talking about countless innocent people dying all in the name of us keeping our secret!"
"Fine then Yumi, we'll vote. Those who don't want to raise the alarm hold your hands up right now."
Both Jeremie and Odd raised their hands and said very little to justify their decision. "And all who oppose."
Yumi's hand flew straight up into the air followed closely by Ulrich's.
"Sorry Aelita, but I vote to let them know also," apologized Ulrich.
Yumi recounted the votes in her head. There were five people in the factory and only four hands were raised. Which meant that someone had yet to cast their ballot.
"Aniki! You didn't vote, quick, make a decision!"
Jin raised his arms up and backed himself against the wall as if he were avoiding a confrontation.
"Whoa sis, I'm just the new guy here. I can't throw my weight around here yet. Especially over an issue like this one."
"Then it's settled then" Jeremie said extending his index and middle finger. "Two votes no and two votes yes, we're not going to tell."
"I think it means we should tell!"
"You know Jeremie, for someone deciding the fate of a great number people and a virtual program, you're in a pretty happy mood...Eh?" Odd said sarcastically.
Jin was the only person still paying any attention to the computer screen and the ever increasing count of the pylon's storage.
"Umm...guys" he said nervously "As much as I hate to speed up the Democratic process since it is indeed one of the best forms of government out there, but...THE PYLON IS AT SEVENTY- FIVE PERCENT FULL AND IT'S STILL RISING! So you better make your decision right now or else no one is going to be around to care once your final choice is made!"
Aelita too noticed the stalemate and Jin's cries for action but instead of standing on the sidelines, she resolved to tackle the issue head on.
"Seeing how my existence is the current topic of the debate, do I have a say on what's going on?"
Jeremie looked up at Aelita and flashed her a smile. He knew that she would vote in his favor seeing how the other choice would only bring her immediate death. "Of course it does Aelita. Your opinion always matters. By having you vote, we will break the tie and we can finally draw out a course of action."
"In that case, my vote goes with Yumi and Ulrich."
Jeremie felt as if he a gigantic bucket of cold water was dumped on him. "Aelita, what are you thinking!"
"Jeremie, you know this is the only choice we can make. We've all sworn that we would protect the world against XANA and us warning the people is the only way we can do this. I don't want people to die just so I can live."
Yumi knew the potential sacrifice that her friend was making. "Thanks Aelita, you made the right choice." Yumi said with downcast eyes, "Lets just hope it won't come down to us losing you."
"Thanks for caring Yumi."
"Ok guys, I guess I'll be going then huh?" Yumi stood up and walked toward the elevator and prepared herself to be the angle of bad news.
"Hey sis! Hold it!" Jin soon chased after his sister and was walking side by side with her.
"What is it Aniki?"
"I'm going with you"
"What!"
"Let's just say that your persuasive skills are somewhat lacking."
"Don't sell me short Jin. Remember it was because of Odd and me that we were able to convince the principal to allow us to play at the school remember."
"I remember" Jin opted to use this moment to inject some of his trademark humor into the conversation. "But I bet if I was there, he would have given us the royal treatment and have Jim be our bouncer to prevent anymore Dirk and Clayton incidents."
Yumi giggled to herself as Jin's comment was able to take away some of the edginess of the attack and making the whole ordeal more bearable. "Have it your way Aniki. Now let's get going."
Before Jin left for the outside world, he turned to Odd and left a few parting words for him.
"Sorry man, looks like your going to have to wait for another XANA attack to see me in Lyoko."
Odd was disappointed. Besides the fact that he got to fight in Lyoko again, he was also hoping to see Jin's "interesting" character, looks like he'll have to wait longer.
The elevator's doors closed and began its accent to the surface. Jeremie wasted no time and took charge. "Ulrich, Odd, head to the scanners and get into Lyoko now."
Jeremie sat in his chair once again while the others road the elevator down stairs and entered the scanner room. His fingers danced across the keys as he began the all too familiar process of bringing his friends into Lyoko.
"Transfer Odd, transfer Ulrich."
The doors to the scanners closed as the machines gave off a high-pitched mechanical hum as it was processing Jeremie's command.
"Scanner Odd, scanner Ulrich"
Jeremie scrolled through all the character cards and selected the two profiles that he needed. He hit the return key and sent the information to the scanners who replied back to him by emitting a bright light around Odd and Ulrich.
"Virtualization"
Odd and Ulrich's bodies slowly began to reform in Lyoko, once the transfer was complete they fell to the Earth and were ready for action.
Ulrich, being the more cautious one, was already scanning the landscape, sword in hand, waiting for XANA minions to show up. Odd on the other hand was a little less focused.
"Aw man, it feels great to be back in Lyoko. I just hope my razor sharp skills haven't dulled due to our break from XANA."
Aelita walked over the group who were currently standing out in the open..
"It's good to see that you're able to make it."
Odd looked up and waved to her. "Hey Aelita, looks like I'm paying the desert region another visit."
Ulrich was still being professional about the whole situation and thought that now was a good time to start looking for the tower. "Do you know where the tower is?"
"Yes, it's in the oasis on that other plateau."
"Well lets get going then!"
Luckily for Yumi, Jin did listen to her advice and planted his skateboard in the sewer a few days earlier so they could make a quick entrance and exit from the factory. Jin was the first to reach the ladder and was currently lifting the heavy cover that was in his way. Stepping outside he extended his arm to help his sister up. Yumi planted both feet on the floor before resuming her sprint toward the school.
"So sis," Jin said in between breaths. "What's the battle plan?"
"We're first going to tell the principal what's going on, that's what."
"Ok then, but lets try not to tell him about Lyoko right off the bat, just give him the bear facts. Only as a last resort do we tell him anything about the factory, I don't want to jeopardize Aelita's well being so soon."
"Same here Aniki, same here."
Dave Morgan's warning got the results that he desired. He was now in an emergency staff meeting with the principal and Mrs. Hertz in his office to try to come up with a solution to their problem.
"I assure you Mr. Morgan. You have my full cooperation in handling this mess. Whatever resources I possess, I am willing to allow you to use them if it means taming that electrical beast outside."
"That's good to hear, but what about the students?"
"I've sent our P.E. instructor Jim to the dorms and warn the students to stay indoors until further notice. This will eliminate all outside interference and give you ample time to handle this situation accordingly."
"Thank you. This will truly help my men out there."
The door to the office soon opened once more revealing a tall man in a white lab coat.
"Dr. Delaker, what are you doing here?"
"I wish to speak to you about your current electrical problem."
The principal looked at the fireman who he was speaking to "Mr. Morgan, seeing how Dr. Delaker here possesses vast volumes of knowledge on electricity, you should head back outside to help your team. In the meantime, we'll try to get to the bottom of this problem ourselves."
"Ok then."
"Good luck"
Dave soon ran out the door and noticed two teenagers running toward the principal's office. Too concerned about the school's pylon, Dave quickly forgot this sighting.
"Dr. Delaker, what brings you to visit our humble campus once again?"
"I've came to inform you that your current electricity problem had already been dealt with. It was just a minor glitch in our computers."
"But the firemen said that this was a dire emergency."
"Although the excesselectricity does look somewhat...threatening, there is nothing to worry about. We have already turned off the power around this area and eventually that pylon's extra energy will fade away."
"That's a relief to hear."
The principal then received another knock on his door as two more guest entered his office.
"Umm..sir," Yumi said a little uneasily."We got a problem here."
"I appreciate your concern Yumi, but both the firemen and the staff at the power plant have this under control."
"But that's the thing sir," Jin said as he carved his foothold in the conversation. "The problem is everything but under control."
"What's the meaning of this!" The principal asked flabbergasted by the question.
Yumi spoke again, "I don't know how to explain it but the nuclear power plant is danger! We either have to evacuate the city, or drain the pylon of its excess electricity!"
Dr. Delaker took this as his cue to speak once Yumi referenced the plant that he works at. "I assure you everything back at the plant is safe and sound. I should know, I just came back from there myself."
"Yumi, Jin," the principal said in a stern voice. "If this is some sort of ruse to draw our attention from another issue, then you better confess now so your punishments will be less harsh."
"Sir I'm telling you the truth!"
"Listen here young lady! This is an emergency, not some sort of child's game that you have obviously perceived it as. I expect the both of you to be in my office the first thing this morning so I can have a word with you. Now, please leave my office we need to further discuss the situation."
He watched the two twins walk out the door before turning toward Dr. Delaker, "Kids these days" he said jokingly which prompted a forced laugh from the doctor.
"Don't worry Aniki, once the past gets rested, the principal will forget all about our little conversation."
"I'm not worried about that sis. It's our plan. What are we going to do now?"
"Wait a minute, didn't the principal say that the firemen were here also?"
"Yeah, I remember seeing one run out of his office toward the pylon. He must have been the captain or something like that."
"That it Jin!" Yumi said, surprised by her own answer. "We'll convince the firemen. With them backing up our story, then we can surely evacuate the city!"
"Lead the way sis. I'm right behind you."
They then ran toward the school's gate and hopped that there was still time to act.
"Johnson, status report!" Dave yelled out as he assumed command of the operation. "What's the situation with the nuclear power plant?"
"Dr. Delaker told us that he already cut the power to this sector and eventually the electricity in the pylon would fade away."
"That's good to hear, how long ago did he cut it?"
"Five hours sir."
"Five hours! That's more than enough time for the power to fade away." Dave stopped speaking once he heard footsteps nearby. He spun around and saw two students run toward his direction.
"What are you two doing outside, I thought the principal said that there wouldn't be students coming down here?"
Jin decided to talk to the fireman this time, hoping for a better outcome than he experienced with the principal. "That's not important here, listen to what I have to say!"
Dave was taken back by the sheer ferocity in Jin's voice. Whatever he had to say, it had to be real important for him to risk his life being here.
"Ok , I'm listening," he said while crossing his arms.
"This may seam a little too far fetched for your taste, but what I'm going to tell you is the truth. The electricity in that pylon is far from dying out. In fact, it's increasing."
"But they cut the power off to this area."
"That's not going to do anything. I'm unsure of the details myself but here's the scary part. Once that pylon is chock full of electricity, it's going to then shoot it all out at the nuclear power plant and blow this entire place to kingdom come!"
Dave took a step back after hearing Jin's warning. Images of a nuclear explosion and people screaming for their lives flooded his mind as he pictured the gruesome sight in all of its unholy glory. He closed his eyes and began to think of a logical explanation.
"Come of Dave snap out of it people are counting on you. You gotta keep your head in the game on this. This is too out there for it to have any basis in reality. The kid must be paranoid, that's it."
Dave straightened himself out as he began to approach the conversation in a professional manner. "Now I know you're worried by all of this but let me assure you. We will stop this problem before it gets out of hand."
"But sir it is out of hand! Lives are at stake! Don't you care about this!"
"Look son, of course I care, I get paid to. Please, just leave this situation to us and go back to your rooms so that you're safe."
"But.."
"And how do you know all of this?"
Now it was Jin's turn to be on the receiving end in the conversation. He really did not want to spill the beans about Lyoko and risk ending Aelita's life. Jin squeezed his fist into a tight ball and shut his eyes, trying to delay the inevitable. He felt a slender arm touch his shoulder causing him to look up at his sister's eyes.
"We have no choice Aniki." Yumi whispered to him, "Don't worry, I'll handle this."
Yumi took one step forward toward the fireman so she could get his attention. Looking him straight in the eye, she began to tell him their secret about Lyoko the same way she did when her group took in Jin as one of their own. She prayed that telling him this would prompt any course of action from the fireman.
"Ok the real culprit here is named XANA. Now XANA is a giant super computer that is currently in an abandoned factory..."
The fate of the city rested on their shoulders. Aelita's existence hung in the balance and the whole world was counting on them to stop yet another XANA attack. Given these circumstances, one would assume that the two heroes in Lyoko would rush toward their objective to remedy this. Maybe this was a new strategy with fighting XANA. Maybe they were recovering after being engaged in a ferocious battle in which they were outnumber by a vast amount of roaches, crabs and blocks. Or maybe, they were devising yet another plan off attack so they could overcome the obstacles in their path. Whatever the reason was, Odd and Ulrich were doing everything except springing into action. The group of three was able to reach the oasis without encountering any major snags...and that was it. Ulrich swung at the ground in a desperate attempt to find a buried passage way hidden from view while Odd just leaned against a nearby rock and quietly observed his companion do so.
Ulrich took another frantic swing at the dirt underneath him revealing nothing. "Aelita, are you sure that the tower is here?"
"Positive Ulrich, see for yourself. The pulsations converge right here."
Jeremie interrupted the two through the use of his intercom., "She's right Ulrich, my scanners say that a tower is indeed nearby."
"Well then, where is it? I don't see anything around here."
Odd was bored out of his mind. He was ecstatic to be back in Lyoko once again.
"So much for my great return here," he grumbled to himself. "Man, I'm itching for a fight and what does XANA give me? A few large rocks and a lake in the middle of nowhere."
"Come on you two, you have to find that tower right now!" Jeremie yelled into the intercom knowing full well that any minute now the authorities will barge into the factory and unplug XANA.
"Chill out Jeremie, it's like what Jin said to Sissi the first day he came over. Umm...one minute of being ticked off is...three weeks of old age...or maybe it was...Ah forget it, basically what Jin was saying was you shouldn't get angry or else you will die soon...or something like that."
Odd threw a small rock to punctuate his last statement and was astonished to see that no ripple was produced by the lake when the rock broke the water's surface. Odd was curious of what just happened and took a brief moment to acknowledge the irony he was in.
"Real funny Odd, you're a cat and you're curious about this mysterious lake in front of you. Oh well if it kills me I still have eight lives left, or in this case, one-hundred life points."
With that said, Odd dipped his arm in the water and felt nothing, as if it were hanging in air. Without thinking twice, he dunked his head into the lake and instantly saw the activated tower.
"Hey guys we've been tricked! There's no water here, just an illusion. The tower must be down there if XANA is willing to trouble himself by making a hologram here."
Aelita and Ulrich gathered around the lake and watched Odd dive into the small lake head first. Seeing no other alternative, the others soon followed. After a brief free fall, the three of them caught sight of the tower and found themselves running toward it. However, XANA was not going to just have a holographic body of water be his only means of defense against the foreign invaders.
Aelita was the first to notice the three horrific monsters that XANA was willing to use to protect his tower. "Oh no!" She screamed out as she watched the three crabs emerge from their hiding place and began to open fire at the group.
Odd was the first to get hit. The laser struck him in his left kneecap causing his entire leg to buckle from the force of the attack. He gritted his teeth as he felt the pain slowly go away thanks to Jeremie's program.
"I really hate crabs!" Odd said through clenched teeth as he looked up and prepared himself for another attack.
Ulrich drew out his sword and looked at Aelita who was standing behind him. "Aelita, get out of here, run!"
Aelita did as she was told and ran away from the fight as fast as she could. The crab's saw her escape and released another barrage of laser fire at her. Odd quickly caught up to the fleeing girl and jumped in the away of the incoming lasers and lost all of his life points. Odd was sprawled out on the floor and watched his entire body slowly devirtualize bring him back to the real world.
"Ulrich!" Jeremie yelled into his intercom to give him an update of their fight. "Odd has lost all of his life points. It's just you verses the crabs now."
Ulrich stared down his attackers as he thought up his strategy. "Three against one huh? Might as well even things up a little bit."
Ulrich ran toward the crabs and produced too other clones during his sprint. The clone on his left side leapt into the air and pierced the top of the crab with his sword, effectively ending the crab's existence.
The real Ulrich looked at his newfound comrades in arms and signaled for them to attack.
"Go on. Go on."
The left clone was the first to act but was shot in the air effortlessly while the right faired better as it actually destroyed its target. Ulrich himself then launched himself at the crab in the middle dodging its attacks before taking another leap of faith. He angled himself into a favorable position before he executed his attack.
"IMPACT!" Ulrich yelled out as he dove headlong onto the top of the crab in which he was able to pierce his sword through the giant XANA symbol. A beam of light emerged from the hole the sword made and soon he quickly hopped off his target and watched it explode with a satisfied grin on his face.
"That only leaves one left," Ulrich said as he struck a pose and began his next attack. "FUSION!" Ulrich's remaining clone was called off and merged with its host once more leaving Ulrich alone with the crab. "Come on! You only get one shot," he taunted as he began to charge at his enemy.
"Ulrich, are you crazy!" Jeremie yelled at his friend's reckless attack.
Jeremie and Odd watched anxiously from the safety of the factory. The pylon was now ninety percent full and if Ulrich didn't act fast then XANA will be able to blow up the power plant without resistance.
Aelita watched Ulrich began his frantic assault. He recklessly charged the crab and was shot in the arm as punishment for his lack of restraint. She gasped in horror as she saw the red light make contact with Ulrich's flesh but he didn't allow the attack to phase him. Biting through his pain, Ulrich ran even faster toward the crab, jumping onto its head where he proceeded to impale his sword into the XANA symbol once more. He leapt off his target before he could be caught in the explosion and gestured toward Aelita.
"Ok the coast is clear."
Aelita soon disappeared into the tower and began the process of deactivating the tower. First she brought up the tower's computer screen and entered her name.
AELITA
Odd was counting the pylon's percentage increasingly getting more worried as the counter got larger and larger. "Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, ONE-HUNDRED!" He screamed out. "Hurry Aelita, we're out of time!"
CODE
Dave stood there baffled by all the information that Yumi had just bombarded him with, "I don't understand this at all" he said while scratching is head. "Super computers in abandoned factories, a virtual world."
Jin stepped forward and took control of the conversation once more.
"Look sir, I couldn't make this stuff up even if I tried. If I did, I'd make twenty-six episodes from this idea and sell it to a company and turn it into an animated series that would have a fan base from people all around the world! No, instead my sister and I are standing right here risking our lives to tell you the truth and save this town from a nuclear demise!"
Jin heard a strange noise coming from the pylon causing him to look up. The electricity shot out in a gigantic blue bolt and was propelling itself toward the direction of the power plant.
"OH NO, WE'RE TOO LATE!" The two twins said in unison.
The electric blot crept along the power lines, making its way toward the plant drawing ever nearer to its final destination.
LYOKO
The bolt froze in its place along with the rest of the action. Jeremie wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to Odd.
"Ready for a return trip to the past?"
Odd nodded and watched Jeremie hit the return key on his keyboard.
A few days have passed ever since XANA attacked the school which was fortunate for Odd. The well-deserved break he got gave the band plenty of time to practice for their performance today. Odd was once again exited about the day. This was going to be his first real show with him being in a REAL band. He made some last minute adjustments to his guitar as he scanned around the stage to see if the other members were doing alright. Yumi was performing some vocal exercises to warm up. Jin silently sat in the corner listening to his CD player to psyche himself up. Ulrich plugged in his keyboard and made sure that everything was working. And Nicholas, along with Jim, was going over their parts in the song. Odd gave into his friend's demands and allowed the two to join. In hindsight, he really regretted to stooping so low to try to get Naomi to join their band even though her drumming skills were light years away from Nicholas's. Odd stepped up to the microphone and looked at the current audience. The gym was packed with curious students wondering about the band, as he basked in the spotlight.
"Ladies and gentlemen! We are the Pop Rock Progressives. Before we begin, please allow me to introduce the band to you. First on vocals, we have the lovely Yumi Ishiyama!"
Several cat calls were thrown her way from several gracious male fans as Yumi took a bow.
"Next on keyboard, give it up for your varsity soccer player Ulrich!"
Ulrich decided to bow also and got the same cat calls Yumi received but were from the females in the building.
"Next, on the drums, Nicholas!"
Nicholas played a quick solo which stunned the crowd. Impressed with his performance, the audience gave out a loud cheer."
"On rhythm guitar, he's new to Kadic Junior High but he's already making waves on the social scene. I present to you the other half of the Ishiyama duo. You know him as the "Michael Jackson Kid", Jin!"
"Hey, it's the Dirk and Clayton Slayer!" One student pointed out causing the crowd to clap fanatically.
Jin performed a brief moonwalk as the crowd began to cheer his name out. Mainly because they were all fans of his handiwork concerning the two bullies.
"And I'm Odd for those of you who were wondering and I'm on lead guitar."
Once again the crowd went wild after the introduction.
"Finally, we have a special performer just for you guys. On slide trombone, you know him as your P.E. teacher but now he's here to rock out. Jim!"
Jim stood in a heroic pose and flexed his muscles but was greeted by the student's laughter.
"All right with the introductions out of the way...LETS ROCK!" Odd tapped his foot to the rhythm of the song as Yumi grabbed a microphone of her own. "Four there and..."
The band began to play the original song that they wrote using Aelita as inspiration. Yumi's angelic voice rang out through the speakers and memorized the audience.
Mystery
girl, from another world
She wanted happiness, not a lot of
stress
Another chance for you, another friend to you
The entire band was into the song as they played their parts out. Even Jim's trombone fit well with the chorus entertaining the audience and dispelling any doubts about his position on the band. The song ended and the entire gym gave the band a standing ovation impressed with their work. Odd spoke into the mike once more.
"Thank you, thank you for your applause. Now before we begin our next song, I'd like to tell you that we're switching parts up a bit. Yumi is going to be singing backup for this song."
Some fans were a bit disappointed but stayed any curious about the identity of the new singer.
"So please give it up for the new person taking the lead...Jin!"
The Pop Rock Progressives decided that they would play two songs that day to showcase both of the Ishiyama's singing talents. While Yumi decided to make up her own song for the occasion, Jin opted to use a famous American pop-rock song from the early nineties. The song was upbeat and unique and only Jin was able to sing it. Not because of all the high notes but it was the lyrics themselves. They were strung together and fast-paced like requiring full concentration to sing them. Jin was the only one who possessed the vocal dexterity required for a song of this caliber. Odd approached the microphone stand once again and began the count off for the bands next song.
Odd and Nicholas opened up the song for a few measures until Jin came in with the lyrics.
I'm
packed and I'm holding,
I'm smiling, she's living, she's golden
and she lives for me, She says she lives for me,
Ovation, She's
got her own motivation,
she comes round and she goes down on
me,
And I make her smile, It's like a drug for you,
Do ever
what you want to do,
Coming over you,
Keep on smiling,
what
we go through.
One stop to the rhythm that divides you,
And I
speak to you like the chorus to the verse, Chop another line like a
coda with a curse,
And I come on like a freak show takes the
stage.
We give them the games we play, she said,
Jin stopped singing and allowed Yumi to sing the chorus
I
want something else, to get me through this,
Semi-charmed kind of
life,
I want something else,
I'm not listening when you say,
Good-bye.
The band completed the first verse of the song as the rest of the song as Odd relished in the moment, turning the whole experience into a blur.
Jeremie met the rest of the band backstage. Odd was first to jump out of the curtains and give everyone high fives.
"Ah man guys that was great!" He yelled out, still feeling the adrenaline rush he experienced on stage. The rest of his band mates nodded in agreement.
Jeremie clapped his hands and congratulated the ragtag band composed of his friends a few of his enemies. "Super nuclear! Your energy is going to make this town explode!"
Odd, Jin, Ulrich and Yumi all caught Jeremie's pun as he made a recurrence to the previous XANA attack a few days ago as they all hung their heads in shame of their friend's dignity.
"Was it something I said?"
Jin looked up at his friend and prepared himself for another Simone Cowel impersonation. "Jeremie...that joke was absolutely horrible."
The rest of the band shared in Jin's laughter while Jeremie looked on at his friends with an embarrassed look on his face.
END
Notes On the Chapter:
Odd's name for the band, ANAX, was not my original idea. ANAX was a character in Windstar's fic "Trouble Within School Grounds". So here is me giving the author credit for I would have never thought of that name so quickly.
If you haven't noticed it before, my chapters are getting increasingly shorter as I continue to write this series. Don't worry, I'm not getting lazy, I write so much not because I want to fill up space but because of the information provided by the episode. You see in Teddygodzilla, there were so many different events going on at the same time so in order for me to spend a decent amount of time on each one, cause me to write a lot. On the other hand, Seeing is Believing was more linear than the first episode which allowed me to take a more laid back approach in writing it.
Ok onto Sissi and her group. It might not be that obvious, but I have taken some of the "edge" off of Sissi's personality to make her seam more human. In the series we see that Sissi does have a good side and she does truly regret some of her actions. I hope to bring this aspect out of her in the next chapters. This is one of the reason's why I made up Dirk and Clayton. The reader needs to have someone fill in the void I created so I made a nastier version of Sissi's group who are both sharper and ruthless than Herb and Nicholas.
The songs I choose for Jin to sing I felt truly showed aspects of his personality. I believed that since Jin was so closely connected to these songs that could explain why he could sing the so well. Speaking of Jin, looks like you'll have to wait some more to see his character on Lyoko. I'm not going to say much, but I will say that Jin's character is pretty unique as the role he will play on Lyoko will contrast differently from the other character's already in the series.
Songs Used (in order of apperance)
1.
Falling for the First Time (Barnaked Ladies)
2. Semi-Charmed Kind
of Life (Third-eye Blind)