Chapter 9: The Pretender
Detroid: Man, its been FOREVER since we last did a Code Lyoko chapter
sakuraphoenix: What are you talking about? We just did a quadruple update for Code Lyoko, this chapter included.
Detroid: Did we?
sakuraphoenix: Don't you remember? Because it's taken me so long, I'm giving most of my stories a quadruple update
Detroid: True but we need to work on the next few chapters then
sakuraphoenix: We already have three chapters. This one's number 4.
Detroid: True….
sakuraphoenix: So should we hit the disclaimer?
Detroid: Yeah
Disclaimer: We do not own Code Lyoko at all. The show belongs to Moonscope. We only own our OC's. Also, we do not own Sia and Rina. They belong to D.J. Scales. Taios is not ours. He belongs to our friend infinitestories. Kayori is also not ours. She belongs to decode9. Lastly, our mysterious OC from the previous chapter is not ours. He belongs to RoninS636
sakuraphoenix: Ay yi yi! So many OCs. Let's get started before I start pulling Power Rangers references.
Detroid: Right! This will start in I believe…. Caleb's POV
sakuraphoenix: Sounds right
Detroid: So sit back and enjoy the show
sakuraphoenix: You said it!
Even though I was moving stuff into Jeremy's room for the time being, since we finally got my room assignment, it wouldn't be for at least another two weeks until I could move in. Oh well, at least hearing Asuna and Ulrich argue about monster stats was gonna be fun.
"Thanks again Yumi for helping me move my stuff in Jeremy's room." I said
"Anytime. It's better than hearing Ulrich and Odd, err Asuna argue about stats. Compared to you and Naomi, I'm pretty sure you two have the most monster kills." Yumi said to me
"Yeah besides, where is Naomi anyway?" I asked
"She said she was studying in the library. Maybe you could find her there." said Yumi
"Okay. I will." I said
"See you later." Yumi said to me
"Alright and thanks once again." I said to her as I went to find Naomi
Dante's POV
From the time I had fixing the TARDIS from that run with that miserable A.I., XANA, and today, I don't exactly know what could go wrong, yet. And just my luck, I found Naomi in the cafeteria, just as she got in line for what appeared to be breakfast.
"Hey!" I called out, waving to her.
"Huh? Hey! How's the uh, project going?" Naomi asked me as she grabbed a tray.
"It's coming along. Had a few bugs to deal with, not to mention a few short circuits that've fried the nerves off my fingers. That aside, it's going ok." I said.
"Ouch. About the nerves, I mean. The damage isn't permanent, is it?" Naomi asked as we grabbed various breakfast items.
"Nah. I'm a fast healer. See?" I showed her my fingers, wiggling them around.
"And here I thought I was a fast healer. Well, technically for someone that's… yi ge ren." Naomi said.
"Ban ren, ji de." I replied in Chinese.
"Dui, dui. So, how's the job hunt?" Naomi asked as we found a table and sat down. (1)
"It went pretty well. Although I'd like it to be a... surprise for the others." I said.
"Hey, as much as I'd like to brag that I'm the queen of secrets, I'll respect your wish." Naomi said.
"Thanks. So how go classes?" I then asked.
"Pretty well, I mean, considering that I'm one of the top five in the class." Naomi said.
"Really?" I asked in bewilderment.
"How else do you think I'm able to understand to work the supercomputer? Physics though, that is the bane of my existence. I can work on something that requires basic knowledge on quantum physics, but I can't get glorified mathematics? That's just sad." Naomi said.
"Touché. I'm pretty much good at everything except history. Pretty sure you can guess why." I said.
"I can, but humor me nonetheless." Naomi said.
"Well I or the Doctor and I are constantly changing it. That and we've lived through a lot of major events in history." I said.
"Guessed correctly. History's not really my subject, but I know enough foreign history to score a B minimum." Naomi said.
"Très bon, mademoiselle." I said.
"You know, I just love a guy who can speak French." A snarky, high-pitched annoying voice spoke.
"We're in France, you twat. Of course, people know how to speak it." Naomi retorted.
Yikes… if this is her beginning to get into a bad mood, I wonder what full on bad mood looks like...probably involves a lot of swearing. Possibly in every language.
"My friends comment aside, you are…?" I asked in confusion.
"Sissi Delmas. Who are you?" Sissi asked.
"Dante Price." I said before an idea suddenly popped into my head.
"Uh, can you give us one second?" I asked as I gave Naomi a "need to talk" look before both of us turned in our seats, our backs towards Sissi.
"She me hui shi?" Naomi asked.
"Wo you yi ge zhu yi." I said.
"Shi me? She me zhu yi?" Naomi asked.
"Ru guo wo yi qian wan? Xi huan dan xiao ti qin, ran hou jian ta de xian." I replied.
"Na shi xie e de. Wo xi huan." Naomi replied.
"Ni xiang xin, dang jie shi wo de jing xi hui geng hao." I said.
"Wo xiang xin ni." Naomi said.
"Hao de. Rang le qu kai shi." I said. (2)
"What in the world are you two talking about?" Sissi then asked.
"Nothing, Elizabeth. He's… my Chinese class study buddy. Hey, if I don't practice, I'll forget." Naomi said.
"Since when do you know Chinese?" Sissi asked Naomi accusingly.
"Since when do you pay attention to anyone but Ulrich?" Naomi questioned.
"Please, my days of fantasizing to be with Ulrich are over. In fact, I was wondering if you were free during study hall." Sissi asked me, looking at me with dreamy eyes.
"Sure." I said.
Let the fun begin.
"You're not actually considering going out with her, are you?" Naomi asked me in fake disbelief while Sissy herself was looking pretty shocked herself.
"Maybe. I don't know. Not often a pretty girl asks me out." I said.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." Naomi said while withholding a fake gag.
"Well, obviously he has taste, unlike you and your fashion sense." Sissi commented.
"Hey, I wear clothes that feel comfortable and stick with the dress code. I don't go out of my way to look like a Project: Runway model wannabe." Naomi replied.
"Why I oughta-" Sissi began to say.
"Now, now Sissi darling, I'm not sure if she's worth the time." I chipped in.
"Who's side are you on?" Naomi asked.
"My side, apparently. I have study hall right after lunch. What about you?" Sissi asked me.
"I got the same. See you then?" I asked.
"I'll see you then." Sissi said before she planted a kiss on my cheek.
I waited till she was out of sight before turning to Naomi.
"Un moment s'il vous plait." I said ran over to the nearest trash can and hurled up whatever food I had. Returning to my seat, I wiped my mouth.
"Ok now I'm better." I said.
"Trust me, I know how you feel." Naomi said.
"I wouldn't tell the others if I were you. At least don't tell them that it's official." I said.
"Stuff like this is gonna fly even without my word. But hey, if we're lucky, and by lucky I mean obvious, the school will think it's a ploy to get Ulrich to date Sissi." Naomi replied.
"Trust me, there's gonna be hellfire by the end of this. Mostly on her. That and her father would want an explanation." I said.
"Probably hellfire will come first." Naomi said.
Caleb's POV
Before I could head for the library, I sorta ran into Hiroki in front of the cafeteria. He looked kinda nervous when I saw Naomi in there. I guess she finished studying.
"Hey there Hiroki. What are you doing?" I asked him
"Uh, I was looking for you." Hiroki said to me
"Why were you looking for me?" I asked
"Well, you see… you know Naomi? The girl you're always hanging out with?" Hiroki asked me
"Yeah and what about it?" I asked
"Well… I may have a bit of a crush on her." Hiroki admitted to me
"Oh well… I'm sorry to say but she has a boyfriend already but you can go ahead and try to ask her out." I said
"Alright, but could you come with me?" Hiroki asked me
"U-Um…. I… I can't. Not now anyway. I… I… I have to go take care of something. That's it. Bye." I said before leaving
There was no way I was going to tell him that I'm Naomi's boyfriend, especially not in front of my girlfriend! That was a recipe for trouble.
"I'm sorry Hiroki but I couldn't go with you or else Naomi would have said boyfriend in front of you. I couldn't risk that for you." I said to myself
I just hope you can forgive me later… key word, hope.
Naomi's POV
I was finishing up my breakfast when a crow flew next to the window. Bad omen. I should go...
"Um Naomi… Can I talk to you." Hiroki said to me
"Hmm? Oh, hey Hiroki. What's up?" I asked him
"Well… I wanted to see if you… had any plans this Friday night and wanted to go out with me that night." Hiroki said
"Well, I don't wanna sound rude, but I have a boyfriend, but maybe we could hang out Friday just as friends, if that's okay." I said to him
"Oh… alright but who is your boyfriend anyway?" Hiroki asked
Before I could say, the bell rang.
"I gotta get to class. Tell you later, okay?" I asked him
"Okay Naomi." Hiroki said
I just couldn't shake off the bad feeling I was having. Crows flying next to the window is a definite bad omen. Good thing none of the teachers noticed I was distracted as lunch came around, and I had to sit at a different table to avoid Asuna's and Ulrich's argument about who killed more monsters. Get real you two. It's obviously me and Caleb.
"Guess who." a voice said while covering my eyes
"Fennekin." I said in my cute Fennekin voice
"I love you." Caleb told me as he sat next to me
"Love you too, and Ulrich and Odd-Asuna are driving me nuts with their whole statistics battle." I said while twirling a finger around my ear
"Oh really but I had to give Hiroki a random answer for my own safety." said Caleb
"How so?" I asked him
"He had a crush on you and I didn't want to tell him that I was your boyfriend in front of you because he asked me to come with him when I told him to try to ask you out because I knew you had me as your boyfriend." Caleb said
"Caleb, am I that scary when I'm mad? You know I'll never be mad at you." I said to him
"That's true but still…" Caleb trailed off while sweat-dropping
"In any case, why don't we finish lunch, then insult Asuna over her history problem. I'm sure I can guess what she answered for number three." I said
"Yeah so let's go babe." Caleb said while smiling
Once we finished lunch, we rejoined the others over at the vending machines, where I treated myself to a soda as we were discussing the problems on today's history exam.
"I think I got question 2 right. I said that China stretched over the large river valleys of Eastern Asia, like the Huanghe, the Yangtze, and the Xichang." said Jeremy
"Pronunciation is off, but you got the idea." I said to Jeremy
"Yeah but let's hear Asuna's answer for question three." Caleb said
"Simple, I said that China was the most populated country in the world, with a billion people per square meter." Asuna said before we all burst out laughing before he said:
"You mean I got it wrong?"
"Take it from a half-Chinese girl, but China's population is 25 million people." I said
"Yeah but in any case… I have to go… Yumi told me to meet her in the Gym for something. I don't know what." Caleb told us before we saw a crow flying overhead… then seeing like a million of them on the roof before I latched onto Caleb while shivering in my literal boots before Caleb said:
"Is it me or is it crow season?"
"Bad omen. Seeing this many crows in one place only means one thing to me. XANA." I said as I kept latching onto Caleb
"One of us has to tell Yumi." Caleb told us
"Or Naomi's seen The Birds." Asuna said
"The Birds?" I asked
"It was some dumb horror flick that wasn't even scary." said Asuna
"Oh yeah?! Well crows are harbingers of doom in my culture!" I exclaimed as I kept latching onto Caleb
"Talk about it later. Right now we have to get to the factory." Caleb told us
"Uh, duck! Incoming psycho bird!" I exclaimed as a Crow flew towards us
"Go to the factory!" exclaimed Caleb
And that's when they all started flying at us!
"Hurry! They'll pluck away at us until there's nothing left!' exclaimed Asuna
"Would've started running anyway!" I exclaimed as we all made a break for it
"I'm calling Yumi to warn her." Caleb said
"I'll lead away the crows. XANA knows if I die, Naxita dies with me. He'll probably get his crows to stun me at best." I said to everyone else
"Be careful babe." Caleb said as he kissed me on the lips
"Hey! Birds of prey! Bet'cha can't catch me! And you stink worse than Asuna's feet!" I exclaimed while blowing a raspberry
And now they started flying after me faster than the daggers in House of Flying Daggers! The tool shed! I can hide in there long enough for Yumi to be home free! I hope…
Dante's POV
I probably rinsed my mouth five or so times after Sissi kissed me… ugh, just thinking about it makes me feel sick. Either way, she happened, and how in the world did I agree to this?! Oh that's right, I want to play a prank on her. Guess this is my comeuppance. Either way, study hall was in a few minutes. Better go meet her. Sighing, I approached my doom… whom was dressed like she was going to club instead of going to study hall.
"There you are. I was worried you were going to stand me up." Sissi said while smiling.
"I wouldn't do that to a lady." I lied.
Honestly, I have cut it close with many of dates in the past.
"Anyway, what subject are you having trouble with?" I asked.
"What makes you think we're actually going into the library?" Sissi asked.
Ta ma de.
"Well it would help your grades and get you less distracted." I said.
"You think I actually need to study? Naomi didn't tell you this, but I happen to be one of the top students of the 9th grade." Sissi said while flipping her hair.
"Is that so? Because she told me she was at the top of the grade." I responded.
Maybe I could get myself out of this…
"Of course, because she had my help." Sissi said arrogantly.
"Then do you know what she and I were talking about earlier? Or even want language we were speaking?" I asked while crossing my arms.
"Of course I know! It was uh… Japanese!" Sissi exclaimed.
Someone shoot me! Or something! Is she that desperate for Ulrich to notice her?!
"Ok. Then say something in 'Japanese'." I said.
Just as Sissi opened her mouth to talk, I got a phone call from Naomi. Thank you! Saved by the cell phone! Now I can get out of this jam.
"Sorry I got to take this." I turned around and walked away from the gaping girl.
I flipped my phone open and answered,
"Hello?"
"Hey, Dante, did you ever watch that movie The Birds?" Naomi asked.
And based on the background, she was running. Why?
"Uh, yeah. Why, is that important?" I asked
"It is when it's Hitchcock comes to Kadic! XANA's possessed a flock of crows! And they're after me!" Naomi exclaimed.
I started running, getting out of the building and heading towards the factory.
Caleb's POV
Ulrich peeked out of the sewer hatch, and based on the look on his face… we had more crows.
"I don't believe it!" exclaimed Asuna
"We've been through worse, and besides it's not every day we have such a big audience." Aelita said to us
"Yeah… And besides… XANA knows he needs me so he can escape from the supercomputer." I said
"So they won't dare attack?" Sia asked from behind us
"You know, we decide the one day to go shopping, and it's our favorite horror film come to life." Rina said in an annoyed tone
"Maybe… but I really hope they don't attack us." I said
"That'll be a first, not!" Taios exclaimed
"You guys are here! Great… I got the call from Naomi. Hitchcock's after her." Dante said as he caught his breath.
We started walking through the line of crows and when we were near the entrance, they were starting to get aggressive.
"We'll hold them over. Head for the elevator, see you later." Ulrich said before Aelita, Jeremy, Sia, Rina, and I ran for it
"Thanks Ulrich." I said
Once we ran for it, and called the elevator, well, Ulrich, Asuna, and Taios were running from the crows, not that I blame them.
"Come on you three! Aelita and I can't hold the elevator for long!" I yelled to Ulrich, Asuna and Taios
They managed to slide under in time, but now I was getting worried about Naomi.
"I took out about five of them. How about you?" Asuna asked Ulrich and Taios
"Hey. Now's not the time for monster counting and besides, the crows aren't even part of the score." I told Asuna
"Yumi and Naomi are all on their own. I hope they're okay." Aelita said as she was calling Yumi
"I'm more worried about Naomi. I'm going to regret doing this." I said as I activated a tower in the mountain sector
Babe… please be okay...
Naomi's POV
I was running like crazy to hide from the crazy birds, because apparently XANA's glitching today! It's anyone goes for their menu! I managed to hide in the tool shed, but I don't know how long I can hold out, especially seeing how that crow just pierced through the door.
"Naomi! Open up!" Yumi exclaimed from outside
I quickly opened the door and let Yumi in as a crow was slightly defeathered from the attack. Man… when will that tower deactivate?
Caleb's POV
Aelita looked worried after Yumi didn't pick up her phone.
"Sis, don't worry. I activated a tower on Lyoko so that way… There could be a clone of me here on Earth, looking for Naomi and Yumi while we go to Lyoko to deactivate that stupid virus' tower. XANA is more annoying than Master Xandred's headaches." I said
"Who's Master Xandred?" Everyone, minus Dante, then asked me
"Ai yi yi yi! I'm going to show you guys clips of him after we're done with this." I said while deadpanning
"Yeah… count me out. Power Rangers is just a kiddie rip-off of the original series." Dante said as I glared at him
"In any case, I'll virtualize you guys in the vicinity of the activated tower, and then I'll call Yumi and Naomi." Jeremy said before he got into the lab
"Please be okay babe." I said
You have to be… please….
Naomi's POV
I caught my breath as I managed to barricade the door from the crows. I just hope that was enough.
"Man… I just hope we can get through this one." I said to Yumi
"I hope those guys can deactivate the tower." Yumi said to me
We then saw the crows break the window as I hurried to get rid of the barricade before seeing the crows going after Yumi.
"Yumi!" I exclaimed as I protected her from the crow's attacks, trying hard not to scream in pain in the process
"What are you doing?! Please, run to the factory. Now!" Yumi told me
"Don't you get it? They'll kill you on sight. XANA wants me alive! I'll cover you. Now go!" I exclaimed
"I'm not going to leave you Naomi. Caleb wouldn't." Yumi said
"This is different! Now run!" I exclaimed as I screamed from the crows attacking me
Yumi just looked at me in shock before she bolted as the crows kept attacking me. Yumi… please make it safely.
Caleb's POV
I was standing in one of the scanners, hoping to deactivate the tower in time.
"Transfer, Ulrich. Transfer, Taios. Transfer, Caleb. Scanner, Ulrich. Scanner, Taios. Scanner, Caleb. VIRTUALIZATION!" Jeremy exclaimed
Ulrich, Taios, and I landed on Lyoko before the ladies, gentlemen, and selected gentlemen who liked dressing as ladies appeared.
"Seeing you as Asuna still is pretty funny." I said to Asuna-Odd
"Ha-ha, hilarious." Asuna said dryly
"The activated tower is south-southwest. In a crater." Jeremy said as he materialized our vehicles before I called for mine
"Thanks Jeremy." I said
"Start up the stat program, Einstein!' exclaimed Asuna
"You're gonna cry when you see the results." Ulrich said as Aelita grabbed a hold of me on my Extreme Gear
"Oh really Ulrich? Let's make this more interesting for the stats. Me and Aelita against you, Asuna, Sia, Rina, Dante, and Taios." I told Ulrich
"It's on!" exclaimed Ulrich
"Catch us if you can!" I exclaimed as I went ahead of Ulrich
"You can start earning your points now. XANA's sent you a big welcome party of Krabs." said Jeremy
"Huh? I don't see them Jeremy?" Asuna asked while going down in the crater
"Behind you, idiot!" Taios exclaimed as he activated his armor as the Krabs started firing
"Oh great. Crab cakes. Not good for the stomach." Dante said as he pulled out two identity disks
"Sis, let's show them what real family can do." I said to Aelita
"Yeah!" Aelita exclaimed
I took a nosedive into the crater as I started charging up my lightning powers while Aelita charged up an energy field before taking out the Krabs all at once. Too easy.
"Ulrich, Asuna, Aelita, Sia, Rina, Caleb, Taios, Dante, can you hear me? Naomi and Yumi have been hurt. I have to launch a Return to the Past. First, you got to deactivate the tower, fast." Jeremy said to us
"On it Jeremy." I said
Aelita and I were about to enter the tower when a Krab showed up, until Sia took care of that one, then two more showed up! Aw, nuts!
"Great…. Now what sis?" I asked Aelita
"Asuna, and Ulrich. Would you mind concentrating? Do I have to remind you there's a tower to deactivate if you want to save Yumi and Naomi?" Jeremy asked them
Asuna leaped into the air and destroyed the Krab with a few Linear attacks before she got cocky and got devirtualized.
"Careful Ulrich. You're losing too many life points." Jeremy said to Ulrich
He kept dodging the Krab until Aelita and I finished it off
"Hey, you two. You're cheating!" exclaimed Ulrich
"Yeah, we know. But you guys are just too clumsy." Aelita and I said in unison to Ulrich
'Nice one you two." Jeremy said
"Besides sis… the Evil Queen's throwing is a lot better than yours." I said before barely dodging an energy field before I said:
"Whoa! Hey! Take it easy!"
"How was that for lame?" Aelita asked before she walked over to Ulrich
I soon entered the tower and rose to the second platform where I placed my hand on the screen.
CALEB
CODE:
LYOKO
"I entered the tower Jeremy… I hope Naomi and Yumi are alright." I said before I said:
"Tower deactivated."
I just hope Naomi's okay...
Naomi's POV
I heard what sounded like beeping as I saw that I was in the back of an ambulance. Last thing I remember… the crows gave up after realizing I wasn't Yumi… but they really did a number on me…
"Miss Jones! What happened to you?" Mr. Delmas asked me
"I… I can't remember. I think… I was attacked… by a bunch of birds." I said, truly struggling to remember the details
"Don't move. You need to be sent to the hospital." Jim said
"Let me guess, trauma and electrocution treatment?" I asked
I soon felt a hand holding mine as I turned to see Caleb. But… why was he here?
"And I'll go with her in the ambulance." Caleb said
"Caleb…" I started to say
"Don't speak or move. I'll be here for you." Caleb told me
I smiled as the ambulance doors closed and the driver drove off to the hospital before I felt an urge to fall back asleep.
"Listen, I'm not the real Caleb. I'm just a specter of him to keep you company until he returns. He just deactivated the tower on Lyoko." Caleb's specter told me
"Then there's something wrong… usually Jeremy would've activated the return trip by now. Aelita… she must be XANAfied on Lyoko…." I said before I closed my eyes, feeling tired
Caleb...
Caleb's POV
Oh man, right when we could use Naomi, the crows had to get her!
"Jeremy, you can activate a return to the past now!" I exclaimed to him as I left the tower to meet up with Aelita and Ulrich
Strange enough, no answer, but the hornets were really buzzing! I had to make some of my Kamikaze Hornets to keep them busy, until I heard the Scyphozoa grabbing my sister!
"Aelita!" I exclaimed
But these hornets were not playing nice with us today! They destroyed Ulrich's saber, they were making me dodge their poison, and on top of that Sia, Rina, and Taios were defenseless since now they were weaponless too! Oh come on!
"Guys, can you hear me? Jeremy's out cold. The birds got him!" exclaimed Asuna
"Well we got an even worse problem here! XANA has Aelita in his clutches!" I exclaimed
"So, quit sitting around and do something already!" exclaimed Taios
"I'd love to, but… I'm not sure what to do. I'll see what I can do." Asuna told us
"You have Asuna's brain! Use it!" I exclaimed
"Well she was stuck in a video game for two years! I don't call that experience!" exclaimed Asuna
"I was meaning before she was stuck in that game!" I yelled at her
"I'll do what I can! Don't rush me!" exclaimed Asuna
And now we had Flying Mantas, or just the one. Then that means…
"No… Sis…." I said sadly
"Quit being an emo, and follow that manta!" Taios exclaimed after he hit me on the head
"You shouldn't have done that." I told him as I was about to stab him with my sword
"Look, do you want XANA to win, or do you want Naomi and Yumi to be safe and sound?" Taios asked me, which got me to put away my sword
"Fine but if you ever hit me again, I'll make sure you have a horrible 2 weeks of pain at Kadic." I said
"Hey, monster birds are hell. I don't need you mad. That's worse." Taios said to me which got me chuckling a bit before we all ran after Aelita
"Um… not to rush us here but…. Naomi's life signal is going down." I said
"You gotta be…." Taios started to say before a laser hit him out of nowhere, before Sia and Rina were devirutalized by a copycat Kamikaze hornet, which was getting me mad
"Okay XANA. You're making me mad!" I exclaimed
"You and me both! Can your extreme gear go as fast as I can Super Sprint?" Ulrich asked me
"Yeah." I said
"Then let's hope we can get Aelita to her senses. Super Sprint!" Ulrich exclaimed as he started running after I got onto my Extreme Gear
"Hey! Wait up!" Dante exclaimed as he pulled out some kind of glow stick and created a pretty cool motorcycle out of it
I just hope Naomi and Yumi were in better shape than Aelita was. Then again, even a broken leg is better than being XANAfied!
Naomi's POV
I turned a bit after feeling Caleb's specter placing a loose hair behind my ear as I smiled while seeing him.
"You better not die on your boyfriend." Caleb's specter told me
"I don't have any intentions to." I said to him while smiling
"Hope so because you know he'll want to get revenge on XANA if you die." Caleb's specter said
"That's my line." I said while smiling while laughing a bit
"In all, just make sure you don't die, for him." Caleb's specter told me
"I promise I won't. To be honest, just having you here, even though you're not my real boyfriend, it's enough to give me the strength to keep surviving." I said while smiling
"That's true." Caleb's specter said while smiling as well
"I just hope they can deactivate the tower soon." I said as I closed my eyes, feeling tired again
"They deactivated the tower but…. Aelita has been…. XANAfied." Caleb's specter told me
"I just wish I was there… I could help…" I said before falling back asleep
Caleb… please stop Aelita in time. I don't know what I'll do if you fall back into a coma.
Caleb's POV
We were quickly catching up to Aelita, but since Ulrich didn't have a weapon… I didn't want to think about it.
"Ulrich, how much life points do you think you have left?" I asked him
"Not sure, but think you can cover me in case Aelita goes crazy on me?" Ulrich asked me
"You got it." I said
"I'll handle any stragglers that try to stop you guys." Dante said
Ulrich then started playing a game of leap on the hornets before tackling the Flying Manta, which sent Aelita flying, until Ulrich caught her. Oh man… I don't wanna hurt her, but I don't want the desert sector to disappear either. Talk about being caught between XANA and a hard place!
"What to do? Man… XANA, you really have me trapped between a rock and a hard place, literally." I said to myself
"You know, we can't risk Aelita entering the way tower. Think she'll still be XANAfied if we do a return trip?" Ulrich asked me
"I don't know. We never tried it before while she was XANAfied unless…. Let's try to reverse it!" I exclaimed
"Got any ideas how?" Ulrich asked me
Although I had no idea, seeing Aelita running toward the tower gave me an idea on how to stop the monsters from attacking, and as much as I hated it… we would have to use Aelita as a human shield.
Caleb's Specter POV
I held Naomi's hand in worry as her heartbeat was starting to slow after she closed her eyes previously.
"You better not die at all." I said
She didn't say anything as she had kept her eyes closed, as I hoped she was still hanging in there.
Caleb's POV
And Aelita just had to elbow me in the stomach! Really? Just… really? If that wasn't worse, Ulrich and I nearly got energy fielded by her! Man… I do not want to make her mad, not after what she just did, unfortunately, her new friends didn't exactly want us to stop her.
"You're beginning to get on my nerves." Ulrich said as he pulled out one of the rocks that Aelita had created from the impact of her energy field
"For once, we agree Ulrich." I said before saying:
"Ulrich, we have to stop Aelita and fast. Naomi's heart monitor is…"
I bit my lower lip out of worry. We don't have much time!
Caleb's Specter's POV
Naomi was starting to flatline! Oh man, this wasn't good!
"Naomi, hang in there or else." I said
I held her hand tighter as I looked at her heart monitor. She better make it through.
Caleb's POV
One hornet, one manta, and now one sister to devirtualize.
"We're not going to let you through, Aelita." Ulrich said to her before the Hornets went trigger happy on us
"I'm sorry sis but this is for your own good." I said as I kicked Aelita right in gut and sent her skidding away from the way tower
We then focused our attention on the last two hornets, but while we were, Aelita managed to get inside! Oh no! We're too late!
"Great…. Just great… Run Ulrich!" I exclaimed
"Don't need to tell me twice!" Ulrich exclaimed as we started running
"Why are you guys running?" Dante asked
"The sector's gonna go!" Ulrich exclaimed
We ran just to make sure we could escape the way tower in time.
Caleb's Specter's POV
I held onto Naomi's hand even tighter, sensing the desert sector was about to go.
"Don't go on Caleb. Not now." I said
I just kept holding onto her hand as I kept staring at the heart monitor, hoping she could last for another few minutes.
Caleb's POV
We kept running as the way tower was disappearing.
"Ulrich, Caleb. I'm back in action. Do you two need anything?" Jeremy asked us
"Jeremy! I don't care just materialize us quickly!" I exclaimed
"Come on, Aelita! This is no time to drag your feet!" Ulrich exclaimed as we kept running as the Way Tower was beginning to disappear
How many times do I have to say this? I hate you XANA!
Caleb's Specter's POV
Yumi and Naomi were being rushed to the emergency room, both of them being unconscious as Johnny and I ran to keep up.
"Uh, what do we have here?" One of the paramedics asked
"Two adolescent girls. About 13 and 14. Multiple injuries. Unconscious." Another paramedic said
"Naomi, be strong." I said
I know you're strong. So prove it today!
Caleb's POV
We kept running at top speed to try and avoid becoming seafood!
"Caleb, with the desert's destruction, you know what it means once I launch the return." Jeremy said to me
"Just do it! Naomi is going to die within a couple of seconds with Yumi!" I exclaimed since I was super worried
"Return to the past, now." Jeremy said as he launched the return
I closed my eyes as the return activated, knowing I was going to be asleep for the whole day.
Naomi's POV
I groaned as the sun hit my eyes as I was back in my room. I made it… barely.
"So, you're awake." Kayori said to me
"Yeah, nothing like a good old-fashioned sunrise." I said while squinting to keep the sun out of my eyes
"Everything okay?" Kayori asked
I opened my mouth to reply when I heard my phone go off and checked to see that I just got a text from Yumi! I quickly read it, and it wasn't good. Her text message basically said to hurry to the Hermitage. I hurried to the Hermitage where I saw Caleb fast asleep! Oh no… the desert...
"Don't tell me it's what I think it is." I said in worry
"It was. Caleb and I were helpless to stop Aelita from entering the way tower in the Desert Sector." Ulrich said
"You tried your best, that's all that matters." I said
"Yeah but still…" Ulrich said
"But nothing. Caleb will be awake tomorrow. I can survive a day without him. If I had died on him, he wouldn't be so forgiving of me. But in any case, I'll cover for his absence. Yumi, can you cover for him for your parents?" I asked her
"Of course." Yumi said
"I'll have to get my notes for what he'll miss in class today prepared, and I haven't had breakfast yet." I said to everyone
"How do you think I feel?!" exclaimed Asuna
"You have Asuna's stomach so you shouldn't be feelings like your old self at all." Sia said
"So? It's pancakes for breakfast, and I love pancakes!" Asuna exclaimed
"Do you want Asuna to know that you going to be making her fat?" Yumi asked
"She's an anime character. I'm sure she won't worry about two or three pancakes." Asuna said
"Oh really?" Rina asked
"Enough already. First one there gets Asuna's seconds!" I exclaimed as I started running
"You're on!" Yumi exclaimed
I wasn't paying attention to Asuna's protests as we raced back to Kadic, and I was first, and Asuna was sulking. That's what she gets for spending too much time sleeping in class. Speaking of class, Asuna was looking pretty happy now that she had question 3 correct when Jeremy came over with the stats.
"Hey Guys! I got the latest stats on Lyoko battles!" Jeremy said
"Ready to eat your hat, good buddy?" Asuna asked Ulrich
"You're the one who's not going to be able to digest this." Ulrich said to Asuna
"Did you forget it was my brother and I against everyone us?" Aelita asked
"So I guess I shouldn't be surprised if I come in second, right?" I asked her
"The stats were from the Desert Sector this time Naomi so.. since you were attacked by XANA during it… you know." Aelita told me
"But… I thought they were the overall stats." I said in confusion
"They are, since I wanted to be fair." said Jeremy
"Okay." I said
"The Lyoko Warrior who has outclassed all the others is… Aelita, Caleb, and Naomi." Jeremy said as I started giggling while Aelita looked happy
"I don't believe in statistics. They don't mean a thing. That's not the way to determine a real Lyoko hero." said Asuna
"Yeah, for once I agree with you Asuna." said Ulrich
"I just hope my brother wakes up soon…" Aelita said sadly
"He will. In any case, by this time tomorrow, he'll be back up and running in no time. I know he will." I said while looking at my watch
"And if he doesn't?" Aelita asked me
"You have to have faith Aelita. He will wake up." I said while smiling
"Alright, if you say so Naomi." Aelita said
"He had faith in my survival, so I have to have faith that he'll wake up. If it were vice versa, he'd have faith that I'd wake up." I said to her
"I believe you." said Aelita
I smiled as I looked toward the sky. I know you'll be awake soon. I know it. At least… I hope…
Dante's POV
Once the return trip had taken place, and everyone explained to me what had happened, I felt grateful that Naomi and Yumi were okay, but this wasn't a victory. XANA managed to destroy another sector, Caleb is in a coma for god knows how long, and the worst part was yet to come! Sissi...Wait. I may have a work around. Instead of meeting Naomi at breakfast, like I had this morning, and after sending an anonymous tip to Mr. Delmas, and by anonymous, I made a fake text from his own daughter. I found Naomi sitting away from the group, picking at her lunch, for reasons I could understand.
"Hey." I said.
"Hey. Wanna sit down?" Naomi asked me.
"Sure. You look like you needed the company." I said as I sat down next to her
"After what happened, being alone would just feed whatever insanity I might have growing inside me." Naomi admitted with a slight depressed tone hidden in her voice.
We sat down and started eating our grub, well, I was eating, she was just starring at it.
"So, tell me your tale of woe." I said
"I think you already know it." Naomi said.
"Well tell me what you're thinking." I said.
"I guess… I felt too overconfident. I thought XANA would still want me alive since my evil twin works for him, and if I go, she goes. I thought I could be a better distraction, and it ended up nearly costing me my life. Then on Lyoko, XANA manages to get Skippy, my nickname for the Scyphozoa, to get its tentacles around Aelita. Maybe… maybe if I didn't play distraction, the desert sector would still be around, and… and Caleb wouldn't be in a coma." Naomi said, letting what she felt loose.
Honestly, I can relate. I've made a lot of bad calls in the past that costed a battle or even a life. So what do I say? That it wasn't her fault, that she was being brain dead? No. I then sighed, understanding where she was coming from.
"Look, nobody can accurately predict how somebody will react. It's inherently flawed to try to totally understand anyone at one point because SOMETHING will change and contradict what you know. And no plan survives first contact. So when all else fails, wing it." I said
"You know… you give pretty good advice. You sure you didn't act as The Doctor's voice of reason during one of his crazier ventures?" Naomi asked.
"I was a bit." I admitted
"Ah. Well, thanks either way. I'm not used to people giving me the pep talk. Even so, you're really good at it." Naomi smiled.
"Thanks." I smiled.
"You know, I just love a guy who's polite." A familiar voice rang out.
Ugh, here we go again...
"Hi." I greeted dully.
"Can we help you?" I added in
"Better question. What do you want, Sissi?" Naomi asked.
"I just want to know who the new student is. As the principal's daughter, it's my job to make sure he enjoys his stay at Kadic." Sissi said arrogantly.
"Or, this is one of your 'I want to get Ulrich jealous so he can date me' schemes." Naomi said nonchalantly.
"Please, my days of fantasizing about being with Ulrich are over. In fact, I was wondering if you were free during study hall." Sissi said.
Not this again… well time to show the surprise.
"I would, but the problem is…" I began to say
"Elizabeth. What are you doing?" Mr. Delmas asked as he walked over to Sissi.
"D-daddy! Nothing, I was just introducing myself to the newest student." Sissi explained.
"You mean, teacher." Mr. Delmas corrected.
"WHAT?!" Sissi exclaimed in shock.
"Minus the temporary deafness, I'm in shock too." Naomi said.
"As of tomorrow I will be your new English Literature teacher." I said, a grin forming on my face.
"Which means you'll actually have to study, Sissi." Naomi chipped in.
She said nothing as she stammered and walked away, her fan club following her along with her father. Once all four of them were out of earshot, Naomi burst out laughing, not that I can blame her.
"Okay, that… was priceless." Naomi said between laughs before she finally calmed herself down.
"I'm sure it was. But yeah, that's the surprise. Don't tell the others, I want to see the look on their faces." I said
"My lips are sealed." Naomi replied while making the zipper motion.
Detroid: Hope you liked this chapter
sakuraphoenix: Because now I am scared of crows for the rest of my life
Detroid: At least there are still two sectors left
sakuraphoenix: True
Detroid: In any case, please review and until next time, I'm Detroid…
sakuraphoenix: And I'm sakuraphoenix! Both of us saying we heart you, signing off for now. See ya!
Detroid: Bye!
(1) Naomi: A human
Dante: Half-human, remember
Naomi: Right, right.
(2) Naomi: What's up?
Dante: I have an idea
Naomi: Really? What's the idea?
Dante: What if I played along? Y'know: play her like a violin and cut her strings.
Naomi: That is evil. I like it.
Dante: Trust me, it'll be even better when I reveal my surprise.
Naomi: I believe you
Dante: Okay. Let the fun begin
