It was late at night when William came face to face with a single scanner.
"Okay, William. This is the final step. Step inside as the computer will store a virtual copy of you. From this moment on, you'll be immune to the Return to the past. You'll really be one of us." Jeremie said.
"It's about time." Hope said.
"Its not too late to turn back." Yumi said.
"I've already come this far." William said as he stepped inside as the scanner closed.
"Okay. Scanning William." Jeremie said as the scanner scanned him before opening back up.
"So, how do you feel?" Ulrich asked.
"Ready to take on XANA and his monsters." William said.
"Tomorrow he strikes sector 5. Only Alieta and you will be available to-" Hope began before Jexi knocked him out. "What he means is whatever happens happens." jexi smiled.
"Well, let's hope he doesn't attack tomorrow. I got a big skateboard competiton tomorrow and I don't wanna lose. I'm there to win." Odd said.
Hope soon awoke an hour later in his base with Jexi looking over him. "Sorry about that, but you came way too close when spilling future info." Jexi said.
"I know. Jexi, youre not upset I came back to help, right?" Hope said.
"I'm not going to say welcome back to the team or anything like that. We're more like a temporary alliance. Just until Nebula and the Kaima are gone." Jexi said.
The next day at school, the skateboarding competition was well underway.
"Ah, Skateboarding. The only radical sport left in the future." Vector said. "They still use that word right? Radical?"
"I think so, boss." Charmy said.
"Still, nice to be back together like we should." Espio said.
"Yeah. About that. I told Jim that you were my trainee and Charmy's my pet bird who was horribly mutated." Vector said.
"Of course. You didnt want any suspicion. I bet Jexi wanted you to say you were born that way." Espio said.
"Actually, he wants me to say I'm a guy born with bad skin and had a stretched mouth." Vector said. "It's a pretty sweet gig I got here. Except when I lost to that frickin kangaroo again. Man I hate that guy!"
"You never change, boss…" Charmy said.
"Yeah well, you never do change much." Vector said.
Inside of Jeremie's room, he and Aelita were busy working on a program.
"Okay. If this works, we should be able to find Franz Hopper if he is still on Lyoko." Jeremie said. "Program's been launched. Now all we have to do is…" Jeremie began before an alert came up. "Great." he said as they headed for the door only to be blocked by Millie and Tamiya.
"And here's the man of the hour." Millie said.
"Uh, man of the hour?" Jeremie asked.
"Don't tell me you forgot. You promised to be interviewed today since you're the valedictorian." Millie said.
"I guess I did forget. Can we reschedule?" Jeremie asked.
"No way. We're doing this like it or not." Tamiya said.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it." Aelita said running towards the factory, leaving Jeremie behind.
Outside the factory, Toph waited for Aelita to come. But was more surprised when she saw Yang approach her.
"Wait, aren't you?" Toph began before Yang punched her aside.
"Sorry. But I'm not going to get over this unless I get back into the field. Hope had a point. Jexi and the others do push themselves. So will I. If Cosmo Man is waiting for us on Lyoko, then I'll take him for you." Yang said heading inside.
"Oh no, I'm coming too! No ones leaving me out of this." Toph siad walking in.
"Suit yourself, just don't get in my way." Yang said.
Aelita soon joined up with them as did William. "Wait, where's everyone else?" Yang said.
"I don't know. They aren't picking up their phones." Aelita said.
"So? Isn't this core thing important? Let's go in now and protect it. That's why you brought me in, right?" William asked.
"Well, he's right. XANAs gunning for it right now." Yang said.
'Okay. A delayed virtualization is set. Hurry to the scanners." Aelita said as they ran into the scanner room.
The four were soon virtualized into an elevator with William examining his virtual body: a white body suit with a massive two handed sword.
"This is some pretty boss gear here." William said.
"Focus guys. We just need to trigger the key, activate the terminal that will get us to the core of Lyoko." Aelita said.
The four ran into a clear room with the key right across from them.
"There it is. Pretty easy." William said running towards it before a column popped up, followed by a wail.
"What's that noise I hear?" William said.
"Creepers." Aelita said as the monsters slithered out of a hole.
"Creepy crawlies huh? Well. I can handle these guys." William said running at then, taking each one out with a single sword swing.
"He sure does know what he's doing, for a rookie." Toph said.
"So, these are the heroes that are the threat to Nebula?" said a voice as a black robot in a cloak walked into the room.
"Youre the robot Hope warned us about. Youre…. Cosmo man." Toph said.
"Cosmo Man? Hahaha! You mistake me for that weakling? Sorry to disappoint, but Cosmo Man is no longer among the living." Bass said.
"You decommissioned him?" Yang asked.
"Yes. I killed him. And have single handedly disbanded the weakling organization known as Nebula. I was going to leave this world all together, but I thought I might as well see what these heroes were all about." Bass said.
"You mean our teams?" Yang asked.
"Exactly. But I gotta ask, what can a girl that lost her arm and another that's lost her sight do? It makes no sense to me in the least." Bass said.
"Youre questioning that? Just who do you think you are, tin can?"
"I was referred to as Project B for a long while. I've shedded that persona and given myself a new name. I….am Bass." Bass said.
"Bass…?" Toph said remembering Flux's words.
"On the chance you do encounter the project….run."
"Yang, this is the project Flux said that was stolen, and we were told its extremely dangerous to use." Toph said.
"Dangerous huh? Good, I like dangerous." Yang said.
"Hmm. Seems the girl with the robot arm is not shaken by my appearance. This one could prove entertaining. As for the blind one, I can sense fear. I'll get rid of her first." Bass thought before warping and appearing before Toph, grabbing her head.
"No!" William said slamming his sword into Bass, only to see Bass grab it single handedly. "Begone worm." Bass said tossing him into the key, opening the doors and making a wall rise, separating him, Toph, Yang and Aelita from William. "Now, Explosion!"
The hand holding Toph let loose a large explosion, devirtualizing Toph immediately.
Toph then came out of the chamber. "It was nothing but code in there, I couldnt bend. It was probably for the best."
Jeremie then arrived at the computer. "Okay. I'm here. Sorry I'm late." Jeremie said.
"Uh, Jeremie. Something weirds going on. There's this strange jellyfish monster approaching me." William said.
"Oh no, the Scyphozoa. William, you cant fight that thing, get out of there!" Jeremie said.
"Please. It doesn't look so tough." William said before his sword was knocked away as he backed away from the monster.
"Oh no. Aelita. You'll have to go the long way around if you wanna reach William in time." Jeremie said.
"Go. I'll keep robo boy here busy." Yang said.
Aelita shook her head as she ran down a corridor.
"Perfect. Now we can really go all out on each other." Bass said as he and Yang ran at each other, delivering flurries of punches, one after the other against each other.
Aelita ran to where William was, but it was too late.
"No, it did it. The Scyphozoa has possessed William." Aelita said.
William then began charging his sword, unleashing a powerful wave, devirtualizing Aelita immediately.
Jeremie quickly picked up on the Sunny's coom and the beacons. "To anyone still available at school, in the Sunny or the Beacon. William is now possessed by XANA and Yang's in combat with Bass. The first shield layer on the cores already gone. So please hurry." Jeremie said.
The teams, with Ulrich,Odd,Yumi, ran to the factory. But then several spirit like entities began appearing before them.
"They're just like the monsters we saw attacking Boyclops." Hsien-Ko said.
"Kaima minions. But, how did they know?" Hope asked before seeing Boyclops behind them, but with a purple smoking mask over his eye, making it evil red. "Attack." he said as the spirits attacked the group.
"Charge through them and keep moving! We have to get to Lyoko before it shuts down for good!" Hope said.
"It won't do any good. By the time we get through, it'll already be too late." Fuyunyan said. "But fret not. This is how it was supposed to go. Jeremie will…"Fuyunyan began before the monsters tried to ganged up on him.
"Blaze Kick!" shouted a voice as a figure stood there.
"Blaziken." Yumi said.
"I've told you before, Yumi. I will risk my very life...to keep you safe from harm." Blaziken said as he fought against the Kaima.
Back in Lyoko, Yang and Bass were both gasping as they had given all thye got.
"Incredible. I didn't think...someone who could match me even existed. But the proof is….staring me in the face." Bass said.
"You cant beat me. I may be down an arm and my team scattered, but there's one thing you cant break about me." Yang said.
"I've heard enough of your sentimental crap. I realize I cannot beat you as I am now. But...that will change one day enough." Bass said as he logged out. "But know this, I will keep on living...until I kill you myself. So you better not die before that can happen!"
"Count on it." Yang said as she was Devitualized right before the core was destroyed itself.
"Well, that's it. We've lost all of Lyoko. Along with William." Jeremie said.
Unknown to them, inside the empty space floated William in a new black suit as he floated there.
Back at the respective transports, the teams reviewed.
"Fuyunyan told me everything. It's not over for the Kaima. They won't stop with the Classic Yo-kai. They won't stop till they get rid of every human in the universe." Jexi said.
"If we want to stop them, we have to -" Hope began.
"I know what you're about to say. But its wrong. I say...if they want to find the Classic Yo-kai. We find them first. This Dreamland place must have one hiding on it. So we go there and find it." Jexi smiled.
"You know, I've always wanted to go there. Jexi, have you heard of a certain pink-" Hope began.
"Please don't spoil it for me. I'd like to be surprised for once." Jexi said.
Meanwhile in the lanes between, Yakkai flew through with several Kaima minions as well as two Kai Servants. He soon began to approach a yellow star shaped planet.
"Its there! Classic Yo-kai is hidden there! I can even identify Classic. The mighty spider, Tsuchigumo!" Yakkai laughed.
To be continued….