Yumi emerged from her tower into the plateau of the Bowl. As expected, there was a small gathering of kankrelats outside. The diminutive creatures were meandering aimlessly around. For once, Yumi was not annoyed by their presence. They would make excellent targets, and the ninja was eager to test out her new weapon. "Alright, you little creeps. Over here!" Yumi shouted. The kankrelats whirled around to face the ninja before making their way over to her. Although whether they were obeying her command or had nothing else better to do, Yumi was not entirely sure. She decided on the former as the insect-like monsters gathered in a semicircle around her, about a dozen strong. Directing her attention at the foremost kankrelat, Yumi whipped out her fans and ordered, "attack me." The creature seemed confused by the request. Yumi grumbled under her breath before focusing her thoughts and imposing her will on the creatures. Now receiving direct commands, the kankrelats began to open fire. Dodging around the volleys, Yumi maneuvered her tessen fans so as to absorb and deflect the blasts. For the most part she directed the bolts toward predetermined rocks but occasionally she would redirect one towards an attacking kankrelat, making sure to hone both her long and short range accuracy. To increase the difficulty, the ninja ordered the kankrelats to move around while firing, forcing Yumi to stay light on her feet. Once a sufficient number of the little beasts had been whittled down by Yumi's deflections and the occasional tessen, the ninja stowed her fans and thrust out her hand, calling up her secondary weapon. In a matter of seconds a long, cylindrical red and black pole had materialized into Yumi's hands. Whirling the bo staff through the air, the ninja blocked some of the oncoming laser bolts, though the staff itself was not meant specifically for blocking high speed projectiles. Deciding it was high time to go on the offensive, Yumi cartwheeled forward and slammed her staff down onto the nearest kankrelat, shattering the bug. The remaining kankrelats soon met a similar fate as Yumi wielded the bo staff in a flurry of jabs and twirls. Once all the monsters had been destroyed, Yumi relaxed. And it was at that moment that the ninja had a far-sight vision. In her mind's eye, she saw the arrival of the Lyoko Warriors. With a confident smirk, Yumi twirled her bo staff around in her hand before recalling it. "Let's see how well you work in a real fight," the ninja told the staff. The ninja focused her mind on the Desert Sector, eager to test her prowess in battle with her new weapon.
"So what's on the menu today, Einstein?" Odd walked backwards across the bridge, facing Jeremy with Hiroki and William 'behind' him. Jeremy regarded the eccentric blond for a moment before answering.
"The Oasis," Jeremy informed the other blond. "It's the region Ulrich first emerged from his tower."
"Aw, so our good buddy's goin' home today, huh?" Odd quipped, spinning around to ensure he didn't walk off the factory's top floor. "Guess he must be pretty excited."
"Can he actually get excited?" Hiroki joked, though only partially. "I don't think I've seen him do anything but scowl."
"Not true," Odd held up a finger, managing to hold a straight face. "He's smiled once or twice. Kinda. But you're right," Odd cracked a grin. "He really does seem out of character when he's not scowling."
"Better not let him hear that," William chuckled as they entered the factory. "Whether it's true or not."
"Eh, what's he gonna do?" Odd pshawed. "Frown me to death?"
The group shared a laugh before grabbing the ropes and swinging down, Jeremy hitting the ground last, less graceful than the others. As Jeremy entered the elevator after Odd, Hiroki, and William, pressing the descent mechanism as he did so, he remembered something else he had been meaning to tell his friends.
"Oh, Odd, by the way," Jeremy began, glancing over to the boy in question. "I've been working on a special type of laser arrow for you."
"Oh yeah? What does it do?" Odd asked. "I hope it's something really awesome."
"Well, it's a special arrow designed to, temporarily at least, prevent someone from transferring," Jeremy informed the eccentric blond. "In this case, that someone is Yumi."
"So does that mean Yumi won't be able to teleport away?" William asked.
"Well, technically there's a difference between transferring and teleporting," Jeremy began before giving up and agreeing to the layman terminology. "But, yes, it will prevent Yumi from 'teleporting' away. At least for a while at least."
"Yeah, but what're we supposed to do with her, then?" Odd asked as the group exited the lift and entered the computer lab. "We can't devirtualize her, and have you forgotten how she wiped the floor with these guys the last two times?"
"As I recall, Odd, she wiped the floor with you, too, last time," Jeremy retorted, much to Odd's chagrin. Jeremy took a seat at the supercomputer console, as an indignant frown settled across Odd's face.
"Come on, I was holding back," Odd crossed his arms, attempting to preserve his dignity.
"Well, Ulrich said that Yumi's been holding back too - so I guess it's even," William put in, a bit disgruntled at Odd's previous statement.
"Regardless," Jeremy announced as he activated the connection to Lyoko. "We'll need a way to capture Yumi once her transfer ability is disabled. Fortunately," Jeremy added. "I've got just the thing."
"What is it?" Hiroki asked, standing on the tip of his toes as he attempted to peer over Jeremy's shoulder and onto the monitor. Jeremy raised an eyebrow at the younger boy's attempt, but said nothing of it.
"I've been working on another type of program that mimics a guardian - a type of monster that's invincible to normal attacks and surrounds and traps its victims in a sort of stasis," Jeremy added, catching Odd and Hiroki's puzzled glances. Out of all of them, only Aelita, William, and Jeremy had encountered guardians, the latter only indirectly. On top of that, Xana rarely utilized the monsters, as they were extremely specialized and energy-consuming. "Anyways," Jeremy continued. "My program will be able to encapsulate Yumi in a similar manner. The only problem is," Jeremy added the catch. "She has to be relatively still or, preferably, immobilized. And that's where you come in, Hiroki," Jeremy finished, swiveling around in his chair to face the younger boy.
"Me? What do you need me for? I mean, apart from my epic skill and awesomeness, of course," Hiroki tossed his hair, leaning against the wall.
"I see Odd's been rubbing off on you," Jeremy commented. "I need you to immobilize Yumi. With your nerve strike ability, you're the best one for the job. Of course," Jeremy added as an afterthought. "Aelita could use her creativity, but that takes some time - not to mention concentration."
"Alright, so you want me to nerve strike Yumi," Hiroki grinned before calming down. Frowning, the younger boy added. "You do know that it doesn't paralyze her entire body, right? I mean, I've hit her before and all that went numb was her arm."
"Because you hit her on her arm," Jeremy explained. "If you hit her closer to her center of mass - say, her chest, you should be able to immobilize her completely."
"Um, does it have to be her chest?" Hiroki shuffled. Jeremy frowned in thought, oblivious to the reason behind the boy's mortified flush.
"I suppose hitting her in the center of her back would work," Jeremy reasoned. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason," Hiroki mumbled. "Just...covering all the angles."
"Always a good thing," Jeremy swiveled his chair back around to lean over the keyboard, as Odd and William shared an amused look at Jeremy's lack of acuity. "Besides, we won't be able to capture Yumi today, anyhow."
"Why not?" William raised an eyebrow. "We're unlocking one of the towers, aren't we? Yumi's shown up every time since the Northern Wastes."
"Yeah, why don't we just get it over with now?" Odd asked, equal parts eager and confused. Jeremy didn't even bother glancing over at his friends.
"I don't have your arrow ready just yet, Odd," Jeremy explained. "I still need more information on Yumi's ability to transfer. Fortunately," Jeremy taped in a few commands into the interface. "I've modified the scanner to be able to perform a specialized scan of her while she does so. All you guys have to do," Jeremy looked over his shoulders at the three other boys, "is keep Yumi busy until the tower is unlocked. If she flees before then, we'll have to start all over."
"So lemme get this straight," Hiroki pushed off the wall. "We've gotta get Aelita to the tower and keep Yumi busy until you two geniuses have unlocked it. Then we let Yumi get away, right?"
"Right," Jeremy nodded. "That just about sums it up."
"Alright, then, what are we waiting for?" William announced. "Let's get going."
"Agreed," Jeremy nodded. "I'll contact Aelita and Ulrich and tell them you're coming. You'll be meeting them on the edge of the Floating Plains."
"Whatever you say, Einstein," Odd chimed in, following William and Hiroki into the elevator. "I just hope we get all this done before dinner! They have tuna casserole tonight, and I'm starving!"
"Odd, you really are a walking stomach," Jeremy called after the eccentric blond.
"And you're a walking brain," Odd shot back with a cheerful grin. "See? We compliment each other perfectly!"
Jeremy rolled his eyes as the lift door closed and the mechanism began to whir as his friends were carried down to the scanner room. Setting all other thoughts aside, Jeremy focused on the mission, fingers flying across the keyboard as the boy readied the virtualization process.
Aelita and Ulrich waited under the harsh glare of the desert sun as three forms materialized above and to the right of them. William, Odd, and Hiroki caught themselves as they hit the sand, sending up virtual puffs in the process.
"That's two for two," Ulrich noted as he and Aelita made their way over. "You're getting slow."
"Hmmph, as if," Odd huffed, crossing his arms, a petulant scowl on his face. "Einstein was going on and on about the mission. Wouldn't stop talking."
"Did he now?" William raised an eyebrow, sharing a mischievous glance with Hiroki. "I must have been talking to a different Jeremy."
"Yeah, he barely said a peep," Hiroki added in, barely able to keep a smug smirk from crossing his face, but all the same his eyes glimmered with laughter as Odd glared at his two human friends.
"Nice to know you can count on your friends," Odd exclaimed. "Now are we going to unlock a tower or not?"
"Why, Odd," Aelita smiled, joining in on the teasing spree. "What's the rush? Not in the mood for small talk?"
"How could he be?" Jeremy put in from above. "After all, we're having tuna casserole tonight, and we all know how much Odd hates it when he isn't the first in the food line."
"Ha ha, very funny," Odd drawled. "If you guys had a healthy appetite like mine, you wouldn't be laughing."
"Odd, if we had 'healthy' appetites like yours there'd be a food shortage," Jeremy snorted, spurring a bout of laughter from the rest of the group - Ulrich included. Odd glared at his friends.
"Unbelievable," Odd complained. "You guys are about as friendly as a bunch of kankrelats."
"Well, you can't always choose your friends, Odd," Jeremy told the feline. "Anyways, it's about time for you guys to head to the Oasis." Jeremy paused before adding. "After all, we wouldn't want Odd to miss out on his precious casserole."
"No, we wouldn't," Aelita gave the feline a wink. "He gets really cranky when he misses out on a meal."
"I'll get more than cranky!" Odd affirmed. "So how about you send us our vehicles, Einstein?"
"Already on their way," Jeremy reported as the three vehicles materialized next to the group. Without further ado, William, Aelita, and Odd mounted their respected vehicles and took off towards the next plateau with Hiroki and Ulrich keeping pace beside them with their respective abilities.
Due to the small size of the plateau that held the Oasis, the group made good time and were soon standing a respectable distance from the tower, looking about expectantly.
"You think she's in the tower again?" Odd asked, seeing no trace of Yumi. Ulrich shrugged.
"One way to find out," Ulrich turned to look at Aelita. "Ready, Aelita."
"As I'll ever be," Aelita shrugged, though Ulrich noticed the angel did not take her eyes away the surrounding landscape.
"Alright, then," Ulrich nodded, turning to face the others. "William, Odd, escort Aelita to the tower. Hiroki, you and I will head to opposite sides of the tower in case any monsters are around."
The series of orders were delivered with such confidence that the others, regardless of any misgivings they might still have held, nodded and moved into position. Ulrich nodded to Hiroki in signal.
"Super-sprint!"
"Super-smoke!"
The two boys made short time to their respective sides of the tower, Ulrich on the left near the oasis and Hiroki on the right. Both readied their weapons only to lower them as they simply themselves staring at each other, the back of the tower as unguarded as the front. Eyes wary of the surrounding cliffs, Ulrich signaled to the others as he and Hiroki flanked the tower back towards the entrance. Aelita, William, and Odd were quick to arrive on their vehicles.
"Any sign of trouble?" Aelita asked as she stepped off the overwing. Ulrich frowned as he continued to survey the surroundings.
"No, and that's what worries me," Ulrich told the angel. "Didn't you say we needed to fight Yumi if we were to be able to trace her?"
"Well, not exactly trace," Aelita began but, upon seeing the wearied expression on Ulrich's face, amended. "But, yes, we need to keep her busy until the tower is unlocked."
"Well, then we have a problem," Odd announced as he gestured to the surroundings from where he sat on the overboard, having taken a seat in the absence of a fight. "Cause I don't know about you guys, but I'm not seein' Yumi anywhere."
"And not a monster in sight, too," William frowned, walking towards the others from the overbike. "Do you think she knows our plans?"
"I don't see how," Aelita replied. "But even then, why would Xana leave the tower unguarded? After all, we're not trying to capture the monsters. He could easily send those."
"So what do we do? Are we still going to unlock the tower?" Ulrich asked, a tendril of hope making its way through his voice as he did so, and Aelita was reminded that, for the samurai, this was as close to home as anything. Aelita pursed her lips, considering the question.
"Yes," she nodded at last, a glimmer of relief shimmering in Ulrich's eyes. "We need to make contact with Jeremy, anyways. Besides," Aelita added with a hint of meekness. "It's not going to be everyday when we're able to unlock a tower with no resistance."
"So, what about Yumi?" Hiroki asked. "We just gonna wait until next time?"
"Not necessarily," Aelita replied slowly. "Jeremy and I have been working overtime on the unlock programs. The Sand Hills tower protocol is nearly done. It won't take long to complete," Aelita added with a humorous smile directed at Odd. "And we'll have plenty of time to unlock the Sand Hills before dinner."
"Good," Odd nodded, assured he would not be missing a meal. "Because you already said you knew how much I hate missing dinner."
"Quite," Aelita smirked as she turned away from the group and entered the tower. Once the angel was inside, Ulrich redirected his attention to the surrounding landscape, the others starting up a conversation on Odd's vast appetite. Their words faded to the back of the samurai's mind as he spotted something strange out of the corner of his eye. Making his way over to where the Oasis overlooked the Tornado Peaks, Ulrich frowned as he tried to discern what was off about the calm landscape.
Wait, calm?
Ulrich froze and had to look twice, but in the end he saw the same thing both times, and was shocked by what he saw. The Tornado Peaks, once blanketed in a never-ending cycle of sandstorms, was now silent and still, with hardly a breeze to even stir up a haze of dust. As he continued to stare in amazement and confusion, Ulrich sensed a presence beside him. Turning to his left, Ulrich saw that William had walked up beside him.
"What's the matter?" William asked, concerned at the samurai's expression. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"More like a skeleton," Ulrich quipped, pointing towards the plateau below. "Those are the Tornado Peaks."
William frowned as he surveyed the barren, mountainous wasteland before them. "Doesn't look particularly...stormy," the dopplesoldner noted. Laughter rang out behind them as Hiroki and Odd shared a joke.
"Exactly," Ulrich nodded. "There should be sandstorms everywhere. Before I was driven to the Northern Wastes, I spent a lot of time studying the storm patterns - and just watching the sandstorms in general. Never was a calm like this."
"What are you thinking?" William asked the samurai, sounding like he had an idea as to the answer.
"The tower's been deactivated," Ulrich replied as he surveyed the horizon for the massive structure. "That's the only thing it can be."
"But why would Xana deactivate the tower?" William frowned.
"That's what worries me," Ulrich replied as his eyes finally caught sight of the distant tower. Sure enough, instead of being surrounded in a malevolent red glow, the structure glowed a light, pleasing blue color. "Xana never does anything without a purpose. And anything he does is generally bad for us."
"Do you think she'll be there?" Jeremy asked Aelita as the two made progress on the next unlocking protocol. Jeremy could hear Aelita hesitate.
"I don't know. To be honest, I'm not sure why she hasn't tried to stop us here," Aelita began. "But I doubt Xana will want us to unlock two towers in a single day."
"I'd imagine he wouldn't want us to unlock any at all," Jeremy muttered, making some minor adjustments to the code. "All this is just so strange," Jeremy paused a moment. "These activated towers, the locked sectors, they make less and less sense the more information I get from them."
"Well, I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually," Aelita consoled her friend. "I've about finished on my end. How are you doing?"
"Ah...I just need to make a few more adjustments," Jeremy leaned forward. "Then we'll be ready to unlock the next tower. And with any luck, Yumi will be there waiting for you."
When Aelita exited the Oasis tower, the angel was greeted to the sight of Ulrich crouching on the edge of the plateau, while William and Hiroki watched as Odd attempted to both balance on and climb a series of thin, angular rock formations. Despite being so far away, it was Ulrich who first noticed the angel emerge from the tower. The samurai got up and walking towards her as the others noticed Aelita's arrival as well.
"So, what's the plan, princess," Odd asked as the feline leaped down from the spire he had been balancing on. "We going to unlock the next tower?"
"Mmhm," Aelita nodded as she mounted the overwing. Turning back to her friends, she announced, "Jeremy and I have finished the unlock protocols. So whenever you boys are ready, we can go."
"Hah, ready is my middle name," Odd quipped as he somersaulted onto the overboard, a wide grin plastered on his face. Ulrich gave the feline a skeptical glance.
"Really? Sounds kinda like a dumb name for you to pick," Ulrich kept a straight-face, shrugging as Odd opened his mouth to return the sally, cutting the feline off. "But if you say so, let's go."
The samurai activated his super-sprint and shot off into the distance before Odd could think of a reply. William and Hiroki were quick to follow the speeding warrior, while Aelita steered the overwing near Odd, smiling at the off-balance hybrid.
"You know you really make it too easy," Aelita told the feline, her tone filled with laughter. Odd drooped his shoulders.
"Yeah," Odd sighed, urging the overboard forward as he and Aelita moved to gain ground on their friends. Within a matter of minutes the group had made it deep into the Sand Hills, the tower coming into sight as they neared the center.
"You really weren't kidding when you named it the 'Sand Hills'," William commented as he surveyed the plateau, rippled with sand dunes ranging from colossal to little more than a gentle rise.
"Dune Plateau would've sounded better," the samurai grunted.
"Maybe," William shrugged. "But it sounds just fine to me."
"Well, if you guys want an outside opinion, you could always ask them," Odd pointed towards the tower looming ahead - and the five krabs standing guard around it along with a familiar figure.
"Open fire!" They heard Yumi order as they neared, pointing towards the group with one of her tessen. "Focus your attacks on the vehicles!"
The quintet of krabs stalked forwards to stand in a rough line, charging their laser cannons in the process. Once charged, each krab let out a series of energy bursts. The net effect was a hail of laser fire that blanketed the landscape. Ulrich and Hiroki managed to swerve and duck around what sparse blasts headed their way, but the others, being the target of the volleys, had a difficult time avoiding the volley.
"Shield!" Odd yelled, as he found himself unable to dodge a group of oncoming lasers. He crossed his arms and a purple energy barrier formed, absorbing the blasts.
Meanwhile, William had managed to close the gap between himself and one of the krabs. Muttering to himself, "I hope this works," William hopped up onto the dashboard of the overbike, right hand reaching over his shoulder to grab hold of Zweihänder's hilt, and, as the krab neared, pushed off the front of the vehicle as hard as he could. Knowing he had little time, William drew Zweihänder in an overhand arc above his head, angling the massive blade as he slammed Zweihänder into the sand. Still holding onto the sword, William was carried by his momentum over the hilt and onto the desert floor as the overbike soared up Zweihänder like a glorified ramp before colliding head on with the nearest krab. The vehicle exploded against the krab, which was sent stumbling back before shattering into a plethora of red shards. Content with his work, William yanked Zweihänder from the ground and deflected the lasers headed his way.
Aelita, however, had not been having as easy a time avoiding the volley. While William had been performing his maneuver, the angel had swerved the overwing into a barrel roll in order to avoid the oncoming blasts. But as she followed the helical path of the maneuver, a stray bolt struck the overwing, sending the hovercraft spiraling out of control, flinging Aelita away before sending the vehicle crashing into a nearby sand dune.
"Gotcha, princess!" Odd called out as he swerved the overboard under Aelita, the angel briefly stunned by the impact. Aelita landed with an 'oof' on the back end of the overboard, sending a grateful glance up at Odd. "Need a lift?" Odd smirked over his shoulder.
"Well, as long it's not a bother," Aelita quipped in response, standing up on the overboard as best she could, holding onto Odd's waist to keep her balance as the feline swerved the overboard to avoid the oncoming fire. Aelita leaned her body side to side with Odd to maintain the vehicles smooth performance.
"Not at all, princess," Odd grinned back at the angel. Suddenly, he leaned to the side, sending the overboard spinning to the left. Aelita giving cried out in surprise as he did so. "Yeeooow!" Odd exclaimed as the tessen fan he had spotted just missed impact. Aelita declined her head to see Yumi retrieving her fan, the annoyed expression on the ninja's face giving the angel a small, unexpected feeling of satisfaction.
Ulrich watched as Odd and Aelita swerved away from the tower to avoid being shot out of the sky, as all but one of the krabs had focused their attention on the duo. Hiroki stood some ways off to the side of the samurai, torn between helping William with the krab that pinned the doppelsoldner down or drawing some of the krabs away from Odd and Aelita. Ulrich had another idea, however.
"Hiroki!" The samurai called to Hiroki. The young boy turned towards Ulrich, and the samurai gestured to where Yumi stood, eyes fixed on Odd and Aelita, watching to make sure they did not get too close to the tower. "How about we take Yumi down a few notches?"
"What do you have in mind?" Hiroki asked, an eager smirk crossing the boy's face at the suggestion. Quickly, Ulrich told the shinobi his plan of attack, and Hiroki nodded. "Alright, let's do it!"
Ulrich allowed himself an amused smirk, and, without any further conversation, darted off in the direction of the ninja fending off her fellow guardians. As the samurai approached, Yumi saw him in the corner of her eye, turning to face him with a confident smirk.
Ulrich again allowed himself a thin smile as the ninja focused on him. "Triangulate!" He shouted.
The samurai felt a surge of energy as his two natural abilities fused together. In a burst of speed, Ulrich moved faster then the eye could see, and at the same time two forms broke away, one sliding behind him, the other ahead of him. In the blink of an eye, Yumi was surrounded on three sides by blurs of motion, the points of the triangular blur guarded by a samurai brandishing twin katana. As Ulrich and his duplicates raced around the ninja, the samurai could see Yumi's brow knit in concentration, as the ninja tried to discern original from duplicate from after-image.
Before Yumi could do so, however, a new figure joined the fight. Utilizing his super-smoke ability, Hiroki soared over the barrier formed by the sprinting samurai. As the smoke-like form of the shinobi arced through the air, Hiroki reformed mid-flight, kasari-gama ready to strike.
"Yaaah!" Hiroki shouted as he brought his scythe-like weapon down on the ninja. Instead of moving to block the shinobi's strike with her fans, however, Yumi flicked them away and held out her right hand, a black and red shaft materializing out of nowhere. The bo staff appeared just in time to catch the downward swing of Hiroki's weapon. Gripping the staff with both hands now, Yumi used Hiroki's momentum and the extra leverage provided by her bo staff, flinging the shinobi into one of the afterimages surrounding them.
Hiroki was knocked away from the fight as one of Ulrich's clones slammed into the boy at full force, the duplicate devirtualizing on impact. With the formation broken, Ulrich and his remaining duplicate ground to a halt. The samurai wasted no time in signaling his clone to attack Yumi. Together, the two samurai lunged at Yumi, only to be thrust away by the bo staff in the ninja's hands.
As the two samurai reengaged Yumi, Odd and Aelita swerved the overboard back towards the three krabs firing at them. "Laser arrow!" Odd intoned as he aimed his paw at the closest krab. The projectile flew straight and true, guided by the feline's skilled aim, and hit the krab in the center of its symbol.
Stealing herself as the krab exploded, Aelita lifted one hand from Odd's side, intoning, "Energy field!" before flinging the orb of energy at the leftmost krab.
"Nice shot, princess," Odd applauded the pinkette.
Aelita returned his praise with a wide smile. Odd angled the overboard back down towards the remaining krab.
"Odd, what are you doing?" Aelita asked as the hybrid weaved the overboard around the oncoming lasers, maintaining a straight heading towards the krab.
"You'll see!" Odd grinned over his shoulder, "Better have your wings ready, princess!"
Aelita let out a shrill cry of surprise as Odd suddenly crouched on the front of the overboard and leapt forwards, the force of his leap sending Aelita catapulting through the air over the krab, which craned back on its legs to follow her. Its distraction cost it as Odd landed on its shell, skidding down the thick carapace and bounding off the monster, allowing the krab to be hit full force by the spinning overboard.
Aelita managed to activate her wings and, with a reassuring wave to Odd, plunged into the tower. The feline turned away as the angel entered the tower, directing his attention to the young shinobi that was getting his feet - or at least trying to. Racing over to his friend, Odd helped Hiroki up, although the boy was a bit unsteady.
"Ulrichs sure fast runs," Hiroki mumbled, still dazed from the high-speed impact with the samurai's clone. The shinobi shook his head. "What's goin' on?"
"William's pinned down by a krab; Ulrich is facing off with Yumi; and Aelita's in the tower," Odd shot out as he surveyed the battlefield. Turning back to Hiroki, Odd asked. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Hiroki nodded, rubbing his head with a hand. "Just got the wind knocked out of me," the shinobi looked around. "And just about everything else. I don't see my kasari-gama."
"It must've been devirtualized," Odd reasoned. "Look, you help out William, and I'll go give Ulrich a hand." Hiroki nodded, racing off towards William as Odd made his way towards the fierce battle between Yumi and Ulrich, which had begun to turn against the samurai, the ninja managing a fortuitous strike on the warrior's remaining clone, devirtualizing it.
"Ready to give up?" Yumi smirked as she swung her bo staff forward, locking it with Ulrich's twin katana.
"I don't give up," Ulrich growled, shoving the ninja away before dishing out a dizzying array of overhand blows, all of which were blocked in the nick of time by Yumi's staff. The ninja's lips quirked in a slight smile.
"Good, 'cause neither do I," Yumi replied with a flurry of jabs and wacks that resounded off of the samurai's swords.
Finding themselves, for the moment, evenly matched, the two combatants leapt away from each other to take stock of their opponent. And then, another voice entered the fray.
"Hey, don't you know it's rude not to invite people to a party?" Odd quipped, firing a volley of laser arrows as he raced over to aid Ulrich. Yumi deflected the arrows with her bo staff, almost disdainfully. Ulrich raised a eyebrow - Yumi had been practicing.
"Of course," Yumi said, making a face as the feline came to a skidding halt out of range of the ninja's bo staff, paws balled up into fists and held before him in a belligerent stance. "I suppose a family reunion wouldn't be complete without the annoying, little brother."
"Hey! Who're you calling annoying and little?" Odd protested. Yumi smirked as Odd sounded for all the world exactly like her description.
"Well, I would've thought that be obvious," Yumi replied. Her calm persona belied the dangerous glint in her eyes.
"Odd, watch out!" Ulrich shouted, too late as Yumi darted forward, lancing out with her bo staff and jabbing Odd in the stomach, upending the staff and slamming it into Odd's chin, sending the hybrid stumbling away. But before the ninja could capitalize on the feline's brief lack of acuity, Ulrich surged forwards, striking with both of his katana parallel to the other.
"Taken up role of big brother, I see," Yumi chuckled, grunting as the two blades collided with her bo staff. Not for the first time Ulrich marveled at the weapon's sturdiness. "Guess this klutz here probably needs one."
"Who are you calling a klutz?" Odd snarled, the feline's mild temper being drawn short by the constant abuse, both physical and vocal. As the hybrid pounced at Yumi again, the ninja jerked her bo staff away from Ulrich's katana and spun in full circle to redirect Odd into a nearby dune before returning the weapon to a position suitable for defense. Ulrich began to have a distinct impression of deja vu. Either Odd was as gluttonous for punishment as he was for food or compared to Yumi he was a klutz and the ninja just took too much pleasure in causing the feline immense amounts of pain. Granted, the latter was something Ulrich could sympathize with.
As the two guardians circled each other once more, Hiroki, after stumbling around for a few moments - his head spinning with the sudden motion of running, reached where William was still pinned down by the remaining krab. Despite the doppelsoldner's proficiency with dealing with monsters, the older boy had not been able to close the gap between himself and the large creature - in part due to the lack of cover. In the Forest and Ice Sector there was always some sort of cover. Not so in the rolling dunes of the Sand Hills. As it stood, William was doing a superb job at remaining in the battle, managing to wield Zweihänder with a grace that defied its massive size as he deflected the krab's volley.
Aware of his lack of weapons - and feeling none to well enough to use his super-smoke, Hiroki took in his surroundings. His clever eyes soon spotted a haphazardly arranged outcropping a short distance behind the krab. Sizing them up, Hiroki made his way with haste, and stealth, behind the krab, which was focused on William. Stopping a few meters from the outcrop, Hiroki set his right foot back before pushing forward and sprinting towards the cliff. Leaping up, Hiroki's feet hit the rock wall and the shinobi took off along the sandstone, maintaining his speed to prevent falling from the rock's surface. Nearing the end of the cliff, Hiroki paused, crouching down against the warm sandstone, before launching himself away from the stone wall and towards the occupied krab. Barely clearing the monster's crimson carapace, Hiroki drew back a fist and slammed his closed hand into the krab's symbol, somersaulting over the monster and landing on the sand in front of it.
The krab stiffened as a surface-thin veil of yellow energy paralyzed the massive creature. Seizing the opportunity, William rushed forward with Zweihänder held high and cleaved the defenseless monster down the middle.
"Thanks, Hiroki," William nodded to the young shinobi, who had his hands resting on his knees, a wave of nausea overpowering him. "You okay, kid?"
"Man, this must be how Odd feels whenever he goes to Carthage," Hiroki muttered before straightening up. "No. I'm fine, William. One of Ulrich's clones slammed into me full speed, and I'm still feeling a bit...dizzy."
"I'd imagine," William raised an eyebrow. Turning his head towards the battle being fought between Ulrich and Yumi, the doppelsoldner pointed towards the duo. "Speaking of Ulrich, I think we'd better help him out with Yumi." William glanced sideways at Hiroki, pausing in his footsteps. "That is, if you're up to it."
"Yeah, I'm good," Hiroki maintained, racing off towards the battle. "Let's do it."
William took off after Hiroki. As the two wanderers Ulrich and Yumi, no banter, lighthearted or otherwise could be heard, so focused were the two combatants on the battle at hand. Out of the corner of his eye, William saw Odd extricating himself from a nearby sand dune. The feline looked unusually vexed for one of his temperament, his tail lashing in irritation. It was then Yumi realized she was now vastly outnumbered and soon to be surrounded, as William and Hiroki flanked the ninja, with Odd already behind her.
The ninja was shoved Ulrich away, the two guardians having their weapons locked together. Before any of them could react, Yumi folded her arms over her chest and devirtualized. The brief moment of shocked silence following was broken by an unexpected voice.
"Well," Jeremy announced. "That was a close one."
William, Odd, Jeremy, and Aelita sat at their table in the cafeteria, content that Jeremy managed to retrieve the necessary data on Yumi before she transferred away - although it had been close. If Yumi had not been as focused on her fight with Ulrich as she had, the ninja could have escaped earlier and the gang would have been left to try again. As it had turned out, Yumi escaped a few seconds too late, and the group was in a jovial mood as they ate dinner and discussed the mission.
"Well, I'd say that went pretty smoothly," Aelita commented, sneaking some of her tuna casserole onto Odd's plate while Rosa's attention was diverted. Odd glanced up from feasting on the extra servings to muffle out what almost sounded like words.
"Odd, no one can understand you when you've got a mouth full of food," Aelita reprimanded the eccentric blond for what felt like the hundredth time. This time, Odd took the time to chew and swallow before repeating himself.
"I said, that's what you think!" Odd exclaimed once his mouth was more or less clear of food. "You weren't the one getting whacked around by Yumi like a pinata with that overgrown pencil of hers!"
"Actually, Odd, it's a bo staff," Jeremy interjected. Odd gave a dismissive gesture to the other blond.
"Whatever. Either way, it hurt," Odd glowered. Aelita and William shared an amused glance.
"Well, maybe you should have laid off practically running into it, then," William snorted in amusement. Odd shot a glare at the older boy.
"Well at least I wasn't pinned down by a krab!" Odd nearly shouted. William shrugged, unfazed by the former-feline's growing state of vexation. Aelita, sitting next to Jeremy, cast an eye around to see if anyone had noticed Odd's outburst. Ruefully the spectral girl noted that Rosa had one eye on the group, making sure Aelita wasn't passing away her food.
"So? At least I didn't get hit," William returned Odd's jibe. "Which I heard you got a lot of."
"Yeah, well, you wouldn't have done so well yourself," Odd muttered, crossing his arms. "She devirtualized you the last two times pretty quick."
William conceded to Odd's point with a shrug, and the eccentric blond, content that he'd won - or at least settled, the argument turned back to eating his food with gusto - though perhaps more roughly than before. Meanwhile, Aelita reluctantly took a few bites of her meal, the food disintegrating once it touch the inner workings of her specter's energy matrix. Rosa had been watching her closely and now, content that the slim pinkette seemed to be eating, directed her attention elsewhere. Quickly, Aelita spooned over to Odd's plate as much food as possible. The eccentric blond grunted, too busy shoveling food into his mouth to make up for time lost during the argument to give a proper thank you. Jeremy stared at Odd with a mixture of disgust and awe.
"You know, Odd, sometimes I really wonder how you're going to survive without Aelita's helping," Jeremy shook his head. Odd glanced up at the other blond, a surprisingly somber look in the former-feline's eyes.
"I'll probably starve to death," Odd moaned, mouth partially full of food. "Rosa's already banned me from getting thirds."
"I still don't know how you can eat so much," Aelita interjected. "I never even ate close to this much when I was on Earth." The pinkette paused as another thought came to her mind, a worried look crossing her face. "I wonder if Ulrich'll eat this much."
"I wouldn't worry about it," William reassured the pinkette. "Ulrich doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to eat any more than necessary." William then remembered something he had been meaning to talk to Jeremy and Aelita about. "Speaking of Ulrich," William altered course. "We found something kind of strange about the Tornado Peaks - you know, the plateau that's supposed to be covered in sandstorms?"
"Yeah, what about it?" Jeremy frowned, not sure what his friend was getting at. Aelita gestured for William to continue. Odd was too busy scarfing down his food to care.
"Well...there aren't any storms," William broke the news. Aelita and Jeremy stared at the boy for a moment. William elaborated. "Ulrich was the one who noticed it first. We think the tower in that region was deactivated."
"Strange, the data I got from the towers suggested Xana isn't able to deactivate the towers directly," Jeremy mused. Aelita shot him a sideways glance before adding her own two cents.
"And why would Xana want to deactivate the towers anyways?" Aelita asked, puzzled. William just shook his head, equally clueless.
"I don't know. And neither does Ulrich," William added. The older boy then ventured out on a limb after a moment's pause. "Maybe Xana used Yumi to deactivate the tower. After all, we saw her come out of the Eastern Wastes tower."
"True, but that doesn't really mean anything," Jeremy shook his head. "After all, anyone can go in and out of a tower provided it isn't activated."
"I suppose so," William conceded, leaning back in his chair, a frown settling on his face.
"Still, what bothers me is why," Jeremy continued, gesturing vaguely with his hands. "Why did Xana deactivate that tower? The activated towers were the cause of the sector-wide storms both Odd and Ulrich faced when a tower activated on Lyoko. So why would Xana just deactivate it?"
Aelita and William shared a glance. As Jeremy had been speaking, it had seemed like the boy was talking more and more to himself. It didn't really matter, of course, neither one knew the answer to their friend's question.
Odd, meanwhile, was eying the remnants of Jeremy's meal hopefully, unconcerned by problems he knew were best left to others to solve.
Yumi weaved her way gracefully down the side of the small cliff overlooking the desert's sole oasis. Jumping down the last couple meters or so, Yumi landed lightly, barely making a sound. As she walked past the tranquil pool of clear blue water, the ninja spotted a figure crouched on the edge of the plateau. It was the unmistakable yellow and black form of Ulrich. Yumi began to walk over to the samurai but paused half way. The ninja doubted she would be the first person Ulrich would want to see. So instead of walking further, Yumi decided it was wiser to make he presence known first. "Don't stare too hard, you might strain your eyes," Yumi called out. In the blink of an eye Ulrich had sprung to his feet, spun around, and drawn his katana. It seemed that remaining at a safe distance had been a good idea. "Yumi!" Ulrich's eyes widened before narrowing. "What are you doing here?" The samurai demanded. Yumi narrowed the gap between them as she spoke, pausing a couple meters away from Ulrich. "You seem a bit tense," Yumi note. "I'm not here to fight you," the ninja reassured the samurai, holding out her hands, palms up in a conciliatory gesture. Ulrich hesitated for a few moments before lowering his katana, though Yumi noticed the samurai did not sheathe them. "So what are you doing here?" Ulrich asked, in a slightly less confrontational tone. Yumi let out a small, imperceptible sigh. 'I guess that's about as relaxed as he's going to get,' the girl thought. "I suppose I just wanted to talk," Yumi said aloud. Suspicion still remained on the samurai's face. Yumi sighed more perceptibly this time. "Don't you ever relax?" Yumi asked, adding with a sweep of her arm to indicate their surroundings. "Seriously, what do you think I could possibly be here to do, huh?" Ulrich contemplated the question for a few seconds, shrugging as he said, "To gather information. Loose tongues are good at providing that." For whatever reason, Yumi felt the samurai had a particular person in mind when he said that. The ninja glowered at the other guardian. "Well, we don't have to worry about that now, do we?" She retorted. Ulrich shrugged again. The corners of Yum's mouth turned down in annoyance. "Oh, come on! Do you have something against talking or what?" Another shrug. "I'm almost tempted to start fighting you. You're much more talkative when you're fighting," Yumi scowled, crossing her arms. Ulrich seemed to consider it for a moment, and Yumi was almost sure the samurai would shrug again, but instead he spoke. "Alright, what do you want to talk about?" Now that she had managed to get Ulrich into some semblance of a conversation, the ninja realized she did not really know what to say. So she shrugged, the irony of the not lost on her. "Nothing much in particular. Though I am curious about that short new friend of yours," Yumi paused for a moment, searching for the diminutive shinobi's name. "Hiroki, isn't it?" Ulrich nodded slowly. "What about him?" Yumi let a slight smile tug at the edges of her lips as she prompted the samurai. "Well, where'd he spring up from? He doesn't seem like the kind of person Jeremy would be too fond of." Ulrich huffed, finally sheathing his swords as he spoke. "Odd talked too much and Hiroki found out about Lyoko. Fortunately, Hiroki's got a better head on his shoulder than Odd - although he talks about as much." Ulrich said the last part with a faint smirk. Yumi apprised the samurai with an amused one. "You really don't like talking, do you?" Ulrich shrugged again. "Not when it's pointless. At least Hiroki manages that some of the time." A darker look crossed Ulrich's face as he added in response to "Although I'm not sure what makes you think you know who Jeremy would be fond of." Yumi let her quiet smile drop from her face. "A little defensive, aren't we? I thought you and Jeremy didn't get along well?" Yumi reminded him. Ulrich remained silent for some time, giving Yumi a measured look. Finally, out of the blue, the samurai said,"You weren't at the Oasis today. You were in the Sand Hills. Why?" Yumi raised an eyebrow at the unexpected question, noting that Ulrich had neglected to answer hers. The ninja let the matter slide and replied with a rolling shrug, "You said the Oasis was your home. I didn't want to make you have to fight over it." Ulrich regard her. "Is that the truth?" The samurai asked, his tone giving no hint to his thoughts. "Of course it is," Yumi told him, taken aback by the samurai's mistrust. "I'm not heartless, you know." Yumi amended, "well, technically I am - but you know what I mean. Look, I wouldn't lie to you," Yumi cut her hand through the air to make her point. Ulrich raised a weary eyebrow. "I've heard something like that before," the samurai responded. Yumi winced. "I know Xana tried to deceive you. That was its mistake. But I'm not Xana." Yumi implored Ulrich to believe her. The samurai regarded the ninja. "I know. That's why you're not devirtualized." Yumi felt a burst of irritation. "Why are you so against Xana?" She snapped. The samurai regarded her. "Why are you so against Jeremy?" Ulrich returned in stride. Yumi narrowed her eyes. "I am against Jeremy because he has no right to destroy our world! Our home!" Yumi hissed. "I am against Jeremy because he's so obsessed with destroying Xana that he'll destroy anything or anyone that gets in his way." At this Ulrich stepped forward. "Enough," the samurai growled. "I may not have met Jeremy yet, and I may not completely trust him. But I do know one thing. The others - Aelita, Odd, William, Hiroki - they trust him, and I them." Yumi returned the samurai's angry glare. "And what's that supposed to mean?" Yumi retorted. "Aelita's never known a time without Jeremy; Odd's too enraptured in exploring new places to give a second thought as to how; and why wouldn't William and Hiroki trust him?" Yumi paused, her hands working there way in and out of fists, her jaw clenching in regret. She had not meant to start an argument with the samurai. Ulrich seemed to sense this. Nodding curtly he said, "I think we've talked enough." Yumi sighed and shook her head. "This isn't exactly how I wanted things to turn out." Again Ulrich nodded, this time in understanding. "Things rarely turn out the way we want," the samurai murmured, turning around to face the Tornado Peaks once more. Sensing their conversation was well and truly over, Yumi moved to leave. Before she did so, she called out to the samurai over her shoulder. "Just, please, be careful, Ulrich. I wouldn't want to see something happened to you. Or the others. So please, be careful." With that Yumi spun around and strode away. But if she had lingered a little longer, the ninja would have heard Ulrich whisper the word, "always."