The Seventh Lyoko Warrior
Part XXXI: Resolving a Problem
Morning came quickly as Michael got up before everyone else. He touched the sheets of his bed and smiled when he noticed that the sheets weren't moist from cold sweats. He got up, grabbed a fresh pair of clothes and made his way to the bathroom to get a quick shower. He walked in and noticed that nobody was there either. This was his best opportunity to take a quick shower without anyone seeing his scars.
After his shower: he walked out with a towel around his waist….obviously…and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked at all the scars on his body, every bullet wound, knife scar and even the new ones he got from his fight with the three brothers. But the one he focused on more was the one on his collarbone. A sense of sadness and pain filled his mind as he thought about it. He would talk about any of his scars except for that one, to him; it was heart wrenching enough to make him cry.
When he looked at his reflection, the image of himself changed to another man. This one was a few inches taller but his skin was a light shade of tan. He was well built with a dark brown suit and tie with silver trim and buttons. His hair was dark brown with grey streaking and kept short for a professional business look and a short half goatee well trimmed and managed with small streaks of gray too. He wore a pair of rectangular freshly polished silver glasses. His face was slightly wrinkled and well managed and his features gave him a tough and very intelligent appearance.
Michael looked at the man and so many hateful memories boiled in his mind as he recognized him. He hated the man with all his heart and everything else he had. He was five seconds away from punching the mirror when he stopped and calmed down before his pupils could change. He calmly took a deep breath and stared at the man in the mirror.
"One day, I'll forget the hell you put me through," Michael said to the man's reflection with a harsh growl in his voice. "I'll forget you and everything you are."
He tried himself off with powers and quickly changed into his clothes. As he walked out, he could hear other students starting to wake up. He made it too his room as the first person to say hello was Odd.
"You're up early," he said, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"You too, you usually sleep in until Ulrich and Jeremy have to wake you up," Michael said with a chuckle.
"With Kiwi I don't need an alarm clock," said Odd with a grin. Odd finally stopped talking because he wanted to get a shower. Michael let him go as more students started walking in the hallway.
He walked back into his room and quickly grabbed his pack before leaving to go down to the lunch room. When he walked in he was greeted by Yumi as she took him to the table that her and Aelita were sitting at. A few minutes later Odd and Ulrich joined them. Michael, Yumi and Aelita were both left wondering where Jeremy was.
"Where's Jeremy?" Yumi asked.
"Oh he's at the factory," Odd said lazily as he was munching on a croissant.
"He said he had to check on some things and that he'll be give us a call if he finds anything," said Ulrich. He looked over at Michael who's attention was focused on Ana. She sat alone at her table looking depressed as she just stirred her soup with a spoon without eating any of it. "Is she okay?" Michael shook his head.
"No, she's still depressed," said Michael sadly. "I want to go and talk to her, but how can I tell her that Sissi was just possessed by an artificial intelligence trying to kill us."
"You could see that she has a baboon brain," Odd joked. Yumi looked at Odd with an unhappy look on her face. Odd immediately stopped talking and went back to eating.
"Xana created a polymorphic specter to turn into us and kiss someone to make us jealous and he created a fake Yumi who was flirting with Jeremy," Ulrich pointed out. "But doing something like this….this is just weird."
"It's good to see you back Ulrich," said Yumi, appreciating him being here.
"Thanks Yumi," said Ulrich, blushing. But he quickly turned serious as he looked at Michael. But then he got an idea that was sure to work. It was embarrassing to think about after he experienced it himself but he had to try. "I have an idea." That quickly got them looming at him as he went on. "Sissi stole my diary before and blackmailed me to go out with her." Yumi's hand balled up into a fist just thinking about that memory. "What if the same thing happened to you?" Everyone looked confused for a moment but he went on. This time he didn't want to say it but he had to. "What if we plant a fake diary on her after a Return to the Past? Michael could take the diary from her and he can explain that she was just trying to make me jealous to Ana."
"That might work," said Aelita, eager to see this play out. "But we can't until Jeremy says the supercomputer is fixed. I can go and see if everything's okay."
"I'll go with you in case Xana has plans," said Michael.
"We can keep an eye out in case anything happens here," said Yumi, looking at both Odd and Ulrich. They both nodded their heads.
Suddenly Michael was ambushed by Milly and Tamiya who were ready to interview him.
"Good morning students, this is Milly and Tamiya with the news of the day," Milly said to the camera. "We are here with Michael Elrick, who we heard was caught making out with Sissi the other day." She held the microphone up to his face. "Michael, do you have any words to say to our audience about your new relationship with Sissi?" Michael was left speechless and nervous as those memories made him feel uneasy and sick to his stomach.
Odd quickly jumped in hoping to distract them long enough for him to get away.
"Are you kidding, Sissi flirts with anyone to make Ulrich jealous," he said a little harshly. Tamiya focused the camera on him as Milly was aching to hear more. Ulrich wasn't happy to hear that but he quickly realized what he was trying to do. "Personally I think she'd even flirt with me just to get some juicy secrets."
"I don't think she'd date you," Tamiya replied. Her and Milly both giggled at the thought of those two dating.
"Hey I'm a catch," Odd replied defensively.
"Nice cover good buddy," Ulrich mumbled. He looked over at Michael and Aelita. "Go ahead guys, we'll keep them distracted." They casually grabbed their trays and stood up. Now with their attention on Odd, they were free to get away.
They quickly emptied their trays while Odd kept Milly and Tamiya focused on him long enough so they could walk out the door. They were already on their way to the woods when they were surprised to see Jim walking around. He quickly spotted them and made his way over to them. Classes didn't start for another hour but maybe he wanted to say something else today.
"Michael, Aelita, what are you two doing?" Jim asked. "It's time for breakfast and you should be in the cafeteria right now."
"We already ate Jim," said Aelita. "But we….uh…"
"We wanted to get a small walk in before class," Michael quickly said to cover her. "We know how important exercise is after a meal." Jim looked impressed by their answer as he patted them both on the shoulder.
"Very good," said Jim proudly. "It's important to get some exercise to stay sharp and focused for the day. Ha, you never know when you need to run from an enemy soldier pursuing you." Michael noticed Jim getting into one of his story telling moods, which he'd rather not talk about most of the time. He was about to say something before Aelita gave him a slight tug on the back of his shirt to stop him. But Jim quickly noticed his change of wardrobe and nodded. "Interesting choice of cloths, brown and green, you can blend in the woods."
"Uh….thanks Jim," Michael said, not trying to sound too weirded out. "Would it be okay if we keep walking sir?"
"Huh….oh no problem, continue on," said Jim as he started walking away. He was rambling off random things about his days in the army which they ignored and continued on.
They made it to the woods and stopped when they got to the manhole. Instead of going through they decided to stop and sit down for a few minutes. Aelita called Jeremy and asked him if anything was up but he told her that he was still checking on some things and it would take him a little longer. This gives them some time to chat a little while they wait.
"It's a nice day today," said Aelita wanting to break the ice.
"it's okay," Michael said back as he looked around. He still seemed a little distracted and still depressed which Aelita quickly noticed.
"It'll be okay, I promise," said Aelita, placing a kind hand on his knee.
"You didn't see her face, she was devastated," he said. "I'm not really sure if she'll ever forgive me."
"Maybe she will, what happened wasn't your fault," said Aelita with soft kindhearted words.
"I hate Xana, making Sissi do something like that, I just can't stand it," said Michael with his hands gripped together tightly. "I can fight possessed people no problem, but making people do something like that, it's disgusting." Aelita looked down at her feet thinking about something Xana did to her.
"Xana created a polymorphic specter of my father to try and capture me," said Aelita as tears ran down her cheeks. "He even created our winter cabin and tried to reach out to me. I thought it was my father but it was just one of Xana's traps."
"How did you know?" Michael asked.
"If it was my father, he would've made a replica of my mother because he would know that I wanted to see her," said Aelita. "He took my life away from me, but I have great friends like Jeremy because of him. I can't really hate him; I love Jeremy and my friends." Michael took a moment to think about what she said as he touched the knife scar on his collarbone. Just thinking about that made him mad; he didn't think he could ever talk about it.
"At least he tried to protect you," said Michael. Aelita looked over to him. "My dad, he'd never do that for me. He wouldn't stand up for me, tell me things were gonna be alright or even give me a hug. I've lived my life hating him, for a while, it was just easy. He was never there for me, I saw him but he never cared. Sometimes we'd fight, but I just wanted him to see me. I'd always wish to know why he hated me. Maybe I did something wrong or he just didn't like me. I'd never know, Paw-Paw tried to keep things hidden from me."
"At least you had your grandpa," said Aelita, trying to cheer him up. It did work as he smiled. "He sounds like he really loved you."
"He was the only real father I ever knew.," said Michael. "He was the only person who understood how I felt. I could come to him and ask him anything and he'd find a way to tell me if I was too young. He was always there when I got picked on. I told you I got picked on right?" Aelita looked down at the grass as she remembered him saying that. "People were always mean to me even when I was little. Sometimes I'd come home in tears, but one night….." Michael stopped talk and quickly looked away. Aelita noticed that and tried to reach out to cheer him up. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about it."
"You don't have to," said Aelita as she reached out and laid her hand flat against his back. "You're here now, with us, we'd never do something like that to you." Michael noticed her sympathy for him and acknowledged her gesture with a thank you.
"Maybe I'll talk about it sometime," said Michael. "It was something that changed my life. It forced Paw-Paw to teach me…I'm sorry." More tears ran down his face the more he thought about it.
Aelita was glad that he was opening up to her. Even if it wasn't much, she was still glad that he could tell her something. Once in a while he reveals small things about himself but not much. The biggest things she remembers him saying was that he's undead, has a dark powerful demonic spirit inside him and he's been bullied a lot. She's still eager to learn more about him because she cares so deeply about him. After exposing himself by his transformation during the fight with the three brothers she's been wanting to learn as much as she can.
After a few minutes of silence Michael rummaged around his pack and pulled out a small sketch book and a pencil. As he began to draw a sketch of Aelita, she couldn't help but notice what he was doing. It didn't bother her that he was doing it but she couldn't help but wonder why.
A few more minutes later and Michael flipped the sketchbook around for her to see. She looked at his sketch of her face and couldn't help but like it. It wasn't perfect, a few lines here and there were out of place but the shading was good and the profile of her face was exact. He even captured a little bit of the background and ever a little of the sky. She blushed a little as she looked at it.
"Wha…." Was all she could say.
"I've been taking a few art classes after school," said Michael, feeling a little embarrassed. "I wanted to surprise you guys because I just started working on something for you."
"What is it?" Aelita asked. Michael quickly grinned.
"That's a secret," he said playfully. Their conversation was cut short as Michael's phone rang. He set the sketchpad on the ground and pulled out his phone. He quickly answered it because it was Jeremy on the other side. As they talked, Michael quickly understood what was going on. After Michael hung up, put his sketchpad in his pack and helped Aelita up. "Jeremy says there was a bug in the program and he needs us to go to Sector Five."
"Okay," was all she said before they took off.
They took the manhole route and got to the factory. Aelita also noticed that he doesn't have a skateboard like Odd, Yumi, or Ulrich but runs alongside her without any problems. When they got to the ropes dangling from the ceiling of the factory, Aelita grabbed a rope and slid down as she usually does as Michael simply jumped down as he usually does. Aelita, still impressed by how the fall doesn't affect him wanted to ask but decided to do it later.
They got to the elevator and made it to the computer room where Jeremy was waiting. Odd, Yumi and Ulrich weren't there yet but Jeremy informed them and they were on their way now. Being the only ones there, Jeremy knew that he had to virtualize the others later. Since Aelita and Michael are together, he knew virtualizing them was safer.
"What happened Jeremy?" Aelita asked.
"Last night the program I was running was blocked," said Jeremy. "I'm afraid that the circuit board Xana damaged yesterday was just a diversion to set up a firewall that blocks me out from doing anything but transfer people to Sector Five. From what I'm seeing if I try to use the Return to the Past. I get blocked out because of this firewall. Normally I could hack this but Xana's hidden it somewhere in Sector Five and I can't do anything to find it. I need you guys to go and find out what's going on. But once their I can't be much help to you until you deactivate that firewall, I won't be able to bring up your vehicles or even talk to you."
"Okay Jeremy," said Aelita, ready for action. She looked over at Michael and nodded. "Let's go Michael!" She turned and walked towards the elevator as Michael followed closely behind her.
"No problem Princess," Michael politely said as he got in the elevator.
They got to the Scanner Room and quickly went into the scanners. When they were transferred, they appeared in the usual blue and white dome with Xana's symbol underneath their feet. The ceiling and walls were spinning like they usually do so they had to wait. It gave them a chance to talk to each other again.
"So how are you liking Kadic?" Aelita randomly asked. Michael glanced at her and said.
"I like it, it's much better than my old school," he said with a smile on his face. And he was honest, he really enjoyed being at Kadic. "Not being bullied everyday; having friends, even just having the chance to be here is great. I honestly didn't think I'd be here."
"Where else would you be?" Aelita asked.
"Probably out in the world having an adventure or something," he said. Aelita didn't say anything, but he grinned. "But I'm having an adventure in a virtual world, that's pretty cool too. Maybe I'll go out and have another adventure. I'm already dead so might as well enjoy my eternity. I think after we free William and your dad, beat Xana and find your mom, I'll take a long nap and enjoy the rest of the school year."
"That sounds good," said Aelita, thinking about that nap. "I think all of us could use a nap."
Finally the door opened as they ran towards the exit. Since Jeremy deactivated the timer and key once and for all they didn't have to worry. Michael quickly summoned his sword anticipating any monsters that might show up. Aelita saw that he was prepared and thought about how happy she was to have him come along.
They ran outside as Aelita ran to the edge of the platform and began working on the terminal. Michael stood on standby waiting for the flying Mantas to hatch like they usually do.
After a few minutes of waiting, Michael noticed something strange. From he remembered the Mantas should've started pushing through the virtual walls by now. He couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right about this. They haven't encountered any monsters on the way there and so far no sign of the Mantas. It didn't sound right but he had a feeling in his gut that something was wrong.
As Aelita continued working on the terminal, Michael looked over the edge hoping to see one Manta at least. Maybe it's gonna be a surprise attack this time he hopingly thought to himself. But as time went by he didn't see anything, which only made things worse.
Suddenly a strange sound caught Michael's attention as he looked towards the base of Sector Five. It wasn't loud but Michael's strong hearing picked it up. By then he was really worried about the meaning behind that sound. But then it hit him, something must be going on at Lyoko's Core. That would make sense since there aren't any monsters around, they must be attacking the core again.
Michael rushed over to Aelita who was having a difficult time trying to find the firewall Xana set up.
"I think Xana's attacking the core," he said briefly. That stopped Aelita as she too was worried.
"That's why Xana set up the firewall, to distract us so he can destroy the core and use with it," said Aelita coming to the realization that things just got worse. She looked at the terminal, frustrated by the lack of any good news. But then the thought of only her being able to go protect the core because she can't lift Michael because he's heavier than Yumi only made it worse. She was panicking on what she should do, go protect the core without backup or try to deactivate the firewall hoping they'd have enough time to go protect the core with Michael. It couldn't be any more than insanely risky but something had to be done. "I'll go and stop the monsters attacking the core." She waved her hand over her star watch and her pink wings appeared. With a few flaps she jumped up ready to fly but Michael quickly grabbed her ankle and gently pulled her down. She tried kicking him but he refused to let go so she gave up and landed beside him.
"You can't do it alone, it's obviously a trap," said Michael, concerned for her care.
"I know that, but what else are we supposed to do?" Aelita angrily asked with her arms crossed. "I'm getting nowhere with finding this firewall, Xana hid it really well. And if his monsters are attacking than this is serious. We don't have Jeremy and you won't have a vehicle so you can't go."
"If you don't work on that terminal we won't be able to do anything," Michael pointed out in defense. "We'll be free when that firewall is down, but at least I can try to stop the core from being destroyed at least."
"BUT YOU CAN'T"…Aelita shouted out. She was quickly interrupted when Michael's wrist guard started to glow with an eerie white aura.
"What?" Michael asked, trying to find out what it was doing.
Suddenly white transparent blocks in the shape of stairs appeared at the right side of the platform. One after another, each step appeared with a feint white glow. They went down towards the bottom of the dome and even rose up to the open hole. After the last of the stairs appeared, the aura around Michael's wrist guard faded away and they were both left there wondering what was going on.
"That was…weird," said Aelita, astonished and confused by the sudden change of events.
Michael held the wrist guard up to chest level and tried to activate it. As he was pushing buttons nothing was happenings. Every button he pushed made a small clicking sound but it didn't activate the screen. He studied the screen carefully, hoping that something would make it turn on. But the more he tried the more impatient he got until he finally decided to give up.
"I'm locked out, it's not working," Michael angrily said with his hands at his sides. He looked at the stairs, surprised and glad that now he has a way to get to the Core Chamber. "At least I can go see what's going on and you can try to breach the firewall."
"Okay, just please be careful," Aelita worriedly said.
Michael took his first step onto the glasslike step and was surprised that it was actually solid. He tapped it with the tip of his boot, it sounded like he was tapping on glass. He had to be sure it was strong enough so he stomped really hard on the first step. Surprised to see that it wasn't broken let alone damaged or cracked, he saw this as the best chance he had.
"I'll be back," he said as he turned around and gave her a piece sign with his fingers.
He made his way down the stairs towards Sector Five's Core Chamber while Aelita continued working on the terminal. Every step was sturdy and strong just like the first one. Michael couldn't help but wonder how the device on his arm could do something like this. Even as he was walking, he tried fiddling with it but to no success, he was still locked out. Now he was just hoping nothing would happen that would make the stairs disappear.
When he got to the opening at the bottom he was surprised to see that it was open. Normally it would be opening and closing a lot but this time it stay open. A large ring of white light around the hole was a welcome sign to him as the stairs looped around, forming a spiral staircase going up. Not only did his wrist guard make the stairs but it's prying the way in open. Michael let out a sigh of relief now that he doesn't have to worry about it devitalizing him.
He walked in just in time because when he touched the platform, the stairs faded away and the ring of light holing the entrance open faded away as it came back to life. Happy now that he doesn't have to worry, all he had to do now as kill the monsters.
He pushed the key and walked in. As new platforms appeared, giving him access to the Core Chamber, he walked in to see what was going on. At the top of the random layers of platforms three Creepers stood around firing at the shield as three Mantas hovered in the center firing at it too. But when he noticed the core, he realized that the sound he heard was one of the two shields protecting the core was destroyed and there was only on left.
Not wasting anymore time, he jumped up multiple platforms and quickly made his way to the top. With his sword drawn, he got to the top and ambushed one of the Creepers but slashing it clean through its gut before finishing it off with a stab to the head. The Mantas took noticed to his presence and turned their attention towards him as the other two Creepers kept firing at the core.
They flew towards him as he jumped off with a strong leap, landing on one just in time as he thrusted the tip of his sword into its Xana Eye. He jumped to one of the platforms below as it exploded, making one of the Mantas sway from the force of the explosion but not enough to do anything bad.
One of the Mantas fired at him, he quickly deflected the beam with his sword blade, sending the beam ricocheting off and hitting a wall. The other fired at him but he deflected that one too, almost hitting the first Manta that attacked. But as it fired again, he deflected it and sent it flying and hitting one of the Creepers. It blew up but he was quickly sent backwards as a random laser hit him in the chest. He hit the wall hard, the wind was knocked out of him and he didn't see the Mantas swarming him.
When he finally came to, he had to duck because he didn't have enough to time to block an incoming laser. Now with only two Mantas and a Creeper things were starting to look up. He looked up for a brief second at the last shield protecting the core. Without Jeremy, he didn't know how much longer the shield could last. Now it was just a matter of time that he had to stop them.
He pushed off from the wall and jumped towards an incoming Manta. But as he was about to strike, it bolted towards the left. He fell down another two levels before he managed to thrust the blade of his sword into the third one down. He managed to get up but a stray laser hit his shoulder, he would've been knocked down had he not stabbed the tip of his blade a few inches into the ground for support.
He looked up at the Manta's and realized that he might be in trouble. He didn't know how many life points left and he was running out of options. A few more lasers zipped passed his head and hit the wall behind him. He pulled the blade out and held it firmly as he waiting for the next set of lasers.
One of the Mantas shot and he managed to deflect it towards the other Manta. The hit was spot on because it hit its right pectoral fin, knocking it out of the air and sending it careening down to the bottom level. At it hit the ground, it skidded on its belly for a few seconds before finally exploding, signaling that another enemy was down. But unfortunately the battle wasn't done yet.
The last Manta this time charged at him with the bottom hatch open to drop mines. He saw what was happening as he quickly jumped down another level. The manta was dropping mines around the platform that he was just on. He tried to move to another pillar but the Manta quickly swarmed around him dropping mines to block his escaped. Trapped behind a wall of mines, he didn't have anywhere to go.
"This isn't good," he said to himself. He looked up at the Manta still starring at him. He Suddenly another small quake happened, causing a few mines to fly off course. He jolting his head up and his worst fears came true because the second shield layer just blew up. Realizing that now would be a good time to get serious; he looked down at his empty left hand. "I don't know how many life points I have left but I need to try." His entire left hand burst into a roar of black flames that completely engulfed his hand. With his sword still in hand, he prepared for one final attack.
He turned around and leaped a few feet in the air towards the wall behind him. With all his might, he pushed himself another seven feet in the air. The Manta saw what he was doing and quickly flew up towards him. But when the Manta got too close, he unleashed a spinning slash attack that slicked right through the Manta's body. Using the Manta's body, he landed on it and quickly jumped off.
Michael was in the center of the room when he noticed the Creeper charging up its laser for one last attack. The flames engulfing his hand burned hotter and more rapidly, reaching intense heats. With a mighty throw, he sent a ball of black fireball soaring with intense speed. It nailed the Creeper right in the chest, knocking it on its back as the flames slowly consumed its body. But it was over yet.
Michael managed to land on a platform another two levels down. He was close to the bottom but he made it. He looked up towards the platform that the last Creeper was one. With a grin, he unleashed his last attack. "Fire Shot Bomb!" As if on cue, the flames consuming the Creeper's body erupted into a massive firewall that shook the very air. When the flames vanished, the Creeper was gone and a large black mark scorched the top of the platform. At last, the battle was over now.
0000000000000
Aelita was still working on the terminal when suddenly something changed. Aelita found the firewall finally and managed to deactivate it. Finally things were going her way when suddenly William appeared behind her. She didn't see him in time as he attacked with his Black Smoke Manipulation trick and captured her. He used his smoke to close her mouth before she could scream.
With Aelita as his prisoner, he called his Manta to get them out. But when he noticed the white steps a smile lit up on his face. He summoned his Zweihander and thrusted the tip of the blade down onto the center of the first stair. A bright light erupted from the stair before it shattered to pieces. But as it shattered, the rest joined in one at a time. As it reached the ring holding the entrance to the Core Chamber open, it too didn't stand a chance and shattered to a million pieces. Now with the entrance opening and closing again, Michael couldn't escape unless he had a vehicle.
William let out one final laugh before gently placing Aelita on the Manta's back. His sword disappeared and he quickly hopped on and they were off.
000000000000
Michael walked over to the edge of the platform that he was on and was shocked when he looked down that the white ring was gone and the door was back to life. Michael stopped and tried to use the device on his arm, only problem, he was still locked it. It was frustrating that now he needs it to work and it's not. He even retaliated in anger by smacking the device a few times. But nothing changed as the screen stayed black.
"This thing is useless!" he angrily yelled. He grabbed the edge of the device and tried to yank it off his arm.
"XANA'S KIDNAPPED AELITA!" Jeremy shouted through the mike. Michael closed his ears because his voice was so loud that it hurt. But he quickly realized that now he can talk to Jeremy. But hearing that Aelita's been kidnapped only made him madder.
"Okay Jeremy, send the Overbike, I jumping out." said Michael taking a few steps back.
"Okay, I'll send it in a few seconds," said Jeremy, typing away at his keyboard.
"One…..two…..THREE!" Michael shouted, taking off running towards the edge of the platform.
He jumped off the platform and dived head first down the chamber. He starred down the edge of the tunnel and saw Ulrich's Overbike materializing outside. He closed his eyes and passed through the fast moving door with the door a few inches away from catching his boot. He landed on the Overbike and made his way out of the sector with Jeremy carefully navigating him through.
Jeremy shut down one of the tunnels leading outside when two Mantas appeared and attack Michael. But he was quick and evade their lasers until he reached the outside. Once outside he noticed William on his black Manta with Aelita riding backseat. William didn't see him yet so he had the advantage.
Michael cautiously sank a few down and slowly made his way towards them. With William only paying attention to where they're going, he didn't even know Michael was there. Michael, as quiet as he could be, managed to get underneath William's Manta to see Aelita starting to wake up. Once she opened her eyes she noticed him right away. She was about to say something but Michael ushered her to stay quiet.
He reached his hand up for her to grab. But as she reached down about to touch his fingers, William started looking around. It took him a minute but when he looked down behind him, anger quickly took over as he summoned his Zweihander in his right hand. He took a swing at Michael, but he maneuvered around William's blade. Summoning his sword too, they were caught in a clash.
William swung his sword outwards, But Michael ducked underneath the passing massive blade. Michael thrusted his sword as Williams chest, but he managed to pull his sword back in and block the attack with the back of the blade. Michael quickly pulled and maneuvered the Overbike around to William's left side. Seeing this change, William switched hands with the reins and his sword.
William held the massive blade overhead and swung down. Michael dodged and took a swing at his left knee. William, not having enough time to block felt a blade slightly scratch his knee, creating small light blue sparks. William randomly swung at him; But Michael was too quick and flew underneath his Manta. But as he flew underneath, he pointed his sword up and slashed at the Manta's underbelly.
It was enough as the Manta became confused and slowly losing its ability to fly. It then exploded, sending both William and Aelita falling down towards the Digital Sea. Letting his instincts kick in, he soared down towards her as fast as he could. Aelita tried to reach for her wristwatch, but William grabbed her right hand and held on tightly. With his sword in his right hand, he was ready to strike Michael.
She saw Michael getting close as she held her other hand out. He managed to grab it just in time, only problem, there's too much weight. They both dangled over left side of the Overbike as William was getting cocky. His swung his massive sword up at the Overbike, but Michael quickly kicked the side of the blade before it could even scratched the Overbike, knocking it away. He tried again, but Michael, having enough of this fight, kicked the blade so hard that it knock it out of William's hand and sent it falling towards the Digital Sea.
Aelita was halfway up when William, in an act of desperation, climbed over her and grabbed her hair with his right hand. Aelita cringed from the pain as Michael saw what was going on. In an act of rage, he grabbed William's wrist with his left hand and held it firmly. He squeezed William's swirl with enough force that the pressure would break his wrist in a few seconds. He let Aelita go: she quickly climbed up and saw behind Michael with her arms thrown out around his waist. He grabbed Michael arm with his free hand and hand on desperately trying to bring them down. Michael looked at William and said.
"Not today Xana," said Michael.
He head butted William in the face, stunning William and leaving him defenseless. Aelita cringed as she could hear the sound of their heads hitting. William's grip loosened just enough as Michael let go and watched William plunge into the Digital Sea. Once William was in the Digital Sea, Michael let out a small grown and tried to message his forehead with his left hand.
"You okay?" Jeremy asked.
"Yeah, kid's got a hard head," said Michael. He heard Aelita giggle behind him and Jeremy chuckle in the real world.
Michael and Aelita made it back to the terminal platform. Being a gentlemen, he kindly helped her down. When her feet touched the platform, she threw her arms around his waist and held on tightly. She nestled her hand into his chest and cried. Michael, seeing her crying, gently patted her back to calm her down.
"Thank you Michael," she said. "Thank you so much for saving me."
"Thank Jeremy," he said kindly. "If you hadn't deactivated the firewall when you did, I wouldn't have known you were kidnapped."
Aelita pulled her head away and looked up. Even though they were no tears in her eyes, he could tell that was crying in her heart.
"Thank you Jeremy, you're my hero," she said with honeyed words. On the outside, Jeremy was blushing from her kinds words.
"Well….I….uh…do what I can," he said, trying to act cool but he was embarrassed. But then he started typing on his keyboard. "Okay guys, I'm gonna activate the Return to the Past, hopefully it's working now."
Michael and Aelita hugged one last time as a glowing white light engulfed them. Now with their friendship strengthened, Aelita trusted Michael to the fullest. There was no doubt in her mind anymore that Michael is the best choice to fight alongside them. Him saving her as he did meant that she trusted him no matter what that he'd protect her.
(After the Return to the Past)(On the Girl's Floor) Sissi just left her room and was walking down to class. After that whole flirting thing with Michael, she's been the talk of the school. Nicholas hasn't cared, but Herb now hates Michael. Since she was possessed she doesn't remember what happened to her. She doesn't remember flirting or even kissing Michael. She doesn't remember a single thing.
She was ten feet away from Michael burst through the doors in a rage and stormed over towards her. She didn't know what to think as he stood a foot in front of her with eyes burning with rage. She couldn't think of anything to say, she was terrified of what he was gonna say or even do to her.
"Give it back," he demanded. She, confused and startled was lost for words. "Give me back my diary."
"What?" she asked with fear in her voice.
"You stole my diary, I want it back right now," he said with a growl. Now she was shaking in fear from his strange change of mood.
"I don't….I don't know what you're talking about," she defended, terrified of him.
"You stole it and blackmailed me just to make Ulrich jealous," he said. "I know you have on you." This time she changed and started getting angry. She was rummaging around her bag, eager to prove him wrong.
"Listen you, I don't have your…..what?" she stopped as her hand touched something unfamiliar to her. When she pulled it out, it was a little green book with the words: "Michael's Diary" written in red pen on the front cover. She didn't know what to make of it, Michael didn't even give her the chance to speak as he yanked it out of her hand and quickly put it in his pocket.
"Don't you ever steal anything from me again," he threatened with a snarl in his tone.
She nodded her head, still confused about what was happening but she started thinking about what he said. She didn't remember but in her mind, that was probably something that happened. Not wanting to question him anymore, she walked away. As she left, Michael stood there with an ounce of regret for doing that to her. He didn't want to do that to her, but it was the only way to make things work. With everyone still remembering what happened, it was the only way to make the story more believable.
Michael pulled the fake diary out of his pocket and held it tightly. It had his name written on it, but inside it was blank. He looked over at Ana's door and casually walked over towards it. He was contemplating things he wanted to say, he was a wreck he was so nervous. He was already sweating thinking about what she would say. Hopefully she'll hear him out, maybe they can even talk.
As he knocked on the door, a cold chill hit his spine as he worried about what she was gonna say. After what happened he knew that she hated him. Hopefully she'll give him a chance to explain what happened. He can't tell her about Lyoko, but Ulrich and the others gave him a chance to not to. He was scared about what she'd say, but he was relieved to know that his friends have his back in this.
The door opened as Ana looked angry when she saw him. He still held the fake diary in his hand but he wasn't too sure. Instead he just turned around and started walking away. Fear got to him because he couldn't look at her hoping to get her back. What she saw was the worst thing in his mind. But as he walked away, Ana looked confused by his sudden change of action and talked to him.
"What were you two arguing about?" she rudely asked. Michael turned around and looked her in the eyes. He was lost for words, but the fake diary in his hand helped boost his confidence.
"I was just getting something back," he said. She still felt suspicious towards him, but she wanted to hear what he had to say.
"Yeah, what?" she asked. Having no choice, he held up the diary and showed it to her. She was a little confused but she let him talk.
"I was walking to my room after school the other day and found that my diary was missing. "In the lunchroom she told me that she wanted to make Ulrich jealous and she needed my help to do it. I said no but she said that she'd expose my diary to Milly and Tamiya."
"What's in it?" Michael shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
"Some really embarrassing stuff from what I did at my last school," he said, trying to hide his fake embarrassment. "I wrote a lot of really embarrassing stories inside it." As she started thinking, she was starting to warm up a little towards him.
"And what about her kissing you in your room?" she asked with her arms crossed.
"She said that she believed Ulrich would pass by and see it," he said. This time he looked down and tried to hide back his tears. I'm so sorry Ana, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I probably don't deserve it but could you please give me another chance. I promise this will never happen again."
She finally caved into his puppy dog eyes and hugged him. Although this time they didn't kiss, he was relieved that she's forgiven him. He still hated lying like that but it was the only way. But still, it was enough to put him on her good side, at least he hopes. But then she pulled her head away and pointed a single at the tip of his nose.
"I'll forgive you this time, but next time I'll kick you and you won't like where," she threatened with a serious looked on her. Michael held up his hands and smiled.
"Don't worry, I promise," he said, hoping not to get kicked.
She let him go and walked over to her room. Not before looking at him with a kind expression. She turned around and leaned against the side of the doorjamb. She noticed that he put the diary in his pocket.
"I hope me show me what you wrote sometime," she said with a slight half-smile.
"I will someday, I promise," he said. That was enough for her as she closed the door.
Michael walked away with a smile on a skip to his step. Now that he has her back, he's gotta work hard to regain her trust. Since she's willing to rebuild their relationship with him, he's confident that they can make it work now. but that still leaves the matter of him using that diary. Now he has to write something in it, since he said he wrote some embarrassing stories now he has to.
"Thanks guys," he said to himself as he walked out the doors to the stairs.
Find out what happens next in Part XXXII: Team Lyoko