The students are gathered around the courtyard before class. Ulrich is alone until he sees his friends talking to a worried Yumi.
"Hey everybody."
"Wow, that's a tough break," Jeremy ignores Ulrich's greeting.
"You've gotta be kidding," Odd looks up at the girl.
"Unfortunately, I'm not."
"Hey, uh, what's going on here?" Ulrich asks for an explanation. He's worried that something bad has happened, given Yumi's mood.
"I wish I could do something, Yumi."
"Me too. I can't imagine going through that at this time of the year..." Amy frowns, Ulrich ignored again.
"That's really nice of you, girls."
"Hey...would somebody tell me what's going on?" Ulrich wonders as the bell rings.
"Look, we'll talk about it after class, okay?" Jeremy walks off, the others walking right past Ulrich like he's not even there.
He stares after them, wondering just what was going on. Were Yumi's parents fighting again? "Hey, Amy."
The brunette turns around at his voice. "Finally, someone looks at me. Can you tell me what that was all about?"
"Ames!"
Amy hears Odd calling out for her, trying not to smile. After the...thing that happened outside Yumi's house, they both mutually decided not to talk about it and hang out again. She was happy to have him as her best friend again, and Odd felt it just as much. They weren't going to let something that didn't happen affect them.
"Hurry up so we can sit together."
"I'm coming," She replies and he walks into the building. Amy turns back to an annoyed Ulrich. "Sorry, but I'm sure that you'll get to know soon. Come on or we'll be late."
She runs inside and Ulrich huffs.
"Don't mind me, keep making like I don't exist, okay?" Ulrich shouts to the others.
Ulrich finally gets Odd's attention as he's sitting next to Jeremy, Amy and Odd sitting in front of the two.
"Hey, say that again?" Ulrich asks in shock once he's finally known the extent of the situation.
"Yumi's father lost his job," Odd whispers, leaning his head back. "They're thinking of going back to Japan so he can find work."
"You've gotta be kidding!" Ulrich exclaims in disbelief. Yumi couldn't just up and leave! What about school, her friends...
Him?
"It's not for sure yet, so don't panic," Jeremy shrugs, Odd turning back to the teacher.
"What?! Yumi's leaving, we may never see her again, and I shouldn't panic?!"
Odd and Amy smirk to each other at how seriously he's taking this. "You know what? There is an easy solution."
"Oh yeah? What?" Ulrich lifts his head up, eager to hear. Anything could help him out.
"Well, you see, if you marry Yumi, then she can get a green card!"
Amy stifles a laugh, hiding her mouth with her hand as some tears fall down her cheeks. "Very funny," Ulrich deadpans, Odd grinning at the brunette with a giggle.
"I'm just trying to lighten things up."
"How nice. Yumi's moving and you're laughing," Ulrich scolds Amy, who turns back to him while the teacher speaks Italian, pacing around.
"Ulrich, it's not confirmed. If anything, he'll find a job and Yumi won't have to move."
He shakes his head and stands up. "Por favore, Senor Caggia?"
"Uh, si, Ulrich?"
"Could I please go to the infirmary? I'm not feeling too well."
Jeremy glances at Odd and Amy in front of them, both of them frowning in sympathy. He didn't want to lose Yumi as much as they did.
As Yumi's listening to her teacher, she hears a thump near the window, glancing at it. "In Moby Dick, Melville uses the literary technique of a character in the novel, speaking-"
"Excuse me, ma'am?" Yumi interrupts as Ulrich is outside.
"Yes, Yumi?"
"Could I please go to the infirmary?"
Ulrich's eyes widen and he ducks down before someone could see him.
They walk together outside the dorms to talk. "Why can't you stay at the school as a boarder? And you could go to Japan during summer vacation?" He suggests, trying to silently convince her not to leave. She couldn't go...she meant a lot to him.
"Are you kidding? My parents would never go for that. And what's more, they need me." Yumi couldn't leave her parents behind even if she wanted to.
"Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?" He asks bitterly, looking at the ground. He snaps his fingers as he gets an idea. "What if..."
"Ulrich, it's nice of you to try to find a solution but nothing has been settled. There might not be anything to worry about."
That's the third time he's heard someone say that and he's already tired of hearing it. What if the move does happen and he loses Yumi, possibly forever? What would happen then? Were they just going to deny the fact that Yumi would be gone? And what about Lyoko? With one less warrior, it was going to be harder to stop XANA...
And he's not just thinking that only because he wants Yumi to stay.
"I know, why don't we write to our congressmen and ask for help?" He suggests as she walks back inside her classroom building.
"Sure, why not the president while you're at it?" She chuckles and he raises a brow.
That could work.
As soon as he got out of classes, he started right away on the letter to the president. Yumi possibly moving away was serious, so he had to make sure that the most important person in the world listened to him.
Of course he wasn't crazy. This was for someone really special to him.
"Are you ready for dinner?" Odd asks as he opens the door.
"You go on," Ulrich waves him off. "I'll see you there."
Amy walks up to the door to pick them up, Odd stepping out. "He's still writing it?"
"Yep," Odd walks off with her. "Hey, so when we get dessert, can I have yours?"
"Odd!" She laughs at the thought of him stuffing himself, as usual. "I'll never understand how you can never get sick with how much you actually eat."
"Is that a yes?"
"Well, yeah, after watching you, I won't have an appetite for it."
"Hmph. Race ya!" Odd takes off running and she laughs, racing after him as they pass through the double doors.
Ulrich listens to the radio as he tries to come up with something convincing. It had to be enough so that Yumi's father could be granted a job and Yumi could stay. Dear Mr. President, I'm writing to you about a young girl named Yumi. Yumi is an amazing person. She's originally from Japan, but she really likes her country.
He thinks about her bright smile...and realizes that wasn't good enough, throwing the paper away into the full trashcan, muttering something to himself.
"Dear Mr. President—will you be quiet?!" He shouts at the radio in annoyance, as the device was making him lose focus. "Can't you see I'm trying to concentrate?"
He's about to turn it off when another possible idea could solve the problem. "Remember, folks, this week's super jackpot is 30 million big ones! And now that big bonus number. 14, 2 times lucky 7 14. Anyway-" Ulrich shuts off the radio, looking down at the numbers he wrote down.
"Remember folks, this week's super jackpot is 30 million big ones!"
This could solve everything...if the Ishiyamas won, they'd have so much money, they wouldn't have to work again until Yumi was out of Kadic.
"No...I couldn't do that. It wouldn't be right," He shakes his head. The fact that he's too young to enter comes to mind, and because gambling was a huge risk that he couldn't take back if he went through with it. But then again...Yumi might be grateful...so grateful that not even William could change things.
He opens the door and leaves his room, holding the paper in his hand.
Mr. Ishiyama slowly eats his noodles, the silence tense. Mrs. Ishiyama turns to him. "Did you go back to see the temp agencies?"
"I haven't had time."
"Too bad, they might've had something for you. I mean, to tide us over until we return to Kyoto."
Mr. Ishiyama sighs slowly. "There is nothing out there for me. There are too many people in my field. You know that very well."
"Anyway, if you don't look, you certainly won't find anything."
He slams down his chopsticks at his bad luck lately. "Oh, will you stop it now? What about you? Did you go the temp agencies today?"
She puts down her chopsticks at his grumpy attitude, standing up and walking off. He sighs at what he did, putting a hand to his temple. Hiroki and Yumi stare at him in worry.
Kiwi barks on Jeremy's bed, Kiki playing quietly with her tennis ball. Dinner time has passed, and Ulrich had not shown.
"He's not in our room," Odd sits down. "I don't know where he is."
"I get the feeling that Ulrich is taking the situation even harder than we are," Aelita comments in concern.
"Of course he is. He must be devastated. Even though it probably won't happen, he's still trying to do his crazy ideas," Amy places a hand on her chin. "Poor guy..."
"You can say that again. For Ulrich, losing Yumi is...well, imagine how you'd feel if Jeremy had to leave," Odd lays down on Jeremy's bed, Aelita looking away with a blush.
"Why do you say that?"
"Cuz I love making you blush!"
Aelita glances at Jeremy, who looks away sheepishly.
"Oh yeah? How about you and Amy? If she had to leave, you'd feel the same," Jeremy retorts back to change the subject.
"Shut up," Amy and Odd say in unison, blushing.
Suddenly, a return in time is launched, encircling everything in white.
"Wait," Aelita says as they're outside the building again like this morning. "What just happened? Why did we return to the past?"
Jeremy immediately pulls out his laptop, opening it and scanning for an activated tower. "Could XANA have taken control of the back in time function? He's done it before," Yumi points out.
"No way. I made a special program so he couldn't," He doesn't see an activated tower anywhere. "The superscan doesn't show any active towers. This is really weird. I'll go to the factory after class and check it out."
Ulrich crosses a number off the lottery ticket, giving it to the vendor. "Here you go."
"Uh, you do know that you're not really old enough to play, young man."
"Aw, it's for my mom. She asked me to buy it for her," He lies through his teeth. He had activated the return in time, as he 'borrowed' Jeremy's notes, before he listened to the winning numbers on the radio. He knew that XANA would gain an advantage, but Yumi was more important than that. He did it so that the Ishiyama family could win the ticket.
"Well, in that case..." The man takes it and Ulrich starts to walk back to school.
He did the right thing...he would get Yumi to stay.
"Ulrich," Jeremy states once the bell rings for Italian class. "We're gonna check out things at the factory after class, about the jump back in time? You coming?"
"No, I, uh...I have to, uh, study for Chemistry," Ulrich lies again.
"Hey, mind if I study with you? I don't get Mendelier's periodic table at all," Odd offers, Amy noticing something off about Ulrich.
"I'd rather study by myself."
"Huh?" Odd is confused. Ulrich never wanted to be alone to study. With his grades, he always asked for help...
"Oh, well I know you're gonna think this is ridiculous," Ulrich says to the Ishiyamas, as he left after class. "But I heard you had some problems with work and everything, and...and I thought, well...I bought you a lotto ticket. You never know. Maybe you'll be lucky. Then you can stay here, with Yumi," He hands Mr. Ishiyama the ticket.
"Hm," he starts laughing at the possibility of winning. "I'm sorry, son, but you have to admit that it is very funny. Do you know the odds of winning the lotto? Huh! At least you made me laugh. That's something I need right now..." He chuckles, Mrs. Ishiyama turning to the boy.
"Anyway, it was very nice of you, Ulrich. We're really touched."
"Don't forget to listen for the numbers," He looks at them hopefully and they nod. "Oh, and please don't tell Yumi that I gave it to you. She might take it the wrong way." He walks down the steps, Mrs. Ishiyama placing down the clean bowls.
"That Ulrich is such a sweetheart!"
"Yes, only, he doesn't realize that we have one chance in 14 million of ever winning," Mr. Ishiyama dismisses it. This is why he never gambles; you never win.
"Now, once again today's lotto results." Mr. Ishiyama glances at the lotto ticket on the table. "The winning numbers for today's super jackpot drawing are...6, 22, 10, 47, 13, 37, and the bonus number is 14."
Both Mr and Mrs. Ishiyama stare down at the ticket in utter disbelief, wondering if this was a trick. "I don't believe it...!"
Yumi enters, having just arrived back. "Hey there, what's going on?"
"Uh..." She promised she wouldn't tell her daughter, but she couldn't keep it from Yumi. That would be the same as lying to her. "This is the winning ticket. The jackpot!"
"What's a jackpot?" Hiroki asks curiously.
"Oh! It's incredible!" Mr. Ishiyama pulls at his collar in shock.
"Oh, you played the lotto?" Yumi wonders, knowing her parents don't believe in it. "But I thought you hated gambling."
Mr. Ishiyama clears his throat, glancing at his wife. He couldn't lie to Yumi either.
"Actually, it was, uh, your friend Ulrich who played. And he gave us the ticket."
"He didn't want you to know."
Yumi narrows her eyes. A return time to the same morning where the lotto would be won? This was no coincidence. Ulrich had done this on purpose, meaning that he had willingly let XANA gain an advantage over them...
"I don't get it," Jeremy stares at the statistics of the program. There was nothing wrong. No bugs or anything; someone did it on purpose. "XANA had nothing to do with it. It's as if someone had set off the return of the past from here, except that I'm the only one who knows how to do it."
"Unless...someone read your manual," Aelita points out. She already knew it wasn't Odd; he was a lost cause when it came to the Supercomputer.
"What makes you say that?"
Aelita says nothing, looking at the log data...
Ulrich approaches his silent friends. "Hi."
"Hi Ulrich. You know, I'm really impressed with your computer skills," Jeremy says and his eyes widen.
"Who, me? You are?"
"Well, you did enter the code for returning to the past into the computer without making a single mistake. Well done," Jeremy gives him a sarcastic thumbs up.
"What are you talking about?" Ulrich plays dumb.
"Don't waste your breath," Yumi accuses angrily. "We know it was you who set off the return to the past."
"I never expected for you to do that, Ulrich. For you to lie to us and turn your back to help XANA?" Amy looks sad at his betrayal. "Did you really think that we wouldn't check up on this?"
"You broke rule number one, Ulrich. I can't believe it!" Odd exclaims and Ulrich couldn't deny it anymore.
"I only did it for Yumi, so you can stay," He smiles sadly and she narrows her eyes at how he's justifying it.
"I didn't ask for your help."
"Do you realize what you've done, Ulrich? You know that going back in time makes XANA stronger!" Jeremy exclaims.
"Why didn't you talk to us first, huh?" Odd wonders, "Why did you have to go sneaking around?"
"I'm sorry..." Is all he can say. His heart was in the right place, but his actions were definitely wrong...
"It's too late for sorry. You betrayed our trust!" Jeremy sounds the most upset.
Yumi walks up to him. "Here," She holds up a piece of paper. "You can take back your dumb ticket," She throws it to the ground. "My parents think you should keep the money," She storms off.
"As of now, and until you hear otherwise, you're out of the group, Ulrich!" Jeremy announces to his shock, walking off next. Amy says nothing as she leads Odd away, Aelita placing a sympathetic hand on Ulrich's shoulder.
"I hope this will all work out..." Honestly, she didn't want to break up the group. They were all she had, but she couldn't look past what Ulrich did. He picks up the ticket, sighing in disappointment as Sissi approaches him.
"Hey, what's up, Ulrich? You don't look too good." She laughs at him, attempting to cheer him up.
"Right, and when I see you, it gets even worse," He glances away to see Yumi already talking to William. He really messed up. He just wanted to help...but instead, it cost him his friends, possibly until he graduates.
"Well, that'll teach me to be nice to people!"
Ulrich groans to himself. It wasn't Sissi's fault he just lost his friends, it was his. Even though he still didn't like her, she didn't deserve his rudeness this time.
"Sissi, wait. I apologize."
She smiles widely that he's acting nicer. He puts his hands in his pockets forlornly. "I'm just a little edgy." He walks off with her, hoping to talk to someone about what just happened.
"I really don't understand what she sees in him," Herb looks on jealously at the two.
"You said it. He sure is no match for my looks or my brains."
Herb chuckles at the fact Nicolas even has brains, given his grades so far. And handsome? Hardly. Barely any girls looked at him. "You think you're handsome, huh?"
"No more than you think you're smart!"
He rolls up his sleeves. "I dare you to say that again!"
Nicolas punches him in the face. Clearly, he was the stronger one.
In the desert sector, a Krab is walking on the sand, soon followed by others. At least more than a dozen gather around, walking in one group.
Herb is washing his face after being punched by Nicolas, his friend next to him. He stretches his arms, Nicolas' hair getting goofy after he dried it. It kind of looked like poodle hair as he turns on the water. He hears a spark and looks up at the ceiling light, which is emitting electricity. One of XANA's ghosts appears from it, possessing Nicolas.
Nicolas sits there, numb for a few seconds before he stands up, the XANA symbol in his eyes...
"Africa is the continent that suffers most from problems related to a shortage of water and rural areas of Africa are affected to an even greater extent," Mr. Fumet recites, Nicolas glancing back at the four other Lyoko Warriors. Ulrich is sitting next to Sissi, knowing that his friends wouldn't want to be near him right now.
"Hey, why is Nicolas staring at us like that?" Amy whispers to Odd. He glances at the other side of the room to see that Nicolas is indeed staring.
"Maybe he's got a crush on you?" He suggests, shrugging and Amy gags.
"Ew."
"Less than half of all rural zones have any access..."
"Well, when I think how much we complain all the time," Odd glances back at Jeremy.
"To sanitary systems..."
Jeremy glances down at his open laptop underneath his desk to see that a tower has been activated. "XANA has launched an attack," He whispers to the three, gaining their attention.
"What?"
"We have less than a minute left to class. We'll go to the factory as soon as the bell rings," Jeremy glances at his watch.
"Without Ulrich?" Odd asks in concern. They had gone to Lyoko without him before, but this time it felt different...and not in a good way. It felt bad to just leave his roommate behind...he was kind of worried about how he was doing.
"Without Ulrich," Jeremy confirms, still angry about what happened. Amy places a gentle hand on Odd's shoulder, trying to comfort him in the slightest. Odd sighs, resting his head on her shoulder. After Ulrich's betrayal, he really needed something to take his mind off it. Amy blushes at his action, but says or does nothing to stop. She knew that Odd needed a shoulder to lay on, and being the good friend she was, she wasn't going to stop him. Nicolas keeps staring, Amy shivering at him. The bell rings a few seconds later and the four quickly leave.
"See you next week, then."
Nicolas leaves right behind the four Lyoko Warriors. "Hey Nicolas," Herb stands up.
"And don't forget your project reports on your own ideas for helping African communities!" Mr. Fumet calls out as the rest of the students leave.
Jeremy's chair swivels as Aelita, Odd, and Amy enter the scanners. Yumi's the odd one out as she was called by Jeremy when they were arriving at the factory. "Transfer Aelita. Transfer Amy. Transfer Odd. Scanner Odd. Scanner Aelita. Scanner Amy. Virtualization."
They're virtualized into the desert sector, landing safely. They don't see anything out of the ordinary—yet. Jeremy pulls up the program for their rides as Yumi is virtualized. "Here come your vehicles."
As Amy's OverRunner appears in front of her, Odd places a hand on her shoulder. "Ames, wait. Can, you, uh...can you ride with me today? I mean, madam, would you do me the honor of climbing aboard my humble, uh...board?"
Amy giggles at his joke, glancing at Aelita, who nods. Aelita jumps into Amy's ride instead, the other two girls smiling at their friends. Amy climbs on and Odd wraps a tail around her waist, causing her to look down in surprise. She wouldn't say it out loud, but she's always been intrigued by Odd's tail...it felt soft and inviting.
She places her hands on Odd's shoulders and he grins.
"The activated tower is located two plateaus north."
To Odd, Amy was the only one who listened to his problems, and he could really use some cheering up from her today.
"Okay, let's go," Yumi flies off first.
"Yeah!" Odd cheers as they both fly over the plateau. Aelita revs up the OverRunner and gets a boost, flying over the plateau.
"No monsters on the horizon for the time being," Jeremy reports, not noticing that XANA Nicolas had followed them, hiding above the ceiling.
"It's not monsters I'm worried about. It's XANA attacking on Earth. We still don't know what he's got in store for us this time," Yumi voices her concerns, especially since they don't have anyone to report it...
"Yeah well, I'd rather we deactivated the tower before we find out," Jeremy comments, hearing a thump.
"Well, whatever it is, just be careful, Jeremy. You never know, okay?" Amy speaks as Jeremy puts down the headphone. He looks up to see just what the attack is, XANA Nicolas landing right behind him. Jeremy gasps sharply as he quickly notes the XANA symbol embedded in his eyes.
"No!"
Nicolas lifts him up the air, electrocuting him slightly and knocking the genius into the wall. XANA Nicolas grins evilly as Jeremy's head softly hits the ground, unconscious. He then turns his attention to the computer, bugging it up.
"At your orders, XANA..."
As the four continue on, Aelita notices a Krab to her right. "Look, over there, a Krab!" Odd and Amy turn to the monster before seeing the rest of the horde.
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or are there at least 20 of them?" Yumi asks in disbelief.
"Yumi, there are no mirages on Lyoko," Aelita informs her.
"That's what I was afraid of!"
"Kind of weird that Jeremy didn't report it..." Amy murmurs to herself.
"By the way, thanks for warning us, Jeremy," Odd says sarcastically, but gets no answer. "Jeremy?"
"Now your wound will become fatal!" XANA Nicolas laughs evilly, loud enough for them to hear it.
"Jeremy, was that you?" Yumi asks in concern, but that couldn't be possible. He's immune to being possessed by XANA now. "Answer me, will you?"
"That isn't Jeremy," Odd shakes his head. "I'd recognize that laugh anywhere. It's Nicolas."
"Nicolas? Are you sure?"
"Nobody else has a laugh that dumb, not in the whole universe!"
"Nicolas is possessed by XANA!" Amy exclaims in realization. "Jeremy must be in trouble!"
"Watch out!" Aelita notices two Krabs behind them. "The Krabs!"
"We better get out of here fast!" Odd says, knowing fully well that fighting all of them at once would end in devirtualization immediately, and Aelita needed all the help she could get. They speed up as the Krabs start firing, Odd taking the lead. Aelita drives besides Yumi, who swerves a bit to avoid the lasers. She looks back at them, only to be hit in the shoulder and her Overwing to spin out of control. She eventually lets go and her Overwing gets devirtualized. She crashes roughly into the sand. "Yumi!"
Amy opens her wings, flying above Odd and going off to check on her. Aelita spins the OverRunner sharply, she and Odd following after the fairy. Odd flips off the Overboard once they reach her.
"Yumi, are you okay?" Odd asks her.
"I don't understand. Why does it hurt so much? Shouldn't I just lose some life points?" She wonders as she lies down on the board.
"Something's wrong with the factory," Odd deduces, Aelita turning around.
"Odd, Amy, the Krabs. We're gonna have to take cover." They look behind them to see the rocks, walking over to them.
Ulrich practices Penchak Silat by himself in the gym, trying to let out his frustrations. "You're even more handsome when you train."
He turns to Sissi watching him in admiration. "Sissi, I think I'd rather be alone."
"Are you crazy? That's the last thing you need when you're feeling down. It's just the opposite. You need your friends to be there." That, and she wanted to be alone with him for a little while longer.
"Uh uh. I don't have friends anymore..."
"What about me?" She asks as he kicks the air. "What does that make me then?"
Herb opens the door, entering. "Oh, Sissi, there you are. I've been looking all over for you."
"Yeah? Well, pretend I'm not here and keep on looking," She retorts back, not wanting to be bothered. "Why don't you go out and play with your friend Nicolas?"
"I would, but I can't find Nicolas either. He ran off like a madman after class to follow Jeremy, Amy, Odd, and the new girl. He was really spaced out."
Ulrich turns around after hearing him, wondering if Nicolas was possessed. "His voice sounded weird and there was something strange about his eyes."
"XANA," Ulrich whispers in realization. Nicolas might be hurting them right now, he couldn't just sit back and do nothing. He knew that his friends probably would turn them away, but he had to make sure that they would be okay.
"Why are you telling me all this? I don't care. Can't you see I'm with Ulrich?" Sissi points to the middle of the gym.
"Well not anymore, you're not," Herb notices that the boy is gone.
"Huh?"
The four are hiding behind a rock so that Yumi could catch her breath. "I'll go and check it out," Odd offers, crawling on the rock on all fours.
"Odd, wait. I'll go with you." Amy opens her wings, following after him. The two peek over the top to see Krabs walking right towards them. They start firing.
"We'd better move, otherwise-"
Amy pushes Odd out of the way and gets hit in the stomach, knocking her off the rock. "Amy!" Odd looks down at her, jumping into action. He grabs her into his arms, sliding down the rock swiftly and flipping onto the sand.
"Ow, Yumi's right. It really does hurt," Amy shakes her head as she looks up at Odd. Her breath gets caught in her throat as she realizes how close he is. Odd stares down at her.
"Ames, you okay?" He asks softly and she snaps out of it, nodding. Yumi looks up to see Aelita crawling onto the rock to see what was going on.
"My turn." She presses her hands together and starts singing, using her creativity to make a sand wave in front of the Krabs. They try going over, but it's too steep for them. One of them falls flat on their back, wiggling its legs. "It won't take them long to find a way around."
"Then we need to move far away from them as possible," Amy murmurs as Odd puts her down gently.
"Jeremy!" Ulrich arrives at the lab to see the genius on the ground. XANA Nicolas has gone, but only to hide in the ceiling.
"Maybe I'm the one you're looking for!" He announces, crawling onto the ceiling and then to the wall like he's Spiderman. Nicolas launches forward to tackle Ulrich, who rolls out of the way.
"Wow," Ulrich backs away slowly. "Since when did you become an athlete? I don't believe it." He backflips, kicking his leg right through XANA Nicolas. He looks at the possessed boy in shock as he didn't even touch him. Because XANA's ghost is possessing Nicolas, the boy can't take any hits. XANA Nicolas punches Ulrich to the ground and he lands near Jeremy. He sees him crawling up the ladder with no problem.
"Come on, Spiderman. Hold on, I'm not out yet!"
XANA Nicolas hangs onto the ceiling, eyeing Ulrich as he goes into the elevator. 'Spiderman' crawls after Ulrich, crawling into the elevator. Ulrich then rolls out the closing doors just in time to close XANA Nicolas in. As the elevator descends down, Ulrich messes with the wires, causing the elevator to stop. The electricity then shocks Nicolas.
"Jeremy, wake up, will ya? You gotta get up!" Ulrich shakes Jeremy by the shoulders.
"Hey...hi Ulrich. How are you?" Jeremy says, the concussion affecting his speech.
"Jeremy, please pull yourself together. I need your help!"
"Because I'm not feeling so great." He falls back into his deep sleep, Ulrich giving up and walking over to the computer. Jeremy was no help, so it looks like he'd have to take care of things on his own.
The Krabs keep attempting to crawl up the sand wall as Ulrich sits in the chair. "Odd, Amy, Yumi, Aelita, can you hear me? Answer me, will ya?"
"Ulrich, is that you?" Yumi asks in relief.
"Oh, great, you're alive."
"Yeah, but not in great shape," Odd glances at Amy.
"What about Jeremy?" Aelita asks in concern.
"He's also in pretty bad shape," Ulrich looks to Jeremy still on the floor. "I don't get it, there's nothing on the screens."
"That must be why the fire from the XANA's monsters hurt us for real," Yumi deduces.
"Nicolas bugged up the Supercomputer, and now we can't take a hit without being hurt," Amy explains. A Krab bumps into the sand wall.
"What was that noise?" Odd looks back and they go up to the rock to inspect. Aelita gasps in shock to see a Krab pass right through the sand wall, breaking it.
"That's just what I was afraid of. The Krabs have broken through the sand wall."
"I'm really sorry about this, Jeremy, but it's for a good cause," Ulrich slaps Jeremy across the face, causing him to wake up.
"Ouch, what-what's going on?"
Ulrich places his glasses back on for him.
"Okay, this is no time to drag your feet," Odd says as they slide down the rock. The Krabs crawl over inside their hiding spot and they take off running, Amy flying above them.
"Nicolas has deactivated the scanner. I should be able to fix it pretty fast," Jeremy says once Ulrich has told him what happened.
"Jeremy, I wanted to tell you-"
"Later. Head for the scanner and get ready."
Ulrich runs to the ladder and opens the shaft, climbing down to the scanner room.
A Krab fires right at Amy's wings, causing her to fall down, sliding to a stop. She quickly gets up and follows after the others. Yumi looks back at the horde nervously and a stray laser hits her. She flies into the air, leaving her open for more.
"Yumi, no!" Odd calls out in worry as Jeremy presses enter.
Luckily, Yumi lands on her hands. "Yes!" Jeremy cheers as Yumi gets back on her feet, continuing to run as the program has been fixed.
"Yeah!" Odd cheers for her, "We're invincible again!"
"Nice job, Einstein!" Amy smiles, Ulrich jumping down into the scanner room.
"Hold on, I'm sending you Ulrich."
"Jeremy," Aelita comes to a stop.
"Transfer Ulrich," Jeremy ignores Aelita calling his name, too focused on virtualizing Ulrich. Odd backflips past the lasers, landing on a rock. "Scanner Ulrich."
Another Krab fires at Odd, who jumps out of the way, landing on top of the rock. He flips and fires an arrow. "Laser Arrow!" He fires again twice, destroying the Krab in front of him.
"Virtualization!"
Yumi pulls out her fans to deflect the blows, Odd firing more arrows. Amy holds out her hand, fire coming from it. "Heat Wave," She fires it, destroying another Krab in front just as Ulrich arrives. He immediately gets hit by a monster, Yumi narrowly ducking the projectiles. Ulrich pulls out his sword to absorb the lasers, standing in front of Aelita with the others.
"Hi guys. Didn't need me too much, did ya?"
"Just a little, yeah," Yumi admits, using her fans from more lasers. Odd continues firing from his arm, rolling onto the ground. Amy pulls out her spear, spinning it around to deflect a flurry of lasers aimed at her.
"I'm just glad to have some extra help at all," She says as she stops spinning her weapon.
"Yeah, but those guys aren't gonna keep missing us if we stick around," Odd stands up.
Electricity comes from the control panel, causing it to stop.
Ulrich stares at all the Krabs, some of them separating from the group. He notices where they're going, and that was to block their way from the tower.
"Your vehicles are on the way. They could come in handy," Jeremy brings the four vehicles up, pressing enter. They virtualize in front of their owners.
"Okay great. Now all we have to do is cross that line of monsters," Odd looks to the others. "You and Yumi may as well go over the top."
"And what about you two?" Yumi asks, Odd crouching low.
"We'll do what we do best, chef's surprise," He winks at Amy and they jump onto their rides. "Come on, Aelita. We haven't much time."
"Good luck," Amy sings as she and Odd take off, riding underneath all the Krabs. They try to hit them with their blue lasers from underneath their shells.
"He's really lost it this time," Ulrich comments to Yumi. "And now Amy's in on it?"
"No more than you have. Come on, let's go," Yumi smirks, flying her Overwing to the army.
Amy swerves past Krabs, her and Odd coming across another row. Ulrich narrows his eyes as he sees something in front of a Krab, using the plank of wood as a ramp. He yells as he rides over some Krabs, pulling out his sword and stabbing three of them. One by one, they're destroyed. Yumi swerves past lasers being fired at her and she soars higher, throwing her fans. She hits two of them dead on, taking care of them as well.
Odd and Amy continue to dodge the lasers from underneath.
"They're never gonna make it," Jeremy says in worry, as XANA Nicolas could come back at any moment.
Odd looks behind him at the Krabs they dodge, looking up ahead. "Oh no! Another row of those guys."
They all fire in unison, Odd and Amy narrowly dodging them and moving to the right. Ulrich flies over the same row.
"Stop moving around so much. How do you expect me to help you?" Ulrich calls out.
"Cut me some slack, okay?" Odd retorts back. "I'm just trying to avoid getting hit."
"Yeah, same here. You try dodging lasers with this racecar," Amy points up to Ulrich.
XANA Nicolas punches the elevator button, causing it to start up again, heading towards the lab.
The Krabs continue their relentless attack, Odd skating back and forth. Amy revs up her car, moving faster. Ulrich backflips off his Overbike, landing on a monster and stabbing it. He flips away so that he's not affected by the blast.
"Now!"
Odd and Amy move past the open gap, stopping at the tower. "Jeremy, I think we've done it," Ulrich watches Aelita jump off.
"Ulrich, you're the greatest!" Jeremy replies in relief.
"Hey, what about me? Don't Ames and I get any credit?" Odd asks as Jeremy gives an amused smile.
"Hurry, Aelita," Amy urges as she slowly enters the tower.
The elevator opens and XANA Nicolas speeds over like the Flash, jumping up to the ceiling. Jeremy looks around, having heard the whoosh. He then looks up to see XANA Nicolas, who laughs evilly.
Aelita walks onto the pad.
Jeremy gasps sharply. "No!" He tries running away, but XANA Nicolas tackles him to the ground, the boy's glasses falling near him.
Aelita lands at the top just as XANA Nicolas is about to off Jeremy, gripping onto his neck. She presses her hand on the interface.
Jeremy gasps for air as XANA Nicolas grits his teeth.
Code
Lyoko
"Tower deactivated."
Nicolas' eyes turn back to normal and he drops Jeremy, falling unconscious. Jeremy looks down at him, putting his glasses back on.
Nicolas is then taken to the school infirmary, a thermometer in his mouth. Yolanda checks his pulse.
"You say this is how he was when you found him?" Jim rubs his chin.
"Yeah, in the middle of the campus," Jeremy looks away.
"Hm..."
"That's very strange," Yolanda comments, glancing at the teacher. "He must've fainted. Nothing serious in any case."
They walk away from the infirmary, Yumi looking at Ulrich. "I know you did it for me, Ulrich."
"But I should've asked you first," Ulrich replies back in guilt.
"Right," She turns to him and he closes his eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Jeremy places a hand on his shoulder with an understanding smile, nodding.
"So, are you back in the group?" Aelita asks him.
"Mm, looks like it."
"Hey, what are you gonna do with that lotto ticket?" Odd wonders, as Ulrich technically won.
"I thought about it and I decided to give it to an association that builds wells in Africa."
"Really?" Yumi asks, "Oh, that's a great idea."
"It's good for your report, too," Amy comments, Odd groaning.
"I forgot about that!"
Yumi's phone rings and she answers it. "Yes? Yeah mom, I'm listening. Uh huh. Uh huh. Alright. See you tonight." She hangs up, turning to her friends. "My father's found work with Takahashi."
"Takahashi?" Ulrich asks slowly, Jeremy cringing. Odd has his eyes widened, Aelita's mouth is opened in shock, and Amy is biting her fingernails. "You mean in Japan?"
She pauses before she smiles widely. "No, silly, right here!" She ruffles Ulrich's head.
"YES!" The others cheer happily, Ulrich smiling big with a blush on his face in glee. Yumi was gonna stay! Looks like all he really had to was wait...
And he was happy that he actually listened and did nothing this time.