Angel: I am finally writing the season 3 finale, something I thought wouldn't happen for another while because I was busy with other stories XD Lots of specials, a lot of new episodes coming out, and not to mention all the schoolwork and admissions stuff I've had to turn in...at least I've finally gotten back to writing for this. I've been mostly working on three other stories.
Jeremy lifts open the manhole cover as they're exiting the factory after another successful mission on Lyoko. Odd, Aelita, Amy, Ulrich, and Yumi follow after him. "More missions like that on Sector Five, and I'll have all the elements I need for Aelita's antivirus."
Ulrich bends down and helps Yumi up, his hand lingering there for a second. "See you tomorrow, Yumi!" Jeremy calls out.
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," She waves at them. "See you tomorrow," She repeats softly to Ulrich, glancing back at him one last time.
"Yeah, uh, later," He stammers, turning around to see the others staring at him. It's almost as if they wanted to say something. "Well, what?"
"Hello," Odd knocks on his head. "Anyone home?"
"What are you waiting for, anyway?" Jeremy asks him, Amy frowning to herself. In fact, she's been almost silent since they got out of Sector Five.
"You know they're right, Ulrich," Aelita smiles in amusement. "You really oughta go for it."
"Like, now?" He asks nervously, not sure if he can bring himself to do it.
"No, wait till she starts going out with another guy because she's sick of waiting for you to make a move, right?" Odd asks back sarcastically. Ulrich glances at Amy, who nods slowly. He nods back and is about to leave, turning to them.
"And what if Jim notices that I'm missing?"
"We'll cover for ya," Odd tells him, Jeremy and Aelita laughing in agreement. He notices Amy's sullen look and sighs to himself, knowing that his jokes won't cheer her up, not this time. For this was something far more serious...
Yumi makes it back home, hoping that her parents weren't waiting for her. Instead, she sees William leaning against the gate. "William?" She walks up to him. "What are you doing here? You crazy?"
If her father saw her outside with a boy, she'd never hear the end of it. She already knows that she didn't miss class today, so he's not here to drop off notes.
"Yes," He leans in towards her. "I told you I was," He cups her chin, staring at her in the eye. "I go totally crazy when I like a girl."
Ulrich arrives just in time to see William and Yumi. He sees how close they are and grits his teeth. He lost his chance, and now he'll have to deal with the two possibly dating! Of course she'd say no to him, why would she go out with him? William's her age, after all...
He runs in the opposite direction, seething with anger and regret that he didn't get there sooner. William leans in towards Yumi, but she couldn't do this. Not to Ulrich. She pulls away. "Ah, no. Wait, I-" She gets out of from underneath his arm. "Sorry, I-I'm a little bit confused."
"It's Ulrich, isn't it?" He asks knowingly as she opens the gate. She doesn't answer, hanging her head.
"Goodnight," She closes the door behind her and goes inside, leaving a disappointed William.
"So then I told her I was gonna order a t-shirt on the internet," Odd is telling Amy, Aelita, and Jeremy a joke. "And she asked if it was gonna come out of the printer!"
Everyone laughs except Amy, who's staring out the window forlornly. Odd rubs his neck, hoping that she'd at least giggle, but no reaction.
They hear the door open and turn to Ulrich arriving. "Here's our hero."
He narrows his eyes, trying to forget what he saw. "Hey champ, how'd it go?" Odd asks happily, but he just sits on the bed, laying down. Odd glances at the others, knowing fully well that Ulrich is sulking once again.
"Well then, I think I'm gonna go to bed. I'm tired," Aelita walks out first. "Come on, Amy."
"Yeah, me too," Jeremy follows after the girls.
"Well?" Odd asks for an explanation. "What happened, huh?"
He turns his back to his roommate. "Leave me alone."
Odd looks at his dog, wondering what could've happened.
In the mountain sector, there's pulsations as past two rocks, there's an activated tower...
"Some of you are already riding scooters and at this stage, I don't think it would be a waste of your time to go over the rules of the road," Mr. Delmas announces to 8th and 9th grade students the next morning. Ulrich is sitting at the front row, away from his friends as he just wanted to think by himself. Yumi waves at him and he turns away, to her concern. Ulrich's glaring at William.
"This training day will familiarize you with the correct way to drive a vehicle. Assistant Warrant Officer Gehrig here has agreed to take you under his responsibility today as part of the exchange program between the police force and the Board of Education." He's standing in front of a yellow car. "Our physical education teacher, Jim, will assist you as well."
"Corporal Jim Morales, 7th Engineer Battalion, sir, number 92121," Jim salutes to Gehrig.
"At ease. You were in the army?" He says in surprise.
"Uh, I'd rather not talk about it, Captain."
"I'm only a Warrant Officer," Gehrig corrects him, slightly annoyed.
"Oh, excuse me, lieutenant."
"Yes, well," Mr. Delmas interrupts before Jim could anger the officer further. "I'll turn operations over to you, uh, Jim. Can I count on you?"
"Affirmative Mr. Delmas!" Jim shouts loudly, the principal now annoyed himself.
A scanner activates and when it opens, a certain claw emerges from it...
"Driving any vehicle is serious business," Gehrig warns the students. "Caution, concentration, and safety..."
While he's talking, Yumi pulls Ulrich away from his spot. "Hey, Ulrich, what's wrong? Are you sulking or what?"
Instead of answering, he grabs his arm back and she scoffs in disbelief, walking back to Odd. "What is it with him? Last night when we said goodbye, he was in a great mood."
"Yeah, but about after? What happened after he followed you back to your place?" Odd asks as Ulrich sits down.
"He followed me? Oh no...!" Yumi realizes that Ulrich saw what happened.
"Hey, where's Amy?" Aelita wonders as she doesn't see the brunette around. It's mandatory to be outside today, and it's not like Amy to skip anything. "Come to think of it, she hasn't been herself lately."
"You didn't know?" Odd asks solemnly. "Her parents are coming for a visit today."
"Both of them?" Jeremy wonders in surprise.
"Yeah...they're fighting for sole custody over her," The blonde closes his eyes. "Her father thinks that she's too good for Kadic while her mom wants her to stay here. Her mother...moved her here without telling Amy's dad, but he was planning on sending her away to Tokyo to some fancy school anyway."
"Whoa, he tried to do what?" Yumi's eyes widen.
"It's totally unfair!" Odd opens his eyes in frustration. "They can't even make a simple visit without screaming at each other all the time. And they're trying to put Amy in the middle of it all!"
"Are they going to court?" Jeremy asks in concern, knowing fully well that taking this to court would overwhelm Amy.
"Her mom doesn't want to," Odd breaks apart a stick. "I hate the fact that I can't do anything."
"I'm sure it'll all work out," Aelita replies uncertainly, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"For who?" Odd mutters bitterly and they don't say anything else. If her father won, Amy would have to move away and they'd lose a friend. If her mother won, Amy would still have to deal with her father breathing down her neck if he's allowed to see her.
"Now I'm gonna call you one by one to take a drive around the circuit," Gehrig opens the passenger door. "The rest of you can go back to your seats. Delmas, Elizabeth."
Everyone sits down as Sissi stands there. They both get inside. "I prefer Sissi to Elizabeth. What about you, do you have a nickname?" She buckles herself up as she adjusts the mirror. She starts up the car and turns around. Instead of going in reverse, she goes forward, knocking into all the cones and a stop light.
Jeremy laughs at her as she storms past them. "Park it, Sissi!"
"Della Robbia, Odd."
"Yeah," Odd stands up. When it's his turn, he exclaims in excitement, driving at high speed.
"Ishiyama, Yumi."
Yumi struggles to drive, obviously failing.
"Pichon, Herb."
Herb constantly presses on the brake.
"Stones, Aelita."
Aelita looks discouraged as she drives.
William parks the car in front of Yumi, Ulrich getting in. "Let's go." He drives through all the cones without a care, abruptly stopping.
"Hey, you might be better than I am. What a morale booster," Odd smiles a bit.
"Hey will you just shut up?" Ulrich asks bitterly.
"Hey, it's not Odd's fault if you drive like a dork. I'm glad your friend Amy wasn't here to see it."
Ulrich turns around and jumps, knocking him to the ground. While Jim is watching another student, he hears the fight and turns around.
"Stern and Dunbar! Where do you think you are?" He grabs them by the back of their shirts. "Get up! Straight to the principal's office." He escorts them away, Yumi cringing. She knew the real reason why he started it.
"Come on, sweetheart. Show me around," Mrs. Smith smiles softly at Amy, both of them standing at the entrance. A limo suddenly pulls up, Amy's heart leaping in her chest in fear. The door opens from the inside and a tall man who is 5'8 and wearing a blue business suit steps out. He looks dressed to impress with his gelled black hair slicked back and his golden cufflinks. He narrows his eyes at Amy's mother.
"What are you doing here?" Mrs. Smith demands angrily.
"I have rights," Mr. Smith glares at the woman, pointing to a scared Amy. "I'm her father."
"No, you're not! A father raises his child!"
"Don't you dare judge me," He hisses, stepping closer. Mrs. Smith moves Amy to behind her. "You abandoned your child. At least I actually came back for her! She's gonna go far, but not if you're holding her back by trying to let her make decisions!"
"You came back to take her away from me!"
"She's lying to you," Mr. Smith speaks to Amy this time, "Don't listen to your mother."
"Please..." Amy begs as they continue to yell at each other. "Stop...!"
They don't listen as they're only focused on one another and not their daughter. Amy sniffles as they get louder and she starts to feel overwhelmed. She sneaks out of there to go back to her dorm room.
"Your behavior is unspeakable," Principal Delmas scolds once the two boys arrive. "Violence is no way to sort out your differences. Next time I'll suspend you both. Understood?" He huffs, sitting back down. "Jim, take them to the library."
"Yes, general. Uh, I mean, right away, Mr. Delmas."
William and Ulrich smirk at him at how Mr. Delmas is annoyed by the name. He rubs his temple, shaking his head.
Suddenly, Mr. Smith barges in. "Sir, my daughter has run off. Can you please tell us where she is so I can take her back?"
"You're not taking her anywhere!" Mrs. Smith storms inside, balling her fists. "You just can't accept the fact that she's not your little girl anymore!"
As the two shout at each other, Jim cringes. He, William, and Ulrich slowly back away to the door so that they don't get involved.
The bell rings and the rest of them gather in the courtyard, Yumi leaning against a tree. "Don't worry, Aelita. It'll work out. They're not the first guys who ever fought over a girl."
"How about you? Would you fight over me, Jeremy?" Aelita looks to the boy.
"I'd fight for you everyday, Aelita. Against XANA."
"Aww, that's so beautiful," Odd sniffles as Jeremy opens his laptop to hear it beeping.
"Huh? Speak of the devil. I've got an activated tower here."
"Let's head for the factory. The sooner we deactivate it, the better," Yumi suggests, Jeremy nodding.
"What about Ulrich and Amy?" Aelita asks as he closes his laptop.
"We'll manage without him. As for Amy...well, since Ulrich got in trouble with Mr. Delmas, I guess one out of two will do. I just hope she's okay."
"I'll get her and make sure she's alright," Odd offers, running off to the dorms.
A knock is heard at Amy's door and the person opens it to reveal the principal. "Ms. Smith, your parents were worried about you. I've brought them here to make sure you were alright. Though..." He glances back at the yelling parents.
"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't come over!"
"I am the only parent in Amy's life, and you are NEVER getting custody over her!"
"God help us if the judge leaves her with you. All you do is smother her. You care more about making her your heir to your company rather than me or your own flesh and blood!"
"You did this. You're putting these crazy ideas in her head to go to college, when she needs to be graduating high school at her age!"
Odd leans against the doors, closing his eyes. Why couldn't they understand that this isn't what Amy wanted? That they never asked her what she wanted? Her decisions were her own, but they weren't listening to her. Why couldn't they listen? Was that so much to ask?
"Oh, you're just dying for your day to court to say that. Well guess what, you're not getting one! Amelia can make her own decisions and she doesn't need you controlling her life!"
Amy's had enough as she steps out of her room, tears in her eyes. "Stop it! Please! Please just stop fighting," She pleads, getting their attention. At her voice, Mrs. Smith's eyes grow soft, seeing how much this was affecting her. Her father says nothing, so as not to make Amy more upset.
"Okay, baby."
"Thank you, Mr. Delmas, but I think I just need to be alone..."
"Amy..." Mrs. Smith whispers, reaching out a hand.
"Don't," Amy shakes her head. "I'm not in the mood for more yelling and waiting for you to finally listen. That's all you know how to do." And with that, she closes the door, her mother blinking back tears. Mr. Delmas looks at the two as Amy's father is rubbing a temple.
"I'll...show you around while your daughter takes her time," He leads them away, Odd sighing when they leave. He knew she said that she wanted to be alone, but that's not the message he got. Amy only really wanted for someone to listen...to actually care.
He opens the doors and looks at the door in front of him, wondering if he was enough to make her feel better. Taking a chance, he knocks on the door. Amy opens it to see him, blinking back tears.
"Odd..."
He just engulfs her in a hug, rubbing her back as she silently cried...
Mr. Ishiyama arrives home to a frustrated wife and game-focused son. "You're home early, dear," She notices as Hiroki sweats at the level he's trying to beat.
"The meeting with Boram Motosan was moved up," He looks behind her to see what she's doing. "How's your dictionary coming along?"
"Well, my editor called and-"
There's suddenly a thump outside, causing all of them to go silent. Hiroki glances at his mother and father. Mrs. Ishiyama stands up to go investigate.
"Who could that be?"
When she opens it, she sees a Krab, screaming in horror.
Odd, Yumi, Aelita, and Jeremy run across the bridge. Amy got roped into giving her parents a tour, so she couldn't come. Odd hoped that she would get through her fighting parents for the rest of the day.
When they arrive, Odd stops them. "There, look out!"
A Krab fires at them and they duck, peeking over. "Well, now we know what XANA has in store for us."
Yumi's phone rings and she answers it. "Hello, Hiroki?"
"Yumi there's a big monster outside the house!" He shouts quickly.
"What?!" She exclaims.
"No, I swear. And the monster looks like the one in Ultimate Blaster! Daddy's outside," He whimpers in fear as he sees the Krab's leg outside the window. He's hiding underneath the kitchen table.
"I'm coming," She hangs up as they're lying on the floor. "XANA has virtualized another Krab. It's at my house. My parents are in danger."
"Go help them," Aelita tells her. "Odd and I will manage on Lyoko."
"Take care of yourselves," Odd replies.
"You too," She stands up and runs off.
"We're gonna need some back-up," Jeremy calls Ulrich first.
In the library, Ulrich's phone rings, but he's stuck reading. "Uh, that might be important," He points to his phone.
Jim tries to hang up, gritting his teeth. "Ah, there we go."
"But-"
"What, you think I confiscated your telephone so I could use it? Ha ha ha ha!"
"I got his voicemail," Jeremy frowns at his phone. "What bad luck. I hope Amy isn't still with her parents." He dials her next.
As Amy's showing her parents the gym, her phone rings. She picks it out of her pocket, but it's snatched by her father. "In this family, you answer your phone when I allow it! You're not abandoning me to go hang out with your friends!"
"But Dad-"
"Let her speak to them, Robert. She's allowed to have friends," Mrs. Smith narrows her eyes, hands on her hips. "You just don't want her to have a life."
"No, I'm doing what's best for the next CEO! Phones are only distractions, unless it's for business," He shoves it in his pocket. "You're my daughter under my rule. And if you try to snatch it, I'll pull you out of this school."
Amy frowns sadly at how selfish he's being as he starts another argument.
"Same thing," Jeremy sighs slowly.
"Her jerk dad probably snatched it," Odd grits his teeth.
"We'll have to do without them," Jeremy says, tapping his finger against the ground. "Right, I've got a plan." He starts drawing a diagram with his fingers. "Okay, this is the gallery which I'm going to call G. This is where we are, this is the elevator landing which I'm going to call E. We've got to get to point E without being spotted by the Krab K. You get it?" He pushes up his glasses.
"No, but I've got another plan," Odd suggests.
"What is it?"
"BONZAI!" He jumps past Jeremy, messing up the blonde's hair.
"Odd!" Jeremy yells as Odd lands in front of the Krab. He jumps underneath the monster as it fires a laser.
"What are you waiting for, an invitation?" Odd teases as the Krab turns around. He backs away, getting the Krab to move away from his friends. "Get into the elevator. I'm coming."
He runs away from the elevator, Aelita and Jeremy jumping to the first floor. While the Krab focuses on Odd, Jeremy and Aelita reach the tower.
"Hurry up!" Odd comes and rolls inside just before the door closes. They reach the lab safely and Jeremy turns to the two. "Get to the scanner room. I'll start up the virtualization process."
As Yumi is running down the sidewalk, she can hear the police sirens.
Jeremy spins around in his chair as Odd and Aelita descend into the scanner room.
"You can't come through here, there's a dangerous animal on the loose," A police officer tells Yumi as she's around the corner from her house.
"But I live right there!" She points down the street. "I have to get to my parents!"
"Sorry miss, we have our orders."
She sighs nervously, hoping that the Krab hasn't hurt her family...
"You okay?" Jeremy asks, Odd rubbing his neck as he stares at something. "Are you there, Odd?"
"Uh, yeah," Odd and Aelita are looking at two destroyed scanners. "But we've got a little problem here. Our friend Mr. Krab has busted all the scanners."
"Not all of them," Aelita inspects the last one. "This one still works."
Jeremy starts up the process for Aelita. "Okay, I'm gonna virtualize Aelita first. The activated tower is in the mountain sector. 35 degrees north. Scanner Aelita. Transfer Aelita. Virtualization," He presses the key and Aelita lands safely in the sector. "I programmed the Overboard." The skateboard appears in front of Aelita.
Jeremy starts up the process for Odd. "Your turn, Odd."
"Okay," He says as the last one starts up, virtualizing another Krab. "Uh oh. Jeremy, we've got another problem."
"What kind?"
"Well, it's a big banquet. XANA has sent us an entire seafood platter."
As Amy and her parents are walking into the courtyard, a Krab walks up to them. "What is that?!" Mr. Smith demands and it prepares to fire.
"Move!" Amy pushes them out of the way as the laser flies past them. She looks back at the Krab. "XANA, you are dirty."
The lasers from the Krab can be heard from the library as it starts attacking other students. "What's all that ruckus?" Jim looks out the window as the students run off in fear. He turns to the two boys. "You two stay put if you know what's good for ya." He leaves the building, Ulrich and William glancing outside. The Krab chases after Amy and her parents.
"What is that thing?" William asks in shock.
"Krab," Ulrich simply answers, William turning to him.
There's a noise and Jeremy covers his ears at the loud static. "What was that?"
"The very last scanner getting destroyed by a Krab," Odd comes out from the ladder, walking up to Jeremy.
"Aelita is on her own now."
"Okay then. There's no time to lose," Aelita jumps onto the Overboard. She skates down the path just as Jeremy gets a call from Amy.
"Amy, everything okay?"
"A Krab is chasing me and my parents at the school," Amy reports, Jeremy gasping in shock. "You wanna tell me how I'm not dreaming?"
"XANA sent them from the scanners, which aren't operational anymore. There's three, one at Yumi's and Odd is upstairs with the other one. Aelita is all alone on Lyoko. Hang in there."
"Tell that to my parents!" She retorts, hanging up.
"You've got to believe me," Yumi pleads with the officer, "I'm the one that the creature is after!"
"I already told you, miss, orders are orders."
She clenches a fist, her anger boiling at how he's preventing her from getting through. "Calling all cars, the animal has just been spotted in the vicinity of Kadic Academy. I repeat, the vicinity of Kadic Academy."
"Let's go," The car leaves, Yumi staring in confusion. All she had to do was wait a few more seconds. She takes off towards her house.
Aelita skates down the path, wobbling a bit. The Overboard was kind of hard to control, but she's getting the hang of it.
"The activated tower is 15 degrees more to the west. Be very careful!"
Aelita swerves to the left, hanging onto the board from behind like Odd would. She smiles at her move, quickly flying down the path. "Don't worry, Jeremy. I learn fast."
"You better."
Then Ulrich calls. "Jeremy?"
"Ah, Ulrich. Not a moment too soon."
"What's going on?"
"XANA has materialized three Krabs. One of them is at Yumi's and Odd's playing upstairs with the second so it won't do anymore damage outside. You gotta help Amy out, she's being chased by one at the school," Jeremy says the last sentence in concern.
"Amy and I will deal with it...with William," Ulrich glances at the boy, looking outside as Amy trips, falling in front of the Krab.
"Amy!" Mrs. Smith calls out.
"Geronimo!" Jim tries to punch it, but a Krab hits him in the arm.
"Jim!"
Amy turns around to see Ulrich and William running towards her. "Who are they?" Mr. Smith demands to his daughter.
"Dad, not now!" Amy says sharply and he stays quiet. The Krab looks at the two boys, who run underneath it. It turns around and gets confused as it doesn't see them, turning its attention back on Amy.
"Looking for me?" William waves his arms. "Come on, over here!" The Krab fires, chasing after William next.
"Are you friends with them?" Mr. Smith whips around to Amy.
"She can be friends with whoever she wants," Mrs. Smith rolls her eyes.
"If they're bad influences on my daughter, I have a right to know!"
"So that you can-"
"Mom, Dad!" Amy screams, having had enough. They turn to her, staying silent at her outburst. "The whole time, you've been screaming at each other instead of getting along for the sake of your daughter. This visit isn't about you or whatever fight you have. Don't put me in the middle of something that you can't resolve yourselves, and interrogating me about my life isn't going to get us anywhere. What matters is that you two tough it out when I'm around! Now, all I can tell you is that you need to trust me and go hide where it won't find you, because you need to be safe!" She points to the path of the garden shed.
Mr. Smith stares down at her in surprise, Mrs. Smith hugging Amy. "Okay, baby."
"And what are you gonna do?" Mr. Smith asks, actually sounding serious for once instead of childish. She takes her phone back from his hand.
"Someone has to help them, of course."
"But-"
Amy glares at her dad and he nods slowly for her to go. She runs off into the forest.
Yumi finally reaches her house. "Anybody home? Daddy? Mom?" There's silence as she looks around. "Hiroki?"
Amy and her parents follow William to the garden shed, the brunette pushing her parents inside and slamming the door.
"Ulrich, we're at the groundskeeper's shed! Ulrich?!" William calls out. Ulrich holds a pipe, yelling as he jumps down from a tree. He lands on the Krab, William and Amy ducking from a shot. Ulrich stabs the Krab through the eye and it shuts down.
Amy claps as he has a serious look on his face like he would on Lyoko.
Aelita continues skating down the path as she goes left and right. With her creativity, she creates a ramp, smiling. She skates forward and skates into the air, spinning around the board. She then falls onto the top edge of the ramp, skating down it as sparks fly from the board. She spins back onto the path, beaming at her moves.
Odd is crawling down the elevator shaft when a thump causes him to almost fall. The Krab pierces a wall and Odd continues climbing up.
"You're lucky, I wasn't gonna save you," Ulrich replies to William, who grits his teeth.
"Hey, what are you, crazy? What's the matter with you?" William demands, Amy clenching her fists in annoyance once she's let her parents out.
"Stay away from our group, you got that!" Ulrich points at him.
"Listen, man, you're the one who doesn't get it. In the race for Yumi, I'm not in first place," William explains, "Or didn't you know?"
"You know what? I am not breaking up another argument today if you're gonna be like this!" Amy tells them and, seeing her frustrated face, they stay silent. "Oh no, you can explain," She crosses her arms at William, pointing to Ulrich. "Without you getting in his face."
Ulrich looks at her in surprise at her assertive tone. Usually, she was positive and happy go lucky like Odd, but it seems that her parents caused a 180 on her.
Yumi stops at the top of the stairs. Suddenly, a samurai pops out of nowhere, holding a sword. She yells as he raises the sword above her.
"Daddy?" She recognizes him as he takes off the helmet, both of them smiling in amusement.
The Krab crawls up the elevator, Odd crossing his arms as he leans against a pole. "These Krabs are just as bad as on Lyoko."
"Aelita! Behind you!" Jeremy warns, "Squadron of four Hornets coming in!"
Aelita gasps sharply as she sees the army of Hornets behind her. She dodges the lasers as best as she can, swerving left and right again. They continue to attack as she sharply reverses from a laser in front of her. They fire at her again, no pause in their lasers as she spins around the board.
"They'll do everything they can to slow you down."
"That's for sure," Aelita glances back nervously at the Hornets. "They'll wanna give the Krabs time to take care of Yumi and the others."
"Ulrich," Jeremy dials him.
"Jeremy, we took out one of the Krabs."
"Finally some good news. Aelita's doing everything she can to get to the tower and deactivate it but nothing had better happen to Yumi and Odd in the meantime."
"Amy and I will take care of it," Ulrich hangs up, about to walk off with Amy.
"We'll take care of it," William interrupts.
Ulrich smiles to himself.
The Hornets chase after Aelita, firing at the ground. She speeds up the Overboard to go faster and they dive, firing again. She circles around a boulder, looking behind her to see one Hornet following. She giggles and speeds up, hitting the Hornet and disorientating it. It fires uncontrollably, hitting one of his pals. Aelita continues on as the Hornet gains control, flying after her. The third Hornet follows after them, the second one firing narrowly at Aelita's head.
She looks up to see a boulder and flies upwards, a Hornet destroying itself by bumping into the rock. The third one follows as more Hornets arrive. They separate to ambush her and she sees the ones in front. She sees something and looks back at the Hornet trailing her. She moves out of the way so that the two Hornets crash into each other, getting rid of each other. Aelita smiles at her trick, skating up again as the now five Hornets follow.
She spins around and grips the front of the board. She speeds past the Hornets.
"Well done, Aelita. Odd would be proud of you."
The Hornets follow her past the clouds and she flies back down onto the path Jeremy told her to take. She looks back at the monsters and continues going.
"They're catching up with you!"
Aelita then notices a gap coming up. "I've got an idea."
"It isn't dangerous, is it?"
"Uh, no. Odd showed it to me," She answers a bit nervously, but it does nothing to calm him.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" He asks skeptically.
The Hornets attack again and she swerves a bit, quickly boosting into the air. She grips the front of the Overboard again, laying down on it as she swoops down and flies down the hole. Two Hornets hit the edge, destroying them. She continues flying underneath the path.
Yumi walks outside her house, inspecting the area. "Let's go." A laser suddenly hits her leg and she hits the ground.
"Yumi!" Mrs. Ishiyama calls out in concern. The Krab reveals itself as she has a bruise mark on her leg. Mr. Ishiyama yells, standing in front of her. He tries slicing the leg but misses, the Krab knocking him near Yumi. He drops the sword.
Odd lands in the machinery room, looking behind to see the Krab still tailing him. When it enters, Odd is not there.
Aelita glances behind her to see the Hornets relentlessly following her. "You're about to arrive at a hollow mountain."
"Jeremy, could you dematerialize the Overboard when I give you the signal?" She asks suddenly.
"Yeah sure, but why?" He asks in confusion.
The Krab prepares to fire at Yumi, Mrs. Ishiyama gasping in horror. "Oh no!" It fires, but is stopped by Mr. Ishiyama's sword, but it's not him who's holding it. Yumi looks up.
"Ulrich."
"Make my day, shrimp," Ulrich says and when it fires again, Hiroki and Mrs. Ishiyama watch in shock as Ulrich backflips, dodging the lasers.
"Wow!" Hiroki says in awe, "Too cool!"
Mrs. Ishiyama looks down at him in disapproval.
The Krab down in the factory doesn't see Odd until he reveals himself out of nowhere, running down the conveyor belt.
Aelita sees the tunnel up ahead, the tower just past it. The Hornets follow her inside, one of them circling around and flying into the entrance. Aelita dodges as best as she can, spinning around in the tunnel. She skates down a narrow entrance and skates upside down, one of the Hornets bumping into a rock and destroying itself. One of them scrapes its wings against the rock, flying out of control and eventually landing on the ground, wiggling.
The last one follows after Aelita, the other one haven gotten up. Aelita reaches the middle of the tunnel, waiting for them. She glances at the two entrances and listens for the flapping.
"Now!"
Jeremy devirtualizes the Overboard, allowing Aelita to fall just in time for the two Hornets to bump into each other, destroying each other. She lands on the rock, winking.
"Thanks, Jeremy."
"Nice job. I'm sending you the Overwing." He materializes it and it appears in front of her. She jumps onto it and flies out the right tunnel.
The Krab continues pursuing Odd as they're back on the main floor. William and Amy drive using the car from practice. Amy opens the door and Odd jumps in, Amy squeezing in between them.
"Ames, you're okay!" Odd immediately hugs her in relief, glad that she has no visible injuries. William turns around, driving down the factory as the Krab fires. William skids to a stop as there's a hole through the glass.
"What do we do now?"
"Well, I've got a slightly crazy idea," Odd tells them.
"Oh no," Amy facepalms at him, knowing that it'll be risky.
"The activated tower's not much further. Dead north," Aelita flies out of the tunnel towards the tower. Jeremy's eyes widen as he sees something on the screen. "Aelita!"
A Tarantula comes out of the space while the Scyphozoa reveals itself out of nowhere. She gasps at it; she should've known XANA would pull out all the stops. As the Tarantula prepares to fire, she continues forward, that is until the monster gets rid of the Overwing. She rolls roughly to a stop, slowly getting to her feet. She walks into the tunnel, the monster following after her. There was no way she was going to get rid of this one that easily.
The Krab slides to a stop in front of the vehicle, Odd tying a rope to one of its legs. Odd runs, a Krab hitting his pant leg. He lands near Amy. "William, go!"
"Odd!" Amy looks over his leg.
"Don't worry, Ames. Just a scratch."
"Well...if you say so..."
"I know so!" He beams at her.
William floors it, dragging the Krab across the factory as the rope is tied to the passenger seat. He turns towards the elevator shaft.
"Now," Odd and Amy urge, William quickly jumping out the driver's seat. The car falls down the shaft, taking the Krab with it. It tries to hold onto one of the bars, but it falls anyway. Odd and Amy walk up as they hear the crash.
"Good job, man," Odd pats William's arm.
"Thanks for the help," Amy huffs slightly, William rubbing his neck nervously. She was still a little peeved by his fighting with Ulrich. She hugs Odd and he hugs her back gently. "You okay, Odd?"
"Y-Yeah," He tries to hide his blush as he can smell her hair. "I'm fine."
William smirks at them knowingly.
Ulrich deflects the Krab's lasers with the sword, Hiroki staring in awe. "Wow. How many times have I told you this is the guy you should go out with?" He points to Ulrich, Yumi gasping at him as she holds her leg. Ulrich deflects another laser but gets hit in the leg. The Krab tries pining him, but Ulrich slices off a leg. "Ulrich, you're the greatest!" Hiroki starts running over.
"Hiroki!" Mrs. Ishiyama shouts at him.
"Hiroki, no!" Ulrich yells as Hiroki approaches, the Krab preparing to fire at him. Ulrich jumps in the way, taking a shot for the little boy.
"Ulrich!" Yumi says in concern, cringing.
Aelita runs through the tunnel, the Scyphozoa and Tarantula following her inside.
"Aelita, get out of there!" Jeremy exclaims in panic. If they steal her memory, she wouldn't be able to deactivate the tower and save their friends.
They corner her and his eyes widen...
The Scyphozoa reaches out to her...
"Aelita!" He shouts in panic.
When the Scyphozoa tries to steal her memory, Aelita suddenly disappears into thin air. Jeremy lifts his glasses in surprise before realizing what happened. "A decoy!"
The real Aelita runs up to the tower. The Tarantula follows after her and fires, but is too late as she passes through.
"I hope it's not too late," Jeremy murmurs in worry.
Ulrich tries to reach for the sword, but the Krab stabs through his shirt, trapping him. He tries to pull the leg off, but it's no use.
Aelita floats up to the top.
Ulrich struggles as the Krab prepares to finish him off.
Aelita lands on the top pad, walking up to the interface.
Ulrich grits his teeth, the Krab's leg raised.
Aelita presses her hand to it.
Aelita
Code
Yumi shouts as she tries to reach Ulrich, but her hurt leg prevents her from doing so.
Lyoko
The leg stops in front of Ulrich's sweating face as the Krab shuts down. Yumi sighs in relief. "Oh, they did it!"
"You were great, William," Odd turns to the older boy. "But you won't remember any of it."
"Hmm?" William turns to the two. "Hey..."
"Tower deactivated."
The return in time is set. "Return to the past, now!"
Everything gets engulfed in white and they start another driving practice day. Ulrich doesn't do as bad as last time, William walking up to him.
"Hey, you really do know what you're doing, Ulrich."
"Thanks," Ulrich replies nicely.
"You wanna come with me to my go kart club? We'd have a great time together."
"Sure." Yumi raises an eyebrow at how they're not fighting. "Why not?" They shake hands, Aelita and Jeremy glancing in confusion at Yumi, wondering what could've changed between them...
Amy waits by the entrance of the school for her parents, but this time, she has her friends with her in case her parents started fighting.
"So which company does your father run again?" Aelita asks curiously.
"SafeTech. Their chips are in every computer, like, ever," Amy explains, Ulrich's eyes popping out of his head.
"So wait...your family is rich?"
"I don't really like to call myself that," Amy rubs her neck. "Money is nice to have, but it can't buy the things a 13 year old needs..."
"And what about your mom?" Odd asks as he leans against the brick. "What does she do?"
"She runs a grocery store near here. It was before she met my dad at a business meeting to put his chips into the office computers." Amy shrugs nonchalantly.
"Here it comes," Jeremy points to a limo. Instead of just her mother coming out, both parents step out, confusing Amy.
"Huh? You're not...gonna argue with each other?" She asks skeptically, raising a brow. Mr. Smith crosses his arms.
"I had the feeling that the future CEO of SafeTech wouldn't want a stressful day, so...for just this one, I will cooperate."
Amy smiles softly, Mrs. Smith turning to him. "Yes, your father and I agreed that this should be a peaceful visit to check up on you," She hugs Amy and the others smile at how nice they're being.
"Oh, Mom, Dad, these are my friends," Amy gestures to the group. "I met them on my first day here. Odd, Aelita, Yumi, Ulrich, and Jeremy, meet my parents."
Mr. Smith stiffens at the first name. He's heard it before...Ah! He was the one who called when Amelia was at the commonly hospital. I don't approve of him and his attitude, but for the sake of my heir, I'll look past it...
"It's so nice to meet you all," Mrs. Smith smiles, shaking their hands.
"You too, ma'am. Amy's a really good friend," Jeremy smiles back. There was just something about the woman that they all liked. Her father...not so much.
"Yes, well...shall we begin?" Mr. Smith walks past them.
"Sorry about him. He doesn't trust people unless it benefits him," Amy rolls her eyes.
"Your parents seem nice. Well, one of them," Odd says to Amy once they're in her room.
"Yeah..." Amy rubs her neck. "My father really wants me to be CEO...that's why he puts me on this stupid imaginary pedestal all the time."
Odd notices her sad expression when she says that. "...Is that what you want?"
"Of course not, but how can I tell him that I don't want it? It'll make him angry, and you know how he gets."
Odd glances at her notebook and picks it up, looking at her drawings. He remembers how happy she looks to show them off, and how good she is. Then again, she also likes dancing and film like him...
"Why don't you be an artist?"
"Huh?" She asks in confusion, Kiki jumping into her arms. "You...want me to rebel against him?"
"I'm not asking you to," He closes the book. "But this is your decision. Wouldn't you rather do something you love than be miserable? What if you do be CEO and you hate it? You'd regret not considering another path. You don't have to do what he wants for you, Amy. Be your own person."
She glances at Aelita, who nods in agreement. She got the sense that Mr. Smith was very persistent in choosing Amy's own dreams, and that wasn't right.
Amy looks like she realizes it too, nodding. "You're right. I should pursue my own interests instead of having them chosen for me."
"So...?" Odd and Aelita ask in excitement and she smiles at them.
"I'm gonna be an artist! Or a dancer, I don't know. There's so much to choose from..."
"Well, whatever you want, we'll support you," Aelita smiles, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah! You'll have lots of time," Odd says, Amy smiling down at the sketchbook.