Author's Note: I've been telling everyone, so I'd might as well tell all my faithful readers and reviewers (although some of you have already read this...if you have, please continue on and skip this part). I haven't been able to update in so long because a demon called school has reared its ugly head and before I could fully slay it (and I was just about to throw the killing blow), I was swept up in its jaws and thrown into its belly, where I am doomed to spend another time-comsuming year doing classwork and homework and the like. My only savior is summer, which seems so far away. But anyway, the point of that short little story was that that will be the reason why I can't update in a blink of an eye. I'm sorry and I truly wish I could, but I can't. But on with the comments.
Thank you so much, dreamcaster555, for reviewing so much! You really are a joy to this website!!! And I did read your fabulous story (read review for all my comments). Mornstar and Beverly, Vulcan Princess, all your questions make my head spin so I won't answer them (email me if you really want to ask me a bunch of questions okay?). But by all means, ask questions. I encourage it. And thank you to Kay, Warrior Pixie, aligrl34, CodeLyoko, and spiecas for your various questions, comments, suggestions, and reviews. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!! YOU ROCK!!!
Okay, this is a long chappie so brace yourselves! Here we go!


"Aren't you supposed to be at the factory with Odd and Jeremy already?"

"I wanted to wait for you. Besides, that's what friends are for right?" Ulrich winked at me as he kept pace beside me.

I looked straight ahead. "Friends...right..."

We reached the manhole. I climbed down as Ulrich kept watch. I grabbed my skateboard and gave myself a running start. Soon I was zipping my way through the sewers, scaring a few rats in the process. Then I reached the next manhole and climbed out into the light. I waited for Ulrich to come up and together we started across the bridge. Like an expert, he jumped out and grabbed a rope. I came up right behind him and gracefully slid down the rope. He eyed me when I dropped to a crouch on the floor. "How come your so graceful now?"

I remembered the bungee belt I used with WOOHP. "Uh...practice."

Down the elevator we went.

"About time," Jeremy said as the elevator door slid open to reveal the super computer. "It's insane in Lyoko. It looks like I can't materialize Aelita just yet, or else we won't have any warning if this happens again."

I gathered around with the rest of the boys to watch the screen of the super computer. It contained a 3-D view of all the regions. I gaped as I stared at it more closely.

"There are pulsations everywhere!" I realized finally.

Aelita appeared in her own little screen and nodded. "And they are equally strong in every region so I don't know the source."

I bit my lip as I watch the pulsations on the screen. Jeremy looked equally worried. "This has never happened before, but I'm sending Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd to investigate. You will each go to a region, except one of you will go with Aelita to protect her. Otherwise, you'll be alone in your assigned region."

I nodded but was surprised when Ulrich spoke up. "What about Yumi? Shouldn't we pair up instead of splitting up? Isn't it safer that way?"

I glanced at Ulrich icily. "What? You think I can't protect myself or something?" Ulrich glanced at me uneasily.

Jeremy shook his head. "You each have to go to a different region. But I'm not risking Aelita. We are too close to being able to materialize her and I'm not letting all that hard work go to waste. One of you will have to cover two regions."

"Right," I said immediately and ran with Odd to the elevator with Ulrich trailing behind.

The elevator trip down was silent, but I felt a barrier form between Ulrich and me. What was he playing at? I could fight just as well as he could. I could take care of myself, thank you very much.

But when we were about to step into our scanners, he pulled on my hand. I glanced back at him. "Yumi...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that you were weak. Heck you could probably beat me...but..." he trailed off. I smiled, which seemed to encourage him to go on. "I just don't want you hurt."

"Okay. I don't want you hurt either." I hugged him and pulled back. "That's what friends are for, to protect each other right?"

He nodded, but leaned closer to me instead of pulling back. "Yes, but that's true for people who are more than friends too." Then he put his arms around my waist and kissed me hard.

"Okay, team, pick your region." Jeremy's voice sounded over the speaker. Ulrich and I broke away, bashfully remembering what we were supposed to be doing.

"Yeah, love birds, pick your region," Odd sneered. "You can make out later." Ulrich hugged me one last time and then went over to stand in front of his scanner, but not without giving Odd a good punch in the arm first.

"Yumi, you pick first, since you'll be going it alone."

I nodded and smiled. "Polar."

Odd swore behind me and I glanced back at him. "You stole mine. I love sliding around in those ice tunnels."

"Well it just so happens, Odd, that I do too."

"Ulrich you next. You'll be going it alone as well."

"Desert."

I glanced at him sharply. "Don't you mean forest?"

He looked back at me smugly. "No, why?"

"Because the desert is the most dangerous region and it's so open and there's crabs and..."

Ulrich shook his head and it shushed me. "I'm a warrior too, remember?"

"Odd, you'll be going to the forest. Aelita will be waiting."

The doors to our scanners opened and I stepped in and turned around. The doors slid closed.

"Transfer Yumi...transfer Ulrich...transfer Odd...scanner Yumi...scanner Ulrich...scanner Odd...virtualization."


I gazed at my bleak white surroundings, still keeping in my crouch. I had landed on a snow-covered pathway that had big ice pieces breaking off of it on both sides. I stood up straight and watched the slow moving virtual water.

"All right gang?"

"Fine and dandy." That was definitely Odd.

"Good to go. What about you Yumi?" I smiled. That had to be Ulrich. I could recognize his voice anywhere, even if I couldn't see him.

"I'm great," I assured them. "Now lets start searching."

I picked to go to my left and started running down the long pathway. My footsteps made a crunching sound on the snow as I followed the pulsations. It seemed to get stronger in the direction I was going so I followed it the best I could. I was already breathing hard by the time the pathway opened out onto a snowy plain. I glanced down at the pulsations briefly to know where to run and started again.

"I'm afraid the welcome committee has come for you, Yumi," Jeremy said urgently. "Three hornets are coming to say hello. They are coming from your right."

I nodded and snapped out my newly mended fan. "Thanks Jeremy. I'll be sure to say hi to them for you." I kept running but kept my eyes and ears alert. Soon enough, three hornets had buzzed around a mountainous white peak and were coming towards me, their ends starting to glow.

"Be careful, Yumi," Ulrich said as I skipped away from the first few shots.

"Don't worry," I panted. "You're the one that's trying to play hero."

"Yumi's right, Ulrich, its your time to shine. Two crabs are dropping by."

"Thanks Jeremy," Ulrich stated.

I skipped away from a second set of shots and as soon as they finished I turned around and gave them a bit of their own medicine. "Up, up!" I shouted and my fan whipped up at an angle to hit one hornet squarely in its Xana symbol. It exploded as I caught my fan again.

Suddenly I tripped and was sent tumbling down a snow bank. My screams were muffled as snow got in my mouth. I was tumbling head over heels until I finally landed with an, "Oof!" on the flat snow plain again. I shook my head clear of all the snow and saw the hornets circle back around and dip down to attack me again. I flicked my fan at them again, but this time the hornets dodged. I started running away from them, looking over my shoulder every once and a while for my fan. It came back, a whirring blade of death and sliced an unknowing hornet from the back. It exploded as I caught my fan.

But the last hornet had already reared up to attack and got two shots at me in the stomach before it circled around to try to hit me again. I stumbled and caught myself before I fell over.

"Careful Yumi. That was ten life points altogether that you lost."

I threw my fan up at the last monster. "That's plenty left, Jeremy. Thanks for the update." The hornet exploded.

I caught my fan with a little bow. Then I straightened and found the pulsation track again. I started running after it again. It led me across the snow plain to my right and I soon found myself running up a slant that brought me to a flat top of a mountain. I could see the pathway I had started off on all the way up here.

The ground rumbled beneath me. The pulsations were strongest here. I looked ahead and gasped to see a human boy.

"Why hello again."

I didn't reply to the greeting that obviously was meant to be friendly. I just gaped as the black haired boy I had seen in Lyoko last time smiled at me. I couldn't help thinking that he looked nice when he smiled. Then I reprimanded myself mentally. What am I thinking?

"Since we are seeing each other so much, might as well tell you my name." He gave me a little bow. "My name is Xavier. And you are Yumi, correct?"

I ignored the question. "Haven't I seen you somewhere?" I queried instead.

He frowned. "Yes. I fought you last time you were in Lyoko."

I nodded. "Yes, yes, I know. But did I see you anytime on earth? In real life?"

Xavier looked thoughtful. "Not that I can remember." Then he gazed at me. "Oh well." He swished out his sword from his scabbard. "Ready for our rematch?"

I took an involuntary step back. "Rematch? What rematch?"

"The rematch in which I will win and show you that I am the best after all." He smiled again, this time with a more evil quality. I took another step back. Suddenly the ground gave way beneath me in a shower of snow. For one horrifying second, I thought Jerry had found a way to WOOHP me from Lyoko as well, but then I was sent zooming at high speeds into an ice tunnel and I knew I had just stumbled on one of the surprises Lyoko always had to offer.

I sped along, able to regain my footing once again. I slid as if I was on ice skates and looked over my shoulder once to see if Xavier was following me. I couldn't see him through the many bends, twists, and turns, but I had a feeling that he wouldn't give up on his long awaited rematch that easily.

I focused ahead again and actually felt like I was having fun. I whooped out loud and spread out my arms to keep my balance as I flew through the ice tunnel. Suddenly, light from the outside world blinded me. In an instant, I had flown out of the end of the ice tunnel. I flew up in the air for a bit, and then I started falling down at an alarming rate. I screamed as I saw water underneath me. Then I closed my eyes and plunged into the icy liquid.

After a while, I realized I hadn't been de-virtualized yet. I quickly kicked myself up to the surface and took a gasping breath of air. Then I swam myself over to one of the ice plates that break off from the main pathway and crawled onto it. A moment later, I saw another speeding object hit the water, sending a huge splash into the air. The wave hit me so that I almost fell off of the ice plate I was clutching, my body shivering from the freezing virtual water. It felt quite real.

Suddenly, Xavier burst out of the water onto the ice plate next to mine. I gave a squeal and started leaping from ice plate to ice plate, trying to run away. Xavier, however, gave chase. Soon I realized that I was going to have to fight him, so I leapt across to land on the main pathway. I turned to face him, some water droplets falling to the snowy ground below me. Xavier followed me and pointed his sword at me. Without another word, he charged.

I sidestepped easily, snapping out my own fan in the process. He turned like a whirlwind and struck out at me again. I blocked with my metal fan, making clinking noises (Jeremy must have made my fan stronger). Finally I saw my opening when he lunged at me. I rushed at him too, much to his surprise, and jumped up by placing my feet on his outstretched arm. Then I placed my hands on his shoulders and flipped over him. While coming back around, I threw my fan straight into his back. He stumbled forward and I landed in a crouch behind him. He whirled on his heels again, his eyes flaring in anger.

"You'll need more to kill me," he whispered.

"I have more," I said resolutely.

He narrowed his eyes hatefully. His sword glinted evilly. I narrowed my own eyes. I want to cut it in half...

Finally he leapt forward and stabbed at me. I spun around so that I was sitting on the pathway, my legs bent; his sword narrowly missed cutting the ends of my hair. Then I threw my fan directly upward with all the force I could muster. His sword snapped from the impact and my fan went flying wildly into the air. As the broken sword blade fell to the ground, I swiveled back up and used my momentum to give him a roundhouse kick. It hit him in the stomach and sent him flying back. I recovered my fan in a sweeping catch. Then as he slowly picked himself back up and I jumped up into the air.

"And now for the grand finale!" I yelled and pitched my fan forward. It hit him in the chest and while flying back, he de-virtualized. All pulsations in my region stopped when he disappeared.

"Yeah! Great job Yumi! Now head for the nearest tower. You are proceeding to the mountains," Jeremy's happy voice informed me. I nodded.

"I'm on my way."