"The Forest's Anger"
"How's that antidote goin', Jeremy?" Odd asked at the beginning of class.
"I'm still working on it," Jeremy told him quietly.
"Any sign of Xana yet, Jeremy?" Ulrich asked.
"He has been quiet lately," Odd said.
"Odd, Ulrich!" the teacher yelled. "Pay attention!"
"Yes, ma'am!" they said together and both blushed. The class giggled.
"Nothing?" Yumi asked as they came up to her at lunch. They shook their heads. "It's weird; he hasn't been bothering us for awhile."
"I'm going to gym," Odd said. "Jim'll be furious if I miss another class. Coming?"
"Sure," Ulrich said. "Bye Yumi." Ulrich and Odd turned around and headed toward the field.
"Bye!" Yumi called after him. Ulrich and Yumi both blushed.
Meanwhile, Aelita was in the tower in the forest region. She was going through her programs. Then, the ground shook and Aelita fell back. "Jeremy!" she called. Jeremy's room was empty.
Jeremy, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi's cell phones all rang at the same time. Xana's eye was on the screen. "What was that?" Jim asked. "You know the rules; no mobiles are allowed to be active during class! Now hand them over!" Jeremy, Odd, and Ulrich looked at each other, showing that they were all thinking the same thing. Xana. They handed over their phones with protest. Yumi also got in trouble during her class. Sissy was giggling in the corner as Yumi handed over her phone.
"Aelita?" Jeremy asked as he entered the room and walked over to his computer. Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi were gathering around Jeremy's computer.
"Jeremy!" Aelita gasped. "Xana's awaken!"
"We know," Jeremy told her. "We saw it on our mobiles. I'm going to the factory," Jeremy told them. I'm not sure what Xana's up to, but Yumi will stay here just in case."
"Right!" Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi said together. "Keep in touch," Yumi said, smiling, as they left.
"What is he attacking?" Ulrich asked as they ran to the forest.
"Can he be trying the radio signal again?" Odd asked.
Before they could get into the forest, the trees moved and swayed, as if they were trying to prevent them from entering. "Oh..." Ulrich mumbled. A large tree on the edge of the forest started creaking and swaying violently. It's roots started to tear up from the ground. Jeremie, Odd, and Ulrich backed up a little bit. The roots shot upward and fell back down as a bunch of tentacles to walk with. The tree used the roots to support itself and it rose in the air. You could see Xana' s eye on the tree.
"I guess that answers 1 question," Odd said as they all backed away a few steps. The tree inserted its roots back into the ground and fell back down.
"It's obviously meant to keep us out," Jeremy told them.
"But why doesn't he attack us?" Ulrich asked.
"Maybe he doesn't like the trees being free," Odd joked.
"Exactly," Jeremy told them. Ulrich and Odd might as well have had question marks over their heads. "If he chases us, we could circle around and use the opening to squeeze through. Xana is just trying to stall us for something."
"Well then, how do we get to the factory?" Ulrich asked.
"We have to use the main gate," Odd told them.
"How?" Ulrich asked. "It's way too high to jump." Jeremy looked around.
"There," Jeremy said, pointing to a ladder outside the tool shed.
"Nice work, genius!" Odd told Jeremy. They grabbed the ladder and headed to the factory. Everyone was in lunch, so no on saw them. They set the ladder against the gate and they climbed over it. They ran into the factory and swung to the elevator.They used the elevator to get to the computer room and Jeremy entered the code to enter. Jeremy rushed to the computer.
"Yumi!" Jeremy said through his computer to Yumi's cell phone. "Xana is controlling the trees; make sure no one gets hurt! Odd, Ulrich, ready?"
"Yep!" They all said at the same time. Ulrich and Odd got back into the elevator and went to the transfer room. They stepped into the scanner.
"Scanner, Odd!" Jeremy said. "Scanner, Ulrich! Virtualization!" Odd and Ulrich both appeared on Lyoko, in the desert region. "Any sign of Aelita?"
"Yeah, she's right here," Ulrich told him. She was right in front of them. Ulrich and Odd walked over to her.
"Have you found the tower?" Odd asked.
"Not yet," Aelita told them.
"This is really strange," Jeremy said. "There don't appear to be any monsters nearby. Keep your eyes open, guys!"
"Don't worry, we'll keep Princess safe!" Odd told Jeremy, giving him the thumbs up. "Now let's get going!"
"Right!" Aelita and Ulrich said in unison.
"Yumi!" Jeremy said, bringing up Yumi's cell phone connection. "Xana has targeted the trees! Make sure no one gets too close to them. They don't seem to want to attack unless they need to."
"Okay!" Yumi told him. Jeremy started the scan on the towers.
Aelita, Odd and Ulrich walked for a while, following the vibrations that Aelita heard, through most of the desert region. They reached a tower that lead to the forest region. Aelita, Odd and Ulrich stepped into the tower.
"Be careful," Jeremy told them. "Yumi," he said as he brought up Yumi's cell phone again.
"Okay, so far," Yumi told Jeremy. "It's about 4 o'clock, and no one has any need to go to the forest. But if he is controlling the trees, why doesn't he just attack?"
"I don't know..." Jeremy told her. "Aelita!" Jeremy said as the scan finished. A tower was blinking red. "The tower is in the forest region!"
"We're headed there now," Aelita told him. Aelita, Odd and Ulrich jumped off the platform and glided to another tower. They all landed on that towers platform and walked out of the tower.
"Nothing," Ulrich told Jeremy. They were now headed through the forest region. "No monsters, nothing. I have a bad feeling about this."
"Stop being so doubtful!" Odd tried to cheer him up. "Either their all waiting at the tower or he just forgot!"
"For the love of!" Ulrich shouted.
"He is keeping us from getting there," Aelita told them. "He is trying to stall us." They made their way through most of the forest region. "He's leading us in circles."
"How?" Ulrich asked.
"I don't know, he's making the signal come from different places," Aelita told them.
"Can he activate two or more towers at once?" Ulrich asked.
"No," Jeremy told them. "He can't."
"Almost night here," Yumi told Jeremy.
"So far, so good," Jeremy mumbled to himself, taking a deep breath.
"How do we know where to go?" Odd asked. The vibrations were coming from every direction.
"Well, we could go in each direction," Aelita suggested.
"Keep a watch out, it's not like Xana to do this!" Jeremy told them. Ulrich, Odd and Aelita went straight first, and sure enough, there was the tower that was activated.
"You can go in," Ulrich told her. "We'll protect you!"
"From what?" Odd asked. "There aren't any monsters, remember?"
"They have to be somewhere," Ulrich told him.
"Ulrich's right, keep a watch," Jeremy told them.
"I'm going to enter the tower," Aelita told them as she entered the tower. About a second after she entered she was blasted back out. Odd and Ulrich rushed to help her back up.
"What happened?" Jeremy asked. He was starting to sweat.
"You okay, Princess?" Odd asked.
"Yes, but I won't be for long if he's here," Aelita said, pointing to the tower. Out of it walked a teenage boy about the age of 15. He had a white shirt and white pants. His hair was long white and shimmered in the sun. He had blue eyes that seemed to pierce into your soul. Next to him was a staff, long silver with a circle at the top. In the circle was hollow and two rings on each side around the edge and a crystal in the center with Xana's eye. His forehead had the eye on it, too.
"Who are you?" Ulrich shouted to the boy, drawing his sword.
"You mean you don't remember your best friend?" the boy said with what appeared to be his own voice and Xana's mixed together. His voice was very cocky.
"Is that what Xana really looks like?" Odd asked, seeming like he was ignoring what the boy just said.
"Xana doesn't have a form," Aelita said. "He has to get his forms from..."
"Silence!!" the boy shouted to cut Aelita off. "I'm finally going to get out of this virtual prison!"
"Well, we won't let you!" Ulrich shouted. The boy grinned darkly.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Odd said. "He doesn't look like he will be an easy challenge."
"Well then we'll just have to see!" Ulrich shouted. Ulrich and Odd charged at the boy and leapt into the air to attack. The boy raised his hand and Ulrich and Odd froze in place. Aelita gasped.
"You're telekinetic!" Ulrich shouted. "Just like Yumi!"
"Oh no, I'm much better than that pathetic human," the boy said. He chopped his hand down and Ulrich and Odd both went flying in different directions, headed for the sides of the region.
"No!" the boy shouted. He put his hand back up. Ulrich and Odd froze just before they would have started falling. They gently floated back onto the platform and were set down gently.
"Why would you save them?" Aelita asked him, backing up constantly. She hid behind a rock.
"Xana is controlling m....!" the boy shouted, without Xana's voice, grabbing his head. He stood back up and said, "That's better!" with Xana's voice back. "Instead of getting rid of your guards, I'll get straight to you!" he said, looking at Aelita.
"No, Xana, stop controlling this innocent bystander!" Aelita said, backing away farther.
"We'll protect you!" Ulrich said, drawing his sword again. Odd pointed his hand at the boy.
The boy darted upward and started levitating. His hair was blowing around. "Either that, or we're going to be annihilated," Odd told them. Odd's voice was starting to shake.
"I'd say number 2" the boy told them. He flew toward Aelita, the staff flying next to him. Ulrich and Odd leapt at him. The staff blocked them and knocked them back.
"Jeremy!" Yumi shouted to Jeremy. Jeremy has been searching the channels and information about what Xana was doing to make sure that no one else has gotten hurt.
"Yes, go on!" Jeremy told her.
"The trees are all uprooting themselves, and they seem to be headed toward the factory!" Yumi shouted.
"I know," Jeremy said as he watched a news report. "You should come to the factory. Ulrich and Odd need your help!" Jeremy told her.
"Jeremy!" Aelita gasped. "Xana's taken control of someone! He has put Ulrich and Odd down, and he's headed for me!!"
"Yumi!" Jeremy called. "Hurry!"
"Coming!" Yumi told him.
"Now, Aelita," the boy said calmly. He pointed his staff at her. She backed away and tripped and fell on the ground. She tried to crawl back as the boy approached her. He had the staff at her throat.
"Let her go!" Ulrich shouted. He ran up to the boy with his sword and slashed. He hit the boy and sliced the back of his shirt. The boy turned around and whacked Ulrich with his staff.
"How dare you hit me!" the boy shouted.
"10 life points left, Ulrich!" Jeremy shouted. "Be careful!" The boy swung again and Ulrich devertualized. "Ulrich! Odd, get up and protect Aelita!"
"Already on it!" Odd told him. Odd used his "Laser arrow!" on the boy when he turned around toward Aelita again. The arrow hit the boy on the back again. The boy started bleeding again. The boy turned around again and swung at Odd with his staff. Odd jumped up and dodged it.
"I've had enough!" the boy shouted. He telekinetically swung his staff at Odd and it flew around, much farther than the boy could reach physically. He knocked Odd down and Odd devirtualized.
"Oddddd!" Jeremy and Ulrich shouted. Ulrich was now at the computer, also. "Aelita, try to protect yourself!" Jeremy told her. "Yumi is on her way!"
"I'm almost there!" Yumi shouted. "I had to wait until the trees were far enough away until I could try to go into the sewer." Jeremy heard a banging on the roof of the factory. "They're here!"
The boy turned back to Aelita as she was crawling back with her feet. She was immobilized with fear. "Now!" the boy said, walking calmly to Aelita. Aelita put her hands together and chanted. A wall of thick vines wrapped around her to protect her. "Do you really have to be so hard to get?" He brought his staff up to swing.
"No!!" Jeremy, Aelita, Ulrich and Odd shouted.
"No!" the boy shouted. Apparently Xana had lost grip again. He turned the staff around and it was now facing the boy's forehead where the Xana symbol is. It pierced the symbol and he twisted the staff. The boy got unvirtualized. He appeared from the transfer pod, without the Xana symbol. The room was empty. The boy gasped as he came out and he looked around.
"You okay, Aelita?!" Jeremy asked.
"Yes," Aelita told him. She entered the tower. She floated up to the second platform and walked over to her computer. She placed her hand on it. It read, "Aelita" The factory started cracking as the trees continued their bombardment.
"I'm here!" Yumi shouted as she burst into the room, panting. "The trees are trying to get down here!" Sure enough, the roof started cracking and falling. Aelita's computer then read, "Code...Lyoko"Aelita watched as the files in the tower fell and a white light came up.
"Return to the past, now!" Jeremy shouted. Everything was engulfed in white light.
The boy said to himself without Xana's voice in the transfer room, "Return to the past, now." He didn't seem to know what he was saying. He just had a blank look on his face.