disclaimer-I don't own Code Lyoko

To my dear and beloved readers:

Well, here is the final chapter. Who will win? Will Yumi triumph once and for all over the interfering menace that is Sissy? Or will Sissy's beginner's luck continue to hold out? The score is tied at four with three monsters left!

Winner Take All by Ransomed Heart

"One last round, winner take all?"
-Robin, (Teen Titans episode #22)

Chapter Three: Winner Take All

"Got it, Jeremie." Yumi gave a decisive nod. "Think you can handle this," she asked Sissy. "It's still not too late to back out, you know."

There was no answer this time as Sissy rushed forward, kusarigama swinging towards the remaining Crab as she let out ferocious yell. "Take this!"

The sickle missed, hitting just to the left of the symbol. Sissy hauled it back by the chain, cursing softly under her breath. Yumi's fan soared past her ear, missing her head by inches and slicing the Crab clear in half through the symbol.

"Five-four, Yumi's favor," Jeremie intoned. "Hurry girls, please!"

"Keep your shirt on, brainiac, we're working on it," Sissy snapped, for the first time addressing the blond boy directly.

"Don't get distracted now, Sissy," Yumi cautioned. "You need to destroy both of these monsters to beat me."

"Then that's exactly what I'm going to do!" The younger girl ran forward, charging into battle against the two remaining Megatanks. One of the monsters was still blasting the tower and trying to take it down. The other was approaching slowly, gauging the two warriors.

The symbol lit as it began to charge. "Just one hit from one of these could kill you," Yumi shouted. "Watch yourself, Sissy!" She found herself wondering why she had warned her competition of the potential danger, but it was too late for Yumi to take back the words now.

Sissy hadn't been paying much attention anyway. She was still dodging trees and kicking up digital moss as she ran towards the Megatank. Her kusarigama was swinging over her head, and she was taking deadly aim for the monster's symbol.

Yumi found herself frozen to the spot, unable to tear her eyes from the scene unfolding before her. A small part of her was rooting for Sissy; charging full on into a Megatank's blast took guts, and lots of them. On the other hand, she wanted desperately for Sissy to be devirtualized before she could destroy the monster.

The kusarigama connected just before the blast exploded. The monster rolled backwards, exploding in an eruption of light. Sissy was still standing, looking pleased with herself yet again.

Jeremie was speechless for a moment, finally finding his voice to announce that the girls were tied yet again. Yumi set her jaw, glaring at the younger girl. It was on now. One monster, and one victor. Once again, the guilty feeling appeared in the pit of her stomach, the feeing that told her that Ulrich was not simply a prize to be won. But this had evolved beyond Ulrich. This was about beating Sissy, about wiping the smug smile off of her face once and for all.

"Let's go, Sissy," Yumi shouted, rushing forward with practiced ease until she was standing next to the other girl. "Are you ready to lose?"

"Only if you are," Sissy shot back.

"It's as if you two are sharing one twisted brain," Jeremie said dryly, but the girls didn't hear him. They had charged forward, eyes locked on the final Megatank.

It had come down to this, one last Megatank between the girls and Ulrich. It charged up and took another blast at the tower, causing the fragile structure to shake.

"Hey, over here," Yumi taunted, finding herself drawn into Odd's usual role of getting the monster's attention. The Megatank rolled over so that the symbol was glaring at the approaching warriors. It began to glow, charging up for a shot.

But the girls were on top of it before the blast could fire. Sissy whipped the sickle at it, and it hissed through the air like a deadly missile. Yumi's fan was right behind it and gaining momentum. She had thrown it like a dagger, not bothering to open it before sending it on it's deadly flight to the Megatank's eye symbol.

Jeremie watched in hushed silence, holding his breath as he waited for the weapons to make contact. The moment seemed frozen in time, drawing itself out until there as nothing left but for the weapons to hit.

The kusarigama and the fan hit the eye in the same instant. Sissy and Yumi let out startled cries as the monster rolled backwards and exploded. There were several long second where neither of them moved, then Aelita emerged from the severely beaten tower.

"I'm going to find the activated tower," she told them. "It's here in forest region, not too far away."

The girls didn't answer. Sissy sunk to her knees and Aelita ran off, unable to believe what had just occurred.

"Jeremie, what just happened," Yumi choked out finally.

"It was a tie. Neither one of you is the victor," the blond boy concluded solemnly. Even had couldn't decide what to make of the outcome of the challenge.

"Jeremie?" Aelita's voice shattered the tense, aftershock-like calm. "I'm entering the code now. Are you ready?"

Jeremie nodded. "Yes, Aelita, go ahead."

"It's over, Sissy." Yumi rubbed one arm gently, then moved to haul the younger girl up off her knees. "Let's go home, c'mon." There was no malice in the older girl's voice, just a weariness accentuated by her pale face.

"What do we do though? How do we decide who won?"

Yumi just shook her head. "It was stupid to begin with. Let's just chalk it up to a tie and forget the whole thing ever happened. Maybe we can learn a lesson from all this."

Sissy nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I guess we can." Yumi was amazed at how the bratty principle's daughter had suddenly matured. Maybe she had learned something from this little adventure.

Jeremie's voice boomed overhead. "Return to the past now!"


Yumi doodled absently in her notebook, trying to drone out the voice of her English teacher. Edgar Allen Poe was so boring she could hardly stand it.

'At least Sissy and I have some kind of truce now,' she admitted to herself. 'It's not like we're going to be best friends or anything, but I think we understand each other more now.' There was still the matter of Sissy not revealing their secret, and Yumi knew she had to have a talk with her right after class.

Just then the bell rang, and the room emptied. Yumi was the first one out the door, bounding around the corner and running smack into Sissy. 'Speak of the devil...'

"Watch where you're going," the pink-clad girl spat.

Yumi wasn't really concerned with Sissy's attitude. "Hey, you're not going to tell anyone about you-know-what, are you?"

Sissy looked confused and annoyed. "What are you talking about? You are so weird sometimes, I don't get why Ulrich would ever hang out with you!" With that said, Sissy stormed off.

Yumi was left staring dumbfounded. 'What in the world just happened..?'

"Yumi!" She turned to see Jeremie running up to her. "What was that about? Is Sissy going to tell?"

Yumi shook her head. "She had no clue what I was talking about! She doesn't remember a thing! How can that be, if we remember?"

Jeremie shrugged, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "Maybe because she wasn't one of the original four of us who discovered Lyoko. Or maybe she's just not meant to remember it, like it's not her destiny to know about Lyoko. Whatever the reason, I guess we're off the hook."

Yumi sniffed. "Yeah, but it doesn't solve the love triangle."

Jeremie laughed. "Oh, that will work itself out eventually."

Owari