Okay, I understand I made a few mistakes in the last chapter. I put 'digitalization' instead of 'virtualization'. I'm really sorry, k? And I fixed it, too. Anyway, here's a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and for those who are unhappy with Od being the gay one, and Orrick being the one to fall in love with him (clicks tongue in an annoyed way), don't worry...it's gonna...change.

Chapter Six

Aelita stepped out of the tower to find that she was totally surrounded by water. Fish occasionally swam by, and there were plants all around. This confused her. "Aelita, are you all right?" asked Jeremy. Aelita looked around.

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered. "So far, there are no signs of monsters anywhere."

"Great," said the blonde genius. "Yumi's on her way." Aelita nodded.

"Jeremy..."

"Yes?"

"Usually, in the other zones, there aren't any living things around us," Aelita said, as a school of virtual fish swam around her. "But here...I can see fish, and plants."

"I'm not sure why, Aelita," the blonde admitted. "This is a big inquiry, but just make sure to stay away from them, no matter how tranquil they may seem. They could be monsters." Aelita nodded.

"Right."

"Hey, Aelita." Aelita turned around to see the brunette.

"Hello, Yumi," she said.

"Anything strange?"

"Nothing, except there are actually living organisms around," Aelita said, looking around. Finally, she noticed something. "Jeremy! I cannot feel the pulsations!"

"What?!" asked the blonde. "Are you sure, Aelita?"

"Positive," answered the redhead.

"The water must be interfering," said Jeremy, his hand balling up into a fist. "I'll see what I can do. First of all, go to the Ocean floor." The two girls swam downward, towards the floor, and landed there. Aelita looked around herself.

"Jeremy, I can feel faint pulsations, but I'm not sure where it's coming from," she said. Jeremy nodded.

"Well, it's a start," he said. His screen began to blink slightly, and five yellow arrows rapidly headed towards the green and gold arrows on the screen. His eyes grew wide. "Oh no! Aelita! Yumi! There're three monsters coming at you from behind, and two at your left!"

"Swim, Aelita!" Yumi said, getting out her fan. "Go towards the direction you feel the pulsations strongest! I'll handle them the best I can!" Aelita nodded, and looked around.

"Jeremy, is there a route I can take to my right?" she asked frantically as the monsters began closing in on them.

"Let me see." There was a small pause in the line. "Yes, keep going straight! Once you get to the fork in the way, go to the left!" Aelita nodded, and began swimming as fast as she could.

"Why not the other ways?" she asked.

"The straight path leads to five monsters," Jeremy said. "The one to the right heads right to a ditch." Aelita nodded.

"Thank you, Jeremy."

"No problem," he answered. He switched his attention towards the other girl. "Yumi, you just lost ten points!"

"I know," Yumi said, before throwing her fan at another monster to her right. "What are these things?"

"I'm not sure," Jeremy answered. "I think they're Dolphins...or Sharks!"

"Oh, great!" Yumi said, narrowing her eyes. "Exactly what I need right now." A Shark came from behind her, and shot her in the back with a fiery ball.

"Yumi! You've lost another ten points!" Jeremy warned. "You'd better hurry, Yumi. Aelita might need your help!"

"Got it," Yumi said, getting to her feet. She glanced around, and saw that she only had to defeat two more Sharks. She swam quickly to the side, and threw her fan, wiping out both of them. "Jeremy, I'm done with the Sharks. Where's Aelita?"

"Swim in the direction of your left, keep going straight until you reach a fork," Jeremy said. "Then, take the left path. You'll meet Aelita pretty soon." Yumi nodded, and headed to her left. "Aelita! Why'd you stop?"

"Because, Jeremy," Aelita said, taking a step back. "There's a ditch in the ground, and it seems to be sucking everything into it. I cannot swim over it."

"What?! You've got to be joking, Aelita!"

"But I'm not, Jeremy." Jeremy began to frantically type on his keyboard.

"But the other road clearly shows a d—" blue eyes widened in recognition, "Xana! Xana tricked me!"

"Please calm down, Jeremy," Aelita said, looking behind her. "I just have to retrace my steps, and start over." Jeremy withdrew his hands from his hair, and stared at the screen.

"Right..." he said, calming down slightly.

"Jeremy, I'm almost at the fork," Yumi said, as she began to swim faster.

"Yumi, when you reach the fork, don't take the left path," Jeremy said. "Aelita's coming back towards you." Yumi hesitated, but nodded.

"Ok," she said, slowing down. Jeremy began typing again.

"Orrick!"

"Jeremy?" Orrick asked. "What's going on in Lyoko?"

"Aelita's nowhere near the activated tower," Jeremy reported. "You two are going to have to wait a while. What's going on over there?"

"There's been a few 'minor' earthquakes," Orrick said, looking around. "Everyone's in a hysteria, but fine nonetheless. Jim's taking it worse of all." Orrick glanced over at the full-grown man hugging his legs close to himself and sucking on his thumb while softly calling for his mommy, before looking away. "Trust me, you don't want to see this." Jeremy grimaced slightly.

"...I believe you on that." Another tremor wracked the earth, and toppled the brunette onto his butt once again. His cell phone got knocked out of his hand, and disappeared behind a few pairs of feet. "Orrick? Orrick! What's going on?!"

"...Ow..." he grimaced, as he sat up. He looked around for his phone, and spotted it by the refreshment table. He stood up, and headed over to his phone. He picked it up and held it to his ear, only to meet the almost hysterical yelling of his blonde friend. He winced. "I'm right here, Jeremy. You don't have to yell...really."

"Oh...sorry," Jeremy said, slightly taken aback. "What happened?"

"Another 'minor' earthquake," Orrick answered grimly.

"Where's Od?" asked the blonde. Orrick looked around.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "I'll go look for him."

"Alright, call me when you find him."

"...Right..." He hung up his phone and pocketed it. He walked through the crowd once more, looking for a spiked blonde with a small purple burst in the middle. "Od? Od! Where're you? Od!" A loud girlish scream broke through the terror-filled murmurs. He walked towards the source, confusion on his face. There stood a tall, brown-haired girl. "What's going on?" She pointed towards the ground.

"He...he... We were talking...and he...he just..." Orrick looked to where she was pointing, and his blood stopped for a split of a second.

"Od!!"

Ok, I'm stopping it there for now. Today's my mom's b-day, and I have to do something special for her. Oh, and review. I'm getting forgetful lately. Like, I didn't even remember today was her birthday until now... shrugs Oh well... Later everyone.