Code: Lyoko
Love... Lyoko Style
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I apologize for the last chapter. I know it was really long. There was just so much stuff I wanted to include in it.
I'd also like to address some reviews that you guys sent in (thank you so much for them by the way).
Fallen Angel X: I'm aware of what they did in the show, but I wanted to justify Aelita relying on Jeremie a lot.
Don't worry, they'll figure out the truth eventually.
Eien (Oroko): William is definitely an enigma. And the mystery of him will only continue to deepen.
Kiwi (Sakura): Sorry for the name misspelling. I searched through ff.net but every author of Code: Lyoko has spelled
their names differently. I'll revise the previous chapters as soon as this one's posted.
Midnight Insanity: Nope, William is not Xana because if you look carefully, how can Xana be William and in Lyoko at the
same time? Okay, a copy, I know, but still, they are not the same person. Good guess though.
For the rest of you, thank you so much for your reviews. I try hard to make every one of my readers happy.
I'm still confused as to who owns Code: Lyoko. All I know is that it's not me.
Abstract: Aelita's the target of a crush, but it's not Jeremie. Odd has a crush on an older woman. You know only
pain can come from all this.
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Previously on Code: Lyoko, an encounter with Sissi left Aelita doubting that she could be human if all she had to
rely on was herself. But a brief conversation with William, the lone wolf student, made her realize that you can
rely on others and still be human. When the Invaders took control of some computerized army tanks and sent them on
a rampage throughout town, Aelita made her way throughout the maze and encountered the Rhinorex monster in a
transformed tower. She defeated it using her powers to manipulate the very fabric of Lyoko. Returning to the past,
Aelita confronted Sissi and proved that she had the strength to rely on both herself and her friends.
However, Aelita still has some growing to do.
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As Odd, Ulrich, and Aelita walked to their class, Odd asked, "So Ulrich, any idea on who this new teacher is?"
"Sissi says that she was hired right out of college."
"Wow, her credentials must be excellent if she's still wet-behind-the-ears," Odd commented.
"Wet-behind-the-ears?" Aelita asked Ulrich.
"It means that the teacher's new," Ulrich explained. "That he or she doesn't have much experience."
"Oh wow!" Odd gasped as he stopped in his tracks. Ulrich and Aelita followed Odd's line of sight. A young woman was
walking through the courtyard. She had long red hair and green eyes. She was dressed in a purple blouse and blue skirt.
"I think I'm in love!" Odd declared.
"Oh brother," Ulrich moaned.
"Is this a human thing?" Aelita asked.
"More of an Odd thing," Ulrich commented. Then noticed something in her hand. "Uh... Odd, look at what she has in her
hands."
The woman had a teacher's planning book.
"She's a teacher!" Aelita realized. "But she looks so young." They watched (Odd especially) as the young woman walked
into one of the buildings. "Isn't that where our classroom is?" Aelita questioned. The three followed her and saw her
enter a classroom in the middle of the hall.
"That's our classroom," Aelita commented.
"She's our new teacher," Ulrich concluded.
"Oh yes!" Odd practically shouted. "I can't believe we have such a cute-looking teacher!" He ran to the classroom.
Ulrich soon followed. Aelita was about to follow them when she looked down and saw another shadow along with her own.
She turned around but saw nobody there.
"Aelita," Ulrich called. "Is something wrong?"
"I just thought someone was watching me," Aelita said. Ulrich looked behind Aelita but didn't see anyone. "Don't worry
about it. Let's get to class."
When Ulrich and Aelita walked into class, they saw something very unusual: Odd was sitting in the front-center. He was
staring lovestruck at the new teacher as she wrote the subject on the blackboard. Ulrich sighed and turned to Aelita.
"I better sit with Odd just so he has an anchor on reality. Do you mind, Aelita?"
"I don't mind at all, Ulrich," Aelita replied. Ulrich sat next to Odd while Aelita took a seat towards the side.
Aelita noticed a few familiar faces including William LeChon and Herb, who was part of Sissy's little gang. But other
than that, most of the faces were new.
"G' morning, class," the teacher said in a thick Irish accent. "My name's Miss O'Connor. Welcome to Western
Literature."
"Even her accent's beautiful," Odd whispered to Ulrich who rolled his eyes.
"Before we begin," Miss O'Connor said. "Does anybody have any questions?"
"Are you sure you're a teacher?" William commented. His tone sounded like he wasn't convinced who she said she was.
Odd shot him a scowl.
But Miss O'Connor only laughed. "Aye, ye' don't know how many times I've heard that taday," she said. "I just graduated
from International College in Dublin. This is mah first job."
"Wow," Odd muttered, completely overtaken by this young teacher.
Meanwhile, Aelita couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She cast her eyes around the room but everyone
seemed more interested in either the teacher or their desktops. When she saw William, he turned one of his eyes to look
at her but then turned it back.
Someone's watching me, but I can't figure out who.
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Ulrich couldn't wait for class to be over. It was a real nuisance trying to keep Odd in check. Fortunately, the bell
rang.
"Miss O'Connor is so awesome!" Odd exclaimed as they left. "She's so smart and pretty and funny and pretty and..."
"Is this another Odd thing?" Aelita asked.
"Oh yeah." Ulrich felt around in his pocket and stopped. "Oh shoot, I left my cell phone in class. I'll be right back,
guys." Ulrich ran back to class. But as he entered, he came to a dead halt.
Miss O'Connor was still there and she was putting on a ring, a really fancy one. "Oh, hello, Ulrich," she greeted.
"Did ye forget something?"
"Whoa... uh... that's a nice ring, Miss O'Connor," Ulrich said as he grabbed his phone from his desk.
"Thank ye. It's my engagement ring."
"Engagement ring!" Ulrich gasped. Miss O'Connor gave him the 'don't you dare crack about that' look. "Uh... I...
wasn't aware you were engaged. I mean... you weren't wearing the ring in class."
"Aye, it's an annoying habit I have, playing with it. I was afraid that doing it during class would distract me from
my lesson so I take it off before class."
"Wow," Ulrich said. "Um... I mean... I wasn't aware you were engaged. I mean... you look so young."
Miss O'Connor laughed and ruffled Ulrich's hair. "Flatterer. It's true. I'm going to be married in a few months."
"Oh. Well... congratulations, Miss O'Connor."
"Thank ye', Ulrich." Ulrich waved good-bye and ran out. Whoa, poor Odd, the girl of his dreams is actually engaged.
Ulrich debated whether or not to tell him.
"Sheesh, Ulrich, what took you?" Odd asked. "It shouldn't have taken this long to get your phone."
"Oh... well... I just got hung up talking to Miss O'Connor," Ulrich replied.
"I heard you say congratulations to her," Aelita said making Ulrich freeze in his tracks. "What were you congratulating
her for?"
"Uh, I was..." Think, Ulrich, think of an excuse. "Congratulating her on surviving her first class."
"Lucky duck," Odd said. "She talked personally to you."
"Man, Odd is really lovestruck," Ulrich commented.
"Um... excuse me." Ulrich, Aelita, and Odd turned and saw Herb standing with his head looking down. "I... I was
wondering if I could ask Aelita something." Odd was ready to tell Herb to go away but Ulrich put an arm out stopping
him.
"It's okay, guys," Aelita said. "I'll be all right."
"Okay, we'll see you later, Aelita," Ulrich said as he and Odd went on.
Aelita turned to Herb. "So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Well, actually... I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me?" That was the last question Aelita expected.
"Um... gee, I don't know. I kind of promised that I would eat with Jeremie and the others."
"Please, it's just one dinner."
"Well... okay, as long as it's just a dinner."
"Great, so I'll see you at five."
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"You agreed to go out on a date with him?!" Jeremie said exasperated.
"Date? I thought it was just dinner," Aelita said.
"It always starts with dinner," Jeremie ranted. "Then it leads to movies, then dancing, then long walks and before
you know it, you're picking out curtains!"
"What does picking out curtains have to do with anything?" Aelita asked Yumi.
"I think Jeremie's got a little case of the green bug," Yumi said with a smile.
"Green bug?"
"Jeremie's jealous," Odd sang.
"Me? Jealous? Oh please, and of Herb? Most definitely not." Jeremie pouted in a corner.
"So... you don't mind that I go to dinner with Herb tonight."
"You're human now, Aelita, you can do whatever you want."
"Oh... okay."
"Hey Aelita!" Ulrich threw Aelita his cell phone. "Just in case there's an Invader attack. Don't want a repeat of
what happened last time."
"Okay. Thanks, Ulrich. Well I better get going."
"Wait a second, Aelita, Ulrich and I will walk you back to your room."
"We will?" Yumi nudged him. "I mean... we will."
"Okay, see you, guys," Odd called. Once they were gone, Odd turned to Jeremie who was busy typing on his laptop. "Sheesh,
Jeremie, I haven't seen you this upset since the time you mistook that exchange student for Aelita materialized."
"Why should I be upset?" Jeremie asked. "I mean it's just Herb."
"Okay, just admit it, you're jealous."
"I'm not jealous!"
"Oh come on. If you were any greener, you could work at Fenway Park," Odd cracked. "Jeremie, just think about this.
This is Aelita we're talking about. She's not like that duplicate Yumi and starts hitting on everyone wearing glasses.
She only interested in making friends. She'll have dinner with Herb and that'll be the end of it."
"But you don't know Herb. I do, I used to be like him. He'll try to impress Aelita, then when she's comfortable with
him, he'll ask her out on another date and it'll just snowball from there!"
Odd slapped him. "Get ahold of yourself, man. You're acting like Yumi every time Ulrich talks to another girl. Now
look, if you're that worried, we could always peek in on their little... uh... date."
"Are you sure? Aelita might get upset if we're spying on her."
"Herb might, but definitely not Aelita."
"Yeah! All right, let's do it." Odd sighed. He gotten Jeremie to calm down. Now let's just hope Herb doesn't try
anything otherwise Jeremy might pull a Xana and go out on a rampage.
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"Is Jeremie mad at me?" Aelita asked Ulrich and Yumi. "I mean from the way he talked..."
"It's like Odd said, Jeremie's just jealous," Yumi assured her.
"Now that I'm human, I'd like to make as many friends as possible. And I know Herb is not like Sissi. He's... gentler."
"Herb definitely doesn't have a mean streak like Sissi," Ulrich agreed. "But he can get jealous at times as well."
"Tell me about it. Remember the time you had to kiss Sissi?" Yumi asked.
"Don't remind me," Ulrich said. "I still have nightmares about it. If it wasn't for the fact that Xana was attacking,
I would have ran as far away as possible."
"You mean you didn't like it?" Yumi asked half-surprised.
"No, I didn't. It was the most humiliating and disgusting experience I've ever had. Believe me when I say that Sissi
was the last person I wanted to kiss."
"So who's the first?"
"I thought we were talking about Aelita here?"
"Yumi, you seem to get jealous a lot," Aelita observed. "How do you deal with it?"
"Uh... well... I... uh... it's different for each person, Aelita."
Ulrich could sense the embarrassment from Yumi so he decided to distract Aelita, "Hey, did you know that Miss
O'Connor's engaged?"
"The new teacher?" Ulrich nodded.
"Does Odd know?" Aelita asked. "I mean he does like her."
"No kidding. No, he doesn't know. I'll probably tell him later though."
"Here's my room," Aelita announced. "Ulrich, Yumi, I... I want you two nearby when I go to this. I'm worried that I
might screw something up."
"Of course, Aelita, we'll be at the corner table in case you need us."
"Okay, see you tonight." Aelita disappeared into her room.
"You know," Yumi said as the two continued to walk down the hall. "In a way, I feel sorry for Herb and Odd. I mean
they're both bound to be heartbroken by girls. Once Herb realizes that Aelita isn't interested in him the same way he's
interested in her."
"What I wonder is what Sissi thinks of all this."
"Maybe she doesn't know."
A familiar high-pitch screach echoed from around the corner. "Are you out of your mind?"
"Then again," Yumi ammended as the two braced themselves against the wall and peaked around the corner. Sure enough,
Sissi was giving Herb a good talking to.
"Why would you choose to go to dinner with anyone? And especially that turnip to boot?"
"Well... uh... you see, I want to get to know her and she doesn't yell at me or anything," Herb began.
Sissi interrupted him. "She has the personality of a wet noodle. I don't care if birds of a feather really do flock
together! You're crazy if you're actually showing interest in that radish..."
"At least that radish doesn't put me down or insults me like you do!" Herb snapped. Sissi was surprised at Herb's
outburst as was Yumi and Ulrich. "I'm going to have dinner with her and that's that!" And he turned and marched
away.
Ulrich and Yumi decided to make an appearance.
"Boy, Sissi, you're really tough towards someone who's really devoted to you," Ulrich commented.
"Were you two spying on me?"
"It was hard not to, the two of you could be heard all the way from down the hall."
Sissi turned towards Ulrich. "Tell Jeremie's 'step-sister' that if she thinks she has a chance with Herb, she's sorely
mistaken."
"Why would you care about who Herb goes out with, Sissi?" Ulrich asked. "It's not like you like him." Sissi seemed
to be surprised by that comment. She turned and walked away as if in a trance.
Ulrich cast a side glance at Yumi. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Maybe that new school heartthrob couple comment isn't too far off the mark," Yumi replied echoing Ulrich's thoughts.
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In Lyoko, a tower in the Polar Region started to glow. But then it transformed into a black Obelisk with a surrounding
maze.
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Yumi and Ulrich walked into dinner that afternoon and saw Aelita and Herb sitting alone at a corner table. There were a
few other students there including William, who just seemed to be eating a sandwich, and two boys hiding behind books
wearing baseball caps. Ulrich and Yumi immediately knew it was Odd and Jeremie.
"What are you two doing?" Ulrich asked.
Odd hushed him. "We're spying on Aelita and Herb."
"You know, Aelita just asked us to watch her just in case something bad happens," Yumi pointed out.
"But I like spying," Odd protested.
"Look at them," Jeremie said. "They're acting so close, it's sickening. I should put a stop to it." He began to stand.
"Down, boy," Odd said pulling Jeremie back into his seat. "If anything bad happens, we'll be there to back her up."
"I wish I knew what they were talking about," Jeremie muttered.
Meanwhile, Aelita was discovering that her suspicions abot Herb had been right all along. He really wasn't so bad once
he stepped out of Sissi's shadow.
Aelita laughing at a joke Herb told her. Jeremie was ready to stomp right up there and it took all three of them to
hold him down.
"That's it, I'm knocking him out," Yumi said as she got ready to deliver a mind-blowing chop to Jeremie's neck.
But before she could, a beeping sound came from her pocket, as did Jeremie's and Odd's. The three of them took out their
cell phones and noticed the Lyoko symbol flashing on it.
"An Invader attack," Odd whispered. "Let's go."
"I'll go tell Aelita," Jeremie volunteered.
"No you won't," Yumi rebutted. "If you tell Aelita, then Herb is bound to hear it and if Herb hears about it,
we can kiss Lyoko and our world good-bye."
"Don't worry, Jeremie, Aelita has my cell phone. It should be going off like the others. Let's just get to the
factory. Aelita can meet up with us."
"Oh... all right. But let's be subtle about it, don't want anyone getting suspicious." The four of them crouched down
and crept to the exit.
The only one who saw them was William, who simply took a drink and said, "They're only acting more conspicuous." He then
got up and started to leave. As he passed by Aelita's table, he said, "Your cell phone's going off." He then continued
on his way out.
Aelita gasped and frantically searched her purse for Ulrich's cell phone. Opening it up, she discovered the Lyoko symbol
flashing. Oh no, an Invader alert!
"So Aelita," Herb was saying. "I was wondering if you might like to do this again..."
"Sorry, Herb, but I got to go," Aelita said quickly getting up.
"But Aelita..."
"I'm sorry, but it's an emergency!" She ran out the door.
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"What do you think, Jeremie?" Ulrich asked as they arrived at the manhole cover. "Same plan as last time?"
"I don't know. It is possible that they're prepared this time. I'll contact Xana once we reach the factory. I don't
think they'll be expecting him."
"Wait, wait up!" Aelita called. She ran up to them panting. "I'm... I'm sorry, I wasn't aware the cell phone was
going off."
"Well we're just glad you could join us," Odd said. "All right, let's get virtual and kick some Invader butts!"
Ulrich and Odd opened the manhole cover and everyone climbed down. Waiting for them were three skateboards and two
skooters. Jeremie and Aelita brought up the rear of this underground train. Aelita could sense that Jeremie was still
upset about her choosing to go to dinner with Herb.
"Jeremie, I..."
"It's no big deal, Aelita." Jeremie said it like it was no big deal, but even Odd could tell that he was still upset.
"I'm sorry," Aelita said. "I don't want to make you mad. You've done so much for me and I've made you upset." Aelita's
sadness gave Jeremie a pang of guilt.
The kids arrived at the exit. Once they entered the factory, they set up. They got in the usual scanners, Aelita and Odd
on the sides and Ulrich and Yumi sharing the center one.
"Transfer Aelita, transfer Odd, transfer Ulrich, transfer Yumi. Scanner, Aelita. Scanner, Odd. Scanner, Ulrich and Yumi.
Virtualization!"
The four materialized in the polar region.
"Great," Odd grumbled. "We just had to come to the Lyoko South Pole."
"Look over there!" Aelita pointed to a black obelisk structure in the distance.
"That's not your normal tower," Odd commented. They started to run to it but suddenly found themselves at a lake
covered with patches of ice. They began hopping from ice patch to ice patch until they reached the island where the
obelisk was on. "Whoa, this is cool," Odd commented, then cringed at what he said. "I mean... interesting."
"All right, Jeremie, upload our weapons."
"You got it. Upload: Twin Kitanas! Upload: Disk Launchers! Upload: Wrist Claws! Upload: Lyoko Wand!" Their weapons
appeared. "Okay, you're ready for battle."
"Let's go," Ulrich said. "And watch out for traps."
As the group entered the maze that surrounded the Obelisk, they immediately noticed that it was a different formation then
the last. But all four of them were there now so things should be about even.
"Jeremie, isn't there a way you can find us the most direct path like you did last time?" Ulrich asked.
"I'm already on it. Xana's having one of his hornets fly over right now." They could see the yellow insect up in the
sky. "Okay. Looks like Aelita's on the right path. Just turn right and head all the way..." Jeremie heard Aelita cry
out. "Aelita, are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Aelita replied standing up and dusting the snow off her costume. She took a look at the swinging axe that
almost chopped her in two. "Did I lose any life points?"
"Thankfully no," Jeremie reported. "Aelita, don't scare me like that. You almost gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry," Aelita said solemnly. "That's all I seem to be able to do lately."
"Uh... can you two have intimate conversation some other time?" Odd asked. "Like when we're not on a mission."
Jeremie hated himself for allowing his emotions to clog up his judgement. He couldn't help it, especially when it came to
Aelita. He was only just reunited with her again, he didn't want to risk losing her again, not to Xana or the Invaders or
anybody.
"I spotted the entrance to the Obelisk," Aelita reported. "I'm entering it." She entered the former tower and once again,
found herself in a pitch-black room with tile floor. "There doesn't appear to be any monsters around..." Aelita spoke
too soon, as a giant white beast came down in front of her.
A pre-battle screen appeared on Jeremie's monitor: Aelita vs. Polar Claw. From its stats, Jeremie concluded that while
Aelita still had all her life points, the Polar Claw had more hit points than the Rhinorex that Aelita last fought with.
"Aelita, be careful. This Polar Claw is much more powerful than the Rhinorex."
The Polar Claw swung its claws at her but Aelita blocked with her staff. But the Polar Claw attacked with his other claw
which Aelita couldn't block without letting the first claw strike her. Her life points dropped by almost a quarter.
Aelita made the air around the Polar Claw much heavier and tried to crush it. The Polar Claw breathed on Aelita and
froze her. The ice eventually broke leaving Aelita weakened but still there.
"Aelita, you're down to 65 life points. Try to hold on until the others arrive."
"I... I'm sure I can beat it, Jeremie."
"Forget it, Aelita, it's not worth it!" Aelita just opened up a vortex underneath the Polar Claw. The monster's rear was
dragged under but its front claws dug into the floor.
"No, Jeremie, I can do this, I know I can. I have to prove myself to you."
"Aelita, you don't have to prove anything to me! Just get out of there now!"
Meanwhile, the others had arrived at the entrance. "Guys, Aelita's in trouble," Jeremie said.
"We're on our way, Jeremie!" Ulrich and Yumi pulled ahead of Odd. When Odd tried to catch up, a Skeleton dropped in
between them."
"Oh great, not these again. I'll handle bone-brain, you guys go help Aelita." Odd attacked with his claws which the
Skeleton blocked.
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Back at school, dark clouds began gathering. Lightning was striking everywhere, like a god was pouring his wraith on that
particular school.
Jim burst into the cafeteria. "Everyone to the basement of the dorms, quick!" Jim began to lead the kids to the dorms but
they were assaulted by lightning. The kids did their best to dodge it.
Herb let out a yipe as a lightning bolt almost struck his back side. He was trying to run as fast as he could but it was
like the lightning was magnetically attracted to a human body. Herb saw a light in the sky coming straight down for him.
He realized too late that it was a lightning bolt intending to strike him dead.
"Herb!" Someone tackled him to the ground causing the lightning bolt to strike the dirt instead. Herb looked up at his
savior: it was Sissi!
"Sissi? You... you just..." Sissi just pulled Herb to his feet and took his hand. She lead him over to Jim.
"Sissi, that was very dangerous of you to do that," Jim scolded. "If your father found out what you were doing..."
"Punish me later," Sissi snapped. "Right now, we need to get to low ground!"
"Oh, uh... right." Jim lead everyone to the basement.
"Sissi, thank you," Herb said embarrassed once they were all huddled on the bottom-most level.
"But... I thought you hated me."
"I do, but I don't want to see you dead," Sissi said. "And... well... I couldn't live with myself if I stood by while
something happened to you."
For the first time ever, Herb wondered if Sissi actually had feelings for him.
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Jeremie could hear the lightning even from within the factory. Lightning? But there was nothing in the weather report
about rain. Jeremie hacked into a weather satellite. It showed thunder clouds and lightning around their area. But it
was clear everywhere else. Jeremie looked from the screen to aboveground.
"Of course!" He cried. "The Invaders are charging the polarity in the air using the Earth's own electrical field! That's
how they're causing the lightning. But if they're really the cause of this lightning, then they must intend to use it
for evil purposes!" Jeremie frantically turned to the screen and spoke into his microphone. "Guys, listen, I figured out
what they're using the tower for, they're using it to create lightning to strike at people!"
"Lightning?" Odd questioned as he sliced the Skeleton in two. "Can't they think of anything original?"
"Better not tempt fate, Odd. Aelita has to shut down the tower. If we don't return to the past, these lightning bolts
could devastate everything and everyone!"
But it was too late for Aelita. Ulrich and Yumi ran inside the Obelisk just in time to see Aelita pinned by the Polar
Claw.
"Aelita!" They cried. Aelita was still struggling, fighting back with everything she had. But considering she was
pinned, that wasn't much.
Finally, the Polar Claw stabbed its nails into Aelita. Aelita screamed as her body disappeared.
"No!" Yumi and Ulrich yelled.
"Aelita!" Jeremie cried. He turned and ran to the Scanner Room.
Aelita was forcefully ejected from her scanner. She laid on the ground, bruised, but alive.
Jeremie ran in and picked her up. "Aelita, please speak to me."
Aelita struggled to open her eyes. "Jeremie... I'm sorry... I failed you."
"On the contrary," Jeremie said embracing his friend. "I've never been more proud of you, Aelita. And... I'm sorry.
Odd was right, I was jealous."
"D... don't be," Aelita said. "Jeremie, you did something very special for me, you made me human. And for that, I...
will always..." Aelita trailed off.
"I know, Aelita, I do too. Come on, let's get back upstairs." He helped her into the elevator.
In Lyoko, Ulrich was enraged at seeing Aelita disappear. "I'm going in. Yumi, cover me!"
"You got it." Ulrich faced off with the Polar Claw. Yumi made a sign with her hands. "Mystic Aura... energize!"
Ulrich's blade was enchanted with energy.
"Mega Energy Wave!" The giant energy blast shot the Polar Claw to the other end of the room. Ulrich moved in for close-
range combat while Yumi utilized her aura to increase Ulrich's power, but it was rapidly draining her energy. Soon, she
couldn't hold it any more and she collapsed.
"I'm sorry..." She panted. "That's all I can give."
"It's good enough," Jeremie said. "Ulrich, finish it off!"
"Yeah!" Ulrich jumped into the air and pointed his swords at the Polar Claw. "Double Impact!" He stabbed the Polar Claw.
The monster turned into lines which then dispersed. The Obelisk turned back into a tower.
"The monster's defeated," Yumi said. "But withou Aelita, how can we deactivate it?"
"I know," came Odd's voice. He entered the tower along with Xana. "Jeremie says that Xana can shut down the tower."
"How can he do that?" Ulrich asked.
"Let's just say we're not the only ones who were upgraded," Jeremie replied.
Xana raised his arms and was risen to the upper level. His symbol glowed as several different screens appeared. Finally,
one screen with the word "OVERRIDE" The code screen appeared after that. This time, it was Xana who typed in the code.
L-Y-O-K-O
The screens descended as time on the outside froze. Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd cheered.
"I never thought I hear myself say this, but go Xana!" Odd cheered.
Jeremie and Aelita also cheered. Jeremie looked over his shoulder and gave her a loving glance. "Aelita, care to do
the honors?"
Aelita returned the look. "With pleasure." She reached past Jeremie and hit the enter button calling out, "Return to
the past... now!"
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"Miss O'Connor is so awesome!" Odd exclaimed as he walked out of class with Ulrich and Aelita. "She's so smart
and pretty and funny and pretty and..."
"Is this another Odd thing?" Aelita asked.
"Oh yeah." Ulrich felt around in his pocket and stopped. "Hey Odd, I left my cell phone in class. Would you go get
it?"
"Why do you want me to do it?"
"It'll give you a chance to talk to Miss O'Connor," Ulrich said raising one eyebrow.
"Oh, sure, Ulrich, be right back." Ulrich and Aelita shared a knowing smile.
"Um... excuse me." Ulrich and Aelita turned and saw Herb standing with his head looking down. "I... I was
wondering if I could ask Aelita something."
Ulrich stepped to the side as Aelita and Herb conversed.
"So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Well, actually... I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me?"
"Um... gee, I don't know. I kind of promised that I would eat with Jeremie and the others."
"Please, it's just one dinner."
Aelita smiled at him. "Sorry, Herb, maybe some other time, but if you want to have dinner with the five of us some
time."
"Oh... um... thanks, maybe I'll take you up on your offer some other time." It was then that the three of them heard a
whimper behind them. They all turned to see Odd standing there. He had Ulrich's cell phone but he also had a
a strange expression on his face. It looked like a cross between bewilderment and disappointment.
"Odd, is something wrong?" Ulrich asked while trying to keep a straight face.
"E... en... engaged... she's engaged..." Odd staggered.
"Who's engaged?" Aelita asked with her hand over her mouth so Odd wouldn't see her smile.
"Miss O'Connor... she's engaged... she has a ring and everything... what do you know."
"I heard she's been engaged for a few months," Herb commented which further whitened Odd's face at the same time
deteriorating Ulrich's and Aelita's stoic expressions.
"Well... she's engaged... she's a teacher and... she's engaged."
"I think we better get Odd back to his room before he faints," Aelita said. "We'll see you later, Herb."
"Yeah," Herb agreed. As Ulrich and Aelita lead Odd back to his room, they passed by Sissi.
Aelita whispered, "Hey Sissi, I think Herb is having trouble when it comes to communicating with girls. You could give
him some tips."
"Is that so." Slowly, a smile appeared on Sissi's face. "Well, I think he needs a course from Sissi's Dating Boot
Camp." She cracked her knuckles and stomped up to him.
"Aelita, I think you just hooked up two of the most unromantic people in the whole school," Ulrich commented. "I didn't
know you had it in you." Aelita blushed a little. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Jeremie leaning against a
pillar. She gave him a thumb up. Jeremie returned it.
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The next chapter has the gang stuck in Lyoko. With Jeremie trying to fix the problem, how can they pass the time?
Love... Lyoko Style
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I apologize for the last chapter. I know it was really long. There was just so much stuff I wanted to include in it.
I'd also like to address some reviews that you guys sent in (thank you so much for them by the way).
Fallen Angel X: I'm aware of what they did in the show, but I wanted to justify Aelita relying on Jeremie a lot.
Don't worry, they'll figure out the truth eventually.
Eien (Oroko): William is definitely an enigma. And the mystery of him will only continue to deepen.
Kiwi (Sakura): Sorry for the name misspelling. I searched through ff.net but every author of Code: Lyoko has spelled
their names differently. I'll revise the previous chapters as soon as this one's posted.
Midnight Insanity: Nope, William is not Xana because if you look carefully, how can Xana be William and in Lyoko at the
same time? Okay, a copy, I know, but still, they are not the same person. Good guess though.
For the rest of you, thank you so much for your reviews. I try hard to make every one of my readers happy.
I'm still confused as to who owns Code: Lyoko. All I know is that it's not me.
Abstract: Aelita's the target of a crush, but it's not Jeremie. Odd has a crush on an older woman. You know only
pain can come from all this.
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Previously on Code: Lyoko, an encounter with Sissi left Aelita doubting that she could be human if all she had to
rely on was herself. But a brief conversation with William, the lone wolf student, made her realize that you can
rely on others and still be human. When the Invaders took control of some computerized army tanks and sent them on
a rampage throughout town, Aelita made her way throughout the maze and encountered the Rhinorex monster in a
transformed tower. She defeated it using her powers to manipulate the very fabric of Lyoko. Returning to the past,
Aelita confronted Sissi and proved that she had the strength to rely on both herself and her friends.
However, Aelita still has some growing to do.
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As Odd, Ulrich, and Aelita walked to their class, Odd asked, "So Ulrich, any idea on who this new teacher is?"
"Sissi says that she was hired right out of college."
"Wow, her credentials must be excellent if she's still wet-behind-the-ears," Odd commented.
"Wet-behind-the-ears?" Aelita asked Ulrich.
"It means that the teacher's new," Ulrich explained. "That he or she doesn't have much experience."
"Oh wow!" Odd gasped as he stopped in his tracks. Ulrich and Aelita followed Odd's line of sight. A young woman was
walking through the courtyard. She had long red hair and green eyes. She was dressed in a purple blouse and blue skirt.
"I think I'm in love!" Odd declared.
"Oh brother," Ulrich moaned.
"Is this a human thing?" Aelita asked.
"More of an Odd thing," Ulrich commented. Then noticed something in her hand. "Uh... Odd, look at what she has in her
hands."
The woman had a teacher's planning book.
"She's a teacher!" Aelita realized. "But she looks so young." They watched (Odd especially) as the young woman walked
into one of the buildings. "Isn't that where our classroom is?" Aelita questioned. The three followed her and saw her
enter a classroom in the middle of the hall.
"That's our classroom," Aelita commented.
"She's our new teacher," Ulrich concluded.
"Oh yes!" Odd practically shouted. "I can't believe we have such a cute-looking teacher!" He ran to the classroom.
Ulrich soon followed. Aelita was about to follow them when she looked down and saw another shadow along with her own.
She turned around but saw nobody there.
"Aelita," Ulrich called. "Is something wrong?"
"I just thought someone was watching me," Aelita said. Ulrich looked behind Aelita but didn't see anyone. "Don't worry
about it. Let's get to class."
When Ulrich and Aelita walked into class, they saw something very unusual: Odd was sitting in the front-center. He was
staring lovestruck at the new teacher as she wrote the subject on the blackboard. Ulrich sighed and turned to Aelita.
"I better sit with Odd just so he has an anchor on reality. Do you mind, Aelita?"
"I don't mind at all, Ulrich," Aelita replied. Ulrich sat next to Odd while Aelita took a seat towards the side.
Aelita noticed a few familiar faces including William LeChon and Herb, who was part of Sissy's little gang. But other
than that, most of the faces were new.
"G' morning, class," the teacher said in a thick Irish accent. "My name's Miss O'Connor. Welcome to Western
Literature."
"Even her accent's beautiful," Odd whispered to Ulrich who rolled his eyes.
"Before we begin," Miss O'Connor said. "Does anybody have any questions?"
"Are you sure you're a teacher?" William commented. His tone sounded like he wasn't convinced who she said she was.
Odd shot him a scowl.
But Miss O'Connor only laughed. "Aye, ye' don't know how many times I've heard that taday," she said. "I just graduated
from International College in Dublin. This is mah first job."
"Wow," Odd muttered, completely overtaken by this young teacher.
Meanwhile, Aelita couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She cast her eyes around the room but everyone
seemed more interested in either the teacher or their desktops. When she saw William, he turned one of his eyes to look
at her but then turned it back.
Someone's watching me, but I can't figure out who.
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Ulrich couldn't wait for class to be over. It was a real nuisance trying to keep Odd in check. Fortunately, the bell
rang.
"Miss O'Connor is so awesome!" Odd exclaimed as they left. "She's so smart and pretty and funny and pretty and..."
"Is this another Odd thing?" Aelita asked.
"Oh yeah." Ulrich felt around in his pocket and stopped. "Oh shoot, I left my cell phone in class. I'll be right back,
guys." Ulrich ran back to class. But as he entered, he came to a dead halt.
Miss O'Connor was still there and she was putting on a ring, a really fancy one. "Oh, hello, Ulrich," she greeted.
"Did ye forget something?"
"Whoa... uh... that's a nice ring, Miss O'Connor," Ulrich said as he grabbed his phone from his desk.
"Thank ye. It's my engagement ring."
"Engagement ring!" Ulrich gasped. Miss O'Connor gave him the 'don't you dare crack about that' look. "Uh... I...
wasn't aware you were engaged. I mean... you weren't wearing the ring in class."
"Aye, it's an annoying habit I have, playing with it. I was afraid that doing it during class would distract me from
my lesson so I take it off before class."
"Wow," Ulrich said. "Um... I mean... I wasn't aware you were engaged. I mean... you look so young."
Miss O'Connor laughed and ruffled Ulrich's hair. "Flatterer. It's true. I'm going to be married in a few months."
"Oh. Well... congratulations, Miss O'Connor."
"Thank ye', Ulrich." Ulrich waved good-bye and ran out. Whoa, poor Odd, the girl of his dreams is actually engaged.
Ulrich debated whether or not to tell him.
"Sheesh, Ulrich, what took you?" Odd asked. "It shouldn't have taken this long to get your phone."
"Oh... well... I just got hung up talking to Miss O'Connor," Ulrich replied.
"I heard you say congratulations to her," Aelita said making Ulrich freeze in his tracks. "What were you congratulating
her for?"
"Uh, I was..." Think, Ulrich, think of an excuse. "Congratulating her on surviving her first class."
"Lucky duck," Odd said. "She talked personally to you."
"Man, Odd is really lovestruck," Ulrich commented.
"Um... excuse me." Ulrich, Aelita, and Odd turned and saw Herb standing with his head looking down. "I... I was
wondering if I could ask Aelita something." Odd was ready to tell Herb to go away but Ulrich put an arm out stopping
him.
"It's okay, guys," Aelita said. "I'll be all right."
"Okay, we'll see you later, Aelita," Ulrich said as he and Odd went on.
Aelita turned to Herb. "So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Well, actually... I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me?" That was the last question Aelita expected.
"Um... gee, I don't know. I kind of promised that I would eat with Jeremie and the others."
"Please, it's just one dinner."
"Well... okay, as long as it's just a dinner."
"Great, so I'll see you at five."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You agreed to go out on a date with him?!" Jeremie said exasperated.
"Date? I thought it was just dinner," Aelita said.
"It always starts with dinner," Jeremie ranted. "Then it leads to movies, then dancing, then long walks and before
you know it, you're picking out curtains!"
"What does picking out curtains have to do with anything?" Aelita asked Yumi.
"I think Jeremie's got a little case of the green bug," Yumi said with a smile.
"Green bug?"
"Jeremie's jealous," Odd sang.
"Me? Jealous? Oh please, and of Herb? Most definitely not." Jeremie pouted in a corner.
"So... you don't mind that I go to dinner with Herb tonight."
"You're human now, Aelita, you can do whatever you want."
"Oh... okay."
"Hey Aelita!" Ulrich threw Aelita his cell phone. "Just in case there's an Invader attack. Don't want a repeat of
what happened last time."
"Okay. Thanks, Ulrich. Well I better get going."
"Wait a second, Aelita, Ulrich and I will walk you back to your room."
"We will?" Yumi nudged him. "I mean... we will."
"Okay, see you, guys," Odd called. Once they were gone, Odd turned to Jeremie who was busy typing on his laptop. "Sheesh,
Jeremie, I haven't seen you this upset since the time you mistook that exchange student for Aelita materialized."
"Why should I be upset?" Jeremie asked. "I mean it's just Herb."
"Okay, just admit it, you're jealous."
"I'm not jealous!"
"Oh come on. If you were any greener, you could work at Fenway Park," Odd cracked. "Jeremie, just think about this.
This is Aelita we're talking about. She's not like that duplicate Yumi and starts hitting on everyone wearing glasses.
She only interested in making friends. She'll have dinner with Herb and that'll be the end of it."
"But you don't know Herb. I do, I used to be like him. He'll try to impress Aelita, then when she's comfortable with
him, he'll ask her out on another date and it'll just snowball from there!"
Odd slapped him. "Get ahold of yourself, man. You're acting like Yumi every time Ulrich talks to another girl. Now
look, if you're that worried, we could always peek in on their little... uh... date."
"Are you sure? Aelita might get upset if we're spying on her."
"Herb might, but definitely not Aelita."
"Yeah! All right, let's do it." Odd sighed. He gotten Jeremie to calm down. Now let's just hope Herb doesn't try
anything otherwise Jeremy might pull a Xana and go out on a rampage.
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"Is Jeremie mad at me?" Aelita asked Ulrich and Yumi. "I mean from the way he talked..."
"It's like Odd said, Jeremie's just jealous," Yumi assured her.
"Now that I'm human, I'd like to make as many friends as possible. And I know Herb is not like Sissi. He's... gentler."
"Herb definitely doesn't have a mean streak like Sissi," Ulrich agreed. "But he can get jealous at times as well."
"Tell me about it. Remember the time you had to kiss Sissi?" Yumi asked.
"Don't remind me," Ulrich said. "I still have nightmares about it. If it wasn't for the fact that Xana was attacking,
I would have ran as far away as possible."
"You mean you didn't like it?" Yumi asked half-surprised.
"No, I didn't. It was the most humiliating and disgusting experience I've ever had. Believe me when I say that Sissi
was the last person I wanted to kiss."
"So who's the first?"
"I thought we were talking about Aelita here?"
"Yumi, you seem to get jealous a lot," Aelita observed. "How do you deal with it?"
"Uh... well... I... uh... it's different for each person, Aelita."
Ulrich could sense the embarrassment from Yumi so he decided to distract Aelita, "Hey, did you know that Miss
O'Connor's engaged?"
"The new teacher?" Ulrich nodded.
"Does Odd know?" Aelita asked. "I mean he does like her."
"No kidding. No, he doesn't know. I'll probably tell him later though."
"Here's my room," Aelita announced. "Ulrich, Yumi, I... I want you two nearby when I go to this. I'm worried that I
might screw something up."
"Of course, Aelita, we'll be at the corner table in case you need us."
"Okay, see you tonight." Aelita disappeared into her room.
"You know," Yumi said as the two continued to walk down the hall. "In a way, I feel sorry for Herb and Odd. I mean
they're both bound to be heartbroken by girls. Once Herb realizes that Aelita isn't interested in him the same way he's
interested in her."
"What I wonder is what Sissi thinks of all this."
"Maybe she doesn't know."
A familiar high-pitch screach echoed from around the corner. "Are you out of your mind?"
"Then again," Yumi ammended as the two braced themselves against the wall and peaked around the corner. Sure enough,
Sissi was giving Herb a good talking to.
"Why would you choose to go to dinner with anyone? And especially that turnip to boot?"
"Well... uh... you see, I want to get to know her and she doesn't yell at me or anything," Herb began.
Sissi interrupted him. "She has the personality of a wet noodle. I don't care if birds of a feather really do flock
together! You're crazy if you're actually showing interest in that radish..."
"At least that radish doesn't put me down or insults me like you do!" Herb snapped. Sissi was surprised at Herb's
outburst as was Yumi and Ulrich. "I'm going to have dinner with her and that's that!" And he turned and marched
away.
Ulrich and Yumi decided to make an appearance.
"Boy, Sissi, you're really tough towards someone who's really devoted to you," Ulrich commented.
"Were you two spying on me?"
"It was hard not to, the two of you could be heard all the way from down the hall."
Sissi turned towards Ulrich. "Tell Jeremie's 'step-sister' that if she thinks she has a chance with Herb, she's sorely
mistaken."
"Why would you care about who Herb goes out with, Sissi?" Ulrich asked. "It's not like you like him." Sissi seemed
to be surprised by that comment. She turned and walked away as if in a trance.
Ulrich cast a side glance at Yumi. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Maybe that new school heartthrob couple comment isn't too far off the mark," Yumi replied echoing Ulrich's thoughts.
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In Lyoko, a tower in the Polar Region started to glow. But then it transformed into a black Obelisk with a surrounding
maze.
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Yumi and Ulrich walked into dinner that afternoon and saw Aelita and Herb sitting alone at a corner table. There were a
few other students there including William, who just seemed to be eating a sandwich, and two boys hiding behind books
wearing baseball caps. Ulrich and Yumi immediately knew it was Odd and Jeremie.
"What are you two doing?" Ulrich asked.
Odd hushed him. "We're spying on Aelita and Herb."
"You know, Aelita just asked us to watch her just in case something bad happens," Yumi pointed out.
"But I like spying," Odd protested.
"Look at them," Jeremie said. "They're acting so close, it's sickening. I should put a stop to it." He began to stand.
"Down, boy," Odd said pulling Jeremie back into his seat. "If anything bad happens, we'll be there to back her up."
"I wish I knew what they were talking about," Jeremie muttered.
Meanwhile, Aelita was discovering that her suspicions abot Herb had been right all along. He really wasn't so bad once
he stepped out of Sissi's shadow.
Aelita laughing at a joke Herb told her. Jeremie was ready to stomp right up there and it took all three of them to
hold him down.
"That's it, I'm knocking him out," Yumi said as she got ready to deliver a mind-blowing chop to Jeremie's neck.
But before she could, a beeping sound came from her pocket, as did Jeremie's and Odd's. The three of them took out their
cell phones and noticed the Lyoko symbol flashing on it.
"An Invader attack," Odd whispered. "Let's go."
"I'll go tell Aelita," Jeremie volunteered.
"No you won't," Yumi rebutted. "If you tell Aelita, then Herb is bound to hear it and if Herb hears about it,
we can kiss Lyoko and our world good-bye."
"Don't worry, Jeremie, Aelita has my cell phone. It should be going off like the others. Let's just get to the
factory. Aelita can meet up with us."
"Oh... all right. But let's be subtle about it, don't want anyone getting suspicious." The four of them crouched down
and crept to the exit.
The only one who saw them was William, who simply took a drink and said, "They're only acting more conspicuous." He then
got up and started to leave. As he passed by Aelita's table, he said, "Your cell phone's going off." He then continued
on his way out.
Aelita gasped and frantically searched her purse for Ulrich's cell phone. Opening it up, she discovered the Lyoko symbol
flashing. Oh no, an Invader alert!
"So Aelita," Herb was saying. "I was wondering if you might like to do this again..."
"Sorry, Herb, but I got to go," Aelita said quickly getting up.
"But Aelita..."
"I'm sorry, but it's an emergency!" She ran out the door.
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"What do you think, Jeremie?" Ulrich asked as they arrived at the manhole cover. "Same plan as last time?"
"I don't know. It is possible that they're prepared this time. I'll contact Xana once we reach the factory. I don't
think they'll be expecting him."
"Wait, wait up!" Aelita called. She ran up to them panting. "I'm... I'm sorry, I wasn't aware the cell phone was
going off."
"Well we're just glad you could join us," Odd said. "All right, let's get virtual and kick some Invader butts!"
Ulrich and Odd opened the manhole cover and everyone climbed down. Waiting for them were three skateboards and two
skooters. Jeremie and Aelita brought up the rear of this underground train. Aelita could sense that Jeremie was still
upset about her choosing to go to dinner with Herb.
"Jeremie, I..."
"It's no big deal, Aelita." Jeremie said it like it was no big deal, but even Odd could tell that he was still upset.
"I'm sorry," Aelita said. "I don't want to make you mad. You've done so much for me and I've made you upset." Aelita's
sadness gave Jeremie a pang of guilt.
The kids arrived at the exit. Once they entered the factory, they set up. They got in the usual scanners, Aelita and Odd
on the sides and Ulrich and Yumi sharing the center one.
"Transfer Aelita, transfer Odd, transfer Ulrich, transfer Yumi. Scanner, Aelita. Scanner, Odd. Scanner, Ulrich and Yumi.
Virtualization!"
The four materialized in the polar region.
"Great," Odd grumbled. "We just had to come to the Lyoko South Pole."
"Look over there!" Aelita pointed to a black obelisk structure in the distance.
"That's not your normal tower," Odd commented. They started to run to it but suddenly found themselves at a lake
covered with patches of ice. They began hopping from ice patch to ice patch until they reached the island where the
obelisk was on. "Whoa, this is cool," Odd commented, then cringed at what he said. "I mean... interesting."
"All right, Jeremie, upload our weapons."
"You got it. Upload: Twin Kitanas! Upload: Disk Launchers! Upload: Wrist Claws! Upload: Lyoko Wand!" Their weapons
appeared. "Okay, you're ready for battle."
"Let's go," Ulrich said. "And watch out for traps."
As the group entered the maze that surrounded the Obelisk, they immediately noticed that it was a different formation then
the last. But all four of them were there now so things should be about even.
"Jeremie, isn't there a way you can find us the most direct path like you did last time?" Ulrich asked.
"I'm already on it. Xana's having one of his hornets fly over right now." They could see the yellow insect up in the
sky. "Okay. Looks like Aelita's on the right path. Just turn right and head all the way..." Jeremie heard Aelita cry
out. "Aelita, are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Aelita replied standing up and dusting the snow off her costume. She took a look at the swinging axe that
almost chopped her in two. "Did I lose any life points?"
"Thankfully no," Jeremie reported. "Aelita, don't scare me like that. You almost gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry," Aelita said solemnly. "That's all I seem to be able to do lately."
"Uh... can you two have intimate conversation some other time?" Odd asked. "Like when we're not on a mission."
Jeremie hated himself for allowing his emotions to clog up his judgement. He couldn't help it, especially when it came to
Aelita. He was only just reunited with her again, he didn't want to risk losing her again, not to Xana or the Invaders or
anybody.
"I spotted the entrance to the Obelisk," Aelita reported. "I'm entering it." She entered the former tower and once again,
found herself in a pitch-black room with tile floor. "There doesn't appear to be any monsters around..." Aelita spoke
too soon, as a giant white beast came down in front of her.
A pre-battle screen appeared on Jeremie's monitor: Aelita vs. Polar Claw. From its stats, Jeremie concluded that while
Aelita still had all her life points, the Polar Claw had more hit points than the Rhinorex that Aelita last fought with.
"Aelita, be careful. This Polar Claw is much more powerful than the Rhinorex."
The Polar Claw swung its claws at her but Aelita blocked with her staff. But the Polar Claw attacked with his other claw
which Aelita couldn't block without letting the first claw strike her. Her life points dropped by almost a quarter.
Aelita made the air around the Polar Claw much heavier and tried to crush it. The Polar Claw breathed on Aelita and
froze her. The ice eventually broke leaving Aelita weakened but still there.
"Aelita, you're down to 65 life points. Try to hold on until the others arrive."
"I... I'm sure I can beat it, Jeremie."
"Forget it, Aelita, it's not worth it!" Aelita just opened up a vortex underneath the Polar Claw. The monster's rear was
dragged under but its front claws dug into the floor.
"No, Jeremie, I can do this, I know I can. I have to prove myself to you."
"Aelita, you don't have to prove anything to me! Just get out of there now!"
Meanwhile, the others had arrived at the entrance. "Guys, Aelita's in trouble," Jeremie said.
"We're on our way, Jeremie!" Ulrich and Yumi pulled ahead of Odd. When Odd tried to catch up, a Skeleton dropped in
between them."
"Oh great, not these again. I'll handle bone-brain, you guys go help Aelita." Odd attacked with his claws which the
Skeleton blocked.
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Back at school, dark clouds began gathering. Lightning was striking everywhere, like a god was pouring his wraith on that
particular school.
Jim burst into the cafeteria. "Everyone to the basement of the dorms, quick!" Jim began to lead the kids to the dorms but
they were assaulted by lightning. The kids did their best to dodge it.
Herb let out a yipe as a lightning bolt almost struck his back side. He was trying to run as fast as he could but it was
like the lightning was magnetically attracted to a human body. Herb saw a light in the sky coming straight down for him.
He realized too late that it was a lightning bolt intending to strike him dead.
"Herb!" Someone tackled him to the ground causing the lightning bolt to strike the dirt instead. Herb looked up at his
savior: it was Sissi!
"Sissi? You... you just..." Sissi just pulled Herb to his feet and took his hand. She lead him over to Jim.
"Sissi, that was very dangerous of you to do that," Jim scolded. "If your father found out what you were doing..."
"Punish me later," Sissi snapped. "Right now, we need to get to low ground!"
"Oh, uh... right." Jim lead everyone to the basement.
"Sissi, thank you," Herb said embarrassed once they were all huddled on the bottom-most level.
"But... I thought you hated me."
"I do, but I don't want to see you dead," Sissi said. "And... well... I couldn't live with myself if I stood by while
something happened to you."
For the first time ever, Herb wondered if Sissi actually had feelings for him.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeremie could hear the lightning even from within the factory. Lightning? But there was nothing in the weather report
about rain. Jeremie hacked into a weather satellite. It showed thunder clouds and lightning around their area. But it
was clear everywhere else. Jeremie looked from the screen to aboveground.
"Of course!" He cried. "The Invaders are charging the polarity in the air using the Earth's own electrical field! That's
how they're causing the lightning. But if they're really the cause of this lightning, then they must intend to use it
for evil purposes!" Jeremie frantically turned to the screen and spoke into his microphone. "Guys, listen, I figured out
what they're using the tower for, they're using it to create lightning to strike at people!"
"Lightning?" Odd questioned as he sliced the Skeleton in two. "Can't they think of anything original?"
"Better not tempt fate, Odd. Aelita has to shut down the tower. If we don't return to the past, these lightning bolts
could devastate everything and everyone!"
But it was too late for Aelita. Ulrich and Yumi ran inside the Obelisk just in time to see Aelita pinned by the Polar
Claw.
"Aelita!" They cried. Aelita was still struggling, fighting back with everything she had. But considering she was
pinned, that wasn't much.
Finally, the Polar Claw stabbed its nails into Aelita. Aelita screamed as her body disappeared.
"No!" Yumi and Ulrich yelled.
"Aelita!" Jeremie cried. He turned and ran to the Scanner Room.
Aelita was forcefully ejected from her scanner. She laid on the ground, bruised, but alive.
Jeremie ran in and picked her up. "Aelita, please speak to me."
Aelita struggled to open her eyes. "Jeremie... I'm sorry... I failed you."
"On the contrary," Jeremie said embracing his friend. "I've never been more proud of you, Aelita. And... I'm sorry.
Odd was right, I was jealous."
"D... don't be," Aelita said. "Jeremie, you did something very special for me, you made me human. And for that, I...
will always..." Aelita trailed off.
"I know, Aelita, I do too. Come on, let's get back upstairs." He helped her into the elevator.
In Lyoko, Ulrich was enraged at seeing Aelita disappear. "I'm going in. Yumi, cover me!"
"You got it." Ulrich faced off with the Polar Claw. Yumi made a sign with her hands. "Mystic Aura... energize!"
Ulrich's blade was enchanted with energy.
"Mega Energy Wave!" The giant energy blast shot the Polar Claw to the other end of the room. Ulrich moved in for close-
range combat while Yumi utilized her aura to increase Ulrich's power, but it was rapidly draining her energy. Soon, she
couldn't hold it any more and she collapsed.
"I'm sorry..." She panted. "That's all I can give."
"It's good enough," Jeremie said. "Ulrich, finish it off!"
"Yeah!" Ulrich jumped into the air and pointed his swords at the Polar Claw. "Double Impact!" He stabbed the Polar Claw.
The monster turned into lines which then dispersed. The Obelisk turned back into a tower.
"The monster's defeated," Yumi said. "But withou Aelita, how can we deactivate it?"
"I know," came Odd's voice. He entered the tower along with Xana. "Jeremie says that Xana can shut down the tower."
"How can he do that?" Ulrich asked.
"Let's just say we're not the only ones who were upgraded," Jeremie replied.
Xana raised his arms and was risen to the upper level. His symbol glowed as several different screens appeared. Finally,
one screen with the word "OVERRIDE" The code screen appeared after that. This time, it was Xana who typed in the code.
L-Y-O-K-O
The screens descended as time on the outside froze. Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd cheered.
"I never thought I hear myself say this, but go Xana!" Odd cheered.
Jeremie and Aelita also cheered. Jeremie looked over his shoulder and gave her a loving glance. "Aelita, care to do
the honors?"
Aelita returned the look. "With pleasure." She reached past Jeremie and hit the enter button calling out, "Return to
the past... now!"
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"Miss O'Connor is so awesome!" Odd exclaimed as he walked out of class with Ulrich and Aelita. "She's so smart
and pretty and funny and pretty and..."
"Is this another Odd thing?" Aelita asked.
"Oh yeah." Ulrich felt around in his pocket and stopped. "Hey Odd, I left my cell phone in class. Would you go get
it?"
"Why do you want me to do it?"
"It'll give you a chance to talk to Miss O'Connor," Ulrich said raising one eyebrow.
"Oh, sure, Ulrich, be right back." Ulrich and Aelita shared a knowing smile.
"Um... excuse me." Ulrich and Aelita turned and saw Herb standing with his head looking down. "I... I was
wondering if I could ask Aelita something."
Ulrich stepped to the side as Aelita and Herb conversed.
"So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Well, actually... I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me?"
"Um... gee, I don't know. I kind of promised that I would eat with Jeremie and the others."
"Please, it's just one dinner."
Aelita smiled at him. "Sorry, Herb, maybe some other time, but if you want to have dinner with the five of us some
time."
"Oh... um... thanks, maybe I'll take you up on your offer some other time." It was then that the three of them heard a
whimper behind them. They all turned to see Odd standing there. He had Ulrich's cell phone but he also had a
a strange expression on his face. It looked like a cross between bewilderment and disappointment.
"Odd, is something wrong?" Ulrich asked while trying to keep a straight face.
"E... en... engaged... she's engaged..." Odd staggered.
"Who's engaged?" Aelita asked with her hand over her mouth so Odd wouldn't see her smile.
"Miss O'Connor... she's engaged... she has a ring and everything... what do you know."
"I heard she's been engaged for a few months," Herb commented which further whitened Odd's face at the same time
deteriorating Ulrich's and Aelita's stoic expressions.
"Well... she's engaged... she's a teacher and... she's engaged."
"I think we better get Odd back to his room before he faints," Aelita said. "We'll see you later, Herb."
"Yeah," Herb agreed. As Ulrich and Aelita lead Odd back to his room, they passed by Sissi.
Aelita whispered, "Hey Sissi, I think Herb is having trouble when it comes to communicating with girls. You could give
him some tips."
"Is that so." Slowly, a smile appeared on Sissi's face. "Well, I think he needs a course from Sissi's Dating Boot
Camp." She cracked her knuckles and stomped up to him.
"Aelita, I think you just hooked up two of the most unromantic people in the whole school," Ulrich commented. "I didn't
know you had it in you." Aelita blushed a little. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Jeremie leaning against a
pillar. She gave him a thumb up. Jeremie returned it.
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The next chapter has the gang stuck in Lyoko. With Jeremie trying to fix the problem, how can they pass the time?