Code: Lyoko
Return to the Past
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Just to warn you all, I re-uploaded chapters 1-5 because I made some mistakes with the names. They're mostly the
same, just with the names and a few dialogue changes. If you want to go back and read them to find the changes,
go ahead.
Review Response:
Midnight Insanity: Sometimes, obscure couples are a good thing. Besides, ever heard of the saying "Opposites
attract?" Well, you definitely can't get more opposite than those two (Sissi and Herb).
Person in state of Ennui: You make a valid argument. I just thought that since most people refer to Japanese-
based animation as Anime (I believe they even do that in Japan) and Code: Lyoko isn't from a Japanese-based
company, it wouldn't be considered anime (actually, I heard that anime is simply short for Japanimation)
JQLN: Xana's winning battles for once, isn't that good enough? Besides, hate to spoil, but the next chapter has
mucho Xana in it.
Samster: Ask and thou shalt receive.
I don't own Code: Lyoko, but you guys should know that by now.
Abstract: The gang's stuck in Lyoko for a while. What do they do to pass the time? Why tell stories of the past
of course. A/N: This isn't a clip chapter and I did take a few creative liberties so sorry if I mess something up.
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Ulrich released another energy wave from his kitanas and looked behind him. "Aelita, get to the tower and protect
it!"
"I would if I could," Aelita said as she blocked an exploding Blow Fish. "But I'm surrounded."
"Darn it!" Ulrich looked around but Odd, Yumi, and Xana were also being surrounded. When Jeremie detected the
Invaders setting up in the mountain region, they hurried to stop them before they transformed the tower into an
Obelisk. But the Invaders were waiting for them with an army of Skeletons and Blow Fish.
"Yumi, you're getting too close to the edge," Jeremie warned. The Blow Fish have been getting too close to her and
forced her to the edge of the digital void.
"It's not like I have much of a choice," Yumi said. She made her sign with her hand and summoned her aura.
"Mystic Aura... Reflect!" An invisible force blew the Blow Fish back but it also blew her back over the edge.
Yumi grabbed the edge with both hands. "Ulrich, help me!"
Ulrich had a brief de'ja vu experience of the time they lost Yumi in the forest region. Jeremie had to use the
experimental materialization program to bring her back. But, like the old cartoon gag goes, they could only do it
once because the program was the accidental result of Odd dropping candy on Jeremie's keyboard. Now, Yumi was
about to fall again. And once again, he would be helpless to do anything about it.
"I'm about to fall!" Yumi cried.
"Hang on, Yumi," Jeremie advised. "I'm sending some help on the way."
But Yumi's hands were rapidly slipping. Finally, she couldn't hold on any more and she let go.
"YUMI!" Ulrich cried.
"Upload!" Jeremie shouted. One of Yumi's bladed disks disappeared and replaced by a three-pronged claw with
rope attached. Yumi fired it. The hook flew over the edge and dug into the rocky ground. Yumi held onto the
rope for dear life.
"Phew! Thanks, Jeremie, I owe you one."
"Better hurry and climb up, Yumi, the grappling claw won't last forever."
Yumi began to climb up the rope. "I just wish I got more practice with rope climbing in gym." Finally, Yumi reached
over the edge of the plateau they were on. She noticed that the others had mostly dealt with the army that was
sent for them. "Hey, a little help here, guys!" She called.
Ulrich, relieved to see her, ran to help her up. "Yumi, I was afraid I lost you."
Yumi patted his cheek. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, at least not again."
"I'm glad," Ulrich responded.
"Hey, lovebirds," Odd called. "If you're done saying hi, we kind of need help over here!" Odd, Aelita, and Xana
were pushing the Skeleton army back down the hill that lead up to the tower. Jeremie restored Yumi's bladed disk
and the two ran to join their comrades (with egg on their faces).
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Jeremie chuckled at Odd's "lovebird" comment. Everybody knew those two were fond of each other. But apparently,
they still liked to pretend that they were only friends.
Suddenly an alarm rang out throughout the lab. Jeremie ran to check the status screen. "This can't be
happening!"
"Jeremie, what's wrong?" Aelita asked.
"Someone's trying to hack into my system!" Jeremie announced. "This is bad, if they gain access, our secret's
out."
"Can't you put up some sort of firewall?" Yumi asked.
"I'm one step ahead of you, Yumi... no good! A data stream has already been established. I'm going to try to
figure out where it's... huh?"
"Uh-oh, when Jeremie says 'huh,' you know it's bad," Odd commented.
"This is strange. The data stream is operating as an uplink and not a downlink."
"Meaning?" Ulrich asked.
"He means that something is being introduced into the super computer and not taken," Aelita translated.
"It must be a virus," Jeremie said. "I'm trying to terminate the link..." Jeremie growled in frustration.
"Whoever's doing this knows more about the system than I do! They're getting around all my protection
protocols!"
"Is that even possible?" Ulrich asked.
Odd's tail began pulling in one direction. "Guys, we're about to have more trouble!" He pointed in the same
direction his tail was in. "It's coming from that direction and... DUCK!" Everyone, Xana included, ducked down
as a flaming wheel cruised through the air and sliced the remaining Skeletons into tiny bits. It then returned
in the direction it came.
"What was that?" Yumi asked.
"I don't know," Ulrich replied.
"The data stream was terminated before I could trace it to its source." Jeremie sat back in his chair. "Someone
knew their way around the super computer. It was able to create a back door and disabled all the protection
software I installed."
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From outside the factory, a laptop was shut down and placed into a backpack. The owner then walked away casually,
whistling.
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"Well, whatever that thing was, it took care of our job for us," Odd commented as the weapons disappeared.
"Jeremie, log us out and we can help you try and figure it out."
"You got it." Jeremie keyed in the log-out commands but an error message came on the screen and stayed there.
"Oh no, this isn't good."
"Uh... Jeremie, any time now," Ulrich said.
"Guys, I don't know how to tell you this, but... the system's frozen."
"Frozen?" Everyone in Lyoko who could talk said at the same time.
"I'm confused," Odd said. "How can a super computer get frozen?"
"It must've been the same hacker who was trying to upload something into our system," Jeremie deduced. He got
out his laptop and plugged it into the Lyoko system. "I knew it. The data stream created by the hacker left an
imperfection in the flow tunnel."
"And for us ignorant bunch?" Odd cracked.
"The system took in too much data at once. That resulted in the system freeze."
"So can you unfreeze it?"
"Oh, sure," Jeremie said casually. "Unfreezing the system should be no problem, but it'll take a while."
"So what should we do in the mean time?"
"Just... hang out."
"Hang out he says," Odd said rolling his eyes.
"Yes, hang out," Jeremie repeated. "I'm going down to the core to see if I can unfreeze it from there. I
could sure use Xana's help on this one." Xana sent an Instant Message telling Jeremie that he will help.
"We better take cover in the tower," Ulrich recommended. "The Invaders could still be around and without
Jeremie to upload our weapons, we're vulnerable." The four walked into the tower.
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"I still find it hard to believe that someone was able to hack into our super computer," Yumi said. "Especially
considering all the protection Jeremie installed."
Ulrich looked at Aelita, who was sitting Indian style by the tower's entrance. "Aelita, do you know anyone who
would be able to hack Lyoko?"
Aelita shook her head. "No. To tell you the truth, until I met you guys, Jeremie was the only human I ever
encountered with expert knowledge of the super computer. Actually, back then, he was the first human I ever
encountered period."
"You mean you hadn't seen any humans before Jeremie? But what about the lab, the scanners? I doubt they all
could just appear out of thin air. Didn't you have any contact with your programmers or have any archives?"
"Good question, Ulrich. For as long as I can remember, I was alone in Lyoko. There was nobody to talk to but
the trees and the rocks. I explored from one end of Lyoko to the other. The thought that a world like yours
existed never even occured to me. Then one day..."
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(Almost 2 Years Ago)
The boy's name was Jeremie and he just arrived at a prestigious boarding junior high school. Being the genius
he was, he easily got accepted. He had only just finished putting away his stuff when there was a scuffle
outside his door. He opened it and saw a bunch of bigger kids picking on a small girl. Before Jeremie even
knew what he was doing, he said, "Hey, leave her alone!"
The bullies turned on him, deciding that he was a more tempting target. Jeremie quickly left the dorms and ran
into the adjacent park. He frantically looked around for someplace he could hide in and finally took a big leap
in opening a manhole cover and climbing down into the sewers. No sooner had he closed the lid and reached the
floor then the bullies were seen on top of the manhole. Jeremie gasped and soon regretted it. His gasp had
attracted their attention and they were already moving the manhole cover aside. Jeremie ran from one tunnel to
the next. But no matter how hard he ran, he couldn't lose them. Jeremie finally spotted an exit. He slid open
the hatch climbed through, shut it again, and sat on it. But his weight was not enough for their combined
strength. Jeremie saw a large brown building across a bridge.
{Must be some sort of old warehouse or factory,} he thought. He quickly ran across the bridge, seeking shelter
in the building.
His eyes were closed, so he didn't see the ten foot drop until it was too late. Jeremie fell on his back. He
could hear the bullies talking above him.
"Come on, guys, let's go."
"But he might be dead. Shouldn't we call an ambulance or something?"
"Forget it, they'll just think we killed him. Besides, he's probably just playing possum." After about a
while, they left. Shortly after that, Jeremie stuggled to pull himself to his feet. His whole body ached from
the fall and therunning. He noticed an old freight elevator which made him think that this was probably an old
mining factory left over from a long time ago. He walked (staggered is more like it) into it and pushed the
button. The elevator began descending. Jeremie wondered if this would take him back to the sewers when the
elevator stopped, apparently in mid-descent. The elevator door opened and Jeremie came face-to-face with what
looked like a large vault door.
Which unlocked allowing Jeremie access to the other side.
Jeremie gasped as he walked into the large room. Most of it was taken up by a floor-mounted projector. A
large computer with three monitors and a keyboard.
"Who's there?" A female voice called out. Jeremie jumped a foot and a half and looked around.
"Wh... who said that?"
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"That's what I want to ask," Jeremie retorted. "Are you a ghost?" But he couldn't find any source for the
voice. {Where is that voice coming from? Maybe it's some sort of intercom. If that's true, then there must
be a microphone aroundhere somewhere.} Jeremie explored the room until he came to the computer set-up.
There was an earpiece microphone laying on the chair. Jeremie picked it up and placed it in his ear. "He... hello?"
"Finally, a voice," the disembodied voice said.
"Who are you? Where are you?"
"Oh, sorry, you want a visual, right?"
"Um... yeah." The computer screen booted up and after over a dozen introduction screens, a video feed was
activated. The feed showed a girl, probably a bit older than Jeremie was. She had short pink hair and beady
green eyes. She had elf-like ears and was dressed in what looked like a kimono that was two sizes too small
for her over a yellow shirt and shorts.
"Hi," she greeted. "I'm Aelita."
"Ae... lita?"
"Your name's Aelita too? What a coincidence!"
Jeremie realized what he said and quickly shook his head. "No, wait... I mean... my name's Jeremie."
"Well, Jeremie, welcome."
"Um... excuse me, Miss Aelita, but... where are you contacting me from?"
"From Lyoko."
"What's a... Lyoko?" Jeremie asked as something behind him started giving out light. Jeremie turned and gasped.
The floor projector had turned on and was projecting a larger than life image of what looked like a planet. The
planet (Jeremie didn't know what else to call it) seemed to be devided into topographical regions. It wasn't
un-like Earth.
From behind him came Aelita's voice. "That's Lyoko."
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"Jeremie was a quick study, he seemed to understand the physics of Lyoko even better than I did," Aelita concluded.
"He is a quick study," Ulrich agreed.
Odd laughed. "Oh man, I would've loved to see Jeremie's face when you first called out to him. It must've been
priceless."
Aelita also laughed. "What was even better was his face upon seeing Lyoko. I thought he was going to faint."
"Maybe..." Ulrich pondered. "That one of the Engineers who built the super computer... maybe they were the ones
who hacked past Jeremie's protection."
"You don't think it was Xana pulling a fast one on us, don't you?"
"I doubt it," Aelita replied. "There would be no logic in that."
"Well you can't blame me for asking," Odd commented. "I mean after all, Xana has been after you from the get-go."
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(The same day as the first meeting of Jeremie and Aelita)
"This system's incredible!" Jeremie gasped. "I've never seen anything so advanced before, it's not like anything
we have on Earth."
"And that's just the basic software," Aelita explained. "Wait 'til I show you the virtualization system..."
Aelita suddenly gasped.
"Miss Aelita, what's wrong?" Jeremie asked.
"He's awake! But... this isn't possible!"
"Who's awake?"
"Xana!"
"Xana?"
Aelita nodded. "Xana is this evil presence who seems to have full control over Lyoko. He sometimes sends his
monsters after me but I always escape. He's never been this bold before."
"What's he doing? Maybe I can help!"
"He's trying to access another computer network. He must be doing it by using a tower. Towers enable me to
travel from one region of Lyoko to the next but they also are able to access other systems." Aelita explained
how the towers worked to Jeremie and the boy immediately understood. The tower that Xana had been using to
access the Internet was in the forest region. Aelita ran to it but encountered one of Xana's minions, a Block.
The block fired its laser taking Aelita down ten life points (as Jeremie read from the status screen).
"Miss Aelita, can't you do anything about it?" Jeremie asked.
"Yes I can," Aelita confirmed. She got down on both knees and made a triangle gesture with her hands. She
opened her mouth and let out a melodic sound.
Jeremie thought it was the most beautiful thing he ever heard.
A rock formed in mid-air and crushed the Block. Aelita continued on to the tower and shut it down.
"So now what do we do?" Jeremie asked.
"Now we can return to the past."
"You mean like time travel?"
Aelita didn't understand the phrase so she explained the program to Jeremie. "There's a program that's
activated whenever a tower is shut down. It reverses the flow and returns everything to a time before the
tower became active. Only people in the room you're in right now will retain knowledge of what happened."
"Wow, that's cool. Show me how to do it, Miss Aelita."
"It's all set up, just press the enter key. Oh... and Jeremie?"
"Yeah?"
"You... don't have to call me Miss Aelita. Just plain old Aelita is okay by me."
"Okay, Mi... I mean Aelita."
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Odd was rolling on the floor with laughter. "What's so funny?" Ulrich asked.
"I can't believe it," Odd said.
"What, that Aelita was able to beat a Block so easily?"
"No, that Jeremie called Aelita 'Miss' when they're the same age. It's just too funny to imagine."
"So, we returned to the past," Aelita finished. "Jeremie was even able to stop the bullies from picking on the
little girl."
"You know, I did feel a strange sense of de'ja vu that day," Odd commented.
"Oh come on, Odd, you didn't even believe Jeremie when he first told you about Lyoko," Ulrich pointed out.
"Neither did you," Odd countered.
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(2 days later)
"I'm telling you guys it's all true!" Jeremie said to Ulrich and Odd in the cafeteria. "I even talked to
her and everything!"
"Jeremie, I think that fall must've rattled that oversize brain of yours," Odd commented. "I mean geez, what
you're describing sounds almost alien."
"I agree with Odd, Jeremie, it's rather hard to believe."
"Fine, I'll just show you guys tonight. Meet me in the park. I'll take you to see her then." He then walked
away.
"What do you think?" Ulrich asked Odd.
"I think he needs a social life," Odd commented.
"Still... that factory was closed down years ago. I wonder why."
"Probably bankruptcy," Odd said leaning back in his chair.
"I'm going to meet up with Jeremie tonight," Ulrich decided. "You coming?"
Odd sighed. "I still think this is just a waste of time. But... I'll come along, at the very least to keep
an eye on you. I know how much of a rebel you can be."
Ulrich smiled slyly. "Who, me?"
"See any other Ulrich around here?"
"Let's not tell anybody about this though. The last thing we need are tag-alongs."
"You mean like us?"
"Okay, let me rephrase that. The last thing we need are more tag-alongs."
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"But as it turned out, we did have one more tag-along," Odd commented staring at Yumi. Yumi noticed that Ulrich
and Aelita were also staring at her.
"What?" She asked. "You guys were descending into the sewers in the middle of the night. Don't tell me that
didn't look suspicious. I had to follow."
"The fact that you were following us wasn't the problem," Ulrich said. "How you chose to introduce yourself,
however, was."
Yumi lowered her head in embarrassment. "Oh yeah..."
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(That night)
"So tell me again WHY we're going down into the sewers?" Odd asked.
"It's the only way I know how to get there," Jeremie commented. "Is the cover closed?"
"Yup," Ulrich confirmed jiggling it just to be on the safe side. "I doubt anyone would choose to follow us
down here."
"And why would they?" Odd questioned. Jeremie lead them through the sewers. He knew the route even though it
was next to pitch-black in there. They haven't gone far when they heard a clang sound.
"What was that?" Jeremie asked.
"I'll go check it out," Ulrich volunteered. He went back the way they came.
Jeremie and Odd waited a while, then they heard Ulrich yelp in pain. They ran to check on him. "Ulrich, are
you all right?" Jeremie asked.
"Someone just kicked me," Ulrich said putting up his guard. "And they're still here." The three boys stood
back-to-back.
Ulrich saw it coming a split-second before it happened. He blocked the attacking foot with his forearm then
grabbed it with both hands. He pushed it up causing the body it was attached to fall over. Ulrich moved in
to grab the person who kicked him once and almost did it a second time but the body had vanished. "Hey Odd,"
he called. "How about a little light?" Odd took out a pen flashlight and shined it around but he couldn't
see anything.
Ulrich was attacked again and this time, he couldn't block it. {Whoever did this was pretty good,} he thought.
{They're using the darkness as cover and attacking randomly. But why can't I see anything? I mean I should at
least be able to make out what clothes they're wearing.} "Odd, let me have the flashlight." Odd passed him the
flashlight and Ulrich turned it off. He stood there in silence, waiting.
The attacker kicked him again. Ulrich quickly shined the light and caught the butt of someone in black running
back into the darkness.
{That's it,} he thought. {They're wearing all black so that's why I can hardly see them.} Ulrich's thinking
distracted him from the approaching kick and it knocked the flashlight from his hand. It fell to the ground.
"Hey Jeremie," Odd whispered. "I have an idea. Get ready to go for the flashlight when I tell you to." He
reached for something in his pocket. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" He announced. Apparently that was a code to Ulrich to
duck down. Odd took out a water gun and fired around.
"Aaaaahhh!" A voice cried. Actually, it sounded more surprised than physically hurt. Whatever the reason,
it gave Ulrich the opportunity he needed. He executed a flawless Judo take-down.
"Now!" Odd shouted. Jeremie dove for the light and shined it in the direction of the scream.
It was a girl with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. She wore a black shirt and pants which explained
why they couldn't see her.
"Turn off your brights," the girl requested blocking her eyes with her hand. Jeremie was shining the flashlight
directly in her face. Jeremie apologized and moved the beam downward.
"Just who are you?" Ulrich asked.
"My name is Yumi," she introduced. "I'm a day student." A day student was a school term for someone who didn't
live in the dorms. She must live close-by if she saw them.
"Well I'm Ulrich and that's Odd and Jeremie. Now, Yumi, what were you doing in the sewers attacking us?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Yumi countered. "Three boys going into the sewers at night. I thought that
you were up to no-good so I thought I should stop you."
"What we're doing is none of your business," Ulrich countered.
"Well, I guess we'll have to kill her now," Odd said casually twirling the water gun in his hand like he was in
a spaghetti western.
"Kill me!" Yumi gasped.
"Yup, you know too much." Odd aimed the water gun at Yumi's head.
"Wait a second, Odd," Jeremie spoke up. "We'll just have to take her with us."
"All right," Ulrich grumbled. "But I'm bringing up the rear making sure she doesn't try anything tricky." He
cast a suspicious glance at Yumi.
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"And that was the beginning of a beautiful relaionshYEOW!" Ulrich slammed his fist down on Odd's tail interrupting
his sentence. "Hey, careful on the tail, that's my early-warning system." He cradled his tail. "Sheesh, first
Xana, now you. What is this, beat up on Odd month?"
"Which reminds me. Hey Jeremie, any luck on fixing the system freeze?" Aelita only received silence. "I guess he
and Xana are still trying to fix it."
"Speaking of Xana," Yumi said. "Remember our first battle with Xana's monsters?"
"It's hard to forget our first battle," Ulrich commented.
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(2 Weeks Later)
Jeremie had called them to the factory. The boy had been spending most of his free time there learning the ins and
outs of Lyoko.
When they arrived at the factory, Jeremie was already in the lab.
"So what's happening, genious?" Odd asked
"I have a gift for you guys." Jeremie turned one of the monitors to face the other three. On the screen were three
figures that looked like the three of them.
"What are they?" Yumi asked staring at the female in the kimono with the hair pulled up in a bun and holding two
fans.
"They're avatars. You can use these when you go to Lyoko."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ulrich interrupted Jeremie's explanation. "Are you sure it's safe?"
"Aelita told me that the scanners are in perfect condition and she hasn't had one mishap with them ever."
"And how many times has Aelita used the scanners?"
"Well... if you include this time... once."
"Well that's it for me, good night, everybody!" Odd said waving and heading for the elevator.
"Wait, Odd!" Jeremie protested.
"Look, Jeremie," Ulrich said. "You're talking about using some untested technology that we have no clue how it
works or even how it got here in the first place. It's just too dangerous."
"But Ulrich, I..."
"Jeremie!" Aelita cried.
"Aelita, what's wrong?"
"It's Xana, he's attacking me! I saw his activated tower and now he's sending his Hornets after me!"
Jeremie turned towards the screen. "Aelita, can't you use your powers like you did last time?"
"There's too many of them, I... AAAHHHH!"
"Aelita!" Jeremie turned towards the others. "Are you going to just stand there while Aelita gets hurt or
even worse?"
"Jeremie, she isn't even human," Yumi argued.
"So? Does that give us the right to just ignore a cry for help? If you were in her place, how would you feel?"
"I hate to say it," Ulrich said to Yumi. "But he's right. Human or not, someone's in trouble and we're the
only ones who can help."
"Yeah," Yumi agreed. "I couldn't live with myself if I ignored a call for help. Let's do it!"
"What we're doing is absolutely crazy," Odd said. "But... if you guys are doing it, then I might as well."
Jeremie smiled. "Thanks, you guys. I owe you big. He sat back down in his chair. "Take the elevator down
one level. You'll see three capsule-like chambers. Each of you enter one and just stand there."
Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd complied with Jeremie's instructions. One level down from the control room was another
room, yellow in color. Three small chambers, barely enough to fit a person, maybe two, were waiting for them.
Each of them entered a scanner.
"Okay, uploading avatars into Lyoko system. Transferring Ulrich avatar. Transferring Yumi avatar.
Transferring Odd avatar. Activating scanners." Each of the three children felt a force take hold of them
and raised them. "Scanning of Ulrich completed. Scanning of Yumi completed. Scanning of Odd completed.
Beginning virtualization!"
When Ulrich opened his eyes, he didn't find himself inside the chamber, but rather in a forest area. Trees
lined the path with nothingness in the distance.
"So this is Lyoko," Ulrich said. The looked down at himself. He was wearing a yellow and black ninja-like
outfit complete with headband and sword sheathed at his side. He looked at Yumi and Odd. Yumi's face was
painted white and she was dressed in a kimono. Odd looked like a half-man, half-cat with huge cat gloves.
"Hey, look at this," Odd said looking over himself. "I look cool."
"For once," Ulrich threw in.
"Welcome to Lyoko," a new voice greeted. Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd turned to see Aelita walking up to them.
"I'm Aelita."
"Nice to meet you, Aelita," Ulrich returned. "I'm Ulrich and that's Yumi and Odd."
"Jeremie has told us so much about you," Yumi said.
"Jeremie has told me so much about you as well," Aelita threw in.
"Good, now that we've all introduced, how about introducing who your flying friends are?" Odd pointed to
the group of insects that were flying towards them.
"Oh no," Aelita gasped. "The hornets were closer than I thought."
"Then I guess this is where we come in," Ulrich decided drawing his sword.
"I just hope we can win," Yumi said pulling out a fan.
"Hey genius," Odd called. "You forgot to give me a weapon."
"Your weapon's built into your glove," Jeremie explained.
"Oh, well that helps. All right, take this!"
And the battle began.
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"Not that I think about it," Odd said. "If it wasn't for Jeremie, we probably wouldn't be here in the first
place." He waved his hands in front of him as he caught Aelita's shocked expression and Yumi and Ulrich's scowl.
"I'm not saying that to be accusing, all I'm saying is that if it wasn't for Jeremie, we wouldn't have met each
other to begin with."
"It was Jeremie that first fueled my interest in becoming human," Aelita commented. "He described it so
eloquently that I just had to experience being a human for myself, even if it's just for a little while."
"I guess we owe a lot to that kid," Ulrich commented.
"Yeah," Yumi agreed. "He changed my life definitely." She cast Ulrich a side glance.
"Hey guys, still alive in there?"
"Well speak of the devil," Odd said standing up. "We're here, Jeremie."
"I have good news. Xana and I have debugged the system. We're ready to bring you home."
"Then make like Nike and just do it," Ulrich cracked. One by one, they dissolved. Aelita was first, then Odd,
and then Ulrich and Yumi together.
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Back in the real world, the group went up to the control room. Jeremie was in his usual place.
"So, guys, how was your little vacation?" Jeremie asked.
"Not bad," Odd commented.
Jeremie gave them a small smile. "Do anything fun?"
"Nah, just sat around and talked," Ulrich answered.
"Actually," Odd rebuked. "We did realize something."
"What's that?"
"We realized that we wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."
Jeremie was confused. "So... um... is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd all looked at each other before replying at the same time, "Good thing."
Odd patted Aelita's shoulder while adding, "Especially for 'Miss Aelita' over here."
"Miss Ae..." Jeremie slapped his head with his palm. "Aelita, you didn't tell them, did you?"
"Sorry, Jeremie, I did."
"Hey look," Odd pointed to Jeremie's cheeks. "He's blushing. Our little genius is blushing."
And everyone had a good laugh, especially Jeremie.
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Still confused as to what's going on? Well, worry no more. For in the next chapter, Xana will explain everything!
Well... mostly everything.
Return to the Past
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Just to warn you all, I re-uploaded chapters 1-5 because I made some mistakes with the names. They're mostly the
same, just with the names and a few dialogue changes. If you want to go back and read them to find the changes,
go ahead.
Review Response:
Midnight Insanity: Sometimes, obscure couples are a good thing. Besides, ever heard of the saying "Opposites
attract?" Well, you definitely can't get more opposite than those two (Sissi and Herb).
Person in state of Ennui: You make a valid argument. I just thought that since most people refer to Japanese-
based animation as Anime (I believe they even do that in Japan) and Code: Lyoko isn't from a Japanese-based
company, it wouldn't be considered anime (actually, I heard that anime is simply short for Japanimation)
JQLN: Xana's winning battles for once, isn't that good enough? Besides, hate to spoil, but the next chapter has
mucho Xana in it.
Samster: Ask and thou shalt receive.
I don't own Code: Lyoko, but you guys should know that by now.
Abstract: The gang's stuck in Lyoko for a while. What do they do to pass the time? Why tell stories of the past
of course. A/N: This isn't a clip chapter and I did take a few creative liberties so sorry if I mess something up.
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Ulrich released another energy wave from his kitanas and looked behind him. "Aelita, get to the tower and protect
it!"
"I would if I could," Aelita said as she blocked an exploding Blow Fish. "But I'm surrounded."
"Darn it!" Ulrich looked around but Odd, Yumi, and Xana were also being surrounded. When Jeremie detected the
Invaders setting up in the mountain region, they hurried to stop them before they transformed the tower into an
Obelisk. But the Invaders were waiting for them with an army of Skeletons and Blow Fish.
"Yumi, you're getting too close to the edge," Jeremie warned. The Blow Fish have been getting too close to her and
forced her to the edge of the digital void.
"It's not like I have much of a choice," Yumi said. She made her sign with her hand and summoned her aura.
"Mystic Aura... Reflect!" An invisible force blew the Blow Fish back but it also blew her back over the edge.
Yumi grabbed the edge with both hands. "Ulrich, help me!"
Ulrich had a brief de'ja vu experience of the time they lost Yumi in the forest region. Jeremie had to use the
experimental materialization program to bring her back. But, like the old cartoon gag goes, they could only do it
once because the program was the accidental result of Odd dropping candy on Jeremie's keyboard. Now, Yumi was
about to fall again. And once again, he would be helpless to do anything about it.
"I'm about to fall!" Yumi cried.
"Hang on, Yumi," Jeremie advised. "I'm sending some help on the way."
But Yumi's hands were rapidly slipping. Finally, she couldn't hold on any more and she let go.
"YUMI!" Ulrich cried.
"Upload!" Jeremie shouted. One of Yumi's bladed disks disappeared and replaced by a three-pronged claw with
rope attached. Yumi fired it. The hook flew over the edge and dug into the rocky ground. Yumi held onto the
rope for dear life.
"Phew! Thanks, Jeremie, I owe you one."
"Better hurry and climb up, Yumi, the grappling claw won't last forever."
Yumi began to climb up the rope. "I just wish I got more practice with rope climbing in gym." Finally, Yumi reached
over the edge of the plateau they were on. She noticed that the others had mostly dealt with the army that was
sent for them. "Hey, a little help here, guys!" She called.
Ulrich, relieved to see her, ran to help her up. "Yumi, I was afraid I lost you."
Yumi patted his cheek. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, at least not again."
"I'm glad," Ulrich responded.
"Hey, lovebirds," Odd called. "If you're done saying hi, we kind of need help over here!" Odd, Aelita, and Xana
were pushing the Skeleton army back down the hill that lead up to the tower. Jeremie restored Yumi's bladed disk
and the two ran to join their comrades (with egg on their faces).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeremie chuckled at Odd's "lovebird" comment. Everybody knew those two were fond of each other. But apparently,
they still liked to pretend that they were only friends.
Suddenly an alarm rang out throughout the lab. Jeremie ran to check the status screen. "This can't be
happening!"
"Jeremie, what's wrong?" Aelita asked.
"Someone's trying to hack into my system!" Jeremie announced. "This is bad, if they gain access, our secret's
out."
"Can't you put up some sort of firewall?" Yumi asked.
"I'm one step ahead of you, Yumi... no good! A data stream has already been established. I'm going to try to
figure out where it's... huh?"
"Uh-oh, when Jeremie says 'huh,' you know it's bad," Odd commented.
"This is strange. The data stream is operating as an uplink and not a downlink."
"Meaning?" Ulrich asked.
"He means that something is being introduced into the super computer and not taken," Aelita translated.
"It must be a virus," Jeremie said. "I'm trying to terminate the link..." Jeremie growled in frustration.
"Whoever's doing this knows more about the system than I do! They're getting around all my protection
protocols!"
"Is that even possible?" Ulrich asked.
Odd's tail began pulling in one direction. "Guys, we're about to have more trouble!" He pointed in the same
direction his tail was in. "It's coming from that direction and... DUCK!" Everyone, Xana included, ducked down
as a flaming wheel cruised through the air and sliced the remaining Skeletons into tiny bits. It then returned
in the direction it came.
"What was that?" Yumi asked.
"I don't know," Ulrich replied.
"The data stream was terminated before I could trace it to its source." Jeremie sat back in his chair. "Someone
knew their way around the super computer. It was able to create a back door and disabled all the protection
software I installed."
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From outside the factory, a laptop was shut down and placed into a backpack. The owner then walked away casually,
whistling.
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"Well, whatever that thing was, it took care of our job for us," Odd commented as the weapons disappeared.
"Jeremie, log us out and we can help you try and figure it out."
"You got it." Jeremie keyed in the log-out commands but an error message came on the screen and stayed there.
"Oh no, this isn't good."
"Uh... Jeremie, any time now," Ulrich said.
"Guys, I don't know how to tell you this, but... the system's frozen."
"Frozen?" Everyone in Lyoko who could talk said at the same time.
"I'm confused," Odd said. "How can a super computer get frozen?"
"It must've been the same hacker who was trying to upload something into our system," Jeremie deduced. He got
out his laptop and plugged it into the Lyoko system. "I knew it. The data stream created by the hacker left an
imperfection in the flow tunnel."
"And for us ignorant bunch?" Odd cracked.
"The system took in too much data at once. That resulted in the system freeze."
"So can you unfreeze it?"
"Oh, sure," Jeremie said casually. "Unfreezing the system should be no problem, but it'll take a while."
"So what should we do in the mean time?"
"Just... hang out."
"Hang out he says," Odd said rolling his eyes.
"Yes, hang out," Jeremie repeated. "I'm going down to the core to see if I can unfreeze it from there. I
could sure use Xana's help on this one." Xana sent an Instant Message telling Jeremie that he will help.
"We better take cover in the tower," Ulrich recommended. "The Invaders could still be around and without
Jeremie to upload our weapons, we're vulnerable." The four walked into the tower.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I still find it hard to believe that someone was able to hack into our super computer," Yumi said. "Especially
considering all the protection Jeremie installed."
Ulrich looked at Aelita, who was sitting Indian style by the tower's entrance. "Aelita, do you know anyone who
would be able to hack Lyoko?"
Aelita shook her head. "No. To tell you the truth, until I met you guys, Jeremie was the only human I ever
encountered with expert knowledge of the super computer. Actually, back then, he was the first human I ever
encountered period."
"You mean you hadn't seen any humans before Jeremie? But what about the lab, the scanners? I doubt they all
could just appear out of thin air. Didn't you have any contact with your programmers or have any archives?"
"Good question, Ulrich. For as long as I can remember, I was alone in Lyoko. There was nobody to talk to but
the trees and the rocks. I explored from one end of Lyoko to the other. The thought that a world like yours
existed never even occured to me. Then one day..."
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(Almost 2 Years Ago)
The boy's name was Jeremie and he just arrived at a prestigious boarding junior high school. Being the genius
he was, he easily got accepted. He had only just finished putting away his stuff when there was a scuffle
outside his door. He opened it and saw a bunch of bigger kids picking on a small girl. Before Jeremie even
knew what he was doing, he said, "Hey, leave her alone!"
The bullies turned on him, deciding that he was a more tempting target. Jeremie quickly left the dorms and ran
into the adjacent park. He frantically looked around for someplace he could hide in and finally took a big leap
in opening a manhole cover and climbing down into the sewers. No sooner had he closed the lid and reached the
floor then the bullies were seen on top of the manhole. Jeremie gasped and soon regretted it. His gasp had
attracted their attention and they were already moving the manhole cover aside. Jeremie ran from one tunnel to
the next. But no matter how hard he ran, he couldn't lose them. Jeremie finally spotted an exit. He slid open
the hatch climbed through, shut it again, and sat on it. But his weight was not enough for their combined
strength. Jeremie saw a large brown building across a bridge.
{Must be some sort of old warehouse or factory,} he thought. He quickly ran across the bridge, seeking shelter
in the building.
His eyes were closed, so he didn't see the ten foot drop until it was too late. Jeremie fell on his back. He
could hear the bullies talking above him.
"Come on, guys, let's go."
"But he might be dead. Shouldn't we call an ambulance or something?"
"Forget it, they'll just think we killed him. Besides, he's probably just playing possum." After about a
while, they left. Shortly after that, Jeremie stuggled to pull himself to his feet. His whole body ached from
the fall and therunning. He noticed an old freight elevator which made him think that this was probably an old
mining factory left over from a long time ago. He walked (staggered is more like it) into it and pushed the
button. The elevator began descending. Jeremie wondered if this would take him back to the sewers when the
elevator stopped, apparently in mid-descent. The elevator door opened and Jeremie came face-to-face with what
looked like a large vault door.
Which unlocked allowing Jeremie access to the other side.
Jeremie gasped as he walked into the large room. Most of it was taken up by a floor-mounted projector. A
large computer with three monitors and a keyboard.
"Who's there?" A female voice called out. Jeremie jumped a foot and a half and looked around.
"Wh... who said that?"
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"That's what I want to ask," Jeremie retorted. "Are you a ghost?" But he couldn't find any source for the
voice. {Where is that voice coming from? Maybe it's some sort of intercom. If that's true, then there must
be a microphone aroundhere somewhere.} Jeremie explored the room until he came to the computer set-up.
There was an earpiece microphone laying on the chair. Jeremie picked it up and placed it in his ear. "He... hello?"
"Finally, a voice," the disembodied voice said.
"Who are you? Where are you?"
"Oh, sorry, you want a visual, right?"
"Um... yeah." The computer screen booted up and after over a dozen introduction screens, a video feed was
activated. The feed showed a girl, probably a bit older than Jeremie was. She had short pink hair and beady
green eyes. She had elf-like ears and was dressed in what looked like a kimono that was two sizes too small
for her over a yellow shirt and shorts.
"Hi," she greeted. "I'm Aelita."
"Ae... lita?"
"Your name's Aelita too? What a coincidence!"
Jeremie realized what he said and quickly shook his head. "No, wait... I mean... my name's Jeremie."
"Well, Jeremie, welcome."
"Um... excuse me, Miss Aelita, but... where are you contacting me from?"
"From Lyoko."
"What's a... Lyoko?" Jeremie asked as something behind him started giving out light. Jeremie turned and gasped.
The floor projector had turned on and was projecting a larger than life image of what looked like a planet. The
planet (Jeremie didn't know what else to call it) seemed to be devided into topographical regions. It wasn't
un-like Earth.
From behind him came Aelita's voice. "That's Lyoko."
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"Jeremie was a quick study, he seemed to understand the physics of Lyoko even better than I did," Aelita concluded.
"He is a quick study," Ulrich agreed.
Odd laughed. "Oh man, I would've loved to see Jeremie's face when you first called out to him. It must've been
priceless."
Aelita also laughed. "What was even better was his face upon seeing Lyoko. I thought he was going to faint."
"Maybe..." Ulrich pondered. "That one of the Engineers who built the super computer... maybe they were the ones
who hacked past Jeremie's protection."
"You don't think it was Xana pulling a fast one on us, don't you?"
"I doubt it," Aelita replied. "There would be no logic in that."
"Well you can't blame me for asking," Odd commented. "I mean after all, Xana has been after you from the get-go."
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(The same day as the first meeting of Jeremie and Aelita)
"This system's incredible!" Jeremie gasped. "I've never seen anything so advanced before, it's not like anything
we have on Earth."
"And that's just the basic software," Aelita explained. "Wait 'til I show you the virtualization system..."
Aelita suddenly gasped.
"Miss Aelita, what's wrong?" Jeremie asked.
"He's awake! But... this isn't possible!"
"Who's awake?"
"Xana!"
"Xana?"
Aelita nodded. "Xana is this evil presence who seems to have full control over Lyoko. He sometimes sends his
monsters after me but I always escape. He's never been this bold before."
"What's he doing? Maybe I can help!"
"He's trying to access another computer network. He must be doing it by using a tower. Towers enable me to
travel from one region of Lyoko to the next but they also are able to access other systems." Aelita explained
how the towers worked to Jeremie and the boy immediately understood. The tower that Xana had been using to
access the Internet was in the forest region. Aelita ran to it but encountered one of Xana's minions, a Block.
The block fired its laser taking Aelita down ten life points (as Jeremie read from the status screen).
"Miss Aelita, can't you do anything about it?" Jeremie asked.
"Yes I can," Aelita confirmed. She got down on both knees and made a triangle gesture with her hands. She
opened her mouth and let out a melodic sound.
Jeremie thought it was the most beautiful thing he ever heard.
A rock formed in mid-air and crushed the Block. Aelita continued on to the tower and shut it down.
"So now what do we do?" Jeremie asked.
"Now we can return to the past."
"You mean like time travel?"
Aelita didn't understand the phrase so she explained the program to Jeremie. "There's a program that's
activated whenever a tower is shut down. It reverses the flow and returns everything to a time before the
tower became active. Only people in the room you're in right now will retain knowledge of what happened."
"Wow, that's cool. Show me how to do it, Miss Aelita."
"It's all set up, just press the enter key. Oh... and Jeremie?"
"Yeah?"
"You... don't have to call me Miss Aelita. Just plain old Aelita is okay by me."
"Okay, Mi... I mean Aelita."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Odd was rolling on the floor with laughter. "What's so funny?" Ulrich asked.
"I can't believe it," Odd said.
"What, that Aelita was able to beat a Block so easily?"
"No, that Jeremie called Aelita 'Miss' when they're the same age. It's just too funny to imagine."
"So, we returned to the past," Aelita finished. "Jeremie was even able to stop the bullies from picking on the
little girl."
"You know, I did feel a strange sense of de'ja vu that day," Odd commented.
"Oh come on, Odd, you didn't even believe Jeremie when he first told you about Lyoko," Ulrich pointed out.
"Neither did you," Odd countered.
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(2 days later)
"I'm telling you guys it's all true!" Jeremie said to Ulrich and Odd in the cafeteria. "I even talked to
her and everything!"
"Jeremie, I think that fall must've rattled that oversize brain of yours," Odd commented. "I mean geez, what
you're describing sounds almost alien."
"I agree with Odd, Jeremie, it's rather hard to believe."
"Fine, I'll just show you guys tonight. Meet me in the park. I'll take you to see her then." He then walked
away.
"What do you think?" Ulrich asked Odd.
"I think he needs a social life," Odd commented.
"Still... that factory was closed down years ago. I wonder why."
"Probably bankruptcy," Odd said leaning back in his chair.
"I'm going to meet up with Jeremie tonight," Ulrich decided. "You coming?"
Odd sighed. "I still think this is just a waste of time. But... I'll come along, at the very least to keep
an eye on you. I know how much of a rebel you can be."
Ulrich smiled slyly. "Who, me?"
"See any other Ulrich around here?"
"Let's not tell anybody about this though. The last thing we need are tag-alongs."
"You mean like us?"
"Okay, let me rephrase that. The last thing we need are more tag-alongs."
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"But as it turned out, we did have one more tag-along," Odd commented staring at Yumi. Yumi noticed that Ulrich
and Aelita were also staring at her.
"What?" She asked. "You guys were descending into the sewers in the middle of the night. Don't tell me that
didn't look suspicious. I had to follow."
"The fact that you were following us wasn't the problem," Ulrich said. "How you chose to introduce yourself,
however, was."
Yumi lowered her head in embarrassment. "Oh yeah..."
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(That night)
"So tell me again WHY we're going down into the sewers?" Odd asked.
"It's the only way I know how to get there," Jeremie commented. "Is the cover closed?"
"Yup," Ulrich confirmed jiggling it just to be on the safe side. "I doubt anyone would choose to follow us
down here."
"And why would they?" Odd questioned. Jeremie lead them through the sewers. He knew the route even though it
was next to pitch-black in there. They haven't gone far when they heard a clang sound.
"What was that?" Jeremie asked.
"I'll go check it out," Ulrich volunteered. He went back the way they came.
Jeremie and Odd waited a while, then they heard Ulrich yelp in pain. They ran to check on him. "Ulrich, are
you all right?" Jeremie asked.
"Someone just kicked me," Ulrich said putting up his guard. "And they're still here." The three boys stood
back-to-back.
Ulrich saw it coming a split-second before it happened. He blocked the attacking foot with his forearm then
grabbed it with both hands. He pushed it up causing the body it was attached to fall over. Ulrich moved in
to grab the person who kicked him once and almost did it a second time but the body had vanished. "Hey Odd,"
he called. "How about a little light?" Odd took out a pen flashlight and shined it around but he couldn't
see anything.
Ulrich was attacked again and this time, he couldn't block it. {Whoever did this was pretty good,} he thought.
{They're using the darkness as cover and attacking randomly. But why can't I see anything? I mean I should at
least be able to make out what clothes they're wearing.} "Odd, let me have the flashlight." Odd passed him the
flashlight and Ulrich turned it off. He stood there in silence, waiting.
The attacker kicked him again. Ulrich quickly shined the light and caught the butt of someone in black running
back into the darkness.
{That's it,} he thought. {They're wearing all black so that's why I can hardly see them.} Ulrich's thinking
distracted him from the approaching kick and it knocked the flashlight from his hand. It fell to the ground.
"Hey Jeremie," Odd whispered. "I have an idea. Get ready to go for the flashlight when I tell you to." He
reached for something in his pocket. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" He announced. Apparently that was a code to Ulrich to
duck down. Odd took out a water gun and fired around.
"Aaaaahhh!" A voice cried. Actually, it sounded more surprised than physically hurt. Whatever the reason,
it gave Ulrich the opportunity he needed. He executed a flawless Judo take-down.
"Now!" Odd shouted. Jeremie dove for the light and shined it in the direction of the scream.
It was a girl with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. She wore a black shirt and pants which explained
why they couldn't see her.
"Turn off your brights," the girl requested blocking her eyes with her hand. Jeremie was shining the flashlight
directly in her face. Jeremie apologized and moved the beam downward.
"Just who are you?" Ulrich asked.
"My name is Yumi," she introduced. "I'm a day student." A day student was a school term for someone who didn't
live in the dorms. She must live close-by if she saw them.
"Well I'm Ulrich and that's Odd and Jeremie. Now, Yumi, what were you doing in the sewers attacking us?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Yumi countered. "Three boys going into the sewers at night. I thought that
you were up to no-good so I thought I should stop you."
"What we're doing is none of your business," Ulrich countered.
"Well, I guess we'll have to kill her now," Odd said casually twirling the water gun in his hand like he was in
a spaghetti western.
"Kill me!" Yumi gasped.
"Yup, you know too much." Odd aimed the water gun at Yumi's head.
"Wait a second, Odd," Jeremie spoke up. "We'll just have to take her with us."
"All right," Ulrich grumbled. "But I'm bringing up the rear making sure she doesn't try anything tricky." He
cast a suspicious glance at Yumi.
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"And that was the beginning of a beautiful relaionshYEOW!" Ulrich slammed his fist down on Odd's tail interrupting
his sentence. "Hey, careful on the tail, that's my early-warning system." He cradled his tail. "Sheesh, first
Xana, now you. What is this, beat up on Odd month?"
"Which reminds me. Hey Jeremie, any luck on fixing the system freeze?" Aelita only received silence. "I guess he
and Xana are still trying to fix it."
"Speaking of Xana," Yumi said. "Remember our first battle with Xana's monsters?"
"It's hard to forget our first battle," Ulrich commented.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2 Weeks Later)
Jeremie had called them to the factory. The boy had been spending most of his free time there learning the ins and
outs of Lyoko.
When they arrived at the factory, Jeremie was already in the lab.
"So what's happening, genious?" Odd asked
"I have a gift for you guys." Jeremie turned one of the monitors to face the other three. On the screen were three
figures that looked like the three of them.
"What are they?" Yumi asked staring at the female in the kimono with the hair pulled up in a bun and holding two
fans.
"They're avatars. You can use these when you go to Lyoko."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ulrich interrupted Jeremie's explanation. "Are you sure it's safe?"
"Aelita told me that the scanners are in perfect condition and she hasn't had one mishap with them ever."
"And how many times has Aelita used the scanners?"
"Well... if you include this time... once."
"Well that's it for me, good night, everybody!" Odd said waving and heading for the elevator.
"Wait, Odd!" Jeremie protested.
"Look, Jeremie," Ulrich said. "You're talking about using some untested technology that we have no clue how it
works or even how it got here in the first place. It's just too dangerous."
"But Ulrich, I..."
"Jeremie!" Aelita cried.
"Aelita, what's wrong?"
"It's Xana, he's attacking me! I saw his activated tower and now he's sending his Hornets after me!"
Jeremie turned towards the screen. "Aelita, can't you use your powers like you did last time?"
"There's too many of them, I... AAAHHHH!"
"Aelita!" Jeremie turned towards the others. "Are you going to just stand there while Aelita gets hurt or
even worse?"
"Jeremie, she isn't even human," Yumi argued.
"So? Does that give us the right to just ignore a cry for help? If you were in her place, how would you feel?"
"I hate to say it," Ulrich said to Yumi. "But he's right. Human or not, someone's in trouble and we're the
only ones who can help."
"Yeah," Yumi agreed. "I couldn't live with myself if I ignored a call for help. Let's do it!"
"What we're doing is absolutely crazy," Odd said. "But... if you guys are doing it, then I might as well."
Jeremie smiled. "Thanks, you guys. I owe you big. He sat back down in his chair. "Take the elevator down
one level. You'll see three capsule-like chambers. Each of you enter one and just stand there."
Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd complied with Jeremie's instructions. One level down from the control room was another
room, yellow in color. Three small chambers, barely enough to fit a person, maybe two, were waiting for them.
Each of them entered a scanner.
"Okay, uploading avatars into Lyoko system. Transferring Ulrich avatar. Transferring Yumi avatar.
Transferring Odd avatar. Activating scanners." Each of the three children felt a force take hold of them
and raised them. "Scanning of Ulrich completed. Scanning of Yumi completed. Scanning of Odd completed.
Beginning virtualization!"
When Ulrich opened his eyes, he didn't find himself inside the chamber, but rather in a forest area. Trees
lined the path with nothingness in the distance.
"So this is Lyoko," Ulrich said. The looked down at himself. He was wearing a yellow and black ninja-like
outfit complete with headband and sword sheathed at his side. He looked at Yumi and Odd. Yumi's face was
painted white and she was dressed in a kimono. Odd looked like a half-man, half-cat with huge cat gloves.
"Hey, look at this," Odd said looking over himself. "I look cool."
"For once," Ulrich threw in.
"Welcome to Lyoko," a new voice greeted. Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd turned to see Aelita walking up to them.
"I'm Aelita."
"Nice to meet you, Aelita," Ulrich returned. "I'm Ulrich and that's Yumi and Odd."
"Jeremie has told us so much about you," Yumi said.
"Jeremie has told me so much about you as well," Aelita threw in.
"Good, now that we've all introduced, how about introducing who your flying friends are?" Odd pointed to
the group of insects that were flying towards them.
"Oh no," Aelita gasped. "The hornets were closer than I thought."
"Then I guess this is where we come in," Ulrich decided drawing his sword.
"I just hope we can win," Yumi said pulling out a fan.
"Hey genius," Odd called. "You forgot to give me a weapon."
"Your weapon's built into your glove," Jeremie explained.
"Oh, well that helps. All right, take this!"
And the battle began.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Not that I think about it," Odd said. "If it wasn't for Jeremie, we probably wouldn't be here in the first
place." He waved his hands in front of him as he caught Aelita's shocked expression and Yumi and Ulrich's scowl.
"I'm not saying that to be accusing, all I'm saying is that if it wasn't for Jeremie, we wouldn't have met each
other to begin with."
"It was Jeremie that first fueled my interest in becoming human," Aelita commented. "He described it so
eloquently that I just had to experience being a human for myself, even if it's just for a little while."
"I guess we owe a lot to that kid," Ulrich commented.
"Yeah," Yumi agreed. "He changed my life definitely." She cast Ulrich a side glance.
"Hey guys, still alive in there?"
"Well speak of the devil," Odd said standing up. "We're here, Jeremie."
"I have good news. Xana and I have debugged the system. We're ready to bring you home."
"Then make like Nike and just do it," Ulrich cracked. One by one, they dissolved. Aelita was first, then Odd,
and then Ulrich and Yumi together.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back in the real world, the group went up to the control room. Jeremie was in his usual place.
"So, guys, how was your little vacation?" Jeremie asked.
"Not bad," Odd commented.
Jeremie gave them a small smile. "Do anything fun?"
"Nah, just sat around and talked," Ulrich answered.
"Actually," Odd rebuked. "We did realize something."
"What's that?"
"We realized that we wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."
Jeremie was confused. "So... um... is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd all looked at each other before replying at the same time, "Good thing."
Odd patted Aelita's shoulder while adding, "Especially for 'Miss Aelita' over here."
"Miss Ae..." Jeremie slapped his head with his palm. "Aelita, you didn't tell them, did you?"
"Sorry, Jeremie, I did."
"Hey look," Odd pointed to Jeremie's cheeks. "He's blushing. Our little genius is blushing."
And everyone had a good laugh, especially Jeremie.
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Still confused as to what's going on? Well, worry no more. For in the next chapter, Xana will explain everything!
Well... mostly everything.