Tiptop shape
Sissi sat on the Infirmary floor as noisy students crowded around her. She was too busy typing at Jeremie's computer to notice, but her eyebrow rose at Odd doing push-ups against the wall. She didn't stop or glance, just sighing, "What are you doing?"
"I'm working out. What does it look like?" Odd strained.
"Like you're trying to get the wall to move. Why are you doing that?"
"I'm tired of Nurse Yolanda calling me scrawny."
"But you are."
"I'm not scrawny. I'm svelte."
Sissi rolled her eyes, pausing her typing. "Odd, do you even know what that word means?"
"Uh... kinda."
"It literally means slender and elegant. Synonyms: willowy, slim."
"But that's better than scrawny," Odd remarked.
"And less true," Ulrich laughed as he sat beside Sissi. "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to double-check Jeremie's work. You'd think he'd be organized with code," The Dragon Queen grumbled.
"Yeah, Einstein's pretty messy. Haven't you seen his room?" Ulrich smiled.
"Well, hopefully, it will help him not worry as much," Sissi glanced at Jeremie and Aelita at the other corner of the hall. "I mean look at him."
"What do you expect? He's Jeremie," Odd grunted.
"Still. He needs a break. I mean, possessed wolves, the ice age, and Aelita's nightmares, XANA's really been hitting us hard. And I barely had enough time to finally finish your weapons. He needed a break."
"Doesn't look like he's taking one," Ulrich noticed. A large frown hung on Jeremie's face.
Aelita offered a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Jeremie."
"What's not to worry about? You have no health records. If the nurse finds out, she might figure out that you're not human," Jeremie mumbled.
Aelita's smile broadened, "You don't think I'm human enough?"
"You know what I mean."
"Relax, Jeremie. I'm sure everything will be fine." Just then, Nurse Yolanda stepped out of her office with her clipboard in hand. Her kind smile and short cut blonde hair lit up the talkative room.
"Jeremie, Odd, and Julian," She called out.
As Jeremie and Odd went inside, Aelita sat next to Sissi, looking over her work. "How is it going?"
"Your boyfriend needs to learn how to make code that isn't cumbersome," Sissi grumbled. Silence, why? She glanced up and saw Aelita's red cheeks.
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Okay, what do you want him to be?" Aelita's eyes wandered to the floor. Her finger hovered to her lips as her body stopped. Sissi could hear the mumblings from her lips, and she glanced at Ulrich. Her toothy frown made him roll his eyes.
"What Sissi is trying to say is that we won't judge you. We know you care a lot about Einstein."
"I do. It's just... It wouldn't be good for us," Aelita said, hugging her knees to her chest.
"Why?" Sissi asked.
"Because... Jeremie shouldn't have a girlfriend that's not human." Sissi and Ulrich shared an uncomfortable glance. Just then, Yolanda called Aelita and Sissi in. Sissi handed the computer to Jeremie and walked inside with her pink-haired friend.
"Hey, what happened with Aelita? She looks sad," Jeremie asked Ulrich.
"Girls stuff," Ulrich muttered quietly. Suddenly, Jeremie's computer beeped loudly.
"An activated tower. Wait for Aelita and Sissi when they come out, Odd and I will go to the factory," Jeremie said.
"Right," Ulrich nodded. Meanwhile, Sissi walked onto the scale and jumped off.
"Uh, Nurse Yolanda. I think the scale's broken," She said.
"Hmm, let me see." The nurse switched up some of the weights and let Sissi step on the scale again. "Uh, Sissi, have you been eating?"
"Yes, why?"
"Well, if this scale is right, and accounting for your height, you weigh less than Odd. You've lost a whole ten pounds," Yolanda said. Both Aelita and Sissi looked at each other with wide eyes. The mechanist looked around her body.
"Well then, where did it go?" She half-joked, though some part of her was really serious. "I have been eating... right, Aelita?" Sissi asked.
Aelita tapped her chin. "Actually, now that I think of it, you don't eat that much. Even with your exercising, you eat pretty much the same amount."
"I see. Sissi, if you're doing strenuous exercise, you have to make sure that you're keeping yourself fueled up with the right nutrition," Yolanda said. Sissi nodded and stepped off the scale. "Okay, it's your turn, Aelita."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Yolanda, but I forgot my records."
"Don't worry, I'll just make a new record for you," The nurse smiled, walking back to her desk.
"Wow, ten pounds. That would explain why my abs seem to be popping out. Hehe, what do you know, I'm getting hotter," Sissi smiled excitedly.
"But I don't understand why you're not eating more," Aelita said.
Sissi clapped her hands together and formally bowed. "When you have transcended, my pink friend, you will find enlightenment. Or the average roller-coaster emotions of a hormonal teenager." The girls laughed. Suddenly, a shiver ran down the Dragon Queen's spine. Sissi scowled around the room. "Aelita, be careful."
"Bad feeling?"
"Yep."
"How do you sense these things?"
"The incident?"
Out of the blue, everyone outside the room heard a loud scream. "That's Sissi." Ulrich burst the door open. Sissi, who was found against the wall, rubbed her head and struggled to get up. The window was open, too. "What happened?"
"Yolanda, XANA, Aelita. We have to go," Sissi grumbled as she finally got to her feet. The two of them vaulted out the window and ran to the factory. Ulrich reached for his phone.
"Jeremie, XANA has possessed Yolanda and kidnapped Aelita. She's on the way to the factory," Ulrich said.
"You need to stall her," Jeremie replied.
"How much time do you need?"
"Ideally? About three months, but just try and give me enough time. Does Sissi have the arm brace with her?"
"Sissi, do you have the arm thingy?" Ulrich asked her.
"It's in my purse."
"You're going to have to stall her and allow Aelita to get to the factory," Jeremie said.
"Okay, we'll try," Ulrich hung up the phone. "So, what's this arm brace you guys made?"
"If it works, it should allow you to fight Yolanda for about 3 hours," Sissi replied.
"IF?"
"We haven't tested it yet, but the prototype didn't catch on fire... that much."
"WHAT?!"
"You'll be fine. If you burn and die... walk it off," Sissi nervously grinned as they ran faster. Shortly, they got to the factory, but the elevator was shut off so they went the long way around to the corridor. They found Yolanda carrying Aelita over her shoulder.
"Hello, Nurse Yolanda. You never completed my physical," Smirked Ulrich. A ball of yellow electricity sparked from Yolanda's hand. Sissi took her cane and threw it over her shoulder, waiting for the right time. As Yolanda threw the ball, Sissi pressed a button on her cane and swung at the ball. It bounced right off her cane and hit the wall next to Yolanda. Dust and concrete burst in front of her eyes, and Yolanda dropped Aelita and tumbled to the ground.
"Homerun Nurse," Sissi smirked.
"What was that?" Ulrich asked as he slung Aelita's arm over his shoulder. Sissi took the other side.
"I did some small tweaks to my cane. Basically, it's a huge magnet that can repel her electricity balls."
"Why would you make that?"
"I was too lazy to get some metal in my room. So tada," She chuckled. They neared the corridor, but the door was locked. Then they heard a female grunt. "Uh Oh." Sissi set Aelita down and grabbed something from her purse. "Take care of Aelita. I'll take care of Yolanda. And tell Jeremie to get that door open!" While Ulrich fumbled for his phone, Sissi rested her cane behind her and slid on the arm brace. Flipping a small hidden switch, Sissi stood a few yards in front of Yolanda. The nurse held up her hand and threw a small electric ball. Sissi extended her hand out and shut her eyes.
Nothing happened. She opened her eyes and saw she was holding the ball in her hand. It didn't touch her but hovered just an inch away from the palm. Yolanda's eyes widened. "Whoa! Okay, uh... what do I do?" Sissi stuttered. The nurse charged toward her.
"Throw it back maybe?!" Ulrich shouted.
"Electricity doesn't work like that!"
"Just do it!" Sissi tried to, but the ball clung to her hand.
"Okay, plan B." She ran towards the nurse with the electric ball in hand. Yolanda caught her wrist and pushed the electric ball away. "AHH! Plan C!" Sissi grabbed Yolanda's wrist. The ball tased the nurse and sent her back into the wall. "Okay, so I can't throw that thing."
"Do you need some help my Queen?" said a voice behind her. It sounded weird…like it was digitalized. She turned and saw Odd speed past her with afterimages coming from behind. Sissi stood there, shaking her head awake. "Get to Lyoko! I'll take care of Yolanda!" Odd shouted back. Sissi nodded. By this time, Aelita had regained consciousness and was walking down the corridor with Ulrich. Soon they could hear Jeremie's frantic voice.
"Aelita, where are you?"
"I'm here," Aelita said.
"Hey, what's going on with Odd?" Sissi asked as she took off the arm brace.
"He's been Jeremified," Yumi said. Sissi rose an eyebrow but quickly shook her head.
"Anyway, let's get to Lyoko before anything happens to him," Sissi said as they rushed to the scanners. In the blink of an eye, they were on Lyoko. Sissi, sticking the landing, hopped on the overboard. Ulrich lept onto the overbike and Yumi and Aelita jumped on the overwing. They quickly zoomed down the forest sector. "Okay, where's that tower?"
"It should be due east. You have to be quick. I don't know if I can guarantee that Odd will be okay," Jeremie said.
"Knowing our luck, he won't," Ulrich muttered.
Sissi sighed, "A little happier tone please?"
"Be careful all the same. XANA has some monsters waiting for you," Jeremie said. As they sped down the green road, they stopped at a crossroads where two crabs surrounded them.
"Well, they don't have to wait anymore," Sissi said, flying toward one of them. The krab fired, but she swung to the left. "Alright, here we go." She gracefully swung low to the ground and then climbed up. "Punch ring!" She shot her ring right in the krab's head, blowing it to pieces. "Ha, and Odd makes it seem like its so hard. DAH!" An unexpected Kankerlot shot her at the left leg, throwing her off the board. She rolled to the ground and onto her feet, throwing her punch ring at the little bug. "Annoying pest," she muttered as Ulrich rode by. She jumped onto the back, hugging his waist, and rejoined with the others speeding down to the tower.
But then Jeremie called in, "Uh guys, we have a tiny problem. It's about Odd. XANA's taken control of the tower I used to give him powers."
"Told you," Ulrich smirked back to Sissi.
"Does that mean XANA will possess him?" Sissi asked.
"For now, it seems that he's content with just pumping energy out of him," Jeremie said sadly.
Yumi's eyes grew large, "You mean... until he's..."
"Yeah."
"Ah, Sissi, you're crushing my waist," Ulrich said, but the Dragon Queen didn't seem to notice.
"We have to save Odd first. Yumi, Aelita, get to the tower. Where is it, Jer?" Sissi asked.
"It's in the mountain sector. I'll guide you," Jeremie said. While Aelita and Yumi veered off, Sissi and Ulrich headed for the tower.
"Good, now we can clean up shop," Ulrich smirked.
"Jeremie, if Odd's power is going down, that means that Nurse Yolanda is going to come for you next. The arm brace I left can catch her electric balls of death, but it can't throw them. Got it?" Sissi said. Suddenly, a huge krab blocked the two warriors' way. Ulrich broke hard. "Shall I get off and let you have this one?" Sissi smirked.
"If your highness would allow me," Ulrich smiled smugly. The Viking jumped off. Ulrich revved up the engine, circled around Sissi, and then fired down towards the krab. It fired, but the ninja swerved out of the way. He got closer and closer, pulling out his sword. "Here we go!" Ulrich jumped off the bike and plunged his saber into the krab's head. Then he flawlessly landed on his bike and skidded to a halt. Sissi ran up to him.
"Great, now we just have to take care of them," Sissi pointed to five incoming Kankerlots while a Blocks came from the back. The two were back to back. "You take the Kankerlots, I'll take the blocks. The first one to finish wins?"
"Deal," Ulrich smirked.
"Ready, go!" The two charged away. The ninja super sprinted to the Kankerlots, slicing through them with ease. The Viking darted past the wall of lasers. Sliding right, she missed an icy ray from the blocks, jumped into the air, and launched a punch ring. One block blew to pieces, but the blow from the Punch Ring pushed her back too. "Oh no," Sissi yelled as she nearly tumbled over the edge. "Oohhh no!" Then she stomped the air. Immediately, a punch ring came out of her foot, sending her into the air about three feet and back on the ground. "Oookay? So I can kinda fly?" A slow smile formed on her face. "Perfect." She stomped her foot, sending her up, and then thrust her other foot down to get airborne. Sissi landed on top of the block in the middle. "HA! Take this!" She destroyed the blocks on the sides with her punch rings and rammed her fist into the block underneath. She jumped off as it exploded. "I'm starting to like this place. Why don't you like Lyoko again, Jer?"
"Just get rid of the monsters. Aelita and Yumi should be back soon," Jeremie said. Then he saw a white labcoat climbing down the ladder out of the corner of his eye. "Uh oh, you guys better hurry. Yolanda found me."
"Don't hurt yourself, Einstein," Sissi shouted. Ulrich blocked the Kankerlot's lasers, then Sissi vaulted over Ulrich, clobbering the last Kankerlot. "I win," She smirked at him.
"Beginner's luck," The ninja replied. Meanwhile, Jeremie rolled out of the chair and grabbed the arm brace. Slipping it on and wrapping the wires around his hand, he turned it on, only to see a red light shining through the dark fabric.
"Great, battery's dead," He muttered. Yolanda charged up a sphere of electric energy. Jeremie stumbled onto his back. Sissi's cane tripped him up. "That's it!" He grabbed the cane, pressed the button, and as Yolanda tossed the ball, Jeremie shakily hit it straight back at her, sending her back into the wall. "Wow! Sissi's cane is probably more reliable than any other invention she's made," Jeremie said.
"Of course, Jer. Our Queen doesn't do things half-way," said a familiar voice. Jeremie smiled and saw Odd climbing down the steps, but then Yolanda growled back to life. A huge electrical aura surrounded her as she glared death into the two blondes.
"Neither does XANA," Jeremie remarked. On Lyoko, the girls were just getting back to the tower.
"Hey, you're just in time. Ulrich and I were just taking care of the monsters," Sissi smiled. Yumi looked around.
"What monsters?"
"We'll tell you later. Aelita, the tower. I don't know how much longer Jeremie can keep Yolanda off," Sissi said. Aelita rushed into the tower and finally deactivated it, just as Yolanda was primed to tase the kids to death. The nurse fainted and collapsed. Odd and Jeremie breathed a sigh.
"So... she just went on a walk to clear her head... out the window?" Mr. Delmas asked.
"Yes, of course," Aelita said as Yolanda was just waking up.
"Is that true, Yolanda?" He asked.
"Well, I'm... I'm not sure. I remember feeling faint all of a sudden then nothing. But I guess what Aelita said is true. She has no reason to lie," Yolanda said. Aelita smiled as the whole gang walked out of the infirmary.
"That was close," Odd said.
"Which part? Nearly losing you, nearly getting creamed by Yolanda, or nearly getting caught by my dad?" Sissi asked.
"All the above."
"Well, we learned a lot though," Jeremie said.
"We did?" Ulrich asked.
"I learned how to activate a tower, Sissi learned what to fix on the arm brace and can kinda fly, and Odd learned that he will forever be scrawny."
"I am Svelte!" Odd shouted. All the others laughed.
Continued...