Author's Note: Not much of one really. The next chapter will take longer than this one.

Chapter 5: The real world

"School huh? I never thought that I would be doing that." Michael said with his new outfit. All the clothes he had on were black to go with his silver hair. The gang was currently walking throughout Kadic and while Michael was confident, Aelita was trailing in the back.

"You are telling me! We have a history test today and you two got out of it." Odd having the cartoon tears fall down his face.

"Come guys. It's just a history class." Jeremie said with his attitude.

"I wish it was a class in computers. I don't have a clue on any history." Michael grinned at the statement and began coughed a little before going into his little rant.

"Hmph! Well, I do Aelita! You should know that the revolutionary war began in 1775! It was an armed conflict between Great Britain and thirteen of its North American colonies that after the onset of the war declared independence as the United States of America." Michael sprouted from his head.

"... Maybe you should be the one teaching the class." Ulrich now coming out of his little trance.

"Hey, when you go through all of the towers databases you would be like this too." Michael now shrugging.

The group entered the classroom and Michael took the lead and had a seat in one of the empty chairs. Aelita followed his suit and sat in the other one. Michael yawned really quick and noticed that all of a sudden he felt exhausted.

"Whoa did you just yawn Michael?" Odd now asking in a joking matter. "Wow, I never noticed it until now! You guys might want to see this." The gang looked at Michael and saw very heavy black circles around his eyes.

"Why do I feel this way?" Michael now wondering why the wave of exhaustion hit him like a train.

"Your body is well… sleepy. It's a thing where you have to sleep and recover your energy." Jeremie now shocked at how long Michael must have worked for the program. His exhaustion carried into the real world after all.

"I will be fine for now. But I am going to need some of this "sleep." Besides that, I am feeling okay." Michael said with a thumbs up hoping that would convince them.

"Who does that new girl think she is? All she cares about is having boys around her!" Sissi now yelling making Michael hold his head.

"Too loud…" Everyone around him laughed at that. Even Nicholas was having a hard time holding his laughter. It was quickly stopped though when Sissi gave him a death glare.

"Can you help me with this stuff?" Aelita whispered to Michael.

"Honestly? I am not that great either. I only read and watched a few documentaries about this stuff. My accent makes that very clear. Be yourself. It's worked so far." Michael pointed to the rest of the gang behind them. "You got them to lean on right?"

"Yeah. But don't think you aren't included." Aelita said with confidence. Michael simply nodded and closed his eyes.

"So then! We have two new students joining us today! Let's quiet down so that way they can introduce themselves." The teacher looked at both to signal it was their turn. Michael signaled for Aelita to go first.

"I,umm...my…" Aelita looked very uncomfortable but Michael gave her a small slug on her back. She looked towards Michael who simply had a grin of confidence. Aelita then got her bearings together and was able to speak out. "My name is Aelita." She sat back down.
"Aelita. And who are you, young man?" The teacher now looking at Michael.

"I am Michael. Originally I am from Korea." When Yumi first looked at Michael, she noticed his Korean features. She decided to make it more convincing, he would be from there. As it turns out it worked… Until the teacher started asking questions.

"Oh? Korea huh? We never had a student from Korea. And to top it off the silver hair. What was Korea like?" This question shocked the rest of the gang as they didn't think the teacher would ask in-depth questions. However, Yumi prepared for that and gave him some culture general tips.

"It's okay. A lot of traffic and a lot of traveling. Not too much different than France in a way. And while silver hair is rare, I will say that Aelita's hair is much more unique." Aelita blushed a little as Michael finished his little speech, but it convinced the teacher nonetheless.

"Well then! Let me be the first to welcome you to our Kadic Junior High. Now turn to page 175 in your textbooks." Aelita looked nervous as she looked around and Michael handed her the textbook.

"Don't be so nervous. You will be fine. Trust your instincts." Michael gave her a reassuring smile.

"Yeah. I wish I had the confidence that you had." Aelita looked at her book.

"Hey, look at me." Aelita looked to see that Michael's hand was slightly shaking. "I am nervous too. Just better at hiding it. But, it's exciting, isn't it? Earth. Come on, try and have a little fun." With that Aelita nodded and the lesson went on without any problems after that.

After the lesson had ended the gang sat at some park benches were Michael was lying flat on one.

"So, is he asleep?" Odd asked after taking his nap in history.

"Nope. I am awake as you guys call it. Just trying to rest my eyes. I could barely focus during history." Michael still having his eyes closed.

"I like history. Although you have to admit, you guys fight a lot. There are so many wars." Aelita almost regretted that as soon as she said that but it was quiet.

"Too much energy… Can't focus." Michael simply said and the entire gang laughed.

"Hey, guys. So how are the earthlings doing?" Yumi now approaching them.

"In truth, not all that bad. I am struggling a little with focusing. But, besides that, I am taking in these senses. I like nature. Very refreshing feel." Michael still lying flat on the bench.

"I was going to say something similar. I'm adapting to all my new senses. Like the air, the colors, the smells." Aelita now taking a big whiff of the air.

"Well, I think it's time that we deactivated the supercomputer," Jeremie said. Michael sprang up from his bench.

"Yeah, I don't think we should wait for XANA's invitation." Ulrich agreeing.

"And besides, who wants to go to Lyoko now that Aelita is here with us?" Odd sighed.

"You do Odd. As far as I remember, we kept a scorecard for most monsters and I am still holding the top spot." The entire group laughed at the joke while Odd was a little red.

"You will think this is crazy, but it scares me. Lyoko, after all, was my home." Aelita looking a little down.

"Although I couldn't remember much of it, I do agree. It feels weird to having to say goodbye to it." Michael having a little frown.

"I am worried about what effects it will have on Michael and me." Aelita dropped that little bombshell on the group.

"Hey, no need to worry okay?" Michael now coming up to her. "If anything happens, these guys have our back right?" The gang smirked and nodded. Jeremie grabbed Aelita's hand and they went off to the factory.

The group descended down to the factory floor from the ropes. Michael and Aelita were introduced to Jim or Jimbo. They went to the elevator and then to the super calculator room. As the computer rose Aelita seemed nervous while Michael's heart was pounding.

THUMP!

'What is this feeling? It's as if…' Jeremie began to approach the super calculator.

THUMP!

'Something is telling me…' He opened the panel.

THUMP!

'This isn't what we should be doing.' He gave his speech about XANA.

THUMP! And with that, Jeremie cut the power. Both Aelita and Michael feel unconscious.

Michael's Flashback- Before XANA three weeks before the transfer.

"Hey, dad?" Michael asked his father in his study.

"Yes? What is it, son?" Franz asked the silver haired boy. He noticed that he seemed troubled by something.

"Well… It's about Aelita…" Franz had never seen his eldest seemed so worried. "Recently, she has been talking about some bullies at her school. It seems that sometimes they think it's fun to pick on her. Calling her names, bullying her, taking things away from her." Michael clenched his fists in anger. But the anger went away quickly. "I want to take her to school a few times while you are working there. Please father." Michael now bowing in front of his dad.

Although Franz would have to lie to the school, he knew that Michael wouldn't come to him without good reason. Therefore, he decided to go ahead with Michael's plan.

"Okay. But don't do anything too rash." Michael smiled and nodded.

The next day…

"Why are you coming with daddy and me?" Aelita now asking as they both rode their bikes to school.

"Oh, well he said that he needs some help with grading and some programming stuff. I am sure that it will only be for a few days." Michael hated lying, but it was for Aelita's sake.

"Hmm… okay!" Aelita laughed as she began to accelerate more.

"Hey! Come back here! I have no idea where the school is!" Michael chasing and pedaling with all of his might.

As they approached the entrance, Michael saw how big the school really was. In terms of the campus itself, it was very open for kids his age. He wondered if maybe someday he should go to school. But, for now, the plan was to stay at home until high school. The two walked in and Aelita gave him a little tour of the place. However, it was cut short when three figures approached them.

"Hey look it's the girl with pink hair." A blond figure stated.

"Yeah, how about we lock her in the gym like last time?" A redhead then signaled his hands for a lock.

"Or better yet? Why don't we just embarrass her in front of everyone again!?" Finally the leader, a black haired figure caused all three of them to laugh. Aelita couldn't look anymore defeated.

"Oi." A voice said with killer intent. The four looked towards Michael, who had pure rage in his eyes. If the boys hadn't seen hell before, then they got a brief taste of it here. "Why don't you say those things again? That way-" Michael cracked his knuckles and neck. "I can seriously kill you." A crowd now formed around the 5 of them and the three boys now knew that the entire school was watching. The three boys brief backed away, before laughing a little bit.

"Hey look! This one has silver hair! must have had weirdos when they were born."The leader said. While he got a few chuckles out of the crowd, that stopped when Michael released more of his killer intent. The boys felt trapped. In Michael's eyes… It was like a wolf was stalking them. Knowing that he could kill them at any time, yet he does it out of pleasure.

"You… Are you just going to stand there huh? Take this!" The leader now striking a fist towards Michael.

"Michael!" Aelita cried out.

BAM! Michael got socked right in the face. But… The strange part was that he didn't even flinch. He didn't even move from his spot. Instead, he simply continued to stand there not taking his gaze off the leader. It was more piercing than before. It was as if someone was looking into his soul. The crowd began to stir and Michael simply stood there.

"So? Was that it?" Michael simply took the fist that hit him and pushed it off. "That was nothing. I couldn't even feel the impact."

"... You… BASTARD!" The leader pulled a knife from his back pocket and began to make a slash motion towards Michael.

"MICHAEL!" Aelita having tears in her eyes. It was all in slow motion as Michael looked over towards her with soft eyes. He mouthed a single phrase but she didn't hear it.

Sphhhlt!

Blood… That was all that anyone saw. Michael moving a little back after seeing the knife in hand. His reaction was too slow and as a result had a huge slash across his chest with his shirt now torn in pieces. Blood pooling down the wound. It was so quiet. The crowd had stopped. The other two friends couldn't believe their leader would go so far.

"...This… Is… Nothing." Michael coughed out some blood. "This… pain… is NOTHING COMPARED TO AELITA'S PAIN!" Michael gained his composure, took a stance and held a fist out.

Flashback… Training with Ippo

"Ha..ha...ha.. I did it! I mastered it completely!" Michael had spent months and months trying to perfect his own technique for the upcoming tournament. He finally mastered it and was panting out of exhaustion. Ippo was around 19 years old and he was recently named a champion.

"Good job! You really made it your own!" Ippo was happy for Michael and for himself in a way. He would always remember when an old technique used to get the better of him when he was a boxer. However, Ippo had a frown on his face.

"Michael. Michael Chang." Ippo now looking serious at Michael. He immediately noticed and looked at his master. "Unless I give your permission, you aren't allowed to use this technique."

"...EHH!? WHY? WHY IPPO?" Michael was confused. No BEYOND confused! After all that time he couldn't use the technique he had been training for so long!

"Because it could easily end a person's life." Michael then shuts up very quickly. "This technique has that much destructive power behind it." Michael didn't know what to say to that. "However! I will allow you to use it on your own if you follow these three situations! The first! It's in a match and you deem that person is truly capable of using it and you are prepared for the consequences. The second! You are outside of the ring and you deem that you are in some trouble. And the third situation…" Ippo went quiet as the other two settled in. "I hope that this wouldn't happen. But should it, I hope you steel your resolve and yourself." Michael looked at his master with serious intention. "And that is…"

Flashback over…

'And that is…' Michael began his motion of an uppercut with his left hand that took the leader off by surprise. He planted his front foot forward and punched straight up towards his face. The leader's head was blown back a little and some blood came from him then in the same motion, he had a right punch going right across the reeled back head. In that moment everyone saw silver wolf teeth sinking into its prey.

"SILVER FANG!" 'If those important to you are truly in harm's way!'

BANG! The leader's face was in shambles after that little exchange. His face began to fly backward. The crowd, however, could have sworn they saw the leader being swallowed and in between the teeth of a silver wolf. Michael stood there panting and before he knew it he passed out as well.

"Michael!" Aelita called out to him as he was falling. He was losing a lot of blood fast. "Someone! Someone help him! Call an ambulance! Call a teacher! Anything!"

End of dream.

Jim and Jeremie were staring at the two and wondered exactly what had happened. Aelita was in one bed and Michael wasn't too far away in another. Jeremie noticed that Michael's shirt was a little loose so he decided to move it.

"AGH!" Jeremie staggered back.

"What is it, Jeremie? What's wrong?" Jim came running to Jeremie's side and saw under Michael's shirt.

"Holy crap… This guy has a six pack!" Jim yelled with zeal. "Man what I would do for that kind of body!"

"No, that Jim! Cut it out! Look underneath more." Jeremie facepalmed.

"It's Jimbo! And… oh." Both Jeremie and Jim looked in shock or horror at the scar against Michael's right side.

"What could have caused this?" Jim now asking.

"Mostly likely a sharp object… But that's impossible! There is no way that he could have gotten that on Lyoko!" Jeremie was very confused by all of this.

Michael woke up from his bed in a cold sweat.

"Whoa whoa easy there." Jim now calming Michael down after his sudden revival. Michael looked around and saw that Jeremie and Jim were standing next to him, while Aelita was in a bed nearby.

"What… What just happened?" Michael confused on what exactly happened.

"You fainted. You were in somewhat of a deep sleep." Michael struggling in his mind what to think. Michael was panting very hard and was sweating from head to toe.

"I… I had an another one of those…"

"You mean dreams?" Jeremie now very curious.

"Yeah. Recently, I have been having these dreams. And they seem so real… But I am not sure what to make of them." Michael now looking towards his chest.

THUMP! 'There it is my heart beats, my senses go crazy… Almost like Lyoko.' Michael looked at the scar and noticed that it was similar to the one in his dream. But there was something that was bothering him. 'That couldn't be possible right?' In Michael's dream, he only had brief images of what had happened. His trainer Ippo, his Silver Fang motion, and then a pink-haired figure over his face crying.

Aelita began to stir bringing Michael out of his thoughts. He looked to see that Jeremie was explaining the same thing he explained to him.

"Well, why don't we give you an analysis?" Jeremie said to both of them.

"Yeah, that should work fine." Michael didn't wait for them as he went to the elevator. Aelita looked concerned but followed along.

Both Aelita and Michael went into the scanner and got transferred for a brief analysis.

"We are ready to begin the analysis. That's fine you two, you can come back now."

As the three examined the analysis Jim was completely puzzled about what they were looking at. After analyzing the data and concluding that the virus linked them to XANA, Aelita and Jeremie were convinced. However, a silver-haired figure wasn't.

"Hmm… I am not convinced." Michael now looking at the screen again.

"What do you mean by that?" Aelita now questioning Michael.

"Honestly? This doesn't look like one to me. I mean the programming is similar. But, hasn't XANA tricked you guys before?" Michael now questioning everything.

"Yes, he has. However, the data doesn't lie, though." Jeremie trying to counter. He hasn't been wrong once yet with his calculations. And this data says so.

"I am just saying for the sake of argument. For all I know I am wrong. We have to consider the worst of the worst. He is growing more and more powerful isn't he?" Michael having a hand to his face.

"While I agree with Jeremie on this, you bring up a good point. We have to consider the worst possibilities. It isn't too bad to be careful." Aelita bringing the discussion to a close.

"Regardless, we should get you two home. It's getting kind of late. I will take you guys back to Yumi's." Jeremie now getting off the chair.

The outside. It was a refreshing feeling to Michael and Aelita as they started to use their new senses to their full potential.

"What a strange sensation." Aelita now bringing her arms around her body.

"You shivered that's all. It's a reaction you get on account of the cold." Jeremie now smiling more than he ever had before.

Michael, on the other hand, was thinking about some things. Granted that didn't mean that he wasn't testing his new senses as well.

'These dreams… They feel so real. First Lyoko. That voice telling me to do something. Then I had a dream about a time that I didn't know. Then when I was about to be out of Lyoko, that voice came back to me. And finally this last dream.' Michael gripped his chest just to the right. In truth, he had no idea who that voice was or what it wanted. All he remembered was the voice saying something about memories. 'I honestly felt it was so real. Almost like the real world. And that pink-haired figure…'

"Hey! Michael!" Aelita slugged him on the shoulder.

"Oh sorry. What were you guys talking about?" Michael coming out of his thoughts.

"We are going into this photo booth! Want to come?" Aelita looking happy as ever. Jeremie looked a little annoyed but had a good fake smile.

"No thanks. You guys go on without me." Michael simply smiled and waved. The two went into the booth and Michael simple sat as the wind breeze followed through his silver hair.

'Alive huh? It is nice to be on earth.' Michael leaned against the wall.

When Aelita and Jeremie were finished they saw Michael smiling up against the wall with a smile. Honestly, in Jeremie's eyes, he looked like a movie star. And Aelita didn't miss that either.

"He looks happy," Aelita whispered to Jeremie.

"Yeah. I would say that he is going to be fine on earth." They got Michael out of his little trance and they continued to Yumi's. When they got to the front, Michael went ahead of them and knocked on the door.

"Oh! You must be Michael! Aelita's brother!" Yumi's mother answered with glee.

"Yes, it is an honor to meet you Miss Ishiyama." Michael bowed. Yumi was really trying to sell the fact that he was from Korea, so he had to learn all kinds of respects to make it look convincing. This didn't pass by Miss Ishiyama as she was flattered.

"Where is your sister?" She wondered.

"She is outside talking to a friend. We are preparing for another day of school and she is getting the groundwork." Michael lied through his teeth. In all honest, throughout the night Michael felt the vibe those two were giving off. He thought best not to interfere.

"Would you please show me where we will be staying tonight?" Michael asked and was lead inside. The house overall was a good size. Mr. Ishiyama was sitting on the couch reading the paper. Michael bowed and introduced himself as well. They went by and was shown the room they were staying. It wasn't too big, but two mats were laid out, along with an assortment of clothes in bags.

Michael decided that he would leave most of that stuff for tomorrow. He decided to take on of the various books off the shelf and read it.

"What is this?" Michael wondered as he pulled off one book with an interesting cover on it.

Shogi for Dummies: Volume 1

"Hmm… I wonder what this could be about."

The following day

Michael had spent all night reading the rules and the moves of Shogi. Although he did fall asleep around 5 in the morning, he still got up before Aelita which was a surprise. After Yumi told the two how to get ready and all the morning routines, they headed to school. The three looked towards the other three and the gang was together.

"So how was your first night on earth?" Ulrich asked.

"Sleeping is really great," Aelita replied.

"I was absorbed by a new game," Michael said holding his little book for everyone.

"Shogi?" Odd asked. "Is that a new video game?"

"No Odd. It's a strategy that is pretty popular in Japan. I thought that since I am good with strategies this could be helpful." Michael replied. Odd looked confused as the gang looked at Michael with concern.

"When exactly did you go to bed?" Yumi asked as she didn't even notice Michael up when she went to the room to check on them.

"Oh. I think 5 am?" The entire group looked at him before they all realized something and started laughing. Jeremie and Michael were left out, though.

"What? What's so funny?" Jeremie asked.

"No no no! It can't be!" Odd now rolling on the floor.

"We really DO have two Einstein's!" Ulrich trying his best not to cry.

"Hey! Cut me some slack!" Michael laughed along with them and eventually, Jeremie joined in. They all said their goodbyes and headed to their next classes.

Science class for Michael wasn't too interesting. Although, it made him laugh pretty hard when Sissi didn't know what a prime number was and Aelita completely outwitted the teacher. It was all interrupted though when a student when screaming down the hall and a kankrelat was chasing him.

"Everyone get back!" Ulrich dragged all of the other students back into the room. Everyone was in the corner of the room, while the gang gathered around.

"XANA's changed tactics. He brought a creature to earth! How is that possible?" Jeremie wondering how this could have happened.

"Well, I am assuming he used the same materialization program and modified it to his creatures," Michael said.

"Even so…"

"Well, what are we going to do? Who knows what could happen?" Odd cried out.

"What we always do we fight them!" Ulrich slammed his fist against his palm."You four get to the factory. Yumi and I will try and hold them off here at the school!"

As the group began to make their way into the hallway, two Kankrelats spotted them and began opening fire. Ulrich dodged the shots but one was heading for Aelita. It nearly hit Aelita but Michael stepped in front of her to take the shot.

"Michael!" The group cried out. Michael held his chest and saw it hit near his scar. He felt his insides collapse a little and he reeled back from the pain.

"GO!" Michael was in so much pain only adrenaline was keeping him conscious. The four made their way to the sewers while Ulrich and Yumi began to defend the school.

"It's not looking good. He is barely conscious." Odd supporting Michael as they made way through the sewers.

"Sorry Odd," Michael muttered out as he began fading in and out.

"Don't be, let's just get to you to Lyoko safely. Hopefully, the pain will be reduced there."

The group made their way down to the scanner room where a Kankrelat was causing problems for their comrade Jim. Odd picking up a nail gun on the way down, began firing and leading the bug to Jim who destroyed it.

"Jeremie you have to transfer me to Lyoko," Aelita said as Michael sat in one of the scanners.

"What?" Jeremie stuttered. "Have you forgotten about XANA's virus? What if XANA stops you from deactivating the tower? Or from returning to earth?"

"That's a risk we got to take." Aelita now holding Jeremie's shoulder. "Think about all the possibly monsters that could be transferred."

"Me too. Right now, I could care less about my freedom. The school comes first. Ulrich and Yumi are doing their best for us. We can respect them by doing the same." Michael barely got out.

Jeremie agrees to the last decision and heads upstairs to begin the procedure. The infected scanner pops open before the Kankrelat is immediately destroyed.

"Transfer Odd! Transfer Aelita! Transfer Michael!"

"Scanner Odd! Scanner Aelita! Scanner Michael!"

"Virtualization!"

The three warriors descended and while two fell on their butts the purple figure felt superior.

"Being transferred on Lyoko is very strange," Aelita said reeling from the little pain.

"Yeah, but you get used to it."

"As much as I would want to chat, I am still in pain and would love to get to a tower to recover." The three began to run down the never-ending pathway.

"Watch out! You got a squad of 5 hornets heading your way!" Jeremie let them know as the buzz became very apparent.

"You two go ahead! I will take care of these things!" Odd yelled as the two ran ahead. He began firing his laser arrows at them.

"Take that!" Odd fired an arrow point blank at the hornet but got shot immediately after.

"You are losing too many life points Odd!" Jeremie let him know that he was on twenty points.

The four hornets were still surrounding Odd as he was running low on ammo. The squadron's formation began to make it's dive on Odd only to be broken up.

"Take that!" Michael yelled from a distance firing a powerful wind blast to destroy two hornets and let Odd breathe for a minute. "You didn't say anything about not getting help!"

Odd let out a sigh before getting hit by two lasers and being virtualized. The hornets approached Michael and expected to see two blasts. He pulled out his sword and then deflected the two shots. But the other three shots in his back surprised him.

"Jeremie! Why didn't you say anything about another squad of hornets?" Michael was shocked that Jeremie didn't say anything as the two hornets he destroyed were simply replaced by three more.

"I didn't see anything on my map!" Jeremie began typing furiously. "Yumi and Ulrich are on the way!"

"Well that's great isn't it?!" Michael began running with Aelita. They dodged lasers and ran furiously before they spotted a cave.

"Go! I will hold them off here!" Michael held the Katana at his side. Aelita began skating in the cave towards the tower as Michael began deflecting lasers towards the oncoming hornets. The hornets then switched tactics and fired their acid down towards Michael. Michael was at mercy of the acid as two hornets went by him.

"Tch! Jeremie! Let Aelita know that she as got one behind her!" Michael charged his fist with energy.

"Windblast!" Michael fired off the wind and hit one hornet directly, while the other one wings were clipped and fell into the ocean. He got hit in the chest by the remaining hornet and felt worse when it was in the chest.

"YAH!" The last hornet was destroyed and Michael was relieved to have reinforcements.

"Glad to see you two." Michael got helped up by Ulrich's hand. "Come on, we got two more hornets to deal with."

Aelita tried her best to get away from the hornets but it was to no avail as she kept getting fired at. She saw that Yumi, Ulrich, and Michael behind her and was relieved before a laser nearly hit her feet. She began spinning out and its partner was ready to take another shot.

"Now Yumi!" Jeremie yelled through the mic.

"YAH!" Yumi threw her fan and hit the icicle and destroyed one of the hornets.

"What goes around come around! Windblast!" Michael fired his concentrated wind blast and propelled the fan forward to hit the last hornet.

"That was close!" Aelita got up and skated towards the party.

"Come on now, you know we would never let you go it alone." Ulrich patted her head.

"Hey, we can't let the school go it alone either." Yumi motioned for them to get going.

Aelita entered the tower and began to ascend the platform. She entered the Code Lyoko before getting a return to the past. The gang was back in their room, while Aelita was on the screen and Michael was sitting around.

"Aelita, Michael, we are restarting the materialization process immediately. We need to wipe out XANA before he launches another attack." Jeremie was reaching for a key on the keyboard before Aelita spoke.

"Jeremie, it's impossible. The virus is still in me I can feel it." Aelita shook her head.

"We still got to try it! Maybe you can be treated here on earth!" Jeremie frustrated with the results.

"No Jeremie. You know as well as I do, as long as this virus is inside of me you can't destroy XANA without destroying Michael and me at the same time."

"But there is a way, and Aelita knows it." Michael now opening a screen that popped up on the computer.

"What do you mean?" Jeremie now shocked and curious.

"Michael-" Aelita looked over at him.

"As long as I am here, Aelita could live with you guys on earth. I can sense towers and let you guys know when an attack happens. I can even access the towers and access their files." Michael began to explain. Although only Yumi and Aelita could sense from sadness in his voice. Jeremie seemed enthusiastic about the idea until Aelita yelled.

"You can't do that! That's not fair! Why should I get the special treatment all of a sudden?! I want you to be free as well." Michael paused at Aelita's statement.

"Guys, can you give us a few moments?" Michael asked with a serious voice. The gang looked at each other and all nodded. The screens were cut and then it was only the two of them. "I know that it isn't fair for what I am asking. I love the earth as much as you do. But, you have known them longer than I have. Compared to me, I know that they care about you more." Aelita tried to retaliate, but she realized it was true. Deep down, she knew that the gang had greater feelings for her despite how unfair it sounded. Michael saw Aelita's sadness and did a little flick to her head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Aelita now holding the spot where she got hit.

"You are being silly. It's not like I am going to be gone forever. I will be on earth from time to time until Jeremie finds whatever is wrong with us. In the meantime, you get to live your life. A life that you have probably needed longer than me. I have a lot of things to keep me occupied. And if you really miss me that bad, you can just come back here. I am sure that you will know what the virtualization process is." Michael grinned at Aelita.

"But-"

"While I am sad that I will not be joining you, I am happy for you. You are able to live your life out! I mean how cool is that? So just live your life for both of us until I get there okay?" Michael then walked towards the access panel to let the comlink open back up. But then he felt a little presence around him. He turned to see Aelita was hugging him,

"Thank you." Aelita simply whispered out. Michael turned to her and returned the hug.

"Your welcome." Michael smiled.