A/N: And we are back from an unplanned hiatus! I am so sorry guys! I hope this makes up for it. Read, enjoy and review!
Aelita was coming back from gym when she, quite literally ran into Alex.
As she backpedaled she spoke, "Oh, sorry, I wasn't looking where where I was going...Um...Hi, Alex." He pulled something out from behind his back. A few Esperance roses, with pink centers and green edges.
"Hello, Princess."
"I, Alex..." Aelita blushed as Alex handed her the flowers.
"Happy birthday." Aelita was shocked. She had forgotten about it. Today was the day she had been brought back to Earth. Sure, her birthday, picked by Jeremie as promised, had been celebrated a while ago, but the team had still celebrated the day just as they had celebrated the day Jeremie found the Super Computer all that time ago. In a way, she had three birthdays and this was one.
"I, um, thanks." She took a big sniff and smiled at him.
"No problem, 'Lita."
"How did you know?" She tilted her head as she took another sniff.
"It was marked on Jeremie's calendar. I saw it while I was walking out from his room after asking him a question about the upgrading thing." Alex offered her a hug. "I got most of my homework done if you want to go out and do something for your birthday." He smiled at Aelita, and she smiled back again.
"Um, I could look over your homework for you."
"No need for that. It's your birthday so we should do something for you. Tell the others and have a little party, eh?"
"Um, yeah. Jeremie, uh, I was going to his room to help him work on stuff for defeating Xana. Franz sent him the information but it was coded."
"Then I'll see you later." Alex walked away, leaving Aelita a little flushed with embarrassment.
-( ( • ) ) -
Since Odd had come back, he had been different. Not just physically, either. He was a bit smarter, and a bit more mature. Even Sissi and Yumi weren't immune to the new Odd. In the hallway, he smiled at Yumi, and she had been charmed until she remembered who it was that smiled at her. Gag. Yes, Yumi retched at the very notion of finding Odd in the least bit attractive.
-( ( • ) ) -
Aelita stopped at her room and put the flowers on her bed before going to Jeremie's room. Unceremoniously she walked in. "Hi, Jeremie."
"Just in time. I made contact with Franz Hopper. He sent me a bunch of encoded data. We'll need to activate a Tower to go through it all. I managed to decode a bit of it, and he's ready to upgrade another Warrior. Alex wants to do it so he'll be more useful so we won't erase his memory or stop sending him to Lyoko."
"I, okay." Aelita sat down on his bed. "Um, did you remember?"
"Remember what?" The blonde didn't even turn to look at her.
"I, I can't believe you." Aelita pushed herself off of his bed and left the room, slamming the door on her way out.
"What was I supposed to remember?" Jeremie briefly wondered. But, alas, he shook it off and turned back to his computer.
-( ( • ) ) -
The next morning, Mr. Delmas answered what seemed to be an ordinary phone call. "Hello?"
There was chattering on the other end. "Oh yes, Mr. Belpois, your nephew Patrick is always welcomed here if his parents are willing to pay the tuition."
There was more talking. "Room with Jeremie? He'll have to relocate to a double room."
There was a bit more talking. "Yes, I noticed his grades have dropped too. I tried to have my daughter talk with him, but he said he was busy."
More talking once again. "Yes, maybe having some family around will help. We try to be there for our students, but there is only so much a teacher can do."
-( ( • ) ) -
Jeremie was coming back from dinner, unaware of the impending difficulties to come, when Jim stopped him. "Jeremie, you're to come with me to the principal's office."
"What did I do now?" Jeremie sighed. Indeed, had faked sick and skipped a couple classes to get to Lyoko, but he didn't think that would get him pulled to the office.
"Nothing. Someone is here to see you." Jeremie raised an eyebrow but did not protest as Jim began to escort him to the aforementioned principal's office.
-( ( • ) ) -
After dinner, Odd cornered Yumi. "I'm sorry about your birthday."
"What do you mean? That was months ago." Yumi attempted to push past Odd.
"I know, but we all forgot. I tried to help Ulrich, but we messed that up." Odd pulled a necklace out. "He was supposed to give you this, not the squeeze toy." Yumi blushed as Odd handed it to her.
"I, uh, thanks."
"Just because he forgot doesn't mean I did. But I didn't want to make him look bad."
"Um, why now?"
"What can I say? Being trapped on a submarine with voices in your head, you have a lot of time to think." Odd put a hand on Yumi's arm. "I know you two are just really good friends, so maybe-"
"What are you doing!?" Ulrich stormed up. It seemed he Odd give Yumi the necklace.
"Fixing a mistake I made. Seemed so clear to do now, I don't know why I didn't do it before." Odd knocked on his head. "Must be the upgrades."
"I can't believe you, Odd!" Ulrich pulled his hand back and tried to punch Odd, but Odd grabbed his fist. "Don't think you can get the upper hand just because you got a new power on Lyoko." Ulrich growled, throwing another punch which was similarly caught. Ulrich kicked out and knocked Odd away.
"Hey, calm down." Odd stood back up and turned to Yumi. "You two really should try being more than just really good friends. You should have seen the way he panicked when he realized it was your birthday. He does care about you." Yumi blushed. "But I have to go find the Princess, speaking of birthdays. I want to give her a gift and take her out and stuff." Ulrich and Yumi blinked.
"Wait, her birthday?" Yumi gasped.
"Don't worry. Jeremie forgot it too." Odd walked away as Ulrich and Yumi whipped their phones out to call Aelita and apologize.
-( ( • ) ) -
Jeremie sat in his room, unhappy about the news Mr. Delmas had delivered. "I can't believe this. My grades are just fine. I don't need Patrick here to breathe down my neck." He typed away on the keyboard. "We better get this mission in tonight and send Alex or Ulrich or whoever with Franz. Who knows how long it might be before I can get away from Patrick." Jeremie then called Aelita. "We need to run the data tonight."
"Why?" Aelita was still upset that the only ones who remembered her birthday were Alex and Odd. Ulrich, William and Yumi had called earlier, saying they were sorry they forgot. That only left Jeremie.
"My cousin is coming back for good. I might not be able to get away from him when he does." Aelita waited for him to bring up her birthday, but Jeremie added nothing.
"I'll be there." Aelita hung up on Jeremie, who called the other five.
-( ( • ) ) -
Odd was the first to the sewer entrance and waited for the others. When Aelita appeared, he bowed. "Princess, your carriage awaits you." Odd lifted the sewer lid off for Aelita.
"Thank you, Odd." Aelita stayed with Odd to wait for the others. There was no rush; Xana wasn't attacking. But they would be needed to keep the Tower safe.
Alex ran up, not in the least bit winded. The more muscled young man stood next to the still shorter and scrawnier, or svelter, than him Odd. "Hey Aelita. Hope this doesn't put a damper on our dinner plans."
"Dinner plans?" Odd was incredulous. But I wanted to take her out! You don't even know her that well.
Aelita nodded and made an 'm-hm' sound. "We were going to head down to that little Italian restaurant just a few blocks away from the Factory, that 'Little Pizza of Heaven' place. It's nothing romantic or anything, just two friends having dinner on a special day." Aelita hinted.
"Your birthday." Odd nodded. "I know. I wanted to take you out."
"Oh, that's fine. You can come with us, make it a party." Aelita smiled and Alex nodded his agreement to a pouting Odd.
Ulrich, Yumi, and then William made it. "What's taking Jeremie so long?" Odd called him on his cell phone.
-( ( • ) ) -
"Don't answer that." Jim barked, having caught Jeremie trying to leave. "Where were you going, Belpois?"
"I, just, have my cousin coming and won't be able to get alone once he gets here. I was just going out to the woods to take a break."
"A break from what? Your grades have been slipping, you've skipped classes, what are you doing?"
"Nothing Jim. I just...it's really hard to explain." Jeremie did not want to have to drag Jim with him to the Factory. There was no attack and no reason to launch a return as of right then.
"I have time." Jim crossed his arms. "I once competed in the worldwide staring contest. Made it to the semifinals."
"What happened?"
"I'd rather not talk about it."
"Well I'm not telling you what it is, so we have time." Jeremie bought time as he tried to think of a way out.
"Well, you see, I had some pepper poppycock for a snack between the quarter and semifinals and some pepper was under my nose…" Jim began to ramble.
-( ( • ) ) -
"We can't wait. Maybe he went another way." Ulrich climbed down the ladder into the sewers.
"Or Xana was true to form and he attacked." Yumi followed Ulrich down, and William followed them.
"Ladies first." Odd and Alex both said, and the shorter of the two glared at the taller, mistaking his friendliness for flirtiness. They both waited for Aelita to climb down, then Alex followed her and Odd followed him.
-( ( • ) ) -
"And then I went into arm wrestling. I worked on my right arm for about three months before going into the amateur league." Jeremie nodded aimlessly, wondering how to shut Jim up.
The group arrived at the Factory as Xana activated a Tower.
"I made it to the finals. I was finally there." Jim was embellishing the story and acting it out. "But Big Bubba Bruno, undefeated, stood in my way of glory. I was," A black mist entered him from behind and possessed him.
"Jim?" Jeremie hadn't been paying attention.
"Yes Jeremie?" Jim's voice was distorted.
"Xana!" The Super Scan beeped in Jeremie's bag as Jim sparked with energy.
"I will take that data!" Jim reached for the laptop but Jeremie pulled away. "Give it to me!"
"No way, Xana!" Jeremie took off.
-( ( • ) ) -
The Lyoko Warriors made it to the Factory and took the elevator down to the Control Room. Aelita sat in the chair and it swiveled around the circuit, taking her to the control panel, where she saw the Super Scan.
"Xana's attacking. Go to the Scanner Room, I'll send you." The others took the elevator down and hurried to the Scanners. "Transfer Yumi, Transfer William, Transfer Ulrich. Scanner Yumi, Scanner William, Scanner Ulrich. Virtualization." They landed on Lyoko in the Desert Sector.
Aelita brought up the windows for the three vehicles, and they began to form, as she started the delayed virtualization. Her, Odd's and Alex's ID Cards all appeared, grayed out and pixelated. She climbed down the ladder and entered the Scanners.
Aelita's ID Card was the first to fill up completely, then Alex's, then Odd's. Odd was the last to virtualize, only off by a few seconds, and he fell a few seconds after the other two did. As he straightened up to get on the Overboard, he was stunned to see Aelita on it with Alex's hands around her waist.
"Where to?" William asked Aelita while he got on the Overwing with Yumi.
"It's to the south." Aelita explained just before the Overboard zipped away.
"Let's go." Ulrich growled impatiently at Odd.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." he growled back. Odd climbed on the Overbike, and Ulrich revved the engine and took off after the other two vehicles.
-( ( • ) ) -
Chris, of the Subdigitals, walked into Kadic Academy to look for his star DJ. "Mr. Delmas, how's it going?"
"Good, and if I may ask, with all due respect of course, what are you doing here? I got your voicemail but you didn't say why you were coming." Mr. Delmas greeted as he tried to get Chris to the teachers' lounge without being noticed.
"Why else? The Pink Star is here and we want to offer her some tour time." Véronique Fayolle rounded the corner and saw Chris, and immediately squealed.
"Chris!" Her high pitched screech alerted the rest of Kadic Academy.
"Come on, Chris, hurry, this way." Mr. Delmas escorted Chris to the teachers' lounge, and tried to ward off the clamoring teenaged girls ranging all the way from 6th grade to 12th.
-( ( • ) ) -
Jeremie sprinted between herds of screaming girls, but when Jim tried to give chase, his large body mass made it difficult to reach Jeremie without bowling over and injuring the girls. While Xana normally would have no issue doing so, that would ultimately make things more difficult. Jeremie darted around a corner and to the school's sewer entrance in the boiler room.
-( ( • ) ) -
On Lyoko, the group neared the activated Tower and two Megatanks and the Dark Angel. "This should be easy." Odd whooped from the Overbike. "Just sit back and relax, Princess." He smiled at her.
"Okay, Odd." Aelita passed her hand over her watch and activated her wings.
"Can you handle driving the Overboard?" she breathed to Alex.
"I'll do my best." She nodded and sprung off of the Overboard, taking flight, as Odd dove off the Overbike towards the activated Tower.
-( ( • ) ) -
Jeremie burst into the sewers and ran away. A few seconds later, Jim phased through the door.
"Nice to see you possessed people can ghost through things again as opposed to taking forever to knock them down!" Jeremie mocked, his voice echoing through the sewer systems and confusing Jim.
"Come on, ugly!" Odd dove at the Dark Angel, firing Laser Arrows. Franz's upgrades helped them move faster than before, but the Dark Angel was still able to dodge them.
"Yumi, Alex, William, let's focus on the Megatanks." Ulrich pulled his sabers from the sheath on his back, trusting Odd with the Dark Angel.
A Megatank opened and fired at Alex, who scrambled to zoom away on the unfamiliar mode of transportation.
The other Megatank opened and fired at William and Yumi, and she veered to dodge it. Yumi pulled her fans out and threw them with a war cry. The Megatank closed, and the fans bounced off harmlessly back to Yumi.
William charged his Zweihander. "Rosetta!" When the Megatank that had attacked Alex opened, he swung the energy blade at the monster. The Megatank fired and hit the crescent, and the two cancelled one another out.
"Triplicate!" Two clones split off from Ulrich and threw their sabers at the Megatank that had attacked Yumi and William. It charged up another shot, but one of the sabers embedded itself in the Eye, destroying it.
Odd attacked the Dark Angel, who floated away, firing lasers from both its claws and its eyes. "You learned from last time. Not surprising." Odd spun with a crescent kick, trying to slash his toe claws across the Dark Angel's body. The monster had dodged, but as Odd turned he took aim.
"Laser Arrow!" He hit the Dark Angel in the chest, knocking it backwards. "But I also learn." Odd crescent kicked the Dark Angel again, pushing it away from the activated Tower.
"Electrokinesis!" Alex flung two bolts of lightning at the Megatank. The first hit the shell and dispersed harmlessly, but the second hit his mark and the monster exploded.
"The way is clear, Aelita." William yelled to the flying girl. No monsters except the Dark Angel remained, and Odd was taking care of that one.
"Thank you." She sped into the activated Tower.
-( ( • ) ) -
Jeremie was almost at the Factory when Jim caught him. He grabbed the laptop away from Jeremie. "No!" Jeremie tried to get it back, but the much larger man knocked him away.
"I will uncover the data Franz sent to you and use it to destroy him!" Jim laughed evilly, then stopped. He dropped the laptop as the black mist dissipated into the air. Jeremie dove and caught his computer. He rolled out of the way as Jim collapsed.
"They did it." Jeremie started to climb the ladder, but looked back at Jim. "As long as he doesn't go into the Factory we shouldn't need a return." He finished climbing the ladder and entered the Factory.
-( ( • ) ) -
As Aelita was about to exit the Tower, the Nautilus shot out of the Digital Sea and stopped just next to the Sector, where the Warriors were. A hatch opened on the side, and Alex stepped off the Overboard.
"I'm ready." he breathed. "See you soon." he promised as he stepped in. The white doors slid back shut, and the seams disappeared as the Nautilus dove away.
-( ( • ) ) -
Once the team, minus Alex, was back on Earth, Aelita got her cell out, but before she called Jeremie she heard the elevator running. "That must be him." When the elevator stopped, Jeremie stepped out.
"Sorry I'm late. Xana sent Jim after me."
"Is he okay?"
Jeremie nodded. "He might wonder where he is and why but he'll be fine." Jeremie opened his laptop.
"Alex went to go get upgraded." Odd didn't sound in the least bit thrilled.
"Cool. How long will it take?" Jeremie tilted his head as he asked.
"A few days, probably." he shrugged. "It shouldn't take as long with him. Alex is already optimal physically, I'll give him that. He's tough, athletic, muscular, handsome and charming-but not as handsome or charming as me."
"Odd, you're plug-ugly and he's a super cute hunky guy. Don't brag." Yumi joked.
"Yeah right! Whatever. He just doesn't have the skills needed with Lyoko's physics or the mental skill." Odd explained.
"Don't get too boastful. A few weeks ago, your mental skill was the lowest of the low." Yumi quipped.
"Anyway, I know you guys were just there but Franz sent us some information that will help us defeat Xana. We need to protect a Tower after we activate it and use it to decode the information." Jeremie waited for the others to get on the elevator when Aelita's phone rang.
"Hello?"
"My Pink Star! Where are you?" A voice blared through the speaker.
"Chris? I'm with my friends."
"Well, when you want to, could you come to Mr. Delmas's office? I want to talk to you about some concerts coming up."
"More? You want me to do more?"
"Of course, Pink Star. Your music is brilliant. The Subdigitals want to give our fans the best we can, and you're the best opening act we've ever had. But you don't have to rush over if you're busy."
"I, I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Okay. And if you see my uncle, could you tell him I'm here? We tried calling him, but he hasn't been answering his phone."
"I will if I see him." Chris hung up on the other end. "Um, Chris, the Subdigitals want to see me right now." she blurted to Jeremie.
"Aelita, we need to run this data. If we do it, it might-"
"I'm sure we can handle it without the Princess. We just beat Xana, I doubt he'll be ready to fight us so soon." Odd interrupted Jeremie with a defensively sweet smile.
"Thanks, Odd." Aelita got on the elevator and left the Factory. Jeremie glared at Odd as the upgraded Warrior got on the elevator, but the same Warrior had his back turned and didn't see it.
"Well, let's hope we don't need her." A window popped up with several lines of encoded data as the Lyoko Warriors soon stood around a green-glowing Tower.
A/N: Looks like Odd is getting a bit jealous, and of something that isn't there, hm? Keep reading to see where that goes and tell me what you think in a review!