A/N: Super big shoutout to Naruto Sakura Uzumaki for reviewing! I really appreciate it. :) You will definitely see some more reckless Ulrich and I can tell you now the Volcano Sector is definitely one of the two yet-to-be-revealed Sectors, but it won't pop up for a while. The other one, I wanna keep a surprise. You caught me on the Twilight Sector; that Realm was a big inspiration. Thank you so much for your thoughts, they really inspire me to keep on writing! :)
Jeremie and Aelita were working late into the night on the Super Computer. "I think your idea did it." Jeremie entered in one last line of code.
"Our idea did it." Aelita corrected while she watched him type over his shoulder.
"With the shields and engines on the Skid powered up, we should be able to get out of Lyoko now, no matter how many monsters Xana sends."
"When will we try?"
"Tomorrow sounds good. It's already late. We should get back." Jeremie glanced at the clock on his phone.
"Patrick is going to wonder where you were." Aelita wrapped her arms around Jeremie's neck, hugging him.
"I don't care. My homework's done and I've made it to most of my classes." Jeremie leaned back, feeling Aelita's warmth. "And things between us are great." The two kissed for a moment.
"We better go." The two left the Factory.
-( ( • ) ) -
Jeremie tried to sneak into his room, but ran into Patrick. "Where were you?" Jeremie tried to ignore him. "Where were you this late, Jeremie?!" Patrick pushed him. "I checked the girls' dorm floor and Sissi was missing."
"Sissi?" Jeremie blinked.
"You're saying you weren't with her? Then who were you with?" Patrick demanded.
"Wait, Sissi wasn't in her room?"
"Who were you with this late?"
"Back off, it's none of your business."
"It was Aelita Stones, wasn't it? I should go find a teacher right now and tell them."
"Go ahead. We'll just lie. Two against one. I can get Odd, Alex and Ulrich to vouch for us, too." Jeremie waved a hand sardonically as he got ready for bed.
-( ( • ) ) -
The next morning Jeremie saw Sissi and Ulrich walking hand in hand. "I wonder where they were last night."
"Huh?" Odd had a mouthful of egg.
"Sissi wasn't in her room last night."
"Yeah, neither was Ulrich. Wait, how did you know Sissi wasn't in her room?" Odd shoveled in another mouthful after speaking.
"Patrick told me."
"How did he know?"
"He was looking for me and he wanted to know who I was with last night."
"...he checked every girl's room?" Alex asked in horror. "How'd he even get in...that is just weird."
"Apparently." Jeremie said with a shrug. "He probably just asked Jim or something. Either way, he figured out I was with Aelita."
"Oh. You and the Princess were at the Factory pretty late." Odd's smile made Aelita and Jeremie blush.
"We were working on the Skidbladnir. We powered up the shields and engines. After class we'll try and take out one of Xana's Super Computers." Aelita explained as she took a sip of her milk.
"Which one?" Yumi asked with her eyebrows raised.
"I like the one in Australia. We don't know what it does yet so I think," Jeremie glanced at Aelita, "we think Xana is saving it. If we don't want any surprises, we better take it out. Might get rid of one of those other two Sectors that Aelita said were in the process of forming, or keep Xana from making a new monster."
"Another Sector or monster is just what we don't need." Alex sighed. The group soon finished and split off to go to class.
-( ( • ) ) -
After classes, the group was going to go to the Factory, but Jeremie needed a little help ditching Patrick.
"Hey." Odd approached Milly and Tamiya.
"Odd, hi." Milly grinned. The two girls couldn't have stopped staring at Odd if a werewolf was about to eat them.
"I have a scoop for you."
"A super scoop?" Tamiya raised her camera excitedly.
"A mega ultra super scoop." Odd smiled, making both girls blush.
"What is it?" Milly stared at him urgently.
"Patrick is trying to steal Sissi from Ulrich, but is also trying to get Aelita from Jeremie."
"How do you know?"
"Ulrich and Jeremie complained to me and asked me for help." Odd leaned forward. "And if you help me, I might be able to convince my cousin, you know, the Pink Star, to give you an exclusive interview."
"We're on it!" Milly and Tamiya chirped simultaneously and sprinted away.
-( ( • ) ) -
Jeremie was in a hallway of the school, trying to lose Patrick. When Milly and Tamiya saw them, they rushed over. "Patrick! Jeremie!"
"What?" Jeremie came to a halt.
"Are you two fighting because Patrick's trying to steal Aelita?" Milly blurted.
"But, he...Patrick!" Jeremie shoved Patrick after a moment of shock.
"Dude, it's a lie!" Patrick backed up against a window as Jeremie advanced. "I swear, Jeremie."
"We have a source who says you're also going after Sissi Delmas. Are you trying to get with her so you can be on good terms with the principal?" Milly demanded.
"I, what?" Patrick looked at the two girls, then at Jeremie.
Jeremie was about to let loose some choice words and maybe even a punch, but he saw Odd behind Patrick through the window. Odd held up a thumbs-up sign, and Jeremie caught onto the plot. "Stay away from my girlfriend! Don't talk to me!" Jeremie turned and stormed outside.
"Milly and Tamiya were a great idea, right, Einstein?" Odd ran up to Jeremie and held up his hand for a high five.
"You could have given me a little warning." Jeremie ignored Odd's hand and the two dashed into the woods.
-( ( • ) ) -
The group met at the Factory. "The Skid is set up. You guys should be able to move through any monsters and head for the nearest hub. You'll have to take it to the coordinates already loaded in the Skid and I'll send Yumi and Ulrich to the Super Computer."
"Why those two?" William asked, staring at Yumi.
"Ulrich is a great warrior and will be able to handle any thing Xana sends and Yumi has long range weapons that can go around corners. Odd, Aelita and Alex can't curve their shots. Your ranged weapon takes your points and Sissi's healing might not work on Earth." Jeremie pulled the transfer bar and ID Card selector up. "As soon as you're ready to go, I'll send you."
"I'm ready." Ulrich was the first to get on the elevator. The rest followed him, and they took it down to the Scanner Room.
"Transfer Ulrich, Transfer Odd, Transfer William. Scanner Ulrich, Scanner Odd, Scanner William. Virtualization." They landed in the Skid Hangar, near the pedestals. "Transfer Aelita, Transfer Yumi. Scanner Aelita, Scanner Yumi, and virtualization." The two landed. "Transfer Alex, Transfer Sissi. Scanner Alex, Scanner Sissi, and virtualization." They landed as well, near the others.
"Let's get going. Meatballs and gravy tonight." Odd patted his stomach.
"We have plenty of time." Jeremie Energized the team and Aelita piloted the Skid into the northeast tunnel, coming out near the Twilight Sector. The Skid took the plunge into the deep waters of the Digital Sea.
-( ( • ) ) -
As the team left Lyoko, aquatic monsters surrounded them.
"Go!" Jeremie cried. Aelita revved the engines and sped off. The monsters fired after her.
"Jeremie, the shields are weakening!" The pinkette protested.
"You still have plenty left, just make it to the hub!" Jeremie tried to keep Aelita calm. "You're almost there!"
"Help!" Aelita wailed as the Skid rumbled from a torpedo strike. "I don't see it! Where is it, Jeremie?!"
"You're right on it! You have to see it." Jeremie stared at the screen.
"There, Princess! To our left, my left, I don't know which left!" Odd noticed the hub, as well as two Sharks coming from below. "Watch out for the sardines!"
"There!" Aelita piloted the Skid to the hub and entered it.
"Good job, Aelita." Jeremie sighed and relaxed.
-( ( • ) ) -
When the Skid came to the Replika, there was a resounding groan from the four original Warriors.
"I thought we'd never have to see another one of these ever again." Ulrich sighed and leaned back in his seat as Aelita started the connection with the gate. A white beam shot from the Skid into the center of the closed gate.
"I think I smashed the encryption, did it work?" Jeremie watched from his screen after using a codebreaker.
"Yes, Jeremie. Thank you." Aelita smiled and drove the Skid into the now-opened Replika.
They emerged from navy blue waters into a darker blue sky. "It's an Ice Sector Replika." Aelita searched the area for a Tower to dock onto.
"Aelita, fly north. The closest Tower is there." Jeremie guided. She followed his directions and found the Tower.
"Jeremie, you don't have to send both of us." Ulrich said pointedly.
"Why, Ulrich?" Jeremie blinked.
"I don't need Yumi's help. She'll only slow me down."
"Ulrich, you jerk! I'm a Lyoko Warrior!" Yumi protested.
"That's cold." Alex noted.
"Shut up, both of you." Ulrich shot back.
"Hey, no need to get snappy, you're not any more or less special than us." The blonde took the defensive against the brunette.
"Yumi has her fans, which are great for long distance attacks." William tried to defend Yumi.
"I have long distance attacks now, my Crescents." Ulrich said with a smirk.
"But hers can go around corners and stuff. Ulrich, you're both going." Jeremie activated the Translation program to send the two, and then Energized the remaining five Warriors to the Replika ground to guard the Skidbladnir.
-( ( • ) ) -
Yumi and Ulrich landed in the Australian Outback. "Stay here, Yumi."
"No." Yumi crossed her arms.
"I don't need to waste any time worrying about you."
"Then don't worry about me."
"You haven't been upgraded. All you will do is slow me down." Ulrich ran for the base and Yumi took off after him.
-( ( • ) ) -
"I see something on the screen." Jeremie watched as three red blips quickly neared the four green and one yellow that represented the Lyoko Warriors.
"Krabs." William pulled his Zweihander out from black smoke.
"Be careful. We don't know if Xana will send any of his new monsters." Jeremie watched as his friends began to fight.
"Energy Field!" Aelita threw an energy orb at a Krab and missed.
"Rosetta!" William swung his Zweihander, sending the energy crescent out. It cut one of the Krabs in the leg, disabling it.
"Gotcha!" Alex fired a spray of bullets, piercing the disabled Krab's Eye and destroying it.
-( ( • ) ) -
Ulrich and Yumi soon came to a run-down building resembling a military base, about half the size of Sector 5's maze. "No guards. This will be easy." Ulrich sauntered up to a large metal door.
"We can't just bust in, Ulrich. There will be something inside." Yumi grabbed his arm.
"If you're scared, then stay back." Ulrich pulled away and took his swords from the sheaths on his hips.
"I'm not scared, but we're here to destroy the Super Computer and if we have every guard in the building after us, it'll be impossible."
"Impossible for you." Ulrich slashed the door with his swords, cutting a space large enough for him to get through. He climbed in and ran into the darkness.
"Get back here, jerk." Yumi followed after him.
-( ( • ) ) -
On Lyoko, the Warriors were cleaning up the monsters Xana had sent. "Laser Arrow!" Odd hit a Krab in the Eye, destroying it.
"Energy Field!" Aelita threw her energy orb and hit the remaining Krab in the leg, pink energy crackling over it. Sissi flew down from the skies and extended her hand to the Krab, and made contact, ignoring the pink energy from the Energy Field that began to travel up her arm. Since she was taking the remainder of the monster's Life Points and adding them to her own as the pink plasma hurt her, she ended up with only a few less than she had before. The Krab exploded violently.
"That's the last one." Sissi chirped as she climbed to her feet and stretched her arms out.
"Good job, Odd." Aelita congratulated.
"We all did it." Odd smiled.
"Thanks for the assist, William." Alex nodded to him.
"No problem." William nodded back.
"Jeremie, are there any other monsters?" Sissi looked around warily.
"Yeah, I don't think Xana would give up this easily." Aelita agreed with the other girl's worries.
"Not yet." Jeremie watched the screen while listening to Ulrich and Yumi bicker with each other.
"I'm telling you, Ulrich, it's this way." Yumi insisted; she and Ulrich stood at a fork in the base. "I can hear the buzzing sound."
"It's not that way, it's this way." Ulrich persisted.
"Fine, Ulrich, go that way and I'll go this way." Yumi started to go down the rightmost corridor, but Ulrich took hold of her wrist.
"It's not down there." Ulrich growled.
"How can you be so sure?" Yumi jerked her hand away.
"Because I am."
"Well, I'm going down there anyways." Yumi started down the hallway.
"Get back here!" Ulrich ran after her.
-( ( • ) ) -
Back on Lyoko, the ground started to shake. "Jeremie, something is happening." Aelita activated her wings and took to the skies to get a better look.
"Something is coming. I can't tell what it is yet." Jeremie warned.
"Volcanoid!" Aelita created an energy orb. "Energy Field!" She launched it, but hit the usual invisible shield.
"Aelita, Sissi, give me a lift." William had his Zweihander out and ready.
"What are you doing?" Odd backed up towards the Skid as the Volcanoid advanced on the group.
"Being useful." William waited for one of the girls to fly down to him.
"I can do a suicide run and try using the momentum from Lightspeed to break the shield." Alex offered.
"No, that'll devirtualize you for sure. My idea will let us all keep fighting, hopefully."
-( ( • ) ) -
In Australia, Yumi and Ulrich stood at the door outside of the Super Computer. "I told you it was this way." Yumi grunted.
"We need a way in." Ulrich grumbled.
"Well, cut through."
"I thought you said that was a bad idea." The sneer in Ulrich's voice got on Yumi's nerves.
"Well, nothing has shown up yet. We might be alone, and we're already here, so why not?" Just then, the sound of gears grinding floated eerily down the hall.
"You should have kept your mouth shut." Ulrich stepped forward when a spherical robot came screeching around a corner. It morphed and discarded its sphere form for a humanoid form. Laser guns revealed themselves from the wrists of the robot's arms.
"I'll try to get the door open. Block the robot." Yumi reachced for the keypad. "Jeremie, we need a code."
"Got it." Jeremie started working.
"Hurry." Ulrich whined while blocking lasers with his sabers.
-( ( • ) ) -
On Lyoko, Sissi and Aelita each held one of William's arms, holding him high up in the air.
"Is this high enough for you, William?" Aelita asked once they were higher than any of the ice structures or Towers in the area. He nodded in response.
"Good luck." Sissi smiled. "Aelita, we let go on three. One, two, three!" The two girls released their grip on William, and he hurtled towards the Volcanoid.
-( ( • ) ) -
Yumi pulled her fans out. "Go!" She threw them and they curved in the air, slicing both arms of the robot clean off.
"Lucky shot." Ulrich sprung forward and brought his sword down, destroying the robot.
-( ( • ) ) -
"Rosetta!" William swung his Zweihander as he fell with all of his might. He hit the shield with the energy crescent, weakening it, and impacted it, breaking through. His Zweihander hit the Volcanoid on the shoulder and bounced off. The Volcanoid swung a leg and knocked William away.
"Laser Arrow!" Odd fired three arrows at the Volcanoid, and hit it in the side. It roared and stepped backwards, but wasn't destroyed.
-( ( • ) ) -
Yumi and Ulrich could hear sound of another robot coming. "Jeremie, do you have the code yet?!" Yumi asked desperately as she held her fans, ready to fight.
"It's a little more complicated than a pad lock, Yumi."
"Ulrich, use your swords to get in." Ulrich shook his head. "Why not? You got through the outside door easily."
"Because."
"Stop acting like such a jerk! We need to destroy the Super Computer." Ulrich ignored her as two robots rolled into the room.
-( ( • ) ) -
"Energy Field!" Aelita aimed carefully for the Eye of Xana from above, then launched the orb. It sailed through the air and landed on the Eye, destroying the Volcanoid.
"What do you think? Is Xana done now, Einstein?" Odd held his paws out and looked around, ready to fire at any more monsters.
"I don't know. Yumi, Ulrich, I can't get the code. Xana's protected and encrypted it, I'll have to crack it later. The Translation is almost over. You have to get in by yourselves." Jeremie waited for a response, but recieved none. "Yumi? Ulrich?"
"Busy!" Yumi and Ulrich were blocking lasers as one more robot rolled into the hallway.
"You have two minutes before the Translation ends."
"I don't think we'll get it this time!" Yumi blocked two more lasers, but a third made it through her defenses and hit her in the upper leg.
"Guys, we're ending this mission. Energize." Jeremie Energized the five who were on Lyoko back into the Skid, then waited for the two in Australia to end the Translation.
-( ( • ) ) -
The Lyoko Warriors were in the Skid, headed back to Lyoko, and they soon came to the large orb. "Sharks, Kongres, Kalamars, dozens of them. All of them are Dark." Aelita worried.
"Just go for the entrance. Speed by every monster." Jeremie instructed. Aelita bit her lip and kicked the engines into high gear.
"Hold on tight, guys!" The Skid began shake and rumble, but Aelita continued for the entrance to Lyoko, screaming the whole way. A dark shadow slammed against the Skid, but Aelita ignored it and continued both driving and shrieking.
"You got it!" Jeremie almost threw the headset off as Aelita darted into the Lyoko entrance. "Good job."
"Thanks." Aelita smiled and winked as she flew toward the large orb in the middle of Lyoko.
The group was in the Control Room, having a meeting. "Next time I think Odd, Alex, Sissi or William should go." Yumi suggested sardonically, casting a glare over at Ulrich. "Some of us forgot how to work as a team."
"I don't need any help. If you hadn't slowed me down, the Super Computer would be destroyed." Ulrich quipped, arms crossed.
"If I wasn't there, you would have gone down the wrong hallway! You wouldn't even open the door! Jerk."
"Whatever." Ulrich stormed to the elevator and got on it. Sissi followed to try to get him to cool down, and he took it up to the Factory floor with her in tow.
"I need to be alone." Yumi rubbed her temples. "Ulrich, come-" She stopped and sighed. "William, come on." She slowly walked to the passage out of the Control Room, William in tow.
"I guess I'll go to the weight room." Alex sighed as he walked to the elevator doors.
"Well, that was fun, but I'm hungry." Odd patted his stomach and followed.
"Could you bring us some food? I want to get to work on something now that we have the Skid powered up and know it works." Jeremie requested as he glanced at Aelita, who nodded her agreement.
"Of course." Odd waited for the elevator to return, and he and Alex got on it when the doors opened.
"What's that window, Jeremie?" Aelita squinted at the screen after Jeremie pulled a code window up. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Yes, Aelita. If we can Translate anywhere in the world, we can go where your mother is and free her."
"It's going to be hard to figure out."
"That's why we'll work together."
"But what about summer? Jeremie, you know school ends in two weeks."
"Yes, but that's why I was thinking I could use the phone application and pretend to be your father like I did when convincing Mr. Delmas to let you enroll at Kadic. I could call every Warrior's parents and ask them if they could accompany," Jeremie began to speak in an exagerrated Canadian accent, "my lovely daughter Aelita on a trip to our homeland, Canada."
"That's brilliant! But how can we fight Xana and be in Canada at the same time?"
"That's the catch. We wouldn't be going to Canada, we'd be getting sleeping bags and stuff and staying right here, but letting the parents think we're in Canada. I'll be making the calls on Saturday. I just need everyone's parents' numbers except mine and yours."
"Jeremie, you're absolutely amazing." Aelita hugged him tenderly, enjoying the warmth.
-( ( • ) ) -
"Ulrich dear, don't you think you're being just a bit rash?" Sissi asked humbly while she walked with Ulrich through the woods.
"No." Ulrich stared straight forward.
"Well, I mean, surely Yumi helped just a bit, right?" Sissi bit her lip as Ulrich leveled his gaze on her.
"Are you on that stupid string bean's side?" he snarled.
"No, it's just that I-" Sissi was cut off when Ulrich shoved her against a tree. "Ulrich!"
"I can't believe you'd betray me like that!" He hit her in the stomach and she crumpled to the ground.
"Ulrich, please, stop, I just, I..." Sissi vaulted into a bout of sobs as he pulled her back up and kissed her on the lips.
"Just don't take her side again." Ulrich warned as he walked away, Sissi hesitating before following like a lost puppy, afraid but attached.
A/N: Oh snap, that wasn't like Ulrich at all! He's been acting so arrogant ever since he came back from being upgraded. Did something go wrong...?