'Santa Claus is comin' to Town' started playing on loudspeakers as the elves cheered loudly. Jeremie and Chase struggled to look, but couldn't see Santa.
"Where is he?" Jeremie asked
"There! I see him!" Odd exclaimed.
"I can't believe it! It's him!" Aelita smiled.
"I can't see him!" Chase yelled.
Jeremie struggled to peer through the crowd of elves jumping up cheering for the man. "Neither can I!"
"You seriously can't see him?!" Dylan asked.
"I see him! He's over there!" Billy exclaimed with a smile.
"WHERE?!" Jeremie asked
Chase struggled to look through the crowd of elves happily cheering.
"I can't see him!" Chase yelled
"I CAN'T EITHER!" Jeremie yelled over the cheering.
Chase and Jeremie kept looking for Santa.
Chase and Jeremie tried to see Santa, but the reindeer got their attention. Time seemed to slow down for both of them as they saw a loose bell fall off the straps of the reindeer. It flew through the air before it landed on the ground, bouncing around a few times before slowly rolling to a stop between the two.
Jeremie knelt down and picked it up he held it up to his ear, as well as Chase's, and shook it, but no ring came. Instead, they heard a soft voice.
"Doubters... Doubters... Doubters... Doubters..." the voice softly repeated, as if it was taunting the two. Jeremie shut his eyes tightly, unable to take it anymore.
Chase looked at Jeremie with a raised eyebrow.
"Einstein? You alright...?" Chase asked.
"Okay... Okay!" Jeremie whispered as he closed his eyes. "I... believe... I b-believe... I believe..."
He closed his eyes, praying it would work...
The teenager gave the bell a ring, and much to his shock, he could hear it. He could hear the bell! Jeremie's eyes widened and he shook it again.
"Jeremie? What's happened?" Chase asked
"T-The bell... I-I can hear it..." the bespectacled teen replied. Chase cautiously took it and held it to his ear, hearing nothing as he shook it.
"I don't hear anything, Jeremie..." Chase said.
He rung it a couple more times, instead, hearing the same voice. "Doubters... Doubters... Doubters... Doubters..."
He shook his head, closing his eyes.
"I believe... I- I believe..." Chase muttered.
Chase prayed with his heart that the bell would ring. He believed...
Bracing himself, he rung it, but this time... he could actually hear it ring!
"Oh my god... I- I hear it!" Chase exclaimed with shock.
Chase rung it again, the beautiful sound being heard by both him and Jeremie.
"Wow..." Jeremie whispered.
The duo peered down at the silver bell. As they looked at their reflections, they noticed a THIRD reflection. The duo's eyes widened before they turned around, finding Santa Claus himself standing behind them. He had a glow around him, giving off an ethereal like presence.
"What was that you said?" he asked.
Chase and Jeremie exchanged a look. "I believe... I believe..." Jeremie said before he looked down at the bell and held it up to him. "I believe... t-that this is yours..."
Santa gently took it and examined it. "Well, thank you." he told them with a nod.
"Me! Pick me!" Herve suddenly cried out.
"Shh! Herve! Be quiet!" Aelita hissed.
"PICK ME!" Herve cried out
"Herve! Quit it!" Anne hissed.
He simply ignored her. "Pick me! I want the first gift! I want the first gift!"
"Young man... patience." Santa Claus told him as he looked over at him. "And a smidgen of humility might also serve you well."
Herve looked down at the ground. "Y-Yes sir..." he muttered with embarrassment.
Santa then looked down at Aelita and smiled. "And you, young lady... A lady of decision. Full of confidence and spirit. Christmas spirit. Keep up the good work."
Aelita smiled and nodded.
"Thank you sir." Aelita said politely.
Santa then looked at Odd. "Ah, Odd Della Robbia. Energetic as ever, I see."
Odd smirked as he nodded.
Santa chuckled and looked at Ulrich. "Ah, Ulrich Stern. Loyal to all your friends..."
"Yes sir." Ulrich said with a smile.
Santa looked at Anne. "Ah, Anne Marshall. Still moving on. You've been able to stay strong despite all that has happened to you..."
Anne nodded while smiling.
"And Dylan Enheart... Loyal as ever... And not just to your friends, but to a certain someone..." Santa remarked with a smile.
Dylan blushed, nodding softly.
Santa chuckled before looking at Yumi.
"And Yumi Ishiyama. The smart, natural-born leader." Santa said.
The Japanese girl nodded, smiling softly. "Keep up the good work." Santa told her before looking at William.
"William Dunbar... The hothead." Santa said.
William chuckled nervously. "I see you've managed to control it a little. Good job." Santa told him.
The teen nodded as Santa looked at Chase.
"Chase Enheart... I have a file on you that takes up an entire cabinet. I don't know if that's good or bad..." Santa said.
Chase scratched the back of his head as he smiled sheepishly. Santa then smiled. "You've been protecting your sister, brother, and friends from various dangers."
"Yeah... I- I have..." Chase said with a smile.
"It's a brother's job to protect his brother and sister. Just stay out of trouble."
Chase smiled. "Y-Yes, sir..."
"And Billy... It is Billy?"
The young boy nodded shyly. Santa smiled and looked around. "I see you've made some new friends." he remarked.
"Y-Yes, sir. I sure have." Billy nodded.
Santa nodded. "That's a lucky lad. There's no greater gift than friendship." he told him.
"And speaking of gifts..." Santa Claus began before looking at Jeremie. "... Let's have this young fellow right here."
The elves cheered as Jeremie's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
"Wait, ME?!" Jeremie asked with shock.
The Lyoko Warriors and the Conductor smiled at Jeremie Ashe was led up to Santa's sleigh by several elves.
Jeremie had a look of shock.
Santa sat on his sleigh as Jeremie shakily sat down next to him. The elves, the Warriors, and the other Polar Express passengers quieted down.
"Now... What do you want for Christmas?" Santa asked.
"Me?" Jeremie asked.
Santa nodded. "You." he said with a smile.
The bespectacled teenager was silent for a moment before he whispered it to Santa. "Hm... Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed." he said as he stood up and pulled out the silver bell, holding it up high for all to see.
"THE FIRST GIFT OF CHRISTMAAAS!" he called. Everyone cheered for this.
The Lyoko Warriors cheered the loudest.
"YEAH! WAY TO GO, JEREMIE!" Odd whooped.
"I LOVE YOU, JEREMIE!" Aelita cheered
Chase smirked at what Aelita had said out loud. "CONGRATS, JER!' he exclaimed.
"GO, JEREMIE!" Anne yelled with a smile.
Jeremie then remembered something. "Oh, one more thing. Not for me, but for a friend..." he said to Santa before whispering the rest.
Santa looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Ah, I see... I'm sure your friend will appreciate it."
He then crouched down to his height and showed him the bell. "This bell is a wonderful symbol of the spirit of Christmas... as am I. Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas... lies in your heart." Santa told him as he placed the bell into Jeremie's hand.
Just then, the clock chimed loudly, having struck 12:00.
Santa looked back at Jeremie. "Merry Christmas." he said with a smile. Jeremie smiled back and he was about to get off the sleigh when he saw the Conductor. "Better keep that in a safe place." the man said. Jeremie nodded and slipped the bell into his pocket as the Conductor helped him off the sleigh.
The conductor checked his watch, which said 'DEC 24 STILL COULD BE LATE' in a slot. The conductor motioned this to Santa, who nodded. "Oh." the jolly man in red chuckled.
Jeremie ran back to his friends as the conductor followed him.
Dylan patted Jeremie's back as Aelita ran up to tightly hug him.
"That's amazing, Jeremie!" Aelita told him as she hugged him.
Jeremie smiled as he hugged Aelita back.
Everyone turned their attention to Santa's sleigh. The reindeer started to jump off the ground and began to lift the sleigh. Santa laughed his traditional 'Ho, Ho, Ho'. "Pull, Comet! Pull, boy!" he called.
The group watched as Santa took off.
Everyone watched with amazement as the sleigh flew around.
"Woah..." Chase muttered.
"That. Is. Amazing." Dylan murmured in awe.
"Look at that...!" William said.
Aelita had a wide eyed look.
"Wow..." Aelita murmured in awe.
They quickly ducked as the sleigh flew over their heads.
"Now, Dasher! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen!" Santa exclaimed jovially.
"It's everything I dreamed it would be..." Aelita remarked with a smile.
"Could all this be nothing but a dream...?" Billy asked.
Jeremie and Chase smiled. "No..." the duo told him as they looked back at the sleigh. Santa used his magic to light up the tree, making it even more beautiful.
"To the top of the wall, to the top of the wall! Now, dash away, dash away, dash away all!" Santa exclaimed before he, the sleigh, and the reindeer disappeared into thin air, leaving behind the sound of the bells jingling.
All the elves were silent for a moment before the took off their hats and tossing them up into the air, shouting, "YIPEEEE!"
The Lyoko Warriors still had looks of awe on their faces.
"ALL ABOOOOAAARRRD!" the Conductor exclaimed as he checked his watch.
Up by the tree, they could see an elf band singing while several elves danced with female elves.
As the lead elf sang, Anne rose an eyebrow. He sounded familiar...
"Hey, Dylan?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"Does that elf sound like Steven Tyler to you?" she questioned as they listened to the elf sing.
"Who?" Dylan asked.
"Doesn't he sound like Steven Tyler?" Anne asked as they listened to the elf sing.
The duo exchanged a look before they shrugged. "Nah..." they said in unison.
Chase smiled as he looked around.
"I... guess I was wrong about Santa." Chase admitted.
Aelita smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Chase smiled at Anne.
The group then started to head back to the Polar Express while the elves danced with female elves.
"So, are we going home now?" Dylan asked.
Odd shrugged. "Beats me."
The group then saw several elves wheeling the missing cart that they were in earlier back to the Express. Once it was conceited, the elves fell to the ground. Odd and Chase laughed, but Anne and Yumi shot them scolding looks.
Chase went wide eyed, but Odd kept laughing.
Anne rolled her visible eye before she nudged Odd, making him shut up.
Odd rubbed his shoulder as he looked down.
"Sorry..." Odd said.
The group got in line as the Conductor started punching the other passengers' tickets. "Ticket, please." the Conductor said as he took Herve's ticket, punching in letters. Herve took his ticket and rose an eyebrow.
"'Lean'? What the heck does that mean?" he asked.
"Lean is spelled with four letters. I believed I punched five." the Conductor corrected as he showed him the ticket, which read 'LEARN'.
Herve frowned. "Hey, are you saying I don't know how to-" he began, but caught himself. "Oh, I'm sorry. It says 'learn'. My mistake." he corrected as he took the ticket and climbed onto the cart.
Anne smiled as she walked up to the Conductor.
The conductor punched in several letters, completing the word, and showed it to her. "'LEAD'?" she read.
The Conductor nodded. "Lead, as in leader, leadership. Follow you anywhere, ma'am." he said. The teenager smiled and nodded at this.
Anne smiled and walked up into the train car. Aelita and Chase smiled as they went next.
Aelita's ticket was punched in next. It had the word 'CARE' on it.
"'Care'?" Aelita asked.
"Care, as in caring. Your friends are lucky to have a caring person like you." The Conductor said with a smile.
The pink haired teenager smiled shyly. "Thank you..." she said as she climbed on.
Chase's ticket was next. Once the Conductor was finished, it read 'PROTECT'.
"'Protect'?" Chase asked.
"Protect, as in protector... You excel at protecting those you care for." The Conductor said.
Chase nodded, understanding what he meant. "I see..."
The Conductor smiled as Chase and Aelita climbed up into the train car.
William was next. The words 'BE STRONG' were punched into it.
"'BE STRONG'?" William asked.
The Conductor nodded.
William nodded, understanding what the Conductor meant as he climbed into the train car.
Odd was next. He watched as the word 'LISTEN' was punched in.
"Listen?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Listen, as in listen to advice or warnings from your friends. Don't disregard them, because that may end up being a mistake later on." the Conductor explained.
Odd smiled nervously, remembering when he wouldn't listen to Dylan warning him when the Express was going down Glacier Gulch. "Uh... Yes, sir..."
Dylan walked up to the Conductor as Odd climbed into the train car.
Dylan's ticket was punched in. Like Aelita's, it read 'CARE'.
"Care?" He asked.
"Because you care for the well-being of everyone around you. It's a quality that you can't find in most people." The Conductor explained while smiling.
Dylan nodded before he climbed on board. Yumi was next.
She rose an eyebrow at the word punched into her ticket. "Trust?" she asked.
"Trust, as in that your friends trust you. And you trust them." The Conductor said.
The Japanese girl nodded and climbed onto the train. Ulrich had his ticket punched in next. "'Open'?" Ulrich read in confusion.
The Conductor smiled.
"Open... As in that if you open yourself to new things, you can achieve."
He then added, "And open up to your friends and those close to you. They care about you, so don't shut them out."
Ulrich smiled and nodded.
As Ulrich climbed on, Billy was next. Once the word was punched in, he read it, shocked to see that it said 'DEPEND ON'.
When he flipped it, it suddenly read 'RELY ON', and when he flipped it a third time, it read 'COUNT ON'.
The Conductor smiled. "That is some special ticket. So, can you 'count on' us to get you home safe and sound?"
Billy nodded. "Absolutely... Me... And my friends."
The Conductor nodded as Billy climbed onto the train. This time, he went into the passenger cart where the others were.
Jeremie walked up to the Conductor.
"Ticket please." The conductor requested. Jeremie handed him his ticket, but this time, the conductor hid it behind his back as he punched in the letters. Jeremie tried to peek, but he couldn't see.
Once the Conductor was done, he handed it back to Jeremie. The ticket now read 'BELIEVE'.
"It says-" Jeremie began, but the Conductor cut him off.
"Oh! It's nothing I need to know." the Conductor smirked.
Jeremie nodded.
"Right..." Jeremie said.
As Jeremie climbed on board, he smiled as he placed the ticket into his pocket, unaware that it disappeared as he did.
"Hey, Einstein! Can we see the bell?" Odd asked eagerly.
"Yeah, can we see it?" a kid asked.
Jeremie smiled and reached into his pocket for it, but found a hole in it instead. Jeremie's eyes widened. "I lost it..." he whispered.
"What?" Aelita asked.
"I lost the bell from Santa's sleigh..." Jeremie said sadly.
The Lyoko Warriors looked at Jeremie sympathetically, as Aelita tightly hugged him.
"I'm so sorry, Jeremie..." Aelita said.
"Don't worry! We'll help you find it!" Billy said.
"Yeah, all of us will!" Ulrich agreed as he, the Lyoko Warriors,and the other passengers got up, but the train moved forward, making them sit back down in their seats.
Aelita hugged Jeremie again. "I'm sorry, Jeremie..." she whispered.
Jeremie looked down with a heartbroken expression. He had lost the first gift of Christmas...
(REVIEWS ARE LOVE! SO LOVE US!)