Universe: 7th Cyan Future
Location: Dark Garden Transport Vessel, Cruiser-Class: Absolution
Xavier stood in the observation bay, staring out at the void separating the worlds of the Future universe: a kaleidoscope of colors, shifting and swirling together. It was a rather breathtaking scene, really. One he was able to appreciate all the more thanks to his emotions. Though, he was not so drawn to the sight that he didn't hear the footsteps approaching him.
"Xavier, we found it." his superior, Kuroshiki said as he approached the robot. "Krieger's sources were on the mark. It's in Lyoko."
"Lyoko…" Xavier repeated before letting out a mechanical sigh. "Well, I suppose it can not be helped. Have we looked into the state of the world?"
"Yeah, but…" Kuroshiki trailed off. "It's…changed. LOKI's twisted the entire world into a death world. A-Class, maybe even S-Class."
"Then we can't do it alone." the robot said. "...We'll have to call them."
"Look…I know you don't want to get them involved." Kuroshiki said. "Honestly, I'm not looking forward to my own reunions, but…"
"I understand. The mission must come first." Xavier said. "Either way, you're the one leading this operation, not me. It is your choice to call them or not."
"Yeah, but you deserve to have a say." Kuroshiki said. "Well, I'll go make the call, then we'll chart a course to Kadic. Are you ready?"
"As I will ever be." Xavier said. With that, his leader went off as Xavier turned his gaze back to the outside. "(It's time to close the book on our history, Doctor. I hope this will earn your forgiveness, wherever you are.)"
The Color-Verse presents:
Ragnarok EXE: A Code Lyoko Story
Starring:
The Dimensional Heroes
The Shining Hope Squadron
The Brave Adventurers
Team Chronicle
Guest Starring:
Team XDR by Fir100
Dark Garden "Baldur" Company
Universe: 1st White Standard
Location: Galaxy King, Transport of the Hero Alliance
"Wow, all of that to beat both Kaido and Big Mom in Onigashima. You guys sure are strong as heck." Gaius remarked.
"I'm even more surprised that there's three more teams from another multiverse." Ashe added. "Unmei Force, Soldiers of Fortune and Future Seekers, right?"
"Technically, Soldiers of Fortune and Future Seekers are the same thing, but… The circumstances are complicated." Fulgore said.
"Yeah, let's just say you probably won't meet the Soldiers of Fortune and leave it at that." Mark said. "Still, if you're surprised about three other teams, then everything else will blow your minds."
"Yeah, it's a crazy, terrifying, wonderful reality we live in." Scarlet agreed.
"Hehehe. You trying to comfort them or scare them?" Jexi chuckled.
"Try us." Ashe smirked. "We've been through plenty of stuff on our end."
"One of them involves a tank that can jump, fly and swim." Bronya mentioned. "A Metal Attacker known as SOPHIA III."
"Metal Attacker, huh?" Mark said. "Sounds impressive."
"Unfortunately it had to be destroyed due to being infected by the Mutant Core." Laura said.
"But that's okay, because there's an upgraded MA called SOPHIA Zero." Charlotte added. "Although that one is a prototype. Powerful, yet dangerous."
"At least Jason Frudnick and Eve are building the first Metal Attacker made on Earth with SOPHIA Zero as the basis. And we're looking forward to seeing its completion." Copen said.
"No doubt it'll look cool as heck!" Lola smiled.
"Sounds like fun. Though we've had our own share of adventures too." Pit said.
"Yeah. Ever fought two gods capable of destroying 60% of reality, but are too busy fighting each other to finish the job?" Eddy asked. "We have. It ain't easy."
"Neither was tracking down an evil mask and having its spirit come back with 7 evil demon lords." Ranma said.
"You know… I never expected the three of you, Ed, Edd and Eddy from Cartoon Network of all things, to be gacking Saiyans." Gaius said. "Just… how…?"
"Actually, they aren't." Mark answered for them. "Just the Ki training from me and some of the Z-Warriors. I'm half-angel though."
"A half… angel…?" Houki blinked.
"Yeah, from my mom. She's a fallen angel." Mark said. "It's a long story."
"TLDR, he's the second Angel of Wrath." Scarlet said. "Which means he has access to the abilities of all those who fight under the mantle of that sin. Not someone you wanna make mad."
"Interesting." Theresa mused. "Well I hope you can keep those powers in check, Mark."
"No worries. I can always kick Ira's butt all over again." Jexi said. "As for me, I was just a traveler. Then I met everyone on the Realm of Exploration and joined together to beat Flux and Darkrai. After that, everything else just sorta fit in."
"Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, huh?" Gaius mused. "As for me, Zeo and Akira, we started out as ordinary people and recently graduated from college. But then we encountered corrupted versions of the Kamen Riders called Another Riders and two monsters from the Pretty Cure world. And then Woz' mysterious benefactor gave us the tools we needed to fight them. Zeo and I became Kamen Riders while Akira became a Pretty Cure known as Cure Starlight with the powers of Happiness Charge Pretty Cure."
"Really? We've actually been to a Pretty Cure world in the Magical Girl Universe. I think you would call it Heartcatch PreCure." Aelita said.
"You serious?!" Gaius' eyes widened. "I know that team before. Regina Madoka is also from the Pretty Cure world, though she started out as an enemy from the Selfish Kingdown before she changed sides thanks to Doki Doki Pretty Cure."
"Huh. Sounds interesting." Adora said.
"There's been a lot of Pretty Cure teams lately. From the Heisei era and recently the Reiwa era. I think the recent ones that appeared are called Hirogaru Sky Pretty Cure, a four-person team." Gaius mentioned.
"Those teams do seem to continuously expand the Magical Girl Universe." Sheer said.
"Yep. A new generation always appears every year." Lola nodded. "Same goes for the Kamen Riders. I heard a new Reiwa Rider showed up named Kamen Rider Geats."
"Speaking of which, Revali. I heard quite a few rumors from Teba." David said.
"Whatever you heard, they are completely false!" Revali said quickly.
"Even the stuff about Tulin?" David asked with a smirk.
"Oh uh…yes. I suppose that stuff is true." Revali said. "(Good…doesn't look like the others spilled about my…circumstance in the Sing-Sing World.)" he thought.
"Yeah. Heard that you're like an uncle to the little guy now." David said.
"Uh yes. You could say that. Of course. He's gotten quite skilled with a bow as of late." Revali said. "Which is no surprise considering he has the hero of the Rito as his teacher."
"And Teba as a father. I'd say he's got quite some good role models." David said. "I admit that I had my concerns about you at first, but now that I can say for certain that I don't regret you being with us."
"I consider it an honor to hear such a thing." Revali smiled.
"(It's for the best that I don't tell him about the whole…chibification thing. I've been through that before in Grymiore. So, I have no right to laugh at the circumstance.)" David thought.
"So, are we close to finding out where Dark Garden is?" Frosta asked.
"It's not that easy. They have branches in multiple universes. And they usually keep on the DL. Finding one is like looking for a hay in a needlestack." Vector said.
"There's gotta be something we can…" Izuku said as Luffy just stared at a blinking red light.
"What's this light for?" Luffy asked.
"That's the…the proximity alarm!" Jeremie said, running to it. "It only goes off if anyone tries to visit our world."
"Your world?" Steven asked. "Someone's there?"
"That means someone has entered our world. Specifically, close to Kadic. Or maybe…the factory." Aelita said.
"But… Why? The supercomputer was shut down, right?" Miu asked.
"Yeah, you had a whole thing about it." Mark said.
"They could be trying to scavenge for parts. Either way, this is a cause for alarm." Jeremie said.
"You speak the truth, Sir Jeremie." Sir Saiyan agreed. "Dark Garden will have to wait. We must investigate this intrusion at once!"
"Who knows, maybe this is related to what they were talking about." Amethyst said.
"Or…it could be our mysterious little stalker." Lloyd said.
"Either way…we won't know until we check it out." Dan said.
"All right. We've got our course. To Kadic!" Jexi said.
Universe: 1st White Standard/7th Cyan Future Intersection
World: Kadic/Lyoko (Data Pocket World)
Location: Outskirts of Kadic Academy
The company observed the school from the forest, one of the troops holding electrobinoculars, allowing them to see inside.
"It's as we feared, sir." the trooper said, looking down at the company leaders. "They've taken the school."
"That quickly?" EO said in surprise. "We just got a reading on them!"
"A diversion, to draw attention away from the real world." Xavier said, looking unusually frustrated. "Damn. LOKI's already surpassed XANA by leaps and bounds."
"What're we dealing with?" Akira asked.
"Well, they appear to look like vikings." the trooper said. "But I'm not seeing any bio-readings. Most likely viruses. They're holding the students and staff hostage inside the cafeteria."
"Alright, we can work with this." Kuroshiki said. "Akira, you and I will lead Dark Stage's troops to make a distraction in the courtyard, draw their forces. EO, take Dubstep, and Dark Hell to get the hostages out. Xavier, take our troops and try to disable the school's electronics. That should limit the influence LOKI has over the area. We go on-"
"Sub-leader Kuroshiki! Dreadnought-Class vessel entering the atmosphere!" one of the troops said. "They're here."
"...They got the signal." the IS pilot nodded. "Right, that'll make the odds even better. Send a message, tell them about the situation. They should catch on quick enough to the plan, so no point in stopping it. Let's go!"
"Yes sir!" the company confirmed as they prepared to execute their strategy.
The Galaxy King emerged from the Lanes Between over the commune of Boulogne-Billancourt.
"It feels like it's been so long since we've come back here." Aelita said.
"Maybe 'cause it has." Odd said.
"We'll dock near the factory and check it out." Jet said.
Just then, the ship's communicator began blinking.
"That must be Dark Garden. Might as well tell them we're gonna be late." ZS said.
"*Kzrt* This is Dark Garden, company 'Baldur.' Please respond." the voice on the other side requested.
"Dark Garden…this is the Hero Alliance. What a coincidence…we were just looking for you." Jexi said.
"Then you're already here. Good." the voice on the other side said. "If you're following the signal that just activated, don't bother going to the factory, it's a diversion. The real target is Kadic Academy. LOKI's forces have already taken over and are holding hostages. Assistance in rescue and take back mission would be appreciated."
"Wait, what do you mean LOKI's taken over?" Mark said. "That's impossible, XANA never-"
"LOKI is far more advanced than XANA. We're dealing with a potential Universal Threat." the voice clarified. "We'll explain once the school is cleared. Head to Kadic, and prepare for live fire combat. Baldur company out." they said, ending the transmission.
"Well, guess it's time to do a little virus busting." Sachiko said.
"Then let's get to work." Theresa declared as Team XDR changed into their battlesuits while Gaius changed into Kamen Rider Geiz.
The team positioned the Galaxy King over Kadic Academy, seeing a group making their way to the courtyard.
"Okay…I got an idea…" Natsu said.
"No fires." Jexi said. "You've already destroyed enough school lockers, burned swimming pools and terrorized housepets in your lifetime."
"How do you burn a swimming pool?" Houki questioned.
"You don't want to know." The group said collectively.
"So Natsu's still an idiot. Good to know." Geiz remarked.
"If we could get back to the virus busting, that group down there is probably a distraction." Emo said. "Draw in the bulk of the troops, and leave a skeleton crew to keep the hostages in check."
"Then let's help 'em make some noise." Mark said. "Don't know about you guys, but I'm up for distraction duty. Who's with me?"
"As long as I don't get my wings taped while we're here. I'm in." Pit said.
"Just remember guys, this world has no idea other worlds exist." Jexi said. "Take out the enemy without alerting the teachers and students. Or if you can't…make it a show."
"Don't worry about it. They'll barely know the difference." David said.
"Yeah but…" Jexi said, looking at Geiz's helmet. "Hmm…Yaoyorozu…I need to borrow you for a moment."
"Jexi? What are you planning?" Geiz questioned.
"Oh uh…sure." Yaoyorozu said as they went back behind the building for a moment.
It took a few moments before the group walked up, most of them wearing helmets similar to Geiz's.
"Now…this feels more like a show." Jexi said. "Now…move in, Kamen Squad!"
"Heh. You were getting into that, were you?" David asked.
"Why did you pick my helmet as the basis, Jexi?" Geiz questioned. "Also, Kamen Squad? Seriously?"
The group then headed out into the Kadic school grounds.
The first group of Dark Garden entered the courtyard, slowly making their way through as they remained alert.
"Field is clear. Recreational room is clear. Classrooms are clear." a soldier read off. "Looks like they're sticking to areas that have internet access."
"That would explain why they have hostages." Kuroshiki thought. "The students' phones would be a perfect ambush material. Must be how they took over so quickly."
"Hold up." Akira said, stopping the group in their tracks.
"What, viruses?" a soldier asked.
"No…just something ridiculous." the young man deadpanned, having spotted some of the group members with their helmets. "Yo, Riders. You wanna join us, or do you need to henshin all the way first?"
"It's fine. The helmets are just to hide our faces." Jexi said. "Glad to have you on our side, Devilman."
"Don't call me that." Akira muttered.
"Devilman?!" Geiz exclaimed. "There's a Devilman in the Color-Verse?! Because this is a huge deal considering how strong he is! Heck, he even fought Invaders from Getter Robo!"
"Invaders?" Theresa repeated.
"Long story." Geiz replied.
"Is that… an IS?!" Houki gasped as the IS team noticed Kuroshiki.
"Then this must be Kuroshiki." Laura deduced.
"Wait…" Cecilia blinked upon looking at Kuroshiki. "It's a guy?! Another guy with the ability to use an IS?!"
"To think there's another guy using an IS besides Ichika…" Charlotte said.
"(They don't recognize me? Alright, works for me.)" Kuroshiki thought to himself. "(Still, it'll click sooner or later. This is not a conversation I'm looking forward to…)"
"Nice IS." Copen complimented. "Did Tabane have a hand with that? Or did you build it yourself?"
"...It's modified." Kuroshiki answered. "Dark Future has more resources to work with."
"Well… how about that." Lola commented from inside Copen's Relic Pendant.
Lingyin stared at Kuroshiki for a brief moment. "(I wonder what happened to the Color-Verse version of the IS world? Is it still the same, or…)"
"Ah, sirs?" one of the soldiers spoke up. "I'd hate to interrupt, but…hostiles inbound." they said, pointing to a laboratory door that opened, several viking-like beings marching through, staring at the group with soulless eyes.
"HOSTILE ORGANICS DETECTED. INITIATE R.P.B. ROUTINE. EXTERMINATE ORGANICS, HASTEN RAGNAROK." The vikings spoke as one, in cold computerized voices. Two of the viking's hands opened up and transformed into arm cannons, while the last viking's arm(?) seemed to retract, revealing a metal pole, before red hard light appeared in the form of an axe.
Virus Type: Y2K
"Definitely not normal people. No holding back then." Jexi smirked. "You evil vikings! You stand no match for…Kamen Rider Rainbow!"
"Well, if you're getting into it, I guess I can cut loose too." David said, striking a few poses. "Feast your eyes as you stand face to face with the bitter chill of…Kamen Rider Blizzard!"
"I guess I'm Kamen Rider Azure! You'll feel my spectral fists of justice!" Hope said.
"Uh…Kamen Rider…Asura?" Mark decided on.
"Psst. Get into character." David whispered.
"You're all being stupid." Akira said bluntly.
"Very… very stupid, on top of being cringy." Geiz added.
"We prefer to call it 'having fun'. You should try it sometime." ZS said.
"Guys, they're engaging!" Kuroshiki said as the arm cannon Y2Ks began to open fire while the hard light axe viruses moved towards the group faster than its appearance would suggest.
"Time to match speed for speed. Look out!" David said as he made a sprint towards them as he jumped high in the air. "Blizzard Knuckle!" he said as he pounded the ground, sending an icy shockwave towards the vikings to stun them.
"CRYOKINESIS IDENTIFIED. INITIATING 'B' SUB-ROUTINE." one of the long range Y2Ks said as flames spewed out of its cannon, combating the ice shockwave.
"ENGAGING CLOSE-QUARTERS COMBAT MODE." the close range viking declared as it reached the group, swinging its axe to take its target's head off.
"Oh, I think you made a big mistake there. Rainbow, Saiyaman! Divide and Conquer!" David said.
"Roger that! Kamen…Ultimate Color…Axe Kick!" Jexi said, leaping up and bringing down a kick on the long ranger and destroying it.
"Do not underestimate me!" Gohan said in his Great Saiyaman voice as he hit the close range virus with an uppercut. "Justice…Punch!" he announced, hitting the Viking on its way back down.
=ZIKAN ZAX! ONO!=
Geiz summoned his axe and sliced the Vikings left and right while evading their attacks.
Strangely, when defeated, the vikings seemed to glitch out until they vanished.
"SUPPORTING UNITS DELETED. RUNNING 'HORN OF BATTLE' ROUTINE." the last viking said before it emitted a loud, bellowing horn that rang out across the campus.
"Now we've rattled the cage. We're about to have a lot of company." Kuroshiki said.
"On the bright side, you're all doing a great job at being distracting." Akira said.
"...Thanks?" Frisk said in a tone that seemed unsure whether that was a compliment or an insult.
"Hey. We aim to please." David said.
Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, multiple Y2Ks were present, watching over their prisoners when the horn sounded.
"HORN OF BATTLE ROUTINE INITIATED. MOVING TO ASSIST IN EXTERMINATION OF HOSTILES." most of the viruses declared as they exited the room, leaving about five viruses to guard the hostages.
The silence in the room was broken when the doors to the room burst open, Captain EO, Dubstep, and Dark Hell troops walking in. "Mind if we crash this party, fellas?"
One of the viruses attacked with a hard light axe, the former pop star smoothly dodging the strike and delivering an Iron Body-infused kick to the Viking program, taking it out.
At the same time, the Dark Hell troops swiftly slashed and/or burned the viruses until none remained.
"Sounds scrambled, boss-man!" Dubstep gave a thumbs up. "We're in the clear!"
"Good." EO said as he approached the hostages. "Hey, we're here to get you folks outta here. One of you mind telling us what happened here?"
"It was like those Vikings appeared out of nowhere. But we were relieved to see guys in those helmets, so now we know this is just one big show." one student said.
"Helm- oh, yeah, right." EO said, realizing what the alliance was doing. "So, uh…kinda working with an incomplete script here. Did those vikings say anything?"
"Well…when they rounded up everyone, they did call us 'beacons' or something like that." the student remembered.
"Beacons?" Dubstep repeated. "The heck's that mean?"
"...It means LOKI wanted us to be here." EO realized. "The school wasn't the target. We were."
Back in the courtyard, more and more viruses emerged to engage the group as they fought the viking horde. The Hero Alliance and XDR fought with more flair in their moves, while Dark Garden's troops were more direct in their fighting.
"Just how many viruses can this AI bring into the real world?" Kuroshiki wondered as he cut down several Y2Ks with his IS unit's blade. "It's like they're never-ending!"
"We gotta find a way to shut off their emergence. Hmm…maybe if we shut off the internet…" Twilight said as she cut down a few with her Keyblade as Decidueye pierced some coming at her back.
"I think the best way to do that would be to work on the router. Someone can slip by and deal with that without these guys noticing." David said.
"Leave that to me." Sachiko said. "The Royal Knights and I can work our way around this kind of thing."
"I can work on that too. My Legions can bash any of these guys that try to get in the way." Miu said.
"We have two good options for this job. Who should we go with?" Mayumi asked.
"Up to you guys, take your pick!" Bow said, stunning some Y2Ks with a flash arrow so Adora could cut them down.
"But be quick. Cause these guys are about done for. Fifth Fang: Crazy Cutting!" Inosuke called out as he cut up a number of Y2Ks.
"Domino, take out that router!" David said.
"Got it. I'll get that thing out in a jif!" Miu said as she started to slip away from the fight.
"Try the principal's office!" one of the Dark Stage troops called to her. "It has the highest wi-fi signal according to our scans!"
"Got it. I'm on my way right now!" Miu said.
"Well, at least these guys are a piece of…" Odd said as the ground shook as something approached.
Before the group appeared a large creature with pincers and legs and a large tail with a stinger. But the most drawing feature was the familiar symbols right on its tail.
"What in the world is that? It looks like some kind of giant scorpion!" Sectonia said.
"It must be a monster XANA never introduced in Lyoko. These things must have brought it with them as a backup." Jeremie said.
"Watch out for its tail! That thing looks very deadly!" Sachiko said.
The creature let out a mechanical screech as it went on the attack.
Unused XANA Model
Scorpion
(Boss Theme: Poison Spear- Sonic and the Secret Rings)
The Scorpion began the fight as it opened its pincers, which began to rotate at a fast speed as it shot out energy projectiles at rapid fire.
"Scatter!" Scarlet called out as the group did so, managing to dodge the blasts. "Guess it doesn't just rely on that stinger."
The Scorpion skittered to focus its fire on any of the group members before it held its fire, before its stinger tail began to spin. It then jammed it into the ground, causing an energy ring to form around the point of impact, before it began to expand in all directions. The stinger remained planted into the ground for the moment.
"Watch the ring!" Shirou warned as the group either jumped over or ducked under the ring.
"Hey, the tail's still in the ground! That's definitely a sign that it's vulnerable!" Eddy said.
"On it. Blizzard Shotgun!" David said as he fired a spread of ice blasts of his one on the Scorpion.
The ice blast hit the Scorpion's tail, causing it to shriek as it retracted its tail. Its next move was to begin digging, burrowing into the ground as several Y2Ks took its place. However, the group could see the earth being disturbed as it moved underground.
As the group fought the mobs, the Scorpion would periodically poke its tail out from the ground, using it to strike the ground and create energy rings before slinking back underground, the group hitting the tail when they could.
"Man, this thing is a lot smarter than most of XANA's monsters." Steven said. "We gotta get it back up here!"
"Yeah. I think I can handle that." Natsu said. "Now…Fire Dragon's…Roar!" Natsu cried out as flames went down the hole as the Scorpion was forced out as he grabbed the tail and pinned it down.
"I've got it!" Akira said, shifting into his devil form as he raced over to the Scorpion, beating on it savagely before he grabbed it in a hold. "Let go unless you wanna fly!" he warned Natsu.
The wizard did so as Akira hurled the XANA monster into the sky. "Now! Shoot it!"
"Cecilia, Laura, Bronya, let's shoot it down!" Geiz ordered as his Zikan Zax changed into a bow, then slotted the Geiz Ridewatch onto it and took aim as it began charging up energy. Cecilia supported by taking aim with her beam sniper rifle while Laura did the same with her shoulder railgun. Bronya summoned a floating legless mecha named Bunny as it aimed its arm cannon.
=FINISH TIME!=
=GIWA GIWA SHOOT!=
"Adieu!" Cecilia shouted as the four fired their charged shots at The Scorpion as it was hit by the attacks, screeching one final time, and began to glow, before it exploded in a flash of light.
(Boss Theme End)
During the fight with the Scorpion, Miu made her way to the principal's office, taking down any straggler viruses on her way there.
"Okay. Time to see if the router is somewhere here." Miu said as she got her Beast Legion out to search for the router. "I know this place has a pet policy, but this is a special case. Sorry, Kiwi."
The Beast Legion used its tracking skills to search for the wi-fi router, eventually finding it under the principal's desk.
"Alright, thanks boy. Now, this is only gonna take a minute or so." Miu said as she turned the router off.
"This should be the place. Let's switch off the-" Miu heard a voice say as she popped out from under the desk to see Xavier standing there. "Oh, hello there."
"What brings you here?" Miu asked.
"We were here to switch off the wi-fi, denying the viruses access to entry points, but…it seems like you already did so." Xavier said. "You are…Miu Iruma, of the Brave Adventurers, correct? Perhaps you've heard of me from the Heights Alliance, but I am Xavier, a captain in Dark Future."
"They mentioned something about that, yeah." Miu said. "Hmm… Getting a closer look at you, I feel like I know you from somewhere…"
Xavier seemed to tense up a moment (rather impressive for a robot to be able to do that, Miu noted internally) before he spoke. "Ah, yes, well…you've met many robots, I'm sure. Perhaps I remind you of one of them. I can't say I've encountered you before…" he said.
"(He flinched for a second there. Having seen a robot do that a lot… He's definitely hiding something.)" Miu thought.
Their conversation was cut short by the distant sound of a loud screech and an explosion. Suddenly, the computer on the principal's desk sprang to life, filling the screen with glitched visuals until a black screen with a green text line appeared.
-LOKI: Your friends enjoyed my little present. Shame you weren't there to see it.
"We didn't need to see it. We heard, AND felt it." Miu said.
-LOKI: I'm sure you did. Too bad XANA never finished making that one. Oh well, my gain. And what a gain I have.
"The school is lost to you, LOKI." Xavier said, with heat in his mechanical voice. "Unless you wish to experience how an AI can be tortured-"
-LOKI: Getting a bit mad, Xavier? Don't worry, I'll give you a fighting chance. Here, let me get into character:
"The beast of Midgard has been vanquished. The way to Niflheim is opened, and the Great Winter brews. Come, warriors! Ragnarok has begun!"
-LOKI: Honest opinion, Little Miss Inventor Pig, how's that sound? Too bombastic? Not bombastic enough?
"Eh, not too bad, I guess." Miu said. "Guess it's a good thing some of us brushed up on Norse Mythology."
-LOKI: And here I thought I'd have to hold your hands the whole way through. Glad you're smart enough to guess the theming. I think you can guess where I'm going with this, right?
"We are not in the mood for games, LOKI." Xavier said.
-LOKI: Aw, come on! I already have complete control over Lyoko, why not let me have some fun with it? Then again, I could just take control of all the world's missile systems and just launch all of 'em. That might be fun too.
"Damn it…" Xavier growled.
"Yo, Xav. I think we might have to play along with this one. He doesn't seem like he's joking about that part." Miu said.
-LOKI: Glad you're so understanding, Iruma! Going along with people who are dominant is one of your better qualities.
"Yeah, you have Kokichi to blame for that part. After him, I got used to the flak by this point." Miu said.
-LOKI: The tutorial is over, kids. You take all the time you need, because once you step into my world, the gloves come off. Oh, and don't expect to fall back on devirtualization this time; this here's Hard Mode! No respawns allowed.
-Let's talk again soon, heroes.
The screen then glitched up before shutting itself off.
"Sadistic little freak." Miu said.
"That's what makes LOKI so dangerous: it's so human." Xavier said. "It's not replicating those emotions, it's actually feeling them. Which is a bad thing, considering it's also highly neurotic."
"We should relay this to the others. They'll want to hear about this." Miu said.
Later, the group reconvened, Miu and Xavier relaying their encounter with LOKI.
"Okay, so let's see if we're getting this right…" David said. "So LOKI has completely taken over Lyoko, and the only way to stop it is to defeat guardians based on Norse Mythology in all of its sectors?"
"Yes, that is correct." Xavier confirmed. "We have no choice but to play its game. If we don't…well, the results could be world-ending."
"Right. We should head to the factory right away." Jeremie said.
"Problem. Supercomputer is shut down. And even if we do go in, devirtualization ain't gonna save squat." Miu said.
"Reactivating it isn't a problem. The last part however…" Jeremie said.
"Heh…well…how about we pay to enter a different way." Franky said. "The Digimon Storage is ripe and ready for this sort of thing."
"I guess we're doing this, then. Just remember. It's got all of our lives in its hands. One misstep, and we pay with our lives. For real this time." David said.
"It's not like we're new at putting our lives on the line." Mark said. "We just have to treat this as a normal mission. We got this."
"What about you all?" Moltar asked XDR and Dark Garden. "This'll be your first time in Lyoko, and it's not exactly like other digital worlds. Think you can handle it?"
"Well most of us already traveled to the Digital World from our multiverse, so this is no problem." Geiz assured. "As for Lyoko, I've heard of that world, but I didn't take interest in it."
"The Bronya however is interested with exploring the cyber worlds." Bronya added.
"As for us…Dark Future dealt with digital worlds before business in that department was transferred to Dark Governance." Kuroshiki said. "We can handle it."
"That being said, us Dark Stage leaders will be staying out here with the rank-and-file. Just in case LOKI tries anything out here while you're all in there." Captain EO said. "You all keep each other safe in there, okay? Mr. Spaceman'll want his son back in one piece."
"I can take care of myself, Michael." Kuro said. "So can Akira and Xavier."
"Why're we still talking here?" Akira asked. "Let's go get this done."
"Yeah, Devil Inside's right. Let's get moving!" ZS said as the group headed to the Galaxy King.
"(Ragnarok… Just what is LOKI planning?)" Xavier thought to himself.