Chapter 16: The Apocalypse
Regular text: 123
Talking: "123"
Thoughts and Masahiro: 123
Aria: 123
Geo Thought Communication:123
[Geo's P.O.V.]
Where… am I?
Right now, I was standing in a blank space, surrounded by nothing.
Hello!... Is anyone there!?
Nothing.
I attempted to walk forward but I found nothing.
What's going on?
I held my hand out and let the X cover it. Energy covered my hand and I let it dissipate. The area cleared out, revealing I was standing in the middle of an empty street. "What in the world?... Oh, I can talk again! But what's happening?"
"You were stabbed by someone who was possessed…"
I snapped my head in the direction of the new voice. I don't believe it. "Seth? Seth Stilobas?"
"Yo! Long time no see."
"What are you doing here, don't you have something you should be concerned about back on Vivosaur Island?"
"Oh, trust me, I do. But the me you see before you isn't actually real."
"Huh?"
"I'm a figure of your imagination; you're simply dreaming that I'm here. Consider it a kind of treatment to help you get through whatever it is you're going through"
"Well why is it you? I don't want to be reminded of whatever problems I started"
"That's why we're here!"
"We?"
"I am not the only familiar person you will encounter in this dream-like state. There are others, but for now, I am going to represent the part of you that stems from the guilt you have over giving Seth his human form" 'Seth' said.
"What about that?"
"You feel that you could have done more, that you could not only have gotten rid of his Destructor form. But that's not it, isn't it? You also fear that you will never be strong enough to save those you care about"
"So what if I am? This X… and this Driver… it should be able to give me the power I need to protect others… but yet here I am, killing dozens of people!"
'Seth' slapped me hard, causing a loud SMACK to echo throughout the area. "Stop whining! You were given this power for a reason! And you've almost discovered that reason! But why are you holding yourself back?"
I snapped. "Because I'm weak! I'm holding everyone back! I'm just the antisocial kid that everyone seems to like but just wants to be alone! I never asked to be a part of this! I'm just a coward who lucked into power! People like me and I don't understand why! I work hard and ignore everyone else because that's my way of helping! If I can improve the tech that we have then I'm helping. That's all I want to do. I want to help and be brave! But I'm just some cowardly nerd hiding his true feelings."
"Good. You realize part of what's been holding you back. But a wise man once said something along the lines of 'fear is a superpower'. Because you're afraid, you've managed to grow stronger and stronger, but not as fast as you should. Yes, you should be afraid, but there is more to bravery then just not being afraid. Haven't you noticed? Whenever you feel afraid you never seem to change. Internally, you decide yourself that you are afraid, but internally, you decide to do something about it. Your fight or flight response is responding in the way that you want to fight to escape this every time you feel it!
"The way that I see it, or the way you see it and I interpret, bravery isn't being unafraid, it's simply being scared, but using your fear to boost your power tenfold! That's why you're growing stronger. But that's also why you're being held back."
"Why are you helping me? Why is my subconscious telling me to get back up and keep fighting?"
"That's for you to find out. Now, you have more internal conflict to worry about." 'Seth' told me. "There are more people from your past you need to speak with. Come along, West"
'Seth' began walking away. I sigh and follow after him.
[May's P.O.V.]
Monica and I manage to get Geo into the Hermitage, everyone one of us piling into the living room. Monica and I rested Geo on the couch, where I attempted to bandage the bleeding wound.
"What's going on out there?" Odd asked.
"Why did this have to happen now?" Monica said under her breath.
"Wait, what did you say Monica?" Aelita asked.
"Nothing! I didn't say anything!" Monica denied.
Yumi looked suspiciously at Monica. "What are you hiding?" she demanded.
"Don't worry about it! There are more important matters to take care of!" Monica shouted.
"Monica, if there's something you need to tell us, just say it" William said.
It was at this point where I finally got tired of them ignoring the fact that Geo is dying on the couch.
"CAN WE PLEASE FOCUS ON THE FACT THAT GEO IS BLEEDING OUT ON THIS COUCH!"
Yes, my shout actually scared them. Good thing too, I don't think Geo can last much longer.
Monica, Jack, Odd, and Aelita all crowded around the couch. "What do we do?" Odd asked.
"I don't know, he was stabbed with a knife, he probably needs a hospital!" Monica retorted.
I removed my hand to look down at Geo's stomach. The wounds were still bleeding, however, I noticed something.
"Guys, look! The wounds… are healing themselves…" I say.
True to my words, the wound appeared to be getting smaller by the second. Monica reached to his hand and showed off the back of his hand. There was a glowing light underneath his glove that was slightly shaped like an 'X'.
I reached for his chest, feeling his heartbeat. It was slightly diminishing but he was still breathing steadily.
"I don't get it, how is this happening?" William asked.
"This thing is strange. We don't really know why this thing keeps appearing but it does. I think it's healing him." Monica confirmed.
"But he's still unconscious; we have to be careful, his heartbeat's going down still" May said.
"What can we do? Who knows how safe we are here" Jack said.
Yumi seemed to be thinking deeply for a moment before she gasped. "Ulrich's still in the hospital. If they're after us then they're going to be after him too! We have to go now!" she said.
"Well how are we going to get there?" William asked.
"We could walk probably, that seems like a logical way to move" Odd deadpanned.
"Even if we, could they're still out there and we barely got away." Aelita responded.
"Not exactly, we could fight them off with the Drivers!" I stood up and told them.
"You're right! The Lyoko Driver and X-Omega Driver are still compatible with the other Key Drives, I think." Aelita said. "Two of us could fight our way to the hospital and get to Ulrich!"
"…guys I was kidding" Odd spoke up. We ignored him.
"Okay, I'm going to get, him, Yumi, you're coming with me!" I ordered.
Yumi nodded. I pulled Geo's gloves off and placed them on. "I'll be back, Geo" I whispered.
Odd handed Yumi her Key Drive and the two of us left.
[Geo's P.O.V]
'Seth' and I both traveled down the street, eventually reaching Kadic, except it was in ruins.
"What happened here?" I asked.
"This is your mind; everything is in ruins because that's your current mentality. Everything you stand for and do have been put into question, meaning that this has happened" 'Seth' said.
"Well tell me how to fix it" I demand.
"Sorry, but you're asking your subconscious a question that you should be figuring out yourself. Now come along, there's someone you need to meet" 'Seth' led me to the dorms. Eventually, we reached the door to the room shared by me and Jeremy.
I opened the door. Sitting at the desk, there was a figure that swiveled around as we walked into the room.
"Welcome, Geo" This figure had taken the form of… I think his name was Guren? Kamen Rider Ryuki?
"Great, what do you represent" I sigh.
"Well, let's face facts" 'Guren' stood up. "You've admitted that you were a coward, but where's your proof? You've proven that you are strong, and part of you is telling you that your fear is your 'superpower', but why are you afraid?"
"Did you just call this guy out? I'm curious, enlighten me"
"What guy? It's just the two of us in this world" 'Guren' tilted his head.
"He's right h-" I turned around. I quickly noticed that 'Seth' was gone. I looked out into the hallway. Nothing.
"If you're looking for the other part of your subconscious, don't bother. Worry about the one you're talking with now" 'Guren' told me.
"Fine, what's the problem this time?"
"Get over your fears, you fear that you're holding everyone back and you fear that you're useless. I want you to give me proof that you are as you say"
"You should know this; you are me, right? If anything, I'm afraid of failing and losing everything. Simple as that"
'Guren' shrugged. "I'll admit that's reasonable. But there's more to it, isn't there? That's not your only fear and you know it. There's another fear that helps you to keep going but you want to forget. What was it again?"
"Well what do you want from me? I can't be expected to just talk about what scares me!" I shout at him.
"Oh, that's right. You keep denying it but you know it keeps creeping up on you. Come now, let's go see the next apparition"
'Guren' turned around and opened the window.
"What is the purpose of this?! I'm not learning anything or realizing anything important at all!"
'Guren' put his hand to his chin. "That's right… but at least we're trying, which is your specialty" without a second thought, he grabbed my hand and threw me out the open window into darkness.
[May's P.O.V.]
Yumi and I ran through the city, seeing that there are people running from explosions.
The two of us managed to get to the hospital, allowing us to run to Ulrich's room.
We barged in, surprising the boy in bed.
"May?! Yumi?! What are you two doing here?!"
"There's an apocalypse going on outside and you're more concerned about why WE'RE HERE?" I panted.
"Wait, seriously?" Ulrich said.
"Ulrich, your arms the only thing broken, you can get out of bed to look out the window!" Yumi snapped.
"Just get up" I sigh.
Ulrich gets out of bed and we get out the door before a nurse stopped us.
"Excuse me, put this patient needs to stay in his bed!"
"Well EXCUSE me, but there is an Apocalypse happening outside and we need to keep our friend safe!" Yumi retorted.
"We have everything under control-"
An explosion happened down the hallway. All four of us turned to see that there were several creatures heading towards them. They resembled Kankrelat's, Krabe's, Blok's, Manta's, and Eagle's.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me" Yumi said.
"Get out of here" I warn the nurse, who fearfully nods and takes off down the corridor.
Yumi and I set Ulrich down so he leans on a wall. I press the gloves to my belt as Yumi pulls out the Lyoko Driver, placing it onto her waist.
Access
Both of us held up our Key Drives. "Henshin!"
I slid my Key Drive into the X-Omega Driver as Yumi put her Key Drive into the Lyoko Driver.
We spun the discs on the belts.
Insert, Energize! E-Striker, Engaged!
My version of the X-Omega suit formed and around Yumi, two energy discs formed and merged, impacting her chest before shattering. The energy covered her and formed a suit and armor.
The suit was a dark violet color with silver armor on her elbows and kneecaps. She had a slender chest plate that was black with a Key Drive design on it. She had two holsters on the sides of her belt. Her helmet was black with the design of her vehicle in Lyoko.
"Kamen Rider X-Omega, E-Striker form!" I shout.
"Uh, Kamen Rider Lyoko!... Dancer Form!" Yumi hesitantly said.
"Dancer?"
Don't question it May. People come up with weird names all the time.
Like Aria and Masahiro… well, we actually like our names, but still!
"Stop doing that!" I shouted. These two keep scaring the crap out of me!
"Stop what May?" Lyoko asked.
"It's nothing; now let's get to work!"
Key #08: E-Lancer, Engaged!
Yumi looked around her body for a weapon and found the holsters, pulling out and unfolding her fans from Lyoko. "I see" she spun them around herself and got ready. The two of us charged the crowd.
[Geo's P.O.V.]
After falling out of the window into darkness, I suddenly woke up to find I was in some place covered in snow. "What in the world? Where I am?" I got up and quickly began rubbing my arms, shivering softly.
It's cold…
Well what did you expect?
I snapped to look behind me. There were two figures standing there.
"Seriously? You guys had to take the form of Raito Tachibana and Kazuto Kirigaya? Two people I barely even know?"
"They've dealt with problems of their own" 'Raito' said.
"But you're right, we're in the wrong form" 'Kazuto' said before the two snapped their fingers.
They suddenly changed into two other figures.
"There, I'm Z, Kamen Rider Dreigon" 'Z' said.
"And I'm Hunter, Kamen Rider Gaim, happy?" 'Hunter' said.
"I don't even know why it matters" I sighed.
"Anyways, the important thing is that here, you have a memory that is one of the most important in your life. This memory is part of the reason why you fight" 'Z' said.
"Why I fight?"
"Follow us" 'Hunter' said.
The two began walking away. I hesitantly followed.
The three of us walked down a path that was half covered in snow and ice. Eventually we reached a small playground that was covered a bit in ice.
On the swingset was a boy who was crying.
"This place…"
I…I'm back here again…
"You remember this moment Geo? The moment you decided to make your friends happy and to punish your enemies? The day you wanted to make a name for yourself?" 'Hunter' asked.
"I remember this day somewhat… this was the day that I found out Allyson was cheating on me. But… what exactly was I supposed to remember?"
I turned around to see that a young woman with slightly pinkish hair and several layers of clothing was coming down the path. The person spotted the boy on the swingset and moved to their side.
"What's wrong?" the person asked.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it" the boy said.
The person sat down on the swing next to the boy. "Well if it was nothing you wouldn't be crying about it, now would you? Come on now, wipe those tears and smile." The woman smiled.
"…my girlfriend cheated on me" the boy admitted.
"Oh. Yeah that sounds like a pain. But even so, why are you going to let that get you down?" she asked.
"Well, I'm always sort of a loner in school, so she means a lot because she was one of the few friends I had." The boy said.
"But did you truly like her or did you just like the fact that she gave you attention?" The young woman pointed out.
"I… I don't know. I guess I should have suspected it though, it's not like anyone really cares that I exist" the boy sighed.
"Now don't say that. I'm sure there are people who care that you exist. You just need to find a reason to make them notice you."
"A reason?" this caught the boy's attention.
"Tell me, what about other people makes you happy? What do you want to do for those you care about?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"You have your own strengths and weaknesses that people don't see. You're a good kid, I can see that, but I can't see what you deal with or what you yourself care about."
The boy looked at the young woman. "Someone who I really care about once spoke to me about why he fights. He himself said that he feels that everyone has a natural need to defend those they care about. Even the most heartless people have something they would give their lives for. But there are those who have reasons to go beyond their limits for those they care about. In some cases, it's love, for others, it's for power. But, that's why I'm asking, what would you do to go beyond your limits?" the young woman asked.
"I… I can't honestly think of something that I would do… but I can honestly say that I… I would go beyond my limits just to make people smile or be happy"
"Smile? Be happy?"
"Yeah. To be completely honest, I always feel left out and lonely around others. And I'm always bullied because of how I look. But while most of me hates this fact… there's a small part of me that likes the attention, and those who close enough to me that we're at least sort of friends… I care about them enough that I'd defend them and their smiles"
"Then look for that in people. Don't worry about how they treat you unless it goes too far. And if it comes down to it, there will be someone to be there for you, to defend your smile.
"But this world in itself is cruel. Anyone or thing could try to hurt you or those who are close to you. So at any time, you have to be prepared to fight to protect the smiles and happiness of those close to you"
The young woman stood up. "I have to go now, but please take what I said under consideration" the young woman began walking away as she pulled out a small necklace with a small pink gem and looked over it.
"U-uh, my name is Geo, what's yours?" the boy asked.
The young woman turned around to look at younger Geo, showing him the small necklace.
"It's Darry" she turned back around and walked away.
Younger Geo sat alone on the swingset before he pushed his glasses further up onto his nose. "…fight…to protect smiles…"
'Hunter' turned to me. "So do you realize now? Why you fight for the people around you?"
"I… I didn't even remember this happening" I admit.
"You simply forgot, but the lesson still stuck with you internally, giving you a reason to keep fighting" 'Z' said.
"…what else do you have to show me?" I ask.
"There's one more person that you need to see, and one more fear you need to confront before you can convince yourself to move on" 'Hunter' said.
I nodded.
"Okay, lead the way"
[May's P.O.V.]
Lyoko and I both ran outside with Ulrich, the two of us carrying him. We made it down the street before more monsters showed up.
"Come on!" I shouted. I looked through the cars before I finally found one with the keys still in the ignition. "You know how to drive, right?" I asked Lyoko. "Yeah" she confirmed.
"Get in!" I shout. We enter the car and immediately, Lyoko starts driving away.
"So what's happening?" Ulrich asked.
"We don't know, everything just started blowing up and now we're here to come get you" Lyoko said.
"We're headed back to the Hermitage now. The others are there" I tell Ulrich.
"What happened to Geo? Why are you wearing the X-Omega armor?" Ulrich asked me.
"Jeremy's been possessed by Xana" Lyoko started.
"…what does that have to do with Ge-"
"Xana-possessed Jeremy stabbed Geo with a pocketknife" I finished.
"What?!" Ulrich shouted.
"We had to get you so we both went bec-"
I stopped in the middle of my sentence. The forest outside of the school was on fire.
"Oh my God" Lyoko said, stopping the car.
"Keep driving" I said.
"What? May are you crazy?!" Ulrich shouted.
"Just go! The fire itself may be too dangerous to go through by ourselves, but if we speed through with the car then we may be able to get to the Hermitage with only a damaged car."
"Do you know how crazy that sounds?!" Ulrich shouted.
It's not that bad an idea actually.
Yeah if you don't mind causing the car to explode.
I don't think that the car would explode THAT easily.
"I don't think this is the right car to do that kind of thing in." Lyoko commented.
You're actually kind of lucky.
Huh?
The X-Omega Driver is compatible with any kind of technology. Just take the Driver's seat and we'll take it from there.
I nodded and got out of the car.
"May, what are you doing?" Ulrich asked.
"Let me take the driver's seat." I asked Lyoko.
"Do you know how to drive?"
"Just trust me!"
Lyoko sighed and got out of the car, moving to the other side. I sat in the driver's seat.
Now what?
Switch to G-Buster and activate your G-Breakers.
I nodded and activated the two keys.
Key #09 & #10: G-Buster, G-Breakers, Engaged!
Let's get to work!
The G-Buster suit and G-Breakers formed around me. I placed my hands on the wheel and my feet on the petals. Around my hands and feet, the G-Breakers formed.
Instantly, armor began forming around the wheel and extending to the rest of the car.
Buster-Crasher! Engaged!
The car was now a lot more armored and had changed into a light red color. The front of the car had a large claw attached to the bumper by to a crane-like device.
"Wow, I don't even think Geo knew this could happen!" Ulrich said.
"Okay, let's go!" I shouted.
Do you know how to drive?
Uh… a little…
Why do you sound so unsure? All you do is push the pedal down after putting it in drive! How is that too much to know?
Uh…
Lay off! I'm not sure she's the best person to be scolding right now. It's May we're talking about here.
Sitting right here…
Just drive!
"Eep!" I accidentally pressed down hard on the gas…
…Never press down hard on a gas pedal when you're wearing super-powered armored boots.
The Buster-Crasher dashed forward through the gate and into the forest. The three of us were forced further into our seats by the force.
I spun the wheel wildly to avoid the trees as the three of us screamed wildly.
The Buster-Crasher swerved left and right over and over again, bumping into several trees. Lyoko grabbed onto the wheel and straightened it out as best as she could, the Buster-Crasher driving through several trees and causing them to fall over behind or next to us.
Finally, we reached the Hermitage… by driving through the back wall.
After taking a minute to breathe, we got out and ran into the living room. However, everyone was on the ground and unconscious.
"Guys!" I immediately ran to Monica's side.
"What happened here?" Lyoko asked.
The three of us went around the room, attempting to wake up everyone.
Smoke began filling the room. "Come on, wake up!"
[Geo's P.O.V.]
The three of us walked for a bit in the cold. Eventually, we reached a bus stop with a waiting bus.
"What are we doing here?" I asked.
"Board the bus and find out" 'Hunter' told me.
I look between 'Hunter' and 'Z' before I sigh and board the bus, moving to the back. On the bus already, there was a figure who looked a lot like May. I sat next to them. "So, what are you going to attempt to teach me?" I asked 'May'.
"To accept your feelings and move on" 'May' said.
"Easier said then done. Even though I've figured out the truth, the fact that I endangered people because of my own overconfidence kind of stings" I admit.
"I wasn't talking about those people's deaths" 'May' said.
"Huh?"
"Well, I was a little bit but I was actually talking about your feelings towards your friends, especially your girlfriend May"
"It's kind of awkward for me to talk about it when you've taken her form-"
"That's exactly why I took this form." 'May' told me. "I took a form that you're comfortable with because you need to hear this"
That shut me up.
"You decided that because you're from somewhere else that that means that you should automatically treat everyone different because they're not the people who you know. But you're wrong. You know the truth and you feel guilty about how you've treated them. They are exactly the people you know and you've just denied them the fact that you are aware of their existence"
"Who are you to psychoanalyze me like this? You may be a manifestation of my inner emotions but what gives you people the right to just force all of this on me and try to fix me?"
"Because we want to be heard. You rely too much on your intelligence and none of your other instincts. We took a chance to be heard so we can work on you. You may be set with your intelligence, but you don't realize that deep down, you're insecure."
"…what do you mean?"
"You know the truth and you still feel insecure by what you've learned. By this, you've become weaker and you're afraid of what's to come. You can't focus on your true goal because you focus too much intelligence on the fighting instead of simply going with your instincts."
"You realize you're making no sense at all, right?"
"Well you realize that in essence, I'm you, so whose fault is that?"
I scowled.
"Besides, it's not just your other instincts you're ignoring. What about your friends and other allies?"
"What about them?"
"In battle, you are not the only one fighting. You have friends and allies to back you up. Though you may be the only one strong enough to fight Xana's monsters, you should also consider how well the fight would be for you guys if you would fight alongside your friends"
"I do fight alongside them."
"No, you don't. You do most of the fighting yourself while the others simply have to watch"
"Then what do you suggest I do? There's not much I can do based on the situation I'm in!"
"Yes there is."
"And what would be your solution?"
"The Royal Brace. If you can complete it, then you can use Xana's power against itself and finally destroy it."
"Destroy… Xana?"
"Yes. You know the truth of this world and the truth about what Xana has done. If you can manage to complete the Royal Brace, then you can most certainly end this fight"
I looked down at my feet.
Do I… really have the strength to do that?
"Here's our stop" 'May' said.
The bus stopped, allowing us to get off. We were now at the factory.
We entered and went to the supercomputer.
"There's nothing left we can do now" 'May' said.
"What do you mean?"
"She means, we've done all we can, and that the rest is up to you" 'Seth' walked out from behind the computer, looking at me.
"It's true, we've done the best we could to help you, and now our job is over…"
"We've said all we've had to say" 'Hunter' and 'Z' both appeared behind me.
"And now, it's time you faced your final fear." 'Guren' appeared at the computer.
"My… final fear?"
"You are growing strong, but in order to become stronger, you must face your fears altogether. With this" 'May' pulled out a small device that was about the size of a wristwatch with a dial at the center. Attached to the dial was a handle.
"That is…"
"The Royal Brace. In your final test, you must face off against all of your forms one after the other, but you must do so in a form that will limit your capabilities and deprive you of all of your weapons. You must rely on your own instincts." 'Seth' said.
I looked at the Royal Brace and gently took it from 'May's' hands. I placed it onto my left wrist, where it fit comfortably with the handle towards my forearm.
"This is a virtual representation of the Royal Brace. But when you are finished, in real life, you will have the necessary information in order to complete it. Simply head down to the Scanners and enter one, and you will be inserted into the test" 'Seth' passed me a Key Drive, except it was thicker then usual due to a small wheel that was inside of it. The wheel jutted out a bit of the body at the top of the Key Drive. I tentatively spun it. Nothing happened.
"In order to activate the Royal Brace, simply place the Key Drive into it and rotate it 180 degrees before spinning the Key Wheel." 'Z' explained.
"Good Luck, Geo West" 'Hunter' grinned.
I looked between all five of those who were in the same room as me. I swallowed a breath and went down to the scanners.
"Here we go" I entered a scanner and watched the doors close. Then everything was dark.
[May's P.O.V.]
The three of us struggled to wake up the others as smoke continued to fill the room. "Come on, wake up!" I shouted.
"We don't have time for this! Just start dragging everyone into the car as fast as you can!" Lyoko ordered. Ulrich and I nodded before the three of us began attempting to move everyone into the car. Eventually, we managed to fit everyone into the car. But by the time I got to Geo, there was a crowd of monsters walking towards us through the window.
"Yumi, Ulrich, you guys get out of here with the car! I'll meet you at the factory" I said.
"What about you and Geo!?"
"We'll be fine, trust me!"
Lyoko hesitantly nodded and both Lyoko and Ulrich entered the car before beginning to drive off, the car changing back to normal now that I wasn't behind the wheel. I lifted up Geo and left the Hermitage. I kicked the door in and headed into the sewers, carrying Geo carefully.
"If I can get to the factory, then I can meet with the others and we can discuss what to do next!" I said.