The Boy in the Computer

by SepticAbzies

A new school year begins and the gang is back at odds with XANA. / Jerlita Roleswap AU / Current Episode: Nobody in Particular & Double Trouble / S1-2: Done, S3: WIP

3. 3: May I Have This Dance

A/N: Here is the next installment of my Jerlita Roleswap AU. The adventure continues.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko in any way, shape, or form.

Note: Remember, any episodes not mentioned either as the inspiration for a chapter or just in passing are not part of the AU, mainly because the roleswap makes them useless, and those only mentioned in passing are just filler and/or would be the same no matter who has what role.

!~~~J~E~R~L~I~T~A~~R~O~L~E~S~W~A~P~~A~U~~~!

"The Lyokowarriors prepare for a dance, only for XANA to crash the party. Apparently, the AI didn't appreciate the fact that it didn't get an invitation."

Episode 3: May I Have This Dance?

(Based on Teddygozilla)

Inside Kadic's administration building, in the hallway right outside the Hall, year 8 student Tamiya Diop turned on her camera. Her friend, also a year 8 student, Amelia Solovieff (nicknamed Milly) was in the shot, albeit upside down, as she asked, "Are we rolling?"

"Yeah, we are, but we're upside down," Tamiya said, before fixing it. "Now, we're good. Go ahead."

Milly began her reporting, "Good afternoon, fellow students of Kadic Academy. It's your ace reporters, Milly and Tamiya, here to bring you a exclusive for today's school news, and it's really big, though I'm pretty sure you already know. Tonight is the big night, the annual school prom."

Tamiya walked closer to the hall doors, where she got a good view of Ulrich and Odd spotting Yumi as she hung up some decorations inside. Nearby were Aelita and Yumi's little brother Hiroki. "Wow, Ulrich is so handsome..." Tamiya muttered.

"Shush, Tamiya, we're recording!" Milly told her, before continuing, "Unfortunately, our cameras weren't authorized to film the site where the festivities will take place," Tamiya focused the camera back on Milly, "but I can make out from where I'm speaking the girl who might be crowned our Beauty Queen tonight, just as she was last year. I mean, of course, our principal's daughter, Sissi." Milly turned to the camera, as footsteps were heard in the background, "Let's see if she's willing to answer a few questions for us." The footsteps got closer and stopped, "Sissi, would you like to give a few words to our audience before the big night?"

On Sissi's face was a frown, "Sorry, munchkins, I only talk to real, professional reporters." Nicolas reached for the camera and forcefully turned it off, to Tamiya's dismay. "I have no time to waste on on a couple of nerds."

Tamiya snuck a look at Milly for help, but Milly was just as cornered as her friend was, as Sissi started walking towards the exit, "But it's for the school news program! What about freedom of the press?"

Sissi stopped in her tracks and turned back around, "Milly, little dipsticks your age don't have any freedom, understand? Anyway, who needs your dumb reporting? What do you know? Besides, you should be focused on your own problem. Don't forget, you have to have a date or else you're not permitted entry. I bet you won't be able to find anybody who'd go out with a baby like you."

Milly snuck a glance at Nicolas and Herve, who both started fake gagging before walking back to Sissi's side.

"Who cares about them?!" Milly shouted. "I can find a date on my own!"

"Really?" Sissi asked, completely sarcastic and condescending. "Then go ahead. Prove me wrong."

Tamiya could only watch as Milly turned to Ulrich, who was focused on spotting Yumi as she remained on top of the ladder. Milly took a deep breath, and with tears in her eyes, she meekly called out, "Um, Ulrich?" The brunette boy turned to face her. "W-Would you...be my date tonight?"

Ulrich paused, seeing the tears in her eyes. He didn't want to, but he had to. Reluctantly, he replied, "I'm really sorry, Milly. It wouldn't be a very good idea." Yumi climbed down the ladder, as she, her brother, Odd, and Aelita watched with concern. "I'm too old for you." He blushed as he added, "Besides, I already promised Yumi." This made Yumi blush as well.

Their moment was interrupted by Sissi laughing, "See? What did I tell you? But don't worry, Milly. I'm sure you'll find a boy for the sandbox dance." Tamiya glared at Sissi. "Meanwhile, why don't you go play with your dolls?"

Tamiya attempted to place a comforting arm around Milly's shoulders, only for Milly to run out of the building with tear-filled eyes.

Sissi watched Tamiya run out after her friend with a proud smile on her face. But it was ruined by the girl who had the nerve to catch Ulrich's eye.

"I hope you're proud of yourself," Yumi said, as she, Odd, Ulrich, and Aelita all glared at Sissi and her two lackies with disappointed faces. They had seen all of it, how heartless Sissi was.

Meanwhile, Hiroki just stared out the door Milly had ran out of.

Aelita turned to leave, but she stopped when Herve asked, "Hey, Aelita, have you thought about my invitation? Are you coming with me to the dance?"

The pink-ette just glared at him before turning up her nose in disgust.

"Can't blame her," Odd told Herve, as Aelita left the building. "No one wants to be the date of a bully." He then turned tail and went back inside the gym, Ulrich, Yumi, and Hiroki following him.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Aelita made her way to her dorm, where she immediately booted up her computer. After that encounter with Herve and Sissi, she needed a palette cleanser, and she knew just how to make that happen, just who to talk to.

"Jérémie?" she called out. "Are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here," his interface popped up on her screen. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she told him, a smile on her face, a real one. "How about you?"

"I'm operating within satisfactory parameters," he told her. "I've been studying your world a little more." Only the supercomputer could show her the holomap, so she assumed from this that he was currently hiding in a tower.

But his admission made her smile. He really wanted to live with her here on Earth, so much so that he was preparing himself for what to expect once he got here.

"Is anything wrong? I don't sense any pulsations," he asked. "It's completely quiet here. For the moment, at least."

"Well, no," Aelita scratched the back of her neck. "I just wanted to talk to you. I-I've been making progress in my research. Y'know, so you can come live with us."

Jérémie immediately broke out into a grin, "The key to materialization?! You've finally found it?!"

"Uh, well no. Not yet," she admitted, "but I'm working on it. I just thought you'd like an update."

"Thank you for considering me," he said. "Now, is there a reason you're distracted today?"

"Distracted?" she blinked. Was she? Sure, she kept thinking about Milly, but talking to Jérémie was her favorite part of the day.

"Yes, distracted," he explained, complete with a definition. "You seem unable to concentrate because your mind is preoccupied." She already knew what 'distracted' meant, but he was very literal minded, and she found it cute and understandable. He was an artificial intelligence, after all. "What is your mind so preoccupied with?"

After a month (approximately four weeks and three days), Jérémie got really good at reading her, despite not knowing what emotions were.

She sighed, mentally waving a white flag in defeat, and leaned her head against her hands, "Sissi bullied someone today."

"Sissi?" Jérémie seemed confused. "The same human who broke your pact because she was concerned for your safety?"

"Yeah, that's her," Aelita explained. "This past month, she's gotten so mean. I think it's because she and Ulrich have grown further apart."

"Ulrich and Sissi were friends before Lyoko?" Jérémie asked.

"Yes, since primary school, when they were five years old. You could say that Sissi found Ulrich first, and it would be accurate," Aelita continued. "Anyways, I didn't catch the entire thing, but Sissi was making fun of this younger girl named Milly for being too young to find a date to the prom tonight. Milly tried asking Ulrich, but he had to turn her down, so Milly ran away crying because Sissi started bragging that she was right and Milly was wrong. And then Herve had the nerve to ask me to the prom despite his involvement with what had just happened. I couldn't take it anymore, so I left and went here."

"To talk to me." On his face was a knowing smile. "Now, this prom you mentioned is a social event, yes? And 'date' in this case means a partner?"

"Correct on both counts."

"Tell me, why does Milly care about finding a partner to this event?" Jérémie didn't ask this to be mean. He was genuinely confused. "Why not just attend the event by herself?"

"Well, first of all, there's a rule that the faculty have put in place that you must have a date in order to attend any dance, not just this prom," the pink-ette replied. "Second, there's this social stigma, you could say. It's very common practice for humans to pair off. In fact, it's how we reproduce, and it's an instinct that most people have. People are just accustomed to that expectation."

"Including you?" Jérémie sounded disappointed for some reason. It sounded a bit like jealousy...

Despite that, Aelita immediately blushed at his question. "W-Well, e-eventually, yes, including me. But not this time. I mean, I'm going to be DJing for an hour or so, but I'm not going with anyone. Ulrich and Yumi are, together. So is Odd and his new girlfriend Naomi, but not me."

"Why not?" Jérémie asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did no one extend an invitation to you?"

"Herve did," Aelita almost growled in disgust. "I turned him down. But it's okay," her face grew redder. "I-I'd much rather spend time with you."

Jérémie warmly smiled, "Thank you. I'm flattered. But tell me," his smile faded back into a confused stare, "why do your words keep glitching whenever you speak to me?"

"Glitching?" What did that mean?

"Yes, whenever you speak to me, often times, you have this verbal glitch that appears to be contagious," Jérémie explained.

Aelita smiled in realization, "Oh, you mean 'stutter'."

"Stutter? Is it normal? Should I be concerned?"

"No, no, it's okay if you stutter," Aelita's smile remained. "If it's not how you always talk, then it's likely because of an emotion you're feeling, like anxiety, embarrassment, or flattery. A-Anyways," she decided to change the subject, "the sooner I finish your materialization, the sooner we can shut down the supercomputer, and the sooner XANA won't be able to harm you or us anymore."

"You can do it," Jérémie gently encouraged. "I have faith."

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Milly was crying in hers and Tamiya's dorm, hugging her childhood teddy bear as tightly as she could.

"Milly, don't cry," Tamiya was trying her best to be comforting. "We can still go to the prom. Jim gave us permission, because we're the news crew. We just have until nine o'clock."

"Forget it, it's a waste of time," Milly retorted as she furiously wiped her tears away. "Face facts, Tamiya. They don't care about us or the news!"

Neither girl noticed Milly's computer screen flicker on, seemingly watching them.

"I hate them!" Milly cried. "All of them, you hear me! All! I hate them all!"

"You don't know what you're saying, Milly," Tamiya began.

But Milly cut her off, "Stop it! I'm sick of you too!"

Tamiya could only watch as Milly ran out of their dorm, her teddy bear tightly clutched in her hand. "It's true," the dark-skinned girl muttered. "Ulrich could've been a little nicer..."

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Her friends and Hiroki were still in the hall, setting up for the prom, when Aelita returned an hour later. Returning to her dorm out of rage of what Sissi did to Milly actually saved her a trip she'd have to make later. She was the DJ, after all, or one of them. So she had grabbed her box of CDs on the way out.

As she approached, she could hear what her friends were saying.

"Why so gloomy, Ulrich?" Yumi asked from her seat on the stage, as Ulrich taped part of the cords for the sound system to the floor. "Is it because of Milly? You could've said 'yes'. You know me...and prom..." Yeah, Yumi was the last person anyone expected to go to a social event like a dance. She only agreed to go to this one because Ulrich had asked her to go with him.

Odd walked up to the mike stand, holding the microphone, and spoke into it, "Even if I was your date?" Yumi smiled at him.

Hiroki was sitting next to Yumi, seemingly sulking. "I should've asked her." The three teens turned to him. He continued, "I could've asked Milly right then. It was the perfect chance. But I didn't want to face rejection, not with Sissi right there."

"Relax," Yumi gently told him, as Aelita knelt next to Ulrich to help him with the cords. "You still have a chance to ask her."

"Yeah, don't worry about Sissi," Ulrich added, his and the others' gaze turning to Sissi, who was looking at herself in the reflective glass on the disco ball that Yumi had just hung up. "Yes, she did come on strong, but if meanness is one of the qualities of a Beauty Queen, she'll get re-elected alright."

"That's true," Aelita cut in with a smile. "But try to get Miss World to see that."

"Miss World, huh?" Odd laughed, speaking into the mike. "Miss In-Her-Own-World is more like it!"

The four teens and Hiroki all laughed at Odd's joke, as Sissi growled at them, angry at such an insult.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Milly was hiding out in the garden shed, talking to her teddy bear, "At least you don't care how old I am, do you? We understand each other. We're not like those dumb older kids who always want to run things."

Her grandmother gave her this bear. She's had it ever since she was three. It's always been there for her. She could always count on it to comfort her.

She didn't notice the light above her flickering.

"They think because we're young, we don't count at all." She got an idea, "Y'know, if we were older... a lot older than them...they wouldn't laugh at us, would they?"

She rant to her oldest friend stopped in its tracks when she heard knocking on the window behind her. She turned to see Tamiya, her newest friend, there, peering inside.

"Milly? Milly, it's me! Are you finished sulking yet? We still have work to do!"

"Coming!" Milly replied, before setting her bear down against a crate. "You stay right there. I'll be back for you," she winked, before getting to her feet.

She left the shed, and she and Tamiya walked back to the school, with Tamiya telling her, "C'mon, we have a report to finish on the prom, remember?"

Now that the bear was all alone, it could come out now. XANA controlled one of its spectres to come out of the light that was flickering, before oozing down over the teddy bear like molasses.

It knew its job was complete when the teddy bear roared to life.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Sissi rolled her eyes as Nicolas and Herve followed her to her dorm. They always did that, ever since she agreed to be their friend.

Her hand was on her doorknob, and her key in the other, with her door unlocked, as she turned around to face her two lackies, "Hey, I hope you two aren't going to follow me around all day long. As far as I know, you're not beauticians. So stop sticking to me like glue! I don't need you, understand? So beat it!"

"Well," Nicolas began to stutter, "we-we thought-"

She cut him off, "Take this advice: don't think. It doesn't suit you!" She then slammed her door in their faces.

She listened to their footsteps get farther and farther away. When she couldn't hear them anymore, she smiled. She was free to get ready for the prom in the comfort of her own private dorm. As the principal's daughter, she had the privilege of not having a roommate.

But there was one other girl who had a room to herself: Aelita Schaeffer.

XANA watched Sissi kick off her shoes and throw her clothes into the hamper, before turning her radio on. "A bunch of babies at our prom, they've got to be kidding."

The AI watched as she threw various clothes from her closet onto her floor.

"She had the nerve to invite Ulrich! What an idiot! If Ulrich's going to the prom with anyone other than Yumi, it can only be me! I am the princess of Kadic!"

The AI snuck one of her dresses under the bed, part of its programming curious if she would notice. She didn't. She instead walked to her vanity and sat down in front of it.

That little girl (Milly, was it?) bemoaned Sissi's existence, so why not indulge Milly? Why not cause harm to Sissi for what she did? Isn't that what humans called 'karma'?

It came out from under the bed, and snuck into Sissi's closet. It bumped into one of its walls on purpose. Sissi turned down her radio, having heard the sound, and looked around her room. But seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she went back to task at hand, turning the radio back up just a bit.

The AI jumped onto Sissi's computer chair, and from there, onto a shelf. It stole its way through the bottles of beauty products, before making its way to an extension cord and tangling it up.

Sissi had put on her facial mask, a pair of cucumber slices over her eyes. Completely blind, Sissi picked up her curling iron, but the cord became stuck and resisted. She pulled harder, and something gave way in a crystalline noise.

Sissi only had the time to turn and open her eyes wide at what she had heard, the movement of her eyelids throwing the cucumber slices off in the shock. A whole shelf of beauty products tumbled down around her.

The curling iron escaped her grasp and fell into her vanity's sink. The light bulbs surrounding the mirror exploded, causing Sissi to scream, before she stumbled out of her room, not caring about her lack of dress.

All that was running through her mind was getting her father.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

A crowd of students was surrounding Sissi, who was now dressed in a bathrobe at least, as she cowered closer to her father's calming presence.

"Move along now," her father said. "Back to your dorms. Everything is under control."

Tamiya took a photo of the sight, but Sissi was still to frightened by what had happened to care.

In the distance, Odd turned to Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita, and muttered, "What do you say we take a look? Make sure our old friend XANA isn't behind this?"

The others nodded.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

"What do you think?" Ulrich asked.

Yumi's phone had the best camera, so she had taken some pictures of the damage done to Sissi's dorm. Aelita had uploaded those photos to her computer, and now Jérémie was taking a look at them. Maybe he would find something they couldn't.

"I thought it could be a short circuit," Aelita suggested. "The lightbulbs on the vanity definitely exploded."

"It had to have been an immense amount of electricity," Jérémie admitted, studying the photos, "for a short circuit to do that much damage. But it's not surprising when seeing how many cords she has plugged into the same outlet."

"Yeah, the hi-fi, lights, lady shaver, curling iron, all connected to a single extension cord," Yumi agreed. "No surprise there!"

"Not to mention the brain stimulator," Odd quipped. "Although she probably never figured out how to use it."

"I don't sense any pulsations," Jérémie told them, "but I'll keep an eye out just in case. I'll notify you if anything comes up."

"Thanks, Jérémie," Aelita said.

Jérémie nodded, before his interface window closed.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

"I don't know what happened," Milly told Tamiya, as the two returned to the garden shed, "but if you ask me, Sissi had it coming."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Tamiya admitted, as Milly opened the door.

The redhead gasped when she saw the lack of teddy bear within the shed. "Oh no! My teddy bear's gone!"

"What do you two think you're doing here?!" came a deep, familiar voice, and the two immediately froze up in fear, before turning to face Jim Morales, their gym teacher. "Students are forbidden to play in the garden shed!"

"Sorry, Jim," Milly stumbled for her answer, "but it's b-because of my–"

He cut her off, "I don't want to hear any excuses! The tools kept in this shed are much too dangerous for children! The only person who can be in this shed at any time is the groundskeeper, Michel Roulier!"

"We know, Jim, b-but–" Milly attempted to explain, as Jim steered her and Tamiya away from the shed.

The two watched as he locked it and placed the key in his pocket.

"Now, I hope I've made myself real clear," Jim sternly told them. "Entry forbidden. Access reserved for adults only."

Tamiya was about to throw in the towel. Fighting with Jim was not worth it. But Milly had a different idea.

"With you, everything is off limits!" Milly retorted.

"Milly, don't," Tamiya whispered. "He's right. It's against the rules."

"Your friend is right," Jim told Milly. "I would change the way I talk if I were you, little girl."

"There it is! 'Little girl'! It's always the same thing!" Milly cried. "Do the big kids get to say whatever they want?!"

"Oh, so you think you're real big kids, huh?" Jim was oddly calm. "Okay, that's fine. News report or not, the two of you are grounded for tonight in your room!"

"Great, Milly," Tamiya sighed. "Just great. Thanks to you, it's 'goodbye, prom'."

"Now, beat it, both of you!" Jim got in the last word.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Odd came across Milly crying in the courtyard, with Tamiya trying her best to comfort her.

"It's okay, Milly," Tamiya was saying. "Look at our photos. We took some really good ones."

"Something wrong, Milly?" Odd asked, as he knelt in front of them.

"Somebody stole her teddy bear," Tamiya explained.

"And I'm sure it's one of the big kids who did it for spite!" Milly vehemently added.

The photo Tamiya was currently looking at had a small detail that caught her attention, "Yeah, you're right! Look closely at this photo of Sissi's room. You can see it there."

"There he is!" Milly exclaimed, pointing at her teddy bear. "Under her pillow! Oh, that doesn't surprise me. I should've known!"

"Oh, who would've believed it?" Odd cracked a little joke, in hopes of cheering Milly up. "Soon, she'll be the one playing with dolls!"

"Come on! Let's go find it!" Milly exclaimed, her vigor having returned.

"We can't," Tamiya reminded her. "If Jim catches us near Sissi's dorm, we could be in big trouble."

Their hope came in the form of Odd, who snatched the photo from Tamiya's hands, "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

The two girls smiled as he walked away.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Jim was closing the back doors of the gymnasium when he heard someone rattling the bushes.

He turned around to see who it was, "What's going on now? Who's there?"

But there was no one in sight.

Another bush rustled, before giant footsteps were heard. Jim began to freak out when he saw his attacker.

"You'd better watch out! I-I'm a black belt!"

His attacker growled, and he screamed aloud.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Odd kept glanced at Sissi's dorm and the photo, and back again.

The teddy bear was nowhere to be found.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

"And now you're sure, Jim," Mr. Delmas was saying, "that this is your attacker?"

Jim vehemently nodded. He had drawn out his attacker's appearance, which Mr. Delmas was currently looking at.

"And you say he's an expert in martial arts?"

Jim nodded again.

"I think it would be wise not to call the police, don't you?"

Jim just pulled the covers of the infirmary bed over his head, cowering in fear.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

While Odd was out and about, Aelita was sorting through her music. She was honestly getting rather worried about her cousin. He had agreed to lend her some of his own CDs so she had more range tonight, but the trip to his dorm was taking longer than expected.

But her mind was on something else.

"Y'know, what happened to Sissi was kinda strange," Aelita quietly told Ulrich and Yumi, both of whom were helping her. "I think Jérémie's right."

"What do you mean?" Ulrich asked. "It was a short circuit. A simple short circuit. What else could it have been?"

"I'm not so sure," Aelita replied. "And you know just what I mean."

"Whatever the case," Yumi cut in, "let's play it real cool. Walls have ears, you know." She didn't have to say anything, all three of them casually watching Herve and Nicolas walk by them. Once they were past them, Yumi got to her feet and stretched out her aching joints, "Well, I've gotta go now and get ready for tonight. Sometimes, being a day student can be a total drag."

"Don't complain until you get woken up at 6AM, take a shower with cold water, and sleep next to smelly Odd," Ulrich gently shot back.

Yumi rolled her eyes as she waved to Aelita, who waved back, "Pick me up in two hours, Stern. C'mon, Hiroki! Let's go home!"

Hiroki looked up from where he was setting up the punch table with his friend Johnny Cleary. The two boys waved at each other as Hiroki followed his big sister home.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Odd caught Mr. Delmas leaving the infirmary, "Hello, sir. I heard about what happened to Jim. Does he know who his attacker was?"

"No, he doesn't know for sure," Mr. Delmas said, crumpling up the paper still in his hands. "For now, I think our gym teacher can use a little rest." He threw the balled-up paper into the trash bin beside him. He walked past Odd, leaving the boy alone.

Odd looked over his shoulder as he walked over to the trash bin, and grabbed the paper Mr. Delmas threw away.

When he opened it, he gasped at what he saw Jim had drawn.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Odd was under the arches with Ulrich and Aelita, and he had just shown them Jim's drawing.

"XANA in a teddy bear?" Ulrich asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," Odd replied.

"It's always there when you least expect it," Aelita muttered. Just then, the laptop in her bag started beeping. Knowing what that meant, she reached into her bag, and pulled out and opened her laptop.

Sure enough, just as she expected, it was Jérémie, "Aelita, I've detected some pulsations! XANA's activated a tower!"

"We know," she reassured him. "Don't worry. We're on our way."

Jérémie logged off, and Aelita closed her laptop and placed it back into her bag.

She turned to Ulrich and Odd, "Let's go. Jérémie needs our help."

"Someone needs to stay here," Odd told her.

"No way," Aelita protested. "We can't have a solo mission. It's too dangerous without Yumi. You never know what you're going to find over there."

"I volunteer!" Odd had the audacity to slap on a smile.

"What did I just say, Odd?" Aelita asked.

"Well, have you got any other ideas?" Odd shot back. "There have been two accidents already! We can't leave the school unguarded! And going back in time, if there's an accident, it's all over!"

Aelita hung her head. Odd was right.

The second week, XANA had attacked, and someone had died. They ran the Return to the Past program in hopes to revive them, but the program wouldn't run. It said that the components did not match up with those that the time coordinates she entered had.

That was all scientific speak for 'going back in time doesn't restart a heart that stops beating due to a XANA attack'.

It was a dark day for all of them. Jérémie practically begged them to shut down the supercomputer if it meant more people were going to die. He was not worth it. The other four, meanwhile, had taken a full twenty-four hours to decide amongst themselves if they really wanted to keep doing this.

Obviously, they had all chosen to keep fighting XANA for Jérémie's sake.

Ulrich stepped in, seeing an impasse, "Don't worry, Aelita. I'll stay here and guard the school. If I find any other clues, I'll pass them on to you. Have fun on Lyoko, and say 'hi' to you-know-who for me."

A blushing Aelita nodded, before leading herself and Odd to the passage in the gym.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Bringing skateboards down into the sewers (a scooter in Aelita's case) was a great idea. It made for faster travel to and from the factory, rather than on foot. In record time, she was in the computer lab, with Odd down in the scanner room.

"Jérémie, we're in the lab," Aelita called out to their fifth member. "Odd and I are about to transfer over. Stay still, so I can record your position."

"Acknowledged," came Jérémie's response. "Where are Ulrich and Yumi?"

"They had to stay behind to guard the school," Aelita replied. "Alright, Desert Sector, 15 degrees East, 75 degrees South," she muttered to herself, as she typed in those coordinates, before bringing up hers and Odd's ID cards.

"Do you know what XANA's attack is?" Jérémie asked.

"Yeah, XANA took control of a teddy bear," Aelita told him. Ulrich's cell phone popped up on screen, and Aelita answered, "Yes, Ulrich?"

"Aelita, it's bad," Ulrich told her. "The bear got out of the school. And it's gotten bigger and bigger."

"So, the more furious it is, the bigger it grows," Aelita theorized.

"If it's under XANA's control," Jérémie warned, "then it will only get angrier as time goes on. It will go for anyone that's around, but its primary target will be XANA's mortal enemies."

"Oh no! Yumi!" Ulrich cried out in realization. She didn't know. She was still at home, getting ready for the prom.

"Ulrich," Aelita ordered, "you go get Yumi and then guard the school. Odd and I will be on Lyoko if you need us, okay?"

"Okay, good luck!" Ulrich said, sounding as if he was running.

"You too!" Aelita replied, before Ulrich hung up. She then addressed Odd down in the scanner room, "You ready, Odd? I'm about to launch the program."

"All set, Princess!"

"We'll be there in one minute and thirty seconds, Jérémie," Aelita said, before pressing Enter. The countdown showed up on screen.

Aelita raced down to the scanner room, taking the ladder as it was faster.

The scanner doors closed on her ten seconds after she made it inside.

That familiar burst of wind hit her, and she felt her body pixelate and reformate on Lyoko.

She and Odd landed right next to each other. During the previous month, the four had gone to Lyoko frequently to train their powers and abilities, so they had improved in their fighting skills. Now, they didn't fall on their faces after being virtualized.

As they looked around for their Lyoko resident, Aelita reminded Odd of their agreement if she wasn't at the controls and on Lyoko with them, "Remember, Odd, once Jérémie finds the tower–"

He finished, "I devirtualize you, if you're not already. I know." She was reminding him because while this plan was put in place a month ago, this was the first time they were putting it into action.

"Over here!" came Jérémie's voice. The two cousins turned to him, and saw him wave his hand at them, before running over to him. He was standing next to a large crater, and the bottom of it led right to the Digital Sea.

Further research had led to the discovery that Digital Sea deleted you forever if you fell into it.

Once they arrived at his side, he motioned to the crater below, "This is where the pulsations led me. But I can't pinpoint where they go from here."

"Yeah, the tower's definitely not down there," Odd said. That pathway spiraling the edge of the crater led to nowhere.

"Maybe on the neighboring plateaus," Aelita suggested.

Jérémie shrugged, as the trio turned around, only to be faced with five horrible lice, friends who were familiar.

"Too late! Here comes the reception committee!" Odd cried, as the five small monsters quickly surrounded them. "Hello, Kankrelats! How's it going?!"

"Kankrelats?" Jérémie raised an eye in confusion. How did Odd know their name, and he didn't?

"Oh yeah, that's right," Odd quickly told him. "You don't know. That's what we've named them."

"That's what you've named them, you mean," Aelita shot back.

Odd prepared to fire, "Take cover, you two. I'll handle them!"

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Ulrich tried called Yumi's cellphone, but she didn't answer. Panicking, he finally reached her house and rang the doorbell multiple times.

Yumi heard her cellphone go off, but she was too wet to answer. The person didn't call again, so she assumed it wasn't important. A few minutes later, she heard the doorbell ring, repeatedly. That was probably Ulrich. It was a bit earlier than she expected, but at least he was here.

"Yumi, your boyfriend's here!" Hiroki called out to her through the bathroom door.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Yumi called back, as she dried herself off.

She got dressed as quickly as possible, before rushing down the stairs. When she opened the door, there was Ulrich, dressed in the clothes he was wearing earlier. He had not freshened up like she had, but she didn't care.

"Hey, Ulrich," she greeted. "You're early."

She was caught off-guard when he entered the house without warning, "Yumi, Hiroki, are your parents home?"

"No, they went out," Hiroki replied.

"Why? What's wrong?" Yumi added

He grabbed both of their hands and pulled the two siblings out the door, "C'mon, we can't stay here!"

Yumi, however, pulled her hand out of his grip, "Hold up. You mind explaining?"

Hiroki then suddenly started staring at something behind them in fear. "Sis, behind you."

Yumi turned around, only to be greeted by a giant teddy bear.

"I told you," Ulrich repeated, "there's no time! Let's go!"

This time, when he grabbed Yumi's hand, she didn't protest, and Hiroki was right on their heels.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

The Kankrelats had opened fire as soon as Aelita and Jérémie moved. Odd cartwheeled to avoid the lasers, as the other two Lyokowarriors hide behind the wall of the crater. He fired a Laser Arrow that destroyed one, only for another to hit him in the stomach.

"Odd!" Jérémie called out.

"Odd, you're losing too many lifepoints!" Aelita told her cousin. "Be careful!"

"No kidding!" Odd shot back, before cartwheeling behind the wall of the crater as well. He ducked his head when a Kankrelat shot at him again.

"Let's go," Aelita said, ushering Jérémie down the spiraling path. "Odd! We don't have a choice! We have to go down!"

Just then, that familiar sensation of being pulled out of this reality and into another hit Odd like a ton of bricks. In his sepia-toned vision, he saw Jérémie falling towards the Digital Sea.

He was brought back to this reality by a Kankrelat shooting at him. He flipped to his feet, before following Jérémie and Aelita down the spiral path.

He turned around once to fire at the four Kankrelats still chasing them. His arrows destroyed three with ease, but when the third Kankrelat bit the dust, but the resulting explosion caused the fourth to falter and fall off the cliff.

It hit the pathway right in front of Jérémie, along with a few rocks, making him stumble, before falling off the edge too.

Aelita's heart leapt out of her chest, but Odd was already in action. Her cousin dove down a split second later, and she watched him grab Jérémie's wrist before digging his claws into the side of the wall in front of them. Once his claws came to a stop, both he and Jérémie were safe and sound, and not deleted, and Odd let himself breathe a heavy sigh of relief.

"We can't you leave you alone for one second, can we, Prince Charming?" he asked Jérémie.

"Sorry," Jérémie softly, meekly replied. If he noticed the nickname, he didn't say anything.

"Odd! Jérémie!" Aelita called out, before leaping down to the level right above them, and knelt down to talk to them. "Are you two okay? Odd," the cat boy looked up at her, "how did you know Jérémie was going to fall?"

"I saw it happen seconds before it actually did," Odd explained. "I don't know how to explain it, but I just knew. It happened before, too. I saw a Krabe corner Jérémie when he was still known to us as 'Marin'."

"Future Flash," Jérémie explained, still dangling from Odd's grip. "That must be Odd's special power."

So that's why he froze up all of a sudden, Aelita realized. Both then and just now.

Odd smiled, as Aelita snarked, "Future Flash, huh? So, Odd, still dislike your avatar?"

"I still think I look like a nitwit," Odd replied, "but Future Flash is a really cool power."

"Really? Cooler than enhanced senses?"

"Sorry to interrupt your banter," Jérémie cut in, cutting the two cousins off, "but I found out where the pulsations go next."

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Ulrich and Yumi tried their best to ignore the frightened screaming and running as they themselves ran back to Kadic, with Hiroki still trying his best to keep up with them.

As Jérémie predicted, it was after them, no one else, but that didn't stop the bear from destroying cars.

Yumi pulled the two boys around a corner they came upon rather quickly, "This way!"

She led them to an apartment complex, and the trio hid themselves right inside the doorway, turning the lights off just as the bear rounded the corner.

Hiroki hugged his sister tighter as the bear's footsteps came closer and closer. Then the bear was right there, and the footstep it made in front of that doorway caused the glass windows to shatter.

This caused Ulrich and Yumi to cower closer to each other, but they quickly realized what they were doing. Their faces red, they got back to their feet.

The bear didn't notice them. It was walking on.

"Just in time," Yumi breathed, the trio looking in the direction of the bear as it stalked further and further past them.

"Yeah, but it's not over until Jérémie deactivates the tower," Ulrich reminded, not caring that Hiroki was nearby. A Return would wipe his memory (which was good; the boy was clearly traumatized). "Where would the teddy go if it wants our skins?"

"To the place it's seen us at before," Yumi replied. "The school."

"Let's go," Ulrich said, before setting off running down the street, Yumi and Hiroki on his heels.

All the two could do was hope that Odd, Aelita, and Jérémie hurried up. Things were getting rough here.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

As it turned out, at the end and bottom of the spiral path was a tunnel. Odd watched as the cables decorating the walls beat with red electricity.

"The pulsations are getting stronger," Jérémie relayed to his two companions, before slipping on his goggles and seeing the tower on his display. "I knew it! The tower isn't far away!"

"Odd, stop dawdling!" Aelita called to him, seeing that he was trailing behind.

He jogged to catch up with them, "Okay, okay."

However, the trio turned around when they heard something metallic rolling towards them. Just one second of waiting revealed that thing to be a Megatank, something that could easily devirtualize them, as Odd found out during a training session about a week ago.

"Uh-oh. Houston, we've got a problem," Odd said, before pushing Aelita and Jérémie forward.

The three quickly ran away from the Megatank, hoping at the tunnel's exit was not far ahead. As soon as there was an opening they could leap to the side to avoid it.

Eventually, they reached the exit, and as planned, they jumped to the side to avoid it, with Aelita ushering Jérémie along the way. The Megatank rolled past them, unable to control its moment, and banged right into a tower, one with a red halo surrounding the top.

Aelita smiled, "There's the tower. Go on, Jérémie."

But before Jérémie could take a step forward, the Megatank opened up, revealing it's rather disgusting insides. Odd stepped in front of the thing.

"Not yet. First I need to say hello to an old buddy of mine," Odd said, clearly referring to their one-sided fight last week, the one that ended in Odd getting run over.

Aelita rolled her eyes, "Cut the courtesy, Odd! The bear is probably wreaking havoc on the school as we speak! We don't have time to entertain your rivalry!"

Odd prepared to fire, "Would you rather this thing delete Jérémie instead?! Its laser takes away fifty lifepoints!"

Aelita sighed, "Fine! Just don't let it hit you! We don't know how many lifepoints you have left!"

The Megatank charged up its laser and fired. Odd ran before jumping to avoid it. He then aimed at the think, preparing to fire, quipping, "Now that's what I call a really warm welcome!"

The Megatank fired again, and Odd just barely managed to dodge it.

"Aelita!" Jérémie was frantic as he watched the fight. "Odd's not going to make it on his own!"

He was right about that, she realized as the Megatank charged up for another strike. She had to help her cousin.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Yumi was on the phone when she, Ulrich, and Hiroki arrived at the school. Yumi hung up, dismayed, "No answer from Aelita or Odd. I guess they haven't found the activated tower yet."

"You and Hiroki go clear the dorms," Ulrich told her. "I'll take care of the hall."

"Be careful," was Yumi's warning, before Ulrich entered the hall.

Ulrich entered the hall very on edge, borderlining with (understandable) paranoia. It was him that the bear was after. These guys dancing and chatting away, to XANA, were just collateral damage. There was no way they could just shut down the supercomputer, because it meant abandoning Jérémie. Until Aelita figured out a way to materialize him to Earth, it was up to them that there were no other casualties besides that one.

He was brought out of his reverie when he bumped into Jim. "Hey, Stern. You could've made a little effort." Jim was a obviously referring to how the clothes Ulrich was wearing were his day clothes. "I can't believe how sloppy you look. I'll let it go this time, but try to chill out and have fun. You look like you're expecting a disaster."

As Ulrich kept walking, he couldn't deny the truth in that.

However, he bumped into Sissi next. "Ulrich! How are you, my dear?" she asked him. Her hair was curled, she was all dolled up, and she looked as if she didn't experience a frightening experience a few hours ago. "Hey, where did your date go? Next time, just call me. I won't disappoint you."

"And now the moment you've all been waiting for!" came Mr. Delmas's announcement over the mike. "The election of this year's Beauty Queen! So get ready!"

Sissi smiled as a few people in the audience began applauding, "Gotta run now! It's my moment of triumph!"

Sissi walked away as Nicolas and Herve began laughing in Ulrich's face, who silenced them with a look.

Meanwhile, Yumi burst into Milly and Tamiya's bedroom, Hiroki hot on her heels. The two young girls, reading on their beds, looked up at her.

"Yumi! Do you know if Odd found my bear?" Milly asked.

"Let's just say that it was more like he found us!" Yumi told her.

Milly and Tamiya shared dumbfounded looks just before they heard the sound of giant footsteps outside. The two frowned and hurried to their window to look outside. Through the window, Milly noticed the giant bear, far off in the distance as it walked through the streets of the city towards the school, taller than the rooftops. The two could only stare at the scene, stunned and wide-eyed.

Back in the hall, Sissi made her way to the stage with Sorya Abulabbas and Priscilla Blaise on either side of her. She elbowed her way past them both as her father began to speak, "This year, once again, it's time to elect the young lady who, in your view, combines, more than any other girl, charm, grace, beauty, and elegance." He motioned to his daughter, "And here is our first candidate."

As soon as Sissi stepped forward, nasty feedback began to sound from the mike. Ulrich began speaking, having hijacked the sound system by turning on another mike, "Stop! Listen to what I have to say!" Everyone turned to face him. "You have all got to get out of here! We have to evacuate the gym! Now, keep calm..."

There was a long silence, as everyone stared at Ulrich.

"I'm not joking," he continued, "this is serious. We are about to be attacked by a gigantic teddy bear!"

Everyone started laughing, to Ulrich's dismay. They didn't believe him.

But someone in the audience stopped the laughter, "Ha, I knew it! I saw it too! I saw the giant teddy bear too!" It was Jim.

"Quiet, quiet!" Sissi cut in, angry. "Shut up, all of you! You bunch of idiots! Can't you see what he's trying to do?! It's a trick, I tell you, a trick to keep me from winning again this year! A gigantic teddy bear, come on! Why not King Kong while you're at it!?"

In that moment, the wall behind the stage immediately crumbled, revealing the XANA-possessed bear on the other side.

Ulrich found himself unable to move, as faculty and students alike all screamed as they ran for cover.

To his horror, the bear immediately set its sights on him.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Odd narrowly dodged another Megatank laser, but to his intrigue, the laser was still active when he reoriented himself. He looked at what the laser was hitting, only to find Aelita using two of her Energy Fields (that what she had dubbed them) combined to stop the laser in its tracks.

"Now's your chance, Odd!" Aelita told him, as she struggled to hold back the laser. "It's now or never!"

Odd nodded before leaping up and landing on top of the Megatank. He fired an arrow right at its eye, before leaping out of the way to avoid the explosion causing upon its defeat.

Once the smoke had cleared, Odd sent Jérémie's a thumbs up.

"Go on, Jérémie," Aelita told him, as she and Odd regrouped. "It's your turn. Make it quick."

Jérémie nodded before running to the tower. As he entered, Odd fired one of his Laser Arrows at Aelita, instantly devirtualizing her.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

The bear smacked its paw down, which Ulrich narrowly avoided, shattering all the windows. He could've sworn he heard Yumi call his name, but he was a little too busy running from this giant teddy bear. As he was running away, however, the bear smacked him from behind, sending him to the ground.

JEREMIE_

The bear raised its paw, ready to strike.

CODE_

The beast slammed its paw down, and Ulrich cowered in fear. This was it. This was the end.

LYOKO_

But there was no impact. The bear had frozen in mid-air.

He sat there stunned until Yumi ran up to him and wrapped him in a tight hug, "Thank goodness you're okay!"

"Likewise, Yumi," Ulrich replied, returning her embrace. "For you and Hiroki both."

The embrace was interrupted by Yumi's cellphone ringing. Yumi gratefully answered, "Aelita?"

"Jérémie's deactivated the tower. Are you and Ulrich okay? Is anyone dead?"

"We're fine. Everyone's still alive. But the thing did a lot of damage."

"I figured. Get ready for a time jump," Aelita told her. Yumi could hear her typing out the commands for the Return trip.

"Right," Yumi then hung up. "You ready to relive this day all over again?"

"I sure am," came Ulrich's answer.

Then, a white bubble enveloped everything, including them.

!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!

Time had rewinded to that crucial moment.

"Who cares about them?!" Milly shouted. "I can find a date on my own!"

"Really?" Sissi asked, completely sarcastic and condescending. "Then go ahead. Prove me wrong."

"Hey, Milly," came Hiroki's soft voice. He was blushing, obviously incredibly shy. "Would you, um, be my date to the prom tonight?"

Milly's tears were quickly replaced with a wide smile. She quickly enveloped him in a hug, which made his face even redder, as she exclaimed, "Of course, I will, Hiroki! I'd love to!"

Sissi began sputtering at the sight, "Ew, baby love! Gross!" Her two lackies beside her also made the same expression.

"Who cares?" Yumi asked, catching Sissi's attention. "She proved you wrong."

"But she's...she's..." Sissi stumbled for the right words.

"Beautiful in her own way," Aelita cut in. "And for them," she motioned to Hiroki and Milly, "I'd be more than willing to DJ all night." Herve opened his mouth, but Aelita cut to the chase in a heartbeat, "Drop it, Pichon. I'm not going to the prom with you."

Herve shut his mouth back up, but Sissi wasn't done, "But, U-Ulrich."

"Sorry, Sissi," Ulrich sternly told her. "I'm not standing up for you. Not this time. If you continue to be mean to others, then you and I can no longer be friends."

Angered and upset, Sissi stomped out of the hall. Nicolas and Herve could only follow.

Milly turned to her best friend, "Tamiya, you are recording, I hope."

Tamiya was recording the whole thing with her camera. "You bet I am. This is a scoop!"

"A super scoop!" Milly laughed.

!~~~J~E~R~L~I~T~A~~R~O~L~E~S~W~A~P~~A~U~~~!

Next: Episode 4 - Vacation in the Mist / What happens when Aelita has to go on holiday?

A/N: Three changes I obviously made here - First change, Hiroki makes an appearance. Remember, this AU's season 1 takes place in 2005, the same year canon's Season 4 takes place, so it makes sense for Hiroki to be at Kadic. Second change, I acknowledged Aelita's DJing hobby. Third change, I involved Jérémie more, especially after Sissi is attacked.

Some scenes here were inspired by the deleted scenes found on the .fr website. The groundskeeper Michel Rouiler is known as Mr. Riley in the English dub. I'm using the French dub names for this, because Code Lyoko takes place in France, and I'm going to honor that.

And last but not least, Jérémie finally knows what a 'stutter' is.