A/N: Here is the next installment of my Jerlita Roleswap AU. Hope you all enjoy it~
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.
Beta read by swordsdownforreview
!~~~J~E~R~L~I~T~A~~R~O~L~E~S~W~A~P~~A~U~~~!
"As William prepares for his first official mission as a Lyokowarrior, the others see issues in their personal lives boil over into their Lyoko duties."
Episode 44: Final Round
(Based on Final Round)
PREVIOUSLY_
Ulrich told their newest recruit, "We really need your help."
"So, what do you say?" Aelita asked.
William paused, clearly thinking about his decision, before revealing it. "I accept."
He and Jérémie promptly shook hands as a form of agreement.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
NOW_
Later that night, the six were deep in the bowels of the factory. Jérémie remained at the controls in the lab, while the floor below him—the scanner room—held the other five. William was standing in front of a scanner, about to go through the final step of the initiation process.
"You swear not to give away the secret?" Aelita sternly asked, her arms crossed.
"I swear it," was William's answer, filled with earnesty.
"Good answer, William," Jérémie cut in, via the intercom system. "And now for the final step: the scanner." The scanner behind the eldest of the six opened. "We're going to record a virtual image of you into the supercomputer. After that, you'll be immune to the Returns to the Past. That will really make you part of the group."
William turned to face the open scanner, inwardly preparing himself for the process. This was it.
"Well, you ready?" Ulrich asked him, and the elder turned back around to face the brunette. "You scared?"
"Me? No," William replied. "Why? Were you scared the first time?"
To his surprise, Ulrich was honest. "A bit. You don't have to act all macho. None of us knew what to expect when we were virtualized for the first time, so it's okay to admit that you have second thoughts."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Odd cut in. "I had a pretty fun first experience."
Yumi rolled her eyes, "Says the guy whose butt Ulrich and I had to save."
Odd pouted in response, but Aelita ignored Ulrich and Yumi's chuckles in favor of addressing William.
"They're right, though," she told him. "We're not going to sugar-coat anything; the stakes are high. You can still change your mind and we won't shame you."
William just smiled before stepping into the scanner, "I appreciate it, but I want to help." He addressed the one at the controls, "I'm ready, Jérémie."
"Okay," the blonde genius replied. "Here we go."
The doors of the scanner William was in closed. The boy deeply inhaled and held his breath as a gust of wind began to blow from the bottom. He dared not to move as a white circular bar scanned him, starting from his feet all the way to his head.
Then, Jérémie's voice cut in, "Done. Welcome to the Lyokowarriors, William."
Huh. That was quick.
The scanner opened, and William leaned against the wall, letting out the breath he'd been holding the entire time.
"You okay?" Odd asked, mild concern lacing his voice. "How do you feel?"
William shot them all a smirk, "Ready to take on XANA and its monsters. And I just can't wait to see what I look like on Lyoko."
"Get real," Yumi crossed her arms. "XANA is much more dangerous and devious than you can imagine."
"Plus," Ulrich added, "before you can put up a decent fight on Lyoko, it's gonna take time. A lot of time."
"At first, you'd better just hang back to check things out," Aelita said, "and try to learn."
William held up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay," he laughed, stepping out of the scanner. "Don't flip out. I'm not the kind of guy who tries to steal the show."
"They're right, though," Jérémie's voice came from nearby ladder, having climbed down. On his face was a solemn expression. "XANA adapts according to the information it's given. We've been fighting it for almost two years now, and during that time, it's learned how to exploit our friendship against us, how to take from our minds specific data, and how to possess us to do its bidding. Please, listen to us, William. We cannot stress enough how dangerous XANA is."
William was quiet, as he remembered that Jérémie was the one whose parents built the supercomputer, Lyoko, and XANA in the first place. There was no way the elder could ever fully comprehend the pain the blonde was in. He could try, but there was no way.
He could only quietly nod, "Got it."
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
The six exited the elevator, emerging on the factory floor. The sky outside was dark, with the stars out and moon shining bright.
"I'm really hoping that XANA doesn't go on the attack tomorrow," Odd confessed. "I'm signed up for the inter-academy skateboard championship. And I'm gonna win it too!"
Yumi softly smiled, "You're not someone who likes to steal the show either, I see."
"Odd's right," William said. "In life, you should always aim for the top."
"Why not?" Ulrich joked. "That way, when you fall back down, you crash a lot harder."
The six all shared a laugh, one that felt liberating, and Jérémie wasn't sure why that was.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
The next morning, everyone competing in the skateboard competition was in the gymnasium gearing up, with their friends giving them some last minute encouragement. Odd and Ulrich were no different. The two were at the bottom of the steps leading up to the ramp that had been set up in the middle of the gym floor.
As Odd adjusted his knee pad, he said. "Thanks for coming with me, Ulrich."
Yumi's parents were out today, leaving her to babysit her brother. William had some homework to do. Jérémie and Aelita were working on that program to locate Michel and Sophie. So, Ulrich was really the only one available.
Said brunette was sitting on the steps. "Well, somebody's gotta pick you up and dust you off every time you faceplant. I mean, what are friends for, Odd?"
"Ha ha," Odd deadpanned, lightly hitting his roommate in the arm. "Your support is much appreciated."
Ulrich just chuckled, as Jim descended the steps from the top, "Good afternoon, everyone! Kadic Academy is very proud to welcome you all today to this grand skateboarding championship! I'm sure all of you are going to knock us out with your knollys, your ollies, your kickflips, and other Smith grinds!"
"Wow, Jim," Ulrich complimented him. "You're really up on your skateboarding."
Jim gave the two boys a bright smile, "Yep, I sure am. Actually, I was a roller derby champion way back in the 70s!"
Odd couldn't hide his smile. Must've been around the same time he got into disco...
"That's pretty cool," Ulrich replied. "What a shame that you'd rather not talk about it."
"Actually, I'd be glad to," Jim surprised them, "but I, uh, don't have the time." He then blew his whistle, leaving Odd and Ulrich to blink at each other in surprise. That was a first for Jim. "Okay, into the pipe, all of ya!"
He sat at the top of the ramp, overseeing everything. The first two contestants took their positions: Christophe M'Bala and Jean-Baptiste Pujol. Jim blew his whistle again, signaling the start of the competition. The two boys took off, but both immediately fell when they tried to get to the other side of the ramp. The crowd winced at the impact.
Next up were Tania Grandjean and Paul Gaillard. However, the two met in the middle, at the bottom, and crashed into each other. Tania's skateboard hit her on the head as the cherry on top.
Odd was up next—by himself. Ulrich could see the cool determination in those hazel eyes amidst the tension that permeated the gym, and he knew that Odd would be alright. After all, they both had faced literal death before; a skateboarding competition was nothing in comparison. Jim blew his whistle, and Odd took off.
Unlike the previous four contestants, Odd pulled off some impressive tricks. The audience all began applauding for him, cheering at his moves. Ulrich stood up and pumped a fist into the air with pride, "Bravo, Odd!"
Odd finished by coming to a graceful stop at the bottom on the ramp. The whole audience was cheering for him. "And there you go! The perfect combination of exceptional skills and incredible elegance! In a word: classy!"
Ulrich was about to chime in when a familiar-looking dark-skinned girl with dark hair and red highlights skated up to Odd. "Hey, Odd. Great run out there."
A blush immediately appeared on Odd's face when he saw who his visitor was. "S-S-S-Sam?!" he stuttered, before losing his balance and falling off his skateboard, and onto his backside. "H-How are you?"
Sam just smiled in amusement, "Not bad."
"Now that was real class," Ulrich snarked. "Good to see you, Sam. Only you could do that to him."
Sam turned around to face Ulrich, smiling, "Oh, I know. That's why I did it."
The three sat together at the bleachers—with Ulrich behind the two lovebirds to give them their privacy—talking and catching up, as other competitors took their turns.
"Not that I'm not glad to see you, Sam," Odd asked, "but aren't you supposed to be in Saint-Denis still?"
"I am," Sam explained, "but I also signed up for the championship, on my dad's urging. I'm only here for the day."
"Samantha Knight," Jim announced, "you're up!"
"My turn," she winked at Odd. "Don't move, I'll be right back." She then skated away.
Odd immediately began ranting to Ulrich, "How weird is it that I run into her? I'd almost forgotten how cool and pretty she is!" A blush was burning bright on his cheeks.
"And how you're really in love," Ulrich teased.
Still blushing, Odd retorted, "Come on! Can't you like somebody without being in love?!"
"Sure, you can. You love Aelita because she's your cousin, and you like Yumi as a friend," Ulrich calmly replied. "But when it comes to Sam, you're totally in love, good buddy."
Odd pouted, his face still red.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Jérémie and Aelita, meanwhile, were in his dorm room, sitting on his bed as Aelita typed away on her laptop. A green plus sign began flashing, and the pink-ette smiled.
"And the test run was successful," she told him. "The program works."
Jérémie's demeanor immediately changed, as if a switch was flipped. He was happy, and it was showing on his face, "Really?"
"Yeah," she replied. "Thanks to this program, we should be able to find your parents, wherever they are."
"Let's go," he suggested, eagerly, "and check it out in the lab!"
"Now?" Aelita asked, an eyebrow raised in amusement.
"Yes, now!" he replied. "Why wait?"
She giggled, closing her laptop, just as a knock came to Jérémie's door.
The blonde got to his feet and opened his door to reveal Tamiya, recording on her camera, and Milly, who addressed the camera, "And this is our man of the hour, Jérémie Belpois."
He blinked in confusion, "Huh? What are you two doing here?"
"You're kidding!" Milly smiled up at him. "Don't tell us you forgot!"
Tamiya was nice enough to give him a hint, "We're filming you for a whole day for our special edition of the Kadic Herald: A Day in the Life of Jérémie Belpois!"
"You are?" That was when he remembered them coming to him about this the week prior, and he had agreed to it. With everything that had happened, it was easy to push things like this aside. "Oh, you are. I did forget, completely. I'm sorry, but I have too many things to do today."
"Great!" Milly was undeterred. In fact, she seemed happy. "We wanted to film the best student at Kadic doing all of his daily activities. And if Aelita wants to tag along too, that's fine with us."
"You won't even know we're there," Tamiya promised him, "we swear."
Jérémie held up a finger, nonverbally asking them for a minute to himself. The two nodded, and he turned to Aelita, closing his door slightly (not all the way). His eyes were pleading with her for help.
The pink-ette offered him a gentle smile, whispering, "Don't worry. I'll go to the computer lab by myself. I'll keep you updated."
He immediately felt himself relax, sending her a grateful smile before opening his door back up. Tamiya and Milly were still waiting patiently. "Sorry for the delay, ladies. I'm all yours now."
Aelita waved at the two younger girls, "Have fun, guys. See you later, Jérémie."
Jérémie waved back, as Tamiya and Milly hummed happily to his agreement.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Aelita reached the lab in no time. She was deep in thought as she sat in the chair and began typing in commands.
Jérémie's change in demeanor earlier had caught Aelita off-guard at first. Up until that point, he had been...depressed. There was no other word for it. However, given that he had discovered who he really was, died when XANA stole his half of Lyoko's Keys, remembered every bit of his past life as he was revived, and then lost his parents a second time as a result—all within the span of two days—it was no wonder he had been sent to Mr. Klotz's office, and had been meeting with the man every Saturday afternoon since.
Key words of all of that: at first. Because she understood why his mood had suddenly shifted.
The program she'd been working on and just completed—and now about to activate—was meant to locate Michel and Sophie Périn, Jérémie's parents. The two people he wanted to see again more than anything else in the world, to get closure if nothing else. So of course he'd be excited about it.
If she were in his shoes, she'd feel the same way.
She could only hope that the results would be exactly what he was expecting. Anything less would not be good for his mental health.
The pink-ette typed in the final commands and pressed 'enter', and the window for the program opened up, showing that it was running now. Smoothly, at that. She took in a deep breath to steady her nerves.
One simple 'hang in there' message from them would be enough.
Her reverie was interrupted by an alarm. She glanced at the holomap in time to see it switch to the Core Chamber, where several monsters were amassing.
"Oh no..." she muttered, before slipping on the earpiece and typing in the first number that came to mind.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Milly and Tamiya were standing with Jérémie under the arches. "So, in the morning, for breakfast, do you like tea or coffee?" the redhead was asking him.
"Hot chocolate." His dad liked tea though, and his mom thrived off of coffee.
"Croissants or toast?"
"Uh, cereal," he replied, briefly glancing at the courtyard. He was hoping this would end soon, so he could join Aelita in the lab.
"Jam or honey?"
"Maple syrup." He turned back to his interviewers. "Sorry if I'm being difficult. I don't like being tied down. But, um..." he hesitated, not sure if he should ask, "honestly, are you sure your readers care about this stuff?" He was expecting questions about his work ethic and grades, not about what he preferred for breakfast.
"Look Jérémie, I'm the reporter, and I know what my readers want to read!" Milly fiercely defended, just as his phone rang.
He sheepishly smiled in apology before picking up, "Yes, Aelita?"
"XANA has launched an attack on the Core," she reported.
"Okay, tell the others," he replied, tensing up. "I'll be there as soon as I can." He then hung up, and turned to his interviewers, who, to his surprise, were beginning an argument.
"'My readers'?!" Tamiya was angry at Milly's choice of words. "I thought we were in this together! You're the reporter, so what does that make me, then? Jérémie's right, you know! Those are stupid questions!"
"If you have better ones, what's stopping you from asking them, huh?!"
"You are, okay?!"
He had to cut in; he couldn't stand people fighting. "Um, ladies," the two turned to him, "I have an idea. We can do this interview later, after you two have finishing fighting with one another." He offered a smile to help sell the suggestion.
But Milly wasn't buying what he was selling. "You're staying here until you finish answering my fascinating questions!"
He could only frown.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Odd was up at the ramp again. So, this time, it was Sam's turn to sit with Ulrich and watch Odd with a fond smile.
"Oh, that Odd. He's so...so..."
Ulrich cut in, amusedly, "So messy. You wouldn't believe what his half of our room looks like." He wished he was exaggerating, but he wasn't.
Sam just giggled, "He's just like me. My room is a permanent disaster zone." She remained unphased.
"Seems you two were made for each other," Ulrich muttered to himself. This was great. It was giving him so much blackmail material to use later.
Before either could say anything else, his phone rang.
He quickly picked up. "Yes, Aelita?"
"XANA's attacking the Core."
The samurai immediately leapt into action. "No problem. I'll tell Odd and we'll be right there."
"Please, hurry," the pink-ette urged, before hanging up.
Just as Ulrich placed his phone back into his pocket, the headmaster approached him. "Ulrich Stern. Someone here would like to see you."
Uh-oh. The boy's stomach dropped at the sight of the man standing next to Mr. Delmas.
"Hello, Ulrich," Walter Stern greeted. It seemed friendly enough, but the tone the man was using, as well as the lack of smile, told Ulrich everything.
"F-Father?! But..."
He trailed off unintentionally. This could only end in disaster.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Yumi was next on Aelita's list. "Yumi, emergency! XANA's attacking the Core!"
The elder of the two was lounging on her bed, and immediately sat up in alarm when she heard the news. "What?! No, not today!" she lamented. "My parents are gone for the day, so I have to look after my brother!"
"Yumi," was all Aelita had to say.
"Okay, calm down," the Japanese girl quickly replied. "I'll sneak out when he's not looking."
"Dream on, sis."
Speak of the little devil.
She turned to the open doorway of her room, only to see a smug Hiroki leaning against the frame.
Of course...
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Ulrich felt like a little kid as he left his spot next to Sam on the bleachers and meekly approached his father.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
Walter was as straightforward as he always was, "I'm worried about your grades, son. That's the reason I came. You and I need to have to talk."
Of course. Parents were always told the results of the academic reviews, so of course Walter Stern would be here because of the review yesterday. Ulrich was so gratefully given a second chance, but that didn't mean his father would be happy about the need for that second chance.
Ulrich rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, but today...today's not a very good time..." He had to stop XANA from destroying the Core, after all.
"I see," Walter crossed his arms over his chest. "If you'd like, I could come back in ten years." That was much preferred, Ulrich thought. "I think the time is long overdue."
"I-It's just that I wasn't expecting to see you and–"
His father cut him off, "And I wasn't expecting to receive a report card as bad as yours was! Come with me. Now. The headmaster was kind enough to lend his office."
But Ulrich didn't dare budge an inch. Odd was still skateboarding, and he couldn't leave without making sure Odd knew what was at stake and where to go. He glanced back at Sam, and made a choice. She'd understand, right?
Ignoring his father's impatience, Ulrich sat down next to her, "Sam?" She glanced at him. "Can you give Odd a message from me?"
"Yeah, sure," she replied.
"Tell him to get to he-knows-where right away."
She blinked in mild confusion, but she smiled, to his relief. "Okay." There was no indication in her expression that she planned not to honor that request, so he chose to trust her.
"Thanks," he replied, before leaving with his father, Mr. Delmas in tow.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
William was lounging at the desk in his room, doing some reading for his literature class, when his phone rang.
He picked up, "Yes, Aelita?"
"William, it's time for your first mission. XANA's attacking the Core of Lyoko."
He immediately smiled in excitement. "I'll be right there!" He hung up, before leaving his room for the secret park passage.
This was it. His first mission. He was excited.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Riding off the high of his latest set of tricks, Odd practically skipped up to Sam and sat down next to her. "Wow! Now this is what I call fun!" He briefly glanced around, and a frown came onto his face. "Hey, where did Ulrich go, Sam?"
"His father came by for a visit," she explained. "He...seemed reluctant to leave."
Odd winced. "Yeah, he would be. And I know why."
"You do?" she raised an eyebrow, curious.
"Yeah. Let's just say that he loves his father just as much as you love your mother."
Right. Her mother who just up and left without so much as a goodbye, and had not spoken a word to them since. Sam winced herself in sympathy, "His father is that bad?"
"It's not the same situation," Odd admitted, trying not to give too much information away, "but, yeah. Emotionally, Walter Stern is always absent." That was worse, actually, Sam thought. "But he didn't say anything?"
Sam's stomach sank. The wording Ulrich used indicated that it was all a secret, a place that Sam herself was not allowed to follow them to. If she gave Odd that message, then there was a strong chance that this was the last time she'd see him in person for a long time.
So she made her choice, mentally apologizing to Ulrich as she did so. "Um, no. He just apologized before leaving."
Odd seemed a little disappointed, before shrugging. "Oh. Oh, well. He'll be back, and I'll cheer him up with news of my victory. So, tell me, how was I?"
She smiled brightly, hoping that he couldn't see the guilt she was feeling. "You were amazing! You really rock!"
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Hiroki had taken a seat in the middle of her doorway, effectively blocking her only path out of the house.
"Come on, Hiroki!" Yumi was pleading. "Do me a favor! Let me go and don't say anything to Oto-san and Oka-san. I'll make it up to you, I promise!"
His eyes were closed. "You'll make it up to me, how?"
She tried hard to think quick, "I, uh...want me to give you my discman?"
"Nope."
"Oh..." She sighed in defeat, glancing to the side. "I'll...I'll find you the entire saga of Surfer Zombie!"
"Johnny just lent it to me."
She frowned at her bad luck. "Hmm...I'll...I'll do all your homework for a month!"
"Including my math homework?" He cracked open one eye.
She smiled with hope, "Yes! All of it!"
"Huh. Interesting...but no."
Yumi sighed exasperatedly, "Then what do you want? Name your price!"
Hiroki didn't move, only smirking, "It's a lot more fun watching you sweat."
She could only groan in frustration.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
William had arrived at the factory in no time, to Aelita's relief. He was the only one who was here besides her.
"If XANA's monsters destroy the Core," she explained to him, "then Lyoko is gone for good. And without Lyoko, we don't have any way to fight XANA!"
"I read you, loud and clear," he replied. "It's not good at all. So, what are we waiting for?"
"For the others to get here," she told him, as if it was obvious. "I don't want to send you alone."
"They can meet up with us later," William said. "You can fight too, right? Let's not waste time. Like you said, the stakes are high. I mean, that is the reason you guys recruited me, right?"
The pink-ette was quiet as she digested that. He was right; she couldn't deny that. But she needed a second opinion, so she typed in a certain number for the second time.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Jérémie was in a science classroom, being filmed by Milly and Tamiya, the latter of whom had asked him to explain the cluster of mushrooms on the table between them.
"Mycology is a very complicated science," he explained, while also holding one in his hand. "It's the branch of botany that deals with all forms of fungi. There are several thousand species, and distinguishing them can be rather difficult. A number of criteria come into it, such as the general structure, which will allow us to determine a genus of mushroom. For example: Russula, Amanita, or Tricholoma."
Milly interrupted him, "That's what you call an interesting question?"
"My question was fine!" Tamiya defended herself. "It's the answer that's a bore!"
Jérémie scoffed, annoyed, "Gee, thanks. Don't ask the question if you don't want the answer." His phone then rang, and he wasted no time in answering, "Yes, Aelita?"
As he listened to her, Milly and Tamiya resumed their argument from earlier.
"I'm sorry, but I've decided to take back control of this interview!" Milly decided.
"Of course!" Tamiya groaned. "That's just typical! As soon as I'm the one to ask a question, you get all bent out of shape!"
"Completely untrue!"
"No, it isn't!"
"Yes, it is!"
Jérémie, miraculously, managed to drown them out. "William's right, Aelita. Saving Lyoko takes top priority. So you two go on in, and I'll transfer Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and myself when we manage to escape our current prisons." He was sure William and Aelita could hear Milly and Tamiya's fighting on their end. "Okay?"
"Okay, but don't drag your feet," the pink-ette replied, before hanging up.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Jérémie's ID disappeared from the screen, as did the cellphone program. As it did, Aelita turned to William, "You heard him. Let's go."
"Yeah!" the boy cheered.
She began typing in commands for the self-virtualization program, bringing up both of their IDs (William's was blank, for now). "Head for the scanner room. I'll join you as soon as I'm done setting up the process."
"Okay." He then ran towards the ladder and began climbing down.
After inputting the coordinates for the Sector Five Arena, she brought up the timer. Pressing 'enter' started said timer. She quickly removed the earpiece, before climbing down the ladder.
William was waiting inside of a scanner. She climbed into an unoccupied one next to him, ten seconds before the doors closed. One gust of wind upwards later, their bodies depixelized.
They then reformed in mid-air, this time in the Arena of Sector Five. William landed behind her, as she stood up, she took in their surroundings with a sense of accomplishment. She really had discovered the code for virtualizing directly into Sector Five. She had succeeded.
"Wow!" came William's voice from behind her. "This is some pretty classic gear!"
She turned around to face him. His avatar was modeled after a medieval knight, wearing a black body suit with silver armor, gauntlets, and boots, all of which had red straps to go along with his red belt. He was admiring the large sword—a Zweihänder—attached to his back.
He turned to her. "What about you? You don't have a weapon? You fight with your bare hands? What's your superpower?"
Annoyed, she replied with, "This isn't a video game, William. Let me remind you that we have an important mission to accomplish."
"Okay, okay, sorry," he nodded at her, before glancing around. "So, where are the monsters?"
"Follow me," she told him. "We only have a couple of minutes to trip a key mechanism that gets us into the Core Chamber. Let's go."
She took off, and he was hot on her heels, as he exclaimed, "Killer! This is ten thousand times better than Galactic Battle!"
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
"And that's just the way it's gonna be!"
Jérémie sighed; they were still fighting. He had to escape. "Uh, ladies!" They turned to him. "I have to, uh, go to the bathroom. You weren't planning on filming me in there, were you?" He offered them a smile for good measure.
No, they weren't. But they did follow him to the door. Tamiya was currently filming said door.
"How long were you planning to shoot this door?"
"It's interesting to know that the really good students use the bathroom too, right?"
"Wrong!"
They would end up filming this door until dinner hour later that night when they finally realized.
Jérémie climbed out of the window, landing safely on the steps below before running off.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Ulrich sat in a chair in front of Mr. Delmas's desk, which was currently being occupied by his father.
"I really want to understand why your grades are so consistently poor," Walter was demanding.
"It's just that I...can't seem to concentrate all the time." The excuse was weak, Ulrich knew, but he couldn't say the real reason: that XANA's frequent attacks were affecting his studies.
"Why not?!"
"Well, you remember when you were my age..."
"Yes! At your age, I had a grade point average of 18! And I was preparing to pass my baccalauréat!" As in preparing himself for university.
Ulrich sighed in defeat. Nothing would ever be good enough for his father, so he found himself unable to fight back.
There was nothing to fight for, so why bother?
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
William and Aelita arrived in a completely empty room. She was on edge. The room was flat, with no indication as to what XANA planned to do to guard the key this time.
"Wow! This is fantastic!" William exclaimed. "It's like a movie set!"
She spotted the key on the other side of the room, and pointed it to it, "The key is over there!"
"I'm on it!" He ran towards it.
"No, wait!" she tried to warn him.
He was cut off by a pillar suddenly emerging from the ground in front of him. "Whoa!"
"Yeah, the key is booby-trapped," she explained, before her super hearing picked up a familiar-sounding roar. "Creepers!"
On the duo's collective right, sure enough, the floor opened up and out crawled a trio of Creepers.
"I'll take care of them!" William told her, removing his sword from his back, only for it to quickly fall to the ground due to its weight. "Woah! You take care of the key!" He picked his sword back up.
"Watch out! They can be really tough!" she warned.
"Isn't there a timer for the key?" he asked, as he ran towards their enemies.
That's right. The timer was just counting down. She just shook her head, sighing wearily, before heading towards the key, in the opposite direction.
Aelita dodged past pillars as they emerged from the ground without warning. But her reflexes were quick and trained. Wise choice on William's part, actually, leaving the key to her.
Meanwhile, the Creepers just kept emerging from the hole that William was guarding. He flung his sword around, firing little slashes at a monster. He cut one and smirked, before slashing it to destruction. He then spun around and defeated three of them in one go.
"Wow!" he exclaimed as he stopped. "What an adrenaline rush!"
Aelita focused on the key up ahead, wishing she knew how much time was left on the clock. A platform appeared in front of her, and she jumped onto it, before leaping onto another, letting it take her up to the key. Once she was in range, she pressed it.
She landed back on the ground level, and got to her feet, "I've pressed the key, William! Get over here!"
He paused mid-fight, looking a bit disappointed, "Aw, really? But this is so much fun!"
"The Core's in danger!" she told him.
"Okay, okay!" He relented, before running towards her, only for the two to be separated by a wall that suddenly appeared between them. "Wha–?"
"William, no!" Aelita exclaimed.
"Aelita?" Jérémie's voice sounded from the controls. Thank goodness he had finally arrived in the lab! "What's going on? Where are Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi?"
"They're not in the lab with you?" she asked. Where they still being held up somewhere? What rotten luck!
"No."
William also heard Jérémie's voice, and he too felt relieved. "Hey, Jérémie? There's this really weird-looking creature that just showed up." He was backing away slowly. "Like some kind of, uh...giant flying jellyfish?"
"What?!" Jérémie immediately started to panic. "Run! Don't engage!" He then addressed the pink-ette, "Aelita, you have to get to William! He's being cornered by the Scyphozoa! Hurry! Go around the outside!"
She obeyed, running out into the hall. She briefly glanced around before taking the left path.
"Take the next hallway on your left!" the blonde gave her frantic directions. For good reason. "Another left!" She followed them without second thought. "Now, take the corridor on your right!"
He turned his attention back to William.
"William, get out of there! Hurry up! Do you hear me?!"
"I'm not afraid of some dumb jellyfish!" the elder boy scoffed.
"You should be!" Jérémie shot back. "Remember when I said that XANA could possess us? Well, it can only do that with the Scyphozoa, and that's very likely what it wants with you now. Please, just do what I say."
The Scyphozoa shot out a tentacle and knocked the Zweihänder out of William's hand. Only then did his stomach sink in dread. "Uh-oh..."
It had made him defenseless in one fell swoop, before he could even react...
Aelita paused, coming up to another fork in the road.
Fortunately, Jérémie was quick with the directions. "Go left, Aelita. It's not much farther."
She gratefully obeyed. Hopefully, she'd make it in time...
"William, are you still there?" Jérémie urged, "Get out of there, right now!"
The elder boy was still backing up, this time out of genuine fear. He was feeling a strange magnetic field surrounding him that was making it difficult to move. "B-But my sword..."
It was still lying on the ground, painstakingly just out of reach.
"Leave it! Just run!"
Just then, the Scyphozoa shot its tentacles out, grabbing William around the middle despite his trying his best to run away.
Aelita was still running the long way around when Jérémie, panicking, cut through the tension, "I don't believe it! Aelita, William's been captured by the Scyphozoa!"
"I'm almost there," she reassured him, as she finally reached the room. "But I think I'm too late."
The Scyphozoa was floating away, having left behind a kneeling William, looking to be recovering from whatever the jellyfish did.
She ran up to him, worried, as he slowly got to his feet. "William! Are you okay?"
He was panting, like he was disoriented, as he picked up his Zweihänder, his back to her. Once his weapon was back in his hand, he turned around and revealed to her the eye of XANA replacing his navy blue irises.
She gasped, slowly backing away. "Um, Jérémie? I'm definitely too late. He's been possessed by XANA..."
"I guess XANA realized it came close to victory when it used Ulrich's body yesterday," Jérémie realized.
"I guess," she replied, forming an Energy Field in both hands. She then threw them at XANA-William one by one.
But her stomach sank in defeat when XANA easily deflected both of her shots with William's giant sword like it was nothing. It then swung the Zweihänder, as the blade glowed a bright red, and an energy slash hit her in the stomach.
She was devirtualized instantly.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Ulrich himself remained defeated as he continued to listen to his father's rant. There was nothing he could do, to be honest. It wasn't like Walter would actually stop to listen, and even if his mother Barbara was here, she would be no help, since she would just end up either taking Walter's side, or not speak up at all.
But that all changed when Walter Stern said the following:
"I'm especially concerned about your friends, Ulrich. I don't think they're a very good influence on you!"
Something in him just snapped. "How would you know?! You don't know my friends! You don't even know me in fact! We haven't spoken for a year! Not even during summer break!"
He didn't know why. His heart was just fiercely pounding, telling him with each beat to protect his friends from this vile man, at all costs. Jérémie had enough issues, Aelita was too sweet, Odd didn't deserve it, Yumi was too precious, even William needed to be protected.
Walter got up from his borrowed chair, "That doesn't mean that I don't know what is best for you!"
"Oh yeah?! And what's that?!"
"That you show respect for you work! Need I remind you that I'm the one paying and you're costing me a small fortunate!"
"Oh, and that makes you the master of my life?! What about what I want?!" A very good question. One that he really wanted his father to answer.
"You want to play football! It's the only thing you're good at! I have no idea why you quit!"
There it was, Ulrich thought. 'It's the only thing you're good at'. "I had to be good to please you!" Walter faltered, and that brought Ulrich some joy. "Yes, I'm good at sports, but it doesn't mean I enjoy them! You want to know why I quit?! It's because pleasing you is so impossible that I've stopped trying a long time ago! Maybe that's why my grades suck so much! Ever thought about that?! That it's actually your fault?!"
Ulrich's phone ringing interrupted the tension. He quickly picked up.
"Yes, Jérémie?" A short pause as his friend told him the situation. William had been possessed by XANA. Joy. "Be right there." He then hung up and got to his feet, heading towards the closed door. "If you'll excuse me, I've gotta go. People who actually care about me need my help."
He opened the door, just as his father narrowed his eyes into a glare, "I'm not finished speaking to you!"
"Well, too bad," Ulrich coldly shot back. "Cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it, because I finished listening a long time ago."
He then slammed the door shut behind him, leaving a speechless father and a worried headmaster Delmas and Mrs. Weber, both of whom had heard everything and were beginning to understand what Odd meant yesterday at the review...
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Hiroki was still blocking Yumi's door. By this point, she was fed up. "Get out of the way, Hiroki! It's an emergency!"
"Take one more step and I'll tell Oto-san and Oka-san how you're a terrible babysitter and not responsible at all! It's a couple's therapy session, you know! They need it to stay together!"
Her phone rang and she answered it. After listening to whoever was on the other end, she smirked and held out the phone to him, "Well, what a coincidence. It's Oto-san. Go on and tell him!"
He snatched the phone out of her hand and began complaining, "Oto-san, Yumi wants to–" He cut himself off. Yumi had tricked him. "Hey, that's not Oto-san or Oka-san! It's Jérémie!"
He glanced back at her room, only to discover her window open and the tree outside rustling. He ran over to it and witnessed her touch down after climbing down the tree, and running off.
Hiroki huffed in annoyance. She was going to be in such big trouble later if he had anything to say about it.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Ulrich had called Odd on his way to the park passage, "Odd, what are you doing? You're not in the computer lab?!"
"Why would I be in the lab? I'm in the finals!" Odd replied, puzzled. Sam had said Ulrich just apologized before reluctantly following his father to Mr. Delmas's office. Right?
"But didn't Sam tell you?!"
"Tell me what?" Sam was supposed to tell him something else?
By the time Sam had finished her next round and approached him with a smile, "I'd like to see you top that!", Ulrich had already told him everything.
And he was disappointed, to say the least, "Sam, why didn't you give me Ulrich's message? It was really important." His heart was hurting. He had never been upset with Sam before.
"I-Important?" she faltered, but she thankfully didn't try to lie and cover anything up. Her shoulders sank in disappointment, in herself. "I'm sorry, I just...I just really wanted you to stay. We're so lucky to be together again, even if for a day, because in-person meetings are super rare for us, and I'm leaving tonight..."
She just wanted to spend time with him. He understood, so he couldn't stay mad at her. "I know how you feel, Sam," he confessed as he got to his feet. "Believe me, I know. I love spending time with you, because I really like you. It sucks that we can only stay in contact over e-mails, and I wish it didn't have to be that way. But there's something I have to do."
"Something that takes precedence over hanging out with me?" she meekly asked.
He sighed, "Unfortunately, yes."
The two connected eyes, lingering on each other's wanting gaze...
Jim blew his whistle, "Next contestant is Odd Della Robbia."
But Odd had already left.
Jim looked around the gymnasium, surprised, "Odd?"
Sam just sat down on the bleachers, alone and regretting her decision.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
XANA-William wasted no time in infiltrating the Core Chamber with a massive army of Creepers by his side.
The monsters all prepared their lasers, charging them up within their mouths. XANA held up William's Zweihänder, which lit up a bright white as it charged up an energy strike.
"Fire!" the AI ordered, firing William's energy slash as all the Creepers fired their lasers.
The first shield was immediately destroyed.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Aelita quickly virtualized Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi into Sector Five's Arena, grateful that they had finally made it. She then virtualized Jérémie soon after.
The four wasted no time in heading to the Core Chamber as soon as the wall opened up. Aelita explained to the other three what had happened as Jérémie tripped the key in record time.
XANA had possessed William to destroy the Core, which now had only one shield layer remaining. They had to hurry. If they lost Lyoko, they'd lose William as well.
The four jumped onto the elevator when Aelita cut in with a sliver of hope, "W-Wait! Is that...?"
"What?" Odd asked, urging her to speak up, as they rode the elevator to the Celestial Dome.
"It's the program I started running earlier!" the pink-ette sounded like she was in awe.
"The program to find my parents?" Jérémie was frozen in shock. "What happened?"
"I got a hit! I found Michel and Sophie Périn!"
"Run the materialization program!" Yumi urged her. "Hurry! If we lose Lyoko, we lose them too!"
"I know. I'm already on it. You guys just focus on protecting the Core."
Ulrich placed a comforting hand on Jérémie's trembling shoulder. There was still hope...
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
XANA-William prepared another attack, his Zweihänder glowing white and the Creepers all charging their lasers once more. The four Lyokowarriors reached the Core Chamber just as he ordered, "Fire!"
The combined force of the Creepers and William's energy slash destroyed the second and final shield layer.
"WILLIAM!" Ulrich shouted up at him.
XANA glanced down at them and growled, before throwing down William's sword. It landed very close to them, and the AI itself quickly followed, landing with a large thud, causing an earthquake and leaving a crater in its wake.
"He doesn't look too happy to see us," Odd muttered, as the four carefully watched XANA puppet William's body to cross over to them.
"Yep. Looks just like me when I saw my father," Ulrich was glaring. He wished he was kidding, but he wasn't.
"No time for chit-chats," Jérémie softly, sternly cut in. "We have work to do."
XANA-William retrieved his sword and slung it over his shoulder. The AI was having fun and anticipating its victory, and it emphasized this by darkly chuckling at them.
Ulrich stared him down, before ordering, "Now!"
The other three immediately raced towards and then up the stairs. XANA saw them and swung William's sword at them, instantly devirtualizing Odd with a red energy slash.
Ulrich Sprinted up to William, unsheathing his katana, "It's not nice to attack people from behind, XANA!"
XANA said nothing, only attacking with white energy slash, knocking Ulrich's katana out of his hand. It went flying, but the samurai had no time to react as the knight struck him from behind, his Zweihänder glowing red yet again.
The AI laughed as Ulrich vanished from Lyoko, before turning to the other two: the geisha and the elf.
Yumi threw both of her fans, destroying as many Creepers as she could before her weapons returned to her.
She barely had time to react to XANA-William jumping up onto the platform she was occupying, catching her off-guard as he stabbed her in the stomach with his red-colored Zweihänder.
She fell to the ground, feeling the pain of that sword as she devirtualized. "Fight it, William. I know you can..." were her last words before she returned to Earth.
XANA-William roared, as did the Creepers, all in victory. It was about to move William's body to destroy the now-unprotected Core when its vessel was struck from behind by a trio of blue energy arrows.
It turned around to stare Jérémie down as it was forced out of William's body when he devirtualized as well. It had decided to keep him on Lyoko for one last thing he could do for it, but apparently that was a mistake...
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Yumi shared a defeated look with Odd and Ulrich, before the trio turned to the scanner that warmed up a few seconds later. They were anticipating Jérémie, but were surprised when they found William emerging from the scanner instead.
"William?" Odd asked.
Said elder male was holding his head, as if he had a headache. "Ugh, what...just happened?"
"XANA..." Yumi paused, unsure if she should tell him, but nods from Odd and Ulrich encouraged her to do so. So she did, "XANA took control of you and used your avatar to destroy the two shield layers protecting the Core..."
William's reaction was one of horror, "So...I failed? I wasn't a help at all?"
"Don't panic just yet," Ulrich softly reassured him. "Jérémie's still virtualized. There's still hope..."
Right. They couldn't give up yet.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Jérémie took down the last Creeper standing in front of the Core, about to fire. His goggles reading no more monsters, he took them off before rushing up to the Core himself and concentrating. He had to regenerate the shields, before anything else happened.
"Jérémie, behind you!" Aelita cried out.
Immediately after, he was shot from behind. He glanced back as he felt his body depixelize. He had fallen, to all things, a single Creeper that had cleverly hidden itself.
"Darn it!" he lamented as he was devirtualized.
With nothing in its way now, XANA had the Creeper roar a cry of victory, before charging up its laser one last time, and hitting the defenseless Core.
Everything immediately went dark, as bright orange energy burst forth from where the Core used to be, the shockwave shaking what remained of the virtual world in its wake.
XANA did it. Lyoko was gone. It was free.
At last.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Jérémie emerged from the scanner with no energy. After about a month of keeping it together, he finally broke down into tears. There was no more hope of fighting XANA or seeing his parents again, so there was nothing to hold everything together for. Not anymore.
But he wasn't alone. He fell right into Yumi's comforting arms. "Don't blame yourself," she was saying. "You did your best."
He didn't trust himself to speak, so he didn't, only crying silent tears into the shoulder of her black sweater.
"Lyoko..." Aelita's solemn voice cut through over the intercom, "...has been destroyed. And I...I'm sorry. I couldn't materialize Michel and Sophie. I didn't have enough time..."
That was the last straw. Jérémie couldn't stop the tears from letting loose and wailing his grief and sorrow into Yumi's shoulder. Now he had truly lost everything...
Yumi said nothing, only tightening her embrace.
But William began to mutter, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." over and over again.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
It had taken at least an hour for William and Jérémie both to calm down. The six had retreated to the Hermitage in the meantime to contemplate what had just happened, and what they could do now. Which was nothing. Hence the sad silence.
"We have no other way to fight XANA now," Aelita muttered. "The entire world is in danger, and no one besides us is aware of the threat. Humanity is completely defenseless..."
Ulrich hung his head from his spot on the couch, "And to think we used to believe it was impossible this day would ever come..."
Odd sighed, from his seat on the arm of the couch, "This is horrible! Is there really nothing we can do?!"
William was sitting between Yumi and Ulrich, "I'm sorry...If only I had taken your warnings seriously...I wanted to help, but I just ended up ruining everything instead..."
To prevent him from returning to that spiral of guilt, Yumi and Ulrich both began massaging his shoulders. "Don't, William," Yumi said. "It's our fault. We should've prepared you better."
"No, it's my fault," Jérémie cut in, from the opposite side of the room as he stared at a photo of him with his parents—the same one he had previously shown Aelita. "If I hadn't gotten sick all those years ago, none of this would've happened."
Aelita cut off his thoughts, "Don't you dare, either, Jérémie. We still don't regret our choice to stand by you. And we never will."
Jérémie just sighed, before setting the picture down. "I was really hoping...to see my parents again. Just once."
"I'm sorry," it was Aelita's turn to apologize. "I did everything I could."
"I know you did," the blonde whispered. "It's not your fault."
The pink-ette's laptop, within her bag, began sounding an alarm. She immediately knelt down, took it out, and opened it, only to be in awe at what was in front of her.
"What...? I don't believe this. This is incredible!"
"Well, don't keep us in the dark," Odd said. "What's going on?"
"I just received a coded message," she explained. "A message directly from the internet, and it's signed..."
"Who?" William urged. "Tell us, Aelita!"
"...Michel and Sophie Périn."
"Huh?!" The other five all gasped, surprised, in unison.
Jérémie couldn't take his eyes off of that message on Aelita's screen as hope began filling his chest once more.
There was still hope, for all of them...
TO BE CONTINUED_
!~~~J~E~R~L~I~T~A~~R~O~L~E~S~W~A~P~~A~U~~~!
Next Episode: 45 - Renaissance / Lyoko is back, but XANA has shifted its goals yet again. What is it trying to do this time?
A/N: First, William. I changed his avatar to a medieval knight because it seemed more appropriate. If you want to see what it looks like, I have a drawing of it on my DA page. A couple of changes to keep up with his development so far, but his eagerness as a rookie is still technically his downfall. XANA-William's Zweihänder glowing red when he devirtualizes the others will be explained in the next chapter. It was either that or keeping William under XANA's control, and for a while now, I've wanted to explore William's role in Season 4 if he was still himself and not possessed. A lot of you were anticipating XANA-William in this AU, but get ready for something else, something new. And XANA admitting that Jérémie can do one last task for it is indeed setting up its goals in Season 4.
Second, Sam. If you need a refresher on her background in this AU, re-read the "Critical Situation" chapter. And like in that chapter, most of the changes centering around her in this chapter are to make her more sympathetic. Don't worry; she'll be back. Keep reading to find out.
Finally, translation differences. Refer to the English VS French page on the .fr website if you are confused by any changes I chose to make in that regard.