Note: Last chapter was a massive doozy, wasn't it? It was also published in time for April to end, so that May could begin. And with a new month comes a new chapter, and perhaps a new story. Of course, it depends on what happens, as a new story might not even be published this month. If one gets posted, however, then read it whenever you can. Also, be sure to check out The Date whenever you have the time.

The plot of the last chapter will not be spoiled here. If you wish to know what went down, then turn back and read it. However, keep in mind that it was part of a two-parter, so it would be a good idea to read both chapters, so that you had the whole story. It was meant to be an entire chapter, but it got split in two, primarily because of delays in publication.

Now, without further ado, it's time for chapter seventeen.

Chapter 17: A Letter

After the recent mission, the Lyoko Warriors were ready to head back to Wagstaff and hand out the papers they had graded. Once the school had opened back up, they entered the library, where the folders for the classes they tutored in had been taken. The team wouldn't need to head to each class for another hour, so they decided to wait for the bell for first period to ring. By looking at each paper in the folders, they made sure that they didn't forget one. With that out of the way, all that was left for the teens to do was to head to the classes they tutored in (except for Odd, who only watched over the students in detention). It was something of a hard job for them, but it was still a job they had to do.

Jeremy began to head in the direction of the computer lab, intent on handing the folder to the teacher. From there, he would give the lesson of the day and offer help to a student who was struggling. The spectacled blonde rarely had a problem with the students he tutored, as they were willing to learn from him. In fact, being a tutor was making him consider getting a job as a teacher in the future. If not a teacher, then maybe a job as a programmer would work. Either way, Jeremy enjoyed tutoring and hoped that Wagstaff enjoyed it as well.

Now that she was out of the library, Aelita walked to the music room. She promised herself that she would hand the papers she graded to each student she tutors, so that Ms. Merkin didn't have to. The pink-haired teen liked each student who took music class, as she was eager to work with them if they needed help. Each student she helped seemed to like her back, including the ones who weren't usually enthusiastic about being at Wagstaff (which was somewhat understandable). The students made wonderful music each day and it made each day at Wagstaff better. As for Gene, Aelita honestly hoped that he would grow out of making rather annoying noises and focus on making actual music, as she knew he had it in him to be a great musician.

While walking down the hallway, Ulrich made his way to the school gym. Once he got there, he would hand the graded papers to Coach Blevins, so that he could hand them to the students that were being tutored. The brunette didn't think that he would ever be qualified for a job as a tutor, but he had to do the job. It wasn't something that he was entirely enthusiastic about, but he enjoyed how some of the kids he tutored were willing to take the lessons Coach Blevins had him teach. Some of the students had even sparred with Ulrich when he taught them some of the Pencak Silat lessons he learned back at Kadic Academy. However, as much as he taught them, he had to admit that Jim was far more qualified to teach these kids.

The moment she left the library with her folder, Yumi was intent on getting to the biology class she tutored in. While she hoped to give the papers she had graded to the teacher, she was also hoping to speak with some of the students under her tutorship. Even though she wasn't the teacher, the brunette was responsible for helping certain students improve their grades. However, it felt as though some of them struggled, in part due to their disappointing grades and poor performance. Being around Ulrich and Odd, Yumi figured that some of the kids were either lazy or struggling. If it was the latter case, then helping them improve would be an uphill battle, considering how some children suffered from learning disorders.

As he did not have any papers to hand out, Odd decided to head to the playground. He never thought that he would find not being able to grade and hand out papers boring, but he was proven wrong, as it turned out to be rather boring. There was no one out on the playground, so the blonde was by himself for the time being. In the next few minutes, he was intent on going back inside, as a teenager being by himself on a school playground could've been seen as weird by someone. While the teen was only a tutor, he knew that passersby would be asking questions if he remained on the playground. Even if he was quick to answer said questions, Odd hoped that it wouldn't escalate to a massive conflict.

Walking down the hallway, William intended on reaching the classroom he tutored in. He didn't exactly consider being a health class tutor a barrel of monkeys, but it was easier than he expected it to be. The brunette handed his folder to the teacher once he entered the room, so she could hand the graded papers to the students he tutored. He considered some of the children he was assigned to tutor rather easy to help, to the point where it seemed like none of them needed tutoring. However, there were a few students who were rather slow, as if they needed to be placed into remedial classes instead of being expected to catch up with the others. Despite that, William did his job as a tutor, making sure that some of the students would be able to pass the class.

Sissi walked down to the English class she was tutoring in, ready to give her folder to the teacher. Unlike the others, she wasn't exactly happy to be a tutor. While it gave the brunette an opportunity to speak to any curious kid, she wound up being annoyed at how bad at schoolwork they could be. To her, it was like some of these kids had never read a book or written a paper before, as their writing could be sloppy and full of bad grammar and spelling errors. A few students were excellent writers, which made the teen wonder why she couldn't speak to them instead of the underachievers she had been assigned to. Given that her position as a tutor was to help said underachievers improve and pass, Sissi decided not to waste her time griping about her position. After all, some of the students were nowhere near as bad as Nicholas when it came to their grades.

As they entered Wagstaff, Tina, Gene and Louise were ready to get through the school day. Bob and Linda were at the restaurant, intent on serving any customer that would happen to visit. With the family separate for the time being, they were intent on getting the day over with. If something was up at the lab, then Jeremy would have to call them over, assuming that he made it there before any of them. Granted, he would have to meet the Belcher children in Wagstaff if they were in each other's proximity, but he would still need to call the Belcher parents over to the lab. Aside from that, both the family and the tutors were intent on getting through the day without a disaster, whether or not it was X.A.N.A-influenced.

Even though none of them wanted the day to end in a disaster, there was a thought on the minds of both the Belcher family and the Lyoko Warriors: what the weekend had revealed to them. Once the DNA tests had arrived to Bob, he opened up the envelope to reveal who in the team was his distant relative. To everyone's surprise, the distant relative turned out to be Ulrich. Coincidentally enough, Ulrich's parents came to Seymour's Bay at the same time Bob received the DNA test results. In the process, Mrs. Stern was revealed to be the previously unseen Belcher cousin Vanessa, confirming Ulrich's relation to both families. But, before Bob or Ulrich could reconcile both sides, Mr and Mrs. Stern left town without so much as a goodbye, having used a smoke bomb to escape.

As the day went on, the Belcher children and the Lyoko Warriors interacted with each other, even when they weren't in class. Of course, some interactions had to be done during lunch or study hall, as those were the only times the tutors could be free from their jobs. There was no X.A.N.A attack throughout the day, so it went smoothly. Despite that, the kids felt awkward speaking to Ulrich, considering what had been revealed to them over the weekend. While it was exciting to know which teammate was their distant relative, it was also weird to know that it was the one they had expected the least. However, the group did not let this damage their relationship with Ulrich, as they were quick to ease tensions between him and the Belcher kids. By the end of the day, Tina, Gene and Louise were speaking to him again.


The next day, Bob was getting the grill and the deep fryers ready. He and Linda had a busy day ahead of them, considering how sailors were visiting town for a break after several months at sea. With the kids at school, they didn't have an extra hand at work. Even though hiring someone was an essential idea for a business, the Belchers didn't want a repeat of the disastrous employees they had in the past. Sometimes, it was better not to change the status quo, even though it would help fix certain problems around Bob's Burgers. For now, Bob just wanted the restaurant to be run by him and his family.

As their parents worked at the restaurant, Tina, Gene and Louise went to the library for some quiet time. They entered the room so quick, Mr. Ambrose didn't notice them (nor did he care). While Tina took her seat at a table, Gene and Louise decided to look for a book. No projects were due that week, but the Belcher siblings needed to find a way to kill some time. Granted, none of them (aside from Tina) considered reading a way to kill time. If anything, it was more of a way to distract those who were suspicious towards them about something.

Just as the period was about to end, Gene saw Aelita walking by. As she was his tutor for music class, the preteen decided to try and speak with her.

"Hey, Aelita, what's shaking?" Gene asked.

"I was only waiting for today's worksheets to finish printing." Aelita spoke. "Other than that, nothing much is going on."

"No activity on Lyoko?" Louise asked.

"Jeremy will tell me when there is." The pink-haired teen said. "I should get going, because I need to help out Ms. Merkin. See you later!"

"Bye Aelita." The Belcher kids chorused.

Once Aelita had left the library, the bell for next period rang, meaning that the students would have to head to their next class. The Belcher kids separated, needing to go to the classes they had next. While that happened, Odd, who was standing near the library, noticed Mr. Frond carrying an envelope in his hand. Even though the blonde wanted to ask him about it, he figured that it was just a bill that needed to be paid. As long as nothing bad came out of it, it was not anyone's business outside of Mr. Frond's. However, if something bad DID happen, then it was likely a X.A.N.A attack.

When it was the lunch hour for the younger students, Odd decided to join them. Even though he was a tutor like his teammates, he did not have to pay for any of the food from Wagstaff. It seemed strange, considering how the students at Kadic paid for their food, but it might have been because Wagstaff was a public school instead of a boarding school. Alternatively, it was likely because the food served at Wagstaff wasn't very good, primarily because it arrived from a company instead of coming from a farm or local grocer. Odd found it ironic how Wagstaff's food was corporate, despite a farmer's market being in Seymour's Bay. Then again, not everyone who works at a school can just go out and buy the foods for a meal expected to feed everyone in the building.

Getting his lunch, Odd decided to sit at a table by himself. In the process, he saw some of the students come over to the table. None of them were the ones that received detention, so the blonde did not speak to any of them. If he saw Louise, he would speak to her for a little bit. After all, it was better than speaking to someone he barely knew. Then again, it was like that when the Lyoko Warriors were drafted to be tutors for Wagstaff.

The moment the bell rang, the students began to clear out, so that the next group of students could eat their lunch. With that in mind, Odd walked out of the cafeteria, the students who had finished eating following him. For the rest of the day, he and his fellow Lyoko Warriors continued tutoring the students they were assigned. Aside from the brief conversation Aelita had with them, the team did not speak to the Belcher children all day. Hopefully, they had a chance tomorrow, as there could be an attack from X.A.N.A on the horizon. Jeremy would want everyone to be together instead of being separate, where they would all be vulnerable to attack.

Right as she was about to put her folder up for the day, Aelita was approached by Mr. Frond.

"There you are, Ms. Stones!" He spoke, handing her an envelope. "This came in the mail and it's for you!"

Upon being handed the envelope, Aelita decided to open it up. On the inside was a piece of paper that had been folded six times, perhaps as a way of getting it in the envelope without having to cut off the part of the paper that hadn't been written on. Taking it out, she unfolded it, intent on seeing what was on it. After that, the pink-haired teen saw that it was a letter, so she read it.

Aelita,

I would like to meet you under the Wonder Wharf boardwalk tomorrow. Be sure to come as quickly as you can.

-Your Secret Admirer

Aelita folded the letter up and put it in her pocket, intent on showing it to the others. The idea of a secret admirer didn't make her feel comfortable, as it could've been someone who she didn't know. If it was from a member of the team, the pink-haired teen hoped that it was from Jeremy. If it wasn't, then she hoped the letter was written by a student who had a crush on her. Another possibility was that it had been written by a creep, presumably someone who was much older than her. No matter who wrote it, Aelita didn't feel safe unless her teammates gave her a hand about the situation.


The next day, the Lyoko Warriors were in the library, waiting to speak to certain students. Said students were the ones who needed some extra improvement, though most of them were the ones Sissi tutored. Odd didn't need to speak to anyone about their grades, but he liked talking to the students. The rest of the team only had a student or two who needed to improve, but that was only because they really needed help. It was the Lyoko Warriors' duty to tutor these kids, even if the job seemed impossible. Granted, the impossibility came from how bad some students were doing.

As she waited, Aelita decided to take out the letter from yesterday and show it to her teammates. Pulling it out of her pocket, she unfolded it and placed it on the table. The first one to see it was Ulrich, seeing as the others were preoccupied. Odd and Jeremy saw it next, just as Ulrich was about to tell the others about it. By the time the Lyoko Warriors saw the letter, they had become curious about it. It was strange for someone to send Aelita a letter, claiming to be her secret admirer, considering how barely anyone knew her outside of the school.

"Did any of you write that?" Aelita asked.

"No." Ulrich spoke.

"Absolutely not." Yumi said.

"Sorry, Aelita." Jeremy spoke.

"I was too busy to write any letters like that." Odd stated.

"I'm not into girls," Sissi spoke, "so I didn't write that thing."

"As flattering as it is to think that I wrote it," William said, "I didn't. That isn't even my handwriting."

"None of us could've written the letter, Aelita." Jeremy said.

"Someone HAD to write it, though." Aelita said. "This doesn't look like it was printed."

The moment the students came in, Aelita decided to hold onto the letter. If a student asked her about it, she would have to ask him/her if they were the ones who had written it. If she didn't get a straight answer, then the pink-haired teen would have to find out who could've written it. To her, the idea of a secret admirer was creepy, even if the mystery writer turned out to be a decent person. Unsolved mysteries weren't exactly pleasant to the teen, either, given how disturbing some of them could get. Hopefully, someone could help her out with this.

While the others were talking to the students they tutored, Aelita and Odd were alone. If a student was free, then they would talk to him/her. If Odd got the chance, he would crack a joke and try to brighten someone's day, unless the student he spoke to had no sense of humor. If Aelita got the chance, she would ask a student about the letter, so that she could get a confirmation on who her "secret admirer" actually was. She would ask the student if he/she knew someone who could've written the letter if he/she was not the writer behind it. Of course, the pink-haired teen would have to ask about it without sounding creepy, because the student would take it the wrong way.

Gene walked up to Aelita, being one of the two students that needed to improve under her tutorship.

"Ah, Gene, there you are." Aelita spoke. "You're just who I wanted to see!"

"Why did I get a C?" Gene spoke. "I got two of the questions you marked with a X right!"

"That was an accident on my part." The pink-haired teen said. "I can change your grade in a minute, but I need to ask you something."

"Okay?" The brunette said.

"Did you by any chance write this letter I received the other night?" The teen asked, showing him the letter.

"That's not my handwriting." The preteen stated. "Besides, I don't need to write a letter to talk to you. We're on the same team."

"Very well." She said. "I'll change your grade later, okay?"

After receiving Gene's worksheet, Aelita watched as he walked away. She had agreed to grade it again, but that would have to wait until after she found out who wrote that strange letter for her. It was none of her teammates, nor did it seem to be written by the students she tutored. Once the students left the library, the Lyoko Warriors decided to leave in order to head to each class they tutored in. If there was a X.A.N.A attack, Jeremy would have to get everyone to go to the factory. Even if they were in the middle of their jobs, they would have to take a break to go on a mission.


By the end of the school day, the Lyoko Warriors decided to head to the lab to see if anything was happening on Lyoko. However, Aelita decided to head under the boardwalk, so that she could get a confirmation on who was her secret admirer. Odd went with her, seeing as there were no kids in detention that day. If Aelita got her confirmation, then it was Odd's job to call Jeremy and tell him that they would be at the lab. That was assuming that X.A.N.A had even launched an attack, as today could have been a normal one. But, considering how life was for the Lyoko Warriors, things were never that simple.

Once they reached the boardwalk, Odd and Aelita looked for an area that would take them under it. Luckily, there were steps at the end, which allowed them to walk down. Aelita went down first, with Odd following. The pink-haired teen and the blonde were walking on the sand in no time, but they went deeper beneath the boardwalk, so that they didn't get wet from the ocean. As they walked through, they overheard the rides and the games at Wonder Wharf, which made them wonder why whoever wrote the letter would want to meet here. Was a quieter place far too predictable in such a scenario?

"Alright, we're here." Odd spoke. "Where is he, though?"

"The writer did ask for me to meet him under here." Aelita said. "Maybe he hasn't come yet."

"Or maybe he's on the boardwalk." The blonde said. "He might be coming down in a second."

"If he doesn't come, then we'll get to the others." The pink-haired teen.

Thinking that Aelita was being stood up, Odd hoped to find whoever sent the letter and give them a piece of his mind. He looked around, checking to see if this individual was coming or not. Eventually, the blonde's eye caught a glimpse of something, which made him look in the direction he saw it. It was a shadow, but that was likely because the person hadn't come closer to Odd and Aelita. They were slowly coming towards them, their body becoming brighter and more visible. With that in mind, Odd had Aelita stand beside him, so that she could look with him.

Slowly walking towards Odd and Aelita, the individual's feature became more visible. Right away, they could tell that this mysterious person was around the same height as Aelita. Not only that, but they appeared to be wearing the same dress as the pink-haired teen, with it being in the same color as hers. They were even wearing the same boots as she was, which made Odd think that this individual was a stalker who was obsessed with her. However, then he saw their hair, which was pink like Aelita's. Once the individual was revealed, they were shown to resemble Aelita, to the point where they looked like an exact clone.

"Did you by any chance start a cult of people who look like you?" Odd asked.

"No." Aelita said.

All of a sudden, the individual's eyes flashed, making a noise that sounded like static. Odd and Aelita braced themselves, knowing that this wasn't a good sign. Not only was the lookalike dead silent, but she had a blank expression. The static continued to buzz as her eyes kept on flashing, although she did not change her expression. It was evidently clear that this person was not a secret admirer, but a threat. By looking closer at her eyes, Odd and Aelita could see a familiar symbol in them: the Eye of X.A.N.A.

"Odd, it's a Polymorphic Specter!" Aelita spoke.

"Why does it look like you?" Odd asked.

"That doesn't matter!" The pink-haired teen said. "What matters is stopping it before it does something terrible!"

Tilting its head to the side, the Aelita Specter looked at its enemies for a moment. Giving off a chilling smirk, it ran towards Odd and Aelita. Bracing themselves for impact, the blonde and the pink-haired teen got ready to fight the clone. However, it then leapt into the air, phasing through the boardwalk. Knowing that they couldn't let it get away, Aelita grabbed Odd's hand and began to run back up with him. They couldn't let the Polymorphic Specter reach the lab before they did, because it would do all sorts of horrible stuff.


Walking out of school, the Belcher siblings began to make their way towards the factory. Henry had already gone with the Lyoko Warriors, so they would be meeting them there. In the process, the kids would have to keep an eye out for anything unusual, as it could've been influenced by X.A.N.A. If there was something strange happening, then the team would have to head to Lyoko and stop the attack. Whether or not a Return To The Past needed to be triggered depended on how much damage happened on Earth. If anyone had died during X.A.N.A's attack, then they would remain dead, as the Return To The Past could not revive anyone.

Once they were on the path to the factory, Tina, Gene and Louise were met with an unusual sight. It was Aelita running as if she was trying out for the track team. Granted, she couldn't join the team, given how only students were allowed. Despite that, the Belcher kids were in awe, as they had never seen the pink-haired teen run like that before. While they knew that she was active, that was only because going on missions helped to improve their athleticism. However, Louise felt as though something was up.

"Uh, hey Aelita!" Gene spoke.

"Mission on Lyoko!" Aelita said. "No time to explain! Let's get to the lab!"

"O-Kay?" Louise said, furrowing her brows.

"Gene, Tina, Louise!"

Turning around, the Belcher kids found themselves face-to-face with Odd and ... Aelita?!

"What the?" Tina spoke. "Aelita, you just ran by us!"

"X.A.N.A cloned her!" Odd.

"But which one is the real Aelita?" Gene asked.

"I'm the real Aelita," Aelita spoke, "but the one who ran past you is a Specter made by X.A.N.A!"

"Dammit, we gotta get down to the lab!" Louise spoke. "There's no time to waste!"

Now that they were together, Odd, Aelita and the Belcher kids began to run to the factory, intent on stopping X.A.N.A's Specter before it did anything.


In the lab, Jeremy was looking through each Sector, checking to see if any Towers had been activated. To his surprise, none were in use, meaning that Lyoko was safe for the time being. However, the spectacled blonde felt as though this was a trap, considering some of the tactics X.A.N.A had used in the past. For all he knew, the AI probably set up a trap so that the Lyoko Warriors wouldn't know a Tower had been activated. If that was so, then he would have to Virtualize someone to check and make sure. That someone would have to be Aelita, as she was the only one in the group who could work in the Towers.

All of a sudden, the door to the lab came open. Turning around, the Lyoko Warriors saw Aelita standing in the doorway, but there was no sign of Odd or the Belcher kids. Henry had gotten a text from Tina, saying that she would arrive at the lab with her younger siblings in no time. Odd was a different case, as he would always arrive at the lab unless he had something keeping him from coming.

"Aelita, where are Odd and the Belchers?" Jeremy asked.

"They're far behind." Aelita spoke, sounding monotonous. "They told me that they would be coming shortly. Let's head to Lyoko, because X.A.N.A has something planned. It's in the Desert Sector."

"Okay then." The spectacled blonde said.

Given how Odd and the Belcher kids had not arrived yet, Jeremy decided to send Ulrich, Yumi, William and Sissi to Lyoko with Aelita. However, when he was ready to Virtualize Aelita, the supercomputer told him that an error had occurred inside the Scanner she had entered. Jeremy found it strange, considering how well the Virtualization went. In fact, by the end of the process, the group had arrived in the Desert Sector without any issue. From there, Jeremy decided to have everyone check and see if a Tower had been activated.

With the mission happening, Jeremy couldn't help but think about how strange Aelita was acting. Not only did she have a blank expression on her face, but she spoke in an indifferent, almost robotic tone. Adding that to the fact the Scanner had detected an error as the pink-haired teen was being Virtualized, Jeremy started to feel suspicious. Something just felt off about the mission, considering how there was no data displaying an activated Tower, despite what Aelita said. If X.A.N.A had managed to possess her, then was he going to make her delete the Sectors as he had done so before? If not that, then was he forcing her to head for the Scyphozoa?

"Jeremy, we're coming up on a Tower, but it looks completely fine." Ulrich's voice came out of the headset.

"Keep your eyes open, guys." Jeremy warned. "X.A.N.A could have something planned."

Without warning, Yumi was suddenly Devirtualized. Jeremy watched this happen, unable to react in time to stop it from happening. However, there were no monsters currently out, so he watched the screen more closely. By doing so, he saw that Aelita was starting to attack Ulrich, William and Sissi, as if she were trying to kill them. The three were defending themselves from her, but she would not stop rushing at them like an enraged bull.

"Jeremy, I think X.A.N.A's possessed Aelita again!" Ulrich's voice came out of the headset.

"Don't let her Devirtualize you!" Jeremy spoke. "And whatever you do, don't let her out of your sight!"

Once Yumi stepped out of a Scanner, the door to the lab came open again. This time, Odd was standing in the doorway with the Belcher kids. Not only that, but Aelita was with them. While Jeremy and Yumi were shocked, Henry was perplexed. There was a logical explanation for what was in front of him, but he didn't know what. Perhaps someone was willing to explain the situation.

"Aelita, what are you doing here?" Henry spoke. "I thought that you went to Lyoko."

"Think again, Henry!" Tina spoke. "We've got the real Aelita with us, while the one on Lyoko is a clone!"

"Did X.A.N.A get tired of waiting to possess her?" Yumi asked.

"We can save that crap for later, guys!" Louise spoke. "Jeremy, get the Scanners ready for us!"

"Alright!" Jeremy said, then spoke into the headset. "Guys, backup is on the way!"

"Hopefully so!" William's voice came out of the headset. "We're getting clobbered here!"


On the Desert Sector, Ulrich, William and Sissi were trying their hardest to defeat X.A.N.A's clone of Aelita. Needless to say, having Aelita as an ally was much better than having her as an enemy. The clone had most of her abilities, making it hard to defeat. Even with their combined might, the three couldn't hit the Specter. Not even Sissi could knock it down with a punch from her gauntlets, as it was smart enough to dodge. Ulrich and William slashed at it with their swords, but the Aelita Specter would dodge and parry both blades with its bare hands.

After a bit, the Aelita clone managed to knock both of Ulrich's sabers out of his hands. It picked one up while kicking the other to the side. Unable to get to his second saber, Ulrich found himself about to be struck down by his enemy. William and Sissi rushed towards the Specter, intent on destroying it before it Devirtualized their teammate. However, it noticed, then began to charge up an Energy Field. By the time it was finished, X.A.N.A-Aelita was ready to get rid of its enemies.

Suddenly, X.A.N.A-Aelita found itself being knocked back by an energy blast. While Ulrich, William and Sissi were relieved that it happened, they wondered where the blast came from. Looking to the side, they saw Odd, Aelita and the Belcher kids standing nearby. As Jeremy said, they were backup, so that the team could defeat the Specter before it did anything destructive.

"Nice to see you again, guys!" Sissi spoke.

"Always nice to be needed!" Odd said, modestly crossing his arms.

Getting up from the ground, X.A.N.A-Aelita glared at its enemies. However, it saw that more of the team had arrived, including the person whose appearance it was copying. Turning its attention to the Tower, the Spectre was intent on getting there before anyone could stop it. Summoning a pair of wings, it flew into the air and began to head towards the Tower. Unwilling to let that happen, Aelita jumped into the air, bringing out her wings. Now that she was in the sky, she gave chase to the clone X.A.N.A made of her.

"I'll take the sky!" Aelita said. "The rest of you, try to aim from the ground!"

With the two Aelitas in the sky, the rest of the Lyoko Warriors ran after them, intent on defeating the clone. The only ones in the team that would be able to defeat it would be Odd, Sissi, Louise and Gene, considering how their weapons had ranged attacks. As for Ulrich, William and Tina, their attacks would only succeed if X.A.N.A-Aelita got close to them. Other than that, the team knew that they had to stop the Specter somehow. Even if they were all Devirtualized, they wouldn't stop until it was gone. They couldn't risk the Aelita clone putting a Tower under X.A.N.A's control.

Flying near her clone, Aelita fired an Energy Field at it. This nearly knocked it off its wings, though it would land in the Digital Sea if it lost the wings. However, the Specter refused to go down so easily, so it fired a few Energy Fields of its own. Aelita dodged all but one, but the one that hit her failed to Devirtualize her. Seeing this, X.A.N.A-Aelita grew frustrated, then began to charge up another Energy Field, this one being larger than the others. Its vision narrowed, intent on hitting its target as quickly as possible.

Before it could hit Aelita with its Energy Field, X.A.N.A-Aelita felt something hit it in the back. It was one of Odd's Laser Arrows, which he was firing in tandem with Gene firing his blaster. Louise was aiming at the Specter, intent on defeating it with her throwing knives. Ulrich, William and Tina stood guard at the Tower, unwilling to let the Aelita clone enter. Sissi was right below her teammate and her clone while they were in the air. None of them were willing to let X.A.N.A-Aelita win.

Getting tired of its enemies, the Aelita clone fired a barrage of Energy Fields. Ulrich and Sissi were Devirtualized in an instant, while the others were quick to dodge. In response, Aelita threw an Energy Field of her own at the clone X.A.N.A made of her. While it threw the Specter off its wings, it landed on the ground of the Desert Sector, quickly springing back on its feet. The Lyoko Warriors surrounded the fake Aelita, intent on defeating it before it could cause any more trouble. As for the real Aelita, she was hoping that another Energy Field would be able to destroy the emissary of X.A.N.A.


Back in the lab, Jeremy was watching the mission on the supercomputer. Ulrich and Sissi staggered towards him, having been Devirtualized. Yumi and Henry were on the edge of their seats, waiting to see how the fight against X.A.N.A-Aelita would end. If their teammates won, then a crisis was averted. However, if the Specter had defeated everyone and put the Tower under X.A.N.A's control, then they had lost. X.A.N.A would be able to do whatever he wanted with the Tower, which would threaten not only Lyoko, but the real world. That was something the Lyoko Warriors couldn't let happen.

Without warning, a beeping noise came from the supercomputer. By looking at the screen, Jeremy saw that the fake Aelita was using another Energy Field barrage. He tried to warn everyone to escape, but X.A.N.A's emissary was too fast. Odd, William, Tina and Gene were instantly Devirtualized, while Louise and the real Aelita took massive damage. Once the barrage stopped, Jeremy saw that both Aelita and Louise had twenty life points left each. If they weren't careful, X.A.N.A-Aelita would Devirtualize them next, making a guaranteed victory for X.A.N.A.

"Aelita, Louise, be careful!" Jeremy spoke into the headset. "Only one hit and you two will be brought back to Earth! Then we'll be unable to stop X.A.N.A!"

"Easier said than done, Jeremy!" Louise's voice came out of the headset. "The imposter's making its way to the Tower and I can't find Aelita anywhere!"

"What?!" The spectacled blonde said. "Where did she go!?"


On Lyoko, X.A.N.A-Aelita had managed to enter the Tower. From there, all it had to do was put it under X.A.N.A's control, so that the AI could use it for whatever he wanted. With no one left to stop it, the Specter smirked, knowing that victory was right in front of it. All it needed to do was touch the holographic screen and put in the right code.

"Come now, X.A.N.A." A voice called out. "Did you honestly believe that I would let you take this Tower?"

Turning around, X.A.N.A-Aelita saw the real Aelita standing nearby. Letting out an enraged growl, the Specter threw an Energy Field at the pink-haired teen, only for her to counter with one of her own. From there, the two got in a struggle, throwing Energy Fields at one another. While the clone was throwing them without hesitation, Aelita was dodging each attack. She hadn't made one of her own, which meant that X.A.N.A's clone would be able to take her down at any second. However, the teen had something in mind for her nemesis.

Rushing towards its organic counterpart, X.A.N.A-Aelita charged up an Energy Field. However, the real Aelita stood still, not even reacting to the clone. Suddenly, she turned her head towards it, a pink light glowing in her hands. The pink-haired teen then raised it above her head, causing it to become the size of a boulder.

"Charged Energy Field!" Aelita shouted, thrusting her arms forward.

Upon being hit with the massive Energy Field, X.A.N.A-Aelita let out a scream, becoming Devirtualized. However, Aelita then collapsed, the power she used taking a lot out of her. Data from the Tower made it to Jeremy, with it having appeared the moment the Specter was killed. He was able to see that Aelita had only one life point left, but she had managed to save the day.

"Alright!" Jeremy spoke.

"What's going on, Einstein?" Odd asked.

"Aelita beat X.A.N.A's Specter before it could gain control of the Tower!" The spectacled blonde said.

"Think we'll need a Return To The Past?" Ulrich asked.

"No, but let's bring Aelita and Louise home." He said.


Once Louise and Aelita had been brought back to Earth, the Lyoko Warriors decided to leave the factory, the mission being over. As they walked down to Wagstaff, the team had a conversation.

"So, X.A.N.A can clone anyone on the team?" Henry asked. "Has he done that before?"

"He has done this several times before." Jeremy said. "One time, he made a Specter that looked like Odd and sent it to Lyoko to try and defeat us. Needless to say, Ulrich had to fight it, especially when it turned into a copy of him."

"But now it appears that X.A.N.A is planning on making clones of us and having them travel to Lyoko to activate Towers for him." Aelita said.

"This is bad!" Yumi spoke. "Now we're gonna have to stay together as closely as we can, so that we can make sure X.A.N.A doesn't catch us off guard with a Specter!"

"How are we gonna do that?" Louise asked.

"Yeah, what if we can't all be together?" Tina asked.

"They have a point, Jeremy." Ulrich spoke. "We usually aren't together in a group as much as we were before."

"We'll have to manage our time better." Jeremy said. "If possible, we need an away team to head to Lyoko when we're unable to go to the factory."

"Who will be in charge of forming the away team?" Odd asked.

"Sam Wilson?" Gene asked.

"Bruce Wayne?" Tina asked.

"Gohan?" Louise asked.

"It will have to be us, guys." Henry spoke to the Belcher siblings. "We'll have to find some people we can trust and upload avatars of them into the supercomputer."

"That sounds like a good idea." Jeremy said. "You'll have to start looking for anyone interested tomorrow, because it's getting late."

"We won't let you down, Jeremy." The spectacled brunette said.

"And don't forget to change my grade, Aelita!" Gene said.

Once that conversation was over, Henry and the Belcher children decided to head home. The Lyoko Warriors went back inside of Wagstaff, so that they could get stuff together for the next day. However, they agreed to remain vigilant in the future. If X.A.N.A was making clones of the team, then they needed to stay together and prevent said clones from causing damage. In addition to that, they needed to help their new allies form an away team, so that they could have reinforcements to keep X.A.N.A at bay. The situation was becoming an uphill battle, and they would lose unless they were prepared.

Note: Now the Belcher kids and Henry are tasked with forming an away team. Who will they get to join the away team? Will it be easy to do? Is X.A.N.A going to clone another member of the Lyoko Warriors? If so, who will it be? Can the team stop it, or will it escape? Will the away team be formed in time?

Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!