Aelita Alone Chapter 2: The Great Hunt, a code lyoko fanfic

Two Days Ago...

"When a target is moving, don't aim directly at them! Aim ahead to get a precise shot!"

Leaning against a massive purple rock in the Mountain Sector, Yumi Ishiyama watched with great interest at the fired energy fields heading towards four flying mantas. Aelita, partaking in the aerial battle with her Angel Wings, adjusted her aim and fired an energy field ahead of where a Manta was traveling. Before it could change course, the Energy Field hit it dead on and it exploded.

While Ulrich taught Aelita how to fight in the real world, Yumi took it upon herself to sharpen Aelita's Lyoko battle tactics. Whenever they went on Lyoko to train, Jeremie was always supervising and watching out for William or any of XANA's monsters. The moment he spotted William, he immediately devirtualized Yumi and Aelita, taking no chances of her being forced into the Digital Sea. It had happened twice, by which point William realized pursuing Aelita during training would prove fruitless and ceased his efforts.

So instead, XANA tried to isolate Aelita by sending in regular monsters, which was not a big enough concern for Jeremie to devirtualize Aelita over. But whenever its monsters tried to target its companions, just so it could get her alone, Aelita always intercepted and forced them to focus on her.

Aelita got what she asked for in this scenario, when the other four Mantas fired directly at her and one of them hit her in her left leg. Aelita cried out, but because the shot wasn't in a more vital area, her Angel Wings did not deactivate.

"When you're flying, don't just go straight!" Yumi advised. "Twirl yourself, twist to the sides, make your movement unpredictable! But don't just fly in a straight line and hope for the best!"

Aelita acknowledged Yumi's advice and changed courses, alternatively moving away, towards or to the sides of Mantas. But most of all, she made sure never to stay in one place for long. The Mantas let out hawk-like cries of confusion as they tried to consolidate their fire at Aelita's rapidly shifting position, but they too adjusted tactics by flying closer, leaving Aelita less time and room to dodge.

"And don't forget that a good defense is the best offense!"

Aelita acknowledged this piece of advice by bringing both her hands to together to form an energy line, using it as a shield against the Mantas' lasers before striking back. She struck one directly with an energy field, and when the other two Mantas moved closer, Aelita replied by flying towards them. Yumi tilted her head, obviously wondering what she was doing now.

The Manta fired another laser, which Aelita blocked with an energy line before jumping directly onto it and deactivating her wings. Firing an energy field to destroy it as she leapt off, Aelita followed up her assault by jumping onto the last Manta and destroying it in the exact same way before reactivating her wings and yelling "Ta da!" in a self-congratulatory yell.

Yumi clapped for Aelita and said "You're adding more diversity to your attacks. That's good."

Aelita flew back down to the ground and landed in front of her. "Odd told me to mix up my attacks a little; can't just always be throwing small energy fields at everyone. But then again, the energy fields are my only weapon"

Suddenly, Jeremie spoke up. "You have Creativity, Aelita. It's saved your life more than once. Why don't you recap what you can do with it?"

Aelita couldn't deny Jeremie's point on that one; indeed, her creativity as well as her power to create a double had saved her life on numerous occasions, including the first time she went to Lyoko alone.

"Well..." Aelita recounted. "When i'm in the Ice sector, I can encase monsters in ice. I can barricade myself behind rocks or other materials in any sector, as well as create platforms to guide me through huge gaps. There's also creating holes in the floor to drop monsters to their deaths."

"That's good." Yumi said. "Now we need to talk about your feelings when you fight."

Aelita tilted her head in contemplation. "What do you mean?"

"Emotions and motivations dictate how you fight." Yumi sat down on a rock as she explained her views. "Being calm and controlling emotions, especially fear, is key in maintaining your performance in a fight. Don't be afraid of the monsters and realize that they are much more vulnerable to death than you are. It's how I rationalized fighting on Lyoko. But just staying calm isn't for everyone, especially at close range."

"When Ulrich told me to put my whole body behind my punches, I started thinking about...negative things." Aelita admitted. "Like the Scyphozoa."

"Like when you killed it using the Skid?" Yumi suggested, to which Aelita nodded. "You used the environment when you saved the Skid from the Scyphozoa. Sometimes in a fight that's overwhelming, the environment is the key. Use it."

"But as for using anger as a motivator?" Yumi continued. "Well, there's a line between confidence and overconfidence. It's good to feel motivated, but above you all, have conviction and focus. You're angry at XANA and his monsters for endangering you and your father for years, I get that. And anger can be good, provided you know how to control it and not lose your temper."

"Then there's also the matter of surprise and attention. Intelligence is absolutely critical to winning a fight. You need to know what's coming, what's nearby, and the dangers before you make a move. Long story short, memorize the disadvantages and advantages of a fight. I want that put to the test. Your hardest one yet."

Aelita cocked an eyebrow, wondering where Yumi was going with this. She didn't wonder for long.

"BANZAI!"

Aelita whipped her head to the right to see none other than Odd Della Robbia leaping off from the Overboard above her and tackling her to the ground.

"O-Odd?!" Aelita shouted as she looked up at the cat. "I didn't even know you were here!"

"No way was I just gonna stand in the Lab room when I heard the princess is out training!" Odd threw punches in the air. "Who better to do get you situated for the creepy Crawley monsters than the greatest Lyoko warrior to ever live?"

Odd cocked his arm and pointed his fist at her. "I offer you a 1v1 boss battle with Odd the Magnificent! Do you accept this great challenge, O' Aelita of House Hopper?"

Getting up from the ground, Aelita turned to Yumi, who gave her an encouraging nod.

"I knew he was gonna show up." Jeremie explained. "Since all of XANA's monsters use lasers, we figured a ranged opponent like Odd was the best for you to fight against."

Aelita saw the logic behind Jeremie and Odd's decision, saying "That makes-"

"En Guarde!" Odd shouted as he fired three laser arrows at Aelita.

Right. Have conviction and focus above all.

Aelita combined two Energy Fields into a small, oval-shaped barrier. She had used this before to block standard laser fire, but never Odd's laser arrows. Nonetheless, the effect was the same and not one of Odd's laser arrows hurt her. Aelita swiftly fought back by launching an energy field at Odd, who quickly avoided it by leaping to the side.

The fight was in full swing by that point. Both Lyoko Warriors kept mobile and fast as they exchanged projectiles at each other, never standing in one place for long. There was hardly a second where someone wasn't firing a laser arrow or energy field at the other. Neither Aelita or Odd used cover at first, firing out in the open.

That is, until Aelita successfully hit Odd dead-on with an energy field. Odd was sent flying, his back hitting a large rock.

"That's half your life points gone, Odd!" Jeremie announced. Undeterred, Odd simply laughed and got on the Overboard.

"Time for Phase 2! What's say you and I go for a little ride?"

Aelita obliged by activating her Angel Wings and riding into the skies to chase the purple cat. "Phase 2" of this boss fight turned into an aerial battle, the two Lyoko Warriors continuing to unleash their weaponry. Odd managed to score a couple of hits with his laser arrows on Aelita's stomach, though it didn't deactivate her wings. That required a bit more force to it.

Aelita wanted to remove Odd's aerial advantage by destroying the Overboard, which proved no easier to hit than Odd himself. As on the ground, both were fast in both their attacks and movement. This went on for a couple minutes, until Aelita opted to take a risk and move directly towards Odd. The Cat hit her with two more laser arrows, which deactivated her wings, but not before Aelita sent an energy field directly onto the Overboard.

While they were both plummeting from the sky, Odd took the opportunity for yet another joke.

"One time, I told my mother that moose were falling from the sky! She said, 'It's reindeer!'"

Aelita couldn't help but laugh at the joke even as the two hit the ground. Rubbing their heads, they slowly got up and prepared themselves. Aelita once more readied her energy fields and Odd cocked his arm again.

Odd fired first, only to realize he was out of ammunition. He then shouted "Hey Einstein, reload me! No unfair advantages for your girlfriend, you hear?!"

"30 life points left on each." Jeremie announced, managing to ignore the "girlfriend" part of his request with difficulty. "Reloading you now, Odd!"

Aelita launched another energy field, but to her surprise, Odd opted to leap towards Aelita and close the distance between them.

"Phase 3!" He shouted as he threw a punch at her at her chest.

Seeing where the third phase of this boss fight was going, Aelita sidestepped Odd's punch and began to fight him hand-to-hand. Odd didn't have much training in unarmed combat either, but he could throw a mean punch when he needed to, just like he showed the Creeper that one time.

Then again, Odd hadn't personally seen Aelita train with Ulrich and wasn't sure how much she knew by now. This allowed Aelita to sneak in a kick that landed solidly on his left flank. Odd brought his arms up and prepared himself for the next series of punches she threw at him, hoping to capitalize on her success.

Yumi, watching the battle with great interest, decided to test Aelita's focus further. She said, "If you're taking this long to beat Odd, you definitely won't be beating William."

Aelita, offended by the taunt, turned towards Yumi to retort before a wicked right cross snapped her head to the side; a brutal reminder to focus on her opponent and not underestimate him.

"Eyes up, Aelita! Never lose your focus when you fight!" Odd declared, making sure her attention went back into the fight.

A pair of follow-up jabs to her chest reinforced that lesson. As arrogant as Odd was, he wasn't stupid. Well, not too often anyway.

When Odd jabbed at Aelita's face again, she had gotten Yumi's message. Aelita caught Odd's jab, redirected his momentum, then took advantage of his momentary stumble to kick his legs out from under him and send the braggart to the Desert floor with an "Oof!"

Quickly flipping back onto his feet, Odd decided on a different tactic and launched his leg up to kick Aelita in the gut. However, Aelita's reaction time did not fail her, and she pushed Odd's leg back down. Then she overcame Odd's failing defenses with a three-punch combo that left Odd winded before a kick to the chest left him flat on the sand.

"Ammunition refilled!"

Jeremie's announcement caused Odd and Aelita to spring into action simultaneously. Both brought up their arms and fired at the same time. Odd's laser arrow hit Aelita dead on in the forehead, but Aelita's energy field also scored a headshot. As a result, the two Lyoko Warriors were devirtualized at the same time.

In the real world, Odd and Aelita stumbled out of the Scanners and rubbed their heads. Then, Odd burst into laughter and stepped toward Aelita, lifting up his hand for a high five. Aelita took Odd's request without hesitation. It appeared that the braggart wasn't sour in the slightest about their battle ending in a draw.

"That was amazing, Aelita! Never seen you fight like that before! Still could use some improvements, but Ulrich is really turning you into a tough one."

Aelita chuckled, saying "Oh, he is. I could never beat him in an actual fight, but he's toughening me up. Pencak Silat requires so much work though. I can't imagine putting so much effort into it if it wasn't for Lyoko and fighting XANA."

"Keep this up and when William next comes after you, he's gonna find out you aren't trapped on Lyoko with him." Odd suggested. "He's trapped in Lyoko with you."

As Yumi was devirtualized and appeared in the Scanner Room, Aelita thought about violence in general. She had taken no pleasure in fighting XANA's monsters aside from a few times to show off in front of the others. It was always a serious effort from Aelita just to survive on Lyoko, though it lessened once she had gotten her energy fields. On the real world, she was about as helpless as helpless could get. And if she were so helpless, how could she save her father? He barely escaped the first time he was lured out.

But since the day she began to train under Ulrich, she felt more capable. Aelita began to truly believe in herself. That she could defeat XANA and save Franz Hopper. Her friends were comrades that she would remain friends with forever, and Jeremie was something more than a friend to her. But being able to fight on her own gave her confidence and pride. It bolstered her will when it had faltered.

And that brought Aelita back to that day where the Scyphozoa had finally taken her memories. Confessing to Ulrich what had happened that morning before the mission was hard but also relieving. Glancing at her two friends, Aelita decided not to hide that detail anymore from them.

"Yumi and Odd. There's something I want to tell you." She held up a hand when Odd opened his mouth, assuming he'd joke again. "And no Odd, it's not a joke. It's...personal. Can we have some private time, Jeremie? I'm going to tell them what happened in the Supercomputer room."

Seeing the serious look on Aelita's face, Odd and Yumi stayed quiet. Jeremie, instantly understanding, said "I'll keep quiet. Go ahead, Aelita."

"Do you remember when Jeremie said he couldn't find me or connect with the Supercomputer? Right before the big mission to Sector Five?" She asked Odd, who said "Yeah, and that you weren't answering your cell phone either. But next time I heard from Jeremie, he sounded alright. Was it not just a bug?"

Aelita shook her head. "No. It wasn't a bug. When Jeremie showed me Franz Hopper's diary, I wasn't happy. Finding out that I was a living breathing human. That my father happened to be Lyoko's creator. It was a lot to take in and...I took it the wrong way."

Yumi's face fell as worry washed over her, although Odd had yet to grasp the implications.

"I started to resent him. I just assumed that he stole my childhood by bringing me to Lyoko, and I thought myself to be nothing. Nobody. I never wanted to go back to the virtual world ever again."

"But you did go back." Odd countered. "What changed your mind?"

"Before I ever changed my mind, Odd, we need to talk about what I did because of those assumptions. The only way at killing XANA at the time was to shut off the Supercomputer. I didn't care about the consequences, and I wouldn't ever go back to Lyoko. I felt like I was a curse to you all and that the better thing for everyone was to just end it all."

"You're...you don't mean..." Yumi sputtered. Odd was finally catching on and horror began to fill his heart.

"All of my doubts, my insecurities, my fears. It all came together as I went into the Factory alone and entered the Supercomputer Room. I didn't even feel human. I felt like I was nothing. Worthless."

Yumi and Odd's hearts sank as anticipating despair filled their thoughts. Then Aelita took a deep breath and came out with it.

"So, to get rid of XANA and save you all, I shut down the Supercomputer myself."

Odd gasped in horror, his eyes so wide they looked like they would bulge out of his sockets. Yumi's hands were on her mouth by the time that Aelita mentioned entering the Supercomputer Room. Aelita's friends always loved how absurdly noble she was, but this was something else entirely. Aelita lowered her head when she finished, shame filling that she had never spoken about this beforehand.

"Aelita..." Odd sputtered. For once, the braggart was truly speechless. In the face of a topic this heartbreaking, Odd found himself out of jokes. "I...I..."

Yumi pulled Aelita into a hug, which the latter accepted without protest. Odd joined in immediately.

"Oh...Aelita..." Yumi sniffed, her eyes starting to water. "If I knew...I swear I didn't know you could be thinking like that..."

The thought that they couldn't be there for their closest friend in such a dark hour shook Yumi and Odd to their very hearts. Guilt seeped within them, sadness overtaking their emotions at the horror of Aelita's horrific decision.

"It's not your fault." Aelita assured them. "Neither of you. Jeremie found me afterwards and turned the Supercomputer back on. He told me that I had a brand-new life to look forward too. We talked for a very long time."

Aelita tightened her embrace on Yumi and Odd, telling them "But he convinced me to see the light. I wasn't ready to tell you about it, not right away. Ever since then, I've debated with myself over how to say it. How to come out with it. On my first day of training, I told Ulrich. That's when I decided to tell you two."

"If you ever feel down, Aelita." Odd slowly said with his voice cracking. "We're there for you. We've fought at your side for over two years. Remember that you're never alone. Even if you're physically alone at the time, we'll always be there for you. No matter what."

"Thank you." Aelita said as a tear rolled down her left cheek. "Thank you all."

For the next few minutes, the three best friends stood in Scanner Room in absolute silence. Locked in a tight embrace of friendship and compassion.

How could I ever have thought I was worthless? Aelita wondered. When I have them? When I have Daddy...and when I have Jeremie.

The thought of Jeremie made Aelita speak again. "Now i'm going to tell you two a personal secret. Something less serious. Jeremie doesn't know though, but let's keep it that way."

Once she had their attention, Aelita came out with it with a whisper that Yumi and Odd just barely heard.

"I love Jeremie. And soon, i'm going to tell him."

The morning bells sounded throughout Kadic Academy, sending its students awake from their slumbers. One such student, however, had no sleep. Though unbeknownst to everyone, that was no student who was deprived of her sleep.

Morphing into her specter form once more, XANA-Aelita made the journey from the Factory to Aelita's bedroom without incident and simply laid down in bed until the morning. No Polymorphic Specter or Clone had been so docile and tame when materialized to Earth. They were always up to something once XANA had sent them to Earth, but with Aelita in hiding, things had changed.

While the thought of having XANA-Aelita strangle Jeremie in his sleep was quite a compelling idea, XANA needed to play it safe. Even the slightest disturbance by the Clone could make the Lyoko Warriors realize that something was wrong and go to the Factory. The computer was on lockdown, true, but XANA figured that Jeremie had a way of shutting down the override and making it work again. It was unlikely Jeremie had it in writing, but even if he did, XANA-Aelita would've likely had to trash Jeremie's whole room to find it.

XANA needed Aelita alone on Lyoko to ensure that its plan to lure out and destroy its creator would work. If that meant delaying some opportunities for real world carnage, then so be it. Out of all of its enemies, Franz Hopper was the absolute top priority to destroy. As long as its creator was still alive, XANA could never achieve victory.

Throughout it's two years of war against the Lyoko Warriors, XANA slowly came to understand human behavior even if there was no logic behind it sometimes. That day when XANA trapped its enemies in a virtual world forced him to reconcile with that fact. With every polymorphic specter, clone, or Xanafied person, XANA's skill in identity theft became increasingly refined.

Thus, when a knock on the bedroom door was heard, XANA-Aelita calmly said "Come in!" and gave no hostile reaction to the entrance of its archnemesis, Jeremie Belpois. XANA-Aelita gave him a forced smile instead.

"Hey, Aelita! You look tired. Yumi and Ulrich trained you hard yesterday, huh?"

As much as XANA hated to admit it, there was something different about Aelita today. The fight she put up in the real world prior to being captured and sent to Lyoko was completely unprecedented and baffling to the A.I. This revelation that she had "training" gave XANA all it needed for its calculations.

"Yeah." XANA-Aelita said before glancing at the calendar behind her. She took that opportunity to let her eyes flash with the XANA logo without Jeremie seeing.

"Today is Sunday, so we don't have classes today, right?" The Clone inquired.

Jeremie nodded and smiled, saying "Right! If you want to rest a bit longer while the rest of us eat breakfast, that's fine with me."

XANA-Aelita swiftly nodded back, readily taking any opportunity to avoid social interaction. "Thanks, Jeremie. I appreciate it. Should be there in about a half hour."

Jeremie flashed her a sweet smile before he closed the door.

"Search everywhere! We'll look in every structure, cave, and corner of the Sectors if we have to! Nobody stops until she is found!"

Saddling atop a Black Manta in the Forest Sector, XANA's general issued orders to a group of Krabs. William Dunbar made been a tremendous help to XANA ever since that day in Sector Five. Thanks to his brash arrogance, XANA had secured what was no doubt his finest weapon. Within an hour of falling under XANA's control, William defeated all the Lyoko Warriors and destroyed the Core of Lyoko.

With Lyoko destroyed, XANA would have been freed from those pesky children forever had it not been for Franz Hopper intervening once more to restore Lyoko. With the war starting all over again, XANA stripped away William's will in the intervening time, rendering the teenager his mindless servant. He was a better fighter than any of XANA's monsters, frequently achieving devirtualizations against the Lyoko Warriors. One time, he successfully thwarted one of their attempts to destroy a Replika.

While XANA had literally hundreds of Replikas at its disposal, the A.I. nonetheless put up massive resistance whenever its enemies tried to destroy one. It would be an endless battle for its enemies, giving XANA more than enough time to finally concoct a scheme to destroy the Lyoko Warriors before they realized that attempting to destroy them all was pointless.

And speaking of schemes, this one had taken a turn for the worse. Immediately after (literally) sending its creation to bed, XANA summoned William and hordes of its monsters to hunt down Aelita. With the computer on lockdown, there was no way to narrow down Aelita's location or even affect her Lyoko Avatar. Thus, all of the four main sectors were searched.

Sector Five was immediately ruled out, as XANA was convinced that Jeremie would never risk sending Aelita to the most dangerous sector, which had literally been XANA's home at one point. Nonetheless, having the Creepers do nothing was not in XANA's interest, so they roamed around there as well.

For the next several hours, William had ridden around on his Manta rallying the monsters to scour the corners of Lyoko for Aelita. William had triple checked every Sector for Aelita and found not a trace of her. Jeremie's message had specifically said that Aelita was transferred to "safe ground" on Lyoko, and given that she was unconscious when she was virtualized, she had to have been completely incapacitated and unable to move at the start.

And yet none of William's efforts had come to fruition. By this point, he had checked dozens of caves and hidden caverns for Aelita. A half hour ago, he started searching the Towers themselves, wondering if perhaps Aelita had awoken and hidden herself inside of one at some point. But when William- the only one of XANA's pawns able to access a Tower- entered the Towers, his luck had proved no better than when he searched outside of them.

Stepping out of a Waytower in the Desert sector, William had his Blank Manta fly him up to a high structure so he could get a better view of the place, his fourth time checking this particular sector. William lowered his claymore and put his other hand on his hips as he sighed in frustration. This hunt had dragged on far too long with far too little progress.

"Do we know if she is even still on Lyoko?" William questioned aloud.

"Aelita would not abandon this place when there is an activated Tower. That would allow her Clone to eliminate her friends without any issue. She is still here. I am sure of it."

It was very rare that William felt the need to consult XANA directly on matters, especially after that incident in the Ice Sector. During one XANA attack, Yumi had nearly broken XANA's hold over William and XANA retaliated by further wrapping William's mind in the specter's embrace. Whenever William needed a direct instruction on something, XANA whispered inside of his general's head.

"We have searched everywhere." William snarled. "There is not a speck of her. Perhaps she is hiding in Sector Five?"

"Sector Five has already been scoured four times over. Have you checked underneath the platforms?"

William cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean, underneath them?"

"The distance between Lyoko and the Digital Sea. You have always checked the skies, but perhaps Aelita is going underground, so to speak, to allude us."

William saw XANA's point instantly. "Clever little girl...but this chase has gone on long enough."

"Agreed. Join the Hornets in the Mountain Sector and search this way. I am sending in the Scyphozoa. She will not stay hidden for much longer. "

"At your orders, XANA." William said.

Even when he was clearly irritated, William had no will to oppose his master's orders. After the Black Manta lowered him back to the ground, XANA's general pointed to the skies of the Desert Sector, ordering the Manta to continue the search here while he moved on to a different Waytower. While his trusty steed flew off, William himself entered the Waytower and spread out his arms before falling into the darkness and transferring himself into the Mountain Sector.

On the second floor of the Tower where William had just jumped from, a pink-haired princess leaned her head downwards with great interest. After waking up on the second floor of a Forest Sector Waytower, Aelita had been beyond relieved to remember Jeremie's override for being virtualized directly above the Digital Sea. But that did not leave her overconfident. She knew that XANA would be hunting for her, and that he would spare no quarter.

And there was only one way to stop it: deactivate the Tower and kill her evil twin.

By the fact that she was not hearing the voices of her friends after several hours, Aelita surmised that the Clone had to have taken her place at the Academy and prayed that she had not harmed anyone in the meantime. With the Superscan sabotaged, no help was coming. She focused on the fact that the sooner she deactivated the Tower, the sooner her friends would be safe. There were, however, two flaws with that plan.

First, she had to find it, and unlike most times, she had absolutely no idea where the Tower was. It could be any of the five sectors, and she was hoping that it wouldn't be Sector Five because that Tower would be very difficult to reach, especially since Jeremie was not around to input the SCIPIO code and summon the transport orb. Now, he could come and undo the lockdown after many hours, but Aelita was not confident she could hold out for that long.

Second, there was the matter of opposition. In the time she had been out scouting for the Tower, she had noticed dozens and dozens of monsters searching for her. Aelita knew that as soon as she was detected, XANA would unleash the full force of his fury to force her into the Digital Sea and lure out her father. Thus, Aelita opted for a tactical and stealthy approach to narrow down the Tower's location. Avoiding detection was the optimal priority, and her wings was used to achieve this with substantial effect.

Aelita thus had to rely on an old method: scouting out the wires for pulsations that hopefully led to the activated Tower. Before the Superscan had been completed, this was the method used to find activated Towers. First, she checked the Forest Sector, which was full of Tarantulas and Krabs searching for her. Luckily, however, there were no flying monsters. Aelita was able to use the trees as cover as she flew on Angel Wings and freely observed the wires, finding no pulsations.

It got tricker, however, when she searched next searched the Mountain Sector. There, she found several squadrons of Hornets scouting the skies and many Kankrelats on the surface. Aelita hid herself below the platforms and effectively went under Lyoko to navigate the Sector, keeping herself out of the Hornets' way. When Aelita stopped to look for pulsations, the Kankrelats were usually too slow to catch up to Aelita's hiding place in time. In that sector too, she found no pulsations, so Aelita entered a Waytower for the Desert Sector.

There, she encountered Krabs and some more Mantas, who searched more tightly and in formation than in the other two Sectors. It took a while for Aelita to find the right time to get past them and reach her goal: a canyon near a different Waytower on the other side of the Desert Sector. Through careful maneuvering, Aelita reached her goal, but at that moment, she saw something that made her freeze in her tracks.

Seeing William just outside on a high structure, Aelita immediately retreated inside the Waytower and waited atop the second floor for William to leave. Her odds in a 1v1 against XANA's general were low, being the only Lyoko Warrior have not beaten him solo yet. She had tried and made progress when they invaded the Sector Five Replika, but William eventually gained the upper hand before being driven off by Aelita's friends. William was also the most well-equipped to toss her into the Digital Sea.

If he gets his hands on me... Aelita thought. No, that won't happen. I have to avoid him for as long as I can.

After watching William enter the Waytower and dive into the Mountain Sector, Aelita peeked her head outside the Tower and found the coast clear, for now. Activating her angel wings, Aelita cautiously flew behind a rock for cover and soon saw William's Black Manta patrolling the skies. It moved closer, prompting Aelita to stay behind the rock until it's sounds- resembling a hawk cry- drew dangerously close.

Aelita proceeded to shift to the rock's left as the Manta checked the right side, then shifted the other way as the Manta checked the other. After another hawk cry, the Manta flew off below the platform.

Damn it. XANA is onto me now. I'll have to stay on ground.

Deactivating her angel wings, Aelita spotted a nearby cliff and ran towards it.

That is, until she heard some sounds resembling that of a bamboo. Or more accurately, that of a Tarantula. Taking cover behind another rock, she saw a squadron of three Tarantulas on a patrol. One Tarantula was bad enough, two was a challenge, but three or more were extremely dangerous. Once they too passed, Aelita got herself to the canyon and put her hand on the ground, focusing for pulsations. For about 20 seconds, she sat there in vulnerability.

Then, a stroke of luck.

Aelita lifted her head up to see faint pulsations pointing to a Waytower far ahead. Judging by the faintness, Aelita surmised that particular Tower led to the Ice Sector, which would in turn have the Tower in it. Letting out a deep sigh of relief, Aelita turned around to leave.

And came face-to-face with William's Black Manta.

"The Desert Sector! SHE IS IN THE DESERT SECTOR!"

XANA-Aelita, now morphed into Aelita's normal clothing, entered the cafeteria at Kadic Academy to eat lunch with the Lyoko Warriors. She managed to avoid most interaction by "studying" in the quiet library, but it would look too suspicious not to show up for lunch. Just as the Clone filled her lunch tray, she paused to process what she just heard XANA say.

At last, the Guardian of Lyoko has been located. Victory was within XANA's grasp.

She couldn't help but give a wide smile and low chuckle as she brought her tray to the table that the other Lyoko Warriors sat upon.

"Got something on your mind, princess?" Odd consequently asked.

XANA-Aelita's smile turned into a smirk. "Oh, just thinking about how I have a surprise for Jeremie today."

The young genius swiftly turned his head towards Jeremie.

"Come with me to the Hermitage after lunch, everyone? Having you all with me will make this something to really remember."

With Aelita within XANA's clutches, the need for subtly began to disappear, although it would still keep up until the A.I. had Aelita cornered. The journey to the hermitage would wait a little longer, because now things were going to move at a much faster pace.

"Is it about Lyoko?" Jeremie asked, to which Aelita responded. "It's really more about you. You and me."

Jeremie's eyed widened and he glanced at his friends, all of whom had looks of shock and anticipation on their faces.

The look on your face. XANA-Aelita thought gleefully about when she would tell Jeremie what happened to his pink angel. Oh, this will be fun.

XANA-Aelita turned her head towards the window and away from view as her pupils were replaced with the Eyes of XANA.

"The Desert Sector! SHE IS IN THE DESERT SECTOR!"

XANA had never spoken so loudly within William's mind than the second when Aelita was finally spotted by William's trusty mount.

"At last." William growled. "Our hunt is at an end, master."

He turned and sprinted towards the Waytower that would take him back to the Desert Sector. This time, there would be no escape for Franz Hopper's Daughter.

"No."

Stopping just short of entering the Waytower, William's head contorted into an expression of confusion.

"Your orders, XANA?"

"We will put in you in a more...strategic...position."

The moment that Aelita's energy field slammed into William's Black Manta and caused it to explode, the Tarantulas cried out in unison as they rushed towards her position.

Activating her Angel Wings, now that she had no time to lose, Aelita flew immediately towards the Waytower while under heavy fire.

When you're flying, don't just go straight. Yumi advised. Twirl yourself, twist to the sides, make your movement unpredictable. But don't just fly in a straight line and hope for the best.

Thinking back to her close friend's advice, Aelita twisted her movements and added unpredictable turns to her flying, leaving the three Tarantulas ambitions to shoot her down unfulfilled. In front of the two, she found two more Mantas, which quickly opened fire on her. Rising above them, Aelita launched energy fields and successfully blew up the two flying monsters. Wasting no time, Aelita landed in front of the Waytower, went inside, and plunged into the darkness as she transferred herself into another Waytower in the Ice sector.

After landing on the Tower's first floor, Aelita went to get out of the Tower but paused.

You need to know what's coming, what's nearby, and the dangers before you make a move...

Remembering the words of her friends once more, Aelita adopted a more cautious approach. Leaning her ear against the Tower's wall, she heard a familiar squirming noise. Aelita listened more intently and realized that the noise more resembling whirring.

The Scyphozoa...

"Of course, XANA. Of course you would bring that giant ugly jellyfish thing in when I'm all alone on Lyoko." Aelita mumbled to herself. "Because why not?"

Aelita weighed her options: No doubt the Scyphozoa was directly outside and ready to wrap its tentacles around Aelita the moment she exited the Tower. Retreat was not an option either; finding another Waytower would take too much time. Then there was William, who was no doubt rushing towards Aelita's location as she brainstormed and would be here in seconds, as he was the only of XANA's pawns that could enter a Tower. Also, hours of searching would drive anyone crazy.

As Aelita deliberated, the Scyphozoa let out a whirring noise outside as it stared directly at the Tower, it's Eye of XANA emitting an unflinching stare. Only once since taking Aelita's memory did the Scyphozoa ever fail to possess Aelita, and it left nothing to chance that it would fail today, especially not when she was all alone.

The standoff continued, until finally, the pink-haired princess exited the Tower and ran to the right side of the Scyphozoa.

Instantly, the Scyphozoa wrapped its tentacles around her waist before she could fire a single energy field. Aelita was rendered incapacitated without even the slightest of a fight. Placing three of its tentacles on the sides of her head, the Scyphozoa prepared to implant its possessing data within her once more. After that, Aelita would once again come under XANA's control and toss herself into the Digital Sea, now that her friends weren't around to stop her.

At last, victory belonged to XANA.

Or it would have. Had Aelita not suddenly started glitching out before disappearing completely.

The trick was recognized immediately. The Scyphozoa frantically turned on all sides before seeing the real Aelita, kneeling with her mouth open as if she was praying, to its left. The Scyphozoa readied its' tentacles, only to be stopped when a massive block of Ice enveloped the Scyphozoa and all of its tentacles, freezing it solid.

This was the third time in a row that the Scyphozoa had fallen for the fake Aelita trick, and ironically, she had also used the same tactic when she was alone on Lyoko during the Krab attack on the real world. It was infuriating, both for the monster and XANA itself, that this was the one scenario that it had not sufficiently prepared for, at least partially anyway.

The Scyphozoa's tentacles immediately began to turn red and heat up, intending to free itself from the ice just as it had done the last time froze it solid. Unlike last time, however, Aelita did not attempt to run away and instead clenched her hands into fists. Perhaps this time it was because that she knew the Scyphozoa could break free.

Or maybe it was because she was standing face-to-face with the monster that violated her mind. Stole her memories from her over and over again.

This was the monster that had stolen Yumi's virtualization program and made her vulnerable to permanent death on Lyoko.

This was the monster who had turned her against her friends, over and over again, and forced her to fight them and delete sectors.

This was the monster that had stolen her newest friend, William Dunbar, and made him a slave to XANA.

Aelita shook with what could only be described with one word: rage. From a brutal fight with her Clone, to have to hide for hours against XANA's monsters, and this. Her whole body was shaking with fury. This was an extremely bad time for the Scyphozoa to come to push her, and its presence was the last straw for Aelita. She glared at the monster with hate in her eyes as she raised up her hands, pouring energy into herself.

"NO MORE! She yelled to the Scyphozoa. "NO MORE, XANA!"

The ice began to crack as Aelita's energy field grew. It seemed that the giant jellyfish realized what Aelita was going to do as its squirming noises became louder and more frantic.

"I know you can hear me XANA! So hear this! You will never control me again and will never lay a finger on my father!"

The ice suffered severe damage and the cracks spread as Aelita finished the biggest energy field she ever created, fueled by her memories of repression and suffering under the giant jellyfish.

"For harming my friends...For stealing my memories...For targeting my father..."

The Scyphozoa broke free of the Ice just as Aelita launched her energy field forward.

"I WILL KILL YOU!"

The energy field hit the Scyphozoa dead-on and the most dangerous of XANA's monsters exploded into digital dust, its tentacles falling all over the place.

Aelita fell, propped up on one knee as she took a few deep breaths. Whenever she had taken the time to charge a huge energy field, exhaustion overtook Aelita. As the Scyphozoa's remains disappeared, Aelita took in her accomplishment.

She had just destroyed the Scyphozoa. The one monster that her friends were only able to drive away instead of killing. The monster that always ran off like a child caught stealing candy whenever it was foiled. Unlike that time when the Scyphozoa had attacked the Skid, Aelita had done it directly with no outside help.

Once Aelita could stand up again, she let out a booming laugh. A laugh of triumph, hysteria, adrenaline, and hate. Activating her angel wings, Aelita boisterously lifted herself up to the sky.

"IS THAT IT, XANA?!" She taunted, hoping the A.I. could hear her. "You call yourself a flawless program, yet you can't even take me when I'm completely alone?! COME ON!"

XANA's answer to her challenge was the rapid approach of five mantas. Aelita readied her energy fields and swooped into battle with a savage grin.

Her adrenaline and anger ignited, Aelita spun around in the air as if she were a goddess of wind. She twirled around, never traveling in a straight flight for long. In rapid succession, her energy fields struck three Mantas dead on. Her aggression was unparalleled, staying almost entirely on the offensive except a couple of occasions to shield herself with an energy line from laser fire.

She imagined XANA's terror at her sudden evolution, and it just made her even more gleeful. She had channeled her anger into her fighting style almost flawlessly. The "almost" part making itself clear when four Krabs marched from the activated Tower and began firing at Aelita as she became too focused on the air battle. Taking one hit to the chest and another to her left shoulder, Aelita cried out as she was sent falling from the sky.

Damn it! Aelita thought as she slammed a fist against the Ice, chiding herself at her overconfidence and its cost.

Yumi is right. Anger is a powerful tool, but only helpful when you can control it.

The four Krabs marched rapidly towards Aelita, who regained her focus and calm quick enough to hold out a hand towards them. A massive hole formed in front of the Krabs just as two of them were walking over it. The third Krab stopped in its tracks, but the fourth kept moving and accidentally knocked the third Krab into the hole. Three beams of white light appeared to indicate the monsters falling into the Digital Sea.

The fourth Krab fired another laser at Aelita, but missed, allowing her to fire a retaliatory energy field that blew the monster smithereens. Aelita took a few moments to catch her breath. Her jubilation at vanquishing the Scyphozoa had nearly cost her the battle, but she couldn't lie to herself; the rush felt so good.

But above all, Aelita. Have conviction and focus.

Remembering Yumi's words, Aelita rose back to her feet and focused her eyes on the Tower ahead and its red halo. She thought of the killing of the Scyphozoa a different way then. Instead of remembering the rush, she thought of it as a finalization to her conviction. It showed both Aelita and XANA that nothing would stop her determination to save her friends, her father, and the world from monsters. The monster that haunted her for years was now digital dust at her feet.

And if XANA dared to rear its ugly face to her, then it too would be digital dust in the face of Aelita's conviction and bravery.

Reactivating her Angel Wings, Aelita resumed flying towards the Tower and came within reach quickly. Looking around for any monsters, Aelita spotted two more Mantas.

Wait, it's the same Mantas I was fighting earlier. Aelita remembered. They stopped attacking and disappeared when I fell...but why?

Aelita got her answer when, instead of diving towards Aelita herself, they released a hoard of flying mines. First behind Aelita, then to the sides, and finally above her and the Tower. However, none of the mines were blocking access to the Tower.

They're trying to trap me with the Tower I'm here to activate? That doesn't make sense...

Aelita took more steps towards the Tower, but hesitated. This was too easy. Those mines should've been placed between her and the Tower. Rotating her head around, she saw the Mantas calmly floating behind the mines, making no move to stop her.

But what really got Aelita's attention was the only side not mined; the one leading directly into the Digital Sea.

He's in there. Aelita realized. Waiting to ambush me.

What Aelita was about to face was far different than any monster. One that she was never able to defeat without help. It was an encounter that Aelita had been dreading all day. It was also an encounter that Aelita would take no pleasure from. He should have been her friend, fighting alongside her instead of against her. He was, but not for nearly long enough. Instead, he was the scourge of XANA, forced to fight and kill in the name of the A.I.

But XANA's general was not something that she would cower before. Not even when she was trapped inside a minefield with him.

No. I'm not trapped in here with him. He's trapped in here with me.

After one last deep breath, Aelita took one more step towards the Tower and bellowed the name of her final challenge.

"WILLIAM!"

Seeing that Aelita was not going to enter the Tower and fall into his general's grip, XANA accepted her challenge.

William Dunbar stepped outside of the Tower, his massive claymore in hand. The Eye of XANA shined on the chest of his suit as he devilishly grinned at her.

"Hello, Aelita."

Aelita swallowed her throat and clenched her fists at the sight of her brainwashed friend. Aside from nearly killing her father, Aelita considered possessing William to be the worst thing that XANA had ever done. Having a sixth Lyoko Warrior would have provided the group with major advantages, but Aelita had felt awful for him due to being under XANA's control. After all, she had the same experience many times. Even though she didn't know him well, Aelita wished they didn't have to be enemies.

Aelita swore that she would find a way to free William, and she hoped that day wasn't too far away. But for now, he was an obstacle. She didn't go through her evil twin, dozens of monsters, and the Scyphozoa itself just to back down now. If she wanted to deactivate that Tower, she would have to defeat William in single combat, a feat she had never before accomplished. With William constantly trying to kill her against his will, Aelita put aside her empathy for the sake of the world, fighting him without hesitation to survive.

After XANA's general made his greetings, he gripped his claymore with both hands.

"It's over, Aelita." William declared. "No place to hide. Nobody to protect you. Just you, me, and the Digital Sea."

All she could feel was anger and bewilderment. XANA had endangered so many lives in its pursuit of the destruction of humanity. And for what? Why did XANA have to turn against his creator, his creator's daughter, and all of her friends? Aelita knew that XANA hated humanity, but she could hold back her bafflement no more.

"I want to talk to you." Aelita said.

William tilted his head in amusement, scoffing at her. "Yumi already tried. It didn't wo-"

"No. Not to William." Aelita corrected. "I want to talk to you, XANA. No pawns, no monsters. Just you and me."

William straightened his head, the A.I. visibly reacting to her proposal. For a minute, silence reigned. Aelita stretched her hands, ready to summon energy fields the moment that XANA commanded William to attack.

If Aelita were being honest, her demand was as much as to buy time for a battle strategy as it was to get some answers. Aelita guessed that with her evil twin at play, her friends had still not noticed her kidnapping. If she could keep XANA talking, she could think how to get past William.

William spread out his arms and emitted a large glow so bright that it forced Aelita to look away. When Aelita could see him clearly, William's pupils were permanently replaced by the XANA logo, which was now also was imprinted on his forehead, and his skin turned completely black. He looked like a demon come to haunt her in his completely black-clad look. Behind the minefield, the two Mantas let out cries of reverence and bowed before the dark figure that stood there in William's place.

Aelita was no longer staring at her old friend, a fact she figured out when it spoke to her. It was the same voice it had used in the virtual world trap it made for the others so long ago, but Aelita was the only Lyoko member who had never heard it. XANA sounded like a demon to her. It reminded her a bit of Sauron.

After two and a half years of warring against each other, Aelita and XANA finally stood face-to-face.

"You wish an audience?" asked the Avatar of XANA.

A/N: I wanted to use the training flashbacks as a way to both build upon her friendships and balance Aelita's badassery with her struggles. Hopefully I did a good job of that. Also, it seems I have a little addiction to killing off the Scyphozoa to boost character development. Two fanfics in a row I've done that, lol. The logic and making of the Avatar of Xana will be explained next chapter.

Next up: Aelita faces the biggest challenge of her life as the full wrath of XANA is unleashed. At her lowest point, Aelita sees the light.