A/N: We're officially past the halfway point of this story as of uploading this chapter.
For once, you don't need to read any section of The Theory of Evolution first, or re-read any chapter of AWWD. You just need to remember Aelita's goal to find her mother in this season/story, and the fact that Sissi is a friend of the Lyokowarriors now.
Also, Kiwi makes his re-appearance. Unlike previous chapters, he's actually really useful here. And William still has Second Sight. If confused about that, re-read 96: Recrudescence.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or CL: Evolution in any way, shape, or form.
Beta read by FP7ETDP43
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~E~V~O~L~U~T~I~O~N~~~!
"Today is Aelita's birthday, but XANA ruins the celebration and protects its tower with a very convincing tactic."
A World Without Danger
Code Lyoko: Evolution Rewrite
Season 5, Episode 14: False Pretenses
One Thursday afternoon saw Aelita in her room. She was sitting on her bed, working on her math homework and generally enjoying the peace and quiet while it lasted. In the back of her mind, however, anxiety was pooling.
XANA had really upped its game lately—a clone of William to attack the real one's insecurities was no joke and utterly unforgivable. Since that attack, the past couple weeks had been mainly spent with group meetings that got really personal very quick. Now, it was no longer her, Jérémie, and William, but all six of them that talked to each other about their nightmares and trauma, their hopes and dreams, and what XANA could possibly use against them. William was still on their side, thank goodness, but none of them wanted a repeat of that attack with any of them.
The search to find her mother, which had reached a dead-end lately, was the cherry on top and absolutely something XANA had previously used against her and would probably try again later down the line.
To make a long story short, Aelita had a lot on her mind, and she was attempting to distract herself with her homework.
She was pulled out of her reverie when a knock came to her door. "Come in," she said, without looking up.
The door opened and a familiar voice called out from the open doorway, "Hey, 'Lita!"
Said pink-ette glanced up to see Yumi, and promptly smiled. It was subdued, but it was still real. "Hi, Yumes."
Yumi closed the door, sensing a serious conversation on the horizon. She crossed over to the bed and sat down next to her friend. "Is everything okay?"
"I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind." And it wasn't a lie. Nor did Yumi here have to ask for any specifics; she already knew, the same things being on her own mind. Aelita then quickly changed the subject, "Have you seen the guys at all? They just took off after classes ended, and I was really hoping to have dinner with Jérémie."
A nice simple outing with her boyfriend, even just a normal dinner at Kadic, would help put her mind at ease. That is, if she could find him.
Yumi softly smiled, "They're working on something. They'll let us know when they're free from it. Until then, why don't you and I have a girls' day out?"
Aelita glanced up, slightly hesitant but still interested, as an amused smile began poking at her lips, "What do you have in mind?" Whether it was her boyfriend or her best girl friend didn't really matter; she needed a break.
"We walk around with no destination in mind, laugh like idiots at nothing in particular, talk about our boyfriends' most endearing traits, go window shopping without buying anything, have tea at my house, and finish with a relaxing Japanese bath." She winked, "Just us two. No guys involved."
Aelita pretended to think, but in reality, she had already made up her mind. Her smile grew wider and broader into one that showed her excitement, "Okay."
Yumi's own smile quickly matched her friend's.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
The two girls were on their way out of the administrative building, Aelita's pass from the headmaster in her hand, when they saw Sissi approaching them. She didn't notice them at first, implying that this building was already her destination, but her face immediately lit up when she saw them. She had been visibly upset about something, only to seemingly forget it when her eyes laid on her friends.
"Hey, guys!" she waved, before jogging up to them.
"Hey, Sissi," Yumi greeted her, as she and Aelita both wondered what Sissi was upset about. "What's up?"
Sissi was eyeing the pass in Aelita's hand. "Are you guys going into town?"
Aelita nodded, "Yep. Yumi and I are having a girls' day."
The excitement Sissi was feeling grew even more, which the other two didn't think was possible. "Really? Can I come with you?"
Aelita and Yumi shared a questioning glance, both of them wondering who should make the choice, and Yumi (surprisingly) relented first, "It's up to you, 'Lita."
The pink-ette made her mind fairly quickly, "Sure. The more, the merrier."
Sissi was now practically bouncing on her heels with happiness, "Great! We can go to the mall and I can give you two some fashion advice! I mean, not that pink and black aren't great colors, but it's like you and the guys are cartoon characters or something. Don't you all own any other colors?"
Yumi pointed to her red undershirt, while Aelita pointed to her yellow dress.
"Right," Sissi shrugged it off, "but still. Now, you two wait right here. I need to go get a pass from Papa."
She then ran up the stairs and entered the administrative building. Once she was inside, Yumi and Aelita shared identical exasperated, yet affectionate glances. Sissi was their friend, but she was still a handful.
And that was good. They wouldn't have her any other way.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Yumi's invitation to Aelita for a girls-only outing actually had an ulterior motive. While she wasn't lying when she said that the guys were preoccupied with something, she had neglected to add what they were busy with.
The boys were at the Hermitage, setting up a surprise party for Aelita's birthday. Today was the date Jérémie had chosen for her—18 December. Yumi's role in their plan was to distract Aelita long enough for the guys to finish setting up the party.
Bag of snacks, drinks, and the cake in hand, William knocked on the front door of the Hermitage three times, performing the secret knock they all agreed on, before opening it. He didn't know what he expected to walk in on, but hearing Odd reading something bizarre off of the paper he was holding wasn't it.
"'Whenever I see you, Aelita, the sun gets brighter'," Odd was reciting. "'By your side on Lyoko, it's always a piece of cake.'"
Ulrich and Jérémie were hanging up a banner that read 'Happy Birthday!'. They looked like they would rather be anywhere else but there. William's own expression quickly became a mix of stunned and crestfallen as he listened to Odd's strange words.
"He wrote a poem for Aelita's birthday," Ulrich commented, as he and Jérémie stepped down from their stepladders, their work done. "Sorry. We tried to convince him to get her a normal present."
"I did get her normal present!" Odd snapped back. "It's the new set of fancy art markers that she's been eyeing for the past three weeks! And poems are normal presents!"
"Not yours," Ulrich teasingly muttered, as he knelt down to pet Kiwi, who was darting around excitedly (especially now that he was smelling food).
"Hush up, you!" Odd turned back to his poem, "'To me, you are sweeter than a piranha'–"
Jérémie was the one who cut him off, "I'm sorry, what? Why are you comparing my girlfriend to a piranha of all things?"
Odd sighed, "Forget it. I can't concentrate with your guys' criticism of my work. Thanks, good buddies of mine. Good to know I can count on my friends."
Ulrich just smiled back, amused, "You're very welcome." His phone, in his pocket, buzzed a couple of times. He took it out and read the text he just got. "Yumi says that she and Aelita are heading out into town now. Sissi's also coming with them as a last-minute decision."
Jérémie sighed, his anxiety and stress palpable in his breath, "Okay, that gives us until dinner hour starts." He checked his transwatch. "So one hour and twenty-three minutes."
"Breathe, Jérémie," Ulrich gently told him. "Things don't have to be perfect. C'mon, it's Aelita we're talking about here."
"I know," the young genius sighed again. "I-I guess I just feel guilty that I wasn't able to give her what she wants the most this year. The search for her mother hasn't been going anywhere recently."
Before anybody could respond to that, all four Transwatches began sounding the same alarm. The boys glanced at the small screens and saw an alert for an activated tower in the Mountain Sector.
"Damn!" Jérémie muttered, as he grabbed his bag (in which was his laptop, also sounding the same alarm) and headed towards the front door. "XANA never takes a break, does it?"
The other three, plus Kiwi, all followed suit, running out the door and making their way to the sewer passage, as Ulrich pulled out his phone to check up on the girls.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
The three girls were approaching the front gate, where Jim was standing at the entrance and checking the exit permits of the students also converging on the same location. Steps away from the gate, two transwatches began sounding an identical alarm. Yumi and Aelita shared a worried glance while Sissi remained blissfully unaware of the inevitable let-down.
Yumi picked up her phone on the first ring, "Ulrich?"
"XANA's on the attack," her boyfriend told her, "but I'm sure you already know that." Yeah, that's what the Transwatches were for. "Is Aelita still with you?"
"Yes, we're still together," she replied.
"Okay. Stay together and get over to the factory as soon as you can."
"Roger that. See you soon," she then hung up, before turning to Sissi.
Sissi's smile turned into a frown when she noticed her friends' reluctance to leave the school grounds with her. "What's wrong?"
Yumi and Aelita shared another concerned glance, as the elder slowly responded, "Sorry, Sissi...but we won't be able to..."
"What do you mean?" Sissi raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Something urgent just came up," Yumi explained, "and we have to take care of it quickly. We'll have to postpone our shopping trip for another time." Aelita nodded in agreement; said shopping trip was something she was genuinely looking forward to.
Sissi looked at them both with increasing suspicion, "Don't take me for a fool. This is probably a way to lose me."
Seeing the need for a diplomat here, Aelita promptly jumped in, "Ulrich called us, Sissi, for our help on something. He needs us."
But Sissi refused to let them out of her sight, "Well, we'll just have to go see Ulrich together! He's my friend too, after all. Maybe I can solve his problem!"
Yumi and Aelita shared discouraged looks. Sissi was their friend, yes, but sometimes, she could be a bit too much. While they were glad that she didn't need to change her sassy fashionista personality in order to be nice to others, they wished they could tell her about Lyoko and XANA. They would, actually, if she didn't have a history of going to the authorities the moment she was told.
Sissi stubbornly grabbed Aelita's arm, "I'm not letting either of you go. There's no way I will allow you two to go shopping without me!"
Yumi wanted to retort, but Aelita seemed to get an idea right then.
"Yumi," she shot the Japanese girl a knowing look, "you go on and take care of Ulrich's emergency. He's your boyfriend, after all." Aelita gave a wink, making it look like teasing in Sissi's mind, when it was actually the two Lyokowarriors speaking in code that Sissi didn't understand. "Sissi and I will stay here until you return."
Understanding said code, Yumi smiled, "Of course. I'll be back!"
Without further ado, she then turned around and ran away towards the park, faster than a rabbit being hunted.
"Hurry up!" Sissi called back, seemingly accepting Aelita's compromise.
"It may take a while," the pink-ette sent the other a cheerful smile, "so let's chill out in my room until she comes back. You can tell me what colors my wardrobe needs to stop looking so pink."
It worked like a charm. Sissi immediately perked up, "With pleasure! Just because your hair is pink doesn't mean you need to wear pink all the time too, you know!"
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
The boys and Kiwi, in the meantime, exited the front door of the Hermitage before running around the back. Their destination—the secret door in the backyard—however, was blocked by a familiar girl with long blonde hair who seemed to be waiting for something.
Laura. How did she know about this secret passage? Much less the Hermitage?
"Laura?" William called out, cautiously, well aware of that red flag.
Kiwi started barking. He seemed defensive and angry, as if sensing that the girl in front of them was actually an enemy.
She perked up when she saw them, but the look in her eyes made all of them halt in their tracks. It didn't look friendly at all. All of their questions were answered when the sign of XANA began flashing in her eyes.
Jérémie immediately began backing away from her. "XANA..." he breathed.
"Go!" William yelled, before rushing at XANA-Laura.
As if reacting to an electroshock, Jérémie, Ulrich, and Odd all turned and ran away, with Kiwi on their heels. William, meanwhile, grabbed Laura's wrist with both hands. She struggled, but he did not budge even when electricity began sparking around her hands, nor did he fight back.
However, his unwillingness to hurt her was his undoing. She managed to overpower him rather easily, lifting him up, shocking him, before throwing him into the side of the house nearby. His last clear memory of the encounter was her stalking away, heading towards his friends, before he blacked out.
William was only out for about thirty seconds, but when he woke up, he was still in the backyard of the Hermitage, in the same position he was left in, and aching all over. His head hurt the most and Laura was long gone.
Knowing, and hoping, that his friends were likely at the factory already, he decided to head over where he was needed the most. He got to his feet and rushed over to the secret door, before opening it and disappearing towards the factory.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
XANA-Laura was waiting for them next to the sewer passage. The three boys halted in their tracks once more, and Kiwi started barking again.
"So she already took William out, huh?" Odd commented. "Loverboy needs to learn that XANA-possessed victims can protect themselves. I mean, they can walk through walls, for crying out loud!"
Ulrich marched forward, towards Laura, while rolling up the sleeves of his jacket, "I'll take care of her."
XANA-Laura suddenly flickered before morphing into a perfect image of Yumi, causing Ulrich to freeze up. It was then that he understood why William was beaten so easily, because could Ulrich really handle needing to hurt even a clone of Yumi in order to defend himself?
"A polymorphic spectre!" Jérémie said, before Kiwi barked again.
Ulrich found himself able to move again. "You guys go on and take care of the tower."
Jérémie and Odd didn't hesitate, kneeling next to the manhole cover and removing it. Jérémie climbed down first, while Odd scooped Kiwi up in his arms.
"Don't find yourself beaten so easily, good buddy!" Odd called out to his roommate. "Clone or not, it's still XANA you're fighting!"
He then disappeared into the sewer passage, leaving his words behind to stew in Ulrich's mind. He was right. Yumi disguise or not, it was still XANA.
The two stared at each other, before the spectre threw itself at him. He moved aside at the last minute, before aiming a kick at its chest. Even though the strike phased through the spectre, Ulrich found himself using his speed and knowledge of how his girlfriend fought in order to defend himself.
And it was working rather well for him.
He just wished the others weren't so far away from deactivating the tower. This was going to be one hell of a fight for survival.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Kiwi remained next to Odd's feet as they and Jérémie were released from the lift out into the lab. William was already there, leaning against the holoprojector. He didn't seem hurt, but just in case, Jérémie had to ask.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine," William replied, as Kiwi sniffed around William's ankles. "My head hurts a bit, but I'll live. Where's Ulrich?"
"Holding off XANA," Odd replied, before Kiwi barked happily up at William, wagging his tail. "Laura's not possessed. It's a polymorphic spectre. We know because it turned into Yumi right in front of us."
At that very moment, the elevator opened to reveal none other than Yumi. The three boys all immediately froze up, remembering what they were just talking about. They stared at the newcomer with suspicion.
She frowned, "What? Why are you guys looking at me like I'm a ghost or something?"
"That may not be far from the truth, actually," Jérémie slowly replied. Kiwi, meanwhile, began sniffing around Yumi's ankles. "The last time we saw you, you were fighting Ulrich and probably on your way to trick Aelita into staying with you and keep her away from Lyoko until XANA needed her there."
To their surprise, after a quick beat, Yumi smiled in amusement, "Well, yes. But I've made a grave error in leaving her by herself before you've even made it to Lyoko, Einstein. Either that, or I've already stolen Aelita's Keys just by touching her, and now I'm here to steal yours."
Odd let out a snicker, while William smiled. Jérémie, meanwhile, was relieved. "Okay. You're the real Yumi." Only she would use sarcasm after the accusation he just gave her.
Kiwi barked happily once again, this time up at Yumi, while wagging his tail.
"And Kiwi agrees," Odd realized. "He did the same thing with William, but he barked at the spectre both times."
"Because he knows our scents," William finished. Odd nodded.
"In that case, Odd, I apologize for all the times I called your dog 'dumb'," Jérémie interjected. "Him being able to tell which of us is a clone is incredibly helpful in a situation like this." As Odd just shrugged, the young genius then turned to Yumi, "Where's Aelita?"
"With Sissi." Yumi's answer made Jérémie visibly grimace. "Don't worry. She's fine. Sissi just refused to let us go anywhere without her. Me going alone was part of the compromise."
Jérémie sighed, "It's just annoying that XANA's tactics in our world are focusing more and more on keeping Aelita preoccupied lately. In this case, it didn't have to do anything." He sighed again, "I guess it can't be helped. Let's take care of the tower. You three, head for the scanners. I'll join you soon."
William, Yumi, and Odd all nodded before rushing to the elevator. Kiwi, however, remained at Jérémie's side as the boy sat down in the chair and began typing in rapid-fire commands to a familiar program.
A few seconds later, William called out to him over the comm system, "We're ready, Jer!"
"Okay," Jérémie replied, warming up the virtualization process by first selecting the code for the Mountain Sector. "Transfer Yumi, transfer William, transfer Odd." He selected their ID cards one by one, before watching as their avatars loaded in, "Scanner Yumi, scanner William, scanner Odd." Once they were fully loaded, he pressed the 'enter' key, "Virtualization!"
Three green arrows appeared on the holomap, which was reading a few hundred meters away from the activated tower.
Then, he brought up his own ID and a timer for one minute. He sent Aelita a quick text to warn her of XANA's attack before starting the timer.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Jérémie's avatar formed in mid-air before dropping down onto the ground below, a few hundred meters away from the tower. It was visible on the horizon, though its base was surrounded by a labyrinth.
"We'll have to go on foot," he told his three friends. "So no vehicles, sorry."
"Why not?" Odd asked, motioning towards the maze. "Vehicles would make that labyrinth a piece of cake!"
"Shoot a Laser Arrow at the area above it." Jérémie had done his research when setting up the virtualization program. The readings he had seen were right next to the coordinates of the activated tower. "Then, you'll see 'why not'."
Odd shared a confused glance with Yumi and William before doing as his genius friend said. He fired a single burst of Arrows at the sky over the maze surrounding the tower, only for all of them to meet and be promptly destroyed by an electric field.
"Oh..."
"Yeah," the elf replied.
"So, walking it is," Yumi rolled her eyes in amusement. "Let's go."
The four set off running, southwest of their current position, ready for any bad encounter.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Aelita unlocked her dorm and let Sissi inside first. The latter immediately set her bag down on the pink-ette's bed before storming over to her closet and opening the doors.
"Ah, so you did take my advice and buy more yellow!" Sissi exclaimed. "You could use more black and white, though. Maybe some pastel orange, too."
As Sissi was ranting, Aelita felt her phone vibrate twice, indicating a text message. She pulled out the device and saw that it was from Jérémie. It read, 'Be careful. XANA has sent a polymorphic spectre. It's currently disguised as Yumi, but it could be anybody by the time you get this.'
She thought about sending a response, only to see that his signal was lost. Knowing it meant that he was now virtualized, she decided against the reply. She had to lose Sissi somehow and make it to the factory.
But as of right now, that was going to be difficult, given how clingy the girl was.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
William activated his Super Smoke and went on ahead, advancing carefully to see what awaited them. He reformed into his humanoid self behind a boulder, before peering out to see what was guarding the entrance to the labyrinth.
He was quickly joined by the other three, and they all hid behind boulders that framed the path—William and Odd on one side, Yumi and Jérémie on the other.
"So?" Yumi asked.
William nodded at the entrance to the maze, "Three Krabes. Heh. Almost too easy."
He summoned his Zweihänder, he and Odd preparing to charge in, but Yumi held them both back.
"Hold on! This feels like a trap!"
"C'mon, Yumi, we can take 'em easily!" Odd said.
"Yeah, that's the point!" she explained her intuition. "Given what's going on in the real world, and how much in danger Jérémie and Aelita both are here, it looks like XANA's putting out only three Krabes on purpose..."
"Then let's split up," William said. "Yumi, you escort Jérémie to the tower. Odd and I will stay here and keep the Krabes busy."
Though circumspect, Yumi replied with a soft, "Okay.", after sharing a wary glance with Jérémie.
William and Odd both jumped out into the open from their shared hiding place. Odd was already backing up, as William provocatively called out to their enemies, "Hey, crustaceans! Catch us if you can!"
The Krabes all crawled forward a few meters, just enough for Jérémie and Yumi to slip past them unseen (that was their hope, at least). But they didn't open fire, strangely enough. Instead, they all turned around, only to spot the two trying to sneak into the labyrinth without engaging.
"Run!" Yumi pushed Jérémie into the maze, and she was hot on his heels.
But so were the Krabes.
"No!" Odd cried out, before charging at the Krabes before they could wander out of sight.
William was about to follow, but he was stopped by a powerful laser hitting him from behind. He turned around, surprised, and discovered a fourth Krabe trying to get around him. He got back to his feet, and his face hardened as he put himself on guard.
Meanwhile, the other three Krabes advanced towards Yumi and Jérémie. The monsters coordinated, each taking turns shooting, trying to get past their guard. Jérémie was forced to take cover behind a wall, as Yumi summoned her fans and began blocking their shots. At least, as many as she could.
She didn't have to wait long before Odd quite literally jumped into the fray, firing two separate flurries of Arrows at the two closest to his friends. Just as they were destroyed, he was hit from behind by the third. As he was devirtualized, Yumi threw a fan and sliced the Krabe right in the eye.
Jérémie breathed a sigh of relief, though he was clearly still anxious.
"Let's go!" Yumi exclaimed, before leading him further into the maze.
He followed her without second thought, even if he was still concerned about William and what he was doing.
Speaking of whom, for his part, William had regained his senses and was trying as best he could to face the fourth Krabe by deflecting its lasers with his Zweihänder. Then, using his Super Smoke, he escaped the shots and passed between the Krabe's legs and reformed behind it.
"You want to play?" he taunted.
The Krabed turned around suddenly, but not quickly enough. William fired an energy slash with his sword in its direction. The Krabe was destabilized, as it staggered briefly, before getting back on its feet. Having survived, it fought back, and William was hit again.
The boy slowly got up as the Krabe came back to him. He didn't know how many lifepoints he had left, but he did know that he had to be careful and that he had to catch up to Yumi, Jérémie, and Odd if he could.
He had no choice but to flee using his Super Smoke, thus avoiding the full-scale bombardment of the monster that followed in his wake. He trailed into the labyrinth, and the Krabe followed.
It advanced cautiously, warily looking for William. The sound of a pebble being kicked attracted its attention, causing it to turn around and fire a shot, only to hit the maze wall that was there.
William suddenly appeared just above him, standing on a rock formation that was there. The Krabe did not have time to react, as William jumped onto his back, "Surprise!", and split it in two with a sword blow. The Krabe exploded after it spent about a second or two staggering on its legs.
"Good job, Will," Odd's voice sounded from over the comm system. He must've been devirtualized. "Yumi and Jérémie are further inside the labyrinth. I'll guide you to their location."
"Okay," William replied, before assuming his Super Smoke form once more.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
He may have been devirtualized, but Odd could still help his friends by monitoring the lab interface. He was currently guiding William to Jérémie and Yumi's location. Meanwhile, Kiwi remained at his feet, alert and waiting for when he'd be needed next.
It was as if the dog was able to sense just that, as he got on all four and trotted over to the lift when it opened a few seconds later. This time, it was Ulrich.
Odd was happy to see his roommate here, because it meant more assistance in getting to the tower, but when he saw Kiwi start sniffing around Ulrich's feet, he backtracked. That's right; a polymorphic spectre was on the loose.
"Hey, buddy, where's the clone?" he asked instead.
"It chose to ignore me and run away mid-fight," Ulrich explained. To his credit, he was breathing hard and deeply, as if he had run all the way here. "I tried to chase after it, but it was too fast. I sent Aelita a text to warn her before heading over here."
Sounded like a solid story. When Jérémie was on Lyoko instead of Aelita, the group had collectively agreed to focus on protecting Jérémie first and foremost, due to XANA needing his half of the Keys first.
But Odd was still on the defensive. Ulrich quickly noticed and understood why.
"Don't worry, Odd. It's the real me."
"Prove it," the blonde warily replied, as Kiwi continued to search for Ulrich's scent.
The brunette thought for a moment, before replying, "What do you want me to say? My name is Ulrich Stern, I hate my father more than I hate XANA, I practice Pencak Silat, and I have vertigo."
All of that was likely things that XANA knew as well, so Odd had to test him. "I think you forgot a detail." Ulrich raised a curious eyebrow. "Where did you and Yumi have your first kiss?"
"Shut up!" was his roommate's immediate reaction.
Odd burst out laughing, and it only died down when he heard Kiwi barked up at Ulrich, wagging his tail. "Okay, I believe you, and Kiwi has confirmed that it is the real you. Sorry for the third degree."
"It's okay, Odd. I get it," Ulrich replied, his blush fading. "How are the others doing?"
"They could use some help. Hurry up."
Ulrich didn't waste any more time, rushing over to the side ladder and climbing down to the level below them.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Deep in the labyrinth, William finally caught up with Jérémie and Yumi. He assumed his human form the moment he saw them.
"William!" Yumi exclaimed. "Where have you been? Odd already helped us take out the Krabes!"
"You think I was having fun?" an exhausted William snarked back. "There was a fourth one playing hide and seek. I took care of it, but you were right, Yumi. It was indeed a trap."
"I usually am," Yumi replied. "It just sucks that the trap cost us Odd. Where are the others?"
Odd spoke up over the comm, "Don't talk like I died, Yumes. I was just devirtualized. No response from Aelita, but Ulrich's here. I'm sending him over now."
All three of them promptly perked up. "Great!" William exclaimed in relief. He turned to Yumi and Jérémie. "Looks like hope is not lost, after all."
But Jérémie remained worried, "If you say so."
"Ah, there he is!" Yumi's face lit up the moment William suddenly felt his virtual stomach plummet.
Sure enough, Ulrich came out from behind a wall behind them, and walked towards them.
"Already?" Jérémie asked, his brain picking up a red flag for some reason. "That was fast. How did you find us so quickly, Ulrich?"
Yumi approached her boyfriend, as William quickly pushed Jérémie behind him. "Yumi, stay away from him!"
But Yumi was already too close, and in mid-sentence, "Glad to see y–" when Ulrich drew a katana, and without warning, struck Yumi down, devirtualizing her.
"W-What?" Jérémie was flabbergasted at the sight. "Ulrich, what's gotten into you?!"
William kept the elf behind him, as Ulrich turned to them and began advancing on them. Immediately, William summoned his Zweihänder and parried the blow in extremis, pushing Ulrich back.
"I don't know if you're possessed, Stern, or if you're perfectly aware of your own actions," William growled at the samurai, "but I know what you're after! You're not touching Jérémie!"
Ulrich seemed determined to devirtualize him and returned to the charge. Their respective weapons flashed again. As they faced each other, William noticed his opponent's pupils, which were shining with the sign of XANA.
"I knew it! It's actually XANA!" Even if he didn't know how he knew.
"It must be your Second Sight, William. It's helping you detect which one of us is a clone controlled by XANA," Jérémie explained.
"What?" Odd asked for a translation.
Jérémie turned to the one at the controls, "Odd, what does the holomap say?"
"That there are two Ulrichs, and his ID is loaded in," Odd explained. "The holomap can't tell the difference, but the other one is converging on your location now. Can you tell me what's going on, Jer? I-I mean, did I make a mistake somewhere?"
"If his ID is loaded in, Odd, then no, you didn't make a mistake," Jérémie swiftly reassured him, as William continued fighting the Ulrich-clone. "And if you had virtualized the spectre instead, then you would have gotten an error message. What's going on here is that XANA has created a fake avatar in the image of Ulrich. Stay on guard; XANA could have more clones in its arsenal."
Meanwhile, William attacked again, but the Ulrich-clone dodged, unbalancing William, who was knocked over by its momentum. Now on the ground, the clone raised its katana and prepared to give the final blow, but the boy was quicker. It moved aside at the last moment in an almost feline movement and went around the clone, as its katana planted into the ground. Having passed behind the clone, William brought his Zweihänder down, destroying the clone.
It left behind a white wireframe, which promptly exploded the way the monsters always did.
William was exhausted as he turned to Jérémie, "So XANA has others like that?"
"It's unsafe to assume otherwise," was the elf's response.
"The real Ulrich should be on his way," Odd cut in. "Well, I hope it's the real one, anyway. Now, the holomap can't distinguish the difference, so you guys are on your own."
William rolled his eyes, "Wonderful. That's promising."
"Don't blame Odd," Jérémie defended. "He's doing his best. Remember what I said about your Second Sight, William, and how it warned you about the Ulrich clone. Trust your instincts."
The other's response was silence, during which another Ulrich arrived around the same corner as his clone earlier, having arrived via Super Sprint. The moment he stopped, he found William's Zweihänder pointed at his chest.
"Woah, hey! What's your deal?!" Ulrich exclaimed in surprise.
"William?" Jérémie asked, concerned. If this was a clone too, then what happened to the real Ulrich?, he was asking himself.
"Just in case my instincts are wrong," William swiftly explained. "I don't sense XANA in you, Stern, but convince me. Prove to me that you're really Ulrich!"
"What?"
Ulrich shot a confused glance at Jérémie, who quickly explained, "XANA just sent us a clone of you that devirtualized Yumi. We need to make sure you're not another clone."
The samurai's expression turned from confusion into one of understanding. "Oh. Here too? Okay, um..." After thinking for a moment, he snapped, "You're an idiot, Dunbar, and a show-off who can barely lift that cake knife you call a sword!"
William was gobsmacked and speechless for a moment, but then he smiled and lowered his weapon, "Okay, I'm convinced."
Ulrich snickered, before sobering up, "So what's on the menu?"
"No idea," Jérémie replied, his visor giving no alerts whatsoever. "I can't see any monsters on my radar, and the holomap can't tell the difference between the clones and the real deals. To make things worse, there's an energy field preventing us from skipping this maze entirely by taking to the skies."
"Great," the samurai replied, deadpan. "Way to be accommodating, XANA."
"We need to be careful," Jérémie warned his friends. "None of us can get devirtualized, or there will be no one left to help me clear the passage." And that would give XANA free reign to steal his Keys. "So don't get too close to each other."
"Save for William's instincts," Ulrich asked, "how do we tell the real Lyokowarriors from the fake ones? Odd has Kiwi, but that doesn't help us. And what if William is by himself or he's devirtualized?"
"Continuing to ask each other personal questions seems like a good idea to me," Jérémie shrugged.
Ulrich and William looked at each other, both seeming to approve of that plan for the time being.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Yumi had emerged from the scanner by angrily banging her fist against the metal wall. She should've listened to William. Frustrated, she made her way up to the lab.
She found Odd on the phone with Aelita, while the holomap showed William and the clone Ulrich in the midst of a duel.
"Hey, Aelita, what's the latest?" Odd was asking.
"Still stuck with Sissi," the pink-ette's voice was quiet, clearly to avoid Sissi overhearing her. "She's already been through my entire closet, and now, she's bored and wondering when Yumi's coming back."
"Do you need help escaping? We could use you on Lyoko right about now."
"No, I got it," she replied. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"I'll go give her a hand," Yumi said, before rushing over to the elevator and pressing the 'up' button.
As the doors closed, Odd relayed that news, "Hang in there. Yumi's on her way to you now. Just remember, there's a polymorphic spectre on the loose."
"Got it. Keep me posted."
"I will. Stay safe."
Aelita then hung up, and Odd turned back to the screens in front of him.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Aelita hung up, before turning to Sissi, who was sitting on the pink-ette's bed and not really understanding what she was doing there. For once, the latter's cheerful demeanor was gone, having been replaced with a sad, almost depressed look. She was sulking.
She sighed, "I never really saw my day going like this. And I actually found someone to go with me this time!"
That caught Aelita off-guard. "What? You mean you usually go alone? Why does no one come with you?"
Sissi gave a small, melancholic smile, "My maman is supposed to visit me every other weekend, and lately, she's been missing her custody days." Oh. Her parents were divorced, and Mr. Delmas had primary custody. "Papa always tells me not to take it so hard, that I can't control her actions or choices, but...it still hurts...knowing that my own mother would rather do literally anything else than visit me."
No wonder she was so excited to go shopping today. Her jumping for joy at being invited by Yumi and Aelita made a lot more sense now.
She suddenly got embarrassed, "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to sound insensitive. I know you just lost your father and rarely see your mother."
Aelita had chosen not to lie about the status of her parents. She was already lying about who she really was, so whenever she could tell the truth, she would.
The pink-ette shot her friend a reassuring smile, "It's okay. No harm done." She found herself muttering, "There's always hope...", though more for herself than for anybody else.
"Hope?" Sissi asked, confused.
Aelita realized what she just said, "Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself." Her idea returned to her mind. "So, Sissi, since you love shopping, you must have a lot of clothes in your closet, right?"
"Of course. Why?" Sissi asked, as Aelita dug through her closet, before pulling out a blonde wig (a joke gift from Odd).
"If you give me a hand with an experiment, I'll explain to you what's really going on. And afterwards, we'll go shopping. Okay?"
Sissi just gave her a surprised look, as Aelita began spray-painting that wig pink.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Meanwhile, on Lyoko, Ulrich brought up a good point. "So, I'm the real one. But what proof do I have that you two are the real William and Jérémie?"
Said boys looked at each other, as Ulrich prepared himself to fight for survival, his hands itching towards his sheathed katanas, while William still had his Zweihänder summoned. It quickly turned into a stand-off.
Jérémie frowned in disappointment. "Would it kill you guys to use your brains more? XANA can't risk me getting devirtualized by accident. It needs me here on Lyoko." So clones of him were out of the question.
"If it helps," Odd interjected, "the holomap shows Jérémie's arrow as yellow. We recently realized that yellow means that person holds the Keys to Lyoko, right?"
"Right," Jérémie confirmed, "and the Keys cannot be copied. Only stolen." If they could be copied, then Aelita would not have died that day.
Unable to deny either of those points, Ulrich turned to William, "Okay, Jérémie's safe, but I still need to make sure it's really you, William..."
Ulrich unsheathed and raised a katana, before taking a few steps back, wary and distrustful.
William just smiled, "Don't worry. Yumi already did that."
"Really?" Ulrich lowered his gaze into a glare. "How did she do that?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," William gave the other a teasing smile.
"Remember who you're talking to," Ulrich gritted his teeth to keep himself from lashing out in anger and jealousy.
The two remained on guard, but they were interrupted by an annoyed Jérémie, who snapped, "That's enough! May I remind you that there is a spectre roaming free, and it could find Aelita at any time?! And we're here having a conversation kilometers in front of a tower that still hasn't been deactivated!"
But their demeanors remained unchanged.
"No way am I fighting monsters without knowing if my allies can be trusted!" Ulrich insisted.
"Right!" William promptly agreed.
Jérémie just rolled his eyes.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Yumi entered the corridor of the dormitory building, looking for someone. She then noticed a silhouette of a familiar pink-haired girl down the hallway. It was an image of her back, but that was her pink hair, her pink hooded jacket, yellow dress, black tights, and pink boots.
Approaching her, Yumi's eyes flashed with the sign of XANA—proving it to be the polymorphic spectre still on the loose. Knowing that Yumi had promised to return to Aelita and Sissi, the Japanese girl was the perfect disguise here.
Aelita suspected nothing as XANA reached out and placed its hand on her shoulder. But then the girl turned around and the AI immediately noticed the face shape to be off. This wasn't Aelita...
This was her friend, Sissi!
"Yes?" Sissi asked, confused and thinking it was Yumi. "Oh, sorry, Yumi. But you took too long in returning. It's too late to go shopping now." She sounded disappointed, but XANA didn't really care about that.
Sissi was in Aelita's clothes and even wearing a wig of the same hair color. The real Aelita had turned the tables on the AI and succeeded in slipping away.
Mystified and angered, the spectre let out a digital scream as its face distorted into a hideous expression, socked the poor girl in the face with an electrical charge punch, before storming out of the building.
Sissi was out cold, slumped against the wall, when it left.
Meanwhile, the real Aelita was dressed in Sissi's clothes and wearing a wig that was a near-perfect copy of Sissi's hair, complete with the dyed blonde streak and the other's pink hand-bag (though Aelita's phone and wallet were in there, and not Sissi's).
She was cautious when exiting the building, just in case, though her disguise worked incredibly well, and her fellow students were none-the-wiser. Once she entered the forest, out of sight, Aelita took out her phone and called Odd.
"Hey, Odd. I managed to get away from Sissi, and now I'm on my way to the factory. But, um, I think we'll have to erase Sissi's memory."
"Huh?" He was confused, but she'd explain later. "Okay. If you say so. Just hurry up."
"I will," she promised, before hanging up and then taking off into a sprint towards the sewer passage.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
William and Ulrich were still facing each other in the Mountain Sector, deep within the maze that surrounded the activated tower. Both weapons were out and pointed at the other.
"Seriously, knock it off, both of you!" Jérémie, meanwhile, was having enough of this. "I'm serious. Now, or I'm heading to the tower without either of you!" It was a threat; the whole group knew that it was a bad idea to let Jérémie go off anywhere on his own, given that XANA's current plan revolved around getting him alone, especially on Lyoko.
And it was working. Both of them, though still wary, were now visibly standing down.
The trio was interrupted by Odd suddenly exclaiming, "Something is coming towards you guys! It may be another clone!"
Before anyone could respond to that, a ball of smoke arrived on the scene and turned into another copy of William. "Jérémie's right!" the copy said.
"Huh?!" the other William was surprised.
Ulrich unsheathed his second katana and promptly pointed it at the chest of the William that just arrived. "Okay, one of you is definitely a fake!" Both Williams had raised their respective Zweihänders at the other. "And William's the only one who can tell the fakes from the real deal." Because of his XANA-retained Second Sight. "Now what? Jérémie?"
Jérémie wasn't given a chance to respond. One of the Williams—the newcomer—spoke up first, "Let Jérémie head to the tower. He's right. It's the only way this can end!"
"Alone?" Ulrich demanded. "Nice try, XANA!" Even if he was wary of both Williams, there was no way he could leave his teammate behind to defend himself.
"Then devirtualize us both!" the other William—the one that was already with them—replied. "Better to be safe than sorry."
"And continue on without your Second Sight as a buffer?" Jérémie pointed out. "That's not 'safe'."
"Do both!" the newcomer William cut in. "Devirtualize us both and then deactivate the tower!" A slight pause, "And since I thought of that compromise, it proves that I'm the real William, right?"
Ulrich turned his attention to the first William, who shot back, "Except that might be a trick by the fake William to drop our guards and get Jérémie by himself!"
The samurai turned his attention back to the newcomer William, who retorted, "Except without that compromise, we're all stuck here!"
Ulrich and Jérémie no longer knew who was who. They both observed the two Williams, who—eye to eye—were holding their sights, ready to strike the other. The slightest misstep could cause a massacre. Each one backed away in the opposite direction.
There was a pause...
...Before everything happened very quickly. The first William swung at the newcomer, who ducked to avoid it, and slashed in return. Ulrich pushed Jérémie towards the tower, who obeyed, as the samurai stayed behind to guard the elf's escape.
In the fray, however, he was hit with a stray energy wave and promptly devirtualized. But it was because of this that caused the fight between the two Williams to halt.
"Congratulations, guys," Odd cut in, sarcastic. "The real Ulrich was just devirtualized. Screw your head on straight, real William! Jérémie's now all alone and two Krabes are waiting for him at the tower!"
"Right, he comes first!" the newcomer William agreed, as they both ran towards the tower, taking the path that Jérémie took and that Ulrich was guarding.
"Don't get too excited," Odd warned, however. "I didn't see which one of you took out Ulrich."
Meanwhile, Jérémie finally exited the labyrinth, frantic and anxious to deactivate the tower. But he was forced to halt in his tracks when he saw the two Krabes in front of the short stretch of path leading to the tower.
Just as he formed a dagger in each hand, however, two identical streams of smoke shot past him. Each snaked up the leg of a Krabe before reverting to human form on top of the shell. Both Williams stabbed the eye of their Krabe with their Zweihänders before jumping off to avoid the resulting explosions.
They both landed in front of Jérémie and said simultaneously, "Jérémie, trust me!"
But the elf was frozen with fear and indecisiveness.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
In the lab, Odd and Ulrich both sighed in frustration. The former was still at the controls, while the latter had joined him to watch both Williams continue to fight over who the real one was.
"We can't go on like this!" Odd exclaimed.
"I know!" Ulrich agreed, just as irritated. "The clones look like us down to the smallest detail! It's impossible to tell the difference without William's Second Sight!"
Which just proved that XANA had chosen correctly in choosing the next clone to be of William. With one move, it had taken out that particular ability while also planting seeds of doubt in everyone else's minds, especially Jérémie's—its primary target.
Ulrich sighed, "I'm heading out to find Yumi and Aelita." As he crossed over to the elevator, "I'll call you once I find them."
Odd nodded, "Good luck."
"You too," came the brunette's response, as the lift doors closed.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Aelita ran through the park, taking off her Sissi-wig mid-run and throwing it off to the side. She soon ran into Yumi and immediately froze in suspicion. According to Odd's last update, the spectre was masquerading as Yumi...
Yumi also froze for the same reason, well aware that the spectre could be trying to catch her off-guard by pretending to be Aelita, the one Yumi herself was looking for.
"Aelita, is that you?" Yumi asked, wary. "Why are you dressed like Sissi?"
"It was part of my plan to sneak past the spectre," the pink-ette replied. "But...are you really Yumi?"
Both of them were observing each other from a good distance, absolutely unsure of the other's identity, and neither of them had any visual means of determining it.
Things got more difficult when Ulrich arrived. He also froze up, seized with doubt in front of the two girls as he remembered the spectre on the loose. Now he was unsure with who was the fake and who was the real deal.
"Well..." Yumi softly commented, "I think we have a little problem, here..."
"That's an understatement," Aelita muttered.
"How about we ask each other personal questions in turn?" Ulrich suggested. Given what he just experienced on Lyoko, it made sense for him to suggest this.
"Good idea," Yumi agreed. "We'll ask each other things that XANA doesn't know about us. I'll go first." She turned to the pink-ette nearby with a knowing look, "Aelita, what is one of the nicknames you give Jérémie when you're alone with him?"
Aelita's face immediately fell. With an embarrassed look, she glanced at Ulrich, who suddenly seemed interested. Then, she sighed and answered in an incomprehensible mumble.
"What? I didn't catch that," Ulrich leaned in closer.
Although it cost her, Aelita repeated her answer louder, "'Proxy Pie'!"
"And what does he call you?" Yumi followed up.
With a reddened face, the pink-ette took a deep breath before answering, "'Queue-tie Pie'." It was something only nerds like them would appreciate.
Yumi was satisfied while Ulrich raised an eyebrow, knowing he just discovered some good blackmail material. Aelita just closed her eyes in shame.
"Okay, it's really you," Yumi replied. "Now, it's your turn."
"With pleasure," Aelita obviously sought revenge. "Yumi, what's your most humiliating holiday memory?"
Yumi immediately frowned, as she glared at her friend. "It was supposed to be a secret!" she growled through gritted teeth.
Aelita's falsely contrite pout clashed with her helplessly shrugging her shoulders. Yumi sighed and closed her eyes, mortified, as Ulrich listened attentively.
"It was with Hiroki. We were visiting relatives in Japan for the summer and my aunt offered to buy me a new swimsuit..."
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Jérémie kept a cautious eye on both Williams, while Odd cut in with a solution that he was desperately hoping would help.
"I have an idea! We just have to ask William some intimate questions!" Odd said. "That way, we'll know who the real one is. First one: have you kissed Laura yet?"
The two Williams looked at each other, embarrassed, before looking away with identical shy expressions, "No comment! Next question!"
Odd sighed. "Second question: why did you transfer to Kadic?"
"Expulsion," the two Williams answered simultaneously again, "for putting up love letters all over school."
"Oh god..." Odd muttered. "Okay, third question: did you ever kiss Yumi?"
Both Williams once again spoke at the same time, "No comment."
"It's okay, Odd," Jérémie interjected. "You can stop. I have the perfect solution to this mess, trust me." He paused, glancing at both Williams in front of him with a pleading gaze. "William, devirtualize me."
Everyone present, including Odd, all immediately froze up at his order. Without him, he couldn't deactivate the tower, after all. But one of the Williams obeyed the order, hitting Jérémie with an energy slash, devirtualizing him.
That's when all hell broke loose.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Yumi was visibly sulking after revealing her most embarrassing memory, which involved a wardrobe malfunction concerning her new swimsuit and her little brother. Aelita moved next to her, satisfied and relieved that she could trust Yumi now.
The two girls turned to Ulrich, with Yumi icily talking to her boyfriend, "Okay, I answered. Over to you, Ulrich..."
"Okay." The boy thought for a moment. "Yumi," said girl gave him a discouraged look, "what's the name of your current boyfriend?"
Aelita and Yumi both shot each other surprised looks, before stepping away from Ulrich, suddenly wary of him. However, the boy didn't seem to understand what the problem was.
"What?"
"The real Ulrich would never ask me that question," Yumi revealed, memories resurfacing of that day in the gymnasium when the two confessed their true feelings for one another, when they both mutually decided to give dating a shot, a choice that had worked out very well for them so far.
Ulrich was speechless for a moment, before the sign of XANA flashed in his eyes. His image flickered, revealing himself as the spectre. It took one step, and the two girls quickly turned around and ran away, towards the manhole cover.
The spectre quickly followed them.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
One of the Williams turned on the other—the one that had devirtualized Jérémie—and demanded, "Why did you obey that order?! Now, the tower can't be deactivated! Without Jérémie, we're screwed!"
The other William was calm, "Well, I'll tell you why you couldn't, XANA." The real one glared the fake down. "It's because you couldn't let another chance to get Lyoko's Keys slip by."
He then charged up an energy slash and fired. The clone was hit directly in the chest and promptly exploded the way monsters usually did—proving the real one's hunch correct.
"Nice job, William," Odd said.
"Thanks, Odd," William replied, de-summoning his Zweihänder. "Now, we're not actually screwed, are we?"
"Nope," came a third voice. The elder turned back to the labyrinth exit, where Jérémie miraculously emerged. "Good job, William. Thanks for trusting me."
William breathed a sigh of relief, "Good, I only took out a clone that you created." With his power of Creation. "And thanks. Now, go on and deactivate that tower."
Jérémie wasted no more time, entering the tower at a sprint.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
The spectre was faster. It arrived at the manhole cover before the girls did. Yumi assumed a defensive position known in Pencak Silat before charging at her enemy. It dodged her first punch and caught her second. After twisting her wrist, causing her to cry out in pain, it picked her up and threw her into the trunk of a nearby tree.
Now unopposed, it turned to a frightened Aelita.
JEREMIE_
Electricity engulfed the spectre's hands as it moved closer to its target.
CODE_
"Aelita!" the real Ulrich suddenly called out, as he rushed at the clone, a punch ready...
LYOKO_
With the code inputted, the tower was deactivated, causing the spectre to disappear in a black cloud that swiftly disappeared. The punch Ulrich was aiming at it didn't connect, causing him to collapse to the ground in surprise.
"Ulrich!" Yumi called out, before getting to her feet and running over to her boyfriend.
Aelita held out her hand to him, an amused smile on her face, "You okay?"
Ulrich sighed, "I tried to be a hero." By this time, Yumi had joined them and also stuck her hand out.
He took both hands, as his girlfriend replied softly, "Well, you may have failed, but we still appreciate it."
Back at the lab, Jérémie was guiding Odd through the necessary commands, the latter having conveyed Aelita's suggestion to erase Sissi's memories of the attack. "Now enter the time coordinates you want..."
Odd did so, "And then I'm good?"
"Yep. Just press 'enter'."
"Okay. Return to the Past now."
A bright white light began to engulf everything...
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
Time was rewound to when Aelita and Yumi had run into Sissi right outside the administrative building. Nothing about that meeting was changed, but this time, a XANA attack didn't interrupt them.
Aelita let Sissi confide in Yumi about the status of the second mentioned girl's parents and their divorce. Afraid of her own parents divorcing, especially given how heated their fights tended to be, Yumi was more willing this time around to let Sissi make critiques on the elder's fashion sense.
She also divulged to Sissi a secret, trusting her not to tell Aelita, but that didn't stop Sissi from getting Aelita a present. Aelita saw it as random, but she had forgotten what today was.
Pretty soon, it was time to head back to Kadic.
They dropped Sissi off right inside the front gates, the sun setting on the horizon.
"Thanks for letting me come with you guys," she said. "You two are way more fun to go shopping with than my mother."
"No problem!" Aelita replied. "Let's do it again some time!"
Sissi then skipped off to dinner, in a great mood. It was then that Yumi's phone buzzed with a text.
Aelita noticed her reading it, "Who's it from?"
"Ulrich," Yumi answered, before putting her phone back in her pocket. "He and the guys are ready for us."
The pink-ette raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "'Ready'? For what?"
"You'll see," the older girl just smiled. "Now, Princess, would you kindly allow me to escort you to the Hermitage?" She held out an elbow for her friend to take.
Though still confused, Aelita just smiled and slung her arm through Yumi's.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~~!
The Hermitage was oddly quiet as the girls neared the building. Well, it was always quiet due to it being an abandoned building in the middle of a forest, but knowing the guys were inside kind of changed that. Their respective volumes varied, but together, they were not a quiet group.
But the lights were dark, and there was no sound emitting from within. Aelita was on edge as Yumi opened the door. The elder didn't seem scared, though, so when she offered to let the pink-ette go inside first, Aelita did so without hesitation.
"Surprise!"
The lights turned back on as the boys shouted that word together. Kiwi suddenly leapt into her arms with excitement. Aelita's confusion immediately went away when she saw the 'Happy Birthday!' banner hanging up on the back wall.
"Happy birthday, 'Lita!" Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi all exclaimed.
Of course. Today was the day that Jérémie had chosen that night. Two years ago, on this day, Aelita herself was first materialized with Code: EARTH, the day 'Aelita Stones' was born.
And she smiled broadly, "Thank you, guys," though she was quiet.
Jérémie, of course, noticed. "You okay?"
"I had forgotten," the pink-ette confessed. "So much has been going on lately that today being my 17th birthday just slipped my mind. But I can always count on my friends to remember for me."
And Jérémie smiled.
"Of course you can!" Odd exclaimed, as he pulled a paper from his pocket. "Now, before we do anything to celebrate, I have a poem to read first."
Ulrich, Jérémie, and William all rolled their eyes, while Yumi just sighed in amusement. Yet, no one stopped Odd from reciting what was written on his piece of paper.
He cleared his throat first, before beginning, "'Whenever I see you, Aelita, the sun gets brighter. By your side on Lyoko, it's always a piece of cake. To me, you are sweeter than a piranha. You are loads better than the best cake in the world.'"
Aelita burst out laughing, ignoring the exasperated looks Odd got from the others, and the world seemed so much brighter.
"Good! Now, we're ready to celebrate!" Odd cheered in victory.
Because even if the poem was bad, it succeeded in making Aelita smile. And that's all that mattered.
!~~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~E~V~O~L~U~T~I~O~N~~~!
Inspiration: CLE's "Imposters"/"False Pretences" and CLE's "Jeremy's Blues"
Up next: Episode 15, Worst Case Scenario - "XANA's been awfully quiet lately, and it's unnerving. Whenever the AI is quiet for a week, it means bad news. And boy, is this news bad."
A/N: Chapter Meaning: A 'pretense' is a claim, especially a false or ambitious one. The 'false' being added tells the audience that the pretenses here are of the false kind.
-The tower XANA uses here is the same one (or a copy of, rather) in "Laughing Fit".
-Fun Fact: This chapter's tower was originally going to be from the official CL game "Fall of XANA", the one on top of the spiral mountain, but I decided against it.
-Another Fun Fact: My beta reader gave me the idea of Sissi being brainwashed into helping Aelita and Sissi later being punched by the spectre. I kept in the punch, but the brainwashing seemed a bit too much.
~Evolution concepts~
In EVO, the "girls' day out" is proposed by Yumi because Aelita is stressed out over her meeting with her mother in the previous episode ('Espionage', in which Aelita stays at the Cortex overnight just for a slim chance to talk to her mother again) and is waiting for a response, if Anthea ever does respond. However, since I've moved the placement up (due to having something else in mind for Aelita and Anthea's reunion), Yumi instead proposes the "girls' day out" in order to keep Aelita preoccupied until the guys finish setting up the surprise party at the Hermitage. Speaking of the birthday plot, EVO didn't really do more with it (since the episode it was a part of was a Jérémie-focus plot), so I combined it with "False Pretenses" to make the chapter have more substance.
If you watch the episode, Sissi and Aelita switch clothes, with Sissi wearing the outfit that Aelita has on before the switch occurs, and afterwards, Aelita is wearing a different outfit. It's a nice touch, and definitely helps sell the whole thing. Here, however, the two switch outfits, with Aelita also wearing Sissi's outfit and a wig styled after Sissi's hair.
