Working as a Team

Aelita, Odd, and Yumi leave their hiding spot, but before they can take two steps, Aelita receives a shot on the side.

Aelita: Ah!
Jeremie: No, Aelita!

The shots rain over the group. They manage to take cover in the same spot once again.

Aelita sings. Her tonality is a bit lower than usual. Within ten seconds, the kids are covered by a stone husk, with a small skylight in its top.

Odd: Wow!
Aelita: Done, we should be safer for now.
Yumi: But now we can't counter.
Jeremie: Aelita did the right thing, we cannot take the risk of breaking her shield.
Odd: Why?
Aelita: Because I can't materialize again. If I had been in Ulrich's situation, my life would probably have ended right there.
Odd: Well, that's something I'd have liked to know before getting involved in this!
Aelita: Don't worry, Odd, I'm aware of what's going on. It was my decision to go on this quest, and I take full responsibility on my life
Odd: But don't think we'll let you die just like that!
Yumi: That's also true.
Jeremie: Guys, XANA deactivated. That means there's no core to reboot, we just have to take Aelita back to safety.
Odd: And how're we supposed to do that?
Jeremie: Ulrich'll be of help. Give me a minute.
Aelita: Okay.

A shot reaches the rocky carcass that covers the kids, shaking it.

Aelita: The monsters approach. Prepare your weapons in case the carcass breaks.

Jeremie turns of the microphone, stands from his chair and walks towards the scanners.

Jeremie: Hey, Ulrich, we need you back on Lyoko.

The alluded frowns at Jeremie.

Jeremie: C'mon, we've talked about this, Ulrich! Your friends need you!
Ulrich: Why? It's not like I can be of much help anyway.
Jeremie: What are you talking about? The more the better. Besides, they're currently under siege. If you go, you can take advantage of the monsters being distracted to reduce their numbers and let Aelita and the others escape.
Ulrich: Jeremie, did you see me just then? Did you see how my clumsiness ended me in an instant, and then I left everyone else exposed? The current situation is my fault, and for sure I'll make things worse if I go back.
Jeremie: (sternly) Look, Ulrich, believe it or not, you're currently our best bet. I can't go, because I have to provide you your weapons and shield again. And if you don't go, it's highly likely that your friends devirtualize and Aelita dies. I think your dellusions of clumsiness are a necessary risk right now.

Ulrich stares at Jeremie for a few seconds. Then he stands up.

Ulrich: Okay, Jeremie, I'll go.
Jeremie: That's more like it, Ulrich! You go to the scanners and I'll go to the screens.

Ulrich obeys, while Jeremie sits back down in his seat. The latter turns on the microphone again.

Jeremie: How's the situation?
Yumi: Tense: we're being shot from several flanks. Aelita added another layer to the carcass, but we don't know how long it'll hold, even with my telekinesis helping. Besides, not seeing our attackers prevents us from counter-attacking.
Jeremie: Understood. I inform that Ulrich's on his way. About the last thing you said, I think I can provide you with some help.
Odd: It's help enough that you describe these monsters' distribution.
Jeremie: I have a better idea. I'll virtualize Ulrich first, but I'm with you in a second.

CONSOLE
IN: virt 1 ulrich 0 -110
OUT: Type password to virtualize outside protected area.
IN: lyoko
OUT: Incorrect password.

Jeremie: Of course it wasn't going to be that easy.

CONSOLE
IN: virt 1 ulrich 0 -20

This time it works. While Ulrich is virtualized, Jeremie types some more for twenty seconds. Then he stops.

Jeremie: Odd, I just gave you access to a visual camera. Close your eyes.

Odd does it. As he closes his eyes, he sees the scenery they're in, but from above. The kid sees six of the surrounding monsters, four of them kankrelats, which are shooting, and two bloks, which haven't shot yet.

Odd: Thanks, Jeremie! I think we still need Ulrich's help, but if he attacks from the south, there's something we can do.
Jeremie: Ulrich, they're telling me that they'll wait until you attack from the south. Give me a minute, I'll provide your gear and powers.

Jeremie writes for five seconds and presses enter. Ulrich floats for two more seconds and lands.

Jeremie: Ready, good luck!
Ulrich: I'll need it.

Ulrich starts accelerating uphill.

Jeremie: Odd, Ulrich's almost there! It'll take about twenty seconds for him to get there.
Odd: Got it! Yumi, you have telekinesis, right?
Yumi: That's right.
Odd: There's an exposed kankrelat at two o'clock looking upwards. If you could throw it a piece of the carcass on my signal…
Yumi: Right on!

Odd closes his eyes and focuses on what he sees. He waits until Ulrich enters his field of sight. Once he arrives, he slices the southernmost kankrelat in half, which disintegrates immediately.

Odd: (opening his eyes) Now!

Yumi projects her whole body towards the direction indicated by Odd. A third of the carcass detaches, following Yumi's direction at high speed. Odd takes cover against the left edge of the new opening and shoots a kankrelat that he had seen there, hitting it squarely.

Odd: Another one at four o'clock!
Yumi: On it!

The girl takes a short glance outside and sees a blok at about thirty feet. She hides again and throws one of her boomerangs. Afterwards, she focuses in her weapon and moves so that it changes direction. The boomerang goes through the blok from side to side. The girl then makes a spin, and follows her movement by inverting her previous ones. The boomerang gets back to her hand.

Ulrich attracts the attention of a third kankrelat. It shoots, but Ulrich moves away quickly. Making a half-circle detour between him and the monster, he reaches it and cuts it, making it blow up.

The brown-haired boy looks for his third target, but the remaining blok notices his brief moment of stillness and shoots a freezing ray. The ray hits Ulrich and sticks him to the ground, immobilizing one of his legs and covering it with something that resembles ice.

Ulrich: Hey, I need help!

Aelita gets out of the carcass and sees the blok and another kankrelat. The girl shoots an energy orb from her hand towards the blok, destroying it. The kankrelat manages to shoot Ulrich once before getting reached by a second energy orb shot by the girl.

Ulrich makes a lever with his blade to break the ice that holds him still, and succeeds.

Jeremie: Outstanding team work, guys! Now, back to the main square!

The kids start their retreat downhill. Ulrich runs alongside the rest.

Jeremie: Attention, blok at nine o'clock!
Odd: Localized!

Odd shoots a few bolts, one of which reaches the target. The blok explodes.

Yumi: Nice shot, Odd!

The kids continue running in a straight line, until they reach the square.

Jeremie: Careful, two kankrelats approach from the East.

The four children stay alert. At the Eastern edge of the square, two kankrelats try to move forward, but an invisible wall prevents them from doing so. One of them shoots, but the ray disappears as it enters the square.

Aelita takes advantage of the occasion and shoots an energy sphere against one of the monsters, which is disintegrated in an instant. The other one escapes.

Yumi: That's right, you better run! Are you okay, Aelita?
Aelita: Yeah, alive and well.

Jeremie exhales deeply. The rest listen to him and sigh as well in unison, which makes them laugh. They look at each other and start laughing even harder. Suddenly, they see themselves laughing out loud (except Ulrich, who laughs in a calmer manner), including Jeremie. Yumi reaches Ulrich and Aelita and hugs them both. Ulrich puts his arm around Odd's back, including him in the group hug. The hug dissolves after a few seconds.

Yumi: That was intense.
Aelita: It was, but it was also surprisingly fun.
Odd: What an embroilment I got into! I feel like I had an amount of fun equivalent to five rollercoasters.
Ulrich: (smiling) Yeah, it was quite fun given the circumstances.
Yumi: (looking at Ulrich) Hey, Ulrich is smiling! I hadn't had the privilege of seeing it many times, but looks quite good on you, if I'm honest.
Ulrich: (unusually straightforward) Thank you! Nothing that your laughter should envy anyway.

Yumi, surprised by the compliment, chuckles as she looks away. Odd and Aelita exchange mischievous looks. Jeremie also smiles suspiciously behind the screen.

Jeremie: Well, it seems exterminating these creatures is gonna be harder than we thought. In their current state, they can shoot at range.
Aelita: Anyway, I think it's been enough experimenting for today, what do you think?
Yumi: Agreed!
Ulrich: I second that.
Odd: I third that!
Aelita: Enough for today it is then. Go take a rest, guys, you deserve it.
Odd: Yes ma'am!
Jeremie: I'll bring you back. Get ready.

The children say goodbye to Aelita affectionately. Jeremie devirtualizes them one at a time, bringing them back via the same scanner each got into to go to Lyoko. The kids descend the stairs to join Jeremie.

Jeremie: Nice job, you gu…

Jeremie is interrupted by Yumi's embrace, further complemented by the other two boys.

Yumi and Odd: Wohooo!

Aelita chuckles with joy in the main screen. The kids disassemble the hug.

Jeremie: Ha ha ha, what was that?
Yumi: Nothing, it's good to remember we're alive from time to time.
Odd: You missed the Lyoko group hug, Jeremie!
Jeremie: (chuckles nervously) Maybe next time.
Yumi: Hey, we should have a get-together some day! Just to pass the time.
Jeremie: Good idea! Hum, we might need to have it at the factory, so Aelita can assist, right?
Aelita: Don't worry, you get together without me. The factory's too uncomfortable for something like that.
Yumi: C'mon, aelita! How could we leave you out of it? Hey, Jeremie, if we gathered at my place, would you be able to carry Aelita in another computer or something like that?
Jeremie: Hmm, not exactly, but it's a good idea. I'll see if I can do something about it. That way, we can join us in another environment, Aelita.
Aelita: Sounds pretty nice, to be honest. It would be a nice change of scenery, even if it is through a screen.
Yumi: What do the boys say?
Ulrich: It'd be a pleasure.
Odd: Get-together is my second name!
Yumi: Excellent, I'll talk to my parents so that we can schedule as soon as possible. That way we can try to do it before we go back to class!
Odd: Would it be a back-to-class celebration or a first-Odd-class celebration?
Ulrich: Maybe it can be both.
Yumi: In any case, we can celebrate many things! Without going any further, Aelita's missed at least five of her birthdays.
Jeremie: Very true!
Aelita: Okay, tell me when you decide what we're going to celebrate.
Jeremie: We'll be informing you, Aelita. For now, we'll leave you. Do you want to…?
Aelita: Thanks, Jeremie, but you can shut down the computer, don't worry.
Jeremie: Okay. Bye, Aelita.
Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich: Bye, Aelita!
Aelita: Bye, guys!

Jeremie turns off the microphone and walks towards the switch.

Ulrich: Hey, Yumi, how about a race to the sewer cover?
Yumi: You asked for it! Odd, give us the start!
Odd: On it!

Jeremie pulls down the switch. As the computer shuts down, Yumi and Ulrich take their start positions.

Odd: On your marks… Get set… Go!

- END OF CHAPTER 18 – You may picture Season 1's credits score here.

A small note about Odd's "peripheral vision" power: I decided to change the future vision for this, since foresight is way too overpowered in my opinion, and too prone to interpretation and confusion (should what he sees actually happen? Or should he be able to avoid it? But then, how was he able to see an outcome that didn't happen? To be honest, I didn't want to deal with those questions).

Thank you for reading! I really hope I take a shorter time before I start posting the next episode. In the meantime, you might want to check out Lyoko Lost Logs, my other CL fanfiction work. I hope you've enjoyed this series so far!