Ulrich wakes up first thing in the morning with a stretch. His eyes then wander over to the alarm clock by his bedside that read six-thirty. Ulrich racks his brain when he remembers he's supposed to go down to the cafeteria for breakfast.
After a quick glance at his roommate's empty bed he quickly changes and leaves for the bathroom to brush his teeth.
oOoOoOoOo
As Ulrich arrives at the cafeteria later for breakfast he sees that his friends, Odd, Aelita and Jeremie had all already arrived and gotten their breakfast. He quickly gets his meal tray and chooses several food options before hastily heading over to their table.
"So, anything interesting going on?" he asks, hoping for something interesting this morning as he bit into his toast.
"You should read the Kadic news" Odd gives a smirk holding out the student newsletter.
He hears a annoyed 'hmph' from Jeremie that made everything more suspicious. Curious, he takes the paper from Odd and reads the page the boy was on. As his eyes scan over the page they grew considerably wider. He then looks up at Jeremie, surprise evident.
"Jere-"
"That's all misinformation!"
"But-"
"That's not how it went"
"Waffas dowiff lawa anawas?" Odd mumbles through a mouthful of food.
"Excuse me?"
He gulps down whatever was in his mouth and repeats his question.
"What was you doing with Laura anyways?"
"I was just helping her with her work, nothing else" he tells them "Now Aelita won't even talk to me"
"Seriously though! With Laura of all people!" Odd exclaimed "If it was any other girl, she wouldn't even bat an eye, but you know our relationship with that girl and how her last day as a Lyoko warrior ended?"
Ulrich raises an eyebrow at that "That's what's happening? Aelita's angry?"
Jeremie pouted as he poked his food.
"Maybe you just need some manly charm" Odd grins giving him a charismatic smile, leaning back.
Both ignore him.
"Weren't you-"
"Didn't I say, she doesn't want to talk to me" Jeremie repeats "Anyways, since XANA is back I have been theorizing what his new plan could be"
Odd and Ulrich look at each other and gave the no-point-talking-to-him look.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
During class, grade 10 all sat in silence jotting down their answers for the test they were currently completing. Gilles paced the classroom watching everyone in silence. Jeremie is the first to finish fifteen minute prior to the end of class.
Once he hands in his test sheet, he hurries out of the room with his bag not looking back.
Several minutes later, Laura completes her test seconds before Aelita. The blonde haired girl gets up from the back of the class and heads over to the front just as the pink haired lyoko warrior stands up from her seat. The silence cuts between them like a knife as they hand in their test papers. Both glare at each other as they exit before going separate directions.
After everyone had to give their papers in, the bell rings allowing everyone to exit their classrooms. Ulrich and Odd notice Aelita sitting on a bench not too far away engrossed into a book.
"Where is Einstein?" Odd inquires as they approach her "Did he head to his next period?"
"Oh, him? Probably alone, not wanting to be disturbed" she replies without looking up "Well, I better get get ready for the next class..." with that Aelita stood up and left.
The two boys look at each other unable to find anything to say. William and Yumi soon approach them.
"Is she still mad about what happened?" William sighs.
"Yeah..." Ulrich replies with a sigh.
"And I thought Ulrich, Yumi and William had a love triangle" Odd mutters blankly making the three behind him send glares his way.
He notices their reactions "Whaaat?! It's true, you know!' he says grinning sheepishly, while backing off "You guys did have a rocky relationship"
"Well, whatever" sighs Ulrich rubbing his forehead. His phone starts ringing; he takes it out of his pocket and reads the message. The others notice his questioning look.
"Jeremie says we need to go to the factory after classes"
William looks at him confused "For what?"
"He says we need to go to sector 5 to help Aelita find some data on what XANA may be up to"
Just then Yumi receives a notification on her phone as well; the same message.
"I guess we all meet up after class?" William says holding out his fist.
"Of course! Can't miss it!" Odd grins, fist bumping with him before they all leave.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
So, once the bell rings on their final lesson of the day, Jeremie and the others hurriedly get up from their desks and dart out of their respective classroom much to the confusion of several students and their teacher.
As they reach the forest they hear footsteps. It turns out to be Yumi and William.
"There you guys are" Odd smiles "Ready for a trip to sector 5?"
"Is there a need to ask?" William grins back "I have always been ready"
"We better get going" Aelita wastes no time and goes down the sewer first; Yumi, William and Ulrich going in after. The remaining two watch their friends head in. Odd takes this chance to speak with Jeremie.
"Are you still worried?" Odd asks, a hand on his friend's shoulder.
Jeremie responds with a nod before sighing "How am I going to tell her about-"
"Einstein chill, all you need is to be your self and don't fret"
Jeremie stares down at the manhole then back at Odd feeling slightly deflated "I guess that helps... Thanks Odd" he smiles not fully convinced but heads down to the sewers a little more confident.
oOoOo
They arrive at the computer lab. Jeremie goes over to the computer screens, while Odd pushes a button allowing him to go down to the scanner room where the others were waiting.
"What took you two so long?" mutters an annoyed Ulrich.
"Me and Jeremie were just having a heart to heart chat" Odd explains with a casual wave of his hand making Jeremy's eye twitch and Aelita smile a little.
"Just... get in you guys"
William, Odd and Yumi go in first. Ulrich looks at Aelita's despondent face with worry but once the scanners were ready again he steps in, putting aside what he wanted to say.
oOo
"Okay Jeremie, we're all in" William informs him as Ulrich and Aelita landed in the Arena.
"Good. Take the door in front of you"
The gang walk in silence together until Odd speaks up.
"Will, I never had the chance to say this before, but... your Lyoko costume"
"Yeah, I know... I'm surprised as well" he says looking down at his free hand "Jeremie once said it could be a sign of me 'overcoming' the time I was taken over by XANA. Even back then, when you guys reluctantly accepted me after what happened, I still had the dark costume and the super smoke. But now..." a small smile grows "I'm thankful. Even though I still have that smoke ability. I...I do think this change is a sign of me growing and overcoming the past..."
Everyone stayed silent as he said this. No one wanted to interrupt him as he spoke and they were glad they didn't.
Soon enough they arrive at a large open area of the core zone.
"Shouldn't we just go?" Ulrich asks Jeremie, stepping forward.
"No wait!" Jeremie warns.
But the Samurai already took a step forward and almost gets crushed when Odd pulls him back.
"Seems we have to get past this" William mutters folding his arms with a frown.
"Seems we all have to go our own way too" Aelita adds activating her wings before looking at the others "See you all on the other side"
The all nod. Yumi tells her to not worry as long at least three of them make it. Ulrich, Odd and Yumi had to run while trying to avoid the crushing blocks from above; not to mention the newly arrived creepers shooting from the sidelines.
Aelita after activating her wings flies to the left while also avoiding the blocks from above; William uses his super smoke form to quickly go past the crushing blocks. Aelita and Odd being the ones best available to take advantage of the powers in the situation use them to take out as much creepers as then can.
William is the first to make it safely to the end, reforms and observes the other Lyoko warriors. Ulrich using his superspeed almost reaches the end when a creeper laser makes contact resulting in a loss of 20 life points; it throws him in the path of another crushing block instantly devirtualising him.
"Ulrich!" Yumi yells, freezing for a split second, in turn getting herself devirtualised as well.
On the other hand, Odd finally makes it to the end of the room.
Aelita, who earlier, had also reached the end of the room used her wings for support attempting to remove as much creepers as possible from afar. She spots that Odd has made it to the end and Yumi and Ulrich were nowhere to be found.
"We'll just have to go on" Aelita says flying though the entrance with the others behind.
Back in the scanner room Yumi struggles to stand up from the scanner base and stumbles out of the scanner where Ulrich was waiting sitting in his own scanner "Sorry..." she apologises, arm on the scanner door.
"Don't worry about it, at least the others made it"
oOoOo
The remaining three carry on through the zone, until they come up to six creepers blocking their way to the exit. They halt their advance.
Aelita and William ready themselves, but Odd puts an arm out "You guys go on" Odd says stepping in front of them "I'll handle these guys"
"Sure. Thanks Odd" with his large sword William blocks an attack against his friend.
Aelita flies over the battle field while William uses his super smoke to get to the celestial dome ahead. Both get past the monsters with ease with Aelita tossing an energy field at one for good measure. Once out Aelita runs up to the interface and starts to search up information, rendering Jeremie unable to help them. William waits behind her, eyes scanning the empty space.
oOoOo
"Damn Jeremie, I need more ammo"
"Sorry Odd, Aelita is on the interface, I can't do anything"
"Great, I have to think of something else now" he presses his lips, continuing to dodge the remaining two creeper's attacks.
"Unless..." an idea forms in the boy's head; he smiles cheshire-like.
Odd quickly, on all fours, jumps forth in-between the two creepers. The cat boy taunts them; just as they fire, he leaps up for a classic case of friendly fire.
"Now, to go forward" he grins running on all fours.
He arrives into the celestial dome to see Aelita and William standing near the interface.
"So did you find- huh? Come on!" he groans noticing five mantas hatch from the walls. Aelita decides to stop for a while so Jeremy could virtualise Odd's overboard and refill his arrows.
As he jumps on Odd tells William to protect Aelita as she continues to search up information. The older boy nods as a manta comes up to them shooting a ray of beam at Aelita. William blocks it with his zweihander before Aelita throws an energy field at it. Smiling, Odd proceeds to the four mantas. The cat-boy jumps on the closest one; while trying to shake him off Odd scratches the eye with his claws. He shoots for good measure. Odd backflips back onto his overboard just as it gets devirtualised leaving only three left. He goes after another while a second one comes up behind him. It fires a laser which Odd evades.
As he can now fire a maximum of three arrows from each hand, he fires a barrage from his right hand at the one in front of him and uses his left hand to fire at the one behind him devirtualising them both. Unbeknownst to him, more were beginning to hatch from the walls.
The third manta flies towards Aelita, but both send an energy slash and energy field at it instantly devirtualising it.
"William. Go help Odd" she tells him, stopping on a piece of data for a while "It seems there are more hatching"
"But-"
"Don't worry, I'm fine, I can look after myself. Besides there are no mantas coming my way for now"
With a bit of hesitancy, he sighs "Okay, if you say so" he responds in defeat "But try not to get devirtualised while I'm away" so William phases into his super smoke form just as a few more hatch.
The squadron of mantas head for Odd. He veers left as they fire. He then uses the forward trajectory to fly upwards, over the monsters before firing at one round back devirtualising it. William comes out of his super smoke form above another unleashing an energy slash before diving back into smoke. Odd heads towards the remaining mantas suddenly changing course towards Aelita.
"Aelita, watch out!" Odd yells, he fires but only destroys one of the mantas.
"Guys, I think I fou-" she didn't get to finish her sentence as the laser found its mark. The hit doesn't devirtulise her, but instead sends her flying off the platform.
"Aelita!" everyone watches the girl fall towards the bottom.
"Einstein!" Odd cries out, dashing down in an effort to save her, just as a manta strikes him sending his devirtualised form flying off his overboard.
Jeremie didn't need Odd telling him, already typing in the materialization code bringing her back just before she hits the bottom.
Odd having also been devirtualised at the same time comes out of his scanner and sees Aelita, her back against the scanner and her knees bent, still coming in terms of being close to deletion.
"You okay princess?"
"I... I think so" she groans rubbing her head as Jeremie (who left his station) rushes down to the scanner room.
"Aelita!" he cries as he runs over "I was so worried!" he envelopes her in terrified worry, too scared of letting go of her.
"Don't worry, I'm fine Jeremie⦠thank you" she gently pats his back smiling while Odd shoots her a reassuring thumbs up.
"Yeah! In the end you got her out safe and sound in time. That's what matters in the end" he states assuringly to Jeremie.
"You better rematerialize William" Aelita reminds him "He's probably still waiting in Lyoko"
Jeremie nods understanding and goes back up the ladder while the two continue to wait near the scanners. Odd helps Aelita up as they wait. Soon enough, the third scanner opens revealing a slightly irked William using his arm to lean slightly against the scanner. Slowly, he gets out, still with the annoyed look on his face.
"I had to destroy that last manta who didn't pay the slightest attention to me" he quips rubbing the back of his neck annoyed.
Odd and Aelita just laugh. The three go back up to the computer room using the lift where Jeremie, Ulrich and Yumi were waiting.
"Don't worry you guys" she smiles nervously "Jeremie managed to save me. Thanks again by the way" she adds her cheeks going slightly pink like her hair.
"Don't mention it" he returns also slightly blushing rubbing the back of his head "And... about the Laura thing... er-"
"Don't worry. I... I know you were just helping her with her work, I was just overreacting about the whole thing. Something I shouldn't have done"
She hugs her friend once more when she notices William, the only one not smiling, a few feet away from the group, lost in thought.
"William? What's wrong?" Aelita asks noticing his silence.
"I don't know" he responds, looking off elsewhere "It's still bugging me: back in sector 5, the mantas, they completely ignored me. Even when they first hatched out off the walls. It's weird"
"Maybe... just maybe" Odd grins, hands up in a jesting manner "They were waiting for a certain jellyfi-" Aelita glares at him "What?! Okaaay! I shouldn't joke about that around William"
She sighs "Anyway, talking about strange. I managed to get some information before I fell" she begins, the rest of the group all turn their heads to her. She turns to face the group "I found something that looked like source codes. It... It seems that XANA might be creating a new monster, but..." she presses her lips together "This one might be more different and... complex than most monsters we've faced before" she relays, draping an ominous feeling over the group.
The group all look at each other, none saying a word, worry and concern was clear in some of their faces. Jeremie was thinking deeply, Odd was in no joking position and shared the same concerned look as Ulrich. Said boy who was looking towards Yumi who looked back. William, on the other hand, had an unreadable expression as if certain thoughts were running through his mind.
Their battle against the sentient AI had just started again. Who knows what else it might throw at them. They have to be prepared for anything.
W
