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G-Force 4
Author of 6 Stories |
Disclaimer
I don't own Code Lyoko. I do not think that the two dollars I have in my wallet would be enough to buy the rights to this awesome series.
Special Thanks
To all who auditioned and have been reading this story since the beginning: It's great to see that you guys care enough to leave reviews and help out.
The sewer system.
An endless series of tunnels, winding and twisting a crooked pathway through the city's sub-level. Dark and murky, this underground passage of waste has been the subject of horror movies and urban legends alike. These stories weave intricate fables about unseen mutants, hidden colonies of civilization and giant alligators. Of course, these frightful tales of suspense are nothing more than modern fairy tales concocted to entertain the masses. The only noteworthy organism that populates this area is something not based in the world of fantasy. This nondescript four-legged mammal does not have the same notoriety as the mythical beings of city lore, as its presence is more of an annoyance than a dangerous threat.
Nevertheless, even this tiny beast can serve a purpose in the eyes of the enemy. Alone the rat is just a pitiful specimen, but amass an army of them and an imposing force is your ally. All it takes to control the entire pack is just one…and the rest will fall like an endless string of dominoes.
"Mr. Simone is here to see you," the secretary on the other line said rather dryly.
Mr. Delmas was not sure if he had arranged a meeting with the school psychologist today, but if the man was willing to go through the trouble of going to his office, he must have something important to say.
"Excellent, send him right in."
The door opened slowly on its hinges, which allowed the bearded man to step inside. Principal Delmas turned his hand so that the palm faced the ceiling as an inviting gesture to let his new guest to take a seat.
"So, to what do I owe this unexpected visit?" He asked.
Mr. Simone took a moment to remove a few files and packets of paper from his suitcase and laid them onto the desk for Mr. Delmas to see.
"As you know," he started, "aside from my responsibilities of meeting the psychological needs of our students, I've taken an acute interest in their grades, as a means of following up on my cases."
Principal Delmas scanned the papers that littered his workspace and could tell that he was staring at grade reports just by the way the numbers were printed on the paper.
Mr. Simone gave his boss a brief second to return his gaze back onto him before he laid his cards out on the table.
"I found one."
That "something important" made itself known right then and there. The principal didn't even need to ask "Found what?" Instead, the man lowered his gaze and closed his eyes to think over those words.
"The Scholastic Achievement Grant…so it's been a year already. How time flies."
It was forgivable that this particular date was forgotten given the sheer size of the principal's to-do list. Still, the fact that he only needed a friendly reminder was quite a feat.
Another file was thrown onto the table compliments of Mr. Simone.
"I've already taken the liberty of compiling some data on our latest candidate. In all actuality I might even go as far as saying that he's overqualified for this award." The man then let out a small chuckle at his own joke before coming back to his serious expression. "In all honesty, sir, once he passes these tests it will give our school's reputation a significant boost, and hopefully a few extra enrollments next year."
A strange pang developed in the pit of Mr. Delmas' stomach as the exact rationale of why this specific date was forgotten came back to him.
"Hopefully, he will fare better than our last candidate."
Oh, XANA; Odd could write an entire book on how the evil program was out to ruin his life (besides the random attacks on his safety). Why was it that whenever he had a bad day, such as when the water heather broke or when he was forced to critique a novel, XANA wouldn't show his ugly mug? Of course after the battle was won, Odd would be sent back through time and get to relive those wonderful incidents all over again.
Not being the type to stay down and out for long, Odd pulled his sketchbook out from his backpack and started doodling an original character he had in his head. Jim told the class that this time was meant for studying, and Odd was doing just that—studying. It might not be for a class that he was struggling in, but at least it was something productive.
A few pencil strokes later, the piece of paper was quickly torn out of the book and was converted to a paper ball. His original design looked too bland for his taste and he began working anew. Not needing the crumpled drawing anymore, Odd flicked the piece of trash directly ahead of him. It didn't matter where it went.
Everything was coming up roses for Odd. His little impromptu sketch was now looking more impressive than some of his more recent works. Sometimes he amazed even himself with his drawings. There was nothing like a good writing session in the morning to get one's day jump-started. Sure, he was supposed to use this free time to hit the books, but he was on a roll now and didn't want to be stopped.
The sketch-book was raised a bit higher so that the entire image could be taken in at once. Everything was perfect. The figure's proportions, the shading, the background… it was clearly his best drawing yet.
Then again, the perspective did seem to be a bit off… and the pose wasn't really as dynamic as he intended it to be. Of course he would change this after he altered the character's costume design.
Who was he kidding, this thing was garbage. There was only one thing left to do with it and that was to crumple it up and throw it away.
"Man, this library is totally cramping my style," Odd mused. "Do you know how many times I had to redraw this picture?"
That particular question was aimed at the headphone-wearing student sitting calmly next to him, who just happened to be Jin Ishiyama. The Japanese boy looked up and saw the paper ball that Ulrich "disposed" of a few seconds ago.
"Fifteen-love," was his answer.
Odd had to raise an eyebrow at that response. "What kind of math class did you flunk out of? I only drew this thing twice, not fifteen, and what's with you calling me 'love?' I know we're friends and all but we're not that close."
Jin exhaled slowly, realizing his purple inquisitor did not understand the full context of what he was saying.
"Ulrich deflected your serve."
He pointed his index finger at the studious introvert and repeated the first half of his message.
"Fifteen."
The same finger then turned its attention toward the crumpled piece of paper that lay near Odd's foot.
"Love."
A grin of devious intent surfaced on Odd's face that broke whatever calm feeling Jin was currently experiencing. Those failed drawings would have to wait, Odd found something else to pass the time.
Yumi smiled in the boy's direction and took a glance at his textbook and its over-complicated definition of the word. Perhaps if she provided a simplified version of the idea he would be able to understand it.
"It's really simple when you think of it," she explained. "Momentum is just the value of an object in motion, based on its speed and total mass. When the object hits something, the momentum is transferred between the two."
The confused look in Ulrich's eyes told Yumi that she wasn't fairing any better than the textbook's author. It looked like she would have to use an example close to home to help make her point fully clear.
"It's like playing soccer. When you kick, you transfer the momentum of your foot to the ball, which causes it to move down the field. Or when you watch a tennis player smash the ball onto the opposite end of the court. That's another example."
The paper ball he batted away so many minutes ago returned with a vengeance. It streaked passed his head, barely grazing his temple in the process. Looking up, he saw Odd with his palm still extended and a rather smug look on his face. Ulrich didn't need Yumi's help in determining that his best friend was the source of this latest disturbance.
Odd, on his part, was wildly pumping his fists in the air. Sure, if one were to look at his "accomplishment" he did nothing more then hit a paper ball across the table…but it felt so good he just had to celebrate.
"You got served!" The boy exclaimed, knowing full well how bad of a pun he had cracked. His wild movements began to subside, and he directed his attention toward Jin who was now obligated to play out his bit part in this miniature tournament.
"Alright man, tell me the score now."
It was at this point in the game that Jin was mentally kicking himself for giving Odd such a ridiculous idea as paper ball tennis. Not to mention he was too engrossed in his reading to actually pay any sort of attention. There had to be a person who he could dump the responsibilities of being a scorekeeper onto. He turned to his left and saw a female student with an array of pencils, pens, and coloring instruments before her, putting the finishing touches on her latest picture. Not entirely knowing who she was did not prevent Jin from asking her to be his substitute for Odd and Ulrich's game.
"You!" Jin said calling her out catching the wavy haired girl by surprised. "Keep score for those two!"
The student lifted her head up and rolled her eyes, not out of annoyance but as if she had expected something like this to happen to her eventually.
"What are you talking about, Jin?"
His eyes widened and blinked a few times when he realized the stranger he had selected at random knew his name.
"How on Earth do you know me?"
"We're in the same class, silly. Remember?"
The look in the eccentric boy's eyes was as if he had suddenly come up with the answer to a million dollar question with that realization. The artistic student in the conversation made a silent vow to draw that expression one day, as it was too good of a face to go by unnoticed.
"Oh yeah—Rebecca!"
Jin's eyes darted around the library to look for something to talk about to avoid the awkwardness he was feeling on account of his failure in the department of short-term memory. A change of subject was in order.
"Like the cat-girl drawing," he said. Jin pointed at the yellow, white and black image that was etched on the paper. Clearly a lot of time and effort was spent on the picture.
Rebecca was unfazed by his "diversionary tactics".
"So what's this about being a scorekeeper?"
Despite his rather tactless request, Rebecca couldn't help but feel charmed by his somewhat blunt delivery.
"Odd and Ulrich are playing paper ball tennis. The score is fifteen all."
"What are you talking about?" Rebecca asked one more time, trying to get a clearer picture of what was going on.
She looked to Jin expecting an answer but got instead the sight of him reading. This was an obvious ploy made on his part to totally ignore her question; that way she did not have a chance to reject his "offer."
"Unpredictable as always," Rebecca muttered under her breath while she got closer to the game so that she could get a better view. She had nothing better to do, and this might prove to be a fun little diversion for her since she was quite bored.
"That was very strange…yet quite relevant to what I was talking about before."
She only allowed the awkward thought to sit for a brief second before her sense of reason returned to her. There was no longer a need for Ulrich's book to remain open. Once his competitive spirit was sparked, less important things like studying were put to the side.
"Hey, Aelita," Jeremie greeted. His voice was barely above a whisper.
The girl had a keen eye to detail, so she instantly was able to see that Jeremie was not communicating with her in the familiar setting of his dorm room.
"I take it that Yumi and the others managed to get you outside."
Jeremie was always charmed by Aelita's unintentional sense of humor. It managed to rouse feelings of laughter without being as piercing as some of the jokes Odd threw his way.
"Study period in the library."
If Aelita leaned any closer than she was doing now, she would fall over on her face for being so off balanced.
"Study what?" She repeated as the second half of the statement escaped from her understanding due to it being so soft.
"Study period in the library. I have nothing to do, really; I'm done with all my work." He tacked on an explanation at the end as if doing so would make up for the lack of volume in his words. He had to watch what he said though, as the room's stillness permitted even the tiniest sound to cut through the air.
Then again, the general feeling of apathy lingered, as well as the courtesy of the other students. Most likely if Jeremie did have a slip of the tongue it would go unnoticed; no one really seemed to care about what he was doing. Of course, Ulrich and Odd's paper ball tennis game was able to shake things up a little bit.
"Much better," Jeremie said in a slightly louder voice.
Aelita let herself take a sigh of relief as she no longer needed to focus so intently on what Jeremie was saying, which made the listening process much easier for her.
"So, why were you so quite a few seconds ago?"
"I couldn't talk so loud since I'm in a library."
"A library?"
It now dawned on Jeremie that this was probably the first time that word had been brought to her attention. An explanation was in order.
"It's a place where people store information. Think of it as a giant written database where you can access anything you want…but you have to keep quiet."
The antics of Ulrich and Odd served as the backdrop to the library's introduction. The best friends were now well-matched rivals looking to best each other in this unique game of skill and dexterity. On one side of the playing field was Ulrich, whose movements were lightning quick and unrelenting. His opponent was just as fierce and possessed an uncanny sense of determination. The Ishiyama twins found themselves partaking in the contest as well, acting out coaching roles and looking for holes in their opposing player's strategies. Yumi was far more useful here, as Jin was quite detached from his "duties." He still had yet to peel his eyes away from the book he was reading and wasn't giving Odd the time of day.
Jeremie took in the vibrant atmosphere for only a second, then returned his focus to Aelita's virtual eyes, which were patiently waiting for him.
"That way you don't disturb those around you," Aelita promptly responded. She was always a fast learner and today was no exception, but there was one thing she forgot to include.
"Well, that and you gotta be quite for the game point."
"It's go time," Odd muttered to psych himself up.
Just before his hand could come into contact with the crumpled ball, Jin intervened.
"Remember the plan Odd."
The person the sentence was addressed to nodded in agreement. Though…it was kind of hard to take this sort of thing to heart, when the one giving the advice did not even bother to lift his head above the pages of his book.
"What plan? This is the first time you even talked to me since we started."
"Yeah I know, but it sounded real cool so I couldn't resist."
"Do you have anything useful to say?"
By now, the conversation seemed like it would have been more fitting if it was taking place in the school's cafeteria or outside. One could not blame Odd for wanting to give his "coach" a good smack on the head, for he was being more than just uninterested. Instead of receiving some sort of advice, he was treated to an unusual murmuring from Jin as he went back to his previous activity of reading.
"Crouching jab, forward Hi-En-Zan."
What the heck was he saying? If Odd didn't know any better he could have thought the Japanese boy was speaking in a foreign tongue.
"C-Groove level two Hou-Ou Ten-Bu-Kyaku cancels into Hou-Ou Kyaku."
This was when Odd started feeling like a fool for not noticing the signs earlier. Jin had been reading a fighting game strategy guide all this time. No textbook in the world can hold that boy's attention like that.
"I can't believe he'd rather research combos than help me beat Ulrich."
The fact that he ranked pretty low on someone else's priority list made him sink a bit lower into his chair, and he gave an expression so ridiculous looking that it made Yumi wish she had a camera to capture it.
"Hey buddy, can we switch coaches? I think mine is broken."
"Sorry Odd, no can do. I can't have you learning the secrets to my undefeated playing style."
"Undefeated playing style? Isn't this is the first game we're playing?"
"Well…it will be undefeated after I beat you."
To those who were watching, this was truly a shocking turn around. Seeing Ulrich display such confidence was just as rare as a game of paper ball tennis. It was only during such intense moments that he freed himself from his inhibitions.
Confident Ulrich or not, Odd wasn't going to let an opportunity to crack a joke escape him.
"My, aren't we feeling arrogant today,"
"I only learn from the best."
When he wanted to, Ulrich could have quite the smart mouth. This was definitely something Odd would remember for quite a while. Clearly the crowd was on the star soccer player's side now. The only way he could save face was a quick and decisive victory.
"You asked for it!"
Rebecca held her arm in the air holding a rather decisive pose with the two players looking on at her. Such an intense game this was, and she was having a blast overseeing it. Before the final point could be determined, her official duties as scorekeeper and referee had to be completed.
"Players ready?"
The boys both gave her a nod before they began to stare holes through each other.
"GO!"
The paper projectile flew off the palm of Odd's hand to Ulrich's side of the playing field, where it bounced off the mahogany surface and was then deflected by the receiver's hand traveling back in the opposite direction at an even faster speed. It had been quite a while since the two boys had enjoyed themselves like this, as the game was just as fun as it was intense. By now the boys did not even bother to permit the object they were striking to hit the table. Back and forth, the circular ball bounced from one contestant to the other, picking up speed with each successful hit that came its way.
Odd was no sports strategist but he knew he was in a pinch. He couldn't keep up this rapid fire pace for long and it was only a matter of time before Ulrich would outlast him. If he was going to win this thing, he had to end it soon.
With a swift horizontal hit, he sent the ball back to Ulrich at an unusually fast speed. This caught the boy off guard and caused him to block the shot out of reflex rather than thought. This was the opening that Odd created for himself. With his friend's jerky block, the crumpled drawing's velocity slowed down and was now a pop fly, rather than the speeding bullet it was before. He stretched his hand back as far as it could go and snapped the muscles in his arm as if were one giant rubber band.
"Ha!"
The blonde boy's ferocious grunt only added to the shot's already awesome power. By the time Ulrich's eyes had zeroed in on his target, it was already making its way past the table's edge and onto the floor.
"Bingo!" Odd cried. Already the ball was flying over Ulrich's head and was well out of his reach. All he had to do now was wait for it to hit the floor and the game would be won, but that never happened. Ulrich's never-say-die attitude kicked into high gear as idea after idea of possible counters to Odd's attack flashed through his mind. If Ulrich's arms were not long enough to intercept the round projectile, then he would just have to extend his reach to do so. In a move that was just as daring as it was cunning, Ulrich shifted his chair onto its hind legs and anchored himself to the table with his foot fully extended in front. Now fully armed with an extended range of motions at his disposal, Ulrich let his reflexes take control.
"Game over."
With on last mighty smash, the ball was sent out of Ulrich's side of the playing field and into the face of a very shocked looking Odd. There it quietly tumbled down his body where it lay to rest on the wooden surface where it had originally sat.
One glance revealed to Yumi that the audience watching the game was just as surprised by the star soccer player's bold move as she and Odd were. No sooner was this standstill created than Ulrich began to lose his fragile sense of balance on account of how physically taxing it was to hold himself up. The others could only watch as his only means of support was dislodged from the table's edge, causing the unlucky boy to fall over backwards in a comical fashion.
Ulrich braced himself for the pain he would feel once his body would come into contact with the floor. A split second after he made this mental resolve Ulrich's entire being was jolted by the chair's sudden stop. For sure he had collided with the ground by now. However, if that was the case, why did he feel as if nothing had happened?
"Can't you pick another time to cause a commotion?"
The silence that resounded in the library was so prevalent that one could hear a pin drop. Whatever feelings of jubilation that Odd and Ulrich had helped to create was squashed by the emergence of two students.
There, supporting a teetering Ulrich with one of his hands was a rather peeved looking Dirk Kap Hwan.
If Ulrich was expecting any help from his fan group he had just recently won over, he was gravely mistaken. Dirk and Clayton's intimidating aura made even the bravest of students slink away from their gaze. It was a miracle that Ulrich and his group of friends could keep their composure in the midst of those two.
Odd was always the first person to "welcome" those who wished the group harm with his sarcastic wit and showed no hesitation in proving this fact true.
"Aw, man! It was just getting good, too. How are we supposed to enjoy our game with these apes on the court? Does anyone have any baboon repellent?"
Those brave enough to watch the standoff were amazed by the amount of self-restraint Dirk employed after hearing such a scathing remark. Maintaining his composure, the well-dressed antagonist gently set Ulrich's chair down so that it rested on all four legs once more.
"When you have the third highest grade in class you tend understand things the first time they're mentioned," the Korean casually responded, as if he was quoting a fact rather than proclaiming superiority.
"No surprise coming from a person who's taken the class before," Ulrich interjected in a manner reminiscent of all the insults he threw Sissi's way.
It was only at such a tense moment that Jin finally pulled his nose away from his book and acknowledged that there were activities going around him that were more important than finding out how to do a five-hit combo string with one of his favorite SNK characters.
"Watch out, Ulrich, if you tick Dirk off, he's gonna yell, Tae Kwon Do no shinzui...Misemashou!"
Jin's words were so out of context that it even drove the usually quite Clayton into speaking up.
"What is your brother babbling on about?" He asked an equally confused Yumi.
"The Japanese I understood. Aniki said if you ticked Dirk off he would yell, 'The essence of Tae Kwon Do, I will show you'. Now how it pertains to our discussion…that I can't say."
Jin felt his reference to have been so obvious that their ignorance was almost painful to him.
"I can't believe you guys don't know what I'm talking about!"
Thumbing through the pages of his prized strategy book, Jin turned the book so that its pages faced away from him. Now able to read the unique piece of "literature", Dirk saw a man wearing a white and blue Tae Kwan Do to-baulk staring back at him. It was only when he read his name that he began to understand Jin's warped sense of "logic".
"Kim Kap Hwan."
"And to think this is the same guy who floored you when we all fought in the forest," Clayton replied. He had a hard time envisioning the goofy fighting game fan as a skilled martial artist.
With the Troublesome Duo's initial feelings of rage now behind them thanks to the uncanny thought pattern of her brother, Yumi seized the opening to calm the tension that had been created.
"We didn't do anything intentionally to annoy you. Can't you just leave us alone and let bygones be bygones?"
Dirk took a step forward as to approach the Japanese girl, which quickly caused Ulrich, Odd and Jin to rise to their feet as to anticipate his next move.
"Ok people, break up the party!" came the booming, gruff voice that belonged to the school's one and only physical education instructor.
Jim had every reason to approach the cluster of teenagers. There should be no reason why the five of them would be standing in such a manner, especially since he had ordered the class to sit still and focus on their studies. This quiet activity should not have involved everybody standing up.
That, and the game of paper ball tennis conducted earlier. He would have intervened sooner, but the article in his latest sumo magazine was too interesting to leave.
Clayton scoffed at that last comment. "What person in their right mind would invite those losers to a party?" he grumbled.
Already Jim sensed that he was dealing with an unruly bunch. If he was going to get any obedience from them, he was going to have to start enforcing the campus' rules.
"So, you guys wanna play hardball, huh? Well, I can step it up as well!"
The library door opening behind him informed Jim that a late straggler was going to waltz into the room at any moment. It was time to show these young rebels just who was in charge here. His hands reached out for the person's earlobe and began his attack.
"You! Two hours detention! That will teach you about coming to class tardy."
The collective snickering from those watching caused Jim to raise an eyebrow. This was not the reaction he was going for. He was trying to give these children a scare, not entertain them!
Of course, with all the things they watch nowadays, he could be re-enacting a humorous scene from a movie they just saw. That's the way trends worked; like that one time where students would ask him if he was a fan of hip-hop music on account of the band-aid he always wore on his face.
Fortune smiled on him. At least one student was sympathetic to the grave mistake he unknowingly committed.
A rather hesitant Yumi raised her index finger at the unlucky person held in the PE teacher's clutches.
"Jim, are you sure you want to punish that particular person who just walked in?" she said, stifling a laugh.
The large man rubbed his square jaw. Clearly this was all just a ruse to get him to forget his duties as a teacher. To think he was almost fooled by this.
"Unlike you five, I respect the rules on this campus and as a highly respected member of this faculty..."
"Let's not go overboard with the bragging, Jim. Save words like that for the fiction section of this place," came Odd's rather punctual quip for he remembered the last time a teacher said that Jim was admired by the students.
"A HIGHLY RESPECTED member of this faculty!" Jim bellowed once again as if to salvage what little dignity he still had. "It is my sworn duty to enforce the rules of this school and to hand out punishments to those who break them."
Ulrich was beside himself with laughter and so was Clayton for Jim's blunder was so potent that it drove these mortal enemies to laugh in each other's company. Even Dirk allowed himself to smile at the sight.
"Priceless."
Yumi spoke again in an attempt to maintain order and to enlighten Jim on exactly what he was doing.
"All I have to say is…if that is a student's ear you're holding, then why can you grab it while standing upright?"
When that was brought to his attention, Jim began to wonder the same thing. To lay his curiosity to rest, he turned his head to see exactly who he was holding.
"MR. DELMAS!"
That revelation took the wind right of his sails, and was the catalyst for the final roar of laughter from the students watching. Aside from the overly embarrassed look his face and posture conveyed, Jim was handling the shock rather nicely. The school principal casually strolled through the throng of children whose parents entrusted him with their care; there was someone he had to speak to.
"Jeremie."
His name was spoken in a casual manner as if to start a conversation, rather than to instill fear, like Jim tried to do a few minutes ago. During Mr. Delmas' stroll, his keen eye caught a glimpse of the blonde boy closing his laptop, but paid no heed to this minute detail.
"Yes sir?"
"I would like to speak to you in my office after this period."
Nothing more came from the man's mouth afterwards and he walked out of the room, taking with him the sensible authority that kept the rest of the young students in check—something Jim couldn't do on a consistent basis without shouting at the top of his lungs.
Of course, being the quick tempered man he was, Jim was more than willing to fill the profound silence the principal left in his almost regal exit in the best way he knew how, and that was barking out the names of those who had "wronged" him as if he was a military drill instructor.
"Stern! Della Robia! Mil! Kap Hwan! Ishiyama!"
"Which one?" Odd retorted as he blew up the tiny mistake Jim made to giant proportions.
"Both of them!" Jim was in no mood to play games, a fact that Odd found out the hard way.
Rebecca was glad that she had yet to be recognized as part of the group, and slowly distanced herself from the others to avoid drawing any more attention to herself.
By now, those who had their names called had gathered in a small group in front of the teacher, wondering what was in store for them. Simultaneously, both Yumi and Dirk moved their way to the front of the crowd, thinking that one of them would have to address Jim. The tension in the library rose to new levels now that the two enemies were just a foot apart from each other. With the people he had summoned standing before him, Jim was now ready to hand out their just deserts.
"I tell you guys to sit down and be quiet, and yet I see all of you causing a racket, and out of your seats! So unless you guys can give me a good reason why you did that, consider yourselves the proud recipients of three weeks of detention!"
It was obvious that the man's temper was getting the better of him, for now the punishment he was willing to hand was a bit on the harsh side. Jin's voice was the first to reach the teacher's ears as he was the one who reacted the earliest.
"No way!"
Ulrich rolled his eyes as he was used to getting yelled at by the man. Such an experience was not new to him.
"Tell me about it," he added. "Jim's really losing his head over this."
He casually turned his head in the direction the emotional outburst came from…and was surprised to see that the area he was starring at was vacant.
"Jin?"
A few feet away, the brown haired boy heard the sound of a strategy guide being slammed on the table.
"It's possible to do an Ultimate Psycho Crusher after just a jump-in roundhouse, two jabs and a crouching medium in Capcom Vs. SNK 2? You gotta charge petition like crazy to be able to pull that combo off!"
It only now dawned on Ulrich that Jin was still not paying attention to the drama going around him. How Jim managed to not see this would never be explained.
The prospects of having three weeks detention did not sound appealing to Yumi and Dirk. The two dark clad Asians gave each other uneasy glances to show their discomfort with their proposed punishment.
Dirk spoke barely above a whisper as he only wanted Yumi to hear what he was saying.
"I don't suppose you have any bright ideas on you right now, do you?"
The Japanese girl was shocked. She would have never pictured such a proud person to be reaching out for help. Still having feelings of animosity, Yumi flat out refused his request.
"Didn't reading all those books about strategy prepare you for this?"
Though not as piercing as her brother's sense of sarcasm, Yumi's brash opinion did a good enough job driving her point home.
"Very funny. But I don't think that my testimony would be very convincing by myself so I'm asking for your assistance. Unless you have a hidden agenda where you actually want to spend three weeks locked in a room with two of the people you most hate and this cheery fellow, I suggest you help."
Yumi closed her eyes as if to ponder her predicament. Not too many options at her fingertips. The only way she could avoid such a punishment was to ally herself with one of the most antagonistic individuals she had the misfortune to encounter.
"Fine, just follow my lead."
"Don't mess this up."
Staring her PE teacher in the eyes, Yumi told her side of the story. She could only guess how her volatile instructor would react to her story and if Dirk would stay true to his word.
"Well Jim, at first I was helping Ulrich with his physics homework because he was having a hard time understanding the concept of momentum…"
Ulrich's ears turned a slightly darker shade of red after she mentioned his incompetence in his studies. Sure, his friend was telling the truth in order for everyone to escape punishment, but still…did Yumi really have to say this fact out in the open for everyone to hear? It was so embarrassing.
"Just then I noticed a small paper ball by his side and I had an idea..."
The mentioning of the object Odd and Ulrich used in their little game was a pivotal moment in her little fabrication. If she just told Jim that the little bedlam in the library was really just an innocent demonstration for Ulrich on the concept of momentum then they would be off the hook for sure.
"I batted the ball gently with my fist so that…"
Yumi gasp in surprised as Dirk rudely stepped in front of her, as to instantly gain Jim's attention. In a blink of an eye, Yumi had gone from being in total command of her situation to gawking like an idiot.
"That's when she suggested to her friends to start their little game. I only got out my chair to tell them to stop as they were becoming too rowdy for their own good."
The Lyoko group took a collective step back after hearing Kap Hwan's blatant lie. He had taken the liberty to fill in the gaps in Yumi's story, changing the meaning and context of what happened. Such a drastic difference went by unnoticed, because Jim believed the boy's words.
"I get it now…" Jim started. "Yumi and her group of friends were goofing off like they have a tendency to do and you were just wanted to them to be quiet."
The pieces from this mishmash jigsaw finally came together, confirming to Yumi that the suspicions she had from the beginning were correct all along. Dirk had no intention of being helpful at all. This was a set up. Odd too saw the grim path this game of twenty questions was going and quickly tried to control the damage as best as he could.
"C'mon, Jim. You know that's not the truth. Don't let Dirk fool you like that!"
"ENOUGH!"
None of this was helping to calm Jim's temper. He didn't have the time or the desire to listen to this constant bickering any longer. It was time for this argument to end and judgment to be passed.
"Yumi, for being the cause of this whole mess I'm giving you three weeks of detention effective immediately!"
"But sir…"
"I don't want to hear it." Jim abruptly cut her off. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood right now, or else I would have given your friends the same punishment. I'll be looking forward to seeing you after school today."
Any further objections Yumi wished to voice were drowned out by the sound of the bell ringing and the parading students who filed out to the courtyard to lunch. Resisting any longer would be futile; the battle had been lost and Dirk was enjoying the spoils of his victory. Now wearing the arrogant smug that she had grown accustomed to, Kap Hwan leaned a bit closer as to further torment her.
"Next time Yumi, keep your comments about me to yourself. I would say this has been an unpleasant experience for me, but that would be lying."
With his hands in his pockets, Dirk spun on his heel and made his way to the door with Clayton following close behind and a smile on his face.
If took the combined efforts of Ulrich and Odd to calm Yumi down and stop her from using Kap Hwan as a practice dummy for new technique she learned on how to break a man's arm in three locations.
Odd turned his head from his sitting position looking at his friends on the other side of the doorway who looked just as bored as he was.
"So, you think Einstein did something really stupid and is getting a mouthful from the principal?"
Ulrich's head perked up after hearing his roommate's theory. It was the most obvious suggestion and the easiest to accept given the fact that the principal rarely made such a public ordeal of asking a student to visit his office.
"I doubt it," the green-clad student said looking out at the courtyard. "The only time Jeremie got in trouble was when we made it looked like he spray painted that picture of Jim on the wall and that was our idea."
"Maybe it had something to do with Taelia," Odd suggested. "Jeremie could have had a lapse in memory and tried talking to her again since she looked so much like Aelita and it creeped her out."
Another plausible theory. After all the fuss that Taelia instilled with her mere presence at Kadic, perhaps Jeremie tried to talk to her one too many times after all the chaos resulting from the Samurai had been resolved.
Ulrich shook his head. "I don't think so. I recently talked to Sissi concerning her and she told me that Taelia was an orphan. That's why she was pretty hesitant when it came to talking about her family life."
"I suppose…but if it's not Einstein's fault and if Taelia has nothing to do with this, then why all the fuss?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. But until then all we can do is sit and wait."
Letting his sentence come to a full stop, Ulrich couldn't help but be puzzled by Yumi's silence. Normally in a discussion like this she would have been the one who supplied the answers. The perturbed look that she was wearing was all the explanation he needed in regards to her foul mood. As if to cement his findings, when Yumi finally did speak, it was on a rather obvious subject.
"Who does Kap Hwan think he is?"
Such a harsh statement, though warranted, was quite a shocker for the group. It was usually the likes of Sissi who was able to penetrate Yumi's emotional barrier and really get a rise out of her. Sure, her experiences with Dirk in the past have been on the shaky side, but she never really let it get to her…until now.
Then again, when such a person is the direct cause of you getting three weeks of detention from your PE teacher, you have every right to be angry.
Jin chimed in with his own response. "Just when I thought he calmed down a bit, he starts acting like his old self. First that guy attacks me near the cafeteria and now he's playing mind games with my sister. When I get my hands on him…"
He made a rather violent gesture with the aid of his legs and elbows that if Dirk's head was positioned between the two limbs, a trip to the emergency ward would have been in order. His rather graphic demonstration was halted by the door finally opening.
Yumi shed her bitterness as there were more pressing matters for her to attend to.
"Jeremie, what happened in there?"
"You know how the principal is: making elaborate speeches whenever he can," Jeremie started. "Well he told me that the school psychologist has been observing me."
The oldest member of the team increased his walking speed so that he could catch up with his friends before he threw in his two cents.
"Since when did our school have a psychologist and why is he 'observing' you? It always seems like we attract all the weirdoes."
"Mr. Simone has been around for a while, and he told me that he tracks the grades of all the students at Kadic. After observing my academic progress, he told me that I was unusually gifted."
The rest of the teenagers walking beside him all released a collective sigh of relief; their greatest fear was not going to manifest itself.
Odd spoke up. "Is that all? For a minute there I thought he was questioning you about the factory or something as severe as that. It sounds like the purpose of the whole meeting was just to give you a giant pat on the back."
"I wish that was the case…but the shrink had other plans," Jeremie mused. "Tonight, I'm supposed to go to the library and take a few tests to see what my IQ level is."
Ulrich too was a bit confused by Jeremie's gloomy expression.
"What's the big deal? It's not like you haven't taken any tests before."
"Except that there's a lot more riding on this exam than just a good grade. If the test show that I have a really high IQ, the guy is going to see to it that I get sent to a different school."
Odd stood still, mouth gaping along side with his friends. The feel of the conversation shifted drastically from slight air of curiosity to dread.
"You mean you'll get transferred to a school for future Einsteins?" he gasped.
The grave costs of Jeremie proving his vast intellect were beginning to settle in and Yumi took note of them.
"This is bad. If we lose you, how can we get to Lyoko?"
Jeremie's feet stopped moving.
"It's not only that, guys…you're my friends. If I leave, I may never see you guys again."
The group stood motionless after hearing Jeremie admit his feelings. To hear the boy who would do anything in order to stomp out XANA for good, and rescue Aelita, say that he valued his friendships he had more was indeed touching. Already, the others were thinking of goodbye speeches they would recite before they would part ways, when Odd made a last ditch attempt to save the conversation from doom and gloom.
"Hold on a sec. Even if you do well on this test, it's not like the school can force you to leave."
Jeremie kept walking as if the activity made the next bit of bad news he was about to reveal more bearable.
"I wish things were as simple as that," he lamented. "The psychologist creep called my parents while I was in the principal's office. He told them at the other school I would be entitled for a scholarship. They're not going to let an opportunity like that slip by."
The possibility of losing Jeremie was a lot to take in at once. Throughout their battles with XANA they had gotten closer then they were before this war began. Each trip to Lyoko and every attack had strengthened their bond of friendship to the point that it could break the hardest diamond. It was a bond that they were not going to relinquish so easily.
The steps leading up to the building where their next classes were held were only inches away. They went their different ways without saying another word, as they were not comfortable with the concept of farewells.
The sound of heels clicking on the hardwood floor could be heard. Not wanting to lose his place in the book, Dirk reached into the breast pocket of his dress shirt and stuffed a stiff piece of paper between the pages.
"That's quite the interesting bookmark you have there," came an elderly female voice that belonged to the woman in charge of the library's activities. It had been another slow day at her end of the building and decided to pass the time away by talking to the Korean.
"What can I say, Mrs. Winterson? I think it suits me quiet well. Glad to see that your eyes haven't faded with age."
"Oh there you go, flattering me again. You're quite the gentlemen. Now, care to tell me why you use a playing card to mark your progress. It's not everyday I see a student use one for that purpose. Surely there's some significance behind it."
Dirk plucked the card out of his book with his middle and index finger (he mentally knew his spot in the story). Holding the object in place as if he were a world-class magician or gambler he allowed the librarian to get a better look at it.
"Not too much significance really. It just so happens that the Ace of Spades is my favorite playing card out of the entire deck."
"Is that all?"
"Don't tell me you came all this way to chat about the personal significance of my bookmark."
"Humor an old lady."
"And here I thought you didn't like being called old."
"Maybe…but today I'll make an exception."
Dirk held the card in the air looking at it from all sides. Remembering the exact reason why he carried it around.
"Let's just say that it reminds me of where I need to go in life."
Mrs. Winterson settled with the cryptic message and resumed her duties happy that she had had this little chat. Unraveling the unique back-story of this enigma was worthy of any detective story she had ever read.
Aelita listened intently through her computer screen as the boy poured his heart out from the sorrow this news had given him.
"Have you told the others about this?"
"Of course I have. All of you deserve to know what happened."
Jeremie's demeanor made a gradual shift to the other side of the spectrum. The thought of being separated from his life at Kadic was too much. He couldn't keep his thoughts straight any longer.
"It's just not fair," his meek voice articulated.
Though Jeremie's words might have hinted weakness, his body had a different opinion. The pent-up frustration showed signs of escaping as Jeremie tightly clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. This was something Aelita had an interest in immediately.
"Jeremie, as much as it would dishearten me to change the topic, I think it would not be a wise idea to stay here all day to lament on your predicament."
The boy was too shocked to feel sorry for himself now.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Though you have yet to explicitly say, I can already tell that one of the things you will miss the most if you ever leave is talking to me and your responsibilities with fighting XANA."
"But why wouldn't I be? It's…"
Showing a level of assertiveness not commonly associated with her, Aelita quickly cut Jeremie off.
"That's exactly it. You're thinking about what you're going to lose rather than a possible solution. Being here is only making matters worse for you. A clear mind is needed for you to make the right choice. Staying inside is not going to accomplish this."
She was right; his obligations only reaffirmed his resolve to try to stay within the walls of Kadic Junior High as long as he could. Yet was this the only reason why he was so angry? Another voice played in his mind, echoing a different message. This he pushed back, but that only caused the energy inside him to build. His fingers trembled. His foot began tapping furiously at the floor. Something was beckoning to him, saying he shouldn't sit still any longer.
"I'm going to get some fresh air," Jeremie said as he rose to his feet to look for a suitable emotional release.
It was going all too perfectly. Not even on Lyoko was he able to amass such an army so easily. Just a little bit longer and the preparations would be complete. Humans mocked the tiny creatures now but when they see such a gathering they can only cower in fear.
Besides, the animal that was responsible for the deaths of half the population of Europe was more than capable to destroy the likes of five teenagers in a boarding school. More than capable.
"Hey sis," he greeted her with a tired smile.
It was so typical of Jin. She explicitly told him that he didn't need to stay and he ignored the advice and sat outside. It was a fact of life she had accepted ever since he came back into her life after his two year stay in the United States. He would always be by her side, vowing to keep her safe, like a guardian angel watching from the heavens.
It never really dawned on Yumi that the relationship she had with her brother was different from the other siblings at school. They never really argued with each other; never strove to obtain their parent's attention. Battling alongside each other on and off Lyoko had strengthened their bond to something beyond their family lineage. It was as if they were almost becoming one and the same with all the time they spent together…able to feel each other's thoughts, and experience them as if it had come from their own consciousness.
"Even though I said you didn't need to wait for me, thanks for being here Aniki," she said.
The boy lifted himself off the floor, taking some time to brush off his clothes.
"So how was detention?"
"Take your most boring lecture in class, add in a bunch of delinquent students with chips on their shoulders and subtract the ability to whisper snide remarks to your neighbors. After that you get the picture on how dreadful my experience was… not to mention I have three more weeks of this stuff."
"And we can all blame Kap Hwan for this."
Yumi only needed to vent for a little bit before her normal sunny deposition surfaced, but it faded when she remembered the news she heard today.
"I'm worried about Jeremie."
"I haven't seen him since we split up to go to class."
Yumi began walking toward the gates of Kadic, looking at her brother through the corner of her eye.
"On normal occasions this wouldn't bother me, but I can't shake the feeling that he's feeling rather awful about this whole thing."
Jin closed his eyes and reflected on what his younger friend had said. The features on his face changed as his concentration grew deeper and deeper.
"I'll get the others and see if he's in his room."
"And I'll check the factory."
The twins parted ways, content with their plan, wishing that all their problems were solved this easily.
He began to train.
Practicing the simple yet effective strikes that he learned under Yumi's guidance, Jeremie moved from technique to technique as effectively as someone at his skill level could. The fact that he clung onto this knowledge was an achievement in itself, given the amount of time he spent in his dorm. Arms, fists and elbows cut through they sky defeating imaginary opponents in their wake. Jeremie had no intention on abandoning his interest in martial arts. It made him feel like an equal with his friends and gave him a sense of confidence that he lacked before. He could now defend himself, no longer being the "dead weight" (in his perspective); the one that had to be saved. He remembered his victories over the likes of Bruno and Clayton and the adrenaline rush that resulted soon afterward. It was quite frightening that he possessed this power.
Thinking of his previous fights allowed his thoughts to come back to his friends and duties at Kadic. It was more than obvious what choice he would make, he was to stay with those closest to him and fight XANA until he could materialize Aelita. That was it, plain as day. No further discussion was needed.
Yet, he was still unsure of this. A small, tiny, almost insignificant voice was shouting out loud. Its reasons were murky, but its message was as clear as melted snow. Jeremie cursed himself for thinking such thoughts and returned to his training as if he was combating the voice at a physical level.
"You might want to put more of your weight into that shoulder thrust," a female voice echoed.
Jeremie stopped his movements, panting from his heightened activity, and faced the speaker.
"Care to show me a demonstration then, Yumi?"
Yumi stepped into the clearing, performing the very same move that Jeremie had attempted. Her body was synchronized with her step, giving the strike a level of gracefulness and ferocity that only a few people could recreate.
"Glad to see you still practicing. Ulrich and I were worried that you hated this stuff." She said as her posture returned to normal.
"Well I'm glad I was able to put your fears to rest," Jeremie said, "I'm just letting off some steam."
Yumi's intuition was correct, though she was a bit surprised to see Jeremie in the forest as opposed to the factory hacking at a keyboard.
"So, did you think of a good solution while you were practicing being the next Karate Kid?"
A stifled chuckle came from the girl as she couldn't help but laugh at the mental image of herself acting like Mr. Miyagi circling her arms in the air.
"I thought of one a long time ago," he said. "It's just that there's something else that has been troubling me."
She couldn't pinpoint when, but somehow, Yumi had become a sort of older sister to her younger friend during their conflict against XANA. She wanted the best for him, and would always watch from a distance him grow and mature during these awkward stages of adolescence providing guidance when needed.
Now was one of those times.
"Take it from personal experience…it is best if you talk it out with someone else, as opposed to just holding it in. If you don't, you'll just drive yourself crazy with guilt."
Images of her sitting on a park bench with Ulrich under the moonlight flashed in her mind providing her with a sense of comfort back when she needed a shoulder to cry on.
Jeremie could be seen fiddling with his glasses soon after.
"For some reason Yumi, I can't shake the feeling that maybe leaving Kadic would be a good thing, and…I'm ashamed for thinking this way. I don't understand where these feelings are coming from; they're totally illogical and irrational!"
The blonde haired boy looked up expecting to see Yumi wearing an expression of contempt but was shocked to see the girl shake her head in disagreement.
"You're not being irrational thinking that way Jeremie. You're just being human."
His eyes lit up in wonder. He listened intently, hanging on to every word.
"Your desire to have a normal life is what these 'illogical' thoughts are deriving from. Going to a new school where you only have to focus on your studies achieves that. You're not a bad person thinking this way; the thought has crossed all our minds."
"Wait, you've thought about abandoning the team before?" This was news to him. He always thought that Yumi and the others were all willing volunteers to his cause.
She bit her lip. In the back of her mind, she was breaking her promise to Ulrich about not telling anyone of their little midnight meeting. However, she knew that the soccer player would understand if it was done in the name of helping their friend out.
"When Aniki was blinded, I blamed myself for all the grief I caused. I thought that maybe quitting the team and having all traces of our encounters with XANA erased from my memory would solve everything…but Ulrich helped me through my turmoil, and I realized how foolish I was."
"What do you mean by that?"
"My mom had a saying when I was a child. She would always tell me that to know what was right, yet do not was the worst cowardice. We shouldn't be ashamed that the intention of running away from all of this has crossed our minds. If we don't give into temptation, but do what we are obliged to do in our hearts, we can only grow stronger."
"Still…" Jeremie still felt torn. "I know I'm making the right decision by choosing to stay at Kadic, and yet I still feel a bit… disappointed with my choice."
"Take a step back, Jeremie. Why were you enrolled in Kadic in the first place? It was to please your parents and prepare for your future. You're just trying to be a good son and honor their sacrifices."
Jeremie reflected on the slice of wisdom that Yumi had shared and began to feel better about himself.
"I understand now. Just thinking about quitting is not bad in itself. It's when we act on these intentions that we've truly given up."
Yumi smiled, happy that she was able to guide her friend through his emotional storm. Now that things were normal, maybe they could tackle the issue of this test with a much clearer head than before.
"C'mon. Jeremie, that's enough melodrama for one day. It's time we found the others and see if there's anything we can do to help out."
"Agreed."
The two teens left the forest and made their way back onto campus with their spirits renewed and ready for anything.
It didn't take long to locate the remaining three boys, as they were idly chatting away near the cafeteria, which had yet to open for dinner. The sun was setting over Kadic, and now the students were looking for a way to past the time.
"Hey, Einstein!" Odd greeted with a wave. "We were about to head to the factory to see if you were there. Looks like we can thank Yumi for saving us the walk."
Odd turned to the girl in question standing next to the boy. This was the first time he and his roommate had seen her since she got out of detention, and for all they knew, Yumi would be in a rather steamed mood right now. They had to tread carefully when talking to her.
"Wow, I bet that was fun! Just think, Yumi, if XANA attacks, you'll get to have that detention all over again!"
Then again, Odd was the person who would willingly chose to throw caution to the wind. It was a good thing that Yumi had gotten over her ill feelings, or else she would have opted to practice her arm locks on Odd, as opposed to a certain Korean that was responsible for her misery. Instead, he would have to settle for a rather forceful whap on the head, compliments of his best friend.
"Ow!" Odd yelped, which instantly caused him to be quiet.
Ulrich was a bit more serious that he normally was, as he wanted to do everything in his power to make sure that Jeremie did not change schools as the powers-that-be intended to happen.
"Jeremie," he started, "I have a quick comment. Why can't you just fail the test so that the school can't prove that you're a genius? I'm sure your other school would not allow a transfer that only possessed an average IQ."
"So far Ulrich, that was the only solution I could think of as well, but there's a catch. This isn't your normal exam that you would see in class. There are so many trick questions and misleading answers that it's pretty difficult to get an inaccurate result. You have to be very clever to outsmart this thing."
Ulrich tapped his index finger against his temple.
"Well in that case we're going to need someone who's a genius at failing tests. Odd, do you care to help us out?"
Insults sweetened with a dash of truth were always the most potent verbal concoctions. Odd would have to congratulate his friend on a job well done sometime in the near future.
"I don't see how failing an exam would be so hard," he stated. "Just write Bruce Willis for every answer and you'll flunk for sure."
With a remark like that, Jin had to say something in response.
"Bruce Willis? I think it would be better for him to write Chuck Norris instead, but that's just me," Jin chuckled. "Did you know that Chuck Norris doesn't churn butter? He roundhouse kicks —"
"Guys, we want Jeremie to score low, not get himself sent to a mental institution," Ulrich interrupted, having a feeling where the conversation was going (and not wanting it to go there).
The boys tuned to Yumi to see if she had anything to say at the moment. She placed a reassuring hand on Jeremie's shoulder and spoke.
"Well I have faith in our little deceptive genius here," she stated. "We all know he's the cleverest student around."
Jeremie was the next to speak.
"Fine, it's worth a shot. I'll do my best to flunk."
Laughter was heard when it was all said and done. The statement sounded so out of character for Jeremie that it was ludicrous. The friends huddled together with a mixture of giggles, flailing limbs and splitting sides, sharing the moment together.
"Well, Einstein," Odd said, "this is it, your big test. Now go grab that one-legged A."
"Thanks for the encouragement Odd, but I'm still not sure if I can do this," Jeremie said.
Ulrich was a bit more reasonable with his advice than his purple clad companion.
"C'mon Jer, you're not going to get anything done with an attitude like that," Ulrich stated. "Remember what's riding on this. We'll be separated and you'll never see Aelita again. Not to mention XANA still might attack you just for kicks."
"Nice job, buddy," Odd quipped. "As if he didn't have enough pressure to deal with."
Jeremie raised his hand to stop the banter between the two roommates, and also so he could say his piece.
"It's okay, Odd. Ulrich was just giving me a much needed reality check." He sighed. "Okay guys, it's now or never."
With one last nod of confidence, Jeremie walked forward and disappeared in the giant doorway but not before hearing one last joke from his friend.
"Remember man, if you're unsure of the answer just write Bruce Willis!"
"Odd!" Ulrich growled.
"Or Chuck Norris…geez you're quite the grouch."
The boy kept on walking deeper into the building letting the doors close behind him. With that said and done, Odd retrieved the plastic cell phone that he stored in his pocket, paying special attention to the time it was now displaying.
"Well the cafeteria is open; wanna grab a bite to eat?"
He saw an indifferent expression on his friend's face as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Sure, why not?"
They set of toward the cafeteria, paying little attention to the sights and sounds of the school.
"So Odd, I noticed you weren't too excited when you talked about eating dinner tonight," Ulrich noted.
"That's because they're planning to serve us some sort of particularly un-yummy hash. I may like food but I'm no garbage disposal."
"For some reason, I think there would be a few people out there that would disagree."
"Very funny," Odd mock-chuckled. "You know, Ulrich, your insults have been improving. I guess all those encounters with Sissi really sharpened your skills."
Ulrich gave a small smile after hearing such praise. He never really made a conscious effort to heighten the potency of his words, but if it made Odd happy then he wouldn't spoil the moment.
"Well it's like what they believe in Eastern cultures: The best way to honor one's master is to surpass him."
The sound of running footsteps was heard soon after, followed by a voice that called their names out.
"Ulrich! Odd!" the female yelled, beckoning their attention.
The two friends struggled to pinpoint a face to the speech as they stopped their little stroll. It didn't have that high and mighty tone that Sissi carried, nor could it belong to Yumi, as she hadn't said she was coming back to the school.
They saw a roughly human-sized blur rushing at them. The blur took a more humanoid shape and skidded to a halt on the back of its heels, revealing to the boys that it was just an average teenage girl.
The sudden stop caused her wavy brown hair to sway slightly as she turned around to face the pair that she had nearly run past.
"Hi guys!"
Odd knew exactly who he was looking at, although his memory had misfiled her name.
"Hey, I know you. You were our scorekeeper when we were playing in the library."
A faux look of hurt was seen on her face. This was the second time today that someone she knew forgot her name. Fortunately, Ulrich had heard the exchange she had had with Jin and knew exactly who he was talking to.
"Rebecca, right?"
"That's correct," Rebecca declared. "Finally I meet someone here who can remember my name."
"So Rebecca," Ulrich said, "you seemed pretty anxious to see us. Any particular reason why? It's gotta be important with how fast you were running a few minutes ago."
The young artist raised her arm up and pointed her finger to the sky, imitating a common pose perfected by college professors and other people who want to make themselves look intelligent.
"Of course, it's…"
Rebecca's jaw hung loosely in mid-sentence, and her eyes scanned the stars as if they would spell out the answer she was looking for in the night sky, but to no avail. Defeated, she hung her head.
"I forgot."
Odd sympathized with the girl. She had good intentions, but was just a bit scatter-brained. Maybe some helpful words were in order.
"Ever considered writing what you need to remember on your hands?" he asked. "I always do that whenever I have to relay a message to a friend."
"My hands?" Rebecca exclaimed as though he had suggested she run away to Alaska. She waved the appendage in front of her as if the idea was an evil spirit. "That would take up precious doodling space."
Her hands stopped moving which allowed the drawings she already sketched onto her flesh to come into view.
"Nice catgirl," Odd commented.
"Thanks…wait a second!"
Being reminded of artwork jogged the girl's memory. She reached into her backpack and retrieved two pieces of paper from it.
"After your game, I felt compelled to draw this. I had fun keeping score for you guys."
The drawing was of the friends in mid-play squaring off against each other in the infamous game. Both were in an action pose and the picture carried quite a dynamic feel.
"Whoa!" they exclaimed simultaneously.
"Well, I'm glad you like it."
"Like it?" Odd repeated, still marveling at Rebecca's artistic abilities. "This thing is gorgeous. Then again I'm in it, so it just had to be."
"You two can have it. Consider it a gift."
"Are you sure?" Ulrich said with a touch of concern. "You spent a lot of time on this drawing."
"Nah it's ok. You guys would enjoy it more. Plus I like drawing pictures more than ogling at them. Oh and give this to your friend Yumi."
Ulrich brought the second drawing to his eye level and laughed hysterically. Drawn on the piece of paper was a chibi version of Yumi, wielding a giant wooden hammer. She was pummeling Dirk, drawn in a similar fashion, wearing a comical expression of pain.
"I felt bad after that jerk tricked Jim into giving her three weeks of detention," Rebecca said. "I just had to give her something as a token of my condolences. Let's hope this will brighten her day just a bit."
The boys were touched by the artist's kind gesture and were at a loss for words. Not wanting to look like an ingrate, Ulrich thought of the only way he could show his gratitude on such short notice.
"Hey Rebecca, Odd and I were going to eat dinner over at the cafeteria. Wanna sit with us?"
She smiled and nodded.
"Are you kidding? Of course I will. I get some of my best drawing ideas when I hang out with you guys… but you need to make room for one more."
"One more?"
"Yeah, Felicia is coming too. I just made her today and I'm showing her around the place."
"Wait, you made her? What?" Ulrich asked, dumfounded by what Rebecca said.
She gestured to the catgirl that was drawn on the back of her pale hand.
"Drew her in class. It's kind of hard to leave her behind you know; I have no intention of peeling my skin off."
"I don't blame you."
With Rebecca in their ranks they made their way to the cafeteria expecting an uneventful meal, completely oblivious to the sinister plot that was hatching underneath them.
Now his friends were relying on him in a different way… A way that didn't involve endless strings of code… Where the only letters he needed to use were A, B, C and D. No XANA to fight, no life points to track, and no orders to shout. And yet somehow, just as stressful. Mr. Simone took a look at him, and tried his best to help as he assumed that Jeremie's anxiety stemmed from the test itself, not the possibility of him leaving.
"Hi Jeremie, you might know me," the teacher said. "I'm the school's psychologist, Mr. Simone."
"Of course I do! Is it true, that you're planning to get my transferred to a school for gifted children? That's great! My parents are going to be so glad!"
Ok, so maybe he was overacting just a bit; certainly it was no Oscar winning performance. But then again, he wasn't here to win a tiny gold statute. If there was anything useful that Jin's little red book on military strategy had dictated was on the concept of deception. When weak, show your enemy strength and when strong feign weakness, but in his case, it would be eagerness that would be exhibited tonight.
"Well that's what we're here tonight to find out. Now to start off, I'll be giving you a multiple choice test. It's in which you…"
Mr. Simone's words trailed off as he realized that such juvenile instructions were not needed for someone with such a high intellect.
"Well I won't bore you with any more of my talking. I'm sure you know exactly what this is all about."
It was planned long before that Jeremie would exhibit some major faults during the introductory process; that way, they'd think that maybe he wasn't as qualified as the teachers originally thought. Not enough to make them think he was a complete moron but just enough to make them second-guess him as a candidate.
"Me? No."
"Huh?"
The look on the psychologist's face was worth a return trip to the past to see again. If only he had brought a camera with him. Maybe next time.
Never before had reading her science textbook been so rewarding.
Entering her room ready to gaze at the fruits of her labor she saw her precious prize laying on the floor in a tattered mess.
Actually, scratch that thought. Calling this mangled piece of fabric a "tattered mess" would be a compliment given the horrible condition it was in. What was once a beautiful designer dress that beckoned to be worn was now reduced to nothing more than a rag that belonged in the trash as opposed to on her body.
And to think, she had actually been beginning to like studying. Oh, how wrong she was.
"My brand new Gokie Dress!"
Sissi picked up the article of clothing, fearing any other damages that her initial inspection missed. A furry creature with a rather long tail emerged from under the piece of clothing sniffing the air looking for something else to chew on. With the culprit revealed, the grieving girl's sadness molded into rage.
"Oh! So you're the little savage that did this!" she yelled.
As if to mock her, the rat let out a high-pitched hiss in the affirmative. Sissi was not going to just stand there and take such abuse like this. She was a girl of style, class and beauty who garnered respect and admiration from those around her. No human or sewer rat should treat her in such a way. The creature's appetite for all that was trendy was not satisfied, so Sissi decided to give it another tasty morsel to chew on by offering it one of her shoes.
Too bad for the rat that said shoe was being hurled toward the floor at breakneck speeds.
The "morsel" bounced off the dorm's hard floor making a satisfying thud in the process scaring the rat away. Sissi placed her hands on her hips with a satisfied smile on her face.
"And that's the last I'll see of that dirty creature."
Then with a sad expression on her face, Sissi began to clean up the scraps of fabric left behind and got ready for dinner.
Looking for something to do, she used the tower's access to the information super-highway to learn more about the human world. It was weird, though. The concept of boredom – the very idea that she would grow tired of her homeland and ponder about the real world – was never introduced to her until she met Jeremie and the rest of his friends. The moments she shared with them felt all too short, while their separation from her grew more unbearable by the day.
Her holographic screen floated unattended, for now the girl's attention was focused inward, thinking of the one word that had bound her to the values of duty and friendship.
XANA
He was her enemy. He was her tormentor. He was the reason why she began to understand humans. How she longed to live in their world and be by Jeremie's side. A delicate finger brushed against the tower's platform to remind her where she was. There was no room for daydreams when you had responsibilities of your own.
A tiny quake rumbled throughout Lyoko, pulsating waves of dark energy that ran through Aelita's finger and into the pit of her stomach. Great evil was active once again.
Aelita dashed to her monitor and hastily established a connection to Earth in hopes of alerting Jeremie of what was going on. Not wasting a single second she began to utter her message of distress.
"Jeremie!" she shouted. "XANA has just activated a tower!"
Expecting to she Jeremie's concerned face on the other end, Aelita was shocked to see that the chair her friend usually sat in was empty.
"Jeremie?"
This was bad. With Jeremie out, not knowing that XANA had just launched an attack, he would be completely unaware of the dangers that were to come his way. All she could do now was hope that he would be safe.
Still though, despite the inherent perfection such a grand scheme had, caution was still exercised. Many a time such strategies that were deemed "perfect" would fall short of glory due to certain "variables" that have continued to deny their inferiority. Having a mass swarm of rodents storm the city would instill the greatest bedlam the city had ever known and he didn't want that to happen...yet. The first target would be the school's power supply. No one would notice a small group of rats in such a sprawling metropolis. They moved on command, efficient and uncaring for themselves, only to the cause and the beckon call of their master… the perfect soldier.
The time to act was now.
Rebecca looked on, not knowing whether to marvel at the boy's ability to eat, or to be disgusted with the display of gluttony. She settled on having a reaction somewhere in between.
"Odd, how can you eat like that?" She asked him with a mixture of fascination and disbelief.
"Well, I just put the food in my mouth, chew and swallow."
Ulrich smirked. She asked. "What I don't understand is why,"
Ulrich chimed in. "You didn't sound too excited about what was on the menu, yet you're eating as if you were having the last meal of your life."
"It's simple really," he answered. "The food doesn't taste too great, but it's free and there's lots of it."
Ulrich smiled. His roommate could be so predictable at times. It was one of his many unique charms.
"So Rebecca," Odd spoke with a mouth full of food. "How exactly did you get involved in our little game this morning?"
It was a good question to ask. She certainly wasn't a friend, and even calling her an acquaintance would be stretching it a bit.
Rebecca stared at the back of her hand, as if she was looking to her drawing to provide her with some sound advice. After gazing at the confused looks the boys sent her way, she spoke.
"It wasn't really my choice," she answered, "I was minding my own business when Jin shoved me into the ordeal."
The looks on the roommates' faces changed as if it were to say, "Figures."
This silent exchange of ideas now put Rebecca in a state of confusion.
"Was there something I missed?"
"Leave it to Jin to flag down a complete stranger," Ulrich clarified.
"Well, I wouldn't use the word stranger. We are classmates," she responded kindly in the Japanese student's defense.
Odd plunged his fork into his lunch tray, puncturing the next edible piece he would soon take into his body.
"Well, the only thing that matters is that you had a fun time. Until…"
"Until Jim came and started yelling at you guys," Rebecca said, completing the sentence Odd had started.
Though he could be a bit insensitive at times, Odd was able to see the slightly sad tone that the girl used. The change was small, but was still noticeable.
"Ah don't sweat it. Jim always yells at us. We've gotten quiet used to it by now."
Ulrich remained silent during the discussion, choosing not to open his mouth and ruin such a wondrous moment. Still holding onto Rebecca's second drawing, he raised the piece of paper up to the cafeteria's florescent lights to get a better look at it. The picture hadn't changed at all between the twenty paces he took from the spot he met the young artist to the table he was now eating at, but now he was able to see it more clearly. His eyes were transfixed on the tiny representation of his older friend, carefully studying its features and marveling at every single one of them. Her raven locks and soft eyes were captured faithfully, even if they were drawn a bit on the cartoonish side. They were wild with rage but still contained an air of beauty that always left him at a loss of words when they were alone.
She was cute—both in the picture and in real life.
His cheeks flashed a faint shade of red once he began to think of the girl in such an intimate way, and he averted his eyes away from the drawing to not draw too much attention to himself.
That was when the cafeteria, and the rest of the city, went completely dark.
"Sir, maybe we should postpone the test for now," Jeremie stated. "It is quite dark."
The older gentleman shook his head side to side as he reached into his dark green backpack, which oddly enough matched the sweater he was currently wearing.
"That would be silly," he answered. "Don't worry, I came prepared."
Jeremie's gaze shifted to the flashlight in the psychologist's hand. His eyes opened wide from shock, but this was misinterpreted by the man as being a look of relief.
In vain, she feverishly flipped the plastic light switch that clung to her wall, as if the heightened activity would spawn a miracle and bring her out of the blackout, but only get a few empty clicks.
"What kind of cheap school is this?" she yelled.
The yelling ceased seconds later as the angry girl felt a bit guilty insulting her father's pride and joy. It was amazing how an entire evening could be ruined in ten short minutes, a fact that she kept to herself as not to shame him anymore.
There was one act of beautification that she could still do, with or without electricity. Grabbing a nearby hairbrush, she began to comb through her long locks gently, undoing their tangles and giving them a healthy shine. Light was not needed for her to marvel at her own beauty…which, really, was just her own interpretation of the gazes of awe the boys at school gave her. Such an empowering memory would be relived, as she was prepared to go to the cafeteria for yet another meal. Her thoughts lingered back to the dress she lost to the likes of a single, filthy rodent. Sissi had not yet mustered enough resolution to throw it away, instead opting to leave it on the floor out in the open like a casket on display during a wake.
Of course, the pain of losing a dress paled in comparison to losing a loved one. She wasn't that superficial. Sissi didn't like the analogy she came up with, yet it was fitting for her current mood. It complimented her dark, gloomy surroundings a bit.
The tiny chattering of teeth and small squeaks served as a tiny crack in the girl's moral resolution, causing her to put down her hairbrush and turn around.
The moon's reflection flashed across the eyes of hundreds of beady black eyes and gleamed across several sets of snarling teeth.
There were not enough shoes in her room to even try fending them off, so she ran.
"Will you all just be quiet?"
Of course, that didn't stop him from raising his voice to loud levels in order to get them under control.
It was amazing how a blackout can cause humans to behave almost like animals. No really, this wasn't just some sort of philosophical metaphor the physical education instructor conjured just for the sake of mental imagery; these kids were behaving like animals. Heck, one of the students was mooing like a cow while standing on a table.
This was going to be one stressful blackout, indeed.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
A voice cut through the chaos, much younger than Jim's but no less forceful. Unlike the first time the command was issued, this time it was faithfully observed by all those within ear-shot. Those students brave enough to look at the source of the yelling found an irate Dirk Kap Hwan standing upright. His hand was massaging one of his temples as if he was fending off a headache. Looks like he wasn't a big fan of all the commotion either.
If looks could kill...Ulrich thought.
Silence hung in the air and the squeaky sound returned to him, but now others were beginning to take notice. The students' collective gazes were focused on the roof, where the sound seemed to come from. Even Jim was racked with curiosity; cautiously he positioned himself underneath one of the panels to take a look inside.
Jim's frightful scream was the only warning sign that Ulrich had before the fleeting moment of peace was destroyed. Plaster tiles began to rain from the sky as hundreds and hundreds of sewer rats descended upon the students of Kadic Junior High in a sea of black fur and angry eyes. The children's survival instincts took over as they made their way to the exit, hoping to escape from this nightmare. Ulrich was relieved to see that Odd and Rebecca had managed to join him in front of the crowd of panicking students who were just as eager to leave as they were. Already Odd was reaching for the door handle, but was startled as his arm was seized by someone else's.
"Wait, Odd!" Rebecca yelled out, still maintaining her grip on his wrist.
"What on Earth are you…?" Odd's question was cut short as he saw a much larger, fiercer group of rats outside the cafeteria, lying in wait. If he were to just bolt out the door as he had intended to do, he would have ended up as that hungry swarm's next meal.
Ulrich banged his fist into the doorframe. It neither helped their situation nor relieved his stress.
"We're trapped!"
"Good going, XANA," Odd grumbled, "having the rats wait 'til nightfall when we were all in the cafeteria. Talk about a keen sense of timing."
Normally this would be when Ulrich would tell Odd that now wasn't exactly the best time to be praising the enemy. But he couldn't, as now he was being crushed between the room's walls and the bodies of his classmates.
"What's going on?" Rebecca managed to ask with a clear head, which was quite a feat.
The brown haired boy chose not to answer that question, as he had more pressing matters to attend to. Pulling with all his might, he managed to free his arm, with his cell phone caught in a vice grip. He was going to need help and he was going to need it fast.
Leave it to Jim to tell her parents about the commotion at the library that she was "responsible" for causing. And leave it to her parents to give her a rather firm lecture about respecting society's rules. Her gloominess returned full force and, with nothing else to distract her, she was allowed to feel its full impact. She pleaded to the powers-that-be for a distraction, any sort of distraction that could get her out of this emotional rut.
Minutes later, her cell phone rang.
The digital text that flashed on the bright green screen was a sight for sore eyes. If there was anyone out there who could make her feel better, it was this person.
"Is that you, Ulrich?" Yumi asked with a smile, a bit surprised on how joyful she sounded asking that question.
The distraction's feeling changed from pleasure to fear. Hearing the words XANA and attack in the same sentence was all that she needed to know what was going on.
"What?"
"You heard me correctly," Ulrich explained. "XANA is using a bunch of rats to surround the cafeteria, while countless more are inside ready to chew holes through us. We need you and your brother to get over here to help us out!"
Hearing the dangers that her friends were in, Yumi made sure to inquire about the safety of another person who had yet to be mentioned.
"What about Jeremie?"
"I was about to call him next, but it's going to be tough with all that's going on."
"Please tell me you have some sort of defense to keep the rats at bay."
Ulrich shook his head from his end of the call, a useless gesture but still something that he needed to do in order to prove his point.
"Not at the moment."
The sound of plastic meeting fur-covered flesh was dull, but grew even more frequent in the infested cafeteria.
Who knew Rosa had such a violent edge? Odd thought. Better keep my comments about the food she serves to myself.
Odd watched the large lady armed with a lunch tray bat any rat that was foolish enough to leap at her. The others could only watch in fear as the woman in charge of distributing their lunches was now fiercely battling against the swarm of creatures. Included in this group of people was Jim, who was also paralyzed by fear. Ulrich had already taken the initiative and was calling for reinforcements. Though that ensured that someone would be coming to their aid, it did little to help out their current situation.
"Odd, what are we going to do?"
Rebecca! He had almost forgotten about her. She was still here and still just as scared as he was.
"I'd love to answer that question, but I'm having a hard time concentrating while squashed against the door like this."
He was feeling the effects of fear, too, but he was not going to let a girl see that side of him. But his iron clad resolve was slowly thinning as the space between the humans and the rodents decreased with each passing second.
Rosa slammed her tray into the body of another sewer rat with another mighty blow. She never expected to be fighting for this long and alone. For such a big guy, Jim was quite the timid one when it came to these tiny beings.
When she had first accepted the role of overseeing the school's lunch program, she vowed to make sure that she would watch out for the students' well being, primarily by making sure they were well fed and healthy.
Now, standing in a darkened cafeteria, fighting for her life, she valued that vow more than ever before. As long as she had a breath in her body, she would continue to fight the good fight.
Another swing, another attacker taken out. Nothing was going to stop her—not the rats, not her age and not her fear. Still, her tray was feeling a bit heavier than before. When this was all over, she would demand a humongous pay raise from Principal Delmas.
"Do you have any bright ideas?"
"Well, Ulrich just called Yumi and Jin and told them what's going on," Odd said.
"Wait, Yumi and Jin?" Rebecca repeated astonished. She had expected him to call either the police or the fire department, not two of her classmates. "Shouldn't he be calling the cops or something?"
"Don't worry, my artistic friend," Odd managed to say with a smile. "With this problem, those two are our best bet."
"Well, that takes care of the outside, now what about us?" she asked. "We need to tighten our rear guard, and think of a way to push the rats outside in order to for us to get out of this alive."
Rebecca looked up at their only line of defense, which was an irate lunch lady, and her eyes widened with horror. Each swing was getting progressively slower, while the woman's form began to show signs of fatigue. She was too old for something as strenuous as this, and her body was breaking down.
The artist's ill omen proved to be correct. The students' champion swung her arms in a wide arc before staggering backwards and falling into the crowd of frightened children from fatigue.
"ROSA!" Rebecca screamed.
As if they had been waiting for this moment, the rats slowed their assault and leisurely began to converge on the tired woman, as if to pay her back for all the pain she caused them. The one acting as the leader released a hideous snarl that was echoed by his cohorts and leapt high in the air as if to gnaw her face off.
But that moment never came.
CRACK!
The rodent was sent skyrocketing back by the grand slam swing that could have rivaled the likes of major league baseball players. The teenagers stared wide eyed at the back of their new savior, who was wielding the same lunch tray that Rosa had dropped as to carry on her work. He was fully rested, he was ready for anything, and he was angry.
Very…very…angry.
"Come get some!"
Another rat came his way, but he batted it away with ease.
"Hail to the king, baby!"
It was a quote from a famous American B-movie that he had always wanted to use, and if he was going to die here and now, he'd best leave this world with no regrets.
Rosa could not believe her eyes when she saw her "successor" flailing around with her tray like a crazed madman.
"Clayton?"
The boy took a quick break to look at her, stopping only to adjust his hood so that it covered his head.
"Anyone who can brawl like that has got my respect. Now rest up, you need your strength."
Rebecca was speechless as she saw this from her vantage point. By now the rats had identified the short-tempered teen as a serious danger and had eased up on their attack just a tad bit. It was time they made their escape, as Clayton, though full of rage currently, could not keep up this demanding pace all night.
"Odd, I have an idea!"
"I'm all ears."
"Maybe we all should grab lunch trays too. They do appear to be the best anti-rodent weapon we have at our disposal."
"Good thinking! There's a cart full of them nearby, right next to the fire extinguishers…Fire extinguishers!"
There was another element he overlooked. Surely those things would prove to be useful in getting out. Rebecca also saw what he was planning.
"With those things we can punch a hole through the crowd outside and make a break to somewhere that's safe."
"Hey! You two!" Ulrich called out, who still had Yumi on his cellphone. "Have you thought of a way to take care of our little rat problem?"
"Yeah," Odd answered back kindly. "We need to get a hold of that cart and those fire extinguishers over there."
"Great plan, except you're going to have to get through those guys in order to get to them."
That killed whatever hopes they had had for that plan. Even with Jim near the target location, he was too petrified to be of any use now. Their only hope of getting to the improvised weapons was to brave the angry swarm themselves.
Odd heard Ulrich's concern and smiled. It was a special smile reserved for acts of daring and for mischievous pranks. And seeing how Sissi was nowhere to be found, the former would be the case.
"Well, I just better make sure that they don't get to me then."
Ulrich smiled too, and then drew his focus back to his cell phone to report the good news.
"What a reckless plan! Only a complete fool could think of something so nearsighted. Tell me something Odd; do you practice being an idiot, or are you naturally that stupid?"
The two best friends were caught off guard by the sound of another voice foreign to their inner circle but well known from other experiences.
"You always gotta make an entrance, doncha, Kap Hwan?" the purple clad boy said in retaliation.
It was obvious why Dirk was able to remain unnoticed for so long—his dark clothing and ability to remain calm rendered him nearly invisible amongst the throng of frightful students. Only when he wanted his presence to be known did he actually go out of his way to draw attention to himself.
"Normally, I'd reward a remark like that with either a snide retort or a good smack upside the head. But today, I'm going to let it slide."
Odd wasn't going to let Dirk get the last word on this conversation, and fired another sarcastic response.
"Oh, how noble of you."
Ulrich's gaze narrowed. Seeing Dirk so collected could mean only one thing: he was planning something.
"What do you want, Kap Hwan?"
Even in the darkened room, Ulrich could see the Korean's piercing gaze shift to the back of the crowd to look at his favorite bodyguard engaged in a melee brawl with the rodent mob.
"Let's just say that my own friend's… "act of idiocy"… has prompted me to correct our situation before he gets hurt."
What just transpired was the forming of the unofficial alliance between the Troublesome Duo and the "Weirdo Bunch"… A pact that had been signed before, back in the days when XANA controlled their school bus, and Finson's alien. Looking at his unlikely ally, Ulrich felt like he could put his other friend's fears to rest.
"Don't worry, Yumi, we got something."
A small beep was heard as the call was ended. Odd and Dirk gave each other a reassuring nod and prepared to jump into danger, but two slender arms held them back.
"Wait!"
It was Rebecca, still a bit fearful with what was going on.
"Before you guys go…"
She turned to Kap Hwan and moved her lips as to speak her piece about him, but quickly stopped as there was a more effective way to get her point across.
She slapped him…hard.
"That was for Yumi!" Rebecca spoke in a more informative than spiteful tone.
Dirk's head jolted slightly after the blow, only to regain its composure to give the girl one of the most frightful death glares she had seen in her short life. Odd and Ulrich were ready to intervene, just in case things got really rowdy. However, they were shocked to see the look on his face melt back to its neutral expression.
"Perhaps I did deserve that."
Not wasting any time to let the pain in his cheek subside, Dirk turned on his heels and focused on his prime objective, with Odd ready to go as well.
"Aniki!"
Her brother was seated in front of his PS2, playing vigorously, while his CD player headphones were plugged into his computer as he was listening to his music.
"Talk to me," Jin said as he lowered the listening devices so that they hung around his neck. "This better be important, I was about to deliver some Keyblade brandishing justice to poor Sephiroth."
"XANA's sent a giant army of rats to the school."
Hearing that made Jin jump to his feet.
"Say what?"
"Ulrich and Odd are trapped in the cafeteria, and we need to help them out."
"And Jeremie?"
"I don't know."
The older brother mumbled something under his breath about pulling off a Trinity Limit (whatever that was) and proceeded to grab his extra pair of headphones (the ones with no cord) from his night-stand.
"So, sis, how well are the others holding down the fort?" Jin managed to ask as he raced down the staircase at a breakneck speed.
"Ulrich said they were going to use the fire extinguishers to keep them at bay," Yumi yelled back as she followed her brother.
By now she was in their family's garage, and managed to locate her bike. She needed to get to Kadic as soon as possible, and a vehicle would help her do so.
"Fire extinguishers?" Jin repeated wide-eyed before his face changed to a mischievous grin. "Go on ahead. I got an idea."
The dire urgency of her friends' situation caused Yumi to not question her brother's reason, and she left the garage on that note. Though she did wonder why he was searching through one of the many boxes of junk inside. Curiosity would have to wait though; she had a school to save.
Of course the single authority figure in the room begged to differ, and he promptly turned the device off without a care in the world.
"You can make all the calls you want after you complete the exam," he said flatly.
With no other choice left, Jeremie obeyed the teacher's instructions, not knowing that he would find out the call's nature soon enough.
"Urgh! Why isn't he answering?"
Odd knew he had to act now. His friend's frustration only proved that now Jeremie was the only one left in their group who did not know what was going on. However, before he could rescue his ignorant friend he had to get outside, a task easier said than done.
"Okay," he started, "we're going to make a break toward the lunch trays and fire extinguishers."
"Fine, I'll follow your lead."
The word 'follow' coming from Dirk's mouth was a bit of a shocker. Odd's natural instincts told him to be wary of the Korean's offer, thinking he would double cross him when he least expected it. But tonight… tonight was different.
"Go!"
On that command, two blurs rushed to the front of the crowd—one black, one purple. Knowing that the floor was laden with hidden dangers, Odd leapt into the air and onto a table for some much needed leverage. He continued this pace, jumping from table to table, not stopping to take a breath out of fear of being attacked. Somehow he managed to get to his destination unharmed, but he still had more to do. Taking the incentive, Odd seized the two fire extinguishers and carried them under his arms, but he had underestimated the amount of weight he would now be dragging. He was in over his head. How would he be able to carry these two heavy items and push the tray cart all by himself?
"Are you trying to kill yourself?" he heard Dirk shout. "If you're going to die, then do it after we get out of here! As of right now, I still have a use for you, so don't you even think about messing up yet!"
He had almost forgotten that Dirk had come to help as well. The Korean boy was able to deduce that the cart was an issue that had yet to be dealt with, and made sure that that fact didn't stay true for any longer. Throwing his shoulder into the wheeled device, he managed to get it to the central isle where it was perfectly aimed at his best friend's back. Another shoulder was thrown, this time sending the cart rolling toward the crowd as the Korean intended to do. The loud rickety noise the wheels made alerted the rats of the danger that was fast approaching and they scurried away, creating a large break in their formation, which Dirk used to return to the door.
"Jim!" He yelled, but failed to get any sort of response.
Time was running out for the pair. Any moment now, the rats' attention would be drawn to them. Kap Hwan's distraction could only buy them so much time. Reasoning that conventional means of getting the large man's attention were now useless, Odd resorted to the one sure-fire way to get the teacher to look his way: causing trouble. Odd lifted his foot, then brought it down hard onto Jim's toes.
"WHAT ON EARTH HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?" Jim hollered, instantly snapping out of his fearful stupor.
Never before was the instructor's yelling such a welcomed sound. As to answer his rather loud question, Odd thrust the second fire extinguisher into his hands.
"Run," the blonde haired boy said frankly.
Once again, Jim saw the rats, but this time he held enough of his wits to actually get his legs moving toward the exit. With the big man running for his life, Odd took the lead and fired a quick spray of liquid at the horde of rats blocking their way to clear the path. As they made their mad dash toward the exit, Odd thought in the back of his mind to ask Rebecca to draw a picture of him stepping on Jim's foot. It was certainly an image worth seeing time and time again.
"Catch!"
Wanting to speed up their escape, Odd had thrown the fire extinguisher toward his friend, who promptly caught it. Still maintaining his lead over Jim, Odd was somehow able to retrieve the red item from his clutches, and prepared himself for another toss.
"Rebecca!"
The round object flew through the air and into the girl's clutches, still full and ready to be used.
"You know what to do!" He said to encourage further action from the eccentric artist, and smiled as she nodded in agreement.
"Man, it really sucks to be you guys!"
The one thing that XANA was unable to control was the rats' self-preservation instinct, which was now in overdrive by the sight that their beady eyes took in. Cautiously, they inched their retreat, planning to regroup later.
"Hey, Ulrich," Clayton called out, "what's keeping you from opening that door?"
"Think you can hold them off just a bit longer?"
Clayton's eyes narrowed as he handed his tray to an unsuspecting student standing next to him, letting a diabolical smile spread across his face.
"With pleasure."
Summoning all the strength in his arms, Clayton flipped the entire lunch cart over with a furious yell, sending it falling to the floor with a horrific impact. It was a crude tactic at best, yet quite effective in terms of scaring off their troublesome enemies.
Armed with a fire extinguisher, Ulrich used the sound generated by the fallen cart to begin his part of the plan.
"Go!"
The boy's right foot shot forward and kicked the door that was in front of him wide open and began to unleash a steady stream of white foam toward the unsuspecting group of rodents. Rebecca soon followed his lead and unloaded her extinguisher the same way, initiating a two-pronged attack against XANA's latest batch of minions.
For the students watching, no further direction was needed on what to do next; the time to escape was now. As they rushed out the door to join the rest of the group, they were relieved to get out of the cafeteria alive. The only doubt that lingered in their minds was what was going to happen to them now.
On the front line stood Ulrich and Rebecca, burdened with the important task of keeping the rats at bay. So far, everything was going smoothly. The liquid that the fire extinguishers were spewing out worked wonders when it came to pest control, but it wouldn't be enough. They had managed to ride out the most turbulent moment of the storm, but time was still running out.
"We got to think of another plan guys," Odd shouted, worried as he stood just a foot behind his friends. "I don't think we can keep this pace up all night!"
Someone else was in agreement with these concerns, and he stepped forward from the crowd to say so.
"I'm with the purple freak over here." Said Clayton, using the opportunity to point out Ulrich's lack of foresight, but also phrasing it in a way that showed he still had some animosity toward Odd. "Hey Dirk, you got any ideas?"
The Korean emerged from the throng of students, wearing his usual calm expression. However, signs of fatigue did manage to bleed through his icy demeanor.
"Since we can't think of a proper solution," he explained, "we should fortify our defenses to buy us some time."
Dirk turned his back to the two members of the Weirdo Bunch and faced the other students, who were taking a less proactive stance for their predicament. The number of scared faces he saw could be counted in the double digits.
"Alright, listen up!" he shouted. "Everyone along the outside hold your trays up as to create a continuous wall all around the group. This isn't the time to act cowardly. If you want to stay alive, then make an effort to do so!"
Just then, as always happened whenever things started to go the Lyoko gang's way, trouble reared its ugly head once more.
"Help!" a high-pitched feminine voice from the other side of the courtyard called.
Ulrich took one good look at the source. "Sissi?" he exclaimed. "What she's doing over there?"
"We have to help her," Odd said while he relieved Rebecca of her duties as rat monitor, gesturing to the artist for her fire extinguisher. "If we stand here and do nothing, she'll be eaten alive."
Though his sense of responsibility was something to admire, the recklessness his actions suggested warranted a stern warning.
"But Odd," Rebecca interjected. "How do you suppose we do that? I mean, I'm just as up for saving Sissi as the next person, but do you have a way to accomplish this?"
"I don't…" The boy looked at his new friend just in time to see her expression melt to a mixture of disappointment and worry. "But there are two people I know who could. Just have some faith, they'll be here."
"If you don't mind, there are some people inside trying to take a test!"
Ah the classic "Silence!" line. Of course, such words would only work for a human audience. It only took Mr. Simone one look to see what sort of trouble he was in.
"RATS!"
Much like their cafeteria dwelling counterparts, these rodents leapt high in the air, ready to attack the first human they saw. Just before Mr. Simone asked himself whether or not his insurance plan would cover rat bites, the tiny creatures' bodies violently slammed into the library's door compliments of Jeremie's quick reflexes.
"Tsk…XANA," Jeremie muttered.
Though slamming the door proved to be quite the effective rodent repellent, Jeremie knew that it was only a temporary solution.
"Those rats are going to keep on chewing until they actually eat through the door. We're going to have to barricade it."
Mr. Simone hastily complied. Genius or not, this student at least knew how to keep his calm in this sort of situation, something that could not be said for himself.
For the first time in a long while, she was going to be facing off against this ghostly menace without the aid of her brother. It was hardly a new experience for her, yet for some reason it just felt...off. Then again, this was no time to be hesitating; Ulrich and the others needed her help, and she was going to pull through for them. She just hoped that whatever Jin was planning would be worth the wait.
The Japanese girl blinked a total of five times to process the fact that the horrors that Kadic contained surpassed any of her expectations. There, near the cafeteria's entrance, stood her friends and classmates, surrounded by a sea of dark fur. Not thinking twice, she increased her already demanding pace to even higher levels to make up for lost time.
All she needed to see was Ulrich's outstretched arm pointing at a vague location, along with his own look of worry, to know what to do. Yumi cycled past the fortified students and sped toward the isolated Sissi. The rats that were not quick enough to get out of her way soon founded themselves batted away by the momentum of her bike. Applying the brakes, Yumi gestured to Sissi to get to safety.
"Your carriage, Cinderella."
She had definitely been spending too much time with Odd, as his tendency to crack corny jokes at such crucial moments was beginning to rub off on her… but then again maybe a bit of humor was just what was needed at the moment. Sissi only nodded and maneuvered herself into the spare seat, clinging onto Yumi's body for dear life as she cycled in the opposite direction. They were approaching the students at breakneck speed, but she dared not slow down until she absolutely had to. Acting on almost pure instinct, she shifted her weight into her bike so that it slid across the asphalt sideways, skidding quite suddenly to a halt. Tiny yelps of panic came from the rats, adding to the chaos of frantic screams and clouds of dust and soil. The two girls were a bit bewildered that they had survived such a crazy stunt.
"You're absolutely insane for trying something like that!" Sissi said as she stood up, her nerves still somewhat jolted.
The complaints ended there. Though she could have continued to chew her out on account of her recklessness, a good deed was a good deed.
"Thanks," Sissi uttered in hushed tones as she decide to let the issue rest.
Odd looked at his two latest companions and flashed them his award-winning smile.
"Welcome to the Rat Pack."
Jeremie stared at the nearly two shelves' worth of books that had been piled in front of the library's doors. Though the stack looked rather solid, further improvements to the barricade could still be made.
"You go at it alone, there's something else I need to take care of."
The only lasting way the rodent infestation could be dealt with was to cut the problem off at the source. Jeremie opened his laptop.
"Aelita, sorry for my late arrival but I think XANA is up to something."
That transmission put Aelita's fears to rest, and she could stop mentally tossing and turning, contemplating Jeremie's safety.
"Oh, I'm so glad to see you. When I wasn't able to contact you in your room, I began to worry."
"We can talk about that later. Right now we need to focus on XANA. What's your current situation?"
Aelita stopped in mid crawl underneath a large black coil of almost organic nature. From the shaded cover of the coil, the girl had a perfect view of the glowing red tower.
"I decided to do some scouting in the meantime and have the tower in sight. Other than that, everything is calm here. Though XANA might have some monsters lying in wait for me."
Her current findings made it very tempting for Jeremie to suggest that Aelita should make a break toward the tower, but without the aid of the factory's more powerful computer, he had no way to know what sort of surprises XANA might have in store.
"Ok here's the plan. I'm going to contact the others and head over to the factory. In the meantime, you stay still and out of sight."
"I will."
"Okay Yumi, something is seriously up here. Mind telling me what's going on?"
Yumi glanced over her shoulder and shook her head.
"There's not enough time so just follow our lead."
"So annoying," Dirk muttered under his breath.
It was then that Yumi noticed the slap mark on Dirk's face. She didn't comment on this observation as her cell phone rang.
"Jeremie?" The young genius asked the most obvious question, which Yumi gave a rather blunt answer to. "Yes, the rats have attacked us."
She stayed on the line just long enough to hear his last-minute directions, then shifted her attention to her friends.
"That was Jeremie," Yumi said. "He wants us to meet up at the factory."
Ulrich aimed the black hose at the rats and released another stream of flame-suppressing white foam.
"Wait, are we not forgetting about someone? What about Jin?"
"Aniki stayed behind to look for something. I didn't have time to argue with his rationale and just came here as fast as I could."
"Well, before we leave, we need to find a safe place for all these students."
"I've got it!" Jim yelled out, reminding everyone that he was still there. "The science building is the only place in the school that is not connected to the sewers. We should head over there."
"Good idea!" Ulrich and Yumi said in unison.
Mercifully the trek to the science building was short, and the student militia had no problem getting to its doorway. However, getting Jim to open the locked doors was a more difficult task. Again the man was losing the battle with his fear, and although he was able to produce the key needed to unlock the door, he was unable to perform the simple task of inserting it into the keyhole.
"Move it! How hard is it to turn a key?"
The immense pressure was getting to Dirk. Normally the calm and collected individual, his patience was wearing out, and maintaining his indifferent nature was becoming harder and harder.
Odd laid down another layer of extinguisher foam and noticed that the extinguisher's pressure was weakening.
"Will you hurry up Jim? The extinguishers are almost out!"
Jim could barely hear the sound of scraping metal over the loud chattering his teeth were producing. But his hand finally reached the keyhole, guided by another more slender than his.
"Easy does it."
Yumi looked at her fearful PE teacher and smiled, then the two of them swung the doors wide open to let the other students inside.
The sound of stampeding footsteps alerted Ulrich that shelter was within their grasp but it did not mark the end of their trial.
"Maintain the front lines. We can not afford to slip up now when we're so close to safety."
Odd looked to his side and smiled. "That was creepy man. For a brief moment you sounded like Dirk with that last order."
Dirk just closed his eyes and shook his head.
The students filed into the science building, thinning their ranks and allowing Ulrich and Odd to breathe just a bit easier.
"It's go time!"
Now it was time for the counter resistance to flee from their posts. Ulrich turned and fled along with his friends and enemies to safer ground but made an about face just as quickly to get in one last parting blast. The extinguisher released a heavy hiss of compressed air and nothing more.
"Oh no!" Ulrich said in horror. "What do we do now?"
It seemed as if fate had set up the events of the night so that the Ishiyamas could save the day. Out in the distance, the sounds of spokes turning and tires rubbing against concrete could be heard. Such small audio patterns that could have easily been dismissed as environmental ambiance, but signaled something much more significant.
Jin had arched his body over the handles of his bicycle, the most ideal position for pedaling fast. He looked up just in time to see his fellow students escape into the confines of the science building, and Ulrich's failed attempt to hold he rats off one last time. The oldest team member had arrived late to the battle, but there was still much more work that needed to be done. It looks like the item he brought along with him would come in handy soon enough.
"Hang on guys!"
Much like his sister before him, Jin began to pick up speed to slice through the sea of rats that blocked his way. However, what he did not count on was the emergence of a medium size rock in his path, obscured from view by the rats. It wouldn't have been such a big deal if he had been riding slowly, but he was going as fast as he possibly could.
The rear end of Jin's bike bucked into the air, launching the boy from his seat and over the remaining rats as if he were a boulder fired from a medieval catapult. The side of his face was the first to touch down, followed by the palms of his hands and then the rest of his body. He skidded a few more inches before coming to a complete stop right next to Ulrich.
"Jin!" Ulrich, Odd and Yumi gasped.
The fallen boy mustered enough strength to lift his head and upper body with his right forearm. His expression was groggy and showed signs that he was going slip into unconsciousness any given moment. Still he hung onto his resolve.
"Back...pack," he said weakly before collapsing from fatigue.
That's when Ulrich saw it. Jin had brought a spare fire extinguisher to the school as he had the suspicion that they might need a bit more firepower.
Without waiting to be told, both Yumi and Rebecca rushed to Jin and hoisted him off the floor to get him somewhere safe. Their escape was covered by one last extinguisher blast by Ulrich before the defenders rushed inside and closed the doors keeping the rats outside for good.
Now safe from the chaos outside, the two adults were able to think with clear minds and evaluate their current status.
"Is everyone ok?" Rosa asked.
"He's not" the two older girls said in unison pointing their fingers to a body slumped against the back wall. Jim looked at the boy's face and was shocked to find out his identity.
"Jin? Since when did he get here?"
"Aniki arrived during our evacuation into the science building. He stayed behind to look for an extra extinguisher."
Separate from the questioning, a rather collected Dirk Kap Hwan gazed out the glass doors of the science building idly watching the rats pressed up against the panes, remaining unnoticed by those around him.
Jim got down on one knee to inspect the possible damages. Nothing too serious, other than a medium size cut on the right side of his face, which came from his head hitting the floor. It wasn't too deep nor was it bleeding profusely. He was indeed a lucky one, that was for sure.
"Is he hurt badly?" Yumi asked, almost fearing the answer she might hear.
"Your brother is ok. Just a bit banged up but aside from that it's nothing too serious."
Jin finally began to show some signs of life. His body stirred, and his eyes opened slowly, meeting Jim's gaze with his own.
"Oh man I had this terrible dream. The school was being attacked by rats and everything just went crazy..."
The dazed boy raised his finger and pointed at his PE teacher before directing his attention to the other concerned students who were looking at him as well.
"...and you were there, and you...you too."
Jim took a few tentative steps back looking rather troubled with after hearing the butchered quote from Wizard of Oz. This curious expression was mirrored by all those who were watching. Well...all except one.
Dirk Kap Hwan turned on his heel and slowly walked over to Jin, who wore a rather dopey grin on his face. Taking only a second to look him over, Dirk lifted him by the collar of his shirt and slammed his back against the wall.
"Wipe that stupid smile off your face! In case you haven't noticed, we're up to our necks in problems already. Now, thanks to your idiotic heroics, things just got a whole lot more complicated for us!"
Dirk's little double-cross in the library this morning paled in comparison to what he was doing now. This was an injured person he was assaulting. Yumi wasn't going to have any of this.
"Let go of my brother. I'm not in the mood to be playing your little games."
"This isn't a game Yumi. I'm doing what's needed to be done. If you want to stay alive, then I suggest not interfering with me."
Dirk pulled Jin away from the wall only to smash him into it once more. The boy's body jostled against the impact.
By now Yumi and Rebecca had seen enough, and dashed toward the Korean to separate him from his latest victim. Despite both of their angry glares, Dirk was smiling.
"What kind of sick enjoyment did you get from hurting Aniki? Are you blinded by your own goals that you decide to hurt him despite the fact that we're in the middle of a huge crisis?"
On his part Dirk casually raised his index finger and pointed directly ahead of him. Yumi adjusted her field of vision accordingly and saw her brother shaking his head side to side as if he was recreating an exaggerated reaction from Looney Tunes.
"Gah! What's the big idea Dirk? Thanks for getting rid of those extra brain cells!" Jin's eyes shot wide open and glimmered with the same vitality that as they had before, replacing his once vacant stare.
The Korean just chuckled.
"He just needed a bit of physical persuasion to snap out of his little episode. I think this is the part where you start apologizing for doubting my line of reasoning."
Instead Yumi chose to snarl at the remark. It would be a cold day in the underworld before she would actually apologize to such an arrogant person. Dirk knew he wasn't going to hear what he wanted and just calmly returned to his original spot by the door to gaze at the rats who tried to claw their way inside.
Rebecca was mortified with what she saw, not used to the drastic methods that Kap Hwan was more than willing to wield. His ruthlessness was both savage and cunning, but what made the whole ordeal frightful was that he was actually successful in bringing Jin to his senses so quickly. Not to mention his quick thinking and willingness to help play a decisive factor. This was something she shouldn't dwell on. It was time for them to move on.
"Guys, what do we do now?"
That brought the attention to where it should be: finding a safe place for all the students. Yumi was the first to come up with an answer.
"The rooftops."
Odd, who had been silent the whole time, quickly shared his two cents on his friend's suggestion.
"Um, Yumi? Don't you ever watch movies? Whenever the bad guys trap the good guys in a building, and the good guys retreat to the roof, the bad guys always manage to follow them up and corner them. At least on the first floor we can still get out if they manage to get in."
Ulrich replied, "Get out to where? To outside where all the rest of the rats are? At least on the roof there's a whole building between us and the rats, and the area could buy us more time on Lyoko."
Od heaved a heavy sigh, but finally said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's go."
Already thinking two steps ahead of the game, the Lyoko Gang took this much needed break in the action to survey how much damage the rats had caused to the school and to see if it was safe to travel by foot to the factory. Much to their confusion, the rodents had converged at a rather large tree, and before the teenagers could contemplate such a weird turn of events, the giant plant had fallen from its base and crashed into the science building's windows, creating a bridge between the outside and the students' temporary haven. The clock was winding down fast.
Yumi was the first to speak.
"We need to get to the factory and meet up with Jeremie." She allowed herself to blink a few times as she realized she had made quite the oversight. "Well, when he eventually gets there."
Concern painted its features across Ulrich's face.
"Still though, how can we get down? Taking the stairs is out of the question."
A still slightly dazed Jin stepped in-between his sister and the brown haired boy and looked down at the courtyard.
"XANA really topped himself here. I'm impressed."
Ulrich turned his head and couldn't help but stare at gash on the side of Jin's head. Though not life threatening, it certainly would have caused a great deal of pain if left exposed to the elements as it was now.
"Jin, you might want to bandage..."
The injured boy held up his hand.
"It can wait."
"Still though, I can't believe you got that nasty cut all because you stayed behind to get an extra extinguisher. You really didn't need to do that."
Jin was a bit shocked that his act of heroism born of good intentions was being criticized so harshly.
"Hey! You used it!"
"Yeah I did, but only once. One blast from a fire extinguisher is not worth scrambling your brains all over the concrete.
Yumi looked up and nodded in agreement.
"He has a good point Aniki."
Jin just took the comments with a grumpy look on his face and a low grumble.
"Fine!" He spat out in an over-exaggerated manner. "Next time XANA uses an army of rats to attack the school, don't come crying to me if you need someone to take a huge spill on their bike."
Odd on his part had chosen to forego the chitchat to look for something that he could use to return to the ground floor. What he found was the rooftop's fire hose, an ideal item for rappelling down the sides of buildings as many action movies had taught him. Hastily, he threw the hose over the side of the building, urging the others to grab on and head down. It was interesting that another fire fighting device had helped them in their fight against XANA.
Jim stretched out his hand as to stop the teens. Seeing his students jump off the side of a building was more than enough of a sight to kick his protective teacher's instincts into high gear.
"Hey wait! You can't just leave!"
Ulrich didn't give the man the time of day and swiftly leapt over the building's side to join Yumi and Odd.
The last member in the quartet prepared for his descent, but before he could make his leap of faith, Jim put his hand on his shoulder.
"Not you too, Jin. C'mon, use your head. You're already on the injured list."
The boy sighed and put on a small smile for the worried teacher. He appreciated his concern for his safety but this was something beyond the man's control.
"Thanks for caring, Jim, but I gotta go. Listen, there are things out there that you do not know even exist that are playing a huge factor in our daily lives. Besides, I've already taken one nasty fall; I don't think it will happen again."
Jin was gone. The teacher watched the fire hose tighten under the boy's weight as he climbed down the side of the building. His suspicions were confirmed: Jeremie and his group did know something that the rest of the world was completely ignorant of. As much as he would love to chase after the teens to discover the truth himself, there were other students who needed his attention. This quiet moment of inner reflection was shattered by the sound of Jin's screaming piercing his ear-drums.
"Crud, my grip!"
What came next were the panicked screams of a certain clumsy Japanese boy, followed by several grunts of pain as he bounced off a few dangling tree branches before his body hit the ground, making a rather impressive thud. Jim just buried his face into the palm of his hand.
"That kid needs to get a life insurance plan real soon."
Yumi wasted no time when it came to bringing everyone's attention back to its original focus.
"We have no time to stand around, every second we waste here, the rats just get closer to the others!"
With that they took off running toward the familiar manhole cover that they relied upon to grant them passage to the factory. It only took them a few strides in their mad dash toward the destination for the group to realize that they were one member short.
Odd cocked his head to the side and saw the missing person running at full sprint in the opposite direction.
"Hey Jin, I think you took too many blows to the head for tonight. The factory is the other way."
Jin shook his head.
"I don't know about you, but I don't feel too comfortable with the idea of leaving Jeremie alone with the risk of him being turned into a human chew toy. I'll stay behind and play bodyguard while you guys go save the world."
The teens silently approved of his request and ran deeper into the forest and prepared themselves to climb into the city's sewer system. As Ulrich and Odd pried away the metal cover, he was greeted with the site of a few dozens rats packed tight in the cylindrical cavity. Hastily he returned the manhole cover to its rightful spot.
Yumi was first when it came to thinking of an alternative strategy.
"Not good. We have no choice, we'll have to go over the wall."
Already one warrior down, the team stayed close to one another as not to be separated and have their ranks thin even more.
"I hate rats...when I was a kid, a rat came into my room..."
The silence hung in the air, allowing the listener to come up with his own conclusion on what happened that night. With the library's main entrance secured, fear was replaced by boredom. The gears in Jeremie's head turned as he tried to think of an escape plan. Even if he managed to find a way outside, he knew that there would only be more rats waiting to eat him alive. His brain was strained with all the thinking he had to do, and allowed itself to listen to what little of the psychologist's story about his phobia of rats he wished to share. The windowsills also had their fair share of rodent spectators eagerly waiting to pounce on those foolish enough to allow their company indoors. His eyes casually gazed at the bright circle of light on that window that was constantly disappearing and reappearing with each time Mr. Simone pressed the flashlight's button. It wasn't much to look at but at least it was better than seeing a few hundred rats on your windowsill; when the light was on, they were hard to see.
"Wait!"
Jeremie's thoughts came to a screeching halt. The rats were not hard to see, they were gone! Quickly Jeremie reached over to the tool and gripped it in his hand to test his theory. Shining, the beam at the window nearest him he smiled as he watched the creatures run off into the distance. This was the turnaround he was looking for. Ideas were rushing into the genius' mind, ideas on how to get out of here.
"Excellent. Wait here sir; I'm going to the photo lab."
"Jeremie, don't leave me with the rats...alone," Mr. Simone's called out fearfully. Just getting that one sentence out through his chattering teeth and constant stuttering was a feat in itself, but a feat that Jeremie would not listen to for the time being. He returned later with several flashers in his hand that were used on the tops of high-end cameras.
"At least you won't be defenseless. If the rats get too close to you, just give them a flash from these and they'll be chased away."
Being the cautious type, Jeremie decided to check out the library's current condition before he ventured off into the night. If things got too hairy, he might have to ask Mr. Simone to leave with him before the situation could get worse. He climbed the stairs to the library's balcony and looked into the lobby area where he first saw the rats. It seemed that XANA had already given up on his frontal assault after the two of them so diligently erected that barricade on the other end, and had diverted his rodent army elsewhere. A quick peek outside showed that the rest of the courtyard was in a similar condition as well, making it quite safe to exit through the front door. Using the fire escape to get back to the ground floor, Jeremie casually pressed against the door's bar to open it, but was perplexed when he encountered some resistance on the other side.
"Something must be preventing the door from opening on the other side," he muttered.
With no time to go back, Jeremie took the next logical step in dealing with such a problem: brute force. Remembering what Yumi had taught him when she found him training in the forest, the boy got into his fighting stance and prepared himself to throw his entire body's weight into the obstruction.
"That's weird... Maybe Odd is right. Maybe I am losing it," the tired boy panted. Not knowing what to make of his latest observation, he turned to his left and gazed at the school's main building. It looked so peaceful, yet this was a façade, as a war between man and beast raged within its borders.
"As if a XANA attack isn't bad enough, now there's the possibility that I might be going crazy. Geez, talk about—"
The library door that he was standing in front of took that moment to shoot violently open, knocking the Japanese boy out of its way which almost caused him to roll down the flight of cement steps, while in the process giving him a good blow to the head. Jeremie walked through the opening he just created and rubbed his shoulder as to drive the numb sensation he was feeling out of his shoulder. He was amazed at himself that he was able to generate so much power and secretly wished his friends were nearby to see this achievement.
"Man, that was easy. Looks like whatever was blocking the door wasn't as big as I originally thought."
"Did somebody get the license plate of that semi that just hit me?" Jin groaned as he thrust his hand into the air to inform any onlookers that he was on the ground.
"Jin?"
It didn't take Jeremie long to realize that he had just clobbered one of his friends on accident. Though Jin's clumsiness was accepted by the students of Kadic as a fact of life, he still couldn't help but feel sorry for hurting the guy.
"Are you alright?"
The older boy's eyes opened revealing a glazed stare.
"Oh man I had this terrible dream. The school was being attacked..." Before he could give an encore performance of his last dreamlike rant, Jin managed to snap out of his daze without the need of having the back of his head bashed against a wall like last time.
"That really hurt man!"
He placed his hand on the side of the face that had been struck by the door, which was unfortunately the same side he had landed on when he crashed his bike.
"AIYA!"
"Sorry, I didn't know you were on the other side. Can you stand on your own?"
Jeremie was amazed at his friend's resiliency, as he did indeed manage to rise on his own two feet as if nothing had happened.
"I can manage. Listen, Yumi and the others are heading over to the factory as we speak. I split off from the group in order to get you just incase you needed some backup."
A third party decided to eavesdrop on the boys' little meeting and he had brought along a few friends to keep him company. The rat and his cohorts released a feral hiss, baring their teeth and showing the rest of the world that they were ready for a fight.
Jeremie on his part aimed the flasher, pressed the trigger and smiled at the results that came his way.
"Like what you see?" He said cheekily.
Jin was wearing a look of utter defeat.
"You mean that bump to the head I took thinking you were going to need my help was all a waste?"
"Well...not really," Jeremie said trying his best not to acknowledge the truth. "It's the thought that counts."
Not wanting to know of any other pointless injuries he had already suffered through, Jin gestured toward the factory by pointing behind him with his thumb.
"Let's just get to the factory."
"And I was only expecting a few people to our little party. Now how am I supposed to find enough chips and dip to feed all these mouths?"
"Odd...not now," Ulrich said through clenched teeth. His movements were small and constricted as to not to provoke the rats any further.
A similar idea entered Yumi's mind as she slowly inched away from the angry furry mob.
"XANA's really pulled out all the stops this time."
"Yeah, it's like he's thought of everything to stop us," Ulrich said in agreement. He hated the fact that he was complimenting his enemy but a well-played move was a well-played move; morality was irrelevant to that.
Odd would have none of this. He had solved the team's predicament over on the rooftops and he hoped he could do the same now. Taking a huge chance, the boy leapt over a nearby rail and landed on the lower platform near the bridge's base.
His search for a contingency plan came in the form of an abandoned inflatable raft floating just an arm's length away, complete with a set of oars. The thought of why such a perfectly capable raft was abandoned did not even enter his mind, as there were far more pressing matters to divert his attention to.
"Hey guys!"
Both Yumi and Ulrich tensed up with that vocal outburst, as such a sudden move could prove to be the catalyst that would cause the rats to attack. Knowing that time was of the essence, the two teens abandoned their stalling plan and hopped over the metal bar as well.
"Your vessel awaits you," Odd said with an outstretched hand that was directed toward the raft in a similar manner as a butler would usher guests into an expensive yacht.
Now wasn't the time to be playing the insult game with Odd, so the two friends chose not to mince words with the prankster but silently boarded the inflatable vessel instead. Odd and Ulrich each grabbed an oar and began to paddle for all they were worth. The raft left the dock and drifted in the direction of the factory, guided by the humans who rode inside.
Many emotions were flowing through Yumi's body: fear, anxiety, excitement, and hope, each one causing her to stir in place just a bit more and raising her heartbeat just a tad bit higher.
"Faster!"
It was a selfish order really. Somehow she had gotten the notion that the faster the raft got to the factory, the sooner she could get a grip on herself and calm down. She knew the boys were trying their hardest, but still her subconscious desired for more to be done.
"I'd love to go faster, Yumi, but I really don't see that happening in the near future." Odd said in his defense.
She sighed, and stared at the bridge. She had to calm down; the signs of her cracking were becoming more and more evident. She was never the type of person who would demand the impossible, but in her panic-stricken state, there was no other option.
If Yumi needed a valid excuse to push Odd and Ulrich harder, she had it.
"Faster, guys! Faster!"
This time no complaints came her way.
The boys' arms were strained and their breaths were short, but whatever physical pains they were feeling were instantly driven from their minds until exhaustion was just a faded memory. Odd and Ulrich rowed for all they were worth, with the swarm of rats as their motivation. The raft's riders were knocked off balance a bit when the rear end of the floatation vehicle collided with solid land, but they did not bother to slow down for even a second. The factory's trap door was the destination they decided upon once their feet hit dry land, and they saw little need to diverge from this last-minute plan. One set of footsteps echoed in the stairwell, joined by another, then a third, followed by the loud creaking of a wooden door being closed, then the sound of an elevator lowering.
Yumi found Jeremie's chair to be quite the comfortable piece of furniture, but she also found it a bit unsettling that she was venturing into something she did not understand or belong to. The supercomputer was Jeremie's calling and his project and his secret to unravel, along with the mysteries of Lyoko and with their friend Aelita. Often Yumi would feel bad for the young genius for he was the only one who was capable of cracking the complicated codes necessary to thwart XANA, while she just stood on the sidelines dumfounded with his technical skill. Apprehensive hands touched the computer's cold keys, pressing buttons tentatively, worried that each keystroke might unravel all progress Jeremie had accumulated since its activation. If she was going to do this right, then she needed help, and there was only one person in the entire world that she could call for this.
To give up a normal life for the sake of duty and for what's right. It was a hidden oath that Jeremie nearly lost sight of. Torn between two obligations, his faith had reached an all time low and tempted him to a path that would make him forget his responsibilities. It was at this dark moment that he reclaimed his original focus.
He would stay and fight. He would fight with every keystroke and piece of code he could generate from his young mind. He would fight to defeat XANA and would to continue to fight for her. He was being tested: tested on his beliefs and his conviction. To lose now after gaining so much understanding of himself would be a tragedy.
"So Jeremie, I heard you had a little chat with my sister a while back. Did you make up your mind on what you want to do?"
The younger boy eyed the camera flasher in his hand, the only weapon he had when it came to holding back XANA's army of rats.
"I'm not leaving you guys. I promised Aelita that I would free her from Lyoko, and that's what I'm going to do. But right now I just want to see this crisis dealt with."
The wind picked up and ruffled the edges of his blue turtleneck gently but was far more harsh in its treatment of the boy's bodyguard, for it disturbed the still fresh cuts on his face.
"That makes two of us."
"Say Jin, why do you fight?"
"Because it's the right thing to do. To know what is right and not act on it is true cowardice."
A typical answer from the male Ishiyama. Jeremie's cell phone rang, but he was still curious about Jin. He was notorious for his constant self-sacrificing, both on and off Lyoko, for the sake of friends, family and complete strangers. Was simple moral obligation all that was driving him to death's door on countless occasions?
"Your sister said the same thing, but is that all?"
Jin replied simply, "Your cell phone is ringing."
For the first time that night, Jeremie was able to answer his cell phone without having to face the overbearing glare of the school's psychologist, much to the relief of the caller on the other line.
"Maybe next time you should answer that first." Jin said semi-jokingly.
The phone's owner agreed full heartedly.
"Jeremie, it's Yumi. Is Aniki with you?"
He looked over his shoulder and saw the oldest member of their team hold onto his temple for a few more seconds before assuming his normal posture.
"He's a bit beat up but otherwise nothing different from the norm. What's your status?"
"I'm at the super computer and have to virtualize Ulrich and Odd while at the same time locating Aelita."
"Ok Yumi, listen to exactly what I have to tell you..."
"I wonder if they're ok."
Hollow footsteps approached her, growing louder with each passing moment.
"What a bunch of idiots."
The artist turned around and saw the profile of Dirk's calm exterior staring off into the starless sky. She felt nothing but contempt for this boy and such harsh comments she could have easily done without. Odd and the others were not as stupid as he said. Though a bit reckless, they showed incredible amounts of bravery and resourcefulness in dealing with the first skirmish in the cafeteria; if it were not for their intervention, they might have not made it this far.
"How dare you insult them! Need I remind you that they helped save our lives?"
Dirk kept his gazed fixed at his unknown focal point, unfazed by the young girl's yelling
"I was referring to us. All we could do was mindlessly follow orders like sheep. We had to be lead by the hand and be told what to do because we were all blabbering imbeciles with no clue about the big picture."
"Oh," was all she could say when faced with such a poignant observation.
"Those guys have courage of a different kind. Not the type you use when you want to stare down the face of fear with a smirk on your face and a lead pipe hidden behind your back. This is bravery that stems from the truth. To be able to take action because you know you will not be caught by surprise. When someone is courageous because they know the truth, they are truly a difficult opponent to defeat in battle, as they can see through deception and trickery."
"How do you know all of this?"
"The way they took command of the situation. It's not something one can do on the spur of the moment easily. They've done this before."
Rebecca was moved by his words. Not wanting to spoil the moment, she decided to apologize for her previous actions, as she might not have another chance to do so.
"Sorry for slapping you earlier."
A few red marks remained on his pale face. Dirk brought his fingers to where he was hit, as if to remember the stinging sensation he had experienced by her hand.
"Now is not the time. Wait till after we get rid of these rats before you ask for my forgiveness."
She debated with herself about acting alone and making a beeline toward the possessed tower. If her friends were indeed in danger, then she was their only hope for salvation, but then again Jeremie had advised her against making such rash judgments. Her mind was made up: she would stay. She had faith in the others that they would pull through.
A single laser beam shot past her. Lyoko was not so quiet anymore.
"Ok all that I have to do is type in the coordinates and we'll be set."
Static was audible where numbers should have been present. Still Yumi pressed on.
"What was that? Speak louder. Did you say nineteen degrees west?"
"No Yumi, seventy-nine degrees west. Seventy-nine degrees west! Listen, the rats have invaded the city, so you have to act quickly."
Jeremie frowned with uncertainty as Yumi hung up.
"I take it my sister is subbing in for you on computer duties?" Jin asked, still keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
Jeremie ignored the question. "We need to head over there now."
The two boys picked up their pace and ran to the factory. Talking for any longer would just prove to be a waste of time.
The roommates nodded. The gesture was a waste of energy as their female friend could not have seen it, yet leaving her statement unacknowledged would feel quiet awkward. Regardless, the two stepped into the scanners.
"Transfer—Odd. Transfer—Ulrich."
It dawned on the two warriors that Yumi's voice lacked the conviction and drive that normally characterized Jeremie's when he announced those same commands. Perhaps she too was feeling the pressures of XANA's attack, but in a different way.
"Scanner—Odd. Scanner—Ulrich."
One thing was consistent though and that was the factory's technology. It whirled, spun and buzzed like it did before; bridging the gap between their world and Lyoko.
"Virtualization!"
"Is everything ok, guys?"
It was so like Yumi to pay extra concern for their condition.
"Well, it's going to take more than bad programming to get rid of me on Lyoko," Odd said with his typical slightly arrogant flair.
Ulrich was less boisterous with his mannerisms, choosing instead to survey the sights the desert region held for him, scoping out anything that might be dangerous.
"Strange," the samurai wondered. "I don't see Aelita around anywhere"
Yumi frantically slapped the side of her head in shock.
"Oh, no! I must have typed in the wrong coordinates. You're too far from her."
"No sweat, we'll just run over to wherever she is. It's not like the exercise is going to kill us," Odd chipped in, still in high spirits.
Ulrich had yet to take his focus off the horizon, as his instincts told him that something was amiss and he should be ready for it. Sure enough, off in the distance he saw a medium size cloud of dust, which got bigger by the second. As time passed, Ulrich was able to pick out the sound of robotic footsteps, and the sight of a pink spot, which contrasted sharply with his dull surroundings.
"Odd! Over there! Look!"
It didn't take much to figure out that the dust cloud was the result of three stampeding crabs, which were more than willing to continue their chase. Aelita welcomed the sight of Odd and Ulrich standing before her, and ended her sprint by sliding on her knees till she was at a complete stop. With them here, she no longer needed to run.
"Glad to see that you made it."
Ulrich was the first to speak.
"Don't worry, Aelita. Your two knights in shining armor are here to protect you."
Sure, the line sounded corny, but it was the best he could come up with to reassure the girl that no harm would come to her. Aelita was found without a scratch on her, yet still, that feeling of dread had yet to pass through Ulrich. Was there something else hidden behind the scenes that had yet to be revealed to him? That's when Odd, too, noticed something strange.
"Hey Ulrich, don't you find it weird that those oversized buckets of bolts have yet to fire a single shot at us or Aelita."
"You're right; you'd think with how persistent they were chasing her they'd start shooting as soon as she stopped moving."
"Then let's start the battle ourselves!"
Odd only managed to take three steps forward before he felt his shoulder being pulled back.
"Hold it...I don't like the looks of this."
"You think XANA has laid a trap for us? Like an ambush or something?"
"Could be. Either way, let's wait for them to make the first move."
The usual dash that was customary for their attacks was foregone for a more calm approach. The crabs watched their two targets stroll toward them. Odd couldn't help but feel as if he was re-enacting an epic scene from a western, given the scenery and the tension in the air that usually accompanied your typical showdown at high noon. All that was needed was the obligatory tumble-weed blowing by and he'd bet set. Then again when it came to heroes Odd definitely topped his own list. Sure Clint Eastwood has got the machismo factor over him but he was able to flip circles around the movie star and look rather fine in purple.
Odd's train of thought returned to the battle. Thinking of Westerns was not going to help save his classmates from all the rats at the school. He was fighting with Laser Arrows, not six-shooters, for crying out loud. The effects of his wandering mind were already making themselves apparent. He was so detached from where he was that just the simple act of walking was proving to be difficult.
If only such a simple explanation was true. Once he saw the normally flat desert region tilt itself into a rather steep hill, Odd wished that his mind was playing tricks on him. Ulrich was right: XANA did have something nasty up his sleeve, but it wasn't the crabs who were the first to move… it was Lyoko itself.
"What's going on down there, guys?"
"I'm not sure myself, Yumi, but things are getting a lot more vertical for us." Ulrich spoke, still trying to keep a clear head.
"I suddenly feel like I'm a piece of garbage on a dustpan being disposed of. Got any bright ideas man?"
The samurai looked up at his enemies with his brow creased. How was he going to both keep his grip and fight the crabs off at the same time?
"Well Odd, once I come up with one, you'll be the first to know."
The rodents' invasion of the city had seeped passed Kadic's borders as their numbers grew. Logically, they convened in the one area that the last two members of the Lyoko Team would need to pass in order to get to the factory, and that was its connecting bridge.
Jeremie stared at the hundreds of beady eyes glaring his way. If someone else were to walk in on this epic standoff, they might have seen Jeremie looking a bit...smug.
"What I wouldn't give for a piece of cheese and a really, really big hammer right about now," Jin pleaded to the heavens.
"I got this."
The flashers were brought into open, one in each hand. With a quick press of a button, night became day, the darkness was lifted and the rats were banished for the time being. Still holding onto the tools he brought over from the library, Jeremie fixed his smug smile so that it faced Jin.
"Dual-wielding camera flashes. I think that was, like you always say, 'John Woo style.' "
Jin was not amused.
"Why do I feel like my role as your bodyguard has been diminishing, what with all the times you've upstaged me in the heroics department?"
"Think of it this way—I might not need you to keep me safe, but at least I've got a friend to keep me company."
"Now that was just real sappy of you. I just hope all of this physical pain that I've endured will be for something worth while," he deadpanned.
Unfortunately for XANA, what he didn't account for was one girl's refusal to give up.
Odd shook the cobwebs out of his head and took a deep breath to fill his lungs, which had been so wrongfully robbed of their precious oxygen. He didn't bother to time his recovery rate.
"Nice save, Aelita, but next time can you form a few mattresses as well?"
"Never mind about that, we have bigger problems to deal with," Ulrich interrupted.
Even when the floor was completely vertical, the crabs had no problems with scaling down the environment in order to engage the targets that they were ordered to eliminate, but things were different now. For one, Odd and Ulrich were able to stand on their own two feet again and had recovered from the mental shock of XANA's region tilting. Still though, they were outnumbered and had lost the high ground. This fight was not going to be easy.
"Cover Aelita; she's lost too many life points. I'm going to draw their attention away from you guys."
The friends resorted to their classic battle strategy, which resulted in Odd being the decoy and Ulrich playing clean up. Tried and tested multiple times, it proved to be a simple but effective tactic on Lyoko. The purple clad boy wasted no time in approaching the crabs utilizing the smaller stones that jetted from the wall as handholds, looking for a platform that was at the same level as the mechanical minions. Like an accomplished gymnast, Odd swung his legs forward gaining more height with each movement till he was able to leap to the adjacent rock that allowed him to stand upright. Taking a few precious milliseconds to catch his breath, he focused his sights on the trio of monsters and readied his wrist to stare face to face with one of them. His little wall climb did not go completely undetected like he had hoped.
"Laser Arrow!"
Though he said the singular version of the attack, multiple darts were released from his wrist. The crab that spotted him was quick enough to return fire. Laser Arrows met laser beams in the air canceling each other out and leaving behind a shower of sparks. In the end, the arrows won the clash and struck home, knocking the robot off balance before it exploded.
"One down!"
The remaining two crabs would not accept the loss sitting down, and began to unload their weaponry on the cat-boy as if to avenge their fallen comrade. The beams of red light were emitted from the center of their glowing white eyes in steady streams tearing through the landscape and Odd's virtual body.
"Get out of there Odd!" Ulrich yelled over the sound of laser fire.
Odd, on his part, was curled up in the smallest position possible so as to make himself harder to hit, but no matter how tight he contracted his body, he was still a motionless target, and therefore easy to hit. His fight or flight instincts were choosing the latter option and he began to make his getaway. The easiest thing to do was to drop back down, but that would defeat the entire purpose of him being the decoy, as he would end up standing next to Aelita. The only thing he could do now was climb. His body leapt through the gaps in the laser fire and grabbed onto the nearest ledge that his arms could reach. Gloved hands met rock and he was now a few feet higher than he was before. Already the crabs were adjusting their aim; Odd watched the area around him being blasted to bits, revealing the green lines of data that ran underneath Lyoko's sandy surface layer. A burning sensation was felt in his hands and then he was falling. The lasers still came and did not miss this time.
When he awoke, he was inside the scanner… out of breath, and out of Lyoko.
The elevator opening was a welcome sound to hear meaning that the others had arrived in one piece.
She listened in to hear what the two were talking about as the stepped outside and managed to catch the tail end of their conversation.
"...and get your head bandaged. I can't have you bleeding over the factory. I thought that you would be afraid of the stuff being hemophobic and all."
"Aiya, get your facts straight! I only get scared when other people bleed."
Jeremie sighed as winning this argument would be of little use to him and directed his attention to Yumi.
"How are things going?"
"Real bad. Odd has just been devirtualized and Ulrich hardly has any life points left."
"Then it's time for you to head on over there to help."
Yumi was relieved to pass the computer into more capable hands. She couldn't wait to alleviate some of the anxiety she had felt while in front of the super computer.
"I'm glad to hear that. Aniki, you're coming, right?"
A string of inaudible dialogue came from his mouth that almost sounded as if he was speaking in the tongue of their homeland.
"That I am," Jin grumbled in a sarcastic tone. "I get the feeling that I'll be much safer in Lyoko than out here. If I stay in the real world any longer a grand piano will drop on me given my bad luck."
"Then let's head to the scanners."
His name was Clayton Mil, age fourteen. A former delinquent in the classroom, his reputation among the teachers of Kadic was slowly healing as he started getting good grades and curbing his rebellious edge. His hood drawn over his head and a lunch tray firmly in his grasp, he stood alone in the middle of the rooftop, acting as the last line of defense for the fearful students.
"Clayton, you gigantic idiot!" Dirk hollered. "You're not going to be much of an enforcer if you're reduced to a mangled corpse. Now get the heck back here!"
Rebecca, too, was taken back by his total disregard for his own safety. But instead of using Dirk's commanding tone she opted to resort to reason.
"Dirk's right. There's not much you can do. You saw how many rats are in the school; you'll get eaten alive."
Clayton did not bother to turn around to face the two.
"Dirk, you did say that Ulrich and his friends know something that we don't right?"
"Yes, I did."
"If anyone is going to save our hides it's those guys; the ones who KO'd us in the forest. I have faith that they'll pull through and solve this humongous mess. In the meantime, if I can buy them some more time by bashing a few rat skulls in, then so be it."
"Clayton," Dirk and Rebecca said softly, impressed with his conviction.
"Alright, you sewer dwelling rodents. You want a war? I'll take you to war! Let's go!"
That's all that Ulrich could do. The crabs were getting closer and their rate of fire was increasing. Keeping Aelita safe was his top priority, and he would do whatever it took to make sure she did not lose another life point. Sometimes he intercepted a laser with his sword. Sometimes it was with his body as a meat shield. It was getting harder to concentrate the longer the ordeal dragged on. There were just too many beams of get rid of. Was this all he had to offer? Stand still and swing a sword in the air. There had to be more. There just had to be.
The crab leading the charge touched down on the platform he occupied and stood just a few feet away. Ulrich knew that his life point total was abysmal but he still was going to take the offensive. Just like Odd, this maneuver was do-or-die. Either he was going to put this thing out of its misery, or he was going to fail trying; he was going to let chance decide the outcome. Placing everything he had in this one attack, Ulrich sprung forward with his sword aimed at the crab's center, completely ignoring the lasers that came his way.
Sword hit metal, projectile hit virtual flesh.
Ulrich was knocked backwards violently, leaving not even a scratch behind his opponent. His physical presence could no longer remain and disintegrated into a thousand white pixels before disappearing completely.
Alone on Lyoko, face to face with two crabs primed to fire. It was a situation that she had feared from the start. However, despite facing such dire consequences, her faith in her friends remained strong… so strong, in fact, that it prevented her neutral expression from being contorted by fear. There were three people left who could still help her, and they would do their very best to make sure that they did not let her down.
"Aelita!" Jeremie screamed out. "Hang on, help is on the way."
"Yo! Bolts for brains!" Jin's taunting voice was heard, confirming the fact. "Just stay where you are while we come down there!"
"Ready, Aniki?"
She saw her brother partake in his familiar ritual of cracking his knuckles before he did anything daring.
"Of course. Let's rock!"
Yumi was the first one to jump, performing the perfect swan dive keeping her body straight so that it would be easier to aim. The gigantic XANA eye painted on top of the crab was the bull's-eye.
"HIYAAAAAAA!"
All her frustrations, all her fury went into her one fan, making the sight of the exploding crab all the more satisfying. The deed was finished as simply and elegantly as possible. Jin was far more complex with his movements but no less intense.
"Psycho Crusher!"
The gunman, too, was quite serious when it came to rescuing Aelita. Laser blasts flew by his spinning form harmlessly as he began to pick up speed. Soon, the bullets came crashing down, falling from the sky as if it were raining lead from clouds illuminated by muzzle flashes. The crab's body was ripped to shreds.
"You can thank M. Bison for teaching me that move!"
Yumi had caught up to her brother so that she was falling next to him as she had an important warning.
"Aniki, shouldn't you be paying attention to where you're falling? Everyone knows you're not too keen on landings."
His sunglasses hid his shocked expression, which revealed itself for only a second before returning to his normally brash state.
"Listen Yumi, I've already had my head pulverized three times today. I'm not so dense that it will happen a—GAH!"
Not bothering to see where he was falling, Jin smacked into one of Aelita's platforms at breakneck speed, landing on the right side of his face. On the other hand, his sister managed to land safely beside Aelita and flashed a reassuring smile to let her know that everything was alright. Two seconds later, the faint traces of momentum that lingered in Jin's body caused him to slump over the edge and land face up between the two girls.
"Argh! Jeremie, can you virtualize me a gigantic Advil? My head is killing me!"
Jin made his plea all while thrashing on the ground violently, managing to irritate his injury even more. Yumi looked up at Aelita and shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't worry about him, Aelita; he always gets hurt. Just go and deactivate the tower."
She nodded and disappeared into the walls of the black and white structure.
That second was now.
"Curse your idiocy. It must be contagious."
"Return to the past! Now!"
"By any chance did you figure out a way to flunk the test?"
"Well now that I already know what questions they are going to ask, it's going to be a lot easier getting them wrong," Jeremie explained. "Besides, I have a foolproof way on making sure that I stay here at Kadic."
"And that would be?"
"I'll be getting all of my answers from Odd."
The group, minus one purple clad boy, shared in a hearty laugh at the clever joke Jeremie had just cracked.
"Real funny, guys, but just wait and see. I might surprise you all with how smart I am."
"Suuuuuuuure," Ulrich agreed sarcastically.
Jin leaned over, as Odd was seated next to him.
"Remember Odd, just write Chuck Norris as your answer for every single question and you'll do fine."
"Don't you have some Street Fighter combos to research?"
"Nope."
Jin pulled out a different strategy guide than he had had before, this one being much thicker than his previous piece of reading.
"I feel like going 3-D today. Once I practice my ground game and learn how to buffer, my Brian Fury will be unstoppable...unstoppable I tell you!"
Jin took one last glance at the library, prepared to read until he saw a sight that caused him to forego that activity.
"On second thought, I'll save that for later. There's something else I need to take care of."
"There, done and done. All I need is a name and I'm set."
"And here I thought Felicia was only a Darkstalker."
It was just like Jin to start conversations randomly in contexts he knew nothing about.
"Yep, I thought it was only fitting to draw her somewhere that would be a bit more permanent. Don't you agree?"
"That I do. So I take it you're looking for a title for it then. Mind if I help?"
"Sure, though I gotta ask why."
Jin smiled at the inquiry. He couldn't really tell her that she helped saved his life during the XANA attack when he crashed his bike. A good deed like that wasn't going to go without some word of thanks, even if the participant was not aware of their heroics.
"Let's just say I owe you one and leave it at that."
She wasn't really the type to probe deeper into people's reasonings, so she let the issue rest.
"Quick, name a song."
"Uhhh..."
Several titles raced through his mind that all deserved to be mentioned in this exchange of ideas. He decided to go with the choice that was still fresh in his mind, an old song from the nineties that was used in one of his favorite music videos of all time.
"Virtual Insanity?"
The name was uttered as if it were a question, but Rebecca took it anyway.
"Then it's decided, this picture's title will be 'Virtual Insanity'. Hey, I kinda like the sound of that. Thanks Jin."
"Naw, I should be thanking you."
END
A strange pang developed in the pit of Mr. Delmas' stomach as the exact rationale of why this specific date was forgotten.
"Hopefully he will fair better than our last candidate."
Mr. Simone then had a flashback of that dreadful day. The test was so ridiculously easy that even a child could have passed it. Once he saw the exam ahead of time he knew that his candidate was going to ace it for sure. All he had to do was place the square block through the square hole and vice versa with the circle block. At first the test subject reversed the order, jamming the square peg into the round hole, which caused the psychologist's heart rate to rise, but what was truly embarrassing was that he continued to make the same mistake for over five hours before finally smashing the object through the opening with a gigantic sledgehammer he somehow managed to smuggle past security.
Mr. Delmas knew that his colleague was remembering the incident and decided to speak.
"So, have you learned from your previous mistake?"
"Yes I did sir. That was the last time I ever pick any transfer students from Jersey."
"Now that was just real sappy of you. I just hope all of this physical pain that I've endured will be for something worth while," he deadpanned.
"Oh it will," Jeremie said with a grin that foreshadowed criminal intent.
Two months later
The Ishiyama family sat comfortably in front of the television just in time to catch the climax of their favorite TV show. The host approached the studio audience with an envelope in his hand and a huge grin on his face.
"Ok, folks, your votes are in. The award for funniest home video goes to...Jeremie Belpois for "Clumsy Japanese Kid!" Roll the clip!"
Broadcast on national television was a montage of all of the accidents Jin had suffered through during his induction as a Lyoko warrior: falling down the staircase, losing his grip on the fire hose, crashing his bike, being blind sided by a heavy door, etc. All of these were dubbed with dopey voices and cartoon sound effects to make the scenes appear less violent and more on the humorous side. The other members of the Japanese family just laughed themselves silly along with the entire viewing audience as if to celebrate the boy's "stardom."
"Jeremie better not spend all of his prize money in one place, 'cuz he's going to need a coffin after I get my hands on him!"
Jin rose to his feet with a vengeful looking at the general direction of Kadic Junior High ready to show his friend his "appreciation." Right when he made his way out of the door, his young form was crushed by a giant piano.
"Hey Jeremie, did you get that?" Ulrich yelled. His hands were a bit tired from holding the rope that had kept the instrument suspended in the air so long. He saw his friend emerge from the bushes with a video camera in his hand looking rather pleased.
"Good job man. Thanks for your help."
"Don't mention it, just remember that I get a cut of the prize money next time."
"Of course you will, and maybe this time we'll save a few hundred to pay for Jin's hospital bills. He is our star after all."
Jin could only respond with a few painful screams and a couple of bad sounding piano cords just like on Looney Tunes.
Those thoughts stuck with him even after the attack was averted, up until he was surfing through the channels on TV. His eyes literally bulged out of his head once he saw what was on the screen.
There, in a made-for-TV movie, stood Clint Eastwood in a purple cat outfit complete with tail, holding some generic bad guy by the collar.
"I know what you're thinking: 'Did he have nine Laser Arrows or ten?' Well, I don't think you have enough life points to answer that question so I ask you this...do you feel lucky? Well do you? Punk?"
It took every ounce of strength in his body to resist the urge to vomit on the spot."
By now, concertgoers were piled against the stage. Right smack in the middle of his verse, Jin staggered backward under the force of an unopened liter bottle of soda, which struck him on the side of the head. He was knocked off his feet, which interrupted the band for just a second. In the next, Jin dove off the stand and towards the guy in the audience who threw the bottle at him. The music stopped, and everyone watched as Jin beat this guy in the audience senseless.
Yumi and Jim eventually separated the two, with Yumi speaking to her brother in Japanese. Though no one knew what they were saying, chances are she was concerned for his safety, considering the kind tone of her voice.
Jin grabbed Yumi's mic and shouted something in Japanese. Then he switched to a language everyone could understand. "You know what," he started, "because of this lame-ass security, I'M GOING HOME!" And he spiked the mic on the stage and stormed off.
Backstage, before the concert, Milly and Tamiya managed to get what they called "an exclusive interview" with the Pop Rock Progressives. As usual, Tamiya had her camera trained on Mille and the band. Jin was closest to her, so she spoke to him first.
"Greetings!" she started. "Milly Solovieff here, with an exclusive interview with the Pop Rock Progressives, who will be taking the stage in just a few short minutes." She decided to have some fun with this next part. "So, Jin...there have been rumors flying around on the Internet and such...isn't it true at your last concert you whacked someone over the head with a microphone stand?"
Jin was gonna have some fun with this too, but to the casual viewer, it looked completely un-staged. "END OF INTERVIEW," Jin said sharply. He then walked off, his other band mates following him.
"What? Why?" Milly asked.
He was out of frame, but the mics could still pick him up, to a degree. "Because you'll be the next!" he shouted. The camera followed the band for a second, the image blurring. Then, it turned back to Milly.
"Is there any hope of the band staying together?" she said with a chuckle. The camera went back to Jin, who was leaning against a door frame with his arms folded.
"Oh, sod off," Jin grumbled. Before he walked off, he blew a loud raspberry with the aid of the back of his hand.
On a Monday, I am waiting...
On a Tuesday, I am fading...
Yumi froze. At one point, there was a slight miscommunication between the technical chief – Jeremie, in this case – and the band. The song that was being played through the speaker system wasn't sung in Yumi's voice...nor was it being sung by Yumi...
"Jeremie! Wrong song! You're playing the wrong song!" the house mics picked up.
Jeremie shrugged and tried to get the right song on his computer, but the only thing that happened was his computer locked up and the same note started skipping repeatedly.
Her face was beet red, and people in the audience openly laughed, while others openly chanted, "YOU SCREWED UP! YOU SCREWED UP! YOU SCREWED UP! YOU SCREWED UP!"
Yumi was mortified, and hastily made her retreat from the stage.
I like it, I'm not gonna crack...
I miss you, I'm not gonna crack...
I love you, I'm not gonna crack...
I kill you, I'm not gonna craaaaaaack...
Sensing that the song was just about over, Jim decided to show off just a bit. After hitting a particularly long note on his trombone, he locked the slider in place, and then tossed it straight up above his head. The trombone got a good ten feet above the stage. He would've caught it, but a loud, ear-splitting riff from Odd and his guitar drew his attention for just half a second—enough time for the trombone to come down and strike Jim right in the head, causing him to stagger and fall flat on his back.
Bedlam ensued. Mass cheering followed.
Nick struck first, standing up, kicking the stool out from under him, and kicked and swung wildly at his drums, knocking most of them over.
Odd ripped the strap off his guitar, wound up, and slammed it as hard as he could against the stage, shattering the base. He then grabbed what was left of the neck, ran, and slammed it into one of the speakers.
Ulrich grabbed his keyboard, kicked the stand away, raised it up, and with a loud hell, slammed it over his knee, shattering the keyboard and sending plastic black and white keys in every direction.
Yumi slammed her mic into the stage repeatedly, smashing the device and generating some feedback that few people noticed over their loud cheering. Jin grabbed his mic stand and harpooned another set of speakers.
All the while, after dispatching of his drum set, Nick grabbed one of the working mics and started yelling into it.
"HI, AXL!" he said, over and over again. "HI, AXL! HI, AXL! HI, AXL! HI, AXL!"
"WE LOVE YOU, KADIC ACADEMY!" Jin shouted. "GOODNIGHT!"
Some students, such as Herb, were still being passed around above the crowd as the concert came to a close. Just before they all joined together to gracefully bow out, they saw Nick spraying his drums with lighter fluid. Only the band members knew what he was doing…and it would be a huge surprise to the audience.
And what a surprise it was. Nick lit a match, struck it against the rest of the matches in the book, and threw the flaming debris onto his drums. With a loud FWOOSH!, the entire set went up in a blaze of glory. The audience, who wasn't expecting it (as they thought) saw the burning surprise and stared at the flames, entranced.
Many of these same students were holding other students above their head...students such as Herb. "Whoa..." They all forgot that others were crowd surfing, and paid little mind to the thuds and moans of pain that accompanied them hitting the ground. But then, they started cheering again.
By the way: The references used were as follows:
Take 1 - Guns 'N' Roses
Take 2 - Sex Pistols
Take 3 - Ashlee Simpson's Performance Botch of the Century™
Take 4 - Nirvana at the MTV Video Music Awards
Take 5 - Green Day (from a concert I was attending)
Yes folks, I am not dead...just busy and preoccupied with other things so please don't kill me or else you'll never get any answers to the questions you've all been asking.
Well another day another long chapter from me. Though this did very little in terms of progressing the story, I tried to make this latest installment important in a different sense, which would be to reclaim the old feeling of the Retelling Series. A sort of "back to basics" if you will. Here you have all the classic moments: witty Odd remarks, slight Yumi and Ulrich romantic overtones, Jin being a tremendous klutz and of course Dirk and Clayton being their evil selves. I felt as if the Troublesome Duo was becoming a bit too soft and I wanted to remind all you readers that they guys are not the friendliest students to meet. I swear, after I wrote Tempo Rubato, quiet a few female readers expressed their wishes on how they would have loved to be in Grace's shoes when she glomped our favorite grumpy Korean.
Now I'm sure some of you are wondering who on Earth Rebecca is so let me explained. A looooooooong time ago, I held a Retelling fan art contest on my website and DA page where the theme was to draw the characters of the Retelling Series but of the opposite gender and the winner got to have their ACC appear in one of my chapters. The huge amount of submissions floored me and in the end artist SylentNyte won out and she created Rebecca for me to use. I only have the intention of using her like a one-shot character from CL, think in the same light as Theo where their presence was noteworthy in a single episode but they did not impede on the story's progress overall. I hope I accomplished this with Rebecca and if I didn't please tell me as I have three other ACCs I need to write as well and I want to get this right. Many of the drawings the character worked on in the chapter are actually submissions in SylentNyte's deviantART account.
I think it would be appropriate for me to talk about Clayton here. For the longest time he's been a supporting character who's motivations had yet to be undefined. I thought it would have been good to showcase his more aggressive side to give a sort of reference on the type of person he is as I always felt like he was the least developed Retelling ACC and it was about time he had the spotlight for a good chunk of time. Oh yeah, a hundred awesome points to anyone who recognizes all the movie quotes he used while kicking butt.
Well that's all I have to say, thanks for reading this ridiculously long chapter and thanks for sticking through this story despite the lack of updates. Special thanks goes to Ariand CreatorWorks1987 for cleaning this baby up and I hope to read your comments soon.
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