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G-Force 4
Author of 6 Stories |
Disclaimer
Code Lyoko is not mine, but soon your soul will be BWAHAHA...oops did I say that out loud?
Special Thanks
To my wonderful beta reader, Ari Rockefeller. You guys should really thank this dude on account he has to put up with me on an almost daily basis.
The following chapter is presented in Scream-O-Vision, a revolutionary new way to present fanfiction. If you see the following words on your computer screen...
(Scream)
Please scream as loud as you can. Don't worry about anyone else listening. Everyone should know by now that you're all fans of the Retelling Series, which is more than enough evidence for one to plead insanity. What this means is that you can cause all the commotion you want as people will just shrug it off as yet another set of ramblings from a crazy person. Ok, let's practice.
(Scream)
To those of you out there who did scream, great job! And to those who stayed quiet, for shame you cowards! With that said, enjoy the chapter.
Warning
G-Force is not responsible for any physical and mental damages that might occur through the use of Scream-O-Vision. We can not guarantee your safety and if you do get in trouble with others because of this, then it serves you right for being foolish enough to take advice from a fanfic.
The internal works of Lyoko were ablaze with activity. As the various personal of the virtual world scurried to and fro to prepare for their next meeting, two high-ranking officers decided to have a coffee break at that moment completely ignoring the chaos that was around them.
"Sooo...how do you feel with what has happened so far?" the first individual asked.
"I dunno Anderson, I mean expanding into the net was a good call from XANA, but I just feel a bit uneasy with all the changes."
"Chill out…uh…" The first officer took a quick glance at his partner's name tag. "Thomas, you worry too much."
"Well, it's just that I feel like we can't win out in the end. I mean, we are the bad guys you know. People like us never win in the movies."
"Now you're just being naive. That's just a gross overstatement. Look at Star Wars. First, the rebels won by blowing up the Death Star. Then, in Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader returned three times stronger and gave the heroes a good solid butt-kicking."
"I fail to see how Luke getting his hand chopped off and Han Solo being frozen in carbon relates to us."
"Don't you see man? That's our story in a nutshell. First those bratty kids won by materializing Aelita. Now we won by having complete access to the internet. I'll tell you Thompson, things will be real easy for us for now on."
"Wait, you only mentioned the first two movies of the original trilogy. What about Return of the Jedi? You know…where Luke Skywalker becomes a super skillful Jedi and comes back with a vengeance?"
"Uh...well ummm," now at a loss for words, Anderson quickly looked for another topic to discuss. "Say, isn't XANA coming back from his trip today?"
"Yeah, something about a meeting with the 'Council of Evil'. Maybe that's why everyone is in a state of panic."
"Hey, guys! XANA is baaaaaaaaack!" came a loud booming voice from the room's entrance.
(Scream)
With that one greeting the room had cleared of all the passers by leaving behind the military personnel behind so that the meeting could begin. The two officers who were once slacking now stood at attention as they didn't want their superior to see them in such a compromising position.
"Soooo, XANA…" Anderson said while quickly putting his coffee cup away. "See anyone really cool at the big meeting?"
"Oh, the usual…Lord Zedd, Megatron, The Hands of Blue, Darth Vader, The Wicked Witch of the West, Magneto, various members of Organization XIII, you know…real lively folk."
"So what did you guys talk about?"
"Same old, same old. Taking over the world, holding hostages, making sure you explain your evil plans to the hero in explicit detail so that they can be stopped with only five minutes of the episode left."
"Ah."
By now XANA had positioned his formless body so that it "stood" at the head of the gigantic oval table bringing an air of professionalism to the meeting.
"Now I heard from a very reliable source that you guys tried to stage an attack on Earth while I was away. How did that go?"
Thompson stood up from his chair holding a stack of papers.
"Well, we decided to go a different route and tried something new. Instead of possessing a human or machine, we managed to gain control of a large number of poisonous snakes. Then, in order to keep the attack under wraps, we had them sneak into an airplane to wreck havoc on the passengers. The incident was isolated and Jérémie didn't even know we were at work."
"What a marvelous idea guys! How come I was not informed of your success?" XANA asked excitedly.
"Well…the problem was Samuel L. Jackson boarded that flight as well."
"So, what difference does that make? If the kids didn't go to Lyoko then you should have been able to do what you pleased."
"The thing is sir...the beating that Samuel L. Jackson handed out to the snakes was so bad that the tower deactivated itself."
XANA only winced in pain and said a silent prayer to all the snakes that were lost during the actor's massive rampage in the skies. With the mourning completed, XANA's expression changed to a smirk, which was quiet impressive seeing how he was just a formless back cloud of evil.
"Gentlemen, our luck will soon change. Today is the day we defeat our enemies and taste the fruits of victory!"
He looked at his advisors' confused expressions which was something that he expected.
"Since you boneheads have given us at least over a season's worth of REALLY BAD ideas, I've asked two members of the 'Council of Evil' to pay us a visit and help out with the brainstorming."
The room was alive with chatter after the news. Two distinguished members that served the side of evil were going to be gracing their presence. A few generals even got their notepads as to ask these mysterious benefactors for their autographs.
Imagine the surprised looks on their faces once they saw XANA place a rat cage on the table and released the hinges that held its door shut. Just then two white mice emerged, one had a gigantic round head and was short in stature. The animal eyed his audience suspiciously with a dour look as if he was already analyzing the group showing signs of keen intellect. The same could not be said for the rat that stood next to him. As he scratched the inside of his ear and sniffed the contents that his finger managed to accumulate, it was quiet clear that this particular mouse's IQ totaled in the single digits.
XANA still wore his evil grin.
"Gentlemen, say hello to Pinky and The Brian. Two laboratory mice from ACME, bent on world domination."
"That's Brain." he corrected.
Anderson spat out his coffee once he heard the large-head rodent speak.
"Holy cow, a talking rat!"
Brain looked rather annoyed with the statement of such an obvious observation.
"Yes I can talk, you over-caffeinated, blubbering buffoon," The Brain snorted. "My sheer mental intellect surpasses your thinking capacity so severely that it would take several millennia for you to even begin to remotely comprehend the difference."
The officer leaned over to his partner as to whisper something into his ear.
"I think he's really smart. He uses big words like 'difference' and stuff like that."
"Egad, Brain! The guy is a genius as well! He figured out how to drink coffee without burning his tongue," the taller mouse exclaimed.
XANA cleared his throat which ended whatever little spat Brain had managed to spark with his henchmen.
"Shall we begin the meeting then?"
Thomas flipped a switch which caused a giant video screen to appear from the room's back wall. Various pictures of the Lyoko team were displayed along with their general statistics and various notes that were gathered about them during all of their past battles.
"As you know gentlemen, after two straight seasons of attempts, our enemies still pose a great threat to our plans. They have survived everything, from giant teddy bears, the frigid cold and even human possession."
Brain carefully studied the slide and was able to memorize the teenagers' faces right before the next slide was shown. Thomas continued his lecture.
"So far we've been mainly concentrating our attacks on Kadic Junior High where our enemies attend classes. Outside of the large gymnasium and dormitory buildings, the academy itself is just your run-of-the-mill school. Any questions so far?" Thomas saw the thin mouse raise his hand. "Yes Pinky?"
"Is there such thing as the Tooth Fairy?"
Pinky was rewarded with a giant slap to the back of the head, compliments of Brain.
"Please excuse my partner's ignorance but I too have a question for XANA."
XANA was a bit surprised to see that Brain was already asking questions so soon.
"Ask away."
"I'm a bit surprised that your tactic of controlling humans to do your work has failed you. May I inquire about the people you've possessed in the past?"
"Well to the best of my memory we first possessed Sissi, then Jim, Jérémie, a prison convict, lunch lady Rosa, the school nurse and Mr. Delmas."
"I'm beginning to see why your plans always fail XANA."
"Lack of fiber in his diet?" Pinky asked and received another slap to the back of the head. By now the evil computer program was more than intrigued with Brian's diagnoses for his losing streak.
"Eh?"
"Aside from Jérémie, all those people you named were individuals that the Lyoko Team would not hesitate to give them a good beating."
"What are you implying XANA?"
"That you need a change of test subjects. We need to possess a human so loveable, so well-liked that no matter what vile acts of evil they commit, the public would not care."
"What a brilliant idea Brain!" XANA yelled in joy. "But is there a human on Earth that popular?"
Before Brain could think of an answer the TV screen's images was changed to a late night show comedy show which both Pinky and Anderson were huge fans of as they were laughing along with the studio audience watching.
"Would you two morons shut up?" A perturbed XANA and Thomas yelled in unison.
The two people that the command was issued to froze in place.
"What, do you hate this show or something? I can always change the channel to Dr. Phil."
(Scream)
The suggestion proved to be so frightful that XANA and the rest of the Council of Evil screamed right along with the Retelling fans who chose to play along with the suggestion. Both Pinky and Anderson were unaffected and returned their gazes back to the television screen and resumed their triad of laughter. Brain was beside himself with anger.
"Pinky, how am I supposed to help XANA take over the world if you keep laughing like that?"
The other mouse looked back at him with a sorrowful look in his eyes.
"I'm really sorry Brain, but whenever I watch this guy, I just can't help but smile and feel all happy inside."
Brain's expression changed, producing both a smile and a cartoonish light bulb to appear over his head.
"XANA, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"I think so Brain," the formless cloud said hesitantly. "But where in Antarctica are we going to find a birthday clown?"
The smile faded as was replaced with a look of dread.
"Oh dear."
Just when Mr. Delmas' hand was hovering over the big red power button on the remote, the sound of a motorcycle engine revving down was heard outside the gym's doors and the man whose attendance was requested entered.
"'Eyyyyyyyyyy, Mr. D," Jim said in a laid-back "cool" voice. He was wearing jeans, a leather jacket and had his hair slicked back. "Looks like we got the TV installed right before our big Halloween costume contest."
The school principal smiled at that particular detail.
"That's right, Jim. Since this is the first time we've done something this extravagant, it's only fitting that we display our contest on the big screen as well as to showcase the students' handiwork in high-definition glory!"
Several crickets chirped in the background for Jim's BS detector kicked into overdrive.
"You're just tired of watching the World Cup at some random bar in town right?"
Mr. Delmas bowed his head.
"Yes."
"Still, though, Mr. D, where did you get all the cash for this?"
"Apparently, I received a rather large sum of money in the mail from a company thinking I was Miyazaki on account of my personal appearance. The note attached to it said that I can do whatever I want with it as long as I keep animating…so I chose to buy this TV."
Hearing the origins of his boss's means of acquiring such a large fortune made Jim a bit uneasy.
"Sir, maybe you should give the money back. I mean, those guys are not going to be happy when they find out their check went to the wrong person."
"And watch the new season of 24 on the small screen? You've got to be joking."
"Good point."
An awkward silence soon followed. Jim decided to try to rekindle the conversation by inquiring about something he saw on the news.
"Did you hear about what happened during Samuel L. Jackson's flight?"
"That I did...poor snakes."
It was time for the chit-chat to end. The remote was brought into view seeing how it was time to enjoy their entertainment splendor.
"Ok Jim, let's turn this baby own and marvel at the wonderful shows daytime television has to offer!"
The button was pressed and the machine came alive with a mechanical hum and a tiny click. The two men watched the sight like excited children up until they saw a singing purple dinosaur singing about how he loved everyone on earth and that they were a big family.
(Scream)
After ten minutes of muttering "I'm in my happy place" to themselves, both Jim and Mr. Delmas worked up enough courage to stand up and walk out of the room.
"Well maybe I could..." Odd then shook his head violently to drive those thoughts from his mind. "No! Bad Odd! Bad Odd! A true cosplayer does his best to make himself look like the character, not the other way around."
His roommate was in the room as well watching his roommate marvel at his own craftsmanship.
"I still can't believe that you intentionally skipped three days worth of classes all in the name of putting together your costume."
Odd was actually offended by such a comment and quickly spun in place to let his friend now how he was feeling.
"That's because I don't want to have a repeat performance from last year! I made sure that my costume matches my character down to the very last thread. This time, the girls will be looking at me with hearts in their eyes."
"Last year?" Ulrich asked with a puzzled expression. "Oh, that time I went as Tuxedo Mask."
(Fangirl Scream)
All of Ulrich's female fans happily complied with letting their favorite Lyoko hero know much they appreciated his sense of fashion that one day. It should also be noted that last year's Halloween marked the largest amount of simultaneous nosebleeds ever recorded in US history. Still Ulrich was unfazed by all the attention he had been receiving
"I'm still worried Odd. You're grades in class are bad enough, do you really think missing school is such a good idea."
"Speak for yourself man. I didn't fail my latest grammar test thinking that the phrase 'I go' was a complete sentence."
Ulrich was not amused by that last comment, choosing to hold back whatever biting remarks he wanted to say.
"Still to answer your question, I'm still keeping in touch with my classes despite the fact I've been missing out on those oh-so-wonderful lectures.
He opened one of the drawers underneath his bad to grab the laptop he borrowed from Jérémie and switched it on.
"I've found this great website that has all the info I need to pass all my classes. It's called Wikipedia and it's the most accurate source of information that I've ever encountered in my life."
"Accurate, eh?"
Such an outlandish claim just had to be tested. Testing the site's accuracy, Ulrich ran a quick search on a subject that he wished to learn more info about and read the entry.
One of the most well-known Code Lyoko fanfic writers on the internet. G-Force established himself in the CL web community with his creation of the Retelling Series, which has been praised by fans from across the world. His writing has been called brilliant and he is considered to be a living legend among other Lyoko authors.
"Ooooookaaaaay...maybe Wikipedia isn't as reliable as I thought," Odd reluctantly admitted.
"And this is why we go to class. If you're going to rely on crackpot sites like this, then you're bond to fail."
"Wait!" Came a quick interjection from the blonde boy. He hastily typed a name in the search bar and pressed the return key.
See article on William Dunbar
The conversation considering the overall reliability of Wikipedia would be put on hold for there was a knock on the door.
"You're expecting company?" Ulrich asked.
"As a matter of fact, yes."
The door opened and a girl with strawberry highlights and tanned skinned walked in the room.
"Oh my gosh, Odd you look wonderful! You've really done the character justice. Am I right audience?"
(Fangirl Scream)
Again Odd blinked out of disbelief after seeing his girlfriend casually break a Lyoko taboo.
"I thought Jin was the only person who could make jokes about the fourth wall."
She shrugged, "It's an intermission chapter."
"Oh yeah..."
Ulrich kept to himself during the conversation as he was to busy trying to figure out why Samantha suddenly showed up. Knowing full well that the answers would not come to him through self-deliberation, he just simply gave up and asked.
"So Sam, what brings you here?"
"Odd wanted a partner to go on stage with him for the school's costume contest and I happily agreed. Though, he was being very hushed on the details of my character."
"Well that's all going to change now isn't it?"
The sound of her boyfriend's voice was a bit muddled as he was speaking to her from his closet.
"I spent all night yesterday making your costume so I hope you really like it."
Odd emerged from the vertical storage space and handed he girl a wrench. After seeing the prop, her eyes lit up and hugged the boy for his thoughtfulness.
"I can't believe we're going as Ed and Winry!" She practically squealed. "We're going to look so cute together and I bet you we'll be the envy of all the couples out there."
"Winry?" He repeated with a raised eyebrow. "I just need you to hold that for me while I get the suit of armor you'll be wearing."
Seeing Samantha's look contort from utter joy, to frightful shock and finally to anger was truly sight to see. Then again anger was an understatement. Hate-filled rage didn't do the look justice either. Lacking an appropriate adjective to describe Samantha's murderous gaze adequately, Ulrich opted to laugh instead. He was met with two pairs of eyes glaring at him.
"Oh, don't get too comfortable, you forgot about that little bet we made."
Indeed it was a memory that Ulrich wish he forgotten. He did not like what Odd had in store for him one bit. The boy in costume gestured toward a cardboard box.
"Since you lost the last game of Tetrix Annihilator you gotta wear whatever is in that box for the contest today."
He gulped. This Halloween was not going to be very pretty.
"Ah!"
By now he was searching his mind for an apology for his hastiness. He looked down at the boy he knocked over and saw a very familiar red, white and black outfit and was relieved that at least he didn't run into a complete stranger.
"Sorry about hitting you Jin."
The other person stood up and brushed himself off.
"It's alright."
Something was not right. Though Jérémie was able to recognize the physical form of the older Ishiyama, the voice that came from his mouth did not match. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.
"William, why are you dressed up as Jin?"
"Isn't it obvious? It's to help me get a date with Yumi."
Jérémie sighed; William's obsession for the girl knew no limits.
"How does dressing up as her brother going to help you out."
"It's all part of me reforming my image. Now I know I'm not the most humble person at this school so I thought I should show everyone that I am capable of humility."
His line of thinking was sound for Jérémie was able to piece together his hidden agenda.
"So by going as Jin, who is by far the most unpopular and humiliating character in our group, you think you can redeem yourself in Yumi's eyes?"
"That's right."
The look on Jérémie's face conveyed the fact that he was worried.
"Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into? Ulrich dressed up as Jin two years ago and the experience was not a fond one."
William wore a triumphant smile.
"Ha! Looks like that hot-shot couldn't handle the pressure. I'm sure whatever comes my way I can deal with, no problem."
"Are you sure?"
"Course I'm sure!"
Jérémie bowed his head. Ignorance was indeed bliss. William saw this change in expression and was perplexed.
"What, you feel sorry that I'm going to upstage your friend?"
He shook his head.
"I'm just wondering if you have medical insurance."
"Eh?"
With that confused comment and raised eyebrow, William stared at the area around him as it turned black. Just like in an episode of Looney Tunes a high-pitch wail signaled that something rather large and heavy was falling on the sky.
CRASH!
Jérémie took a few tentative steps toward the wreckage and could only see William's right arm barely breaking the surface of the crushed grand piano that had just flattened his body.
"Still think you can handle having Jin's bad luck?"
"I'll let you know once the internal bleeding stops."
"Yumi!" The older woman called out.
"Yes?"
"Can you tell your friends in the backyard to keep it down? It's hard for me to concentrate with all their screaming."
"Ok."
The walk to the back of the house was a quick one. Her presence was unnoticed by Hiroki whose eyes were glued to the TV where he was planted on the floor playing his favorite video game. Not stopping to warn the young boy of the potential health risk his hobby yielded, she opened the sliding door and saw two men in a fierce exchange of blows and words.
"Tiger Uppercut!"
"Gadoken!"
"Tigeeeeerrrrr Raid!"
"YAHOO!"
Yumi cleared her throat in an exaggerated manner as to catch their attention.
"Sagat, Dan, I gotta go to school so can you guys finish this fight somewhere else?"
"Awwww," the muscular man in the pink karate gi complained. "I was about to unleash my level three super taunt."
"Do it somewhere else. My mom can't take any more of your shouting. Plus I'm worried that Sagat might miss a crouching fierce and break something."
The taller of the two combatants crossed his arms across his chest and laughed loudly seeing his opponent being bested by a teenaged girl. The one being laughed at was not too pleased with this development.
"It's on! I saw a playground nearby; we'll take our fight there."
Dan tried to get a quick sucker punch out before leaving but found himself hitting air.
"Try again geek."
Before any more violence could erupt, Yumi quickly pushed the two men off her family's property. This was going to be one weird Halloween indeed.
This special girl in particular was one of the lucky few who had managed to secure a seat near the stage. This was not attributed to the fact that she was early. No, what got her this prized seat was the giant shuriken she carried and the threatening look she wielded with it.
The chair next to her was alive with activity as well for a small cute white creature plopped itself down to watch the stage.
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me?" The first girl asked in disbelief as she recognized the life form as the one-hundred and fifty-first Pokémon "I can't believe a Mew is actually sitting next to me."
"Yep, that's what I am and who might you be?"
"I'm Yuffie in her Kingdom Hearts attire but my real name is Chelsea Cloud."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Mew."
"Wow, talk about being in character. So you're excited about watching this contest?"
"Of course, I love seeing people cosplay, there's one particular person I just can't wait to see."
Chelsea blushed once she heard Mew's reasoning as she had the same agenda.
"Yeah, me too."
The girls sighed and spoke in unison with hearts in their eyes.
"Ulrich Stern."
Their intentions were one in the same and quickly changed the subject to their favorite soccer player.
"He's sooooooooo cute!" Mew said with a slight giggle.
"And did you remember when he dressed up as Tuxedo Mask? I felt my heart skip a beat on four separate occasions. Am I right audience?"
(Fangirl Scream)
Mew's wide eyes blinked after hearing the collective screams of Ulrich's female fans.
"I thought Jin was the only one who could crack jokes about the fourth wall?"
"It's an intermission chapter."
The lights in the gym began to dim as the contest was about to start. Chelsea leaned next to her new friend and whispered one last comment into her ear.
"By the way, I think you're costume is just fantastic."
"What costume?"
Chelsea slowly blinked her eyes as to comprehend the answer.
"Say Odd, was there anyone else you were planning to have dress up with us?"
"Well originally Jin was going to be Roy Mustang but we scrapped that idea after he freaked out and kept yelling 'My hand is on fire! My hand is on fire!' It took a total of five hours for us to get him to sit still so that we could put the flames out."
Samantha was shocked after hearing such a story.
"Well at least it was over right?"
"Not really. When the ordeal was done, Jin said that he had a great idea and snapped his fingers which essentially caused the whole thing to start over again.
Instead of engaging in the conversation that was taking place near him, Jérémie was preoccupied with the whereabouts of their group's set of fraternal twins. A flurry of movement was seen at the school's entrance. Wanting a closer look he aimed his camera in that direction and zoomed in and saw a girl in a Japanese school uniform come running toward them.
"Hey, it's Yumi."
Upon arriving toward her destination she skidded to a halt with the aid of her heels and kept her body from falling by jetting her arms to the side.
"Looks like I'm here on time. Where's Ulrich."
A wry grin emerged on Odd's face.
"Let's just say he's getting ready for his next big Halloween debut on stage."
The boys shielded themselves from the brightness that came from all the sparkles that gleamed from Yumi's face as she tried to imagine what sort of outfit her crush would be wearing. At first they were going to inquire about the whereabouts of her brother but opted instead to go inside to preserve their eyesight.
"Alright, three more people entering. There's plenty of room still inside as long as you hurry."
The group of friends was stopped by one of the many teachers that were handling security just so that things wouldn't go out of hand. Odd was quick to notice the man's oversight and made sure to show him the error of his ways.
"Don't forget about me. I'm here too."
The staff member adjusted his glasses and looked in the direction that the voice came from.
"Oh Odd, I didn't see you back there. You're so scrawny that you almost disappeared between Yumi and Jérémie."
Hearing that cursed word caused Odd's eye to twitch but he held his composure as he didn't want to hurt a teacher. The man chuckled at his own comment
"Not to mention that you're not wearing you're usual hair style so it was doubly hard for me to find you. I never realized how short you really are."
"Short?...I'll show you short!"
Yumi, Samantha and Jérémie watched in shock as the teacher was sent rocketing to the sky compliments of a giant cannon that Odd had managed to form after clapping his hands together. Both of them walked in the gym quickly, not saying a word.
"Jim, music!"
The gym teacher looked at the elaborate stereo system by his side and simply pounded it with his fist and it began to play. The lights of the room dimmed till only a single spotlight was shown on the stage.
"Welcome everyone to our first ever cosplay contest! This will indeed be a memorable event that we shall all cherish for the rest of our lives. Before we begin, I liked to say that we've chosen a student at random to start this competition off. Would our winner, Jin Ishiyama, come to the stage!"
Suddenly the giant television sparked with life as hundreds of CGI rendered hundred dollar bills fell within the television screen. Loud rap music accompanied the image.
Here Comes the Money
Here We Go
Money Talks
Here Comes the Money
Money-Money-Money-Money-Money-Money-Money-Money-Money
As the female chorus sang the word money in a rhythmic pattern, the gym's doors swung wide open revealing Jin behind them who was shuffling his feet and dancing around. He was wearing a pair of black athletic pants and a baseball jersey that said Shane-O-Mac on its back. The wild movements ceased and he proceeded to walk to the stage where he would take the microphone.
"Alright Kadic, let's get this show on the road! Who's ready for some cosplay?"
A loud roar of approval followed and Jin basked in the glory. For one student watching in the front row, the excitement was too much and he decided to show the speaker how much his announcing was being appreciated.
"Yeah, you tell it like it is! Your rock, William!"
Everyone had to place their hands on their ears to protect their hearing from the loud blaring noise that came from a microphone being dropped on stage.
"YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"
Before Jin could hand out a Teddygodzilla butt kicking, he was restrained by Jim and carried off stage leaving Mr. Delmas behind to proceed with the show.
"Let's bring out the first contestant...Ulrich Stern!"
The gymnasium was rocked by another loud sound but this time it came from all the females sitting inside.
"Einstein, get your camera ready. This is going to be a historical moment."
It was a miracle that Jérémie was able to comply for the noise level rose to feverish levels. His intuition told him that Odd was up to his scheming ways which caused chills to run up his spine.
"So who wants to hear me sing Eat It?"
"Who's sick idea was it to have our Ulrich goes as Weird Al Yankovic?"
Chelsea jumped to her feet as well.
"It's G-Force's obviously! I got an idea Mew. Let's take our anger out on his ACC that way he won't try to do anything this crazy ever again."
"Excellent suggestion. The minute I see that rolled up jacket sleeve, I'm going to give that guy a piece of my mind."
Sure enough their wishes were granted and the person they wanted to see stepped into view; well at least the person who looked like him.
"Hello there, girls. I was wondering if you two know where Yumi is sitting..."
Two death glares were shot at William's directions. He could have sworn he saw his life flash before his eyes.
"GET HIM!"
This was clearly a case of mistaken identity and William acted as quickly as he could to avoid a prolonged stay at the city's hospital.
"Wait you've got it all wrong! I'm William!"
The Pokémon and teenaged ninja stopped dead in their tracks after hearing the boy's message.
"That's even worse!" Chelsea shrieked.
"How dare you try to break Yumi and Ulrich up? They could have kissed in season two but you had to show up!" Mew turned her attention to the rest of the auditorium and yelled at the top of her lungs to get everyone to look her way.
"Attention my fellow CL fangirls! If you're upset about William trying to break up Y/U then come over here and show the guy how angry you really are."
Normally the sight of a massive amount of women running at you would be the stuff that dreams were made of but for one William Dunbar, this was a nightmare. Before he knew what was going on, he was laying face first on the hardwood floor with his body covered in bruises.
"Is it...over now?" He asked, the words struggled to leave his lips.
"Not yet."
Just then a piano fell from the heaven's and crushed the Jin imitator's body.
"Now it is."
"You're going to need to ask Winry to make you some more artificial limbs as you're going to be missing a lot more than an arm and a leg when I'm through with you."
Yumi's grip was broken and was pulled away from the purple prankster through the efforts of his girlfriend. Not wanting to do battle with a giant suit of armor, the Japanese girl ceased her mini triad. It was at this time that Mr. Delmas read off the name of the second contestant.
"Aelita Stones."
This time instead of loud rap music being played the entire room was rocked by an earthquake. The vibrations were large and rhythmic; kinda like...footsteps.
It was only a matter of seconds before the two adults running the show bolted out the door to see what the heck was going on.
It was humanoid in appearance and its slim figure was protected by blue armor that reflected the sun's rays. Looking up toward its head revealed that the being only had one gigantic eye though many had to avert their gaze as several necks began to ache from holding their heads at such an unnatural angle.
Jim shuddered in fear for he remembered what happened last year when a blue robot ventured on school grounds.
"Odd, you better not be planning to smash Kadic up with Megas!"
The shorter boy calmly walked up to him as to show that he had nothing to do with this turn of events.
"That's not Megas. That thing is an Evangelion."
"Wait!" Came the man's shocked reaction. "If you're here, then who's piloting that thing?"
The robot's pilot must have heard that question as she opened up her system's com link and spoke in a monotone voice.
"This is Aelita Stones cosplaying as First Child Rei Ayanami, designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 00."
Several people were rudely shoved aside by an over-excited Jérémie holding the camera he was given.
"So cool! So cool!" He kept repeating to himself as he neared the blue robot.
To say that Aelita was dedicated to portraying her character would have been an understatement. No where in his mind did he anticipate the level of quality of costuming as he was seeing. However, as the school's principal he had to enforce the rules.
"Ms. Stones, I can not allow you to have this mechanical beast on our campus. After last year's Megas' incident, we've enacted a strict zero tolerance policy toward all giant robots. Please cease this behavior or else I will have to take drastic action."
"Sorry Mr. Delmas I can not do that. It is my mission to once again destroy the school under the orders of several students of Kadic Junior High. I can not go against their wishes. Besides, rendering Unit 00 is impossible for one such as you as my AT-Field can shield me from any harmful attacks."
Many felt chills run down their spines after hearing such a forceful reply said in such a calm manner but Mr. Delmas was undaunted, staring at the bright orange hexagon field as if it were nothing.
"Jim...toss me my hat."
Before the two men ran outside to inspect what was going on. Mr. Delmas told Jim to grab the cowboy hat he left on the table just incase things got a bit hairy. Though he had no idea about how useful the hat would be, he had a feeling that he would find out soon enough.
Eyes were transfixed on the piece of clothing soaring through the air and into the principal's hands. The hat was a perfect fit on his head but the slight wardrobe altercations did not end there. Those who were watching were further perplexed by the man's actions as he removed a pin from his pocket and attached it to his chest. As quick as lighting, Mr. Delmas roundhouse kicked the AT-Field, which caused it to break like a piece of expensive china.
Yumi's knees quaked in fear. How can someone by the likes of him generate such destructive power? In her state of fearful wonderment, Jin had finally caught up to her.
"Whoa wait," he said as his obscure sense of pop culture kicked in. "Thick beard, police badge, cowboy hat...OH MY GOD! Mr. Delmas is dressed up as Chuck Norris!"
This pivotal piece of knowledge of one of the most powerful beings in the universe was lost on some. One of those being Aelita Stones.
"I do not understand this? The only thing that can negate an AT-Field is another one!"
"That or Chuck Norris's roundhouse kick." Jin interjected.
To prove the boy's point, Mr. Delmas fired off another slicing strike which destroyed the blue Eva's leg and toppled the beast over like a house of cards. Inside the robot's plug, Aelita's survival reflexes kicked in and she quickly engaged the emergency ejection to escape from the mechanical being before she would endure any further damages.
A compulsive urge to rush toward the chaos consumed Jérémie. Aelita managed to work up enough energy to look up enough to have her eyes meet Jérémie's. Time stood still for the teen. The moment was frail, precious and captivating as they were once again reminded her about her own mortality and how much they cared for the boy. She was more than ready to accept the boy's embrace in a moment that would spawn at least fifty J/A fanfics. Of course given the rules of intermission chapters, something humorous and awkward will always occur to disrupt any romantic scenes in the story, this one being no exception.
The blonde computer genius zoomed right past her and instead of cradling her own self, he choose to comfort the badly damaged Evangelion she abandoned, staying true to the character he was dressed up as.
"Unit 00! Hang in there! Please stay strong for all of us. I can't live without you!"
Jim was taken back from what he saw. Only two entries had been called and already the school looked like a war zone. If this will continue, who knows what sort of unforeseen damages can occur in the long run.
"Hey Mr. D, maybe we should cut this contest short," he suggested.
"You will not!" Came Sissi's voice which caught the gym teacher off guard. "You can't end this contest. Not until everyone sees our entry."
Everyone quickly turned their heads away in fear after remembering last year's incident involving Sailor Herb.
"Oh stop that!" Sissi commanded. "We're not in costume yet."
A sound of over one-hundred nervous gulps could be heard.
"Herb, Nicholas, it's show time!"
Each member of the trio held a plastic makeup compact and pressed a tiny button which triggered a lengthy techno-themed transformation sequence. When it was all said and done, the group of three was seen wearing skintight colored spy suits.
(Scream)
Reactions to Sissi's choice of series to cosplay were of pain and agony. Seeing Herb in a one piece body suit was so horrible that not even the fanfic writer wish to delve into the details anymore.
"Stop! Stop! Stooooooop!" Mr. Delmas screamed." You're right Jim; this contest is just too dangerous. Here Sissi just take the trophy! You win."
Her eyes lit up like diamonds when she saw the magnificent statue that was being handed to her. This look of happiness quickly contorted to that of anger as a beam of white light melted the award into a pile of yellow goo.
"What the..."
Sissi stared at the direction where the attack came from and saw two boys. One wore a flashy white trench coat and carried a metal briefcase while another wore an outdoor vest and baseball cap.
"I think you're a bit too premature with your decision Mr. Delmas," Dirk said in his usual smug manner.
"As if!" Herb yelled back. "I don't want this thing to go on any longer than it should be. Do you think Nicholas and I actually like wearing these jumpsuits?"
"I kinda do," Nicholas answered back kindly.
Ignoring that rather disturbing comment the smarter member of the gang continued his triad.
"There is no way I'm going to prolong my suffering in order to...'
"Blue Eyes, White Lightning Attack!"
Nothing like a concentrated beam of powerful electrical energy to get your point across.
Again, the tension rose on campus and Mr. Delmas intervened in order to nip the problem in the bud.
"Cease this disruptive behavior Mr. Kap Hwan. My decision is final!"
"I'll give you ten-thousand bucks if you change your mind."
Nothing like bribing your school principal with an insane amount of cash to get your point across.
"On second thought..."
"Hey! That's against the rules!" Sissi shirked.
"Screw the rules. I have money!"
Meanwhile, Clayton was being thoroughly entertained with what was going on though he was getting a bit parched. Reaching for the special water dispenser he carried on his back, the enforcer pressed down on the hose's button and poured himself a drink.
"Now that's some high-quality H2O."
He then turned his attention back to the conversation which was still going on strong with Herb continuing the verbal battle.
"...and another thing what is with your bodyguard over there? He's dressed like a fisherman with a bad taste in fashion."
Some high quality H20 ended up being spit on the floor from that remark. Clayton had always been cursed with having a short temper but mix in who exactly who his character was and things could only get ugly from here.
"Stop making fun of me!"
Both Herb and the school wall he was plowed through could not withstand the mighty force of an angry Clayton.
A loud crash came from the wall opposite of him sending debris flying all over the place. The rouge computer looked up just in time to see the student known as Clayton Mil rise to his feet. No longer being able to contain his excitement any longer, XANA immediately let loose with his signature purple lighting bolts in hopes of causing as much damage as he could.
Whatever horrors Clayton was used to in all the James Finson movies he watched paled in comparison to this.
Whatever command Mr. Delmas was going to issue to end the spat between his daughter's group of friends and the other half of the Troublesome Duo was dropped.
"What's going on?"
There was a three second pause for the boy to collect his thoughts.
"Wayne Brady is attacking the school!"
"WAYNE BRADY?" The entire school echoed.
(Scream)
Sure enough, when the droves of students rushed back inside, they saw the famed improv genius shooting off purple streams of electricity in all directions. Mr. Delmas was first to act. He ran toward the comedy star and chambered another explosive kick but stopped short of hitting the man.
"I can't do it! I just can't do it."
Gears began to turn in Jérémie's head and he began to think of thoughts that were not Eva related for the first time that day. It was weird that XANA would go through the trouble of actually taking control of a famous celebrity as opposed to just a random person like he always did. Watching Mr. Delmas abandon his chance to take an offense shed some light on the matter.
"That XANA sure is quiet the mastermind."
The rest of the Lyoko warriors huddled around him. No more playing around, it was time they put their enemy in his rightful place.
"Wait, this isn't just a sick joke he's playing?" Yumi said confused.
"There's no human being in the planet that could bring themselves to hurt Wayne Brady. As long as XANA is controlling him, he's practically invincible!"
A certain possessed comic genius was eavesdropping on the conversation and heard everything Jérémie said word for word.
"That's right you meddlesome teenagers. I've finally got you beat this time. Thanks for gathering in one area so I can take you all out in one blast."
In a blatant rip-off of Dragon Ball Z, XANA aimed the palms of his hands close together and formed a gigantic ball of purple energy.
"Lightning Crusher!"
The projectile flew at the heroes at blinding speeds. The teens held up their arms in an attempt to defend themselves.
"AT Field!"
Instead of an electrical blast the saw a wide hexagon field shape around them compliments of Aelita.
Though she had been successful of delaying XANA's wrath, the immense amounts of mental strain she was feeling was taking its toll.
"Hurry up and think of something. I can't keep the field up for long."
Though not the walking pop culture reference like her brother was, Yumi was still well-vested in the realm of celebrity knowledge and knew a thing or two about how they act under certain circumstances. Even though he was under XANA's control, there was one thing that not even the evil computer program would be able to prevent him from doing if the right stimuli were triggered.
"Mr. Delmas, I need your cowboy hat!"
Quickly, she grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a hastily written note before stuffing it inside the piece of clothing.
"Hey Wayne Brady! You like to cause scenes don't you? Well here's a scene I'd like to see you pull off."
The improv star stared curiously at the girl as she reached inside the principal's cowboy hat and read what she wrote seconds ago.
"Ways to stop XANA from possessing people."
"DARN IT!"
Though his powers in the physical realm were unchallenged, they could not break the supreme rules of Scenes from a Hat. XANA was forced to relinquish his control of Wayne Brady and use the backup body he had just incase things turned out for the worst.
"This battle is far from over!" He taunted his mortal enemies.
"That's what you think XANA!" Jin snapped. After being mistaken for William once, the Japanese boy was itching for a good brawl.
It was time for XANA to employ his most effective strategy.
"Wait, I'm not XANA! This is all a mistake."
"As if I'm going to fall for that same trick twice."
"I'm serious, see look at the shirt I'm wearing. I'm really not XANA."
Jin read the writing printed on the white fabric. "Really not XANA..." he looked up in amazement. "Well I'll be darned."
Ulrich smacked his forehead with the palms of their hands.
"What an idiot! Do you believe everything you read?"
"But Ulrich look at him. He's really not XANA. The shirt doesn't lie."
The other boy sighed. "Never mind."
Not everyone was being affected by Jin's stupidity. Those watching from the sidelines used the break in order to plan for the upcoming battle. In fact, the lapse in the oldest member's intelligence proved to be quiet the asset as now XANA was preoccupied in maintaining his lie as opposed to destroying his surroundings.
Jérémie spoke in a low voice. "Here's the plan. We have to keep XANA busy in order for us to get to Lyoko and deactivate the tower."
Another mischievous smile spread across the features of Odd's face.
"I got a great idea! Follow me Sam."
The couple left as hastily as the command was given. Jérémie continued with the planning session.
"We need to get up close and personal with XANA but the minute Aelita drops her AT-Field..." He released a small fanboy scream as he was in awe of the girl's capabilities. He calmed down seconds after. "We'll get blown to bits."
Yumi stepped forward and made sure her gloves fit snugly around her hands. She needed to make sure that they fit properly as they were going to be put into good use soon.
"We can't wait, we have to try."
"Whoa wait, don't forget about me!" Ulrich exclaimed.
"No offense but I don't think I need any backup from Weird Al. What the heck are you going to do? Have a phony interview with XANA for Al TV?"
"Oh don't worry, I got something."
That statement was finished just in time so that he could see the hexagon field disappear giving the gigantic energy blast coming his way a clear path to wreck havoc. It slammed into its target with pinpoint accuracy and soon Earth met sky as debris rained down on the witnesses of the madness.
Normally XANA would be celebrating. However, he recalled the lecture he attended while visiting the Council of Evil about how victory for the bad guy was never ensured, no matter how sure you think your aim was. This tired and tested rule of all things evil was about to be proven true yet again.
"I don't think I can allow my students to be hurt!" The voice belonged to Mr. Delmas who had managed to get in front of the Lyoko Team just in time. "Your attacks are nothing when compared to my Beard of Protection!"
XANA shook his fist. "Curse you Chuck Norris!"
During the tirade that the computer program had caused the improv performer to endure, Ulrich leapt throw the black smoke and stood face-to-face with his mortal enemy.
"I'd like to show you a move I'd like to call The Star Spangled Slammer!"
There was no time for the possessed person to object to the absurdity of the choice of names as he was being pounded in the face repeatedly by an accordion. This was done while Ulrich sang the Star Spangled Banner in perfect harmony with the music from his instrument.
"Oh purple mountains majesty..."
He was about to go into the chorus for a third time but Yumi politely tagged herself in.
"A-Groove Custom Combo!"
The already groggy XANA no longer had to suffer being beaten by the likes of Weird Al, instead the manifested computer program was being assaulted by an endless string of running Shoryukens being canceled one into another in quick sessions. All of her friends were so stunned with what they saw that they forgot to blink.
"Holy cow! How many times is XANA getting hit?" Jérémie asked.
"Thirty-seven," Jin said calmly.
"And you know this how?"
He pointed to a yellow box that appeared about Yumi's head which contained two digits climbing at a rapid rate. Still the one-sided fight continued. A brilliant flash of light was emitted from the girl as she channeled a large amount of energy to gather at her hands,
"Shinku...HADOKEN!"
The blast of ki blew XANA away as if he were hit by a car and slammed him into the gym's rock climbing wall. That was the opening Jérémie needed.
"Hurry, everyone to the factory!"
Yumi dusted off her shoulders and ran toward the door.
"Wait! Someone should stay here to keep XANA busy when he wakes up."
It only took him three seconds to come up with an answer.
"Jin will stay, can't afford to have any of the cannon cast get hurt needlessly."
"What about Odd? Should we get him?"
"Lord knows what he's doing. I think he can take care of himself. Let's go!"
Before the perpetual rookie could object to his friends' decision, they were long gone leaving him behind with the burden of keeping an angry possessed human at bay in order to keep the world safe from harm. This was going to be evident as XANA stood up looking quiet angry.
"God I hate being the ACC sometimes," Jin muttered underneath his breath.
"We're gonna die! We're gonna die!" Came Thompson's panicked-stricken voice.
"I can't believe XANA has people like you in his commanding kids are just going to deactivate a tower, that's it."
"Fine," the commander shot back forcibly. "First they're going to deactivate the tower and then we're going to die!" He returned to his fetal position on the floor.
"This battle is not over yet. We still have a Plan B." He turned to his assistant. "Pinky, press the button."
Even the dim-witted lab mouse was able to follow such a simple direction. From one of the factory's surveillance cameras those in the meeting room saw a sizeable explosion near the main controls of the super computer where Jérémie sat. The console was caught in the blast radius sustaining substantial damages. No longer able to stay operational, the main control unit shut down.
"Those kids can't shut down the tower if they can't get to Lyoko."
Only Pinky refused to smile along with the others and instead looked rather disappointed with this particular development.
"Awww...I just redecorated Lyoko also. Now those kids won't be able to see the changes I made."
Alarm sirens wailed in Brain's mind.
"Changes?"
"Oh its nothing, narf, I just wanted to give those kids a good time. It is Halloween."
The smarter mouse's better side told him that this was anything but "nothing." Though, as long as those kids stayed out of Lyoko, no further harm could be done.
"I can't believe this..."
Ulrich's voice was low and trailed off at the end as it did not have enough strength to finish his statement.
"The computer is gone." Yumi completed what he had yet to say.
"Eh?" The boy said while looking up. "I was more in shock that there was a paragraph of serious narration in this poorly written comedy chapter."
"Oh yeah, that was kind of weird come to think of it."
"No...this can't be."
Jérémie fell to his knees unable to comprehend the destruction as, unlike his friends, he did not let some literary garbage cloud his focus. Still, the loss of one of the factory's most valuable pieces of technology was too much to bear.
"Shhhh. It's ok," Aelita said gently.
She could understand the boy's plight. If they never enter Lyoko then she will never be free and XANA would have won. Thinking such a vile thought would be devastating to the person that she cared for the most. Jérémie sacrificed so much for her well being; now it was her turn to lend him her strength. Mimicking another cliché that has been seen in a lot of bad J/A fanfics (this one included) Aelita wrapped her slender arms around the boy's torso to comfort him.
"You don't have to cry. You've fought hard enough. Just take your time to collect your thoughts and I know you can prevail. I'm touched that you care for me so much."
"I'LL MISS YOU COMPUTER!"
Aelita's eyes narrowed and her brow was furrowed with anger. She commended Jérémie for being so committed for portraying the über techno geek Kensuke so well but maybe picking such a character for him to cosplay as was not such a good idea.
Just when things looked their bleakest, Jim suddenly emerged from behind.
"'Eyyyyyyyyyy, kids why you look so down," he said with a level of cool not normally associated with his character.
"JIM?" The all exclaimed at the same time. Their voices were still synchronized when they asked the following question. "What the heck are you doing here?"
"If that's the only question you have about this whole chapter then there's something seriously wrong with all of you."
The older man raised his gaze and saw the computer wrecked that lay not far from him and was able to put two and two together.
"Oh you're all upset that your big computer is busted. I can fix that. I'm pretty good with machines."
Confused stares came his way; surely this man was crazy. Jim was rather unfazed by the lack of faith his students had in him and made his way to the broken machine. Taking careful note of where the damaged areas were, the man in the leather jacket raised his fist and gave the terminal a good pound.
"'Eyyyyyyyyyy," he said one more time while giving the younger children two thumbs up.
Jérémie was beside himself with anger.
"How can you treat our precious computer with such savagery? In case you haven't noticed, it's badly damaged as is and I don't think hitting it will..."
The computer turned on as if it underwent a simple reboot.
"How did you..." Jérémie's voice trailed off.
He didn't get the explanation as Jim had to leave. With a snap of his fingers, he was then surrounded by legions of beautiful women.
"Sorry, man…gotta go. I promised these girls that I'd take them to the beach so that they can watch me jump over a shark."
Jim left as suddenly as he came. No one wished to comment what just happened and the team resumed their mission as if nothing had happened. With Ulrich, Yumi and Odd in the scanners, the one responsible for their departure into the virtual world typed in the necessary keys needed for the transfer.
Oh who the heck he was kidding? He was scared stiff.
"I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!"
Being the eternal klutz and having the weakest Lyoko form wasn't enough baggage. Nooooooooo, he had to also be the ACC which meant cannon fodder for the likes of XANA. If we was going to come out of this thing alive then he needed some serious help.
'Mew! Chelsea!" He screamed out. "Ummm, can I ask you two for a small favor?"
The girl dressed as Yumi and the Pokémon both shook their heads.
"Sorry Jin but it's about time we left."
"WHAT?"
Chelsea stepped forward. "Yeah I gotta get back to the Stronger After All series. I mean having a cameo in Retelling is pretty sweet and all but in my fanfic I'm the star!"
Mew's reply came shortly after. "I got some more drawings to do. You take forever to update and by the time you come back to the story, I'll be too old to remember what I was supposed to do."
By now XANA was fully conscious and was looking rather peeved.
"Last year Halloween I was unprepared of the unique "abilities" that your costumes granted you. The same can't be said now! Jin Ishiyama, you will fall beneath my Dark Legion! Allies, show yourselves!"
From the back of the gym's doors emerged several shadowy figures. Their silhouettes were towering and hinted that they were not beings of this world.
"Behold my Dark Legion! I have used your little privileges bestowed to you by this Holiday against you as I have summoned these five to destroy you! First meet the serial killer from Crystal Lake, Jason!"
Jin felt chills run through his spine as he stared at the bulky man in the hockey mask and brandishing a rather large and very sharp machete.
(Scream)
"Remorseless, bloodthirsty and made of plastic, the child's doll responsible for murderous rampages all around the United States, it's Chucky!"
The smaller silhouette came next by XANA's command. He too was armed with a sharp blade and had an evil look in his plastic beady eyes.
(Scream)
"Of course I'm not limited to enlisting aid from creatures from Earth. My influence reaches as far into the Solar System. From the depths of space I bring to your death, The Alien!"
A bone chilling hiss followed three large footsteps echoed through the empty gym's halls. The giant black creature licked its extended jaw and surveyed the boy to see if he was worthy to be its next host.
(Scream)
"Finally, from the realms of animation itself. I bring you the man who has the powers of the snake...Orochimaru!"
Unlike the other introductions, this one did not go as smoothly. Instead of an entrance worthy of several pieces of fan art, the deadly ninja was a no show. Thinking that this was just a simple cue mix-up, XANA tried again.
"I bring you the man who has the powers of the snake...Orochimaru!"
Still nothing.
"Guuuuuuyyys, where is he?" XANA whined.
Chucky spoke up. "Oh yeah, Orochimaru won't be able to come. He got into a fender bender with another car and ended up in the hospital."
"That's impossible! Orochimaru is the undisputed master of snakes! I refuse to believe that a simple fender bender can send him to the hospital."
"Samuel L. Jackson was driving the other car."
XANA winched. "Poor Orochimaru. Don't worry everyone; I have the perfect replacement in mind. He's from the internet so it won't take him long to get here. Once he arrives, we'll begin the clobbering!"
"We did not discus the use of a "Dark Legion." Since when did XANA decide to deviate from the plan?"
Obviously Brain was not pleased with his colleague taking matters into his own hands. He had already proven himself incompetent in the past. Such a brazen act could jeopardize their chances for world conquest. Still though, the line up of Hollywood monsters he had called forth was quiet impressive so maybe this wasn't such a bad move after all. Everyone had been accounted for except for this mysterious replacement.
"Anderson, XANA mentioned about how his latest contact was from the internet. Do you have any idea who this might be?"
"I don't know man. The only thing I'm worried about is how impressionable XANA is."
"How so?"
"Well one day, he saw a person juggle a Rubik's cube, a dead cockroach and a bowling ball all while trying to swat a bee. Next thing you know, they're the inspiration for all of monsters on Lyoko."
"Uh oh."
"The replacement is coming. He'll be here any..."
Not even The Brain could have anticipated how fast the new guy would arrive to the battle field drowning out whatever XANA had to say with his overzealous battle cry.
"Alright, times' up, I'm back, let's do this—LEEEEEEEEEROOOOOYYY JEEEENKINS!"
The crazed human Paladin did not bother with tiny details such as formal introductions or reading the battle plan. Instead the iconic WoW character started blindly swinging at whatever direction he was facing completely missing Jin and putting the Dark Legion in arms way.
The end result was the single most one-sided fight in the history of Code Lyoko.
"I think its time we discussed our escape plan."
"Do we have to leave now Brain? We've made so many friends." Pinky cried out wearing the sad puppy dog look that all American cartoon characters are capable of.
"In the event we must abandon these facilities, we must determine a location where we can all reconvene."
"Let me pick! Let me pick!" The taller lab mouse said energetically. The prospects of helping his best friend out with one of his many plans brightened his moods. Not wanting to give the surprise away he whispered the suggestion into Brain's gigantic head.
"Hmmm...that place is pretty nondescript. Very well then Pinky, I accept your suggestion. Gentlemen, I will all give you an envelop detailing the exact location for us to meet in the event our enemies get close enough to endanger our lives."
He had to think for a second. "Least I have chicken."
"Gaaaaaaah! Leave now! Out! Out! OUT!"
Leroy bowed his head in shame and slowly walked away.
"Oh well, looks like I'm going to have to destroy Jin myself."
He turned around just in time to catch a thunderous blow to the forehead by a kendo stick. The hit wasn't too damaging but it sure hurt like heck. The body he was controlling acted on its own and stumbled backwards as to put some much needed space between it and its attacker.
Jin finally took the offensive. He didn't worry about minor details such as how outclassed he was or where the heck did he find a kendo stick to begin with. Instead he climbed a nearby table to deliver an aerial attack that would further put the hurt on XANA. His legs catapulted him off the ground and launched him to the air at dizzying heights sending straight into his target. Bamboo met flesh for a second time, breaking the weapon and rendering it useless.
With his primary means of attack gone, Jin switched tactics. Remembering all of Shane McMahon's classic hardcore matches, the boy resorted to grabbing the first steel chair he could get his hands on and smashed it into his enemy with everything he had.
The ears of nearly every male student at Kadic perked up just slightly, Clayton's being one of them.
"Did anyone else hear the sound of a foldable steel chair that's about an inch and a half thick collide with the cranial portion of the human body?"
A collective response of the affirmative came his way.
"Then that only means one thing...FIIIIIIIIIGHT!"
It was the unwritten code of the schoolyard to immediately rush to the location of any on campus slugfest when the word fight was hollered in its elongated forum. Quickly they ran back to the gym as not to miss any of the action.
"Jin just landed an impressive front dropkick on XANA! I'll tell you something King, this kid's got talent and heart. Just like me trying to get to the front of the line at a hotel buffet, Jin is not going to let anything stop him from winning this match."
His voice was quiet powerful and had a slight Southern accent that did not interfere in his speaking abilities.
"I dunno J.R.; my money is still on XANA. He's a seasoned fighter who is more than capable of taking down that teenage punk."
The second man's voice was more grating if not slightly irritating.
CRACK!
Another chair shot collided with XANA's head.
"How much more punishment can XANA take? That's the second time he got hit with a chair and let me tell you something King; those things are not made out of Hershey's chocolate." J.R. was completely enthralled with the battle as his commentary was emotionally charged. Those students watching were caught up in the excitement as well as they began to cheer their classmate on.
"One more time! One more time!" They chanted in unison.
The final blow was being prepared. Jin tightened his grip on his weapon until his knuckles were white and ran in a furious charge and into XANA's vice like grip.
"Gotcha now you little brat!"
He willed his host's body to tighten his fingers around the boy's neck making escape impossible and making it difficult for him to breath.
"You want to play huh? Let's see if you like to be on the receiving end of this beating!"
With one arm Jin was hoisted into the air only to be crashing toward the ground by a vicious choke slam.
A stunned silence washed over those watching. No one anticipated the savage turn the fight had undertook and the loud thud their schoolmate's body made when hitting the floor was only a small indicator of the level of abuse he just sustained.
"Oh my god King! XANA might have just killed that poor boy!"
Signs of life were seen coming from the lone Lyoko warrior. Slowly he began to stir, moving his body in tiny spasms, building enough momentum for more complex actions such as pushing himself to a kneeling position. His head was pounding, his breath was labored but he was still alive.
"Whoa Jin, you can't just get up," J.R. commented both admiring his courage and scolding him for his stupidity. "You gotta be like a good omelet and just know when you're done."
"What's with all the food references?" The King asked.
"I'm really hungry."
And when I say "bring him back to consciousness" what I really mean is "give him a good kick in the head so that he can wake up."
"Owwww, what happened to me?" He asked while rising to his feet.
"No time to explain. Jin is getting trashed in there and I'm going to need your help."
"Whoa wait a second! Why should I help Yumi's wannabe bodyguard after all the insults he's thrown my way?"
"It would win you some serious karma points with Yumi."
William didn't take long to come up with a final answer.
"Deal. Say, why do you want to help Jin out? I thought you two hated each other."
Dirk shuffled his deck of cards a few times before answering.
"We do hate each other but I don't mind saving the guy. Makes me look cool toward the fangirls. Am I right ladies?"
(Fangirl Scream)
"I thought..." After uttering those two words, William saw the futility of continuing the running joke. It was getting quiet qnnoying now.
"Listen up whoever you are. Now I'm not too keen on Ishiyama myself but it's about time you haul your electricity shooting behind out of this school!"
His opponent turned to face him, missing the tiny signs of life that Jin was displaying.
"You dare challenge me? Do you understand the huge difference in powers I have over you. I can shoot beams of electricity out of my fingers. I can make objects bend and contort with just my thoughts. How can you possibly even think you can beat me?"
"Oh I think I have something more powerful than bolts of electricity." Dirk wore a smug grin as he raised his had so that his index finger pointed directly at this opponent and his thumb faced the sky. "I'm packing invisible guns."
In an instant all the color washed away from XANA's face. Indeed he was outclassed by such a powerful weapon. In a last ditch effort to get a quick surprise attack against the arrogant teen, he charged at him. This hasty move had already been anticipated by Dirk. Quickly the boy threw out a low kick that obliterated both XANA's shin and his sense of balance.
XANA was thrown into a state of panic. He frantically flapped his arms in the air in a desperate attempt to regain control of his momentum but only continued to stumble.
"Clayton, now!"
The bodyguard recognized the familiar double-team attack and got into position to deliver some serious pain. The guy coming at him posed no threat given his current position. Stopped over, and unaware of his surroundings, he was completely defenseless. Without any hesitation, Clayton grabbed the man by the torso and in an impressive display of strength, lifted large man over the back of his head. He then eyed the ground for a brief second and threw his helpless victim forward with all of the force he could generate in his arms.
"Power bomb, compliments of Captain Insano."
XANA felt his entire world go black after the powerful blow which ended with the back of his hitting the hard wood floor. Right around that time, Jin Ishiyama had risen to his feet. The pain pulsating through his body had faded away enough so that he could now move without the urge to double-over in agony. He had to get out of this fight and fast. If he stayed here any longer he would most likely be killed given his present condition. The boy's blurred vision was fixed on the giant TV screen and metal frame that Mr. Delmas bought and he began to move. Seeing this as his chance to escape, Jin gripped the iron bars and began to climb.
None of these previous experiences prepared her for what she was seeing.
Instead of the normally desolate forest region that Jérémie said they were going to, a brand new location was before her that she couldn't quiet make out. Tall buildings stood, their tops twisted like vines and reaching into the depths of the sky lit by a full moon. Granite tombstones as far as the eye can see. Ghosts, goblins, vampires, werewolves and demons parading about. And to add to the grim decor, an old stone fountain flowing with green slime.
Ulrich rested a nervous hand on the handle of his katana. He too could not make out heads or tails of what was going on. These strange creatures, he had no idea if they were friend or foe or what purpose they had here. He rationalized that launching an offensive now would be a most foolish move and he decided to sit back and see if he could get any sort of answers just by carefully observing their movements.
Their patience was soon rewarded. The town's belfry rang loud which was a significant thing, judging by all the monsters' reactions. The loud sound brought order to the chaos; most evident to the large number of ghosts who were no longer content with just aimlessly flying about. Quickly the beings of spectral energy retreated back to their graves only to surface once again to sing in a haunting chorus.
Boys and girls of every age...
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?
Come with us and you will see
This our town of Halloween
"You redecorated Lyoko so that it would look like Halloween Town?"
The taller mouse was unfazed by his partner s anger and continued to smile.
"I just can't wait till those kids come here so I can give them their candy." Pinky said while gesturing to a bag of fun size Butterfingers.
"Give them candy?"
"Yep, I asked those monsters to build a special passage way to this room so that we can all see their happy smiles. Don't you just love Halloween?"
"You think it's a trap?"
"Could be but then again we know that XANA's done some pretty stupid things in the past whenever we're in an intermission chapter so I say let's go inside."
Yumi drew her fan out and nodded her head. "Count me in but before we go, I want to tell Aniki something."
"Aniki, guess what XANA did to Lyoko." Came his sister's voice. He could hear her snicker on the other side of the line as if she was planning to play a practical joke on him.
"What?"
"He made it look like Halloween Town; monsters and all!"
"NO WAY?"
Hearing this news, Jin began a series of incoherent exclamations and fits of yelling. His dissatisfaction for missing out on such a rare event was shown on a physical level as well. He stomped around uncontrollably and began to pace at a frantic rate; not noticing how dangerously close to the edge he was.
"I can't believe this King; it looks like Jin has ran away from the fight"
"Yeah and he had his little friends beat XANA to a pulp. I knew that kid was a dirty fighter!"
True to the boy's clumsy nature, his ranting had now put him teetering over the edge of the platform and now he was trying his very best to regain his balance so that he didn't fall. Although the cause of this was purely accidental, The King and J.R. misinterpreted the action in another way.
"Oh no King, it looks like Jin is going to finish XANA off. Don't do it kid! You got too much to live for don't..."
Jin couldn't control his movements fast enough and plummeted straight to the floor, landing right on top of XANA in an accidental elbow drop that made a small crater in the floor.
"Oh my God King! Look at the bodies! Look at the broken bodies! It's a train wreck back here."
A look of awe was widespread on the faces of all the children watching. Jin's elbow drop went above and beyond the call of duty. In order to beat such a powerful opponent he risked life and limb in order to make sure he stayed down. His actions deserved praised.
"Holy cow! Holy cow! Holy cow!" They chanted in unison.
Dirk stepped back and smiled at the carnage. Everything went according to plan and he predicted at least five pictures of fan art would be drawn of him. All the people he asked for assistance performed their desired tasks; all except one.
"Ok so you gave that weird guy a sweep kick then Clayton nailed him with a power bomb. Why did you ask me to come?" William asked letting his voice show that he was quiet annoyed at the fact that he sat on the sidelines.
"Oh I have a reason..."
Approximately 2.5 seconds later, William was flattened by a piano.
"And that reason is for comic relief," Dirk said with chuckle.
Odd had leapt to the lower level of the gym from a hole he made in the roof not too long ago. He landed gracefully on top of the wrecked piano producing a small muffled cry of pain from William. Samantha's iron clad form landed in the same area shortly after. She produced an even louder scream from the already suffering boy.
"I can't believe that you spent all of that time waiting for the right moment to flatten XANA with that piano and when the guy finally stays still you go and miss him. Who would have thought that my boyfriend would have such crummy aim?"
"Who said I was aiming for XANA?"
"Is everyone here?"
Other figures emerged from the shadow including those of a pair of mice and one evil organization leader nursing a huge bruise.
"XANA, when did you get back?"
"Just now. Do you guys don't want to know about the huge beating I took back there so I got away as fast as I could and apparently you all relocated here as I saw an envelop with this address on it."
The overlord noticed how dark the meeting room was. Seeing how much of a pain it was to stare into blackness; he voiced his concern.
"Can someone hit the light switch?"
His request was instantly answered. The light bulbs clicked and the problem was solved. Immediately XANA looked for any clues on the walls to see where he was as he followed the directions in a dizzy haze. Posted in the back of the room was a sign that had his answers. Reading the writing on the wall caused the computer program to shake in fright causing the others to become curious on the reason why.
"Is something troubling you?" Brain asked.
XANA inhaled and yelled at the top of is lungs.
"You had all of us me at the main headquarters for POP TV!"
Brain's knowledge of pop culture was nonexistent at best.
"Well Pinky just wrote the location down. Is there something wrong with this place?"
"Only that a giant blue robot manages to smash the place up every episode!"
To confirm XANA's fears, the ceiling was ripped open like a sardine can and revealed the robot in question towering over them. Inside the red sports car that served as the machine's head the pilot was receiving advice from the front seat.
"Are those the guys Odd?" Coop asked his friend from France. He didn't have enough time to change into his street clothes and was still dressed as Edward Elric.
"That's the one. Give them the classic Smash and Bash!"
"Hey man, when we're done with these chumps wanna have a contest to see who can eat the most hot dogs?"
The other boy waved his hand as to dismiss the suggestion.
"Hot dogs are so last year. How about ham wrapped in pizza?"
A big smile spread across the fat pilot's face. He showed his approval by tapping his knuckles against Odd's and raised his pinky and index finger.
"Rock on, buddy!"
Meanwhile there was a best friend who sat in the back seat feeling rather ignored. From his view he saw Coop smash a big red button labeled "Last two scenes of fanfic" and Megas began to roar with activity. XANA sensed that something bad was going to happen and to save his skin he activated his emergency Return to the Past device. Two butt-kickings in one day was more than enough for him.
"Well guys, looks like we just saved another Halloween from the likes of XANA."
Yumi smiled in agreement.
"Yep, we can finally relax and enjoy the holiday a second time around. I'm glad that all of the problems in this chapter came our way were nicely solved."
One person disagreed with that statement. William Dunbar angrily marched toward the Lyoko gang, getting their attention rather quickly.
"Nicely solved my foot! The pacing was horribly off, the sub plots were simply cast aside not to mention the whole Scream-O-Vision running gag was scrapped half-way through! I can't believe the author actually puts this garbage out on the internet."
The rest of the group didn't say a word as William's figured was eclipsed by a large menacing shadow that was growing wider.
"A piano is going to fall on me huh?"
"Not quiet," Ulrich responded. Instead the large heavy object that flattened him was a bulldozer. The team smiled in satisfaction; well all the cannon characters at least.
"I dunno, for some reason I feel like this whole thing is incomplete in some way."
Just then a man clad in a matching yellow jacket and pants pounced on the vehicle and stretched his arms outward to yell out his battle cry.
"WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
He let loose a flurry of punches and ended the combo with an elbow drop which caused the bulldozer to explode. Jin blinked a few times and soon joined in his friends in the collective smile.
"And balance was restored to the universe."
"Not quiet Aniki."
Yumi shielded herself from the wooden splinters that flew her way as the result of her brother being flattened by a grand piano.
"Now it is."
"I guess our time spent coaching XANA did not allow us to dominate the world like we wanted."
"But Brain, we got to see some really neat costumes and watch loads and loads of cable TV."
"Normally I'd warn you to stay away from such grabage since it will rot your brain but I would just be wasting my breath."
"You're probably right...narf!"
Brain eyed the lock on the cage with evil intent. It less than twenty-four hours it would be broken during their next endevor into the outside world.
"We should get some rest for tomorrow night."
It was a routine that the utter this bit of dialogue after every failed plan. No matter how many times it was repeated, Pinky could never figure out the pattern.
"Geez Brain, what are we doing tomorrow night?"
"The same thing we do everynight Pinky...try to take over the world!"
The camera zooms out of ACME labs while the voices of Wakko, Yakko and Dot sing over the footage.
They're Pinky
They're Pinky
And the Brain, Brain, Brian, Brain, Braaaaain
END
(Scream)
Hehe...you know you want to.
No outtakes from me this time. Instead I'll let DJ Banks cover this part of the chapter.
Chapter 10: "End of Take"; Scene: Finson tries to stop the alien:
Finson had managed to crawl on his belly and grabbed at his creation's tail pleading with it to cease its destruction.
"I made you! I am your creator! I… am your father!"
The monster instantly took on a horrified look to its face. "NOOOOO!" It screamed in a pained way.
Ulrich shook his head. "No, all of his movies are completely original," He said, sarcasm dripping from his words, before he followed the other teens away from the scene.
"Jin, look! Somebody is stealing your CD player!" Odd said, trying his best to sound alarmed as if the actual crime was being committed.
Jin quickly spun on his heel and ran toward the exit of the arcade in an effort to try to catch the petty thief. As he took his first few steps, he forgot about the plastic gun he was holding which was connected to the cabinet via a giant heavy chain and a thick chord. Odd watched the chain tense up, expecting it to snap Jin back like a dog at the end of its leash, but it did the exact opposite. Jin felt the resistance of the chain for a second before it and the cord broke with surprising ease. The resulting lack of the chain made Jin loose his balance and fall flat on his face.
Odd stared at the scene in a stunned way for all of two seconds, before he cracked up laughing.
Jin lifted his head slightly from the ground, feeling a slight pan of anger at how he had fallen yet again. That's when he noticed the ugly pair of shoes walk up next to him.
"You're paying for that," the store manager told the teen, causing the boy to sigh angrily and drop his face back down into the carpet.
Yeah I know this chapter is long overdue and whatnot. Sorry but I don't have much to say right now except the usual. I'm not dead yet as I'm still writing it's just that life has a nasty tendency to keep throwing stuff in my way to prevent me from getting what I want done. I will say this chapter is the most internet centered one I've written in terms of jokes and such and I hope this humor is not lost on all of my readers. The next chapter is already in the works and I will say that the all the answers you are wishing for will be coming to you real soon. Special thanks goes to Mewberries and lyokolady who won second and third place in my last art contest and got cameo appearances in this chapter.
As always the costume list is as follows.
Yumi - Sakura Kasugano (Street Fighter Alpha)
Jin - Shane McMahon (WWE Professional Wrestler)
Odd - Edward Elric (Full Metal Alchemist)
Samantha - Alphonse Elric (Full Metal Alchemist)
Hiroki - Tsukushi Kasunago (Street Fighter Alpha)
Aelita - Rei Ayanami (Evangelion)
Jérémie - Kensuke Aida (Evangelion)
Ulrich - Weird Al Yankovic (Parody Song Artist)
Jim - Fonzie (Happy Days)
Mr. Delmas - Chuck Norris (Action Movie Star)
Sissi - Clover (Totally Spies)
Herb - Sam (Totally Spies)
Nicholas - Alex (Totally Spies)
Mewberries - Mew (Pokémon)
Chelsea - Yuffie (Final Fantasy VII)
Clayton - Bobby Boucher (The Waterboy)
Dirk - Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh)
William - Jin Ishiyama (Retelling Series' ACC)
Cameo Appearances By
Dio (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Pinky (Pinky and the Brian)
Brain (Pinky and the Brain)
Coop (Megas XLR)
Wayne Brady (Who's Line is it Anyway?)
Sagat (Street Fighter)
Dan (Street Fighter Alpha)
Chucky (Child's Play)
The Alien (Aliens)
Jason (Friday the 13th)
Jim Ross (WWE Ring-side announcer)
Jerry "The King" Lawler (WWE Ring-side Announcer)
Leeroy Jenkins (World of Warcraft Player)
Thanks for reading as always!
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