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*Hello, everyone. I've been meaning to write this type of crossover for a while since no one's really done it before. Although Code Lyoko is a fairly niche series, I think I've come up with a cool way to mix it with Dragon Ball, especially in regard to Kid Goku, Dr. Gero, and the Red Ribbon Army. I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter, even if you don't exactly know or have watched Code Lyoko in the past.
Southwest of the Sacred Land of Korin, Age 750 (2003)
The Red Ribbon Army's headquarters had become nothing, but ruins. After a powerful young boy, Son Goku, defeated its leader and remaining soldiers, the castle-like facility was almost immediately deserted. In a way, it was as if the once formidable organization had never existed at all. And for the rest of the world outside Japan, this was a huge relief. The presence of such evil didn't deserve to be remembered, even if some of its remaining followers would attempt to continue the army's vile legacy. One such follower, in fact, had left behind some unsettling research relating to the Red Ribbon Army's planned conquest for world domination.Unfortunately, this research was about to be unearthed by an intelligent, yet overly curious teen named Bulma.She had short blue hair with bangs that were brushed over to the ride side of her face. Her eyes were a slightly darker blue while she wore a yellow-white hoodie with a red T-shirt present underneath. Bulma also had on a white skirt and dark blue tennis shoes with yellow socks to match. Although this outfit seemed casual, Bulma appeared to be scavenging through the outskirts of the deteriorated base.Considering she was the heiress of Capsule Corp, a multimillion-dollar tech company, Bulma's inner scientist probably convinced her to look around for spare parts and inventions. The Red Ribbon Army had to have gotten their advanced technology and weapons from somewhere, of course, so why not?She, however, began to regret this decision after realizing how creepy this place was."Sheesh. I really don't like how quiet it is here. Maybe I should have brought Yamcha with me, after all…" Bulma grimaced. Admittedly, her and Yamcha were going through a bit of a rough patch in their relationship, but the moral support would be appreciated, nonetheless.She sighed and continued scanning the premises for anything unique. Whole buildings were shattered to pieces, most likely as a result of Goku's one-man invasion of the base a few months prior. Various machine guns were also left abandoned due to the same, impactful event. It appeared that the soldiers quickly surrendered after seeing how dangerous Goku was and honestly, she couldn't blame them. At times, that kid was far too strong for his own good.Bulma frowned at the sudden thought of her friend. It had been quite a while since he left Baba's Palace to continue his martial arts training."I wonder how that goofball's doing. Probably still fighting and eating as always." The girl chuckled.Distracted by her own thoughts, Bulma unceremoniously tripped over a piece of rubble on the floor."WAAAHHHHH!" She screamed. The poor girl faceplanted into the concrete floor, causing her entire body to squirm a bit.She slowly picked herself up with comical tears in her eyes. "Owwww. Why'd that stupid rock need to be there anyway…?"Bulma paused to see that tripping over the rock caused a hidden door to open up beneath her feet. She quirked a brow in surprise."A secret entrance? That's new."Bulma inched her body forward, seeing that a series of stairs presided within the hidden passageway. Part of her wanted to just ignore it and walk way, but on the other hand, going down there to investigate did have its benefits."I'm so gonna regret this." Bulma sighed heavily. Taking a deep breath, she tiptoed down each step at a slow, consistent pace. She continued moving deeper and deeper into the hidden facility until the bottom was finally reached. Then, she realized what this place was.Motion sensors activated the lights to reveal a massive, relatively unscathed laboratory. Multiple computer monitors were present alongside a single, large keyboard with different buttons and switches imbedded into it. Each button seemed to be designated with a specific function in mind, but due to most of the monitors being switched off, Bulma wasn't sure what. There was also a table with torn up documents and scrapped blueprints placed on top of it. Whoever ran this laboratory was definitely in a rush to leave.Bulma walked over to examine this table. Though the exact contents of these papers were currently unreadable, she was able to decipher a name from it."Dr. Gero, huh?" She muttered. Maybe he was the main scientist behind the Red Ribbon Army's Dragon Radar and other experiments."Well, whoever he was, he must have been some kind of nutcase to willingly work for these creeps." Bulma snorted in disgust. While continuing to examine the desk, she spotted a broken picture frame.She knelt down and slowly picked it up. In the photograph, an elderly man with a bald head and long, white hair stood. He was smiling next to a younger man dressed in military attire with a spiky, orange mohawk on his head. Eerily enough, the glass was shattered exactly where the young man was standing."I wonder if this is Gero and his son or something." She whispered. Feeling a bit unnerved by the photo, Bulma set it down and walked deeper into Gero's former lab.The lights were beginning to flicker on and off, so it was hard to see what else the lab contained. However, by keeping herself focused, Bulma spotted something peculiar. It was a 3-meter tall, cylindrical chamber that seemed to be a rustic gold in terms of color. This chamber was connected by a series of elongated cables that stretched from the ceiling to somewhere far beyond the Red Ribbon Army's headquarters. It seemed to show some signs of damage from either mistreatment or gradual degradation overtime. Despite this, the lights presiding within the tube were still active, albeit somewhat difficult to see.Bulma quirked a brow at this strange, almost otherworldly device. "Is it some kind of elevator?"She glanced down at the floor, noticing that its wires were plugged into the lab's computers. Intrigued by this, Bulma abruptly made her way to the computer interface once operated by Gero.She began typing down on the keyboard, hoping that some type of special command would boot up the computer. Through brief trial and error, Bulma managed to succeed in turning on every single monitor.Some screens displayed camera footage of the base itself while others, unsettlingly enough, projected images from all across the globe, specifically Japan. A select few, however, depicted a textual message about being transferred to a supercomputer and some virtual world known as Lyoko."Test #47: Initiate a direct transfer from this location to the abandoned factory in Paris, France. Find a method of which to replicate the supercomputer's Scanners and infiltrate the virtual world, Lyoko. Crucial information relating to Project Carthage must be retrieved at all costs, for the sake of the Red Ribbon Army's eternal success." Bulma read with squinted eyes. "Tch. All of this is starting to sound like some dumb video game!"She then glanced back at the Scanner whilst resting a hand over her chin."Though, if this Gero guy really is as evil as he seems, I suppose it'd be a good call to test that Scanner out. Just to see if it actually works." Bulma mused in thought. She wasn't going in there, obviously, but she did think of a prime candidate to test it out on."Goku." Bulma nodded with a smile. She went back up the stairs and made way for her jet. It'd take some time for her to pinpoint Goku's current whereabouts, but she'd try anyway.Once the laboratory was left vacant again, one of the monitors glitched out and flickered with static. It displayed a red, target-like symbol with three branches on the bottom and one on top. The symbol lingered there for a few moments before eerily shutting off.
Mt. Paozu, Age 750 (2003)
Deep within the forests of Mt. Paozu, a small hut was present. It comprised of a single room and a triangular, blue roof that stuck out at different points. Its set of wooden doors were held open by a now 13-year-old Goku as he knelt down and prayed in front of a red table. Due to losing his orange, martial arts gi in a fight against Emperor Pilaf, he was now wearing a purple robe reminiscent of Shu's. It was experiencing a bit of wear and tear, sadly, but any outfit would experience a similar fate from non-stop training.Goku's black, spiky hair continued to stand on end as he kept his eyes closed. The boy seemed to be in deep focus as he tightly clasped both hands along his chin. The subject of this focused state was none another than his adoptive grandfather, Gohan.Although he had a tearful reunion with the old man at Baba's palace, Goku still thought it best to visit Mt. Paozu every so often."I'm still continuing to get stronger, Grandpa. I hope I'll make you proud." He whispered warmly.Unbeknownst to him, Bulma peaked her head out from the side. She parked her jet somewhere close by just a few moments ago."I had a feeling I'd find you here." Bulma said.Goku swiftly turned around with a wide smile on his face. He nonchalantly waved at her in pleasant surprise."Hey, Bulma! Long time no see!" Goku greeted."It's good to see you too, kid. How's the training coming along?" Bulma smiled as she rested both hands on her hips."Pretty good! I managed to meet a ton of new people and stuff!" Goku chortled in reply. He then frowned a bit. "Have you gotten any nicer since last time?"Bulma's fists slightly shook in rage. It was taking all of her willpower not to slap Goku upside the head for his stupid, insensitive comment."Errggh! I told you that's not funny, idiot!" She growled. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me out with something."Goku stroked the back of his head in uncertainty. "Eh, I dunno, Bulma. I really only came to my grandpa's house as a short break. I really need to keep training or else I'll fall behind.""Well, what if I told you that this had something to do with the Red Ribbon Army?" Bulma asked in a more serious tone. In response, Goku widened his eyes from shock."Huh? Those jerks again? I thought I beat'em all!" He claimed."You did, yeah, but when I was scavenging around the base for…erm…let's say "personal reasons", I accidentally discovered a hidden laboratory built beneath it. That's where I found this weird scanning chamber I figured you'd be brave enough to test out." Bulma thoroughly explained her request.Goku raised one of his eyebrows in confusion. "Why were you walking around the base all alone?""Again, it was for personal reasons. I doubt you'd understand." Bulma sniffed in annoyance. She then scanned the boy's body from head to toe. "But, what do you think? Will you help me go check it out?"Goku ultimately shrugged with an indifferent, neutral expression. "I guess so. If it
does
have something to do with the Red Ribbon Army, then I might as well see what's up about it.""Phew! Thanks, Goku. I knew I could count on you." Bulma sighed in relief. Goku crossed both arms behind his head and smiled."No problem! Just lead me there and I'll follow!" He stated. The duo then boarded Bulma's jet and quickly flew back to the Red Ribbon Army's headquarters.
Dr. Gero's Laboratory, Age 750 (2003)
"So, this is that Scanner thingy you mentioned?" Goku asked. After following Bulma downstairs, he stood directly in front of the chamber with a look of immense puzzlement. He'd never really seen anything like this before, let alone know it was even possible to build.Bulma, in contrast, was typing away at the interface's keyboard. She was trying her best to turn on the Scanner, but found barely any results thus far."Yep. From what Dr. Gero's files say, its purpose is to transfer a person from here to a virtual world called Lyoko. That's what those cables are for too, I think." Bulma replied as she gestured to the cords located underground.Goku wasn't exactly following any of this at all. "Virtual world? Like…that internet stuff you use?""Sorta, but most likely a bit more complicated." Bulma informed.Nodding, Goku continued to patiently tap his foot. Bulma then snapped her fingers, thinking of a new method to try out."Here, I've got an idea. How about you walk into the Scanner and see if anything happens on the inside? Is that okay with you?" She asked.Goku absentmindedly shrugged his shoulders. "Sure. If that'll make things easier for you."He then stepped inside of the Scanner and stood in its middlemost portion. Surprisingly, his height and body type were a perfect fit for the machine. Bulma wasn't sure why this was the case, but she went along with it anyway."Is this good?" Goku wondered. Still typing, Bulma held up her thumb in approval."That's fine. Just hang tight and I'll try to figure out how it works." She instructed. Continuing to enter a bunch of random commands, the young inventor finally got somewhere after a few more attempts.It brought up a list of schematics relating to the machine's performance level and basic functionality. These were labeled in a series of different charts that fluctuated between higher and lower levels.Seeing that the Scanner was also lighting up a bright yellow, Bulma grinned in relief. "Finally! Now, we'll just test this baby out and you can go back to training—"All of a sudden, the Scanner's doors tightly closed together with Goku still inside. This caught the boy by surprise as he slightly knocked on them."Uh, Bulma? Is it supposed to do that?" Goku nervously inquired.Bulma gasped as the keyboard began to shoot out sparks and seemingly function on its own. She held an arm over her face to block out the electricity, but while doing so, the likeness of a red target-shaped eye caught her attention. Within seconds, it was projected on almost every single monitor."W-What the? Is it some kind of virus?!" Bulma murmured in shock. She then spun around to address the now-trapped Goku."Goku, try and break out! There's something wrong with the computer!" The Capsule Corp heiress cried.Doing as Bulma suggested, Goku attempted to pry his way out. Streams of air blew up at his face as he did so while a black ring scanned his entire body. White light then shined brightly throughout the entire Scanner as he came closer to gripping the doors. Unfortunately, even he wasn't fast enough to stop himself from being virtualized."AHHHHHHHHH!" Goku screamed in terror. The light encompassed his entire form until eventually, there was nothing left. Due to the Scanner's forced activation, there was no longer any trace of Goku's body in the real world. All of it was completely virtual.Once this transportation was complete, the red eye swiftly vanished a second time. Everything from the computers to the Scanner went back to normal without any considerable interference whatsoever.Bulma shook her head in uneasiness. In all her years designing inventions like the Dragon Radar, none of them ever went that haywire before. It honestly unsettled her to a certain degree.Concerned for Goku's safety, she pressed a button and opened up the Scanner. Goku, to her chagrin, was completely gone, proving that Dr. Gero's abandoned project was indeed a brief success."Well, this isn't good." Bulma gulped. She had no idea how to even begin explaining this one, honestly. Now, Goku was in a much bigger mess than he ever really expected to get into.
Lyoko, Desert Sector
After traveling through what he could best describe as "small, veiny tunnels", Goku's body was digitized in the form of a blue wireframe. He, to his surprise, was floating in midair before dropping down onto a desert-like surface. The sheer amount of confusion Goku was feeling at the moment couldn't really even be put into words. He just stood up straight and examined the surrounding area."Uhhh, what just happened?" The martial artist blankly asked. Goku looked down at his own body, seeing that he was wearing the orange martial arts gi Master Roshi gave him."Woah. I'm wearing this again somehow." Goku said. He then turned around and saw a bushy, brown monkey tail sticking up. "My tail's back too?! What in the heck is going on here?"He further examined the cosmetic changes applied to him. Although he had the same hair style, his overall figure was much more, for a lack of a better term, three-dimensional. It was as if he was animated directly on one of Bulma's computer programs."Hmmm. Maybe this is that Lyoko place Bulma was going on about." Goku presumed. It did appear to be a fully realized world at first glance.It was a floating landscape filled to the brim with rocky spires and plateaus made from pure sandstone. Judging by the warmly colored sky, it was obvious that this place was meant to replicate the atmosphere of a desert. It didn't exactly compare to the real version, though. Yamcha's home, the Diablo Desert, was proof enough of that fact alone.Goku also noticed the series of wires connecting one platform of this area to another. He didn't quite understand the purpose of those, but shrugged it off, regardless.He sighed. "Welp, guess all I can do is look around for an exit or something."While scratching his head in nervousness, Goku was surprised to notice that his Power Pole was still with him. He pulled it out with a genuine smile on his lips."At least you're with me, Power Pole!" The martial artist beamed. He then set it on the ground and used it like a makeshift walking stick."Now, which way should I go?" Goku hummed in uncertainty. He placed a hand over his forehead to block out the sun and took a look around. He then noticed a tall, white tower in the distance. It glowed with some semblance of blue energy, which piqued his curiosity."A tower that glows blue, huh? Cool!" He beamed. Keeping in mind how far away it was, Goku decided to lift up his Power Pole and sprint forward.To his delight, Goku proved to have the same amount of power as he did in the real world. He was getting extremely close to the tower within the span of a few seconds.He frowned. "I wonder how it was able to do that, though. Does it make an exact copy of my body or something?"Before he could ponder any more on the subject, Goku suddenly heard someone screaming in fear."AHHHHH!" Goku looked up to see a young girl with short, pink hair and elf ears. Her eyes appeared to be an emerald green while she wore a pink jumpsuit with baggy pants and a short skirt. She also had maroon slippers that concealed both of her feet."There's a girl here of all places? That's weird."
Goku thought. He then caught sight of about three robotic monsters chasing after her. Each of them were giant crabs that had four scythe-like appendages for legs and six, circular white eyes. The same symbol Bulma saw was imprinted on top of their heads in red font.Since three against one wasn't a fair matchup by any means, Goku felt obligated to intervene in some way. He narrowed his eyes and made a run for all three monsters.Meanwhile, the girl continued running as fast she possibly could. The Krabs were beginning to shoot red lasers at her feet, however, so this whole endeavor was starting to prove too much for her.Things got even worse once she abruptly tripped over herself. The girl landed on her knees and shakily tried to pick herself up, but to no avail. All three Krabs were simply far too relentless in their pursuits."Oh no. Jeremie, where are you?!"
She thought in fear. Sadly, it seemed that her friends wouldn't be there to protect her this time.The elvish girl continued backing up, hoping that the Krabs would miss their shots somehow. Thankfully, right as they were about to fire, an unforeseen figure propelled straight through one of the Krab's bodies. This left a large gaping hole in its weak point, causing the monster to instantly explode.The girl widened her eyes open in surprise. "W-What was that?"It was then that Goku fully came into view. He protectively stood in front of the girl with a confident smirk."Alright. Which one of you guys wants to go next?" Goku cockily asked. The remaining two Krabs awkwardly stared at one another before firing their lasers at the same time.Goku then somersaulted into the air and landed on top of a Krab's head. As it began flailing about, he swiftly slammed his fist into the eye symbol. He then jumped off right as it blew up and made way for the remaining monster.Still in midair, Goku spun his staff around and shouted, "Power Pole, Extend!"The replicated version of the Power Pole did as commanded and exponentially elongated itself. It skewered straight though the helpless Krab and finally, caused that one to blow up as well.The Power Pole then regressed back to its normal size while Goku landed perfectly on his feet. He stood directly in front of the girl and gave out a sign of victory with his fingers."Not sure what those things were, but I gave them a pretty good beating, didn't I? Hehe." Goku chuckled.The girl's mouth was agape in shock and awe. "You…managed to beat three Krabs all by yourself?""I mean, I've faced worse, so it wasn't that big a deal. You're not hurt, though, are you?" The martial artist wondered considerately."N-No, I'm fine, but…" The girl said, shaking her head in complete befuddlement. "Who even are you? How did you even get into Lyoko in the first place?"Goku gave her a casual wave. "The name's Son Goku! I'm a martial artist back in the real world. What about yours?""Well, that explains a few things, at least…"
The girl thought in sudden understanding. That added a bit of reasoning behind his insane strength, amongst many other things he performed."My name is Aelita. It's nice to meet you." Aelita officially introduced herself with a warm smile.Goku toothily grinned in response. "And as for your second question, I honestly have no clue. I was wondering if you could help me figure that part out."Aelita looked upon Goku in newfound sympathy. It seemed that he was in a position not too dissimilar from her own, apart from the memory loss, of course."Well, I suppose we should have a conversation about this then." Aelita suggested. She then pointed to the blue, deactivated tower Goku saw before."Let's head over there, Goku. It'll be safer inside the tower." She said."Alright then. Lead the way, Aelita." Goku replied. The two then headed off to discuss the possible reason for Goku's sudden appearance and whether or not he could even get out.
*And that's the end of Chapter 1! Basically, the main concept of this story will center around Dr. Gero being involved with the creation of Lyoko, Project Carthage, and in a sense, X.A.N.A., the main villain. I'll go into it a bit more in future chapters, but there's a reason why the Eye of X.A.N.A. appeared when Goku was being virtualized. It'll be part of an overarching mystery during Bulma's recurring appearances. I also included Goku and Aelita's first meeting, which was brief, but somewhat effective, in my opinion. Some people might be iffy about them being paired together because of Jeremie, but I'll try to make things believable between them as the story progresses. Again, I have a lot of plans for this story.
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I hope you enjoy this new chapter, which is a bit longer than the first. Also, I should point out that this story is an AU of sorts. It's basically the real world but mixed together with the Dragon Ball one. So, when places like Japan or France are mentioned, they're not exactly the same countries as they are in real life. Japan is where most of Dragon Ball took place, but this time, it has locations like Papaya Island, the Sacred Land of Korin, Diablo Desert, and stuff like that. You can basically describe it as the supercontinent from Dragon Ball that was broken into the continents we know like North America, Europe, Africa, etc. I'll delve into it a bit more in later chapters.
Goku was quickly led over to the strange tower by Aelita. Up close, he noticed that it was a stark white cylinder with a black, tree-like entrance at the bottom. There didn't seem to be a door, however, which somewhat confused him. After all, what was the point of there being a tower if you couldn't even walk into it?Noticing that Aelita wasn't perturbed by this fact in the slightest, Goku asked, "Hey, Aelita. How do we get into this tower exactly? I don't see anything to walk into here."The pink-haired girl just grinned. "Don't worry. I'll show you."Goku just stood behind her with a raised eyebrow. Before his very eyes, Aelita pushed her hands through the black material and slowly went straight through it. The passage of her body caused a ripple of blue waves to emerge before they dissipated after a few seconds."Woah! That's new!" Goku yelped in surprise. Aelita then stuck her head out of the tower and motioned for him to follow."Well? Are you coming?" She inquired. Although a bit uneasy by this virtual stuff, Goku ultimately nodded his head and walked into the tower.While inside, he found the tower to be even more strange. It was a blue, vacuous space surrounded by strings of numbered code and digital interfaces shaped like squares. Beneath his feet, there resided a circular platform with the same target symbol those crab monsters had. This one, however, was white in color.Aelita then sat down on the platform and sighed. "Now that we're safe, I just wanted to say thank you for saving me back there, Goku. I very much appreciate it.""Eh, it's no biggie," Goku replied with a smile. "I just figured it was the right thing to do, given how those three whatchamacallits were ganging up on you and all."Aelita lightly chuckled. "Hehe. They're called Krabs, Goku.""Krabs, hm? Guess that makes sense. Though, is there a reason they have the same symbol as this tower we're in?" The martial artist curiously asked. Aelita ever-so-slightly frowned in response."Well, that's actually the symbol for all of Lyoko in general, but it's also used by…something else." She murmured."Something else? Like what kind of something?""An evil computer virus called X.A.N.A. He materializes Krabs and other types of monsters to attack me in Lyoko." Aelita explained in a serious tone. "He typically attempts to activate one of these towers to infiltrate the real world and spread even more of his evil influence than before."Goku, admittedly, wasn't sure how to fully grasp this information. He's faced robots and machines countless times over, but a sentient computer virus that could harm two worlds at once? That was definitely new territory for him. He couldn't decide on whether he should be concerned or excited by the existence of such a powerful entity.A sudden thought potentially relating to X.A.N.A. then came to mind. "I wonder if this X.A.N.A. guy has something to do with the Scanner I was transported into by mistake."Aelita did a double take. "Wait, you came to Lyoko through a Scanner?!""I think that's what it was called, yeah. My friend, Bulma, told me to walk in and right before the doors shut on me, I saw a red version of that Lyoko symbol pop up on a nearby computer screen. Then, right before I could break out, I suddenly ended up here with a brand new outfit and everything." Goku vividly recalled how his forced virtualization took place. The reference to X.A.N.A.'s trademark eye was all the confirmation Aelita needed to gather."So, X.A.N.A. is behind him being sent to Lyoko? But, why Goku, specifically? And for what reason?"
Aelita thought in concern. She then shook her head from side-to-side, trying to think of possible answers to questions she didn't yet figure out."Oh dear. This makes things whole lot more complicated." The girl mused."More
complicated? Aw, man! Things are already complicated enough as is!" Goku childishly whined. Although his reaction was a bit overblown, Aelita did genuinely empathize with Goku's predicament. She couldn't imagine living in the real world at one point and then abruptly being stuck in the virtual world at another."I think discussing this with my friend, Jeremie Belpois, might help. He's the one who first discovered Lyoko's supercomputer, so he should know about you being here." Aelita suggested. Goku squatted down, resting a fist over his chin."If you say so. Is Jeremie able to chat with you directly then?"Aelita nodded. "Through his computer, yes. He should be getting up soon, so we can wait until then.""Welp, I have nothing better to do, so that's fine with me." Goku replied with a casual shrug of his shoulders.The two kids then sat atop the platform and waited for Jeremie to make contact. To break the silence, Aelita thought it best to learn some more information about her new friend.She scanned his body from top-to-bottom before her eyes suddenly focused on Goku's tail. Since Odd's tail came from his love for animals, she was curious to know if Goku's avatar had one for a similar reason."So, is there any significance behind your monkey tail, Goku?"
Kadic Academy, Age 750 (2003)
Located within a suburb of Paris, France called Sceaux, Kadic Academy was a typical educational facility that accommodated both middle and high school students. It comprised of various locations that directly interconnected with one another, including the Dormitory Building, Science Building, cafeteria, track, Administrative Building, park, and many others. Each of these buildings were strictly designed to cater to Kadic's culturally diverse faculty and students. Students could either commute to the school from their homes or, more commonly, live on campus as a boarding school. It has been run this way since the early 1900s and will most likely continue to do so for many years afterward.Another interesting feature the academy had was its sewer system. For some reason, these sewers served as a direct passageway to an abandoned factory located close by. This very factory was the place Jeremie Belpois, a 12-year-old computer genius, discovered the supercomputer and consequently, Lyoko.While most students were already out and about in preparation for classes, Jeremie continued lying down in his dorm room. It was a small room that included a single bed, a dresser, and a large poster of Albert Einstein's face. Located in the very back were multiple computers and desktop monitors. A single rolling chair was placed in front of them, implying that Jeremie had a vast enough intellect to focus on all three monitors at once.The genius in question had short blonde hair and a pair of black spectacles. He was wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt, brown pants, and black shoes without socks. Typically, he would change into some pajamas before going to sleep, but after researching ways to rematerialize Aelita into the real world all night, he was far too exhausted to even bother. In fact, the boy only went to sleep about two hours prior.The alarm on his digital clock started blaring, much to Jeremie's chagrin. He groaned and tiredly pressed down on the snooze button."Guess I should check in with Aelita before class starts…" Jeremie yawned. He then pushed up his glasses and sat down.Sporting a smile on his lips, he used the computer's mouse to click on the direct messaging app. This connected Jeremie's webcam remotely to Lyoko, causing Aelita's face to appear in a smaller window. A green background with descending numbers was present behind her."Good morning, Aelita!" Jeremie greeted in a somewhat nasally voice. Aelita looked at him with a nervous smile."Erm…morning, Jeremie. Did you sleep well?" She timidly asked. Jeremie found her behavior to be a bit odd, but he decided to brush over it for now."Sorta. I was staying up all night trying to find the right program that would—""Psst. Hey, Aelita? Are you talking with that Jeremie guy right now?" Jeremie was suddenly interrupted by Goku poking his head right next to Aelita's face in the monitor. Seeing this complete stranger walking around Lyoko, the blonde boy's eyes widened in horror.Aelita rolled her eyes. "Yes, Goku. I thought I told you to stay back for now.""Oh, whoops. Sorry." Goku whispered as he tiptoed out of frame. Aelita sighed, taking a look at Jeremie's mortified expression."I know this looks bad, Jeremie, but…""Looks bad?! Aelita, who even is that kid?! How in the heck did he get into the Scanner Room to begin with?!" Jeremie hissed in outrage. "This blows all of our secrets relating to Lyoko wide open!"Understanding Jeremie's frustration, Aelita pursed her lips. "It's honestly not what it seems, Jeremie. Goku was sent to Lyoko by accident."Although skeptical of what she claimed, Jeremie recognized the name from somewhere."Wait a minute. Goku? As in Son Goku? The 12-year-old finalist of that World Martial Arts Tournament thing Ulrich and Yumi wouldn't shut up about?" Jeremie asked. Why would a martial artist of Japanese descent be in Lyoko of all places? It didn't really make much sense."Yep, that's me! That was a really great fight for sure! Hehe." Goku chuckled in confirmation. Jeremie glanced at his smiling, ever-optimistic face in curiosity."I always assumed those so-called tournaments were filled with camera tricks and special effects. Are you actually as skilled of a fighter as they say?" Jeremie asked."I believe he is, Jeremie. He managed to save me from three Krabs singlehandedly using his staff." Aelita proclaimed with a smile. She then glanced over at Goku. "What did you call it again?""The Power Pole! I have one in the real world with the same effects too." Goku replied.Jeremie couldn't help, but hold back a laugh. "Heh. The Power Pole?""It may have a funny name, but its powers sure were formidable. It cleaved through one of the Krab's weak points almost instantly." Aelita defended Goku's trusty weapon. Hearing that, Jeremie quickly composed himself."Wow. That could give Ulrich's sword a run for its money…" Jeremie muttered under his breath. He then turned his head toward Goku. "Were you really sent to Lyoko against your will?""In a way, yeah. My friend, Bulma, found this stinky old lab beneath the Red Ribbon Army's base. She found a Scanner, told me to go inside it, and after this virus starting hacking all the lab's computers, my body disappeared in a flash of light. The next thing I knew, I was in Lyoko.""Virus? You don't mean—"Aelita grimaced. "Yes, Jeremie. It's another part of X.A.N.A.'s schemes, I'm afraid.""Figures. It always comes back to him somehow." Jeremie scowled as he rubbed his forehead. "Unfortunately, Goku, this brings up some good and bad news for you."On screen, Goku tilted his head to the side. "Like what?""Well, the good news is that you don't seem suspicious to me anymore. Since you helped save Aelita, that makes you a-okay in my book. For now, anyway." Jeremie said. He closed his eyes, frowning."However, the bad news is that…um…how should I put this…"He nervously scratched the side of his cheek before sharing direct eye contact with Goku. His black eyes were now twinged with a hint of sympathy."…I believe your body wasn't left over in the virtualization process. So, like Aelita, you can't be taken out of Lyoko by normal means." Jeremie revealed.Goku lightly gaped at this. "Seriously? I can't leave at all?!""Yes. Since the Scanner you entered was both connected to the supercomputer from afar and mostly tampered with by X.A.N.A., the molecular structure used to form your avatar became one with Lyoko's code itself. Thus, your real body doesn't exist anymore. It's only a program your consciousness was suddenly placed into without the proper step-by-step process."Despite the seriousness of this situation, Goku could barely comprehend the technobabble Jeremie was sharing with him. It simply went in one ear and out the other."This stuff is really starting to make my brain hurt…" He lowly grunted.Jeremie pinched the bridge of his nose. Goku might prove to be more dense and annoying than Odd at some point."In Layman's Terms, if you get killed by one of X.A.N.A.'s monsters in Lyoko, you'll be deleted for good. Your real body won't rematerialize inside of a Scanner like the others. I'm sorry." Jeremie stated apologetically. Goku took a small step back in disbelief."Killed? You mean…that's possible in there?" He stammered."Of course it is. Each person who enters Lyoko is given 100 Life Points. If this number goes down to zero at any point, a person or monster will be devirtualized. But, in your and Aelita's case, you'll be fully deleted without any chance of coming back." Jeremie pointed out. He even booted up Goku's profile card to make certain this was correct.Dejected, Goku moved away from the screen and sat down. He didn't think helping out Bulma would interfere with his training to such an extreme degree."Man. And to think I was training for the next tournament just a few hours ago. This is a lot to take in." Goku uttered.Aelita then walked over to him and gently squeezed his shoulder. "Cheer up, Goku. There's no need to lose hope."He frowned. "What makes you say that?""Well, Jeremie's planning to create a program that will hopefully materialize my body into the real world. I'm sure he can do the same for you if all goes as planned." Aelita informed with a soothing grin. "Right, Jeremie?""I mean, technically, but there's no telling how long it'll take me to perfect such a program. The supercomputer is a very intricate device that even I struggle to operate at time and…" Jeremy went over the details of his past work. He then saw Aelita batting her eyelashes in a pleading manner, which caused his cheeks to flush a faint red."B-But, yes. I am working on it, Goku. I'll try to implement it as fast as I can." Jeremie stammered. A bit of weight was lifted off of Goku's shoulders in that moment.He got up onto his feet and smiled at the tower's digital interface. "That makes me feel a bit better then. Thanks, Jeremie."Jeremie nodded his head, smirking. "Don't mention it. Now, since you'll be staying on Lyoko for the time being, I think you should know some crucial information about it.""Alright. Lay it on me then." Goku replied."For one, the Desert Sector you're in is one of four that make up Lyoko. There's also the Forest Sector, Mountain Sector, and Ice Sector. All of them are meant to resemble locations in the real world, as you've probably noticed beforehand." Jeremie explained as he pulled up a 3-D map of Lyoko. For some reason, each sector was displayed as flat surfaces that surrounded a single, spherical core."There are special Way Towers in each sector that serve as gateways between them. If you need to travel to another sector, just use one of those with Aelita and you'll be all set." Jeremie added."Normal towers display different colors depending on what conditions they have as well, Goku. The blue aura surrounding this one means it's inactive, for example." Aelita stated in support of Jeremie's explanation."And once X.A.N.A. activates a tower, its aura will turn red. At that point, it's Aelita's job to deactivate that tower and prevent X.A.N.A. from wreaking havoc in the real world." Jeremie darkly exclaimed. Goku nodded, making certain that he followed along with every detail."Deactivate as in turning the tower's aura from red back to blue?" Goku questioned."If you want to go with the most simple description imaginable, yeah." Jeremie snorted. "Something else happens too, but you'll just have to wait and see what that is. I doubt you'd really be able to comprehend it.""You're right. I probably wouldn't. Hehe." Goku goofily admitted. Aelita just giggled in amusement while Jeremie, in contrast, rubbed an open palm over his face."Well, with all that being said, let's…"Suddenly, one of Jeremie's monitors displayed a red tower on its digital map. A beeping sound played to indicate its existence, but not the exact location."Talk about speaking of the devil. X.A.N.A.'s just activated a tower on the opposite side of the Desert Sector." Jeremie announced."Wonder if he's mad at Goku for breaking his toys." Aelita mischievously joked."Make your way over to the tower, guys. And make certain you keep Aelita safe from harm, Goku. I'm counting on you." Jeremie pointed directly at Goku in a stern tone.Said martial arts just gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Will do.""What are you going to do, Jeremie?" Aelita asked."I'll go grab the others and head over to the factory. Hold off any more monsters until we get there." He advised with caution. Jeremie then closed out his video chat with Aelita and headed for the front door."This just had to happen right before our first class." Jeremie sighed heavily. He then gave a quick glance at his alarm clock. "Good thing we've got about 40 minutes or so to spare."The bespectacled boy then opened his door and headed for Kadic's outdoor campus. He was moving at a faster than usual pace, but it couldn't exactly be considered running."Wonder how everyone's gonna take the good news…"
Jeremie thought sarcastically. It appeared that their group was about to increase from five to six fairly soon.
Outside of Kadic Academy
In Kadic's front yard, multiple students were talking amongst themselves. They were either leaning on nearby trees, sitting at benches, or just taking a walk around campus to help time pass. The entire academy, in general, was surrounded by a neighboring forest, but for the most part, everyone kept their distance from it. They mainly chose to stand close to the buildings where classes would typically start.At one of the yard's wooden benches, three kids were seated. The first kid was a short boy with spiked blonde hair that had a purple streak in it. He wore a purple long-sleeved shirt with pants of the same color and yellow tennis shoes. The second was a tall, 13-year-old boy with jagged dark brown hair and narrow eyes. His outfit comprised of a vest that had a T-shirt tucked under it and green cargo pants. He also wore a pair of white tennis shoes to match. The last member of this group was a 14-year-old Japanese girl with short, black hair and a predominantly black outfit. This included a long-sleeved shirt, skintight pants, and gray combat boots. Given her height, it was obvious that she was the oldest person there.The trio was mainly talking amongst themselves until the blonde-haired boy, Odd Della Robbia, loudly yawned. "Aagggh! Man, why'd we have to get up so early?""Cause if you didn't, you'd be late for class again?" His friend, Ulrich Stern, bluntly replied."But, that's just my point, Ulrich. It's a crime for classes to be held this early in the morning! I call for a protest!" Odd shouted with a defiant clench of his fist.The girl, Yumi Ishiyama, raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Wouldn't you rather get out of classes earlier, though? Having classes at night doesn't seem like something you'd enjoy at all.""You know, when you put it like that…" Odd muttered. He then toothily smirked. "Maybe they should just save us the trouble and cancel classes today! I think that's fair, don't you?""If only it were that simple, Odd. If only." Ulrich lightly patted his friend on the back. It seemed that Odd was still trying to find a way out of taking Mrs. Hertz's science test. The poor guy was getting desperate at this point."Feh, yeah. If dumb science was so simple, I'd have as big of a brain as Einstein's by now." Odd grumbled disparagingly. As if called on command, Jeremie suddenly came into view."Huh. Good timing." Ulrich commented. Everyone waved at him as he stood in front of the bench."Morning, Jeremie. You make any progress with Aelita's materialization program last night?" Yumi wondered."Not really. I spent hours and hours working on it with barely any progress." Jeremie glowered in disappointment. "But, that's beside the point. X.A.N.A.'s just activated another tower.""This early in the morning? Guess there really ain't no rest for the wicked, huh?" Odd quipped."Afraid not, Odd. There's also something else that recently popped up in Lyoko that I think should all know about." Jeremie stated.Ulrich furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion. "Like a new monster?""No. Apparently, some organization in Japan called the Red Ribbon Army had a Scanner in their possession and a kid ended up being virtualized into Lyoko from it. His name's Son Goku, or just Goku for short.""That kid?! Oh, he was awesome in the last World Martial Arts Tournament! He kicked this old guy, Jackie Chun, in the face at the same time and…and…" Ulrich, realizing that he was getting way too excited over this, coughed a few times to maintain his typically aloof disposition. "U-Uh, I mean, he was pretty cool. He was a strong fighter for sure.""But, another Scanner? How could an army like that be able to recreate such advanced technology, let alone make it directly transfer over to the supercomputer's memory?" Yumi inquired in disbelief."Maybe they're the ones who made both the supercomputer and Lyoko?" The others glared at Odd in response to his observation. "Hey, you never know, guys! We don't know anything about its origins yet.""Regardless, Goku's officially a new member of our group now. You'll be able to see more of him in Lyoko." Jeremy unanimously decided."That's a rather fast decision, though, isn't it? I've seen the guy fight on TV before, believe me, but shouldn't we all get a say on whether or not he should join?" Yumi logically presumed. Jeremie glanced at her, mentally admitting that she made a good point."Normally, I would, but Goku's circumstances are a bit more extreme. I'll explain everything on the way to the factory." He said.With that, Jeremie and everyone else cautiously ran into the forest, and headed for the sewers' entrance.Somewhere nearby, the gym teacher and campus supervisor at Kadic Academy, Jim Morales, stood. He was a middle-aged man who wore a red sweatshirt and black sweatpants. His body was somewhat overweight, yet still fairly muscular in parts, especially his arms. Jim also had a head of spiky, brown hair that was held up by a white headband.He squinted his eyes, suspicious of where those four kids were heading to at this hour."Tch. They better not be planning to ditch class today." Jim clicked his tongue. Looking from side to side, he then jogged into the forest and followed after the Lyoko Warriors. None of them, including Jeremie, were aware that this was even happening.
Lyoko, Desert Sector
After Jeremie logged out of his computer, Aelita and Goku made preparations to leave the tower. The monkey-tailed boy felt a bit more on-edge knowing that his entire life was dependent on 100 measly points. Then again, none of those Krabs really seemed like all that much of a challenge, so there really wasn't anything to worry about. The only thing worth concerning himself over was Aelita's safety at the moment.He pulled out his Power Pole and stuck it into the platform. "You ready to go, Aelita?""Yes. We need to reach the tower before anything bad happens in the real world." She replied."Right. Stay close to me then." Goku said.Both of them then left the tower in a slow, cautious manner. Goku held up his Power Pole, preparing to battle any monsters that suddenly emerged.Seeing that the coast was clear, Goku examined the surrounding area. There didn't seem to be any activated tower that he could clearly identify, much to his chagrin.Goku crossed his arms and huffed. "Wish Jeremie could have given us some directions. How are we supposed to know where this tower even is?""I can help with that, Goku." Aelita said calmly.She knelt down and placed her hand over the ground. White ripples appeared, causing the entire landscape to shake ever-so-slightly. Each ripple pulsated from one to another until a narrow pathway was formed."The pulsations I'm sensing are originating from that direction. So, I think we should keep going straight for now." Aelita pointed out. Afterwards, they did just that and ran deeper into the Desert Sector."That's a cool trick, Aelita! Reminds me of my own energy sensing powers in the real world." Goku noted with a smile."You were able to sense energy? I didn't even think that was possible." Aelita breathed out in surprise. At times, it seemed like Goku came straight out of Lyoko, rather than vice versa."Yep, it's all because I've learned to use ki as a martial artist. I can manipulate my own energy to fight better than normal and all that good stuff." He chuckled happily. Aelita couldn't help, but laugh the same way."You really are just full of surprises, Goku."They continued to run a few more feet until finally, the deactivated tower was found. It was still quite a bit of distance away, but nevertheless, the tower was guarded by a slew of new monsters from X.A.N.A.'s personal collection.Guarding the tower's entrance were two black balls that had multiple yellow Eyes of X.A.N.A. embedded into their outer shells. They remained completely motionless while in front of them, various smaller creatures scurried about in search for any intruders. These monsters had four mechanical legs, crustaceous shells with X.A.N.A.'s symbol on them, and one single red eye. Although less foreboding than the massive cannonballs, there appeared to be about eight or ten of them at most. And each one was capable of shooting a laser just as damaging as the Krabs' from before.Aelita motioned for Goku to hide behind a large slab of sandstone in concern. "If X.A.N.A.'s sending out two Megatanks already, then he must really mean business.""Are Megatanks those black things sitting in front of the tower?" Goku wondered aloud."Yes. They're some of X.A.N.A.'s stronger monsters. Megatanks can roll at high speeds and once their shell is opened up, they can charge up an energy blast that deals over 50 life points of damage.""Yikes. That means if I take two hits from that thing, I'll be done for. This makes things tricky." Goku gulped nervously. He couldn't really remember a time he felt this vulnerable before."How 'bout the small ones? Are they dangerous?" He asked."Less so than the Krabs and Megatanks, obviously, but the Kankrelats' strength mainly comes in numbers. You wouldn't want to face them once they fire multiple lasers all at once." Aelita thoroughly elaborated. Although her knowledge was appreciated, Goku was admittedly offput by the small monster's bizarre name."Crackerwhat now?""Kankrelat, Goku. It's a pun on the French word for cockroach. My and Jeremie's friend, Odd, came up with it." She corrected him in a low, whispery voice."Huh. The more you know then." Goku replied. "Though, gotta admit, Odd is also kind of a weird name, honestly.""You could say that it's an odd name for an odd person. Teehee." Aelita jokingly giggled. She then sidled up along the rock and tried to find an opening from which she could run through."Any ideas, Goku?""Hmm. I think I'll use the Power Pole to get rid of those little guys and then, I'll keep the Megatanks distracted. That should give you enough time to reach the tower." Goku strategized off the top of his head. The pink-haired glanced at him from the side in reluctance."Isn't that a little risky? You'd be facing two high-level monsters all by yourself. I don't want you to get killed for my sake." Aelita worryingly claimed."It'll be fine, Aelita. I've fought much tougher, deadlier opponents in the past. What's the harm in facing a few more, am I right?" Goku confidently brushed aside her worries.This comment further piqued her interest. She knew he was a talented martial artist, of course, but what kind of people did he actually challenge back home? Were they just as, if not more, powerful than himself?"Deadlier opponents? What do you mean by…GOKU!" She hissed as Goku charged headfirst into battle without so much as a small warning."Just wait for my signal! I'll hold them off, I promise!" He cried back.All ten Kankrelats turned to gaze at Goku. Their red eyes projected wheels of red energy that gradually spun around with each passing second. Once fully charged, the Kankrelats unleashed these wheels in the form of thin, bullet-like lasers.At the sight of these lasers coming toward him, Goku only smirked. His Power Pole glowed a vibrant red orange as Goku quickly spun it around with one arm. The bo staff's rapid spin successfully deflected some of the lasers and hit their respective shooters, causing at least five Kankrelats' heads to explode upon impact."Now, for the rest of you guys! Power Pole, Extend!" Goku shouted. His staff grew long enough to reach the tower's upper half in terms of sheer height. While continuing to run, he grasped it along his shoulder and swung the Power Pole like a baseball bat."Hyaaah!" He cried. It smacked against the five remaining Kankrelats, causing them to go flying across the entire sector. Unable to endure this incredible damage, they eventually exploded in synchronized unison.Goku grinned in satisfaction as the Power Pole regressed back to its normal size. "Welp, that's ten down and two to go. Looks like things are going better than expected."Still hiding behind the piece of sandstone, Aelita was in awe of Goku's precision and skill with the Power Pole. "Amazing…"However, this look of admiration shifted to one of panic as she saw both Megatanks roll towards Goku at breakneck speeds. And unfortunately, Goku was none the wiser to this attack at the moment."Look out, Goku!" Aelita screamed. Goku stopped inspecting his Power Pole to see both Megatanks preparing to steamroll him from both sides."Woah!" He yelped. At the last second, Goku jumped into the air, causing both Megatanks to directly collide with one another. They ricocheted in different directions like that of a pinball machine before coming to a sudden, abrupt stop.One Megatank was now facing the front of Goku while the other occupied his hindquarters. It, as a result, blocked Aelita from entering the tower as well.Goku darted his eyes from left to right with a thoughtful glare. "These things have a weak point somewhere. I just need to find out its exact location…"The two Megatanks then opened up their shells. Inside, large Eyes of X.A.N.A. were unveiled alongside red, organistic materials that connected the shell's two opposing sides. Metal pipes also helped the Megatank pop open or close at any particular moment.Both monsters seemed to stare at Goku before they eventually charged up their blasts. Yellow ripples of energy were slowly built up within their eyes in an attempt to maximize the destructive force caused by each laser.Goku thought he could use this period of buildup to his advantage.
"There it is!"He then brought over the Power Pole and held it in the center of his chest. The boy set his sights on the Megatank facing him while keeping a close eye on the remaining one."Power Pole, Extend!" He commanded once more. This time, the magical staff shot forward and pierced the Megatank's eye like some sort of mechanical shish kebab. It stabbed straight through its entire innermost shell, causing the unfortunate Megatank to collapse in on itself and explode. All that remained were small pieces that almost immediately devirtualized out of existence.Sadly, Goku didn't have enough time to stop the second Megatank from charging its attack. It fired a massive, devastating red laser that was thin in width, yet fairly tall in terms of height.The blast was fast, but Goku, thankfully, was able to account for it on time. He quickly performed a cartwheel to evade said attack at the last second."That was close." Goku sighed in relief. He then glanced at his open palms and came up with a crazy, yet reasonable idea."Well, if you like firing blasts, Mr. Tank, I'd be happy to show off one of mine." He stated with an enthusiastic clench of his fists. The Megatank simply began to mindlessly charge up another blast in response."One of his? He can't be implying that his energy can be used to…to…" Aelita trailed off as she witnessed Goku face the remaining Megatank and cup his hands together. They were both placed at the side of his hip for some reason."I hope this works in Lyoko. I really need it to right now."
Goku mentally prayed. He closed his eyes and took a few deep, shallow breaths.Then, he opened his eyes with a determined, arguably demanding glare."Kaaaa…Meee…" Goku chanted. In the form of digital codes and numbers, blue energy slowly started to gather within Goku's palms.At the same time, the Megatank's eye gathered twice as much yellow energy as its former companion. It was clear the Megatank had the intention of depleting all 100 of Goku's life points in one fell swoop, rather than just half.Blue energy was compressed into that of a blue sphere that spun around within Goku's hands. "Haaa…Meee…""W-What is that?" Aelita murmured in pure astoundment. It was evidently powerful, yet so majestic to see at the same time. Her green eyes were starting to get lost in its blue aura as the blast grew closer to completion.Once the Megatank blasted its devastating red laser, Goku immediately returned the favor with his signature move, the Kamehameha Wave."HAAAAAAAAAA!" The boy screamed. A blast of fiery blue ki rocketed from palms to his current opponent. Upon clashing with the Megatank's blast, the entire area, tower included, were engulfed by an ethereal implosion of white light. All Aelita could do was shield her eyes and wait to see the final outcome of this beam struggle.
*Welp, that's what I came up with for Chapter 2, guys. I managed to include Jeremie, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi in this chapter, so I hope their characters were written okay. As you can tell, the stakes are risen a bit by Goku having the chance of getting killed in Lyoko (which will also include the Digital Sea, of course). This will last a majority of the first story arc until Goku and Aelita are successfully materialized onto Earth like in canon. That's where the story will get a lot more interesting for a number of reasons that I won't go into just yet. I also hope you enjoyed Goku's fight with the Kankrelats and Megatanks. That will be concluded in Chapter 3 once everyone else gets virtualzied into Lyoko.
P.S. At the moment, this story takes place after Episode 9, "Satellite". I'll be skipping through a lot of episodes in Season 1, but I'll adapt the more important ones with some notable changes here and there. Dragon Ball characters like Bulma will get involved too, of course.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Beneath Kadic Academy…
After climbing down the forest's manhole cover, Jeremie, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi all entered a local sewer system. It was filled to the brim with various tunnels and walkways that each led to different locations within Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris' most populated suburb. One specific location was the abandoned factory where Lyoko's supercomputer resided.Water was present in the middle of the sewer, so the group ran along the leftmost sidewalk. There, three skateboards and a gray scooter were leaning against the wall.While running, Jeremie attempted to explain the predicament Goku was unintentionally thrust into."Wait, hold up, Einstein! Are you saying that if Goku gets devirtualized even once, he'll be gone for good?!" Odd asked in shock.Jeremie nodded. "Afraid so. He's in the same boat as Aelita right now.""Poor guy. I can't imagine what he's feeling right now." Yumi said. She, along with Ulrich and Odd, grabbed one of the three skateboards."Actually, he seems to be taking the situation rather well. He's…erm…not exactly the brightest, but he did manage to destroy three Krabs with relative ease." Jeremie explained. The others looked impressed by this feat."Woah. Guess his martial arts skills carried over to Lyoko then, huh?" Ulrich smirked."Man, this Goku kid's starting to sound better and better the more you talk about him! I would have liked to see stupid ol' X.A.N.A.'s face when that happened. Hehe.""Heh. Same here." Jeremie lightly chuckled. He then grimaced, holding a hand over his chin. "Though, X.A.N.A.'s role in all of this is getting me a bit concerned.""What do you mean?" Yumi asked."Well, from what Goku told me, X.A.N.A. was the one that contributed to his virtualization. He even saw his symbol and everything on a few computer monitors at the Red Ribbon Army base. It all seems so…suspicious, don't you think?"Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich awkwardly stared at one another in silence. This fact made Goku's unexpected arrival even more strange and concerning than before. What could X.A.N.A. want with some fighter from a completely separate country? It just didn't make any sense.Jeremie positioned himself on the scooter and said, "We'll talk about this later. For now, we need to make sure Goku and Aelita are doing okay.""Right."The four kids then rode across the walkway on their respective scooter and skateboards. They kept moving forward until a ladder was reached. It was located near a massive gate separating this portion of the sewer system from another, more intricate one.They set their modes of transportation aside, and hurriedly climbed up the ladder. As they drew closer to the top, Jim managed to catch up with them. He jogged at a fairly sluggish pace before bending his knees and panting from exhaustion."Ha…ha…those darn kids. I-I knew they were up to something…" Jim grumbled. He wiped some sweat off his brow and gasped for breath. Despite being a gym teacher, he, ironically enough, seemed to be pretty out of shape."Phew! T-That's it. No more donuts for you, Jim." Jim muttered to himself. He then looked at his growling stomach. "Well, maybe just one more…or two tops. Yeah, that's good."Suddenly, one of the pipes attached to the sewer's ceiling started to rattle. A black cloud oozed out of the pipe and snaked its way toward Jim. Unfortunately, he wasn't perceptive enough to notice the cloud tightly wrapping around his legs and body."Huh? Why is my leg starting to itch like—" Jim gasped to see that a spectral entity of sorts was inching closer to his face. "What the hell?!"Before he could properly retaliate, the specter slithered down Jim's throat and enveloped him in dark energy. This caused Jim's body to write around in agony."Gaaaagh!" He screamed. Seconds continued to pass until Jim remained completely still. With his eyes closed, Jim stood back up in a slow, unsettling manner."Hahaha!" Jim laughed sinisterly. He opened his eyes to reveal a black Eye of X.A.N.A. where both pupils used to be.Flickering with static, the newly possessed Jim looked up at the ladder. He snarled, deciding to jump through the exit at inhuman speeds rather than climb it.The Lyoko Warriors, meanwhile, ran along a suspension bridge leading to the factory. It was a gray, metallic structure that stood directly above a river the sewers drained waste and other materials into.As they drew closer to the factory's entrance, Odd noted, "You know, I'm surprised Mr. Big, Mean, and Scary hasn't tried to attack us yet. Guess he got a little tuckered out after trying to fire that laser at Yumi."In that moment, Jim leapt out of the hole and slammed his right fist on the bridge upon landing. This, surprisingly, caused part of its metal surface to dent and cave in on itself.He bared his teeth, causing the X.A.N.A. symbols in both eyes to flicker. "Hrrggh!""You just
had
to say something." Ulrich grumbled.Odd rolled his eyes. "Oh, lighten up. It's just Jim.""Focus, Odd! Jim's strength and speed were probably multiplied by the Spectre possessing his body." Jeremie stated nervously. He then glanced at his three friends and said, "Yumi, come with me to the basement. You guys try to hold off Jim for as long as you can.""Easier said than done, Einstein, but alright." Ulrich shrugged. He stood protectively in front of Yumi and Jeremie, so they could reach the elevator unharmed."Yeah, the two of us can handle Jimbo here just fine." Odd stated with confidence. He then took another look at Jim's imposing form and slightly gulped. "I think…"Jeremie darted his eyes from Ulrich to Odd, nodding. "Okay. Let's go, Yumi."They hurriedly went down a staircase in the factory's upper floor and grabbed ahold of two ropes hanging from the ceiling. Before leaving, Yumi glared at Odd and Ulrich."You two better make it out of this alive!" She warned. Her and Jeremie then swung off the balcony, much to Jim's rage."Out of my way!" He shouted in an almost demonic voice. The possessed gym teacher dashed from the bridge to the factory in mere seconds, but was stopped by Ulrich.The 8th grader got into a fighting stance and swung his leg at Jim's stomach. "Hyaah!"Unfortunately, Jim anticipated this move and clutched Ulrich's foot with his hand. He sinisterly chuckled, beginning to squeeze it tighter and tighter."Gaaaagh!" Ulrich cried out in pain. He was then thrown like a ragdoll, and smacked against a railing near the stairs. Thankfully, he was lucky enough not to fall off.While Ulrich struggled to get up, Odd clenched his fist and lunged at Jim."How 'bout you pick on someone not even close to your own size, Jim!"He attempted to punch Jim in the chest, but failed. The gym teacher managed to evade him at the last second and smash his fist directly into Odd's stomach. The force put into this punch was much greater than Odd's by a large margin."Doof!" Odd coughed up a wad of fresh saliva as he was sent flying off the factory's upper floor. He plummeted toward the bottom floor, unable to prevent himself from falling in time."Oh no, no, no!"Thinking fast, Odd ignored the nauseous feeling in his stomach and grasped one of the ropes. He used all of his remaining strength to stop himself in place and hang on for dear life."Yeesh! I've climbed the rope in gym class before, but this is ridiculous!"Below, Yumi and Jeremie made their way into the elevator. It was a wooden cube-like structured that was connected to the factory's electrical system through various cables and cords. A single lightbulb was there to keep it illuminated when in use.Yumi looked up at Odd as he helplessly dangled from the rope. "Should we really leave them alone like this?""It's better than him leading to the factory, Yumi. Besides, given his abilities, Goku might not even need help protecting Aelita. The tower could be deactivated any moment now." Jeremie replied."I hope you're right."Jeremie then pressed a red button, causing a garage door to descend from above. The elevator then whirred to life, and sailed down to the factory's lowest floor. After a few more seconds, the elevator came to a sudden halt."Head to the Scanners, Yumi. Make sure to check in with Goku and Aelita once you're virtualized." Jeremie instructed."Got it!" Yumi nodded in understanding.Jeremie then left the elevator and entered a small laboratory. The elevator doors closed shut, revealing a yellow, circular lock that was tightly bound together with multiple parts. It almost resembled a gear in terms of overall shape and appearance.Yumi then rode the elevator to another facility, the Scanner Room. Located directly beneath the lab, it was a room filled with three Scanners that were connected to both the supercomputer and laboratory via wires. These wires were located above and below each Scanner, showing how much energy was required to power these devices.Sighing, she entered the centermost Scanner and patiently waited for Jeremie's signal.Within the laboratory, Jeremie sat down in a yellow-gray chair with black armrests. It spun around in a complete circle, causing Jeremie to practically orbit a complete Holomap of Lyoko. It displayed all four sectors and Lyoko's very core in one single, 3-Dimensional image.Jeremie stopped in front of a computer interface with four monitors and a keyboard. Placing a small communicator in one of his ears, the would-be programmer quickly typed some commands into the keyboard. This brought up Yumi's ID Card, a virtual map of the Desert Sector, and its activated Tower. Red icons also indicated the presence of X.A.N.A.'s monsters, along with both Goku and Aelita."Transfer, Yumi." Jeremie announced. A 3D model of Yumi's Lyoko avatar was displayed in green on the central monitor."Scanner, Yumi." A red line highlighted Yumi's entire body as it slowly spun around. The model changed into a slightly lighter green as well."Virtualization!"
Lyoko, Desert Sector
Some distance away from the activated Tower, Yumi consciousness was successfully transported into Lyoko. Her digital avatar resembled that of a Japanese Geisha with long, black boots that were wrapped around by bandages. She wore red pants, a red-black dress with white floral patterns, and a yellow, tightly bound slash held together by strings. Along with having white sleeves, Yumi's was a bit paler with pink flush and red lipstick. Her hair was also tied into a short bun on the top with a red band.She stood up straight and looked around the area. Almost immediately, Yumi managed to spot Aelita hiding behind some rocks."Well, that was fast…" Yumi muttered in relief. "I found Aelita, Jeremie.""Good. I believe Goku is dealing with two Megatanks right now, so stay close to her."
Jeremie replied from the real world.Yumi's eyes widened. "Two Megatanks?! Are you sure he doesn't need help? Dealing with one is already tough as is."Suddenly, Yumi heard the explosion of a destroyed Megatank. It appeared that they weren't nearly as tough as she thought."Does that answer your question?"
Jeremie said in amusement."Yeah. Guess I shouldn't be surprised." She nodded. This was a World Martial Arts Tournament finalist they were talking about, after all. Even X.A.N.A.'s monsters were child's play for a person that strong.Yumi then caught up with Aelita. She attempted to tap Aelita on the shoulder to get her attention."Hey, Princess. Long time no—""Kaaaa…Meee…"The Japanese girl was silenced by Goku's recognizable chant. She didn't even think such a move could be possible in Lyoko, but apparently, it was."Haaa…Meee…"Yumi was forced to shield her eyes once a blue ball of ki materialized within Goku's hands. Regardless, she was still able to spot traces of the Megatank charging up its laser."HAAAAAAAAAA!"Goku's Kamehameha and the Megatank's blast powerfully clashed together. Although they remained stuck in place at first, the sheer power of the Kamehameha Wave proved too much for X.A.N.A.'s remaining monster. It completely obliterated the red blast and engulfed the Megatank in blue, fiery energy. Shattering its Eye of X.A.N.A. into a million pieces, the tank was completely incinerated upon impact. There wasn't even an explosion to speak of; just nothing.With no more monsters in sight, Goku finally relaxed his hands and took a deep breath. He looked satisfied, yet disappointed at the same time."Man, I was hoping it'd last longer than that." Goku muttered. He then shrugged his shoulders and beamed. "Ah well! At least I can use the Kamehameha here. That should make things a bit easier, I think."Aelita was stunned speechless by the appearance of Goku's signature technique. She would have remained completely still if Yumi hadn't tapped her on the shoulder."The Kamehameha Wave's pretty impressive, isn't it?" Yumi asked.Aelita turned her body around in surprise. "Are you familiar with that…that blast, Yumi?""I wouldn't say familiar, but I've heard of it. It's basically a beam of compressed energy invented by the Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi. Only the strongest martial arts are able to perform it successfully."Goku walked up to the two, nodding enthusiastically. "Yep! That's pretty much all there is to know about it…erm…""Yumi Ishiyama. Nice to meet you. My dad was pretty a big fan of yours at the last World Martial Arts Tournament." Yumi bowed with a smile on her face."Huh, really? I didn't think I was that popular. Hehe." Goku sniggered. He honestly forgot there was an audience for some of his fights in general."Not to interrupt your conversation, guys, but I think it'd be best if Aelita activated the Tower right away."
Jeremie advised."Oh right. Are there any more monsters we need to deal with, Jeremie?""I don't believe so.
From what I can tell, it seems that Goku's managed to defeat the last few. The only one remaining is the Spectre possessing Jim back here.""Spectre? What's that supposed to be?" Goku wondered."They're computer programs that sneak their way into the real world. X.A.N.A. uses them to possess innocent people, including, in this case, our school's gym teacher, Jim." Yumi replied."Hmph. This X.A.N.A. jerk really doesn't seem to like fighting his own battles." Goku glowered in disgust."Well, it's whole lot more complicated than that, but good point. X.A.N.A. will do anything to get what he wants, no matter how cowardly or cruel."
Jeremie coldly affirmed.
"Our other two friends, Odd and Ulrich, are fending him off right now, so we need to hurry.""Ohh! So that's why Yumi's the only one here." Goku said, curious to know what type of people Ulrich and Odd were. He hoped they were pretty strong in Lyoko, at least."Yeah…and they could be in serious danger." Yumi exclaimed in worry.Aelita furrowed her eyebrows and glared at the activated Tower."Then there's no time to lose. I'll go on ahead, Jeremie!" She stated determinedly. The elven girl then ran to the tower as fast as she possibly could."Odd, Ulrich…Please hang in there."
Aelita thought.
Back in the Factory
"Ahhhhh!"Odd was haphazardly flung off of the rope by Jim. He roughly landed flat on his back, causing a jolt of pain to surge through Odd's spinal cord."Heh. T-That's one way to cure back pain…" He weakly laughed. The blonde-haired boy then saw Jim sliding down the rope, and preparing to land feetfirst onto his head."Yikes!"Odd rolled to the side at the last second. Jim smashed his feet into the factory's floor, causing large chunks of pavement to fly about in different directions.Jim glared down at Odd. He then took notice of the factory's elevator and grinned from ear-to-ear, already plotting to take out the brains behind this little operation. Odd took note of this plan right away."If you think anything's gonna happen to Einstein on my watch, then you've got another thing coming, jerk!" Odd shouted.An enraged Jim clenched his fists, preparing to smash both of them down onto Odd. "Die!""Hraaah!"Suddenly, Ulrich swung down from one of the ropes and kicked Jim right in the stomach. This sent him flying away from Odd, bouncing off the floor with a firm, hard
snap.Ulrich, still injured from Jim's prior attack, limped closer to Odd, so he could give him a hand. Odd accepted this gesture wholeheartedly, and stood up straight."Thanks, man. I owe you one." He gratefully stated."Don't thank me yet. The big guy's coming back for more." Ulrich grimaced. He pointed to Jim, who was currently getting back up without so much as a scratch on him."W-Who…knew Jim could be this tough?" Odd asked."X.A.N.A. monster or not, Jim is stronger than he looks. Keep in mind that he's the one who taught me and Yumi the martial art, Pencak Silat, back at Kadic." Ulrich informed.Odd slumped his shoulders. "Yeah, I remember. It's just really hard to believe."To their chagrin, Jim cracked his neck and knuckles with a malicious grin. A shadowy aura surrounded his body as he dashed at the two kids. He punched Odd square in the cheek and, as if he were holding a grudge, elbowed Ulrich directly in the stomach.Jim's enhanced strength made their pain even more indescribable than usual. All they could do was lie on the ground, and desperately pray that Aelita deactivated the Tower in time."T-This isn't the right time to make a nose job joke, huh?" Odd joked as he held a hand over his broken, bloodied nose."There's a
never
right time for that. Now, get back up, Odd! We can't quit now!" Ulrich seethed. He shakily got onto his feet, but was unable to endure the damage done to his internal organs.To make matters worse, Jim, the Eye of X.A.N.A. still flickering in his two pupils, grabbed ahold of their throats and held them up skyward. He tightly squeezed them, causing Odd and Ulrich to be deprived of fresh air for seconds on end."Gah…Can't breathe…" Odd choked out. Ulrich tried to break free, but the Spectre possessing Jim was simply far too strong."Hehehehe!" Jim laughed. Odd and Ulrich's faces were starting to turn a dark purple from extreme suffocation."Aelita…Jeremie…please…hurry…" Ulrich whispered. Time was running out and their heartbeats were becoming progressively fainter by the second, especially Odd's.
Lyoko, Desert Sector
Aelita ran to the tower and entered it. When inside, each step she took on the platform caused a section of Lyoko's symbol to glow white. She stopped on the central dot, causing her to float upward to the tower's other platform. This one was much smaller, yet still had the same basic appearance.Once this platform glowed white, a digital interface appeared in front of Aelita. She pressed her hand on it, causing her name,
AELITA, to be typed out in capital letters. Afterwards, the command,
CODE LYOKO, was entered and officially, for a lack of a better term, activated."Tower Deactivated…" Aelita whispered. Closing her eyes, she stood in place as the blue files and bits of code surrounding the tower's walls descended below. They completely dispersed until everything underneath Aelita was pitch black.Outside, Goku and Yumi saw the tower's aura change from bright red to white. This deactivation caused Goku to remember something Jeremie mentioned before."So, Jeremie. What exactly
is
the other thing that happens after Aelita deactivates a tower?" He asked curiously."Glad you asked, Goku. Allow me to demonstrate."
Jeremie responded cryptically.
"Return to the Past, now!"Goku tilted his head to the side and said, "Return to what now?"Before he could even get an answer to that question, a massive dome of white enveloped Lyoko and rewound time to about thirty to forty minutes prior.
The Factory
Inching closer to death, Odd and Ulrich were still being choked out by Jim. His grip was so strong that their oxygen supply was essentially null and void. Even Ulrich no longer had the energy to fight for his life anymore."I-I'm…sorry, Odd…I…tried…" Ulrich gurgled. Drool was starting to trickle out of his open mouth."We…both…did…don't blame yourself, dude…" Odd weakly murmured. His eyes almost rolled into the back of his head from sheer exhaustion and pain.Their arms hung limp, no longer having any strength left to carry on. Rather than dark purple, their skin was now a deathly pale that would rival even the oldest of ghosts. They, at this point, were one step away from suffocating."BAHAHAHAHA!" Jim guffawed maniacally.His laughing fit hen abruptly stopped. Due to Aelita's deactivation of the tower, his arms began to shake as the Spectre was forcibly ripped out of Jim's body."Noooooo!" It screamed. Black smoke oozed out of each pore before it completely vanished without a trace. Jim, no longer possessed, let go of Odd and Ulrich's throats, and then instantly fell unconscious from fatigue.The boys were dropped onto the floor, wheezing and coughing in order to catch their breaths. They were far too exhausted to even try standing up."G-Good timing…Princess…" Odd chuckled in relief. He and Ulrich then saw the dome of white light engulf everything in sight and closed their eyes in contentment. The last thing they heard was the sound of a VHS being rewound before everything went blank.
Jeremie's Room, Kadic Academy, Age 750 (2003)
"Temporal what?!"Goku was incredibly confused on a number of levels. For one, he found himself back in the tower Aelita and him just left, yet still remembered fighting Megatanks near the other one. And with Yumi gone, it was as if the past thirty minutes or so didn't even happen. All Goku could do was blankly stare at Jeremie through his computer screen, and try to understand his explanation."Temporal Reversion. In order to reverse any damage X.A.N.A. causes in the real world, the supercomputer is able to reverse time or, as I usually say, 'Return to the Past'. This wipes everyone's memories of X.A.N.A. and his attacks except for us." Jeremie explained in detail. "That's why you're able to remember destroying those two Megatanks despite it technically never happening."As expected, Goku looked even more lost. "Going back in time? But how is some big computer able to do that?""That's something even we're not sure about, Goku. The reason I'm even in Lyoko is a mystery as well." Aelita chimed in."She's right. We've been battling X.A.N.A. for almost a year, and we still haven't discovered who created the supercomputer, Lyoko, and why." Jeremie grimaced in frustration. He adjusted his glasses and looked at Goku. "And with the fourth Scanner you were virtualized through, there's yet another mystery for us to solve, I suppose.""Geez. I didn't know you guys were dealing with this stuff for that long. That's gotta be pretty tough sometimes.""It is, but we've managed to ward off X.A.N.A. so far. Though, the Return to the Past feature has saved us from death multiple times over, so it's kind of a miracle that we have it." Jeremie pointed out."Death?""Yes. As Jeremie said before, X.A.N.A. will do anything to stop us from interfering with his plans. He's taken over satellites, alien costumes, buses, trains, and even innocent people; all of which he has used to prevent Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi from entering Lyoko." Aelita revealed in dismay.Goku frowned and tightly balled his fists. "Then he's a bigger monster than I thought. Just like those Red Ribbon Army guys…"Jeremie quirked a brow. He really needed to do some research on this Red Ribbon Army organization. Judging from Goku's body language and their supposed acquisition of a Scanner, there was definitely something suspicious about them. Maybe Odd was right about them being involved in the supercomputer's creation, after all. Although, with Odd, it was pretty hard to tell.Aelita walked up to Goku and rested a delicate hand on his shoulder."X.A.N.A. may be dangerous, Goku, but it's alright now! We've managed to successfully deactivate the tower thanks to you. I'm grateful for that." She warmly proclaimed.Goku smiled back with a toothy grin. "No problem! I'm just glad I was able to use the Kamehameha on those two Megatank things!""And I'm glad I saw it. It was truly incredible to witness up-close." Aelita said."I have to agree. That Kamehameha was probably one of the most powerful attacks I've seen on Lyoko." Jeremie begrudgingly admitted. "I guess I was wrong to assume these "ki blasts" were all special effects and light shows.""Well, if you saw a tournament match in person, you wouldn't think that at all, I'm sure." Goku blankly stated the obvious. Jeremie deadpanned while Aelita struggled not to laugh."I'll take your word for it, Goku…" The bespectacled boy sighed. "Anyway, you two should stay in the tower. I'll bring my laptop over to class, so I can introduce you to Odd and Ulrich.""Alright. Sounds good." Goku replied.Jeremie then left the room and made his way back to Kadic Academy's front yard. Class hadn't started yet due to the Return to the Past feature's effects, so he still had some time to spare.
Outside of Kadic Academy
Jeremie quickly met up with Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi at the bench they were seated at before. Odd, despite being back to normal, could still recall the pain he felt from his fight against Jim."You know, Jim should really consider becoming a chiropractor or something. He did wonders for my back." Odd joked sarcastically.Ulrich snorted. "Very funny, Odd. You should be relieved that he didn't choke us to death in time.""Can't argue with you there. That would
not
be a good way to go out at all.""Knock it off, you two. I'm trying to bring up Goku and Aelita onscreen." Jeremie remarked. He rigorously typed on his keyboard until the communicator with Goku and Aelita's faces on it was booted up."Morning, everyone!" Aelita greeted."The name's Goku! What's up, guys?" Goku nonchalantly waved.Everyone waved back at Goku. Odd then slightly nudged Ulrich in the side."And here I thought I was the one with bad hair…" He whispered. "Pleasure to meet you, Goku. I'm Odd Della Robbia, or Odd for short, but you probably knew that already.""Do you have two last names or something?" Goku wondered."Nah, it's just one. Pretty long, though, isn't it?""Yeah. My last name's Son, so I'm not used to big ones like that." Goku honestly admitted. "Heck, most of my friends don't even have one at all.""Son Goku? Hmm. Something about that sounds very familiar…" Odd mused. He focused his attention on Goku's monkey tail, but ultimately brushed it off. "Ah well. It has a pretty nice ring to it.""Thanks! Yours does too…I think.""I'll take that as a compliment, man." Odd smirked.Goku then turned his head to look at Ulrich. He was trying to act cool and aloof as usual."Ulrich Stern. I'm kind of a martial artist myself.""Wait, really?! What type?" Goku asked in surprise."It's a system of martial arts from Indonesia called Pencak Silat. It focuses on forging the body into a weapon for offensive and defensive purposes." Ulrich described the style of martial arts he learned from Jim. "I'm still a little rusty, but me and Yumi have both practiced it fairly often outside of school.""Not sure what an Indonesia is, but cool! I'll have to spar with you two on Lyoko someday and see how it stacks up against the Turtle Style." Goku expressed determinedly.Glossing over his supposed unfamiliarity with Indonesia, Ulrich grew a bit nervous about fighting Goku."S-Sparring? I don't know if that'd be such a—""Sounds like fun, Goku! We'll take you on anytime; whenever X.A.N.A. isn't attacking, that is." Yumi interjected with an enthusiastic grin. She then winked at Ulrich, much to his embarrassment."I mean…sure. You did defeat three Krabs and two Megatanks at the same time, so fighting you could be cool, I guess." Ulrich muttered while scratching the back of his head."Good to hear! I've seen Yumi's, but what do you guys look like in Lyoko?" Goku asked in growing intrigue."I'm basically a samurai with a sword and all that. But I wouldn't want to spoil my other powers." Ulrich explained."My avatar's a cat person for the most part. I even have a tail just like yours." Odd said.Curious by that fact, Goku looked down at his own tail as it wriggled around. He wondered if Odd's tail behaved in a similar manner."Ah, I see. I actually have this tail in the real world too." He stated matter-of-factly.Even though Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita already knew this, Jeremie was still befuddled by this piece of information."S-Say what?" He gulped."Oh yeah. I'm definitely going to like this guy. Haha." Odd chuckled in amusement. Anyone who could make Einstein speechless was alright from his perspective."Goku explained it to me, Jeremie. Apparently, he's had it since the day he was born." Aelita informed. "He also gets dizzy and tired whenever somebody grabs onto it.""Well, I used to, but it got torn off about a month ago. Now, I'm not sure when it will grow back." Goku added.Jeremie shook his head in disbelief. "Considering all the magical hoopla that happens in this world, I can't say I'm surprised. Let's just hope it doesn't grow back once you're materialized back into the real world."Heh. You said 'hoopla'." Odd giggled. Jeremie glared at him before turning toward Goku once more."But before that, I'd like to officially welcome you to the Lyoko Warriors, Goku. We'll try to help you as much as possible." Jeremie agreed to enlist Goku as a member of their team. The others seemed to approve of this decision, even the previously skeptical Yumi."Thanks, everyone. I'm excited to fight alongside all of you!" Goku chirped."Likewise, Goku. I'm sure fighting X.A.N.A. will be a lot easier with you around." Aelita kindly said."I'll say. We have a guy who can shoot friggin' lasers out of his hands! X.A.N.A.'s got nothing on that!" Odd shouted."Don't be so sure, Odd. As we speak, I can already tell X.A.N.A. is plotting something to deal with Goku. He's not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice." Jeremie advised cautiously."Yeah, yeah. I get the picture." Odd grumbled."Anyway, with those introductions out of the way, I'd recommend that you show Goku some of the other sectors, Aelita. He needs to get more familiar with Lyoko's entire landscape, especially once X.A.N.A. sends in more of his monsters.""Understood, Jeremie. We'll head over to another sector as soon as we can." Aelita nodded her head."Thank you, Aelita. Make sure Goku's around to protect—""Playing one of your stupid video games again,
loser?"Hearing the obnoxious voice of Elizabeth "Sissi" Delmas, Jeremie abruptly shut his laptop. She was a 13-year-old girl with pale skin, long black hair, and black eyes. She wore a pink shirt with a yellow heart in the center, a maroon skirt, and a yellow headband that was tucked underneath her hair. She had a pair yellow, hoop earrings as well.Standing behind Sissi were her two lackeys, Herb Pichon and Nicholas Poliakoff. Herb was a scrawny, bespectacled boy with a black combover and a green sweater. His face was covered with small bits of acne, but they were difficult to notice at first glance. Nicholas was a taller kid with disheveled orange hair and a blue T-shirt that sported a number 8 in the middle. He looked bored, almost as if he didn't want to be there."I was wondering why it was unusually quiet around here." Odd quipped."Shut up, Odd! I am the principal's daughter, remember?! Hmph!" Sissi snarled. She then cleared her throat and kindly smiled at Ulrich. This little act annoyed Yumi for a number of reasons."Now, Ulrich, dear. Could you please tell me what you were talking about? I really want to know." Sissi asked in a sickly-sweet tone."Right. As if I'd tell you, Sissi. Just butt out and leave us alone." Ulrich grunted. Herb stepped up from the back in anger."Ergh! Say that again, Stern! I dare you!" He snapped."Or what, Herb? Are you and Nicholas going to prank me? Odd already has you beat at that." Ulrich laughed mockingly"It's true. The man doesn't lie." Odd chimed in. Herb's face turned beet red from frustration alone."Cocky jerk! One of these days…I'll…I'll…"He started gasping for breath, somehow letting his anger get the better of him. Nicholas caught him before he could hit the ground."Easy, Herb. Settle down a bit." He advised.Disgusted by the pathetic nature of her two "friends", Sissi placed both hands on her hips and glared daggers at the group."Look, I don't know what your little club is doing that's so secretive,
dear. But mark my words, I
will
find out about it! And there's nothing you losers can do to stop me!" Sissi hissed in a threatening tone."They might not be able to, but the bell can."An irritated Sissi spun around to see a girl around Yumi's age. She had brilliant sapphire eyes and long, jet black hair that was tied down into a ponytail using gold hairclips. Her name was Miguel Garcia, The Kadic News' leading reporter and founder.She darted her eyes from Sissi to Jeremie's group. "Don't all of you have a class to get to?""No one asked you,
Ms. Reporter. Don't
you
have two little rugrats to babysit?" Sissi maliciously spat."Milly and Tamiya are probably in their class right now, which is what you should be doing,
Elizabeth, instead of sticking your nose in other people's business." Miguel coldly proclaimed. Hating the sound of her real name, Sissi upturned her nose."Tsk. Come on, guys! They aren't worth of our time!"She then defiantly walked out with Nicholas and Herb closely following behind her."The feeling's mutual…" Jeremie snorted under his breath. He was a bit miffed that their conversation with Goku and Aelita had to be cut short like that. Then again, there wasn't much left to say until another tower was activated."Thanks for the help, Miguel. That girl really doesn't know when to quit." Yumi exclaimed."Eh, it's no problem. Consider it thanks for that time Ulrich took Milly to the dance. That was really nice of you." Miguel replied with a smile."Hey, the look on Sissi's face was worth it and then some." Ulrich shrugged his shoulders."Agreed. However…" Miguel closed her eyes, raising up a finger in front of the four kids."I'm also suspicious of what you're up to. I've seen Yumi leave class multiple times in one week. That doesn't seem like a simple bathroom break to me." She admitted. The 9th grader then crossed her arms, frowning."So, while I won't be intruding on your conversations or anything, I
will
be getting to the bottom of all this, eventually. As a future journalist, I can promise you that much."Miguel then brushed her ponytail back and walked away without another word. Each step she took was delivered with the utmost poise and confidence."Great. Just when I thought our situation with X.A.N.A. couldn't get any more complicated, this happens." Jeremie rubbed his aching forehead."I know. Miguel really seems like she means business this time." Yumi said."I could get lost in those scary blue eyes of hers. Hmhm." Odd swooned. On top of being the self-appointed class clown, he could be a notorious womanizer as well."You say that about every girl at school, Odd." Ulrich remarked."Not
every
girl. Sissi still exists, obviously.""True, but even you hit on her when we first met." Ulrich reminded his friend. Odd stuck out his tongue and comically gagged."Gross! I remember no such thing, and I refuse to admit that I did." He stated."Whatever makes you happy." Ulrich sniggered. "Though, I guess you can't be too happy with Mrs. Hertz' test coming up and all."Odd froze. With all that happened in their fight against Jim and meeting Goku, he completely forgot about that dreaded science class. And it was about to start in a few minutes!"Aw crap…"Odd slumped his shoulders and marched onto class in immense displeasure. Jeremie and Ulrich followed while Yumi quickly headed off to her own classroom.
*I hope you guys enjoyed Chapter 3. Like I said, it was a bit longer than the previous two, but still somewhat short. I'll try to make future chapters much longer, especially once more Dragon Ball characters start to show up. With that being said, I did manage to incorporate Videl's mom, Miguel, into the story. I'm sure her inclusion came as a surprise to some of you, but she'll be a major supporting character at Kadic Academy for this crossover. As a reporter, Miguel will basically share a similar role to Videl during Gohan's time at Orange High School in the Buu Saga. Meaning, she'll eventually have a close connection to Goku once he eventually regains his physical body in the real world. It'll be an interesting dynamic between them, I think.
I also managed to include the debut of Sissi, Herb, and Nicholas. They'll mainly act the same way they did in the original series, but overtime, Sissi will receive some significant character development and become a nicer person. It'll be explored in later chapters, so I won't spoil what happens until then.
Odd and Ulrich's fight with the possessed Jim was also a bit on the short side, but I mainly wanted to show how life-threatening these encounters with X.A.N.A. can truly be. There will be new X.A.N.A. that differ from the original episodes, so hopefully, I'll manage to write those well enough. After all, I'm trying to balance the dark and lighthearted elements of this crossover as best as I can.