Prelude For a Storm

It was weird for so many people to be in he factory at. Groups of five or less usually entered the elevator’s doors in order to mount their offence against the evil computer program known as XANA but now there were more, a lot more. The teenagers that had gathered at the meeting place that day knew each other faintly at best. Some were able to recall faces of one another: that girl walking down the hall, that guy they bumped into at lunch a few days ago and other trace memories of fleeting contact. Although they were never formally introduced to one another and although they didn’t even know each other’s names, there was one common thread that was woven through all of their histories.

There were all brothers and sisters in arms and soon they will also be enemies in battle.

At first they celebrated the news of additional reinforcements but once they heard of the upcoming battles that were to take place and the consequences of failure, jubilation soon gave into tension. A few passing attempts of striking up a conversation came from those brave enough to break the unbearable silence but these valiant efforts were lost in the cloud of unease that hung over head.  

The elevator began to rise which startled many in the factory. The release of pent up energy was welcomed with open arms but now with many minds cleared, the hunt for answers became more prevalent.

Calmly, the original five members of Team Lyoko stepped forward and were greeted by a mixture of stunned an angry faces. Seeing the people who were responsible for their deployment and the battle’s conception, reminded the participants of stinging sense of betrayal that lingered in their minds. It was hard to fight back the urge to immediately lash out but out of respect those who wished to say something held their tongues. Out of the group of five, Jeremie spoke first.

“I know that saying that your all shocked about this contest would be an insensitive understatement but believe me when I say that it was a whole lot harder for us then it was for you.”

Cracks in the judgmental ice were being made thanks to the sincerity in the genius’ voice. Now that the opportunity for change had surfaced it was time for him to ride out the momentum.

“Now I know the one question you want answered is why? Why are we going through all this trouble to recruit so many people to fill in the slot for only one team member. Well, it’s all because of this person.”

Everyone was so transfixed on the original five that they completely forgot overlooked that there was another person standing next to them. Wearing mostly red and black, he bore a slight resemblance to that of another student at Kadic who had a similar taste in clothing but the personality he gave off was radically different.

“Jin Ishiyama, at your service.”

The boy finished his little introduction with a graceful bow which stunned many of his on lookers. For one person the sight of his return to he public eye was too much.

“Jin!”

Suddenly he was wrapped in a tight hug by a rather worried young girl with long brown hair.

“Why were you al this time! The others wouldn’t tell me and I was worried sick about you.”

“Geez ease up a bit Chelsea,” he laughed. “It’s not like I didn’t have a good reason.”

Confusion ran rampant among the crowd and that’s when Jeremie dropped bombshell number two for the day.

“Everyone, this is Jin Ishiyama, Yumi’s older twin brother and team member number five.”

“Wait a second!” Came a the voice of a male. He wanted to get something off his chest. The entire concept of the reserve members fighting each other id not sit well with him to begin with and now hearing that there was already a fifth member made him furious.

“Are you telling us that you’ve skipped out on the whole battle royal and just picked this guy simply because he’s Yumi’s brother! Do you get some sort of sick enjoyment yanking us around like this?”

The protestor was quiet distinct from the rest of the competitors. He looked slightly older than everyone else, possessing a steely gaze that could lock onto you like a bear trap. A silent standoff began between the two generating a pressure that was so great that it was near suffocating.

Yet there was someone who was immune to the effects of the this showdown. Calmly he watched the exchange through his red and yellow bangs with more of a passing sense of curiosity.

Jin gave off a faint smile that was more motivated by melancholy than joy.

“My carelessness is the cause of all of you being here.”

Yumi stood by her brother to better explain his words and looked at his accuser with a compassionate look.

“Jacob, Aniki might be the fifth member of our team but he’s currently off our active roster due to injury.”

That injury was obvious to all. Over his left eye was a large gauze bandage secured by tape. Slowly Jin placed his hand over it to further immerse himself with his recollection of that faithful day.

“I was on the team before you were all recruited. The only person here who I’ve met before was Chelsea but that’s a different story. One day XANA decided to induce a massive power outage in the city however for us he wasn’t done. I was home alone at the time and was at my computer. At that moment XANA got into my monitor and caused the screen to explode sending shards of glass which embedded themselves into my left eye. I stumbled out of my room in a panic and in my clumsiness managed to fall down the staircase. Although my broken ribs will heal eventually, according to the doctors, there is a chance my vision might not fully comeback. Seeing how on Lyoko I’m a sharpshooter, that was kiss of death for my career as a warrior.”

The story being told was graphic and further confirmed how dangerous of an entity XANA really was. However as sad this tale was there was one thing left unaccounted for, a fact that Jacob brought up.

“Don’t you guys just rewind time when things get this bad?” His initial feelings of anger had left once he realized what was going on. Although he still disliked how everyone summoned to the factory was going to fight to the death so to speak, at least he was getting some answers

“It was my personal request that Jeremie did not go back to the past. I was the only casualty in the attack and my injuries could easily be explained away as a freak accident.”

“But it wasn’t your fault man. Why are you letting XANA ruin your life?”

Jin closed his healthy eye so he could collect his thoughts.

“Through time my injuries will heal. The same can’t be said for the power boost XANA would get if we returned to the past.”

Chelsea placed her hand over her mouth as to cover her horrified face.

“So the time in which I thought you were missing, that was when you were hospitalized.”

The injured boy nodded his head and shifted his focus to the entire crowd as he finally saw his chance to tell the whole group his real feelings.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is how dangerous XANA can really be. If you are to be my replacement be prepared for similar hardships to happen. You have all been blessed with the ability to choose whether or not to risk your lives to save others. The fact that you’ve all stepped foot into Lyoko multiple times shows that your courage is nothing short of amazing. However, as my replacement you will no longer have this gift. Danger will be brought to you and there will be moments where you will be singled out to feel XANA’s wrath. It’s a given fact that many of you are fighting to keep your memories and your friendships. Although it is good to fight for yourself remember that in the end we’re fighting to keep the world safe, on tower at a time. Remind yourself this fact and look at me as an example of failure, if you still wish to press on with our struggle then I welcome you to prove your worth. In about an hour we will have drawn up the tournament bracket by then if you wish to fight then take the elevator to the main computer room.”

It was a emotional time indeed for the context of the entire battle had changed. No longer were they fighting for an additional slot as they originally thought. Instead the battle that was going to take place was to replace a guardian who had fallen from active duty. In an hour the tournament will begin. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.