Another chapter? So soon? How can this be?! Nevertheless, in this chapter, Sylvia discusses the finer notes of relationships and seduction with someone not well-equipped for the discussion… but she's very eager to learn more.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Sadly the freshmen are away at the moment, but we'll have to see their reactions later.

KedharS: They're a lot less bureaucratically obstructive, too.

Aakareo Kokokuhikari: Sylvia's gameplan might not be to seduce Akira herself. There might be someone more qualified for that within Phantom's organization, someone very… obedient to commands.

Hellraiserphoenix: Between you and me, I think Sylvia's probably counting on that.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 155

Sylvia returned to her room to see Misato standing in the center, staring straight at her. The dark room was lit by a low blacklight, casting them in an eerie glow while still maintaining just enough natural lighting through the partially drawn black curtains to see one another. The atmosphere of Sylvia's room was designed to be gothic and almost supernatural, and an artificial girl standing in the center like a statue was really throwing off the vibe.

"…Hi, honey. I'm home." Syvlia smirked.

"Report," Misato replied in her usual cold tone.

"Oh, you're so boring, Misato!" Sylvia sighed, skipping past her and flopping down onto the black sheets of her bed. Specter floated up in front of her face, and Sylvia ignored Misato to reach up and stroke the side of her head. "'Report'… you're so… does being a robot mean you can't have a sense of humor?"

"Are you unaware of the importance of your position?" Misato inquired, turning to Sylvia. "Your assignment was to join the Eight Leaders by removing Mirar Christian from his position, and then use the influence that comes with that position to seize control of the Pokemon Newspaper Club in the name of the Phantom."

"I am well aware of my 'assignment'," Sylvia replied, glancing at Misato. "Are you aware of the fact that you're such a frightful bore?"

Misato did not reply. Sylvia rolled her eyes, sitting up in the bed and looking dead-on at Misato.

"You've been a lot more uptight, recently," Sylvia purred, stepping out of bed and strolling over to Misato, rubbing her hand alongside the mechadoll's synthetic cheek almost seductively. "So much less… lively than usual. Which would be normal, of course… but you've seemed to be almost… irritable, with your stoicness."

"I am not aware of any changes to my demeanor that match the specifications that you outline," Misato replied. Sylvia chuckled, pacing around the artificial human, eyeing her from all sides.

"That almost sounded like snapping," Sylvia replied. "You were like this yesterday, too… strange, I wonder what has changed…"

A sly smirk crossed her lips, and she stood face to face with Misato.

"In fact, you've been in a bad mood ever since the freshmen left for their field trip," Sylvia informed her. "I wonder… no, no, it isn't possible… is it?"

"I cannot answer that question. You have not postulated a theory for me to assess the probability of," Misato replied.

"I knew you were going to say that," Sylvia grinned, waggling her finger. "…Well, okay, no, I didn't, because I'm not much of a scientist. But I knew you were going to say something long and wordy, and without any contractions. Now, would you like me to… as you so ineloquently put it, 'postulate my theory' for you?"

"If you wish for my input on your theory then I will provide it," Misato agreed. Sylvia smiled. She stepped back and sat back down on her bed, continuing to stare at Misato.

"I think the reason you've been so… upset recently isn't just because the freshmen left. No, it's because a certain freshman in particular is gone, isn't it?" Sylvia smiled, her eyes twinkling as she searched Misato's face for any giveaways. Of course, there were not any. Her face was as imperceptible as always. "You miss Will… don't you?"

"Negative. The presence or absence of an individual would have no effect on my functions," Misato replied.

Sylvia didn't buy it, and continued on with her theorizing.

"I wonder… Will isn't a very social person, but I must say, he does have his… appeals," Sylvia purred. "I could imagine him falling for a lovely young lady… and it's entirely possible that she might reciprocate. What are your thoughts on that?"

"It is certainly possible," Misato replied. "If Will were to enter into a romantic relationship with another student, then that would be beneficial to my study of human romantic relationships. I could observe their interactions directly."

Sylvia blinked, narrowing her eyes. If Misato thought something beyond what she was saying, Sylvia certainly couldn't see it in her face. But there was no harm in digging a little deeper.

"You really think that, don't you?" Sylvia said, smiling. "You really don't have any feelings for Will at all, do you?"

"I take enjoyment from his company," Misato replied. "His intellect is not comparable to mine, but I still find conversation with him to be stimulating."

Now that was a choice of words that made Sylvia smiled.

"…Stimulating, you say," Sylvia cackled. "How 'stimulating' if I may ask?"

"In my observations and interactions with Will, the arguments he made provided me with new sources of evidence that gave me cause to reevaluate my past perceptions. I found that there was significance in such conversations to stimulate my ability to provide a more objective assessment of value in a number of fields."

Sylvia frowned.

"That doesn't sound very stimulating."

"You are mistaken. Stimulation can occur in a variety of forms. For example-"

"Yes, forms of stimulation, now we're getting somewhere," Sylvia smirked. "Why not explore that a little more. Do you find Will stimulating in any… other ways?"

"I do not understand your question," Misato replied. "If you like I can list off the ways in which he stimulates me-"

"No, no, no need for that, dirty girl," Sylvia ruefully smirked, waving her hand. "How about… physical stimulation? Does he stimulate you… physically?"

"Affirmative," Misato said. "As with all physical things, my touch receptors receive stimulation whenever I come into contact with him."

"…Your 'touch receptors' huh? That it?"

"Affirmative. My systems have no other methods of perceiving physical stimuli."

"So when you see Will, you don't feel… I don't know, flush in the face? Or your heart beating just a little faster in your chest? Maybe something a little… intense?"

"Negative. The responses you indicate are biological functions resulting from a cardiovascular system. My systems can approximate such responses as necessary but no stimulus is required to evoke them."

"…I see… I see…" Sylvia said, nodding, glancing at Misato's face. Still a stoic mask. But Sylvia was having fun regardless. The meeting had been rather interesting, but as far as enjoyment was concerned… Sylvia hoped Misato would give her just a little bit more fun.

"I wonder… do you think that Will might have feelings for you?" Sylvia asked.

"Affirmative. I am certain that Will feels several things for me," Misato replied. Sylvia shook her head, she wasn't getting it.

"No, not just any ordinary feelings. I mean… romantic feelings. You do know what romance is, right? You are studying human romantic relationships, after all."

"Affirmative. The number of books I have read in which romantic relationships are a topic of importance are-"

Sylvia stopped her, holding her hand up.

"You just dodged the question."

"Negative."

"Then I'll ask it again, more clearly. Do you think that Will Harmond has romantic feelings for you?"

"I cannot answer that question to any degree of certainty," Misato replied, after taking pause of less than a second to process the evidence suggesting Will's mental state. "I do not have evidence of Will Harmond's perception of me to formulate a statistically accurate answer to that question."

"You really suck at girl talk. Tell me, what would you like? Do you want him to like you?" Sylvia asked.

"I do not have a position on Will's feelings towards me in any capacity," Misato answered her. "However, Will has expressed a relief at my absence from his life, and from that I can deduce his perception of me is negative. Therefore the probability that Will has romantic interest in me is statistically insignificant."

"…And how does that make you feel?" Sylvia asked, narrowing her eyes.

"As I stated, I do not have a position on Will's feelings towards me in any capacity," Misato replied.

Sylvia could smell the lie. No way that was the case. She could sense it. She couldn't see it, Misato didn't give anything away… but her instincts told her she was on the right track. And that certainly put a smile on her face.

"Good, I just wanted to confirm that with you," Sylvia said. "I wanted to make sure that our little robot girl didn't have any 'special' feelings for Will. Just wanted to make sure you weren't romantically interested in him."

"If that is your goal, then I do not understand the purpose of your questions. In what way was my initial response unsatisfactory?"

"…I didn't believe you, that's why your 'initial response was unsatisfactory'."

"Understood. In what way should I respond in the future that you will find satisfactory?" Misato inquired.

Sylvia rolled her eyes. For a robot, she was doing a magnificent job of avoiding the point.

"Never mind that. The reason I was being considerate of you, Misato, is in case you had 'dibs' on him. But it seems like I can rest easily." Sylvia smirked, her eyes twinkling with delight. "I'm intending to ask Will out on a date when he gets back."

Misato didn't have a response to that, so Sylvia took things a step further.

"See, Will's quite the heartbreaker," Sylvia smirked. "I think I may have fallen for him."

"Fascinating," Misato replied. "This is helpful information. I would like to inquire what about Will you decided was desirable to choose him as a potential partner."

Was that a hint of… curiosity? Jealousy, perhaps? Whatever it was, Sylvia intended to milk it for all it was worth. Maybe she could actually get a real reaction out of the girl.

"Oh, so many things," Sylvia replied, stretching out on her bed like she didn't have a care in the world. "For one, he's quite tall. I do like tall men. And his looks aren't bad, either… plus, as you said, his intellect might not be comparable to yours, but he is still certainly smart enough. Plus… long hair on a boy… it's something I find quite appealing."

"Understood," Misato said, nodding.

"Any thoughts on it, then? You don't mind, right?" Sylvia asked. "I plan to make my move when he comes back, if that's fine with you."

Sylvia stared inquisitively at Misato for any traces of discomfort.

"…Anything to say about that, Misato?"

"From my reading, I believe that the correct response in this situation would be for me to say 'back off, bitch'," Misato replied in a tone of voice that was completely devoid of emotion.

Sylvia's eyes opened wide and she smiled ear to ear.

"Is that anger? Are you feeling possessive of him?" Sylvia cackled.

"Negative. There is no emotional basis in my response. I searched my records for a response that would appropriately convey my position on the topic, and that was the closest contemporary equivalent."

"Right, right," Sylvia said, nodding, not believing Misato for an instant. "So you don't want me to put the moves on him?"

"Affirmative. I believe that any romantic interests you have for Will are not taken with any significant degree of seriousness," Misato explained. "I would intervene with your attempt to seduce Will in order to prevent him from sustaining emotional distress from the statistically significant likelihood of you 'playing around' with his feelings."

"…Yeah, that's gotta be it," Sylvia said, smiling a knowing smile while nodding her head. "Why don't you ask him out yourself then? To protect him from anyone 'playing around with his feelings' as you so humanly put it?"

"Negative. I have no interest or capability of engaging with Will in any romantic capacity," Misato replied.

"I've always wondered about that," Sylvia said, jumping off her bed and walking up to Misato again, getting in close to the mechadoll. She reached her hand out and pressed up against Misato's groin. "Completely smooth… how odd. If you really are a fully functional artificial human, I wonder why you weren't made with a fully functional set of..." She smirked, giving Misato a rub.

"My father saw no need for such a thing," Misato replied. "I do not produce by reproduction, therefore genitalia were not essential."

"No, but if that's the case, then why bother giving you those R2-DDs?" Sylvia cackled at her bad joke, gesturing to Misato's chest. "What 'functional purpose' do those serve for an artificial human, I wonder?"

"Unknown," Misato replied. "My father created me to interface with humans. From the list of available possibilities, the one with the greatest degree of statistical significance is that my father intended for my appearance to be physically appealing in order to be a useful tool for integrating me with human interactions. In my observation, human beings who are physically appealing are treated with a more positive reception."

"…But he didn't think to fix the personality issues?" Sylvia asked.

"Unknown. That is merely a speculation," Misato clarified.

"I see. Well, at any rate, while you may be lacking in certain… reproductive areas," Sylvia continued, strolling around Misato while running her hands over her hips and breasts, "I can't deny your point about physical attractiveness."

Sylvia stopped in front of Misato and raised her hand to frame the girl's cheek, tracing her fingers over Misato's pale lips.

"And I think you're capable of providing pleasure in… other ways, am I correct?"

"Affirmative."

"'Affirmative', how cute," Sylvia said, narrowing her eyes into a sultry grin. "How about… a more throaty 'oh, yes'?"

"For what purpose?" Misato inquired.

"Oh, I was just wondering… if you could use that body that was designed to be 'physically appealing' to seduce a certain someone? There's a certain boy I'm interested in, and I'm just dying to see what he'll do when faced with you… so what do you say?"

"You want me to seduce Will?" Misato asked. Was that eagerness? Oh, my…

"…No, but I love that your mind immediately went to him," Sylvia purred.

"It was a logical extension of the conversation," Misato argued. "To consider Will as the target of-"

"Sure, sure, whatever," Sylvia said, rolling her eyes and turning away from Misato. She shrugged her shoulders and whirled around, smiling. "Not Will. Someone else. Someone who might be a little more… receptive to your advances. Considering what you reported about Will's rejection of your attempts to seduce him, of course. A for effort, dear girl."

"You wish me to seduce someone else," Misato confirmed.

Sylvia nodded, lying back down in her bed. It looked like things were headed for an interesting turn indeed.

"For the good of the mission, of course. To bring a future member of the Eight Leaders… under our sway, as it were. I think that Valon would be very interested in getting Akira Saroyan onto our side."

"Understood."

"Good, then you'll do it," Sylvia smiled.

"Negative."

Sylvia's eyes widened, and she sat up, her mouth curving into an 'O' in disbelief.

"Negative, you said?"

"Affirmative. I will not seduce Akira Saroyan."

"Wait, wait, wait, I don't think you get what I'm saying," Sylvia said, getting out of bed and walking over to Misato, shaking her head. "See, this is for the good of the organization. For the good of the Phantom. Are you saying that you are going to act against his interests? That you aren't going to even attempt to seduce this guy, when doing so is unquestionably something that the Phantom would want you to do?"

"Affirmative."

Sylvia nodded contemplatively, and clapped her hands.

"Well, then I'll just give Valon a call and see what he has to say about it! I'm sure he'll say yes." Sylvia took her shiny black phone out of her purse and held it up, staring daringly at Misato. "And when he does, then will you go seduce Akira for me?"

Misato paused, considering this new suggestion. As Misato mentally calculated… something, Sylvia watched her very closely, holding her finger above the 'call' button as she watched for Misato's answer.

"…Negative, I will not seduce him," Misato finally replied. Sylvia smiled, tossing her phone on the bed.

"Why not?" Sylvia knew the answer. And she knew Misato would justify it with some sort of "weighed the likelihood of success to be statistically insignificant" or "even when ordered I made the assessment that this action would not be in the Phantom's best interests" response. But Sylvia knew. And it brought a smile to her face.

"I do not know," Misato replied. But Sylvia knew. She skipped over to Misato and leaned in, kissing her on the cheek.

"Mwah! That's my girl!" Sylvia cackled. "We'll make a real, feeling human being out of you yet, Misato! Until then, Will will just have to be satisfied with an automated sex-doll!"

She gave Misato a coy wink, and received an empty stare in response. No matter.

"Don't worry. I won't tell Will how you feel about him either," Sylvia giggled. She was right. Teasing Misato like this was the most fun she'd had all day! She couldn't wait to see what her future relationship with Will would bear out into. But it was certain to be entertaining.

Sylvia walked past Misato and stepped up to her mirror, taking a good look at her appearance, and began touching up her makeup.

"You can let yourself out, Misato, or not. I don't really mind either way. I've got some business to attend to."

"Affirmative." Misato walked past her, leaving Sylvia alone with her preparations.

"Since I can't ask a maiden in love to seduce Akira Saroyan, I guess the burden… or pleasure… of that task will have to fall onto me," Sylvia sighed. "It would be so much easier if that Serefina girl with the big boobs was interested in him… but from what I hear, that's just not the case."

Sylvia smiled, her pale skin shimmering in the dark lights of her room. She applied just the right layers to make her smoky black eyes really pop out.

Well, now, time to go pay Mr. Akira a visit, Sylvia pursed her lips, blowing her reflection a kiss, and walked out of her room, Specter floating through the door as she closed it.

Next chapter, Sylvia and Akira face off! Will Akira fall for her feminine wiles?