Here's the first part of the climax! Sylvia's confrontation with the Newspaper Club! Will she be able to put an end to the lying fake news?!

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Problem is, Mirar needs to store the information somewhere. As smart as he is, he can't remember all of it, he needs to review the footage before his matches. So if he deletes it, it's gone forever. He probably should delete it, but he hasn't gotten around to that yet.

TREBOR.E: Yes.

JoshGamerV: Here it is, the first part of the climax.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 160

"Akira!" Serefina ran into his infirmary room, panting. "Did you see?!"

"…What are you doing?" Serefina asked, calming down and taking a look at what was going on. Akira was seated up in bed, his laptop open in front of him. He was typing with one hand, making a slow going of it.

"See what?" Akira asked, not looking up from his computer.

"That email!" Serefina said. "The one about the Newspaper Club! Didn't you see it?! Sylvia is going to go over to the Newspaper Club, and give it an overview! That must have been what she meant when she was talking about newspapers yesterday!"

"…So?" Akira asked.

"SO?!" Serefina exclaimed. "This is basically a hostile takeover! Mirar isn't a member of the Eight Leaders anymore, which means that the Newspaper Club isn't protected from the influence of the daevas' organizations! With a little pressure on Sylvia's part, they might be forced to ally themselves with the Phantom in order to prevent the club from being disbanded by Sylvia!"

"What I'm hearing is that someone's showing up to finally reign in Dakota and her shenanigans," Akira replied, continuing his typing. "Maybe if someone else is in charge, she won't have time to publish anymore smear pieces on innocent students."

"It's going to turn into a propaganda piece! Don't you care?!"

"It already basically was," Akira replied. "Only this way, it'll have an agenda beyond Dakota's petty grudges."

"I don't believe this…" Serefina said, stunned by Akira's nonchalant behavior. "Do you… really not care? That club… the Newspaper Club is everything to Dakota! It's the only thing she has left after you… after she… you know! It… it's her one place on this campus she belongs! Can't you… can't you see how much pain she'd be in if something happened to it?!"

"Serefina…" Akira politely waited for Serefina to finish shouting before he responded to her. "What do you suggest I do?"

Serefina understood where he was coming from, but even still-!

"I have to finish writing this," Akira replied to her, not looking up from his computer. "If I don't get this done now… there's a very important deadline I have to meet. Do you mind?"

Serefina bit her lip in frustration, but ultimately she couldn't find the words to reproach him. All she could do was hope that everything would go okay.

Please, Dakota… I know that things are going roughly for you right now… but you have to stay strong. If you lost something this important… then I'd lose something important, too.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Dakota exclaimed, confronting Sylvia directly. "How dare you barge in here and start making demands like you own the place?!"

"I basically do," Sylvia haughtily replied, a wide smirk on her face. She stood in the center of the Newspaper Clubroom, her eyes twinkling energetically as her Shuppet, Specter, mimicked her oppressive and malicious expression. As opposed to the vibrant and passionate atmosphere the black-clad girl was bathed in, the woman accompanying her was hollow and lifeless, staring with dim, empty eyes at the clubroom as though she were analyzing it from every angle.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dakota demanded.

"It means what it means," Sylvia answered cryptically. "This club was overseen by Mirar Christian over there, and while he was a member of the Eight Leaders, he could ensure that everything was operating as per the standards of the school. But now that he's lost that title and the privileges that come with it, the responsibility for ensuring this club's smooth adherence to the rules now falls to me. You can even consider me the new club president, if that would make you more comfortable with the new state of things, what do you say?"

"Well, it's not that simple," a voice spoke up from behind. Sylvia turned and looked over her shoulder to see Rafe standing in the doorway. His long, blonde hair fell over his face, partially covering the placid smile he wore. She greeted him with a smile in turn.

"Oh? Whatever do you mean?" Sylvia asked.

"Just because you've taken over Mirar's duties as the Second Leader doesn't mean you automatically inherit his extracurricular responsibilities," Rafe explained, walking past her and sitting down in a chair, looking over to the nondescript president still seated at his desk, typing away like none of this was at all bothersome for him. "Mirar is still the president of the Newspaper Club."

"True, true," Sylvia admitted. "But even so, as a member of the Eight Leaders, wouldn't you agree that it is my duty to ensure that the clubs on this campus are meeting the standards and expectations set by this school? I've heard a lot of complaints that certain members of this club have been taking… liberties with their interpretation of the truth, and while Mirar might have made those issues go away when he was in charge… I'm not so understanding."

Dakota gulped, her face turning white as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her forehead. Sylvia's cat-like smile turned towards her, and Dakota took a step back out of reflex.

"…Fair enough," Rafe admitted. "It is well within your rights to inspect the workings of any club that you believe may not be operating within the bounds of the school regulations. So I'm sure you don't mind if I, as another member of the Eight Leaders, oversee your inspection? This is your first official act as one of our members, after all, and I'd hate for your inexperience to cause incidents… outside of the bounds of our responsibility, wouldn't you agree?"

"…Absolutely," Sylvia replied, smiling. "That's why I invited you, after all. To ensure that everything goes smoothly. In fact, having you hear is a big load off of my shoulders!"

As Sylvia directed Rafe with etiquette and charm, in the back of her mind she couldn't resist breaking out into a triumphant smile. Everything was going exactly as she intended. We're almost done. There's only one guest still yet to make his appearance. But for now… things should be going smoothly.

"Now then, Dakota," Sylvia said, turning to face her fully. "I'm glad you're here today. I've heard some very incendiary things about your reputation on campus."

"Wh-what?" Dakota murmured, gulping.

"In fact, the majority of the complaints that have come to my attention about this club have been involving your conduct," Sylvia continued. "From what I hear, you're the number one culprit when it comes to violating the privacy of students and printing spurious rumors with nothing to base them on. Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Is this really how a journalist is supposed to be acting?"

"Th-that's… I…" Dakota hung her head in shame, unable to refute Sylvia's comments about her. She could justify herself all she wanted, but the facts were still the facts. Sylvia sensed blood in the water and stepped closer to Dakota, pressing her in with her piercing gaze.

"In fact, a decent number of those complaints come from a certain Akira Saroyan," Sylvia coolly mentioned, delighting in the look of shock and worry crossing Dakota's face. "It makes me wonder, with the amount of criticism you've been leveling at him in particular, just what sort of relationship do the two of you have? If I didn't read it for myself, I wouldn't believe it would be possible for someone to so thoroughly despise another person they way you seem to."

"I… I don't, I…"

"You don't what? Be specific now," Sylvia said, forcing Dakota even further into a corner. She needed to hear the girl say it if things were going to go the way she wanted them to. Go on. Tell me. Tell me the truth. We both know how you feel. Stop hiding it from me and reveal it all, silly girl!

"I don't… hate him…" Dakota replied. "I didn't, those pieces… they were just…"

"So you're saying that everything written here is the truth, then? With no bias on your part whatsoever?" Sylvia asked, her eyes widening. Her smile took on a look of triumph that made Dakota's blood run cold. She'd fallen right into Sylvia's trap, and now she was going to be forced to hang herself.

"N-no, that's not what I mean!" Dakota exclaimed. "I just… I didn't mean to…"

It had all been too much. The pain of rejecting him, seeing Satsuki hugging him through Sylvia's body, having to give up her feelings for the sake of Akira's happiness… all of that had been weighing on her for the past several nights, and the weight of Sylvia's interrogation made it even worse. There was nowhere left for her to go, nowhere for her to run. Rafe and Mirar weren't saying anything to stop Sylvia's questions. The other members of the Newspaper Club had all decided to keep their mouths shut and not draw Sylvia's ire onto them. No one was coming to save her. There wasn't even anything they could do. She had brought the reputation of her club to ruin with her flagrant abuse of the truth, and until now had been relying on Mirar's protection to shield herself. But now not even he could help her. If the club was going to be destroyed by her own hands… then she might as well come clean about it all. No sense in holding it in any longer.

"I'm sorry…" Dakota sobbed, falling to her knees. "All of it… I just… I don't hate him… Akira… I love him… I couldn't be with him… so I wrote those horrible things… thinking that as long as he paid attention to me… that was better than being forgotten."

Perfect. Dakota had said exactly what Sylvia knew she would under these circumstances, but it was still enjoyable to see. Normally when people moved predictably, it was boring. But Dakota wouldn't be confessing like this if not for Sylvia forcing her down this path, and that made it more exciting than anything else.

"My, my, from her own lips, it seems," Sylvia said, shaking her head. "How pitiful, Mirar. This is what your vice-president does with your precious paper? Use it to draw the attention of the boy she likes, all because she's too afraid to tell him how she feels? For shame. Don't you have any dignity as a president, or even as a former member of the Eight Leaders?"

Mirar's expression was unreadable, but Sylvia knew she'd gotten to him. Dakota was sobbing helplessly on the ground, with no one coming to her rescue. No one yet, anyway. Now to move on to the matter at hand. Sylvia turned away from the poor girl and strolled over to Mirar's desk, staring down at him.

"I simply can't, in good conscience, let this continue with your members having such flagrant disregard for their fellow students. Such a lack of integrity! And as for you… as I hear it, you're responsible for even worse invasions of privacy."

"If you mean the videos and the tapes," Mirar calmly replied, "I assure you that there are no issues involved there. I may no longer be a member of the Eight Leaders, but I still carry the authority to monitor student wellbeing as given to me by campus security. I assure you, nothing that I've taped is considered an invasion of the students' privacy as outlined in our school handbook. You're barking up the wrong tree on this, Sylvia Driscoll."

"Oh, am I?" Sylvia purred. "Well, you may be correct, Mirar. I can't really say one way or the other. Truthfully, you do have the right to monitor the goings-on on campus. But don't think that means even you are above reproach. How can I be certain that those tapes of yours really are compliant with our student privacy standards? You aren't a member of the Eight Leaders, which means your conduct is no longer above reproach by the faculty. Without that shield, you're just a peeping tom. And looking at the conduct of the students you should be taking responsibility over? My faith in you is even less than it was. To ensure that you are truly working with the interests of the faculty in mind… I simply must insist you allow us to look over those tapes. Do I make myself clear?"

"That would be quite impossible," Mirar replied. "You have no idea the sheer volume of footage that has been recorded. For anyone else looking over those tapes, it would take years to get through them all. I can't simply turn them over to you for a quick glance through to ensure that everything is acceptable. That would be a waste of all of our time. I'm sure you understand."

Sylvia nodded. Just as she had planned.

"I'm sure you're right," Sylvia said. "I'm sure it would be a waste of time. But it's still within my authority to waste all the time I choose to, isn't that right, Rafe?"

"…She does have a point, Mirar," Rafe replied, smiling. "However long it might take her to get through those files, she does still have the right to look them over. Although, I can't say I recommend it. Don't you think your time could be better spent elsewhere?"

"I do indeed," Sylvia admitted. "That's why I've brought the lovely Miss Misato with me."

Sylvia stepped aside and with a smile on her face, she gleefully presented Misato to the two seniors.

"Greetings," Misato politely addressed the two. "I am Misato Daisan. Spelled 'Beauty' and 'Wisdom' as well as 'The Third'."

"Why, hello there," Rafe said, smiling. Mirar didn't bother addressing her.

"Misato here is something of an assistant of mine, even though she's a senior," Sylvia replied. "She's quite the brain, and she's also something of a wiz with computers. Show them, if you would, Misato dearest?"

"Affirmative," Misato said, holding her right arm up. She placed her hand on her forearm and slid it gingerly, the skin sliding aside to reveal a small bundle of circuits underneath the panel of her external body. This came as a surprise to everyone else in the room.

"Misato here is something known as a mechadoll," Sylvia replied. "A fully functioning android. She's completely capable of interfacing with any computer on campus, even the one where you've stored all your little videos. Just allow her access to your terminal, and she'll be able to download all the files in a matter of minutes, and then review all the videos before you can even blink. So don't worry, no one will be wasting any time here! We'll be in and out before you notice us, and then once that's done, we'll be able to put this whole mess behind us. I'm sure you aren't doing anything untoward, after all, Mirar. But as a member of the Eight Leaders, it is my responsibility to make sure of that. I'm sure you understand."

Rafe and Mirar glanced at each other. Even the normally emotionless Mirar and the perpetually smiling Rafe seemed slightly thrown off with this revelation.

"Now, I'm sure you're right, Sylvia, but as a member of the Eight Leaders myself, I can assure you-"

Sylvia held her hand up to stop him right there. She already knew what Rafe was going to say, and now was not the time for it.

"Sorry to break it to you, but right now you're overseeing the Pokemon Friends Club, isn't that so, Rafe? As a member of that club, you can't then stick your nose into another club's affairs. We both know a member of the Eight Leaders can only really be responsible for one club at a time. And since I'm not a member of any clubs, I'm the only one here suited for taking control of the Newspaper Club, wouldn't you agree? It could be as a phantom member, or whatever you like. But I'm still going to be taking responsibility for it. Do I make myself clear?"

Rafe and Mirar didn't say anything. There was nothing left to say.

"That's what I thought," Sylvia smiled. Negotiations had ended without a hitch. Now it was only a matter of time. "Now, as I was saying. Please direct us to where you've stored all those videos. Now."

Serefina watched Akira typing away, desperation on his face.

"Are you seriously not going to do anything?" She asked.

"Damn it, Akira!" Satsuki exclaimed, staring at the two of them. She'd been yelling at him the entire previous night, and into the morning, hoping that he might just be able to hear her. "Don't you understand?! Sylvia right now is trying to wreck the Newspaper Club! Don't you… don't you care about Dakota?!"

She wanted to cry, even if it would be meaningless as a ghost.

"I know… I know how you feel, okay? I've seen it! I want you to be happy, and if you let this go on, then you'll…"

"I'm done," Akira said, lowering his hand. "I've finished. Serefina, we can connect to the campus wi-fi from here, right? So I can access the school printer?"

"I mean, yeah, but…"

"Good. Thanks, then."

It was all too much for Satsuki to take.

"No, you can't! I need to… I need to tell him! Somehow… some way, there has to be…!"

Satsuki gulped. It was a long shot to be sure. She had no idea if it would work, or what it might do.

"Sorry…" Satsuki said, stepping up behind Serefina and whispering into her ear. "Forgive me, but…"

Serefina felt a chill run down her back. Suddenly, her head began to hurt really badly, and she nearly fell out of her chair.

"Hey, Serefina, are you-"

"Akira!" She shouted, Akira flinching a little at the force in her words. She lunged at him, grabbing him by the collar and looking him square in the eyes.

"Se-Serefina, what are you-"

Akira's eyes widened and his face turned bright red as she pressed her lips against his, her large breasts pressing into his chest. She ended the kiss as suddenly as she started it, Akira staring at her hot, crimson face.

"…Satsuki?"

"I don't have time! This body, it isn't… compatible like Sylvia's, I don't know how much damage it's causing! But you need to listen! Go! Go now! Sylvia's trying to torment Dakota! I don't know why, but when we were together, I could feel an intent to do her real emotional damage! You need to go there! Right now!"

"Go, you mean-"

"I know you love her!" Satsuki shouted, tears falling down her cheeks. "I know… that you need to move on from me… that the love you had for me… it's all for her now… When I was given a body… the ability to touch you in so long… it came with a choice. And I knew my choice from the start, and it's you. I want you to be happy… and you can't… you want to go after her, right? But you don't want to…"

"…You idiot…" Akira sighed, gently moving her aside as he closed his laptop, getting out of bed. "You didn't have to say something as stupid as that to get me to go."

"I… I see…" Satsuki murmured, slowly fading out of Serefina's body. "That's good… then go…"

Serefina awoke with a massive headache, sitting on Akira's bed. There was a warmth on her face and a strange feeling of sadness in her chest, as well as slight tingling in her lips that she couldn't quite describe. Akira was standing over her, just finishing getting changed.

"Akira, what are you-"

"You told me to go, right?" Akira said. "I've been okay to leave for some time now, honestly. Since Elaina woke up. They can't stop me if I want to leave, so I'm leaving."

"Then you're going to the Newspaper Club?!" Serefina asked hopefully.

"N-no, don't be ridiculous," Akira said, picking up his backpack and sliding it over his shoulder, unable to get it around the sling of his other arm. "I'm… I'm just going shopping. I… made a promise to buy a camera for a friend of mine, so… I just have something I need to do, that's all."

Serefina's eyes widened and her face lit up with joy.

"Y-yes! Go, please! It's totally fine!" She called after him as he left the room.

The real climax comes next chapter! What could Akira be planning? Will anyone be able to stop the Newspaper Club from being taken over? Can Sylvia and her plans manage to be stopped?