After some strange events occurred, now we have the fallout of Satsuki's little episode. What will Sylvia learn from this? What will we see? Will she have any ideas? Nice to see so many of you taking an interest in this revelation!

Also, thank you to everyone who read my story "The Heir to the Dragon". I would appreciate if you continue to read and support it in the future! You can get there through my profile! The story is finally completed! Thank you for reading!

The Pokemon Academy Best Girl 2 Finals are up and running! Who do you think is deserving of the title of Best Girl in the second year of the contest? Cast your votes! We've only gotten a few votes so far, and I know that a lot of people are reading, so come on guys! The poll's in the profile, who do you think deserves to take the crown?

Finalists: Sylvia, Marion, Sango

KedharS: Whatever do you mean? I'm in the pinnacle of health.

Hellraiserphoenix: Who can say?

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: We're definitely going to see some fallout, that's for sure. What that fallout will entail remains to be seen.

Thunder Fire: Was it?

Rowlets and Oshawotts: I also thought it was a very good chapter. As for what's going on with Satsuki, that remains to be seen.

JoshGamerV: Maybe it is.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 698

Serefina's heart went out to Akira as he kneeled on the ground and cried. She couldn't help but feel bad for the poor guy. She was having a hard time herself coming to terms with what Sylvia had said, but it must be unbelievably difficult for him.

Dakota was her friend, but she was so much more to Akira. He had tried to avenge her, and he hadn't been able to do it, even with his most powerful pokemon. She walked cautiously towards him and held her hand out, not sure what to say.

"Akira…?"

"What, are you just going to sit there and cry about how hard your life is?" Sylvia's sneering voice drowned out Serefina's attempt at sympathy. She glared at the blonde, but it was nothing compared to the look of revulsion that Akira gave her.

"You…" He growled. Serefina could see the look in his eyes, and she didn't like what she saw. Having failed to strike back at the Phantom, Akira looked like he was changing the target of his wrath towards Sylvia.

While Serefina didn't have a problem with hating Sylvia, she didn't think that the girl deserved to be attacked. "Hey, hold on, Akira, I don't think-"

"Oh, please, don't play the nice girl," Sylvia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Your concern is wasted on me, truly, and besides, I quite like seeing the boy give into his hatred."

Serefina felt a growl of her own begin to well up.

"Besides," Sylvia continued, "aren't your energies better served somewhere else?" She pointed at the Gyarados, still lying unconscious on the ground. Serefina gasped, and ran over to Satsuki, kneeling beside her.

That's good, she doesn't have a fever, Serefina thought, lowering her hand from the water pokemon's forehead. She wasn't sure what had caused that strange shift in the pokemon she had seen, and wondered if it had been a trick of the light. Already she was starting to forget how real the transformations had looked.

"Is she okay?" Akira asked quietly. His voice sounded like that of a small child.

Serefina gave him a reassuring smile. She was glad that she didn't have more bad news, she wasn't sure if he'd be able to withstand it. "Don't worry," she said. "Satsuki is going to be just fine."

Sylvia snorted. "Oh, you think so? Is that in your expert opinion little Miss Caretaker?"

Serefina turned and glared over her shoulder. She was getting really sick and tired of Sylvia's mouth.

"Her temperature is normal! Her breathing is normal! She's fine!" Serefina exclaimed. "She's just exhausted!"

"And why is she so exhausted? Do you know?" Sylvia asked, folding her arms over her chest. "Because from what Misato said, it sounds like there's a corruption in her DNA. That's something rather dangerous, don't you agree?"

Serefina didn't have an answer for that. She glanced at the slumbering Gyarados. True, Satsuki was in perfect health as far as she could tell. But then, "as far as she could tell" wasn't that far at all, was it? For all she knew, there WAS something wrong with her, something that Serefina wasn't experienced enough to diagnose. It wasn't like she was a Pokemon Nurse, or even in training to become one. She bit her tongue and muttered out an agreement.

"So what do we do?!" Akira demanded, sounding more than a little desperate. "Should we take her to the Pokemon Center, or-"

"I'm not so sure they're equipped to handle this, either," Sylvia mused. The looks of desperation on their faces, it was so perfect! They were practically eating out of her hand. "But if it's Pokemon Genealogy you're concerned about… I do believe you're in luck. Because we happen to have an expert right here on campus!"

Serefina was stunned. "YOU'RE an expert on Pokemon Genealogy?!"

Sylvia slapped her face with her palm. She couldn't believe Serefina could be that dumb. "No, you stupid girl, I'm talking about Professor Decker."

"Oh!" Serefina gasped. "That's the new professor, right? The one teaching the Pokemon Genealogy course this term. I've heard about him!"

"He's not just a professor," Sylvia said, shaking her head. "I've studied his career extensively. He's one of the foremost experts of Pokemon Genealogy, his research has made amazing progress in the fields of genetic research and pokemon evolution. If there's someone capable of figuring out things about this 'DNA distortion' Misato mentioned, it's him."

Akira considered it. He glanced at Satsuki. He didn't know what was wrong with her, but he knew that he had lost too much. Dakota was gone, and Satsuki… he couldn't lose Satsuki too. He couldn't lose her again.

"I'll go," Akira muttered. He held up his pokeball and recalled Satsuki.

"Are you sure, Akira?!" Serefina asked. "There's still the investigation to think about, do you really think now is a good-"

"What do you want me to do, huh?!" Akira snapped. Serefina was startled by the venom in his voice.

"A-Akira, I was just saying-"

"I've already lost Dakota! Do you want me…" His voice broke. "Do you want me to just stay here and do nothing?! We can't get into the flash drive, there's nothing to do for her, and I couldn't even make the Phantom pay for what he did! So what do you want me to do, huh!? Sit here and cry?"

Serefina didn't know how to answer that. Taken aback by how aggressive he was being, she simply let out a mute gasp and nodded meekly.

"Don't be too hard on her, Akira," Sylvia smirked. "She doesn't have the same dedication that you and I have, I'm sorry to say."

It was a cheap taunt, and an obvious one. But even though Serefina knew that, she still couldn't help but fall for it anyway.

"Fine, if that's what you want, then I'm coming, too!" She declared, crossing her arms indignantly. "Someone has to look out for Akira's best interests, and we both know damn well that's certainly not going to be you!"

Sylvia shrugged, "fair enough," she agreed. "Shall we go then?"

Sylvia led the way, and Serefina reluctantly followed after her and Akira. She grabbed her friend by the wrist and pulled him close.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Serefina asked. "It just… it feels like we're forgetting about Dakota and going off to do something else entirely…"

Serefina felt like she was betraying her friend, and she didn't like that feeling. Not that she had any idea what she could do for Dakota.

"Oh, one other thing," Sylvia said over her shoulder. "The professor's research… there might be something we can use for medical purposes. It's a long shot… but maybe Dakota's condition isn't so permanent."

Serefina was certain that Sylvia was lying. But whether she was or not, the effect it had on Akira was plain to see. His entire body language changed, his face brightening as though hope had been lit anew in his chest.

Neither one was sure what it was, but with Serefina filled with doubt and Akira filled with hope, they both followed Sylvia like children lured by a Hypno.

Meanwhile, Sylvia was occupied with thoughts of her own. Interesting… not even I'm sure what this is. But the professor will certainly be interested. And if I can learn more about this phenomenon, then perhaps I can trade information for that. And if I do…

The day had started with a murder mystery, but the night brought with it promises of a different sort, ones that teased her whims even more.

It was dark by the time the trio arrived at the professor's office. Serefina wasn't sure what would happen, but she felt uneasy when Sylvia knocked on the door.

"Yes, yes, what is it?!" The professor's thick accent filled the air as he flung the door open, glaring at the teenagers from his aged face. "It's a little late for office hours, Ms. Driscoll, and as for you two students…"

He adjusted his spectacles. "I don't believe we've met."

"Hello, professor," Sylvia said, not fazed one bit by the old man's rude and abrasive attitude. "I came here to ask you something important!"

"Fine, fine, if this is about our test on Thursday, I can assure you that today's delay will have no-"

"It's not about class, professor," Sylvia said, reaching into her purse. She withdrew a folder and handed it to the old man. "It's about this."

The professor took the folder from Sylvia, the disinterest clear on his face. When he flipped it open and saw the contents, he froze.

"This…" The professor snapped the folder shut and glared at Sylvia, his entire demeanor changing from disinterested and rude to suspicion and doubt. "Where did you get this?!"

"I think you know who would have the information on this," Sylvia said, snatching the folder from his weathered hands. "But I'm sure you can see how incomplete it is."

"Someone your age shouldn't be looking at such things, you have no idea what that is," the professor said, moving to slam the door, but Sylvia wasn't about to let that happen. She jammed her foot in the doorway and pushed her way inside.

"Sorry, professor, but I think you're going to want to see this," she declared, taking the professor by surprise.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He demanded. "This is my private office, students can't just barge their way in here!"

"I'm Sylvia Driscoll, and I think you'll find that there is a very finite amount of things that I 'can't' do," Sylvia declared with a smirk. "But more on that later. For now, I'll say this. If you'll give me the chance, I have some information that would be very important for your research."

"Bah!" Professor Decker scoffed. "What research? I am retired."

Sylvia smirked. "Sure you are. So what you're saying is that you have no interest whatsoever in a pokemon whose DNA began to distort in the middle of battle?"

"You need to stop playing those video games you kids love so much," Professor Decker said, rolling his eyes. "Evolution in battle is a far more common occurrence than you would think."

"Even in a Gyarados?" Sylvia asked.

The professor blinked and adjusted his glasses. "What do you mean?" He asked finally, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Show him, Akira," Sylvia said, gesturing to the professor.

Akira looked around the office. It was cramped and filled with books and papers, barely large enough to fit a handful of people. "You want me to let her out here?"

"What?! No, the pokeball," Sylvia said. Akira nodded and held up Satsuki's pokeball.

"My friend Akira here-"

"We aren't friends," Akira snapped. Sylvia rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, he was in a pokemon battle, and suddenly his Gyarados began transforming," Sylvia explained. "Her DNA began to change! Her body grew bigger and her fins began to stretch. That's not natural of Gyarados, is it?"

The professor readjusted his glasses again. For some reason they kept shifting down his nose. "That is… certainly intriguing," he admitted.

"I remember reading something about that, in a paper you wrote a few years back," Sylvia said. "Hypothesizing that pokemon like Castform who can alter their forms in battle but revert to their 'base state' could potentially represent a new archetype of pokemon evolution. The theory went, if I recall, that pokemon could eventually evolve in battle, into brand new forms, and then revert to their original state."

She gestured to Akira. "Curious, isn't it? From what I saw, it might be exactly that phenomenon, what do you think, professor?"

The professor shook his head. "Yes, well, it certainly seems like a possibility," he agreed. "But that paper was entirely theoretical, it was never meant to be… observed like this. If you recall, I concluded that such genetic instability was impossible without extensive tampering with the pokemon's genetic matrix, are you saying that's what has occurred here?"

Sylvia shrugged, her smile widening. "No idea," she chirped. "I'm no geneticist. That sounds like something you would be more informed about, wouldn't you agree? Perhaps if you used that brilliant brain of yours, maybe you'll be able to tell us, what do you say."

The professor considered this, staring at the pokeball. "…Well, yes. It certainly is possible…" he admitted, and Sylvia knew she had him. She could see the interest in his eyes. He was trying to hide it, but he wasn't nearly skilled enough of a liar to do it.

"Well, Akira here is a little worried himself," Sylvia admitted. "You see, his Gyarados used up a lot of energy, and he's concerned that something might happen to her if this genetic instability were to continue. So, what do you think? If you took a quick look, I'm certain that it could be very beneficial for your research."

She quickly corrected herself. "…That is, if you were doing any research, of course." Her tone of voice made it clear that she didn't believe for a second that the professor wasn't working on some secret project.

Professor Decker stroked his beard. "Y-Yes, well, I definitely would like to be of help, if I could," he agreed. "I have been permitted to use the laboratory facilities on this island, so I could take a look, if you wish." He reached for Satsuki's pokeball, but Sylvia stopped him.

"Hold on now," she said, stepping between the two of them. "It's not that easy, you see. We want a little something in return."

"What do you mean by that?" The professor asked, his look of suspicion returning. Sylvia smirked, now negotiations could begin.

"You see, professor, today's been rather hard for my friend here," she explained. "I'm sure that even a hermit like you must have heard about what happened, why the police are here?"

"Yes, yes, that girl who was attacked, poor thing," Professor Decker said, waving his hand dismissively. "It wasn't of concern to me."

"…Weeeeeeell, it's about to be," Sylvia said. Akira and Serefina both looked at her like she was crazy. What did Dakota have to do with this? Sylvia had mentioned something about the professor's research being able to help, sure, but for some reason it felt weird to hear her talking so directly about Dakota's condition.

"What do you mean?" The professor asked, looking suspiciously at her.

"The µ Gene," Sylvia said, waving her folder. "I believe you're quite familiar with it?"

The professor gasped. "You cannot be serious!"

"Deadly serious," Sylvia replied. For once, her tone of voice wasn't jovial. "I'm sure you still have it around here somewhere."

"That is… not to be used for this purpose," Professor Decker said. "It's a very special experimental mutagen, what would you even have me do with it?!"

"Dakota Evans is recovering in the hospital right now," Sylvia said. "But she's not going to fully recover. Her brain activity is dead. She's basically a redheaded potato."

"That's tragic, but it's not my concern," Professor Decker snarled. "I don't know what you expect me to do about that, but-"

"Oh, you know exactly what I expect you to do," Sylvia said. "So let's not play games."

"If you know anything about the µ Gene, then you know that it's unstable. It might not work, it probably won't! The effects will be…"

"What are you guys talking about?!" Serefina exclaimed. "What is this 'µ Gene' huh?!"

"That information is classified," Professor Decker snapped. Sylvia smirked, and flapped the folder at him again.

"You tell her, or I will," she warned. The professor sighed. He trudged over to his desk and sunk down into the chair, burying his face in his hands.

"The µ Gene," he finally admitted, "is a special genetic sample that resorts in genetic mutation. It can be used for a variety of purposes due to its instability. In theory, you could implant the µ Gene into an injured person, and it would repair the damage to their body…"

Akira couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So that could even result in restoring brain function?!" For the first time, he felt like there was light at the end of the tunnel.

Professor Decker shrugged. "It's possible. With the µ Gene, anything is possible. But the question is, what else could happen? I can't answer that. There's a reason my research with the µ Gene never went anywhere. With science, you need reproducibility, and you just can't be certain of the results of using the µ Gene."

Serefina thought about that silently. If what he was saying was true, then that meant using the µ Gene, Dakota could… possibly come back to them. She could be healed, even after what had happened to her brain.

But it was just a possibility. It was just as possible that nothing could end up happening, or that her condition could worsen.

"This isn't some miracle cure," the professor continued. "I can't just hand it over and graft it into the poor girl!"

"It may not be a miracle cure, but it's the best we've got," Sylvia said. "Because without it, Dakota isn't going to get better. So that's the deal, professor. You give us the µ Gene and graft it into Dakota's genetic structure, and we'll let you examine Satsuki's genetic abnormalities for your research. Is that a fair trade?"

Akira thought it was an immensely fair trade. He didn't give a damn what they were talking about involving the possibilities of side effects. He was only concerned about Dakota, and the chance she could come back. How risky that chance was didn't matter to him.

"Please!" Akira begged. "Please, do it!"

The professor turned to him, stroking his beard in contemplation. He adjusted his glasses. "Are you willing to allow me to take a sample of your Gyarados's DNA for my tests?" He inquired.

Akira swallowed and looked at Satsuki's pokeball. "Will it… hurt her?" He asked.

"All I would need is to draw some blood," the professor assured him.

"Then yeah," Akira agreed. "Of course you can!"

"And you realize that I will need permission from the family, to perform this procedure?" Professor Decker asked, glancing at Sylvia. "I have no intention of being the subject to a lawsuit from the girl's parents. If this is going to occur, it will happen above-board, with their full and express permission, understood?"

"Of course," Sylvia shrugged. "I'm already working on that front."

"And there needs to be a nondisclosure agreement as well," the professor added. "This research is sensitive. If knowledge about the µ Gene became released to the public, then more people would come looking for these experimental treatments, and I won't be held responsible for that."

Serefina wasn't sure. This sounded incredibly shady and really dangerous. But… But it was Dakota. This was the only way they could get her back, even if it was a slim chance. But… if something happened to her, something worse than this…

Serefina held her tongue. It wasn't her place to say anything. Akira made his choice. Sylvia made her choice. The professor had made his choice. And Dakota's family would make their choice. Serefina wasn't involved in this, so all she could do was hope that their choices would be the right ones.

Who can say? Will these choices turn out to be correct in the end? What about this so called "µ Gene"? Will Dakota be okay?