How will the gene treatments work? What will the professor's experiments unveil? Will Dakota be okay? Will Satsuki? What about Akira? We've made it to 700 chapters, but instead of a celebration, we have something a little more complicated planned! Genetic experiments and discussions, that's just a natural milestone marker, right? Remember to review!

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: We can only hope.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: No one's "making" you research, lol. You can stop if you want.

Rowlets and Oshawotts: Whelp, hope to see you back soon.

JoshGamerV: Interesting theory. We'll have to find out.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 700

Three days had passed since the attack on Dakota. Professor Decker stood over her, studying her with a scrutinizing eye.

"Such a poor thing," he mused. "To be afflicted with such misfortune, at such a young age… were she a pokemon, then perhaps…"

He shook his head.

"So what do you think, doctor?" Mrs. Evans asked cautiously. "Is there… anything you can do for our daughter?"

Mr. Evans watched Professor Decker carefully, not sure whether or not he could trust the older man. He was a suspicious person by nature, and while his background check of the professor had confirmed the story that the blonde girl had given, he still couldn't be sure that the professor had his daughter's best interests at heart.

There were several gaps in what he could find out, and things like that were always something to be concerned of.

"Well, I won't say that there's nothing I can do," Professor Decker admitted. "But as I explained, this treatment is experimental. And I can't get into specifics about it. There is a very narrow chance that, yes, your daughter could recover from her condition. But a far greater chance that her condition could become more critical, or worsen in some other way. I must caution you, this isn't something that can be approached likely, do you understand?"

Dakota's parents were wary. They alternated between looking at the professor and back to their daughter, feeding and breathing through a tube. They loved their little girl and wanted to do everything they could for her.

But did that include putting her at risk under an experimental procedure?

Harper was onboard though. Absolutely.

"Mom, dad, you don't get it!" Harper exclaimed. "Without his help, then Dakota's never going to wake up again, don't you understand that?"

"Of course we understand!" Mr. Evans scolded her. "But this isn't something we should take lightly. If we only knew more about what this procedure entailed…"

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Mrs. Evans pleaded, looking at the professor with wet eyes. "Anything that would help us understand what could happen to our daughter?"

The professor shook his head sharply. "I'm sorry. But this is all I can explain without getting into more complicated, classified information. I'll be performing a gene therapy on your daughter that will stimulate her cells and promote transformation. That should result in regeneration of the injured cells, but could also have unforeseen side-effects. Beyond that, I can't say what could happen. I'm being as open with you as I can, to make sure that you understand the risks associated with this. If you do not wish to proceed, that's fine. I have already received payment in full for my services."

Mrs. Evans sighed. "I just wish I knew what Dakota would want."

"I know what she'd want," Mr. Evans declared. "My little girl is a fighter. If there's a chance to get through this alive, then she'd take it. I'm certain."

"You're right, sir." A new voice joined the conversation. Everyone turned to the doorway of Dakota's room, where Akira stood.

"Who are you?" Harper snapped. "This is a private family matter, mister!"

"I'm Akira Saroyan," Akira said. "I'm Dakota's boyfriend."

Akira turned towards the bed, and walked to Dakota's side. He felt tears begin to well up in his eyes at the sight of her.

Akira had been resisting his urge to come visit her, because he knew that it would be too hard for him to handle. He held his tongue, not wanting to spoil the mood. But here she was.

Dakota Evans, but not as Akira had ever seen her. Her face was so pale. Her body looked thin and fragile, like if he touched her she might break. Her eyes were closed, so he couldn't see any of the light in her eyes that he knew so well, and she lacked all of the excitement and energy he had come to love in his girlfriend. Even her red hair was hidden behind bandages.

She wasn't the Dakota that he knew, and seeing her like this made him want to avert his eyes. But he couldn't.

Once, he had been in a coma himself. And Dakota had waited diligently by his side until he had awoken. Unfortunately, he couldn't promise to do the same for her. Even if the treatment was a success, he didn't know when she would wake up, if ever.

But what he did know was that Dakota needed him right now, and he was happy to be here for her if that would make her happy. And he knew that it would. So he would be by her side now, when she needed him most.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly, turning to look up at Dakota's parents. "I know this probably isn't how any of us wanted to meet. But I just want you to know, your daughter… she's a very special girl. And sir, you're right. Dakota is a fighter. She's not going to be someone that would lose to something like this. It's not the time for her. I know that I can't beg you to take this treatment, it's not my place. I know that this is a complicated situation to find yourselves in."

Akira reached down and ran his finger along Dakota's cheek. She was so cold.

"We all want what's best for Dakota. But I'm telling you that Dakota… this is something that she would want. To fight until she can't fight anymore," Akira said. "I know… I can't make this decision for you, but I still think…"

Akira shut his mouth. He needed to keep quiet. This wasn't the place for him to speak. He lowered his head and turned back to Dakota. This was a family matter, and as much as Akira loved Dakota, he wasn't her family.

"You said your name was Akira Saroyan?" Mrs. Evans asked, walking over to him. Her red hair reminded him of Dakota.

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

"Dakota talked about you a lot. She seemed… to care about you quite a lot," Mrs. Evans said. "And I can see how much you love her. I won't deny that this treatment seems risky, and I don't want to put my little girl in danger. But I think… no, I know that you and my husband are right. This is what she would want."

She turned to Harper. "Harper, what do you think?"

"I've been for this from the beginning," Harper insisted. "It's simple logic. Without the treatment, Dakota isn't going to come back, is she? But with the treatment, she could. So I choose whatever option gives us the chance of letting her wake up again."

"Then it looks like we're decided," Mr. Evans said. "Professor, we'll go through with the treatment. Are there any forms we have to fill out, any paperwork? What do you need from us?"

"Yes, well, I can get that all arranged," Professor Decker said, adjusting his glasses. It was obvious that he was more than a little surprised that the family had actually agreed to go through with the procedure. Perhaps if they knew more about the µ Gene, but no, that couldn't be avoided. Right now, all that mattered was the job.

The professor walked over to the table in the room and set down his briefcase, taking out some papers and handing them to Mr. Evans to go over. The family looked through the release waivers and nondisclosure agreements, and began signing. After a few minutes, everything was done and the procedure could go forward.

"Ahem, yes, now, as we agreed upon, this treatment contains some… sensitive factors," the professor said, clearing his throat. "You understand, proprietary secrets and all that. I must ask you all to leave while I begin."

"Can you at least explain what's going to happen?" Mr. Evans asked.

"Yes. For now, I will just be drawing some blood as a sample from your daughter," the professor said, taking a large syringe out of his briefcase. "Nothing harmful, don't worry. I simply need to analyze her DNA for the process."

"And then what?" Harper asked. "You said that this was a simple procedure, right? So can't you just… I don't know, give her an injection?"

The professor looked at her like she was a fool. "No, young lady, it's not as simple as 'giving her an injection'," he hotly replied. "There is a great deal of care that goes into this treatment, if you want the best chance of restoring your sister's functions."

Harper shut her mouth. The Evans family cleared the room, with only Akira waiting cautiously behind, staring at the professor with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

"You can leave as well," the professor said, raising his eyebrow. Akira wasn't having it. He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow, shaking his head. He wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm staying by her side," Akira said. "I'm not like them, I know what you're doing, at least part of it," he reminded the professor. "There's no need for me to leave."

"It doesn't matter," the professor agreed. "You can leave if you want, or you can stay. You are aware of the µ Gene, after all. But staying here isn't necessary. I assure you, this is something relatively normal. Just a simple blood test."

He walked over to Dakota's bed and took her arm, inserting the needle into her vein. He drew a lot of blood.

To Akira, it was a frightening amount, given her recent blood loss. But he held his tongue and didn't say anything, not thinking it was his place.

"What are you going to do with that?" He asked quietly as the professor removed the needle and put a band aid over the wound. He didn't want to disturb the professor's work.

"I'm going to mix this sample of her blood with the µ Gene in my laboratory," Professor Decker explained, placing the syringe in a sealed container. "It's the only way to allow the body to process it properly. Just inserting the gene would result in her body going through an unstable mutation, which I think you can agree would be problematic."

Yeah, Akira could agree with that.

"So you're going to mix it with the µ Gene, and then what? Inject it back into her?" He asked. "And that's going to, what, get her used to it, and cause her to regenerate? Or-"

"I do not have time to discuss this with you, young man," the professor said, closing his briefcase with a sharp snap, giving Akira a cold look. Akira winced, and the old man's face softened. He took on a more kindly tone, at least relatively. He still sounded far from being a warm, grandfatherly type. "Don't worry. With this blood sample, everything will be fine. I will work to minimize any genetic harm from using the µ Gene."

"As best as you can, anyway," Akira murmured. "You seem to have a fascination with blood. First Satsuki, now Dakota."

"It is necessary," the professor said, waving his hand. "Blood is the key to the genetic code, after all. Our genes are within our bloodstream."

The professor didn't say anything else. He turned and walked out of the room to go consult with the Evans family.

Akira turned back to Dakota, and hoped that she would be okay. It was the most he could do for her right now, other than hope that the doctor's treatments would prove to be successful.

The Evans family hoped for the same thing. Professor Decker wasn't very reassuring, but they couldn't do anything other than hope.

The boat ride back to the Pokemon Academy was an awkward one. Akira and Professor Decker were on the same boat, but Akira didn't feel comfortable talking to the old man, and the professor was certainly not the sort to mingle with the younger generation.

Right now, there were other things on Akira's mind. He wasn't sure what to do now. He didn't know how many treatments Dakota would need to recover, and Mirar hadn't gotten back to him or Serefina about cracking the password. His one comfort was that the Phantom hadn't done anything, either.

But that meant he was forced into a situation where he was sitting awkwardly, not sure what to do with himself.

The three days had been stressful, and now he found himself in a situation where he was still hyped up, but… he needed an outlet to release.

"Professor Decker?" Akira walked down the aisle to where the professor was seated, reading a thick book with a long word on the cover that he didn't even want to start guessing.

"Hmmmrmph… yes, what is it?" The professor sighed, looking up from his book and pushing his glasses up his nose.

"I was wondering… um…"

"If you're concerned with your girlfriend's recovery, I've made it clear that the µ Gene-"

"No, not anything like that," Akira quickly said, shaking his head. "I know that the treatment isn't really something you can predict. But I was wondering about Satsuki." He held up Satsuki's pokeball for the professor's inspection.

"Satsuki…? Oh, yes, your Gyarados," the professor said, stroking his beard.

"You looked at her DNA, right?" Akira asked. "And you said that it was useful to your research, right? So that means… there's something wrong with her?"

Now that Dakota wasn't in danger (well, not any danger that he could do anything about) he could focus on the other issue that had been bothering him. Satsuki's condition. She had mostly recovered under Serefina's care, but what had happened to her… he wasn't sure what was wrong, and he hoped that Professor Decker might have some answers.

The old man sighed.

"Your Gyarados definitely has quite a unique gene sequence. And an odd coloring, as well, those red scales…"

"Is that part of her unstable DNA?" Akira asked. The professor shook his head.

"No, no, I have done extensive research on shiny pokemon, that is, pokemon of alternate coloration, and the differences are just cosmetic. A shiny pokemon has no natural difference in its DNA coding. There are slight differences that cause the pigmentation, but those traits are not passed down as much as they are… hmm. I see why you haven't taken my class."

Akira had been trying his best to follow it, he really had, but he couldn't help himself. The professor was using too many words he didn't know. But at least he could understand that Satsuki wasn't facing any problems due to her red scales.

"So what's the issue?" He asked.

"I'm not sure," the professor admitted. His eyes were shining in a way that Akira hadn't seen from him. "You see, your Gyarados… her DNA is warped. Only slightly, but when compared to the average Gyarados, I could still observe a slight change. The thing is… that change disappeared."

Akira gasped. "What? What are you talking about?"

"When I first looked at your Gyarados's DNA, I could see that the strands were starting to untwist and mutate. I was stunned. It was like observing the DNA of a pokemon just about to evolve. But about a day after I first examined the blood I extracted from your Gyarados, those changes had disappeared completely, and it was no different from examining the blood of any ordinary Gyarados," the professor explained. "I would need another sample to test, but I'm confident that if I did, it would look no different."

"Then what does that mean?" Akira asked. "Are you saying that there's nothing wrong with her?" He couldn't believe it would be that simple, but he could hope, right?

"That's not what I said," Professor Decker said, shaking his head. "No, there's certainly something different about that Gyarados. If not, then those distortions in her DNA wouldn't have occurred in the first place. But now… No, I'm not sure. There must be another factor to account for the mutation. It could be that this phenomenon can't be observed naturally in a pokemon's DNA, and only occurs when exposed to some other stimulus. Maybe in a pokemon battle, or some other factor… I would need to test her extensively, but unfortunately, our agreement doesn't apply to that."

Akira could kind of understand what the professor was talking about.

"Professor… if I get into a battle with Satsuki again… do you think she might change?" He asked. "I didn't actually see the distortion for myself, so… I can't be sure. But I'm worried about her."

"You worry about your girlfriend, you worry about your Gyarados, I remember when I used to have such a bleeding heart," the professor laughed. "If you can believe it, I first began my research out of a love for pokemon, and a desire to do some good…"

His voice was distant, and he stared out across the ocean for a long time. Akira wasn't sure what brought this on, but he was willing to let the old man sit there pensively, even though he hadn't answered the question yet.

"To answer your question…" the professor turned back to him as though reading Akira's mind. "I can't say for sure. If you use your Gyarados again, then yes, there is the possibility that those changes could return. But you said that you'd never observed this change before?"

"That's right," Akira said, shaking his head. "And I mean, for a while I wasn't using her in battle, but since then I've used her a lot and she hasn't transformed like that before. So maybe it's a brand-new thing? Like she's reached a new state of evolution?"

"I don't believe in coincidence," Professor Decker said, shaking his head. "I believe in certainty. Does a Castform only change in the rain sometimes? Does a Cherrim only show its face in the sunlight sometimes? No, that isn't how it works. This isn't like pokemon evolution, I don't think so. Otherwise there would be no going back. It's much more like the changes I've seen in a pokemon undergoing a form change. Which means that you must have met some criteria, exposed your pokemon to some sort of stimulus. What that could be, I can't say. But it could happen again. If the conditions are met? Then it will happen again. It's as simple as that."

Akira didn't like the sound of that. Satsuki's pokeball was hot in his hands, and he felt like she was transforming all over again.

"But I will say, that she's not in any danger," the professor said. "I've never heard of a pokemon whose form change was a bad thing. It's a natural part of its existence. Your Gyarados is just undergoing something natural."

"Are… Are you sure?" Akira asked.

"You said she has not undergone any genetic treatments or experiments before, correct?" The professor confirmed.

Akira shook his head. "No, none."

"Then yes. It is natural. Genes are not different between pokemon. Your Gyarados can transform, because of some trait encoded in her genes. Which means that same code must be within every Gyarados out there. That's how genes work. So even if you fought with another Gyarados, if the appropriate conditions are met, whatever they may be, that pokemon will transform as well. That's all I can tell you."

The professor fell silent after that, and returned to his book, a clear signal that the conversation was over. Akira stared at Satsuki's pokeball, and thought about what might happen next. He hoped that Satsuki would be okay.

So, more stuff on genes! That should be interesting! What will come from that? We'll have to find out!