After our brief break, we now returned to our regularly-scheduled introspection into the nature of pokemon genetics and other, more complicated issues. In other words, it's gonna be a Sylvia chapter.

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: She's not very good at it, but she still tries her best.

Rosealine gold: We'll get more eventually, just be a little more patient. Don't worry, I have things planned.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Before we get into that, we'll have to see some more interesting things, and philosophies.

Rowlets and Oshawotts: We'll see it eventually. Hopefully Maddi can open up.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 704

Professor Decker was secluded in his private laboratory in the Orre Region, having taken a sabbatical from his work at the Pokemon Academy. The school had been happy to oblige him, considering the recent circumstances on campus. Classes still had yet to resume after all, and questions about the status of the various trips the students would be undertaking come spring were being raised.

This was more important than some work at the school. He had accomplished what he set out to do, after all, as hard as it had been for him to believe. He had taken up that teaching post because he had hoped that exposure to the greatest upcoming talents in the pokemon world would give him the chance to just possibly find a subject he could analyze for his own research.

That boy's Gyarados had been the perfect gift.

Oh, he would finish the semester out, he was a man of his word, after all. But first he needed to make full use of this sample.

It was a pity that he couldn't take the Gyarados with him for further study. If given the opportunity, he was certain he could stimulate whatever it was in those cells to make it transform again. But that was something that the past him would have done.

That boy loves his pokemon. I'm not the kind of person who would bring harm to pokemon anymore, he reminded himself. How could he argue that he worked out of a love for his experiments if he treated the pokemon that others loved so cruelly?

Besides, he had everything he needed to begin applying his observations to more practical experiments anyway, thanks to the other sample he managed to acquire.

Because Professor Decker's laboratory was located in the Orre Region, it had been a long trip, and he was exhausted. He'd just gotten in the night before, and was still feeling the effects. Like most structures in the harsh Orre Region, the majority of the lab was underground, to help regulate temperature. The most that was on the surface was the external entrance and elevator system. It wasn't exactly easy to track down.

Hence the surprise when he checked the monitor after the visitor signal went up, and he saw that it was that blonde girl standing at the entrance. The one from his class, Sylvia Driscoll, who somehow had learned the truth about the µ Gene and leveraged that information to get him involved with treating her friend.

The professor removed his glasses and wiped them off, taking a closer look at the monitor. No, no, that simply wasn't possible. She couldn't be here, it didn't make sense. He put his glasses back on and took another look, and was forced to accept reality.

Somehow she was here. Orre was halfway around the world, it was a 14 hour flight from the Pokemon Academy island, after a thirty minute boat trip back to the mainland and an hour-long drive to the only airport making flights in the area. But somehow, she was here.

He had barely been gone a day, and she had already come to see him? She must have left at practically the same time that he had. Maybe she'd even been on the same flight. It made no sense, he had told no one but the faculty about his plans. She shouldn't have known, and she would have no reason to follow. But somehow, she was here.

He turned on the intercom, willing to engage with this bizarre occurrence. "What is it?" He gruffly asked, still confused as to how this strange girl could have found him.

"Professor Decker? It's me, Sylvia," Sylvia said, waving at the camera. "I wanted to have a chat with you! I heard you were on sabbatical, and I came by to pay a visit!"

He had left the day before. She had "heard" about that? It was the most obvious lie in the world. But it still didn't address his concerns. Right now, it was imperative that he understand what she wanted here. If there was something that she knew, some secret that he wasn't aware of, if she knew things that she shouldn't…

The professor didn't really have much choice. He needed to speak with her to find out more.

"…Very well, I will let you in," Professor Decker said. Luckily, the more sensitive projects he was working on were sequestered away to other sections of the laboratory. He could still converse with her in a more secure section of the lab, the entry chamber and meeting area, to discuss…

Well, whatever it was that this girl had flown half the planet to discuss.

With a push of the button Professor Decker let her in, and walked down the hall to the elevator entrance to greet his… guest.

"What's up, doc?" Sylvia cheekily replied with a wave. The professor did not share in her amusement, eyeing her coldly.

A ping went off on the professor's phone. He took it out of his lab coat and checked it, seeing a warning signal flashing. An attempted intruder, apparently.

"In case you were not aware, the walls of this building are fitted with an extrasensory plasma cage," the professor said. "Please recall your Shuppet. Not even a ghost pokemon can trespass on my research, I'll have you know."

Sylvia smiled, unbothered by the fact that her infiltration attempt had failed. She held up her pokeball and her Shuppet materialized into sight in front of it, returning.

"Can't blame a girl for trying," she purred. "I must say, that's quite a lot of security for a lab belonging to a school teacher. I thought you were supposed to be retired?"

"Even in professional retirement, a scientist can still enjoy his hobbies, can't he?" Professor Decker scoffed, adjusting his glasses. "I appreciate my privacy as much as the next person."

"And perhaps a little more than that," Sylvia said, her eyes scanning the entrance hall. It was surprisingly bare, given what she expected from the state of the professor's old office. "There's surprisingly little information I can find on you. And I'm not someone easily surprised."

The professor laughed. It was a harsh cackle. "Well, perhaps you should look a bit harder, then! You'll find everything you want to know in my autobiography, not that many people have bought a copy. Pokemon Geneticists aren't in vogue these days, as it were."

"I did read it, cover to cover," Sylvia said. "Rather dry and dusty, not a very good read. But there's a lot in there that you didn't put in, isn't there?"

The professor shook his head. "Is that what you came to discuss? My memoirs?"

"Among other things," Sylvia chirped. She stretched. "You know, speaking of conversations, I'm pretty exhausted from my flight. You wouldn't mind taking me somewhere a little more comfortable so we can continue this little talk?"

The professor expected something like that. Sylvia was clearly trying to see as much of his laboratory as possible, using their talk as a convenient excuse. She wouldn't be the first, however, and the professor was more than prepared.

Professor Decker led Sylvia down the hall to a small lounge far away from his research, where she couldn't see anything sensitive. The lounge was rather nice, even though he so rarely used it. Sylvia didn't even seem disappointed by the change in venue.

"This will do," she judged after a quick glance, before throwing herself down on the couch. "Now, professor, back to our conversation-"

"Why have you come here?" The professor interrupted. "I'm a very busy man, I don't have time to waste on chats with schoolgirls."

"And yet you let me in, when you could have just turned me away," Sylvia said, raising her eyebrow. "I wonder why that would be? It couldn't be that you're curious yourself, could it? Trying to pump me for information?"

The professor chose not to reply.

"Well, if you must know, I came after you because I was concerned. Now that you've finished the treatments with Dakota, you immediately run to your lab in the Orre Region? That makes a girl suspicious," Sylvia said. "I wondered if there was anything you weren't telling me."

There certainly was. Professor Decker had administered the last of Dakota's injections a few days prior, so his care for her was now over. She still had not awakened, of course, but physically she was doing much better. Whatever the µ Gene had done to her, it wasn't something that was externally visible. The effects could take days, weeks, or even months or YEARS to manifest. He couldn't know. But that wasn't his concern anymore.

Because he was using the research he'd gathered for other purposes.

"I don't believe that's any of your concern," the professor said. "I needed access to my laboratory to fully analyze the DNA I extracted from the Gyarados, for the sake of my research."

"And that research would be?" Sylvia asked, narrowing her eyes.

The professor sniffed. "None of your business, that's what," he replied. "But no matter. Is there anything else you'd like to know, or may I bid you farewell?"

"Yes, I'd still like to know why you let me in, instead of turning me away at the door," Sylvia reminded him.

The professor scowled.

"If you must know, I invited you in so I could figure out what it was you wanted from me," the professor replied. "A girl traveling across the planet to come find me has a way of making me suspicious, I'm sure you must believe."

"Fair enough," Sylvia admitted. "And in the interests of honest conversation, I'd like to tell you all about the real reason I came here."

She smiled. "Genuine concern."

Professor Decker found that hard to believe. "What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"I'm concerned about Dakota Evans," Sylvia said. "And I'm concerned about the µ Gene and what it might do to her."

"Interesting, you didn't seem all that concerned when you came to me begging to treat the girl," the professor said, raising his eyebrow.

"Oh, I had my concerns," Sylvia said, waving her hand. "But it's not that simple. You see, I wanted to see what would happen. The aftereffects weren't my concern. An actual attempt to implant the µ Gene into a live human being? That would be amazing."

The professor was confused. "Well, then why are you questioning me now?"

"Call it intellectual curiosity," Sylvia shrugged. "My priority might have been seeing what would happen, but that doesn't mean I'm entirely unconcerned. Surely you're the same, are you not? In all of your papers that I can find, you've always stressed the importance of putting the subject's needs first, even ahead of the research, isn't that right?"

"Of course," the professor said, not sure what Sylvia was getting at. "I believe in the value of life, and my research is focused on ensuring that life is better for everyone."

"So you weren't using Dakota Evans as a test subject for some pet project, like a Ratatta attached to some shock nodes, right?" Sylvia asked, narrowing her eyes. "Because while I can certainly understand the impulse, I don't believe that's something that would go over too well with a lot of people."

"You came to me, if you'll remember," the professor said. He was losing his patience with the girl. If you're unhappy with the results-"

"This isn't about the results," Sylvia said, rising from the couch. She wasn't smiling anymore. "This is about me not trusting you."

"You were the one who subjected that girl to an experimental procedure," Professor Decker reminded her. "If anyone was using her as a test subject, that would be you."

"Yes, but I would rather not have my machinations result in anything unusual happening," Sylvia replied. "Especially considering the DNA you took from that Gyarados. I assume that's what you'll be subjecting the µ Gene to next?"

The professor knew there was no answer he could give that wouldn't be damning, so he kept his mouth shut.

"I figured as much," Sylvia said, taking his silence as more than answer enough. "But there's something else, isn't there?"

The professor scowled. "…Fine then. If you want to know about my research so badly, I can make an exception and tell you."

Sylvia blinked in surprise. It wasn't often she was caught off-guard like this, she had been expecting a much more serious struggle with the old man.

"Well that's a pleasant surprise, so you can be reasonable," Sylvia said.

"In my old age, I don't have time for bickering with schoolchildren," the professor scowled. "And I believe throwing you out would result in more trouble than it's worth."

Sylvia smirked.

"Then let me tell you a little something about my… 'retirement project'," the professor sighed. "What little I can, anyway."

"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Sylvia asked, narrowing her eyes. "Don't tell me you plan to tease a poor girl like me?"

"You're a clever sort. I imagine that, if given enough information, you might be capable of replicating my experiments, maybe even before I have a chance to finish it myself. It would be rather foolish of me to confide all my secrets." Professor Decker had seen enough of Sylvia's grades to know how smart she was. Probably smarter than him, he was sad to say. If he gave away too much there was little doubt in his mind that any breakthroughs he had left to make in his lifetime would be readily eclipsed. What a frightening child.

Sylvia gasped in mock outrage. "Why, professor! Surely you must understand that it would be for the benefit of the scientific community for this research to be completed as expediently as possible! You wouldn't be so insecure as to jeopardize something like that for the sake of your own personal pride, now would you?"

Professor Decker was loathe to admit it, but yes, he was that petty. But that was beside the point. "I have no intention of publishing my work in any scientific journals. I'm retired. What I'm working on is solely for the sake of my intellectual curiosity."

He adjusted his glasses and glared at Sylvia. "And even if that is the case, I still wouldn't give the details to you. Forgive my rudeness, but of all the scientific minds I've seen, yours is the kind I despise the most. Thoughtless and cruel, doing experiments to see what would happen, with no regard for your subjects or the heart of the science."

"I'm wounded," Sylvia said, placing her hand over her chest. But she didn't deny it.

"You're concerned for your 'friend'? Ridiculous," the professor snorted, shaking his head. "I can see it in your eyes. You're empty inside. You don't have concern for that girl beyond her suitability as a test subject. So let's get to what you really came for, my research."

"…Fine," Sylvia admitted. "Dakota Evans matters less to me than trash, I'll happily agree to that. I was only interested in the thrill of the mystery, and after that, seeing the µ Gene for myself. But what's your point?"

"My point is that this research has the power to redefine what it is to be a pokemon, and I won't have you sully it," the professor said. "I'll tell you my theory, and you may do with that what you wish. But my samples and subjects are mine, and I won't have you harm them."

"…Fine, fine. Nothing about your experiments, or your processes," Sylvia agreed. "So, tell me, what is it that's so important it will redefine the term 'pokemon'?"

"The evolution variance enhancement is a special phenomenon that I've observed in certain subjects," the professor disclosed. "My theory postulates that, by harnessing this power, I can create within a subject the ability to change its form at will by calling upon latent DNA."

"…So it's a Ditto, you're making pokemon ino Ditto," Sylvia said, rolling her eyes. "Some groundbreaking research you've got there."

The professor sighed. He didn't know if she was being sarcastic or not, but he wasn't going to let this slight go unchallenged. "It's nothing like that," he scowled. "Ditto are pokemon capable of replicating others. But what this would be is the ability to unlock a new transformation for the subject itself, entirely at will."

Sylvia nodded, she could understand what the professor was saying. But at the same time, she wasn't sure that he was telling the full story.

"I see, that's… certainly an interesting theory," she admitted. "So what you're saying is that the same way a pokemon could change form and change back, you would implement that on regular pokemon, in place of evolution. So in theory, a Charmander could 'evolve' to take on the appearance and strength of a Charizard, and at the end of the battle return back to being a cute Charmander?"

"Precisely, you understand well," the professor said. "Is that all?"

"And you need the µ Gene to implement it, do you?" Sylvia asked. "I can see why it would be necessary, given its origins."

The professor was stunned. He had seen the dossier that Sylvia had collected about the µ Gene, but to be aware of its origin?

"What… What do you mean by that?" He coughed.

Sylvia smiled. "Oh, just a theory, because of its name. Not exactly subtle. µ Gene? But I didn't know for sure. Your reaction makes me think I'm right on the money, though. If what I suspect is true, then that was quite a thing you did to poor Dakota."

"I only did what you demanded of me," the professor glowered. "You… girl, who or what are you, to ask me to do that while suspecting…" He shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"One other thing, professor, before I go," Sylvia added. "There's quite a lot of information on you. So many papers, theories, you're thought of quite highly in your field. But whenever I look for you in association with a certain something, I just can't find it… what was it called again?"

She tapped her finger against her chin, before gasping in a fake "realization". "Oh! That's right, I remember now!"

She sat back down on the couch and crossed one leg over the other. "Let's move on to the other thing I was planning to ask you about. The ADAM Project, right?"

The professor scowled. He'd feared that was what she was here for.

So… will we find out more about the ADAM Project, finally? What will the next chapter hold? We'll have to see!