After Akira's nightmare, Dakota woke up from her sleep! But what about the future? How do the two of them feel about the events that just happened? Will they be able to move forward? Does Akira have any fears about his dream? Is Dakota okay? Let's find out!

KedharS: Such a relief. Let's hope it was really Dakota who woke up.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Who knows? We'll have to figure out what the truth is. I hope that Dakota is Dakota, but she might not be. We'll have to see.

Epifanio Therion: We'll have to see what happens. Hopefully everything's okay and there isn't any difficult involving Dakota's awakening.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 830

"Nice job, guys! Put your backs into it, you're doing great!" Misty called.

Sylvia and Akira were busy scrubbing the pools of the gym clean.

"I knew it was a bad idea coming here," Akira groused. "Misty might be an excellent trainer, but I didn't sign up for gym cleaning."

"Oh, you've been in a bad mood all morning," Sylvia laughed, rolling her eyes.

Akira's eye twitched and he turned to Sylvia, pushing the mop over to her and growling in a whisper, "gee, maybe that was because after getting no rest on the plane ride over here, you kept me up late telling me about Project ADAM, and then I had to wake up at six in the morning to clean these stupid pools for the last hour and a half!"

"…So trouble sleeping, you had a bad dream, what's going on?" Sylvia smirked, blinking innocently at him.

Akira muttered a string of curses under his breath and resumed scrubbing the pool, trying to push his dream out of his mind. That was the real reason why he was so upset. He couldn't help imagining Dakota's face from his dreams. He couldn't block out the voice of that dream vision, the face that looked like Dakota's, but wasn't.

He had a whole new fear to consider. If Dakota woke up… would she even still be the Dakota he remembered? Or would she be something else entirely? He was scared, and worried that everything he was doing would be for nothing.

It was worse because there was no one he could talk to about this. He could give Serefina a phone call, but he didn't want to put that on her; it could get her to feel even more worried and anxious about everything, and she didn't deserve that.

The only other person was Sylvia. And he absolutely did NOT want to tell her what his dream was about. Sure, she might have been able to help.

But it was Sylvia. Any help she had to offer would be the opposite of helpful, and tainted with her mind games. It may not have been the better option, but he would prefer keeping his emotions bottled up to dealing with Sylvia.

Unfortunately for him, Sylvia could pick up on it. She saw there was something going on with Akira, something that she wasn't aware of. And she didn't like being left in the dark, she didn't like the idea that Akira of all people could be keeping secrets from her.

So she decided that the best thing to do was to keep digging, and see if she could uncover just what it was he was trying to hide.

Akira, I'm not sure what it is that's gotten you looking all flustered… but until we go to Lavender City and finish the job, I've got to find something else to occupy my time. Sylvia stroked her chin and smirked, watching Akira's back as he worked.

While Sylvia and Akira were working in the Cerulean Gym, they were completely unaware of what was happening half a planet away from them.

It seemed like all of Akira's dreams were coming true… and unfortunately it looked like his nightmares were, also.

At the Pokemon Academy, Serefina was working hard on finishing up her work for the evening. She had found herself working overtime taking care of Dakota's pokemon in addition to her normal work. It hurt to do, too. She cared about Dakota and her pokemon, she valued them like they were her own. But being around them, it reminded her of the fact that one of her closest friends was gone, and might never be coming back.

She was walking back to her empty dorm when she got the call. She was happy at first, relieved that she didn't have to see that depressing, lonely place for a few more minutes. It was a welcome distraction, even though she didn't recognize the number.

And then when she answered, her blood froze in her veins.

The world shot away from Serefina, and for a moment the only thing that mattered was the voice on the other end of the line, and what that voice was telling her.

The words left her lips like a whisper, filled with the disbelief pounding through her heart. "She… She's awake?"

And suddenly the dorm room that waited for her seemed so much less empty.

Sleep was forgotten by Serefina as she ran through the fields of the Pokemon Academy, approaching the docks. She couldn't believe it. She was just happy that the ferries were still running at this time of night. It was like it was meant to be.

A few hours later and she was at Dakota's hospital room, talking with her family.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Dakota's father said. "We tried getting in contact with her boyfriend, Akira, but he isn't answering his phone."

Serefina shrugged. It was odd that Akira wasn't answering his phone, or hadn't called back. She was certain that he'd want to hear anything there was to hear about Dakota and her condition. But she figured that he must have been concerned about other matters at the moment. "Things might be complicated there. He's in the Kanto Region, after all, different timezones and stuff… has she said anything?"

If Serefina was in a better frame of mind she might have been able to explain in better detail all about what Akira was doing, and how he was helping out at the Cerulean City Gym, but right now there wasn't a purpose in revealing that. She didn't care about any of this.

All that she cared about was her friend.

"She's… recovering," Dakota's mother assured her. She had tears of joy in her eyes. Serefina understood the feeling. "But she hasn't said a word to us. The doctors say that… well…"

She couldn't stop from crying, her voice cutting out as she buried her face in her hands. Her husband comforted her.

Dakota's sister took up the slack.

"Listen… Serefina, right? Well… they said that Dakota… her brain damage, well… they didn't ever expect her to wake up, but it was always a possibility. And then, when she did, they spent all of yesterday running tests on her. Making sure that there wasn't any repercussions, any permanent damage, and we've been waiting this whole time."

Serefina nodded, and did some quick math in her head. If Dakota was awake, then she must have woken up the first night that Akira was in Kanto. She couldn't help but note the irony that the second Akira left, she came back.

"So… what did they say? Is there any damage?" Serefina was also worried about her friend's condition. After all, Dakota was pretty clearly in terrible shape the last time that Serefina had seen her, and she wasn't so naïve as to think that even though her friend was awake she was fine. There could be all sorts of problems.

"Well… take a look," Dakota's sister said, stepping aside and gesturing into the room. Serefina stepped inside, slowly, not wanting to startle her friend.

Dakota didn't even turn to greet her. She was sitting upright in her bed, staring out the far window without saying a word.

Serefina was surprised by what she saw. She paused and turned to Dakota's sister for clarification on Dakota's condition.

"Her hair… what… what happened?" She asked, confused.

Harper shook her head. "I don't know. The doctors said she just woke up that way. Looks kind of tacky to me. Maybe it's a side-effect of that experimental treatment that the professor gave to her? I don't know. Don't care, either."

Harper smiled. "She's my little sis. I don't care about her hair color, I'm just happy that she's finally awake."

Serefina nodded. She could understand that. She was happy Dakota was awake, too.

She turned and gave her a second glance. Hot pink wasn't that strange of a color now that she was looking at it. It was almost cute!

Serefina took a deep breath and walked closer into the room. Dakota still didn't seem to notice her, she wasn't paying her any attention.

She didn't seem to be paying attention to anything, in fact.

The silence was killing her. It had been too long since Serefina had heard her voice, and she wanted to so badly. So finally, she spoke to her friend.

"Hey, Dakota. How are you doing? I'm glad you're awake…" Serefina reached her bedside, hoping that she would have something to say. "Dakota?"

There was no response. Serefina's voice caught in her throat.

"Dakota… it's me, Serefina. Are you okay? I know you've… been through kind of a shock, but… I just wanted to… I wanted to say… Dakota?" Serefina was getting more and more desperate, trying to reach her friend however she could. But Dakota was like a statue. She just wanted to see her friend's face, to hear her voice… but she wasn't there.

"Dakota, please, just… can't you say something? Can you talk to me, please?" She begged, reaching out and placing her hand on Dakota's shoulder. She'd been afraid to touch her until now, terrified that if she did, then Dakota would break somehow, like she would fall back asleep.

This reality where Dakota was awake was like a dream, and she didn't want to do anything to disrupt it, but she didn't have a choice. It was the only way she could reach her friend. Hopefully, Dakota would have something to say.

And finally Dakota turned back to her.

Serefina was shocked by what she saw. Dakota's sky blue eyes were vacant and lifeless. That was another difference. She remembered those sparkling brown orbs, glistening like beautiful crystals. But it wasn't the same.

Pink hair and blue eyes, it was like she was a different person, and that empty look… was this really Dakota? Could she really consider this waking up?

She feared that it had just been a fluke. Like Dakota's body had woken up somehow, but really she was just a lifeless vegetable. Like all of this, all these struggles, they had all been for nothing. Akira would be broken-hearted…

Then she spoke.

It was only three words. And the words themselves were enough to crush someone's spirit. But they were words, and they meant the world to her.

"Who are you?"

Serefina didn't know what to feel. Dakota didn't remember her? Didn't recognize her? Those empty eyes were staring at her in confusion, like she was looking at a stranger. Normally, Serefina would have been broken, seeing her friend like that.

But she was just happy that Dakota was awake.

"Dakota…" Serefina resisted the urge not to cry, and hugged her best friend. "Dakota, it's me. Serefina. It's okay. I'm… I'm your friend, even if you don't remember me, I'm just… I'm just so glad that you're awake at last," she sobbed, squeezing Dakota tighter.

Dakota blinked.

"…Seri?"

Serefina pulled back, surprised. "You… Dakota, you… you remember my name?"

Dakota rubbed her head and blinked again, confused. Her eyes were bright and clear, even if they were still blue. She tilted her head to the side. "Yeah, of course I do, Seri. What's going on? Why are you crying?"

Serefina burst out laughing and hugged Dakota again. "It's nothing, it's nothing!"

She didn't know why Dakota didn't recognize her at first, but that didn't matter in the slightest. She was fine! She was back, and she was fine!

"Wait, I… that's right, I was in a coma," Dakota said, pulling away from Serefina. "That… that's what the doctors said… and I was just… my head, my memories…" She gasped, remembering what she'd just said to Serefina. "Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry, Seri! It's just that my brain is all jumbled and I must not have recognized you at first!"

Serefina shook her head, she didn't care about any of that.

"Seri, I also-"

"Dakota!" Dakota never got a chance to finish her sentence, because she was swept up into a giant hug by her sister Harper, startling her.

"Harper?" Dakota asked, shocked. She had been in a fog until seconds ago, and hadn't realized that her family was here with her.

She had a few more hugs to sit through. When the hugging and crying was over, Dakota only had one thing left on her mind. The sight of Serefina was enough to know her pokemon were okay, and she couldn't wait to see them.

But right now, her heart was only on Akira.

"Seri… is Aki okay?" Dakota pleaded. Her memories were still a jumble, but she could at least remember the doctors telling her that she had been asleep for nearly a month. A month… after she'd been attacked. After she had been nearly brain-dead. What must Akira have thought? What would he have done?

She couldn't imagine. She just hoped that he was okay.

Dakota looked past her friend and stared at the doorway like she was hoping to see the boy she loved come bursting through it at any moment. She turned to Serefina and gave her a hopeful look. "Is… is he coming soon?"

Serefina opened her mouth, but no words came out.

This was going to be a long conversation.

Meanwhile, back at Cerulean City, Akira and Sylvia were finally finished with their work. It had been a long, hard process, but they were done. The pools were starting to fill up with water, and Misty was overseeing it.

"Your pokemon are finished healing," Diana called across the gym. "Do you want to go take care of them?"

"Coming," Akira said, glad to do anything that didn't involve soap and a mop. He walked over to where the pokemon center machine had been installed in the gym, and collected his pokemon. While he released them from their pokeballs to look out for them, Sylvia had other things to take care of that were a bigger priority than Runja. She would be fine, after all.

But the phone call she received, on the other hand, was a lot more intriguing. Mainly because it was Akira's phone. And the ID read "Serefina".

"Hello? You've reached Akira Saroyan, this is Sylvia, how may I help you?" She purred.

"Sylvia? What the hell? What are you doing answering Akira's phone?" Serefina demanded, confused and upset.

"What?! That's Sylvia? Seri, what the hell's going on?!" A voice called in the background, clearly even more frustrated than Serefina was.

It was a voice that Sylvia recognized.

She was shocked at first, hearing Dakota's voice. She was awake? So that must have been why Serefina was trying to call Akira, to let him know what was going on. Well, that was something she could work with.

"Sylvia, put Akira on the line, this is important!" Serefina insisted. It was the joy at Dakota being awake and the desire to share that with the other person who loved her that caused her to forget that the person she was talking to was the exact worst person to rely on for something like this. "Sylvia, can you just-"

Sylvia hung up the phone without a second thought. A wicked smile crossed her face as she considered the options.

Sorry Serefina… but it looks like I'm going to have to put the touching romantic reunion on hold, at least for a little while… so Sleeping Beauty is awake, huh? That certainly gives me something to think about, anyway…

Sylvia turned and studied Akira's back. The way that he'd been acting this morning, high strung and aggressive, could it be because he heard… no, no, he had no idea. Otherwise he would have been walking on sunshine.

So lover-boy doesn't know. It's a good thing I swiped his phone last night while we were talking, otherwise he might have gotten terribly confused. Well, this is definitely some good news, he'll be overjoyed when Serefina tells him that after all his worrying, his girlfriend is finally awake! Sylvia could feel a smile tugging at her lips, as her heart leapt about in her chest. This was something exciting alright, she felt honestly happy for him.

Now, back to business.

Sylvia turned Akira's phone over in her hands, staring at the smiling face of Dakota Evans that served as his background.

Without a second thought, she tossed it in the newly-refilled pool.

The sound of electricity crackling and circuits frying was music to her ears.

If Akira learned that Dakota was okay, he would be happy. And a happy Akira, an Akira who wasn't desperate, was an Akira that Sylvia wouldn't be able to manipulate to her own ends.

I need Akira to be malleable… learning the truth will just be a distraction. And in the meantime… I wonder just how far I can make him fall.

Sylvia awaited the future of Lavender Town, and Mr. Fuji. She was going to find out everything about Project ADAM, and she would need Akira's desperation and honest desire to save his girlfriend to do it. She didn't know Mr. Fuji, but she could see he had kind eyes.

A man with kind eyes wasn't the kind of man who would reveal all his secrets to someone like Sylvia Driscoll, no matter how sweetly she played things. She could tell by Akira's behavior this morning that he was getting more and more agitated about Dakota and her current condition, and the worse he felt about it, the better.

Once she pushed him over the edge, she would use his desperation and love for Dakota to convince the old man to talk.

Then Dakota could have him. She didn't care what happened after that, not if she could figure out Project ADAM and the truth about the µ Gene.

Akira was going to be so much help.

I'm sorry, Dakota, and I am glad you're awake. But I have to borrow your boyfriend for just a little longer. Then when we see each other again, I'll have you tell me everything that you know about who attacked you.

A wicked gleam appeared in Sylvia's eyes as she watched Akira's phone sink to the bottom of the swimming pool.

They just had to finish this gym work, and then they could go to Lavender Town the first chance they got.

Dakota is finally awake! And apart from a few cosmetic changes, she looks like she's in pretty good shape! Her memories are a little scrambled, but so far she seems like the same person! Now the question remains… are there any side-effects?