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 831
Akira had been training at the Cerulean City Gym for nearly a week at this point. He was still worried about Dakota, and even though his dream from the first night there hadn't repeated, it hadn't faded from his mind, either.
He was still worried that even if Dakota woke up, she wouldn't be the Dakota that he remembered. The idea that had been placed in his mind by that dream version persisted, and no matter how much he hoped that he was just overthinking things, he couldn't get past it.
He was impatient. Impatient and cut off from everyone. Somehow he'd dropped his phone while they had been cleaning one of the pools, and no one had noticed until they filled it up with water, so now his phone was totally busted.
He'd been pestering Sylvia when they were going to Lavender Town, and no matter how many times he asked, she kept giving him the runaround.
"We'll go as soon as we have a day off. Traveling to Lavender Town isn't like a jaunt to the park. Don't worry, we've got nothing but time, and Mr. Fuji isn't going anywhere."
It seemed like Sylvia was deriving perverse pleasure out of torturing him like this. Knowing Sylvia, it wasn't out of the question.
So now here he was, stuck here with his thoughts and unable to resolve the anxiety he had been feeling. At least training his pokemon gave him something to take his mind off of it, at least a little bit. But in the back of his mind, he was thinking about Dakota. While Misty had been showing him how to train, and helping him get closer to his pokemon, specifically Dakota's Chinchou, he'd had a lot of time to focus on his worries.
And over the week of thinking, he'd arrived at a decision. It wasn't one he was especially happy about, and would hope that it wouldn't come to pass.
But he decided that even if Dakota did wake up different, even if it wasn't "really" her, he wouldn't be upset. He wouldn't make a big deal.
She was still Dakota. Even if she changed a little, even if she changed a lot. Dakota was Dakota, and he loved her. People changed, after all, all the time. To stop caring about her just because she changed would mean that his feelings for her were only that weak.
So if she developed a third eye or magic fire powers, or had a complete psychotic break and stopped being a journalist altogether and decided she wanted to be a circus performer or something, he would support her.
He just wanted to see her smile again.
"You're in a better mood these days," Sylvia noted. They were following Misty out of the gym, and down the river. And yes, Akira had been looking forward to a day out, time spent not in the gym, but unfortunately Sylvia was accompanying him.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," he muttered under his breath.
"Or maybe not. So what's the matter? You haven't bugged me about our trip to Lavender Town in a few days now," she said, lowering her voice and sidling up close to Akira, so Misty wouldn't overhear the two of them. It was unlikely that she would be okay with students under her charge skipping out on their duties to head to another town.
"It's nothing you have to worry about," Akira replied. He didn't feel like telling her that the reason he hadn't asked her is because he suspected that she was getting a sick pleasure out of refusing him. In the meantime he didn't want her bugging him.
Of course, he'd picked the exact wrong thing to say if he wanted her off of his case. Because that just inflamed her curiosity.
"No, there's definitely a change," Sylvia mused, tapping her cheek thoughtfully. "I wonder… have you heard anything about Dakota? Gotten any news? Is she awake? Is that why you're in such a good mood now?"
Akira flinched, and shot her a cold glare. "Don't even joke about that," he seethed. "That's not something I want to hear you say ever again."
Sylvia could see she'd touched a nerve. He was back to being his old moody self again. So it was definitely about Dakota, now the question was what.
"Hmm… are you still worried about what could happen if Dakota wakes up from her coma?" Sylvia wondered. "I understand if you're concerned. The µ Gene had to rewrite her DNA on a genetic level in order to heal her, for all you know she could grow a tail. And that's not even considering the mental changes that could occur. She was braindead after all, maybe she'll wake up thinking that humans are a plague that must be exterminated?"
Her mind and her suggestions were going in all sorts of directions, and Akira didn't want to hear them. While he hadn't considered the serial killer angle before, it was just another fear that he had to deal with.
Sylvia had one more ace up her sleeve. "…Or maybe you're afraid that when she wakes up, she won't remember who you are?"
Akira froze, his face locking up and his blood freezing in his veins. That was exactly what he'd been afraid of, and he'd been trying to keep it hidden from her. So much for that. He didn't want to give anything away, but he couldn't help but react.
And Sylvia picked up on it, of course.
"I can understand how that would be hard," she said, her voice dripping with sarcastic sympathy. "Thinking about how the girl you love, the girl you're trying to save, might wake up with no memory of who you are? That must be painful, huh?"
It was. It was incredibly painful. But Akira didn't want to give Sylvia the satisfaction of acknowledging he was listening to her. She could definitely tell that he was reacting, so all he could do was not engage with her and hope she would get tired.
He picked up the pace and headed after Misty as fast as he could, but Sylvia wasn't going to let him get away that easily.
"What would it be like, I wonder? Mr. Fuji gives us some magical cure, and you bring it to Dakota, and wake her up. That's what you're looking forward to, right? That's your deepest desire, to save the girl you love… and then to have her wake up, with no idea who you are, what you mean to each other, how hard you worked to save her… I can imagine that's the worst nightmare you could ever experience," Sylvia said, taking glee in twisting in the knife as hard as she could.
It was especially great because she knew things that he didn't. She knew that Dakota was awake, and not only that, but she remembered him. Sylvia had heard her call him by name. So whatever other problems had resulted due to the effects of the µ Gene, at the very least what Akira feared the most hadn't come to pass.
How lucky for you. You'll be reunited with her. But until then, I'm going to have as much fun as I can, Akira… Sylvia beamed at him, daring him to react. She could see the anxiety tearing itself across his face, and it was excellent.
Akira bit his lip. He could tell that she wasn't going to stop until he gave her a straight answer. So that was the only thing he had left to do. He sighed.
"Yes. You're right. Imagining Dakota waking up after all this time and not remembering me at all… that's something that terrifies me," he admitted. "I'm afraid that I might never see that look in her eyes when she smiles at me again. I could go through all of this, and you know what? She might not even understand what I've done."
"That's right," Sylvia said, nodding in agreement. "It must be agony. For all of that to end up being useless…"
"No," Akira corrected her. "It wouldn't be useless. Even if she doesn't remember me… that doesn't make what I'm doing useless."
"Oh?" Sylvia asked, intrigued by what he was suggesting. "You don't think so, huh?" Of course, she already knew that this was a moot point, but the fact that Akira thought the same was definitely worth exploring.
Akira smiled. But his smile was sad. "Even if Dakota doesn't remember me… if she wakes up, that's enough. See… it will hurt, not being able to see her smile. And I'm terrified that if she wakes up and doesn't remember me… my heart will break. But that won't matter. Because what I'm more afraid of is the fact that she'll never wake up at all."
Akira turned and looked Sylvia in the eye. He didn't know what she was thinking right now, staring at him. Maybe she thought that he was a fool. Maybe he was a fool. But right now, that didn't matter. Because he was a fool who knew he was doing the right thing.
Sylvia couldn't understand what he was saying. There was nothing in her eyes. He didn't even know if she could understand things like love or caring for others, she seemed to have no real empathy whatsoever.
"You probably don't understand," he sighed, shaking his head. "What it's like to care about another person. I want Dakota to be happy. I want her to be okay. Even if she doesn't remember me, even if she won't ever show that side to me again, that doesn't matter. I want to help her. And if she wakes up… and she really doesn't know who I am… then I'll deal with that."
Sylvia wasn't surprised. Akira was that sort of guy. She nodded along with him. "Yeah, I get that about you. You'd stick by her side, even if she didn't know you, wouldn't you? That's a lot, considering your relationship."
"It's none of your business," he scowled, shaking his head. "But I've already let her down once before. I don't want to make her go through that again, even if she doesn't remember me."
Sylvia smirked. Hearing him make all these grand and romantic speeches when there was absolutely no point to it was the best. She had to resist the urge to bust up laughing. "Well… that's certainly admirable, I give you that. Hopefully, Mr. Fuji can tell us something about how we can help Dakota, about whether or not she'll wake up, and maybe, just maybe, she'll come out of this with her memories intact."
It was the odd act of kindness from her. Normally, she would expect to try and break Akira down even more, get him depressed, not dangle some hope in front of him. But she liked acting occasionally irrationally, so that she wouldn't be predictable.
Before Akira could say anything in response, Misty interrupted the two of them.
"Come on, guys, pick up the pace!" She called over her shoulder. "We're here!"
Akira realized that they had already gotten off the path of the river. Instead of reaching the same overlook by the beach that he and Sylvia had gone to before, they had crossed over the river and reached Route 25, arriving at a different part of Cerulean Cape. There was a massive pond near the overlook, with a bridge stretching over it.
Akira saw the house he had noticed before, a little closer now. He hadn't even noticed the pond last time.
"So we're here, huh?" Sylvia asked, looking around. "Really, well, where is here?"
"Cerulean Cape!" Misty sighed wistfully, staring at the sparkling blue waters of the pond. "This is one of the nicest views there is in Cerulean. A beautiful spot by the coast, filled with romantic atmosphere… I've always had high hopes for this place as a dating location."
Her wistful tone ended, taking on a darker edge.
"…If I could get a date, that is," she muttered under her breath.
Sylvia snickered. Some things were just too good. "So why did we come here, anyway? If you wanted to get some alone time with Akira here, you didn't have to bring me along on your little romantic excursion. But I should probably let you know that he does have a girlfriend, if that factors into your considerations."
Misty was taken aback by this. "Hey! Listen! I have absolutely no intentions with kids like- wait a minute! Akira has a girlfriend?"
Akira's jaw dropped and he looked at Sylvia in shock. Now was NOT the time to be talking about stuff like that!
As expected, Misty collapsed in a heap of depression.
"I'm pathetic… teenagers are living fulfilling love lives, and here I am, a gym leader with no prospects… I sacrificed my youth in order to become the best Water type pokemon trainer that I could be, and yet it was all for nothing…" She sobbed to herself.
Sylvia doubled over laughing and Akira shook his head in shock.
"Misty, what was the reason we came here?" He asked, pushing past the uncertainty of this problem in order to move past her depression and get her back to business.
Misty sighed, and then perked back up. "Right! That's right, I almost forgot! We're not here just to see the sights!"
She stripped off her jacket and reached to her waist, taking off a pokeball. With a flourish, she flung it into the air. "Come on out, Gyarados!" She called out to her pokemon, unleashing the mighty Water type into the air.
"Gyarados!" Misty's Gyarados roared, crashing down into the water. His blue scales blended in with the water, and in spite of the furious look on his face he wasn't attacking. Misty had clearly trained her pokemon well.
"Oh, brought us here to show off your Gyarados, huh?" Sylvia whistled.
"Yup, something like that," Misty nodded. "See, I love training Gyarados, but he can be a little unwieldy. Even after all we've been through together, his temper tantrums can still be hard to keep under control, you know how it is."
She turned to Akira, clearly expecting him to agree with her.
And yeah, Satsuki'd had her fair share of temper tantrums before.
"Yeah, I mean, Satsuki is a lot more modest and docile than most Gyarados, but even she can get violent sometimes," he admitted. "Usually though it's only when I'm using her in pokemon battles and she gets angry at my opponents. I've never seen her snap while training."
"Wow, talk about jealous," Misty sighed. "But yeah. If I train Gyarados in the gym, let's just say that the repairs would be a little… costly."
Akira and Sylvia could picture the damage that a rampaging Gyarados could do in Misty's gym. Akira was surprised she'd even let him release Satsuki in the first place considering that.
"So that's why we're here, you want to train your Gyarados," Akira realized.
"Well, not exactly, but you're on the right track," Misty nodded.
Sylvia rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Akira, haven't you figured it out yet? She doesn't just want to train her own Gyarados, she wants you to train yours."
Akira gasped in surprise. He hadn't even considered that. "OH, I just… well, so that's why you had me bring my pokeballs with me."
"So what do you think?" Misty asked hopefully. "I've helped you take care of your other pokemon, so let's try working together with your Gyarados!"
Akira was a little reluctant. He was still worried about Satsuki's condition. But at the same time, just bringing her out for introductions wouldn't be so bad, right?
"I'm not sure if I should really be training with her," Akira admitted. "I don't want to push her too far, considering… her condition."
"That's okay," Misty assured him. "I checked her out while she was resting, and she looks healthy. I think she'll be fine if we take this slow, what do you think?"
Akira considered it briefly, and nodded. "Come on out, Satsuki," he said, sending out his partner. Satsuki emerged on the other side of the bridge, a brilliant shining red Gyarados to contrast with Misty's blue one.
"Gyara?" Satsuki asked, tilting her head to the side and looking at Akira. She was clearly confused what was going on.
"Hey, sorry, we're going to be doing some training," Akira explained. He turned to Misty for confirmation. "So… what are we actually going to be doing? What does this training entail anyway?" He asked.
"Oh, that's easy!" Misty said. "We're just going to practice using a few Water type moves, that's what we tend to do, right, Gyarados?"
"Gyarados!" Gyarados nodded with a roar, leveling a glare at Satsuki.
"…" Akira turned to look at the house, pretty close by to where they were going to be doing this training. "We don't have to worry about two Gyarados being here and starting a fight, do we?" He asked Misty, a little concerned.
Misty blinked. "Huh? No, I don't think so, why?"
"Well, if they go on a rampage, then wouldn't we end up causing some serious problems?" He asked, pointing at the house.
Misty gave it a dismissive glance. She shrugged her shoulders.
"No, the only person who lives there is some crazy guy," she said. "He probably won't even notice. Just keep your Gyarados under control, and I'll do the same with mine. I've never had a problem like that before."
Akira took another look at Misty's Gyarados. He didn't exactly look like the kind of pokemon that could be kept under control.
"Gyarados," he snarled.
Yeah. Definitely not.
"It won't be a problem!" Misty assured him with a smile, giving him a thumbs' up. "I train out here all the time! And Gyarados only gets a little violent sometimes, when my pokemon push him too hard! Don't worry!"
"Gyarados," Satsuki smiled at Akira, nodding. She was clearly trying to be reassuring, but Akira wasn't exactly relieved by the look of fury he saw in her eyes.
If their Gyarados were going to fight, he wasn't sure they would go easy. Nor was he sure that they would keep from destroying the cape, either.
Sylvia had other concerns. She cleared her throat and raised her hand. "So, like… am I needed here for anything?" She asked. "Because if not, there's other stuff I could be doing, you know, I feel like I really am here as kind of a third wheel."
So Akira and Satsuki are going to start training! Hopefully there won't be any problems that happened the last time Akira used her to fight. No genetic abnormalities, please.