Misato and Eve's fight continues, but as they fight, they both start to question just what it really means to be human. Some violence in this chapter, but mainly philosophy. We'll see just what the true nature of this strange creature known as "Eve" really is. It may not be what you expect.

The Elimination Round of the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Contest 3 has started! Make sure to get those votes in, we've only got a couple of people who have voted so far! Please, make sure to get those votes in! You can vote for up to 5 girls, so make sure your favorites have a chance to shine!

Nominated: Ange, Ayame, Caelia, Chloe, Cynthia, Donoma, Elaina, Kate, Maddi, Marion, Misato, Ryoko, Sango, Satsuki, Sylvia, Vic

KedharS: She's very much like a wild pokemon who's been cornered. I wonder just how much of this is even her own will.

Hyphenman: I think that's a very valid desire, if you ask me. I too would like to hear him scream. Painfully, as well.

Leppyvstheworld: I think she's a little more resilient than that.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 976

Misato struggled to stand, but her body was twitching. Sparks crackled out of the engine on her back, and for a second, the Phantom wondered if she was irreparably damaged.

But he didn't need to be concerned. She swiftly rose to her feet and the field of plasma extended over her body again, and she spread her wings and grabbed her sword and shield.

It was just in time, too, because Eve had taken to the sky herself, aiming to escape from this place and find the source of the voice who was calling out to her.

Misato would not let that happen.

Flapping her wings, she shot up into the air like a bolt of lightning rising from the ground, shooting through the sky and striking Eve in the back. Shocked, Eve tumbled out of the air and crashed through the deck of the S.S. Libra

"Analysis complete," Misato said, touching down on the bow of the ship. In spite of her words, the crazed smile hadn't left her face, and her body was still twitching. She quickly regained control, however, with Discord returning her body to her temporarily so she could assess the situation and speak with the strange girl.

"In spite of significant power and potential fighting ability, test subject 'Eve' lacks experience in combat. Her inability to utilize her adaptation technique in combat is statistically significant, altering chances of success to 55%," she analyzed.

Eve flew up from the hole she punched through and landed on the deck, staring up at Misato. Her wings shrank back into her body.

Then she spoke.

"You… what are you?" She asked curiously.

"I am a Mechadoll. An artificial construction designed for interacting with human beings and fulfilling their needs."

Eve blinked.

"So you're not human?"

"Negative. Although my appearance resembles that of a human, it is not possible to regard me as human. …Regardless of any intention on my part," she added, though she was not quite sure why. Perhaps it was one of the debilitating effects Discord had on her processing ability? She decided that was the answer.

Eve stared up at her. She was silent for a long time. Misato made no move to capture her. She was analyzing potential scenarios, and calculated the likelihood of bringing Eve back if she made the first move. It was statistically more likely that capturing Eve would be possible if the girl exhausted her transformation ability, so Misato would wait for her to do so.

But it seemed that, finally, the artificial creature wanted to talk instead of fight.

"What am I?" She asked quietly.

Misato's reply was automatic. "Without further analysis of your composition I cannot answer that question with 100% certainty. But from the data I possess, I would hypothesize that you are an artificial life-form created from the DNA of the pokemon Mew mixed with the DNA of a human being. Furthermore, by stimulating your DNA, you are capable of assuming the form of any pokemon, either partially or completely. No limits have been asserted at this time. No parameters have been asserted at this time."

Eve glanced down at her hand. It transformed into the blade of a Scyther, and then transformed back. She looked back up at Misato.

"So I am not human?"

"Negative. Until further analysis is performed, it can be assumed that your DNA is a hybrid of pokemon and human DNA, thus the classification of 'human' is an inappropriate designation. You do not meet the required parameters to be considered human."

"Don't listen to her!"

Eve's head snapped to the side, and she saw Wes standing in the sand. He'd managed to crawl out of the pit in the ground after bandaging up Professor Decker as best as he could. Without being able to do anything else for the old man, he figured that the most important thing he could do right now was help get through to this… whatever she was.

Eve tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Explain."

"She's a robot," Wes hissed. "What does she know about being human?"

"Your assertion is incorrect. I am a Mechadoll," Misato corrected him. "Furthermore, I have done extensive study on the nature of human beings and their performance. If you desire, I can provide you with all the information I have composed on the subject of 'being human'."

"I don't care about any of that!" Wes shouted up to her. He grabbed onto the railing on the side of the boat, and climbed aboard the deck. Unlike Eve, he was having trouble standing on the slanted wood, but managed to keep his balance.

He looked Eve in the eye.

"Being a human isn't about data or information, and it's not about your DNA, either. It's about here," he said, slapping his chest. "Your heart."

"Elaborate," Misato requested. "You appear to be indicating that the intrinsic qualities of being human are located within the heart. Please provide further elaboration on this topic."

"I'm not talking to you right now," he snapped. He didn't really care one way or the other about the Mechadoll, he was concerned solely for the girl in front of him. He didn't know what she was, not really, and the fact that she'd so easily stabbed her creator was troublesome. But he didn't want to believe that she was just some mindless killing machine, because she wasn't made to be that way. In Wes's eyes she still had a chance. And he was going to give it to her.

Misato's eye twitched. Her body seized up as Discord regained partial control. "Zi!" She sputtered, shaking, "zizizizizizi!"

Wes glanced over to her, and it was a good thing he did, because she was charging right at him. She swung her sword and his heard nearly stopped in his chest, he didn't have the reaction time to respond to such speed, but he didn't need to.

Eve leapt in the way, creating a shield to block the attack.

"Eve?" Wes whispered, shocked. He hadn't expected her to save him like that. But now that she had, it made him feel… what was he feeling right now? Vindication? Was that it? Maybe a little bit of hope to go along with that.

But what he saw next frightened him.

"Do not… understand…" Misato whispered. Her body was shaking. "DO NOT! UNDERSTAND! DO NOT! DO NOT! DO NOT!"

She swung her sword at Eve's shield over and over, trying futilely to break through it. They weren't the actions of a calculating machine, but those of a deranged pokemon. Or maybe she was a little bit of both at the moment, Wes couldn't even begin to guess.

Misato stumbled back, twitching. While her plasma arms continued their assault on Eve's shield, her real arm reached up and clutched at her chest. An expression crossed her face that to Wes's eye looked almost human.

"I am not… a human…" Misato whispered. "I do not… have such abilities. Emotions… dreams… freedom… I lack these things. I am… aware of this. But I… but I…"

Her programming was running haywire. Discord was causing too much damage. It was dangerous to interface with the Porygon-Z for too long. There wasn't a risk of catastrophic failure or even long-term damage to her processing abilities, but the longer this went on the harder it was to function properly. Discord was affecting her processors and making it so that her programmed responses were not reflecting the proper situational response.

She couldn't determine the source of the words escaping her lips.

"Why is it not possible for me to be human?" Her voice demanded. "Even if I am a Mechadoll… can I not still be human as well!? Answer me!"

She stumbled forward, attacking with everything she had. She opened her mouth and fired a flash cannon at Eve's feet, blasting another hole in the deck and causing her to stumble through. The minute she did, Misato made her move, lunging for Wes.

She could have cut him in half with her sword or bashed him to death with her shield. She could have fried him with the plasma field wrapped around her, or even punched him into pulp with her bare hands. But she didn't do any of those things. Instead, she collapsed at his feet, staring up at him with questioning eyes.

"…What am I?" She whispered, her body shaking. "What should I be?"

Wes didn't know how to answer that. He couldn't even begin to think of the right response to Misato's question. All he could do was stare incredulously at the trembling Mechadoll, wondering what the hell was wrong with her.

She was just a machine. But it looked like she was about to cry.

Before he could begin to answer, Eve erupted from below the deck. She had jumped into the air with the legs of a Hitmonlee, and pulled back her fist. As she did, her arm stretched and grew to nearly double in size, thick with powerful muscles. An arm exactly like it then erupted from her back. The brute force of a Machamp slammed into Misato, knocking her off the boat and into the sand.

This time she didn't get back up.

Eve's arms returned to normal, and she turned her attention to Wes. He was still shaken.

"…Here," Eve said, placing her hand over her heart. "You said the meaning of being human was found here?"

"Y-Yeah," Wes said, standing up. "That's right."

"And other humans cannot transform their bodies this way, correct?" Eve asked.

"That's right," Wes nodded.

"So I am not human then," Eve said. "I am… a pokemon?"

"Does that really matter though?" Wes asked. "Whether you're a human or a pokemon on a genetic level, the only thing that matters is your heart. My wife… my daughter… they're different from other humans. They have abilities too."

"Like mine?"

"Not exactly, no," he admitted. "Their abilities are more… mental, I suppose. But that doesn't make them any less human. It just means that they're different. And that's okay. It's what you do that judges the kind of human you are."

"What I can do is transform," Eve replied.

Wes shook his head. "No, that's not what I mean. When I'm talking about what you 'do' what I mean is that there are right and wrong things to do. Good things and bad things."

"And the people who do good things are humans?" Eve asked.

"What? No, it's not that simple. What I mean is that all humans are capable of doing good things and evil things, and it's the choice of which ones we do that defines who we are." He looked down, a shadow crossing over his face. "When I was younger… I did a lot of evil things. And I've done good since then, but still, sometimes I wonder if it's enough."

"What does it mean? Right and wrong?" Eve asked. "I feel like… I know, and yet… I don't know. The words… I know their meaning, but it still doesn't feel real to me…" She squeezed her chest tighter and winced.

"Tell me something, Eve, why did you stab Professor Decker before?" Wes asked.

Eve's pained expression shifted to a look of confusion. "Was it wrong for me to do that?"

"I-I don't know how to answer that," Wes admitted. It was a complicated situation, to be sure. "Has he ever hurt you before? Done anything bad to you?"

She shook her head. "He was not the one whose voice I heard. But he still tried to tell me what to do. I felt… angry? Is that what that is? Yes, angry. Angry because he created me, but would not let me find the person I'm looking for."

She raised her head and looked Wes in the eye. "Tell me, was that 'wrong'?" She asked.

If Wes had been asked that question by his daughter he would have said "yes" automatically. But he hesitated. Because a part of him didn't want to upset the girl in front of him, who was capable of killing him in about a thousand ways.

But that hesitation lasted only for a moment. "Yes," he said matter-of-factly. Whatever his own feelings about Professor Decker were, there was no doubt in his mind that callously stabbing him like that was absolutely "wrong".

"That was wrong. You had the power to restrain him and stop him without needing to put his life in danger. So that was definitely 'wrong'," he told her. Now he just had to wait for the girl to put a lance through HIS chest next.

"Why was that wrong?" Eve asked. "Because killing is bad? I har part of myself saying that right now, in fact. 'Killing is wrong'. 'Killing is bad'. 'Don't hurt others'. There are so many things the voice is telling me right now."

"Well in that case, can I ask why you tried to kill him, even though you knew it was wrong?" Wes asked cautiously.

Eve paused. She thought about it. Her hand shifted down to her stomach.

"I remember pain," she said quietly. "Here. Why is that? I first woke up today, and yet… my body remembers… my mind sees pictures, images… I see so much pain. Blood… blood everywhere… what is this I'm feeling?"

Wes couldn't begin to guess. He didn't have any idea what Eve was going through at the moment. Neither did Eve. Her only memories were those from her dreams, that had to be the case because she hadn't woken up until now. But the dreams she had… the smiling face of a boy, the warmth of his hand in hers, the feeling of lips pressed up against her own… her body was remembering these things, even if she couldn't understand them. And most of all, her body remembered pain. Her body remembered the sensation of dying.

Her body remembered being Dakota Evans.

"You don't have to keep being violent anymore," Wes assured her. "I actually… I had a pokemon like you, in fact. All he knew was suffering and pain. He lashed out violently against everyone around him, and deep down he didn't even know why. He just did it, because pain and destruction were the only things he knew how to do. It was what he was created for."

"And was that what I was created for?" Eve asked.

"…I think…" Wes honestly didn't know. He had no idea what had gone through the mind of the madman that was Professor Decker. What would compel someone to create an artificial pokemon like this? He couldn't begin to fathom such depravity.

But he did know enough to know that it wasn't that simple. He remembered the professor's words, speaking out against the Phantom's decision to create the Shadow Pokemon and his treatment of pokemon as tools. For whatever horrible things he did, there was no doubt in Wes's mind that Professor Decker loved pokemon in his own twisted way.

And he certainly thought of Eve as his daughter.

"I don't think the professor created you for any reason at all," he admitted. "Not to be a weapon, or to kill. He created you because… he just wanted to meet you, that's all." A small smile crossed his lips as he thought of Victoria. "To him… you were the most amazing thing he could imagine. Someone he could love and care for, and yes, someone he could show off and be proud of as well, but he probably thought that you were his greatest achievement… no, he certainly did. But not a weapon or a tool. I think he really wanted you to make your own decisions and your own path, at least… that's what I think, anyway."

Eve stared at him quietly for a long time. For a moment, Wes thought he saw tears start to well up in the girl's eyes.

"Really?" She whispered. The tears rolled down her cheeks.

Wes nodded. It seemed like he was finally getting through to her. "As a parent myself… I believe that's what he really wanted."

"What… I want to do…" Eve murmured.

"You don't have to hurt people or be violent," Wes gently urged her. "There are so many great things you could accomplish with your abilities. And if you like, I could help you. If you're afraid of those dark emotions inside of you welling up, I can help you control them just like I helped Giraud."

Eve bit her lip, trying to sift through the memories of Dakota. It was hard. She saw jumbles of things, pictures and flashes, and voices, but nothing concrete enough to latch onto. The strongest thing was that voice. The person calling out to her. Who was he? And why did her heart ache to see him so badly?

"I… what I want…"

She didn't have time to finish that thought. The end of her statement went unheard over the sound of gunfire, and she pitched forward.

"Eve!" Wes exclaimed, catching the girl before she fell. There was a hole in her back where the bullet had lodged itself.

"You…" The Phantom climbed onto the deck, smoke still coming from his gun. His other hand was covered in blood and hanging uselessly at his side. He wasn't smiling a false smile anymore, the look in his eyes was that of a madman. "I'm taking… that thing back with me…" he growled.

"I-I…" Eve struggled to stand, her body already healing. She pushed Wes away and turned to defend herself against her attacker, but she froze.

Those eyes. Those sickening green eyes, no longer hidden behind sunglasses but exposed for everyone to see.

It snapped into her mind like a photograph. Those green eyes staring coldly down at her as she bled out, the waves of pain and terror and anger washing over her as her body helplessly lay dying on the library floor.

"NOOOOOOO!" She clutched at her head and screamed, falling to her knees, and her entire body started to transform.

Uh-oh. That's not good. What terrible timing, too, Wes was actually starting to get through to her for a moment there. But of course the Phantom had to come and cock it all up.