This section is dedicated to someone who reached out to me while writing this book. They did not disclose their species, but they go by the special name Negrek, and requested that I write and warn about Berserk Genes.
At shady markets and hidden-away shops, you might find a strange double-helix-shaped object for sale. These are Berserk Genes, and they are not something you should buy under any circumstance, for many reasons.
Berserk Genes are both illegal, dangerous, and the very reason they exist is highly immoral.
If they get close enough to your brain, they will absorb into you, and you'll lose almost all control of yourself for a long time, in exchange for a massive increase in power. While it could be as short as an hour, the longest recorded duration of a berserk gene's effects is seven months. I hope that's enough of a deterrent away from these dangerous items.
To explain why Berserk Genes exist, I first need to talk about the Pokemon Mewtwo.
I'm sure you all know the story of the human relics on Friend Peninsula here in the Air Continent. About 500 years ago, a Weavile claiming to be a human and his Thievul partner showed up out of nowhere, built the Abandoned Lab and Power Plant, and promptly disappeared. Seemingly the only human who had nothing to do with any crisis, if he even was really human. Though in my opinion, seeing the technology there, far beyond anything our world has even today, let alone in the 1500s, I believe Weavile was human.
Nonetheless, what's less known is what happened shortly after the two disappeared.
Nobody knows what truly happened. Some say they manifested themselves into our world through sheer force of will. Some say a giant vortex appeared in the sky and spat them out. Some say that whatever purpose Weavile and Thievul made the Abandoned Lab for created them.
Whatever the case may be, there was a new legendary here on the Air Continent, and they were angry. Mewtwo was here.
Mewtwo immediately lashed out at the nearest settlement when they tried to interact with Mewtwo, and quickly retreated into the Abandoned Lab.
As it would be over a century before the Legendary Lucario would unite the rescue teams of the Air Continent, organized rescue teams were few and far between. However, one plucky rescue team decided to investigate the lab.
As the story goes, they found Pokemon in strange tanks inside the lab, and Mewtwo was trying to make more of them. The rescue team and Mewtwo battled, and supposedly, after seeing one of the team members perform a selfless act, Mewtwo disappeared.
When they tried to release the Pokemon in the tanks, they wouldn't wake up. They breathed, but a psychic-type who investigated said that their brains couldn't think. No records of Pokemon who looked like them going missing existed, so the leading theory is that either they came here with Mewtwo, or Mewtwo created them.
As for how Berserk Genes tie into all of this, when one of the tank Pokemon was injured accidentally while being laid to rest, they dissolved into hundreds of thousands of strange double-helix objects. Nobody knew what this was, but one Pokemon, upon hearing about this, went around to the other tank Pokemon gravesites, dug them up, and tore them into more of these, before going off to sell them.
They quickly gained the slang name "Berserk" after the effect they cause, and they were widespread enough that even today you can find them at many black markets.
It's a sad story of graverobbing and disrespect, and I truly hope their usage dies out soon.
You may be wondering why they're called Berserk Genes, instead of just Berserk. Well, approximately half a century ago, genetics had a breakthrough. DNA was discovered, and it bears the same striking double helix structure as Berserk. Some people theorized that Berserk was related to DNA, and thus, Berserk started being referred to as Berserk Genes.
Berserk Genes have a lookalike item! Berserk Jeans! While they look similar to Berserk Genes, they only have one bar in the double helix instead of multiple. When soaked in water, they will grow in size, becoming a pair of tailless leg-coverings. When worn, they increase your move strength, at the cost of making it a lot easier for you to become confused. They started appearing approximately around when Berserk Genes got their present name. They're a much, much safer alternative to Berserk Genes, as long as you have the body type to be able to wear them. Cutting a tail hole in them won't work, as that will negate the effects, so only species such as Sawk will be able to utilize them.
Before I end this section off, I would like to talk a little more about Mewtwo.
While many think that Mewtwo was malicious, I do not believe so.
If it was, why would they have fled after seeing kindness from the rescue team that came to confront them?
A big portion of the information here was from Negrek, they had unusually proficient knowledge of genetics, and they had a handprint signature I've never seen before. I think I know what their species is.
I believe there is more to this story, and someday, I wish to know the full truth of it.
And that's all I have to say about Berserk Genes! This is one item you do not want to have.