Professor Pine of Frostbrae City has been researching the Berserk Gene — a biological switch that, when triggered by the right signal, drives a Pokemon into fight-or-flight mode and produces strength and defense beyond anything normal training achieves. The question of what it costs is not one the professor has publicly engaged with. Pokemon Berserk is a fan-made darker interpretation of the franchise. Players are beta testers for the Awakening Ring, the device Pine developed to trigger the Gene. The NDA signed at the start of the game turns out to have been there for a reason.