So I've been brainstorming another alternate reality setting for "Columbia State", one that has a lot more focus on inflation (especially berry-related stuff and perma-popping), and last night I spontaneously wrote a story to serve as a preview of it! Currently I'm calling the setting "Expanding State" to fit with my naming scheme and out of laziness. Also quick shout-out to :userjasufox:, who's helped a lot with ideas for the setting :3.

A lab class accident has worse consequences for an unfortunate student than originally expected...

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Passing Grade:
By: IndigoRho

The fragrant cloud of thick red smoke erupted from the beaker so fast Martin had no time to react, coughing loudly as he was deprived of air. The slim weasel stumbled backwards a few steps, wiping residue from his eyes and doing his best to escape the accident. His chubby raccoon lab partner, Wade, had managed to avoid the suspicious cloud in time, and he was keeping a safe distance along with their fellow classmates. A couple more coughs finally cleared his lungs, and with his vision restored Martin frantically started examining his paws, terrified of what the unexpected chemical reaction might do to him.

Martin didn't notice Professor Fisher—a massive black bear in a well-kept suit—lumbering in his direction, head shaking. “I expect these kind of accidents from the first years, but not from a Junior like yourself Mr. Martin.”

“I-I-I don't know what happened, we measured everything perfectly!” Martin stammered, still obsessively checking himself for any strange changes even as his professor loomed over him.

“Measuring isn't the only important thing, you know?” Fisher readjusted his glasses and smiled. “Your eyes aren't normally a bright shade of red, are they?”

Martin's heart skipped a beat and he broke into a hard sweat, hoping his professor was merely messing with him. Unfortunately those hopes were harshly dashed as the weasel realized more was wrong. His stomach gurgled loudly, then abruptly started swelling with something cold and heavy. He whimpered and hovered his paws over his middle, afraid that touching it directly would somehow make things worse, panicking further once his fur began to take on a reddish hue. There was no doubt in his mind now he was turning into some kind of berry, but he had no way of knowing just how volatile the transformation would be.

“Looks like you had a rather strong batch there Mr. Martin!” Professor Fisher chuckled, poking his student's now exposed middle as he continued swelling. “Berry affliction is usually a lot more gradual than this.”

The once-slim weasel's body was puffing up all over now, and the seams of his shirt and shorts started tearing apart. “Shit shit shit, I need a juice suppressor, fast!” He was about to hurry to the lab room's aide station until a firm paw on the shoulder kept him in place.

“Just stay right where you are, any rapid movements might make your situation worse,” Professor Fisher insisted, eying his now very red pupil. “I'll grab the meds, just try not to burst while I'm gone.”

A few of the other students laughed at their professor's somewhat unnerving joke, though Martin was too frightened to shoot them glares. There was a constant, albeit faint, bubbling and sloshing coming from within his ballooning body, and the weight of the unseen juice was becoming difficult for the weasel to handle. While his bright red fur already hinted at the mystery liquid being cherry, the sudden shift in his saliva's taste confirmed it. Berrification wasn't an uncommon affliction, and as long as Martin received medication to suppress the creation of juice and a timely antidote at the hospital he'd be fine. Failing to do so could result in the weasel either permanently suffering from berrification or worse: popping.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Professor Fisher took his time grabbing what was necessary to prevent Martin from becoming a juice stain. The large bear was himself a permanent berry—blackberry to be precise—and his round gut sloshed slightly from his own internal juices as he waddled. He'd embraced the odd condition long ago, and though he was able to pass as normal far better than most berries, he didn't go out of his way to conceal it. In Professor Fisher's mind, the world could benefit from having a few more berries; perhaps they wouldn't always be treated like accidents waiting to happen then.

Inevitably Fisher made his way back with the medication, delighted to see Martin taking on a spherical shape. Martin's clothes were in tatters beneath him, and his ridiculously bloated body was rapidly enveloping his swollen limbs. Only Martin's lab partner seemed at all concerned about him, with the rest of the class a mix of curiosity or amusement, the berry students especially snickering and making jokes about the weasel joining “the club”. A hint of relief crossed his round face as Professor Fisher approached with the suppressors, thankful the danger of bursting would soon be gone. He privately wished he could have gotten them sooner, though, as Martin dreaded the thought of being rolled to the nearest juicing station in the building.

“Alright Mr. Martin, if you'd like to stay intact please open wide,” Fisher said, before tossing the pair of vital pills into the weasel's swiftly opened maw.

As soon as Martin had swallowed them Fisher patted his side with a heavy paw, and immediately knew something was...off. He gave the weasel a few more pats of varying degrees, then pressed his paw into him at certain points. Normally someone as full of juice as Martin would have a taut hide with little to no give, but the cherry weasel was somewhat squishy instead. There was only one reason Martin would be exhibiting such a symptom, and fortunately Professor Fisher knew of another test to confirm his suspicions. While Martin nervously awaited the swelling to stop, the professor grabbed him by the sides and gave him a solid shake, catching him by surprise. No audible sloshing followed.

“P-professor, why'd you do that!” Martin shouted in frustration. “What if I'd burst!”

“Well Mr. Martin, the good news is you're in no danger of popping,” Professor Fisher said with a devious smile.

Martin was confused. “Have you looked at me lately? I'm a damn berry now, of course I could pop!”

“That's the problem, you're literally a berry. Tell me Mr. Martin, do you feel any pressure build-up inside your body at all? Does your hide feel stretched thin?” Professor Fisher asked.

Martin almost absentmindedly answered yes to both questions, until he realized neither were true. “I...no. W-what's happening to me!”

“You're not just filling with juice, you're growing a pulpy core, too. Your body's essentially transforming into an actual giant cherry. At least technically.” Professor Fisher's voice didn't come across as very sympathetic. “I'm very impressed Wade and you managed to create that kind of reaction with the materials provided. That's something I'd expect out of graduate students.”

“No no no, the suppressor will stop it, right!” Martin was panicking.

Professor Fisher simply laughed. “You should know better than that Mr. Martin. This type of affliction requires a much more specialized medication, and the closest bottle is in a classroom two floors down. A Junior should also know there isn't a known treatment for reversing the transformation.”

Martin was left speechless at the revelation, essentially a death sentence. To the weasel's horror his body continued expanding, his paws enveloped completely and growing numb. His head sunk further and further into his spherical form, making it incredibly difficult for Martin to talk. “Please, professor...h-help me!”

“Not much I can do for you, Mr. Martin. Your loss will be unfortunate, but at the very least you'll make a wonderful asset to the department's berry research division,” the professor said, smiling. “And Mr. Wade will be getting a rather substantial amount of extra credit for producing an advanced-level reaction. Likely enough to guarantee a passing grade.”

Wade's mood abruptly shifted from worry to joy at the news, while Martin's eyes filled with tears. He couldn't speak anymore, only mumble in terror, and even that noise was gradually silenced as his head was fully enveloped. The massive cherry that only minutes before had been a happy student at Columbia State University continued wobbling for a short while longer before growing still. Martin was gone, transformed into fruit because of the simplest miscalculation. His classmates watched on in awkward silence, most just wondering if they'd be able to get out early that day.

Professor Fisher turned to his class, seemingly unfazed by the abrupt loss of a student. “Alright, Mr. Martin needs to be transferred to a cooler so he can be kept fresh for his new role on campus. You're all free to go, but remember to complete your lab reports by next week!”

The students wasted little time dispersing, and even Wade didn't linger, thankful he had both the rest of the day off and a good chance at a boost to his GPA; he'd worry about finding a new lab partner next week. As soon as he was alone Professor Fisher trudged back over to the aide station with the bottle of juice suppressors. Martin's accident couldn't have happened at a more opportune time. One of the department's older “pure berries” had finally been drained completely just the day before, and ordering a new one would have been fairly costly. Not only would the fresh cherry in his classroom save the college a considerable amount of money, but a healthy specimen like Martin could last for years as long as no accidents occurred. The weasel hadn't been a particularly stand-out student, and in all honestly would be more useful to Professor Fisher as a berry than a pupil. With a smile on his face Professor Fisher placed the juice suppressor in the cabinet right next to a full bottle of berry-transformation medication, before texting a colleague the good news.