There's someone else who's planning to go to the Orre Region, and she's someone who we're just starting to know. While it's interesting to focus on the Commander, this chapter is really going to turn the whole board upside down with its revelation. You're going to be looking at the upcoming arc from a whole new angle.

KedharS: Oh, you have no idea.

The Harmonium: It's definitely something to think about.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: There are definitely going to be interesting elements, that's for sure. Orre has a lot of surprises in store for it.

JoshGamerV: "In a world, where ten year olds are treated as adults…"

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 809

Ange walked across the campus with purpose. The other students gave her a wide berth. Anyone who got in her way would be the subject of a stern glare and a lashing from her harsh tongue, if they were lucky.

Her cold mask was to hide her inner insecurities and doubts. Regardless of what she had stated, her feelings about traveling to the Orre Region were complicated. Especially because of what she would have to leave behind.

The halls of Victini Hall were unsurprisingly empty. Most students were too busy with their preparations to spend any more time in the academic buildings than their coursework required, and she was no exception. But unlike them, there was something very important about her trip that was located here, something irreplaceable.

She knocked on Professor Reinhart's door, holding her breath in anticipation.

He opened the door, surprised. "Oh, Ange. What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you for another two hours," the professor replied.

A big smile burst across Ange's face and she leapt across the threshold, throwing her arms around the professor and hugging him tightly.

"Dad!" She grinned, staring up at him with sparkling eyes.

"Whoof, that was a lot," Professor Reinhart grunted, failing to resist the smile crossing his face. He led Ange into his office and closed the door behind her, walking over to the desk. "What can I do for you, Ange?"

Ange looked mopey. "I just wanted to talk to you, dad," she explained, glancing shyly up at him. "After all, we won't be able to see each other for more than a month while I'm in the Orre Region, I needed to see you before I left!"

Aurore sighed, and gave his adopted daughter a warm smile. "Don't you think it's about time you stopped being this dependent? I heard you misbehaved like crazy while I was studying in Galar with the expedition party."

Ange's expression soured, returning to her usual hard look. She crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed. "That's because you didn't take me with you," she replied. "Even though you were researching the Oracles."

Aurore sighed again. Ange just wouldn't let the topic go. "Ange, we've talked about this, my study with the Oracles-"

"I know!" Ange interrupted him. They'd had this conversation a million times. She held her hand over her chest. "I know you're doing all this important research into the Oracles… and I know that it's dangerous, but dad, you've been working on this for years! And I…"

Her eyes started to tear up.

"I just want to help you…"

Aurore couldn't help the look of sadness in her eyes. His attachment to Ange had begun the moment he met her, and even now he found it hard to resist her hopeful look.

"Dad… I want your research into the Oracles and the Hisui Region to pay off," Ange said softly. "All those stories you told me when I was little, about the legends from history and your desire to prove them as fact… I fell in love with those stories, dad. You're the reason I entered the Research Course, it's all to prove those theories of yours correct!"

Ever since she was a little girl, Ange had watched her foster father research ruins and ancient civilizations. He had traveled all over the world, but the place he centered the most of his focus was in the Sinnoh Region. He would tell her stories about ancient Sinnoh and the myths associated with the region, and most interestingly, the Oracles. They were ancient stones, each associated with a type of pokemon. Professor Reinhart believed there was a connection between the Oracles and the legends of Sinnoh.

But when he proposed that theory to the committee, he was laughed out of the room. He had based this off of a single stone, after all, along with assorted myths and legends about other, hypothetical stones, with nothing to base them in fact.

Ange had seen her father break down after that. It had crushed her inside, and filled her with anger, as well. Her father was a genius! The science committees just didn't understand the extent of his knowledge and research, that was all.

That was the reason she pushed forward. It was what drove her. If they wouldn't recognize her father's research, then she would force them to recognize it. She would prove he was correct if it took her a lifetime of work to do it. It was the least she could do for the man who had taken her in when she had no one, and gave her a home.

And she would be doing it side by side with her beloved father. In spite of the rejection from the scientific community, Professor Reinhart had never ceased in his research. He continued to look into legends across the world, intent on finding those Oracles they both knew had to be out there somewhere.

That was one of the reasons she had been so distraught about not being able to join him on his trip to the Galar Region last semester. He had been following a lead that suggested one of the Oracles was located in the ruins of Stow-on-Side, and she had wanted to be there with him.

But he had forbidden it. He'd told her that her duties were to her studies, and that he had assistants who could do that work for him, including several sophomores and juniors.

That hadn't made her feel any better about it.

It had been a miserable two weeks without her father, and this trip to the Orre Region was certain to be even more miserable. Over a MONTH without being able to see him? That was unthinkable! Her father was everything to her, the thought of not being with him for that long…

Why did he have to be on sabbatical? Why couldn't he be one of the teacher chaperones for the trip? It would be wonderful, like a family outing.

It would certainly give her a lot more to look forward to than whatever it was the Phantom had planned with those accursed Shadow Pokemon of his.

Ange hadn't told her father about that. As far as she knew, he was completely unaware of her connection with Richard Valon and his organization. And it was imperative that it remain that way, for his sake.

Her father was a brilliant man, but he was a little too kind for his own good. He would never let her work with the Phantom if he knew what the man was up to.

And honestly, he would be right. The thought of Shadow Pokemon turned her stomach. Someone like her, who loved her pokemon and treasured them in spite of their quirks and flaws, the idea of corrupting them and turning them into heartless weapons made her sick.

But she didn't have that luxury. In order to validate her father's research and prove definitively the nature of the Oracles and their connection to the myths of the Sinnoh Region, she needed to work with the Phantom. He was the one who had all the connections she would need to establish herself as an authority, and the resources to support her. This Renegade System he had designed would be instrumental in that.

She just had to swallow her disgust and avoid looking at herself in the mirror.

Aurore could see that Ange was torn. He didn't know what it was that hurt her, but he assumed correctly that she was disappointed, at least.

That didn't make him feel very good. He wanted Ange to be all smiles, that was his reason for keeping his research about the Oracles away from her in the first place. He knew it was a cruel thing to do, given her support of him and her love of the Hisui Region. She repeatedly stated her desire to help him in his research, however she could.

But unfortunately, he couldn't take the risk. If he got her involved, that would result in a different problem, because he wasn't the only one looking for the Oracles. As long as that group known as the Children of the Oracles were involved, Ange would not be safe getting involved in his research. And he wasn't about to let that happen.

But at the same time, he could at least give her a little bit of a treat, couldn't he?

He thought about the choice he was about to make, and eventually decided it was okay. "Ange, tell you what, I have something I want to show you."

The smile on his face and the twinkle in his eye did wonders for her mood. She brightened with curiosity and walked even closer to the desk.

"What do you mean, dad?" She asked.

Aurore rose from his safe and walked over to one of the shelves. He slid back a panel underneath one of the books to reveal a tiny key hole, taking a key off his chain and turning it. A click sounded out and across the room, a spot on the floor opened up.

"You upgraded the security of the place?" Ange asked, amazed.

"This is what I've spent my sabbatical doing," Aurore explained, walking over to the floor panel and lifting it up to reveal a floor safe. "I realized when there were a few… rambunctious intruders a few weeks back, that I needed to improve my security system."

He crouched beside the safe and turned the lock, cracking it open. A large wooden box decorated in white and gold was nestled down inside of it. He lifted it out, straining a little. It was lighter than it looked, but not by a whole lot. He set it down on and lifted the lid.

Ange gasped in disbelief as she saw what was inside.

The lining of the box was white satin, and there were 18 indents in 3 rows of six. And nestled into those indents were stones. Ange knew immediately what they were.

There were a lot of empty slots, much to her disappointment. But she was still amazed.

There were four stones in the box. One was familiar, she had studied it ever since she was a little girl. It was shiny and black, and glowed like a starry night sky. But the other three she had never seen before. One was a milky white and seemed to glow; another was an angry reddish-purple; the third was a deep blue, like the ocean.

They were Oracles. The professor had found three more Oracles!

"In my research, with the help of several acquaintances of mine, these have come under my possession," Professor Reinhart explained. "They're Oracles."

"You have four of them now," Ange murmured. She was so overjoyed, she ignored the disappointment that came with the fact that the professor had hidden this from her until now. That didn't matter when her dream was so close to fulfillment.

"This one was found in the Nature Preserve by Unova," the professor explained, gesturing to the shiny white Oracle. He chose not to mention that it was found by one of the students. "And this one over here, the blue one, was found in a deep undersea cavern by an adventurer known as Uboss Akana." Again, he decided not to mention Marion's involvement in that little excursion.

"What about this last one?" Ange asked, pointing at the purple and red Oracle. "Where'd that come from, dad?" She was hanging on every word.

Aurore was a little tense about telling her that.

"It… well, actually, I found it on that expedition I went to, in the Galar Region," he carefully said, ignoring his student's involvement for the third time. "It was hidden behind that mural in Stow-on-Side, remember? The one I told you about?"

He watched his daughter warily. That was still a sensitive subject, after all, and he expected her to break down into another tantrum at the fact that she had been forced to miss an expedition where a real Oracle had been discovered.

But no, she took it amazingly well. She was all smiles as she looked at them.

"That's amazing, dad!" She gushed, her blue eyes glowing. "You thought that there was an Oracle there, and there actually was!?"

He nodded. "Yeah, that's right," he said, relieved that she wasn't upset with him. "It was quite a puzzle to get it out, let me tell you."

"This means that there's real proof that your research is working, isn't that right?" Ange pressed. "After all, you were looking for the Oracles because of all the notes you took on lore, and one of them was located right where you were searching! What about the other locations?!"

"There are a few I'm thinking about," the professor said, but he wasn't going to give anything away. He didn't have the heart to tell her that, according to his sources, the Children of the Oracles had already obtained the Oracle in Mt. Silver and the one from Mt. Chimney, to the best of his knowledge. He had no idea about Caelia.

And he certainly wasn't going to tell Ange that Alcea Vermeil had one, either. That would be asking for trouble.

"Dad…" Ange looked up from the box, her eyes watering. She was resisting the urge to cry tears of joy. After so many years, it looked like her father's research was finally paying off. "This is… this is great, dad, really. Next time you go on an expedition to find the location of one of them, um… do you mind if I come, too?"

She looked up at him hopefully, and he didn't have the heart to reject her outright. He sighed and shrugged, forcing a smile to his face. "I-I'll see what I can do," he offered. It was the best he could really afford at this point.

But no way in hell was he actually going to take Ange with him to explore one of those ruins. It was far too dangerous for her. She might have been a capable trainer, but she couldn't stand up to an organization like that. She would get killed, and that wouldn't happen on his watch.

To his relief, she didn't press the issue. He narrowed her eyes and stood up, standing face to face with him. Her expression looked like it meant business.

"Dad, I want you to promise me something, okay?" She asked.

"…What is it?" Aurore asked, not sure if he could agree to something like that out of hand.

"I want you to do your best to find these Oracles," she requested. "But when you do… I want to be there with you."

Oh great. That was what he'd been fearing. He had said he would consider letting her go on the next one, and she had clearly warped that into a statement that he would be taking her with him on all of them.

"Ange…"

"Don't get me wrong, I know why you don't want me to go," Ange said. "You're afraid that if things go bad, that I could get caught up in something. I am just a student, after all, it makes sense that you wouldn't want me involved in a professional expedition."

Well, that was almost sort of right, anyway.

"But don't worry, dad," she smiled. "I'm going to be graduating soon. And when I do, then we'll have all the time in the world for research!"

So basically, Aurore was now on a ticking clock. He had to get all the Oracles before his daughter graduated. Great.

But while the professor was keeping his intentions secret from Ange, there was something she was keeping from him, as well.

And that was the fact that she was intending to collect the Oracles herself.

That was the deal.

"Once the Renegade System is complete, and my goals are realized, then the Oracles will be nothing more than interesting hunks of rock," the Phantom had promised her. "You can have every last one of them for all I care."

She couldn't wait to see the smile on her father's face when she set the Oracles down on his desk. It made this whole mess worth it.

"No hunting down Oracles while I'm in the Orre Region, okay, dad?" She insisted, puffing up her cheeks like a brat. Her play at irritation would serve as a brilliant distraction from her real goals. "And if you get one, I better be the first to know, got it?"

Professor Reinhart nodded. It was pretty much all he could do, at this point. Thankfully, it was enough to soothe her temper.

"Well, then I need to get going," Ange smiled. She gave her dad one last hug. "I have a lot of packing to do for the Orre trip!"

"You make sure to bring a bunch of changes of clothes, got it?" Aurore insisted. "It's a desert, things will get dirty really fast."

"I know, dad, I remember that time in Hoenn," she laughed. "I'll be just fine."

"And try to make some friends, too? I know your pokemon are your friends, but some real human friends wouldn't hurt either. Do you have anybody you can see the sights with? I know Orre is kind of sparse, but you'll have a lot more fun if you're with other people!"

Well, she wouldn't exactly call them friends, but she did have people she was traveling with, at least. That had to count for something. So she smiled politely and nodded. "Yes, dad, I'll try to make some friends."

Keeping herself from turning this into a tearful goodbye, Ange turned and headed out the door, back to her dorm. There was a skip in her step; she couldn't believe her father already had four Oracles! And when she got back from the Orre Region, she'd be coming back with a surprise for him.

She had kept it secret, because she knew what he would say when he found out. But according to the Phantom, the location of one of the Oracles was in the Orre Region. He knew that, because he had been there before and had seen it for himself.

That was what she was looking forward to. Not anything stupid like making friends, and certainly not the Phantom's experiments with the Shadow Pokemon.

There was an Oracle in the Orre Region, and Ange planned to bring it back and show it to her father. And when she did, he would see that he could trust her with his research, and they could go on more expeditions to find them.

The thought of spending that time with her father warmed her heart. She'd always felt a little distant from him because they weren't related by blood, but their shared love of myths and legends was what made her feel like they were really a family.

And if she had to tear the Orre Region apart for his sake, then she would.

So it looks like there's going to be more going on in the Orre Region than just the skirmish with the Daevas. A lot more. But that's something you'll have to see for yourselves.