Now we continue with Ange's endurance of the horrors of the Orre Region. She gets to experience the brutality of a match in the Pyrite Colosseum first-hand, will she be able to withstand it? Or will the intensity just be too much for her to take?
Saad: Nice to see how excited the chapter developments have made you. Things are definitely getting more exciting, can't wait for you to catch up!
KedharS: Well you're in luck, we're going to be seeing a confrontation between the two of them right here.
Tambry96bj: Yeah, she's really trying to make the most out of this horrible situation. Unfortunately, the Orre Region is a generally horrible place to be.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 903
The matches in the Pyrite Colosseum had been going on for hours at this point. Trainer after trainer had been eliminated, and the tensions were rising even higher in the stadium.
They were down to the final two trainers of the match. From a tournament that had initially started with 16 participants, this meant quite a lot- mainly, it meant that most of the people in the stadium right now had lost their money.
And they weren't exactly thrilled with that. So a lot of them were letting their frustrations out on the trainers who were fighting right now, howling obscenities and demanding one or both of them go to hell.
At the same time, the people who had placed their wagers on one of the two trainers still in the tournament were even MORE fervent than their counterparts. After all, as bitter as the losers might have been, the people who still had money on this outcome were feeling a lot more pressure, and that was causing them to get a vocal.
"YOU BETTER NOT LOSE, YOU HEAR ME?!"
"I SWEAR, IF YOU DON'T WIN THIS FIGHT I'M GONNA GO DOWN THERE AND WRING YOUR SCRAWNY NECK!"
"I'VE GOT EVERYTHING RIDING ON YOU, DON'T YOU FUCKING BLOW THIS, YOU GOT THAT?!"
Those were some of the nicer exclamations that echoed through the stadium as the pokemon battled below. And the Phantom's group was caught in the center of it.
Kiana could only hold her head in shame. When she'd proposed coming to the Pyrite Colosseum to watch the matches, she'd completely misunderstood the sort of environment that a place like this thrived in.
She'd failed to account for the fact that this wasn't going to be like an Alola tournament, where everyone was chill and having a blast. There was a huge difference between what was happening in Pyrite Colosseum right now and the average festival.
She was the chaperone for these students. She was supposed to be the responsible adult here, and make sure that everyone was having a good time and staying safe. She'd been trying the best she could until now, trying to make things work out even when her group had wanted to go to a seedy place like Pyrite Town.
But she definitely wasn't supposed to bring the children to somewhere like this! The air reeked of booze and broken dreams, and she could barely hear herself think over the screams of the outraged. This was nothing like she imagined, the pokemon match wasn't even the point!
Once again, Kiana was finding her prejudices about Pyrite Town and all of the Orre Region were being reconfirmed in the worst of ways.
Kiana wanted to take them and drag them out of here, but that would be akin to admitting that she had messed up as their chaperone. Even if that was the case, it was clear that her respect as an authority figure here was already questionable. If she showed signs of weakness right now, then wouldn't that just confirm to all the students that she couldn't handle it?
And besides, looking around at everyone, it seemed like she was the only one who had a problem with this. No one looked that uncomfortable; in fact, most of the students in her group were united under the fact that they were masters at showing next to no emotion whatsoever.
If someone had said that they weren't comfortable here, that would have given Kiana the excuse she needed to take them out, but as far as she could tell, they were all fine with it. Was she the one overthinking things? Maybe stuff like this was just normal now, and she was out of touch because she lived in Alola.
Kiana was still mulling that over when Ange rose from her seat.
"Ange?" She asked, turning to the blonde. "What's up? Where are you going?"
"I need to use the restroom," Ange replied.
Kiana frowned. This was definitely not the kind of place that she wanted any of the students wandering around in unsupervised. That sounded like the perfect recipe for a kidnapping, and she was absolutely not going to let something like that happen.
"I-I don't think that's a good idea," she said, moving to stand in order to stop her. "Do you think you can hold it until the end of the match?"
Ange scowled.
The reason she wanted to go to the bathroom wasn't because she needed to use the toilet. It was because the pressure of being in this horrendous place had finally gotten to her, and she needed to get OUT.
For hours and hours she'd endured. She'd put up with the screams, the outrage, the violence and lack of concern for the pokemon being brutalized.
But it was too much. She didn't need to pee. She needed to throw up. If she spent one more second here she was going to explode!
It wasn't Kiana's fault, of course, the rational part of Ange knew that much. But she still blamed the other girl for having the idea to come to this place to begin with. And that was enough to push Ange over the edge, and make her temper begin to boil over. She clenched her fists and was about to unleash her fury on the chaperone, when someone stepped in.
"That's alright, Kiana, I can escort her to the restroom," Valon said, smiling at Kiana. "That way I can make sure that she's safe."
Kiana baulked a little. "Well… that's… I don't know." Sending more students sounded like the opposite of a good idea. But if there were a few of them, then maybe? But she would feel more comfortable if a girl went with Ange instead.
Valon seemed to pick up on that, so he added, "and Misato can also come. That way there will be three of us, that should be more than enough."
Kiana turned to Misato, who rose fluidly from her seat and turned to look her way, her face an unreadable mask.
"Would that be alright?" The Phantom asked, turning to the Mechadoll.
"Affirmative," Misato said with a nod.
Kiana would have wanted to go with them herself, but that would mean leaving the rest of the students unattended, and with the way the crowd was right now, that seemed like an even more risky proposition.
There wasn't really much she could say.
Kiana sighed. It wasn't the best situation, but it was better than keeping Ange here where might pee herself or worse. She was lucky that the bathroom issue hadn't arisen until now; if someone else wanted to go next time, then they would definitely be implementing a buddy system.
"Fine, whatever. Just get back as soon as possible, and be careful, okay? I don't want anything happening to you guys out there," she relented.
Ange muttered a terse "thank you" and stalked down the aisle, not even looking to see if Valon and his doll were coming with her.
She was walking as fast as she could to avoid suspicion, but the second she passed out of the main battle hall and into the outside waiting area she burst into a run. She needed to get as far away from this horrible place as possible!
Ange took shelter in the nearest bathroom she could find. She threw herself into a stall and curled up over the toilet bowl, ignoring the noisome stench of rot that permeated the place. Pyrite Town wasn't exactly a bastion of sanitation.
Not that it really mattered. A dirty bathroom stall couldn't compare to the filth she'd just experienced outside.
Letting all that grime and bile out of her body, Ange began to throw up. All that pressure, that intensity, the sheer destructive power of that much human toxicity, it was too much to bear. She just kept vomiting over and over again, until she was coughing up nothing but air.
She didn't even notice that Misato was standing above her until she raised her head, glancing back at the Mechadoll.
Misato stared at her with empty eyes, and Ange found herself getting livid. She despised Misato. The Mechadoll. The fake human. Misato was a testament to everything Ange found wrong with the modern world. An artificial person created by scientists in a lab, people trying to insert their control over the natural order in the most horrendous way possible.
And she was just the beginning. Ange could sense it. They were already creating artificial pokemon. How much longer before they began mass production? Before the Phantom's plans with his Shadow Pokemon were complete, and pokemon stopped becoming special entities with their own free will and thoughts and just became weapons of war?
Ange despised the two of them. It killed her how many times she was forced to bow her head and work with a monster like Richard Valon who only saw pokemon and people as tools for him to exploit for his own ends.
But she needed him. She needed his resources to get hold of the Oracles. Which meant she would have to tolerate the Shadow Pokemon. Tolerate this fake human in front of her.
Ange couldn't endure the strain of being in the colosseum with all those horrible people. But she could endure this.
Because she had to.
That was why, when she saw Misato watching over her, she didn't get upset. She didn't attack the Mechadoll, or even say anything against her. What would be the point? She wasn't real, she wouldn't care.
And it probably wouldn't make Ange feel any better, either.
So without a word to the Mechadoll, Ange flushed the toilet and pushed past her, walking over to the sink to wash the spit and vomit off of her face.
Misato followed her, staring at Ange with those hollow, lifeless eyes of hers.
"…What do you want?" Ange groused, wiping her lips with a paper towel and turning to confront Misato directly. "Did the Phantom send you to keep tabs on me? Is that why you're here?"
"I was tasked to watch over you and make sure that you were safe," Misato replied automatically. "The Phantom does not wish for you to be kidnapped. He views you as a vital component in ensuring the success of his plans."
"…I'm sure he does," Ange spat.
"If you have concluded with your business in the restroom, it would be the best course of action to return to the stadium," Misato continued. "Your safety can be ensured with the greatest statistical probability if you are around the other students."
"Yeah, I'm sure," Ange said again, rolling her eyes. "But guess what, I don't feel all that compelled to listen to a doll like you give me orders."
"Negative. I am not giving you any orders. I am informing you of the decision that the Phantom arrived at. I was instructed to convey that information to you when it became necessary," Misato clarified. "Analyzing your body language and voice patterns I was able to discern suspicion and distrust from your earlier response in relation to the concern for your safety expressed by the Phantom. To ameliorate this, I have conveyed the wishes of the Phantom to you."
Ange was about to reply back, but then she shook her head.
"Why the fuck am I even talking to a doll like you in the first place?" She muttered, crumpling up her paper towel and flinging it into the trash can. She didn't give Misato another thought, storming out of the bathroom and back into the waiting hall.
Richard Valon was waiting for her.
"If you're going to harass me, don't send your doll to do it for you," Ange scowled, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Valon smiled, and shrugged his shoulders. "I would have gone in after you myself, but…" He pointed at the "women's" sign on the restroom door just as Misato exited through it.
Ange frowned. Okay. That was a valid point.
She turned back to the Phantom. "So what the fuck is it you want, then?" She demanded. "Because I doubt the reason you volunteered to escort me to the bathroom was out of any real concern for my safety.
Valon sighed. "My, you really are suspicious, Ange. I told you, you're a vital part of my plans. Why do you think I'm so keen on working with you? Why do you think I agreed to such generous terms as I did when you signed on with me?"
"…Because you didn't have a choice," Ange darkly replied. "You need me, fine, I'm not doubting that for a second. But concern? Please. Cut it out with the friendly act, I'm not buying it."
Valon blinked for a second, then he shrugged. The smile fell off of his face, replaced by a stony expression.
Ange wasn't fazed. No one who knew the Phantom would have been shocked by such a transformation, because his smiles were as fake as his bodyguard.
"I followed you because I thought that we should have a little talk," Valon confessed. "About you becoming an… ongoing asset in my plans moving forward."
Ange raised her eyebrow suspiciously. "An 'ongoing asset' meaning what, exactly?"
"Ange, when you were out there, what did you see? In the middle of that colosseum?" He asked. "Because to me, it was a rather horrific sight."
Ange snorted. "I thought I told you to cut the bullshit. You and I both know that you could never be 'horrified' by anything. You'd have to have standards for that to be the case."
Valon didn't bother replying to that. He just continued with his pitch instead. "Ange, you value the bond between trainers and their pokemon. I understand that. I might happen to view those things as worthless sentimentality, but that doesn't mean I don't understand them. Only an idiot would dismiss something like that."
"Believe me, I don't think you're an idiot," Ange assured him. He was worse. A lot worse.
"I'm just trying to bridge the next step in the advancement of science and pokemon," Valon explained. "And I know, you're not a fan of things like that. You're a student of history, after all."
"Exactly. So what's with the sales pitch?" Ange asked. She was starting to get annoyed. "I already agreed I'll work with you. You've made your sell. Now leave me alone."
Valon sighed and shook his head. "Oh, Ange, Ange, Ange… if only it was that simple. I don't just want you to go along with my plans because you want the Oracles. I want you to understand the depth of the undertaking involved! Just think. My Shadow Pokemon? They're powerful. Give them to any trainer, and they will ensure victory. And then, before long? Scenes like that, with trainers fighting their pokemon almost to the death? Betting money on the outcomes? Erased."
"Excuse me, fucking what?" Ange could have laughed if what he was saying wasn't as horrifying as it was ridiculous. "You think that these Shadow Pokemon of yours are going to make things better for pokemon? How, exactly?"
"I'm glad you asked," Valon said, his smile returning to his face as though he hadn't led Ange to ask that exact question. "Do you understand what the idea of a 'deterrent' is?"
Ange narrowed her eyes. "Of course. It's like with those… what are they? Nuclear bombs?"
Valon sighed. "Yes, something like that. The idea is, that if someone has an incredibly powerful weapon, then no one will risk standing up to them, because the power of that weapon will lead to the possibility of immediate, swift reprisal. The weapon then deters anyone from causing trouble with the person who has it."
"Okay, yeah, I get that," Ange said. "So what's your fucking point?"
"Well, my point is, what if we gave everyone those weapons?" Valon asked. "What then? Imagine it. Everyone has a Shadow Pokemon. No, a whole team of Shadow Pokemon. Pokemon that have been scientifically engineered to be as strong as possible. When that happens?" He snapped his fingers. "Good bye pokemon battles. There wouldn't be a point anymore. No one could win, because everyone was just as powerful as everyone else."
Ange could understand the twisted logic behind that, at least. But she gave him a stony look and nothing else.
"So think about it. Those colosseums would be gone. People wouldn't be abusing their pokemon in fights anymore, and isn't that what's most important to you? Protecting the pokemon from trainers who mistreat them? By giving out Shadow Pokemon to everyone, then you'd never have to witness a horrifying sight like this one ever again!"
The Phantom really must have thought he was making a tempting offer. The way his eyes were shining with anticipation showed he was expecting some dawning realization to strike Ange, where she was suddenly "okay" with Shadow Pokemon now that he'd framed it as a way to put an end to the senseless brutality of pokemon battles.
And Ange could see how someone might be convinced by his argument. The way he described it, he really made it sound like a world that would be better for everyone.
But that someone wasn't going to be her.
Because Ange cared about more than just pokemon battles.
"So tell me, Phantom, in this ideal world of yours, where people aren't fighting their pokemon anymore because they know that their opponent can do just as much damage to them as they can do back… in that world, how many pokemon are you going to abuse to warp them into the monsters that Shadow Pokemon are?" She calmly asked.
The Phantom's expression turned icy again.
Ange shook her head. "You just don't get it. You think you can get me to see the light, but you can't. For me, keeping your 'science' out of my pokemon is the only thing that matters. No matter how you try to spin Shadow Pokemon to me, Phantom, the answer is going to be 'no'. It will always be no."
Valon could see that he wasn't going to get through to her. Not now, anyway. So he dropped the niceties once more. "I see," he replied. "I'm sorry you feel that way."
Well, it's not like his plan is flawed in concept. If no one can win a pokemon battle anymore because everyone is using Shadow Pokemon, then yeah, there wouldn't be as many pokemon getting injured in pokemon battles. But they would still be Shadow Pokemon.