Now that Ange has some cover, it's time for her to escape from the hotel and find her way into the Under once again, in order to search for the Oracle. Will she be able to find it? Or will there be complications?

KedharS: It should be a fun party.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: It's definitely questionable what's going to happen in the Under, that's for sure.

Venoms Cross 2: Believe me, we haven't seen the full scope of his plans.

JoshGamerV: Well, give it some serious thought.

Tambry96bj: I guess we'll find out if she discovers it.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 905

The sun hadn't even set when Ange snuck out of her room this time. She wouldn't need to rely on the cover of darkness if nobody was expecting her to escape. After all, as far as the people in her group knew, she was trapped in her room and throwing her guts up.

…Well, the Phantom was an exception to that. But the less Ange thought about him, the better it was for her. So she put that out of her mind and snuck out of her room, creeping down the street as she approached the Under.

No one in the bar even looked her way when she entered the place. They all knew who she was, and none of them wanted anything to do with her lest they go the way of Gansly and get completely destroyed.

Not even the bartender would look her in the eye as he led her to the back room, where she took his secret passage down to the Under.

It was just as unnerving as it had been last night. The place was a ruin of rubble and shadow, far vaster of a place than Ange could hope to explore herself.

But she didn't have a choice, did she? She needed to find that Oracle. Even if she only had a few days, it was essential that she find it as soon as possible.

A sigh escaped from her lips.

In spite of how much work she'd put into exploring this place already, it didn't seem like her goal was any closer in reach. She reached down to her belt, and removed her pokeballs, letting out her pokemon to help her.

For the most part, Ange's pokemon were excited to see her. Asmo jumped up first, pulling Ange into a hug, while Mami sidled up to her and rubbed the gem on her forehead against Ange's leg while purring cheerfully.

"Hello, everyone," she smiled, greeting her friends. "I'm going to need your help. If we're going to find the Oracle. It's down here somewhere, so let's search again for as long as we can until we find it, sound good?"

With six powerful pokemon joining in the search, they were able to cover a lot more ground. That was what Ange had discovered last night, when she had her pokemon scour the Under alongside her the last time.

And now, they were in even better shape than last night. After a full day's rest, they were in perfect condition to turn this place upside down!

…Well, with one exception.

"Slaking…!" Belle yawned loudly, reclining back against a large chunk of rubble that vaguely resembled a couch. She wasn't going to be much use tonight, but Ange expected that. Relying on Belle to do any kind of exertion for an extended period of time was a fool's gambit. If they were lucky, the Slaking might just toss a few pieces of rubble away if she felt like it, but anything else was pointless to hope for. But that was just how she was.

Ange left her to do her own thing, and headed to another section of the Under to begin digging through the rubble. She was lucky that she had the perfect tool to help.

"Mami," she called, turning to her Persian, the loyal cat pokemon following behind her. "We're going to use your flash again, okay?"

"Persian," Mami purred, nodding in agreement. The red gem on her forehead began to shine brightly, and an orb of crimson light shot up into the air, burning brightly on the ceiling of the cavern and illuminating the Under.

The walls of the cave were filled with a warm red glow, allowing them to see everything clearly. Ange was grateful for Mami's help.

Ever since she was a Meowth, Mami had the habit of picking up objects. She was a greedy little thing, hunting for anything shiny she could get her paws on. That was a natural trait for a Meowth to have, the cute little pokemon were famous for using their pay day attack to collect money, and their Pickup ability to gather items.

But Mami took it above and beyond. It was like she wanted everything. There was no greater testament to her greed than the fact that, after evolving into a Persian, her Pickup ability hadn't turned into Limber; she had retained the ability to find items even after evolving!

Mami had become so consumed by her greed that most of her time was spent digging around for things and hoarding her treasures in a little hutch back home, which was precisely what Ange was counting on. Her other pokemon would be a big help for sure, but Mami was the one she believed would be the most useful in finding the Oracle.

After all, the moves that Mami had learned were all tailored to her habits of snatching away the things that belonged to others, and hoarding them for herself. That's why she knew flash; so she could illuminate even the darkest crevices to find the treasures that lay hidden within.

Now it was Ange's turn to do the searching, along with everyone else!

A triumphant smile touched Ange's lips. She didn't need to rely on the Phantom and his meaningless "help" in searching the Under. She and her pokemon were capable of finding the Oracle all by themselves!

After several hours of searching, Ange was beginning to doubt her own confidence. They had practically torn the Under apart looking for the blasted thing, which was rather impressive given the fact that the Under was already pretty much torn up.

But they still hadn't found the Oracle.

It was starting to feel like a fool's errand, and for a moment, Ange wondered if the Oracle was even here in the first place.

She was relying on the Phantom's intel, after all. He very likely could have been lying to her, and the Oracle was hidden somewhere else. And then when she came to him, hat in hand, and asked for his help to find it, he would lead her to the true location.

Every hour that went without discovering the stone was another hour where Ange became more convinced she was being played. And with that, her rage continued to grow. They had searched EVERYWHERE at this point. The buildings, the crumbled wreckage, even the massive dome that made up what was once the Under Colosseum, they were all empty.

The last place she could think of was the long, winding path leading to the rusty railroad tracks, gone into disrepair after the tunnel collapsed. If it wasn't there, then the only other place the Oracle could be was in one of the side tunnels.

And who KNOWS where those would lead? The underground dome that was the Under made for an acceptable place to look. But those tunnels stretched throughout all of Pyrite Town, and into the rest of the Orre Region as well.

It could take years to explore them all, and Ange didn't have that time.

So what, then? If it wasn't on the railway, did that mean she would be forced to give up? …No, she couldn't accept that! She wouldn't!

She stopped halfway, and raised her hand to stop her pokemon as well.

She'd realized something critical, that had slipped her mind before.

The Phantom wasn't the kind of person to do unnecessary things. He wouldn't have offered to help her find the Oracle if he wasn't certain that he would be able to do it. His "help" was tantamount to an admission that he knew exactly where the Oracle was, and how to get to it, whether it was in the Under or not.

It turned Ange's stomach to admit, but right now if she couldn't find the Oracle, then the only thing she could do was compromise her pride and ask him for help.

Relying on the Phantom… something like that…

Her thoughts were still clouded as she arrived at the train station, and what she saw when she got there immediately cleared things.

It wasn't the Oracle that awaited her at the rundown train.

It was Misato Daisan.

Misato stood on the tracks with a pensive look on her blank face, practically glowing in the red light from Mami's flash. She was staring right at Ange with those dead eyes of hers.

Ange began to fume. She clenched her fist and practically leapt onto the tracks herself, what was that Mechadoll doing here?!

"Zoroark…" Luci hissed, shadows dancing around her as she sharpened her claws, already preparing to attack. Ange felt the same way.

"What are you doing here?" She growled, standing over the tracks and claring down at Misato. "How did you get here, huh?"

Misato raised her head to meet Ange's gaze.

"I was ordered to come here in case you needed assistance in searching the Under," Misato informed her. "If you need my assistance then I am prepared to provide it at any point."

Ange ground her teeth together in frustration. This was almost as bad as asking the Phantom for help, damn it! That fucking prick, sending Misato to help her, like she couldn't handle this on her own?! It made her want to scream!

She almost gave Luci the order to tear Misato's fake head off of that doll body. But she kept her temper in check. This thing wasn't deserving of her anger.

"I don't need any assistance from you," she scoffed, turning away from her. "My pokemon and I will find the Oracle all on our own."

Fatigue and doubt had seized Ange earlier, which had led her to briefly consider asking the Phantom for his help. But she was glad that she didn't have to do that now. Now, she had a clear sight of what she should do, and the will to see it through successfully.

The Oracle was in the train station. Or on the tracks. The point was, it was SOMEWHERE here, otherwise the Phantom wouldn't have insisted that Misato come and wait for Ange here. It was just another mind game, a bullying tactic, to taunt her and make her dependent on him, and she absolutely wasn't going to fall for it.

They could do this.

She told her pokemon to ignore Misato, and begin searching the train station. Again, the six of them (Belle was still slacking off) tore the place apart trying to find the Oracle.

But it was nowhere to be found. Ange nearly tore the walls down brick by brick. She practically stripped the rusty train down to the bolts on the off chance that it could be hidden there.

But no matter where she looked, the Oracle eluded her gaze.

"Fuck!" She cursed, smacking the side of the train so hard it shook. "Where is it?! Where is that fucking thing?!"

"Do you wish for me to answer that question?" Misato asked, and Ange whirled around to face her, seeing red from more than just the light.

Misato hadn't moved a muscle from where she stood, because she didn't have any. Her blank face was like an insult to everything Ange believed in.

But Ange had searched everywhere, and she couldn't find it.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" She roared, letting out her frustration at herself on Misato. The Mechadoll had no response.

Ange was at her wits' end. What do I do? I'm sorry, professor, I can't find the Oracle… I don't know where it is… I've looked everywhere, but I just can't find it, I'm so sorry…

She wanted to cry, but she was too tired. They all were. Most of her team was starting to look like Belle at this point, everyone was exhausted from the hours upon hours of searching. Ange didn't even know how long they'd been down there. Longer than last night? Almost-certainly. She could barely keep her eyes open, she was so tired…

Of course, the answer was simple. She could ask Misato for help, and that would solve everything. The Mechadoll would find the Oracle for her immediately.

But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She wanted to find it herself, without relying on a Mechadoll. The Phantom was one thing, but if she used a tool like that, it would be like admitting that Ange herself was the worst kind of hypocrite.

All her talk about despising technology and progress and admiring the ruins of the old world, what meaning would it have if she relied on a Mechadoll now? It would prove once and for all that she was just stubborn and helpless, clinging onto old customs that didn't matter.

But they did matter. To Ange, they absolutely mattered. And she wasn't about to let anyone tell her differently.

Professor… what would you do, if you were in my position? She asked the Aurore in her mind. But even as she asked, she knew that it was pointless.

Professor Reinhart only had one answer that he would give her. And she knew that answer, of course. She just didn't want to accept it.

He would have done whatever it took to get the Oracle, even if that meant having to bow his head to the Phantom and that doll of his.

It killed Ange to do it, but she could tell that she really had no choice. So she swallowed her pride and stepped forward, standing face to face with Misato.

"Misato… will you help me find the Oracle?" She asked through gritted teeth.

The one positive result of Ange being forced to humiliate herself like this was the fact that, as a Mechadoll, Misato had no compunction to rub Ange's face in it.

"Affirmative. That is the purpose I am here to accomplish. I shall guide you to the Oracle at any time you designate," Misato agreed.

Ange scowled. So she was right. The Phantom knew where it was all along.

"Let me guess, the Phantom told you where the Oracle is hidden, is that it?" Ange asked.

"Negative. I have not been provided any information about whether or not the Phantom is aware of the location of the Oracle," Misato said.

"So what, you just know where it is then? How?" Ange was already beginning to doubt what help Misato could actually be. She knew that it was because of her own personal bias against the Mechadoll, but she just couldn't help herself. She wanted the thing to be wrong.

"I am equipped with sensors that are capable of detecting specific energy patterns," Misato explained. "Oracles give off an energy signature that is unique. Using my sensors it is possible for me to determine the location of any Oracle within a specified area to a statistical probability of 99.6%. The Oracle in this location is no exception to that."

So that was it. More technology. It wasn't even because the Mechadoll had been given the answer by the Phantom, no, it was going to use its technology to find the location of the Oracle, where Ange and her pokemon had completely failed.

Ange screamed with rage. She didn't have any consideration for the doll in front of her, she let her emotions loose because in her mind she was alone down here.

Misato wasn't a person. It was a thing.

But she'd come too far to back down now. Even if it meant making use of this Mechadoll, Ange was going to do it.

"Take me to it," she hissed, calling her pokemon back to her pokeballs. They had worked their hardest and were deserving of a break.

And Ange didn't want them to see the look of failure on her face when Misato led her to the Oracle that they weren't able to find.

"Affirmative," Misato agreed, climbing out of the well for the railroad tracks. Ange followed after her, glaring at the mess of blue hair in front of her eyes.

As Ange followed the Mechadoll back into the Under, entering the wreckage of the colosseum, she was surprised when Misato began to talk to her.

"Clarification requested," Misato said, confusing Ange for a moment.

"Clarification? About what?" Ange asked.

"Earlier you expressed reluctance to make use of my assistance and attempted to find the Oracle with the power of your pokemon. This resulted in failure. Then you came to me and requested my assistance in finding the Oracle, and expressed reluctance and frustration in doing so," Misato said. "What is the meaning behind this reluctance? It would be the most efficient use of time to use my tracker to find the Oracle immediately."

Ange had nothing to say to the Mechadoll. She didn't want to use that thing's abilities for the same reason she didn't want to use any other technological tool.

To her relief, the thing didn't press the issue.

Misato and Ange stepped out into the center of the colosseum, where the stadium floor lay mostly untouched.

Misato walked to the middle of the ring, where once a pokeball had been stenciled into the concrete. Standing right at the center, she raised her hand up and made a fist, punching the ground hard.

The entire battlefield cracked to pieces, revealing a tunnel underneath the rubble.

Ange grit her teeth. She never would have found that in a million years. She wouldn't have even thought to look. Resigned, she followed Misato down into the tunnel, and through the maze that resulted, an entire second layer of the Under that she never would have imagined the existence of.

Then she came upon it. A chamber at the end of the corridor, and in the center of that chamber was a shrine.

Ange had seen these shrines before. They were located in places where Oracles were found, depicting an entity that seemed the cross between a dragon, a bird, and a horse. And in the jaws of this being sat a glowing crystal that Ange recognized immediately.

It was a sandy brown, like the desert of Orre itself. An Oracle. And it was all hers. Ange didn't pay Misato another thought. She dashed across the chamber and pulled the Oracle free of its shrine, holding it in her grasp.

A giddy smile crossed her face. She finally found one.

Yay! Ange managed to get her hands on an Oracle! She might have needed Misato's help to do it, but she was still able to accomplish her goal in the end! So hopefully, that's going to be all she needs to do, and now things are good, right? There won't be any other complications, I hope?