After all the revelations and the major cliffhanger last chapter, things are really getting intense in Maddi's part of the region! …So let's leave them aside for now, shall we? Instead, we'll now turn our focus over to what's going on with the Phantom's group! It's been a while since we checked in on them, what are they getting up to, I wonder?

The Elimination Round of the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Contest 3 has started! Make sure to get those votes in, we've only got a couple of people who have voted so far! Please, make sure to get those votes in! You can vote for up to 5 girls, so make sure your favorites have a chance to shine!

Nominated: Ange, Ayame, Caelia, Chloe, Cynthia, Donoma, Elaina, Kate, Maddi, Marion, Misato, Ryoko, Sango, Satsuki, Sylvia, Vic

KedharS: In a major way, at that.

Aakareo Kokokuhikari: Okay, here you go. New chapter.

Hyphenman: You never know. Things are getting quite intense. As for who's responsible for the attack, well… I guess we'll just have to see, won't we?

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 971

Phenac City. A beautiful oasis in the otherwise-dreary desert that is the Orre Region. The bright blue waters rushed through the streets, giving a feeling of life and liveliness to the citizens who enjoyed their little slice of paradise.

Of course, the waters of Phenac City were poisonous to ingest, so in truth, this "oasis" was just for show, but it still fulfilled the role of being the capital city of the region.

And honestly, Lana didn't really care that it was all for show, anyway. She was a tourist, here to do what tourists did.

"Whoa! Look at all this water!" She grinned as her group walked through town. "I'd love to live in a place like this!"

"You'd have to live in this shithole of a region, though," Keahi grunted, shooting her a look. "The fuck makes you think anyone would want to do that?"

Lana scowled. Well, he didn't need to be such a jerk about it.

"Hey, come on guys, it's okay!" Kiana said, frantically trying to keep everyone from tearing each other apart. She'd thought that leaving an inhospitable place like Pyrite Town for a brighter, more positive city like Phenac would be better for everyone's morale, but it appeared that was a pointless hope because the group, well…

They weren't getting along better. At all.

"It's alright, Kiana, just let them be themselves." Kiana turned to see Rafe approach her with a calm smile on his face, like nothing that was going on here was a big deal. She sighed, wondering how the heck he could be so laid-back all the time.

Well, then again, it wasn't his responsibility to make sure that everyone was safe, now was it? That was her job.

"Thanks for the advice," she said, giving him the closest thing to a confident smile as she could. "But honestly, I think it's important that everybody- Willa, what are you doing?! Get away from there right now!"

Willa had snuck away from the group and was crouched down beside the large fountain in the town square, taking a sample from a vial.

"Can't. Need to test the water contamination," the scientist lazily replied, swirling the liquid a few times. "If I can distill the contaminants then I can use it to develop a new infectious compound that could potentially be turned into a new drug…"

The gleeful look on her face sent a chill down Kiana's spine and she almost backed off out of fear before regaining her composure. She stomped over and pulled the girl back, dumping out the liquid with a scowl.

"Hey! That's mine!"

"We're not here to mix poisons!" Kiana asserted. "We're here to sight-see. I don't want anyone else sneaking off on their own, you hear me? This is your whole group's one free pass! The next time someone here sneaks away without telling me where they're going, they're going to be in a lot of trouble, do you hear me?!"

Kiana crossed her arms over her chest and her eyes swept across the group.

Ange, Dokukage, and Misato all stared back at her, their expressions unreadable. Valon just smirked in response.

"…Good. That's what I like to see," Kiana said with a nod, assured in herself that she'd managed to weed out any possibility in the future that one of the kids would try and sneak off.

She needed to be extra vigilant, after all. To call her group "fractured" would be an understatement. Valon, Misato, and Keahi all hung together, and occasionally Willa would be with them, though it was just as likely she'd be off on her own. At the same time, Lana would stick with Kiana, but didn't socialize with the others as much.

Dokukage, Gerard, Ange, and Gabrielle all kept to themselves, while the more sociable Rafe would occasionally talk with everyone, but no one seemed to regard him all that positively.

In the end, it was clear that Kiana would need to really work overtime to keep these kids from getting into trouble, so with that in mind, she was at least grateful that she had Rafe in her corner. Things could certainly be worse.

"Now then, there's a lot of stuff we can do in Phenac City," Kiana said, taking out the tour brochure she'd picked up. "There are some great restaurants, and of course, the sights are a wonder to see as well…"

"If we wanted to see the sights, we could have gone to Agate Village," Ange interrupted, startling Kiana enough to do a double-take. She wasn't used to Ange of all people making suggestions. But this time the blonde was staring right at her.

"Agate Village? I… I suppose so, but that's… you want to go there?" Kiana had planned to stay in Phenac City for at least a couple more days.

"What's there to do in Agate Village?" Keahi snorted. "It's just a bunch of trees."

Well THAT certainly set her off.

"I'll have you know that Agate Village is registered with the UAO as a cultural world heritage site!" She snapped. "It's a protected landmark! The one piece of this shitty region that hasn't been completely ruined by human 'progress' destroying the environment!"

Keahi sneered at her. "That just means it's filled with a bunch of old people who refuse to get with the times. Technology is your friend, you know."

Ange was taken aback. "I can't believe someone who cares that much about ruins and archaeology could say something so backwards!"

"Just because I understand the merits of the past doesn't mean I'm bound to them," Keahi replied, rolling his eyes. "Worshipping the past so much that you refuse to progress is the opposite of good science, and anyone in the Research Course should know that."

Ange glared at him, biting her lip so hard she nearly drew blood. This guy was so infuriating, she could just SCREAM!

But she calmed down. Yelling wouldn't get her anywhere. Besides, she was still riding the high of having recovered an Oracle, she could put up with a little BS from a prick like that.

"Agate Village," she said instead, "is also home to a very famous ruin known as the Relic Cave. Don't you think that's something worth exploring?"

Keahi rolled his eyes. "No, I don't," he replied. "See, they don't actually LET people see the inside of Relic Cave. It's all cordoned off from the public."

"Wh-What?" Ange asked, taken aback. That was news to her.

Keahi saw the hesitation flicker in his eyes and grinned. He immediately pounced on her moment of weakness, crowing "what, didn't your archaeologist daddy ever tell you that? I suppose that's why he never took you there. Yeah, the folks in Agate Village don't let the tourists anywhere near Relic Cave, so all that's left to do in a place like that is watch the grass grow. Total snoozefest, I'm sure."

Ange was seething. "Well… Well even if that's the case, so what?! It doesn't matter! Going to a place like that and seeing people live in harmony with nature is reason enough!"

"Not all of us get a hard-on for staring at trees," Keahi snapped.

That was it. She flung herself at him, fists flailing.

"Hey! Break it up you two!" Kiana shouted, running over to them, but before she could even make it two steps the fight had already ended.

Misato put a stop to it before it even began, grabbing Ange's wrists in an instant.

"Let go!" Ange snapped, kicking pointlessly at the Mechadoll's shins. She tried to break free, but it was useless, Misato's grip was as tight as a vice. "Let me go you stupid soulless scrapheap!"

"Negative. You expressed the intention to commit physical violence towards Keahi Revanche. Such behavior is not permitted at this time. It is recommended that you readjust your behavior and avoid any future altercations. If you comply then you will be released," Misato calmly addressed her, holding her back like a mother scolding her child.

Ange let out a frustrated screech. "Fine!"

Misato let her go and she pulled away, rubbing her wrists angrily. She glared past Misato towards the doll's handler, Valon, who was staring at her with a smile. But the glint in his eyes was a warning, and she'd be a fool to ignore it.

Finally, Kiana stepped in to put her foot down.

"Ange, that's enough!" She scowled. "I know you haven't been feeling well recently and you weren't able to get out much and enjoy Pyrite Town. But that's no excuse to take it out on the other kids in your group! Trying to his Keahi, kicking Misato, that's just bad!"

Ange didn't even look at her. She was too busy seething.

Kiana continued, "and saying such horrible things, calling Misato 'soulless'? That's incredibly hurtful, how do you think she feels about that?"

Did she really just say that? Ange stared at Kiana like she was a fucking idiot. "She doesn't feel anything, you moron, she's a fucking-"

"Oookay, I think that's enough!" Rafe laughed, clamping his hand over Ange's mouth before she said anything that she couldn't take back. "Ange, let's go over here for a little while and cool down, okay? We can check out the fountain!"

Ange screamed into his hand, but let him lead her away.

Kiana sighed as she watched them go. She kept an eye out, of course, but part of her was relieved that Rafe was stepping in and handling some of the duties.

Right now, she had other fish to fry. She turned to Misato.

"Misato, how are you feeling?" She asked.

Misato gave her a quizzical but emotionless look. "I do not understand. I am feeling through the use of my-"

"I think she means how are you doing?" Valon cut in, trying to keep control of the conversation so Misato didn't reveal anything untoward. "You know, after Ange kind of… well, went a little postal on you."

"Yeah, exactly, that must have been really rough," Kiana said, her face filled with sympathy that Misato didn't understand. "She said all those mean things, but I'm sure she didn't mean them."

Misato was confused. "I do not understand. Why do you believe that she did not mean what she said?" It wasn't like Ange was that far off in her accusations, after all.

Kiana, of course, didn't understand that at all. She frowned. "Ange doesn't think you're soulless, Misato, nobody does! You might be a little more… well, quieter, I guess, than other people, and blunt, too, and maybe you have a little bit of trouble reading the room sometimes, and take things too literally, but it's not like you're actually a machine. She was just saying that in the heat of the moment, that's all. So don't feel too bad, okay?"

Of course, Misato was a machine. But she was under orders from the Phantom not to reveal that information to Kiana, so that limited the potential replies that she could give. "Understood. I will endeavor to prevent her words from impacting my feelings."

It's not like that would be at all difficult for a Mechadoll.

Kiana smiled. "That's the spirit! …And also, sorry that she kicked you like that. Thank you for stepping in and stopping the fight."

"It was necessary. Your concern is unneeded. I have sustained no damage from her attack," Misato assured the chaperone.

Kiana wasn't sure how she was supposed to take that, so she just kept up her shaky smile before turning back to Keahi.

"As for you, Keahi, please don't provoke Ange, okay? She's feeling very sensitive right now due to her stomach flu."

Keahi rolled his eyes. Like he could give a damn. "Yeah, whatever…"

"I mean it!" Kiana snapped. "We all have to get along together, understand? We're all part of the same group!"

"That's exactly right!" Valon agreed, playing the role of model student perfectly. "We need to get along together."

"…Fine," Keahi muttered, seeing the pressure in the Phantom's eyes. "I'll go apologize to her, then…" With another grumble, Keahi stormed off over to the fountain where Rafe was trying to calm Ange down.

Unsuccessfully at that.

"Get off of me!" Ange snapped, breaking free. She felt like she was going to be sick for real this time. "I can't stand to have people touch me, especially not a man!"

"I apologize," Rafe smiled, still trying to keep things from escalating. "I felt that it was the only way to keep you from losing control."

Ange scowled. Well, maybe she wanted to lose control, did he ever think about that? No! But she also knew that was bullshit so she didn't say anything.

"…I know," she muttered through gritted teeth.

"You're frustrated, aren't you?" Rafe noted. "You wanted to go to Agate Village, isn't that right? See that… Relic Cave, or whatever it was?"

"Yeah, but who fucking cares?" Ange said, plopping down on a bench and staring at the fountain. "It's all just bullshit anyway."

She'd actually been looking forward to visiting Relic Cave on this trip. But now that was off the table. She really should have done some better research.

No, it's fine. So you can't go check out some ruins? Big deal. You'll survive. The whole goal of this trip in the first place was to find the Oracle, and you did that. You shouldn't be concerning yourself with anything else, she reminded herself.

Ange needed to focus. Right now was all about keeping her eyes on the prize, or in this case, the shiny brown crystal she had hidden in her bag. Getting it back to her father was the priority here, everything else came after that.

"I just wanted to go to Agate Village, that's all," Ange admitted. She didn't like Rafe, but at least his affable personality made him easier to talk to. He had the sort of air about him where it felt like you could unload on him and he wouldn't mind.

"Because of all the natural beauty?" Rafe asked, remembering her previous outburst. "I have to say, from what I remember of it, Agate Village is quite lovely."

Ange was surprised at that. "You've been there before?" She asked, genuinely interested. This was the first time she'd heard that.

"Only once. On a personal vacation," Rafe admitted. "But yes, it's quite a lovely sight to see. But then… so is Phenac City, isn't it? Take a look at that fountain, wouldn't you say it's marvelous in its own way? I certainly would."

Ange scowled. Who gave a crap about a fountain?

"Absolutely not," she snorted. "It's fake. Just like the rest of this fucking place."

Rafe blinked in surprise. "Oh? What do you mean by that?"

"That fountain… it wasn't always there. People built it. So that everybody could take a good, long look at all the water of Phenac City… the water that the people in the region fucking destroyed," Ange replied, her voice filled with venom. "Look at this place!"

Ange waved her hands around the city, gesturing to the water running through the stone irrigation system, particularly the large stone walls surrounding the city, keeping it safe from the harsh winds of the desert.

"It's all decorative, performative," she caustically explained. "And they all go 'take a look at Phenac City! The desert oasis!' but in reality, it's just 'water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink'. It looks shiny and beautiful on the surface, but it's just a testament to corruption."

"Because the mayor of Phenac City was revealed to be the leader of an evil organization?" Rafe asked, raising his eyebrow.

"What? No, who fucking cares about that. Because the people here completely tore up a natural oasis that THEY poisoned to build… a freaking water park! And a colosseum dedicated to making pokemon suffer! This city's just like the rest of the fucking region, except it's trying to pretend it's something it's not!"

She had to catch her breath, she'd been doing a little too much shouting.

"…I suppose you're right," Rafe admitted. "Compared to a beautiful place like Agate Village, this city must seem rather fake and disappointing."

Ange nodded eagerly. Yeah, finally, someone got it!

"…But that being said," he added, "it's not like this place isn't without its charms. After all, the bright scenery gives people hope. It's like a promise of life in the desert, showing that the Orre Region COULD be something more. See those trees?"

He pointed at a row of palm trees lined up outside the courtyard, being watered by the city's irrigation system.

"The water in Phenac City can still nourish them, right?"

"…Yeah, I guess," Ange mumbled.

"It might not support people or pokemon, but that doesn't mean it's totally worthless," Rafe continued. "I think that seeing how life can still keep going, even somewhere this harsh, is something that this city does well."

"But Agate Village still…"

"Agate Village is located on a lush mountainside," Rafe reminded her, the sternness in his tone catching her off-guard. "It's filled with life. Compared to that, I think something like this is much more impressive. And remember, it was humans who first excavated this oasis."

"That's… well, you're right, but…"

"If they hadn't done that, then the water would have remained underground, isn't that right?" Rafe asked.

Ange couldn't deny that.

"So the people dug out the water, and then planted trees to water them. Don't you think that's something positive for the environment?" Rafe wasn't letting up his questioning. And he was actually getting through.

Ange loathed industrialization and the destructive effects mankind had on the environment. And as fake and performative as Phenac City was, it was still, in its own way, helping.

"I suppose… you're not wrong," she admitted. "The trees are nice. But the pokemon are still gone, you know."

Rafe sighed, and shrugged his shoulders. He gave her a smile saying "what are you gonna do?"

"I suppose we'll just have to accept that for now," he admitted. "As for me, I'll be appreciating the sight of the fountain."

A part of Ange wished she could do the same.

So the Phantom's group has arrived in Phenac City! What will they get up to here? And it looks like Ange's finally started coming out of her shell, now that her mission is completed! For better or worse, though, I suppose we'll have to see…