Ash and the group arrived at the entrance to a deep, pitch-black cave.
"This must be it—Granite Cave!" Max said excitedly.
"Is Mr. Steven searching for rare stones in here?" May asked, glancing at the unremarkable cave opening. She turned toward her brother, "Max, do you know what it's like inside?"
Max scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh… not really." Clearly, someone hadn't done his homework.
"Granite Cave is home to Aron. Over time, they've dug out an entire network of tunnels beneath it—it's like a natural maze. So everyone, stay alert," Ash warned them seriously.
"As expected of Ash~ Always dependable." May looked at him with sparkles in her eyes. ⁂((✪⥎✪))⁂
Brock glanced at Ash too and silently nodded—Ash really was becoming more and more reliable.
Max: ╰(⇀‸↼)╯
The group entered the cave. It was pitch-dark inside—almost impossible to see.
"Whoa… so this is what it's like in a cave," May said in awe.
"May, this is a cave. Be careful," Max sighed.
"Come on out, Quilava! Let's light the way!" Ash released Quilava, whose flames immediately lit up the surrounding tunnel.
"Much better!" May smiled brightly.
"Awooo~" Quilava led the way with Ash and the others following closely behind.
Soon, they came upon two diverging paths.
"I'll leave a marker here," Brock said, sticking a labeled tag on the wall between the paths. "That way, if we get turned around, we'll know which way we came."
Everyone nodded—it was a smart plan.
Choosing one of the paths, they continued deeper. Eventually, they entered a vast chamber with a large opening above, letting sunlight pour down into the cavern.
As they stepped into the clearing, the ground suddenly gave way beneath them—the entire group plunged into a deep pit.
"What's going on?!" Brock shouted.
"Wahahaha! Prepare for trouble—""It's Team Rocket! Again!"
The Rocket Trio cheered from the edge of the pit. "Hah! Got 'em! They fell for our trap!"
Ash's Aura suddenly flared. "Wait—Team Rocket! Don't move!"
Too late. The weakened ground collapsed again. Team Rocket and Ash's group all slid down deeper into the cave—getting separated in the chaos.
Ash groaned and pulled himself out of a pile of dirt. "Pikachu, you okay?"
"Pika~" Pikachu climbed out right after him.
"Ah! Help!" May's voice rang out nearby as she also struggled to her feet.
"Great, Pikachu, May—you're both okay," Ash sighed in relief.
"Pikapi~" "Ash!" May smiled with teary eyes.
They looked up toward the gaping hole above. "We fell that far?" May gulped.
Ash nodded. "Yeah. Team Rocket must've weakened the ground when they were digging. And then those idiots were still jumping around up there…"
"Let's find Max and Brock first," May said, clearly worried.
Ash shook his head. "It'll be easier to find them if we go up. They'll probably try to climb up too—we'll meet faster that way."
May thought for a moment and nodded. "Makes sense."
Using his Aura as a guide, Ash led May and Pikachu through one of the tunnels.
Meanwhile…
Jessie, Meowth, and Quilava had ended up together.
Because they needed Quilava's light, Team Rocket had no choice but to temporarily ally with him as they searched for a way out.
Elsewhere, Brock, Max, and Cacnea (still hugging Brock painfully) were another group. After arguing about whose fault it was, they set off to regroup with the others.
Ash continued guiding May and Pikachu through the dark tunnels. Thanks to his Aura, they didn't get lost, but the pitch-black surroundings still made May uneasy.
Then—"Ko~"
"Ahhh!" May yelped and clung to Ash's arm.
"Don't worry, I'm here," Ash said, gently grabbing her hand.
May's face turned red as she lowered her head. But Ash calmly led her toward the source of the sound.
There stood a Lairon.
"Oh, it's just a Lairon," Ash said, letting go of May's hand. "Nothing to be afraid of."
Seeing the Pokémon, May relaxed—but felt a little disappointed for some reason.
[Lairon]
Male
Type: Steel / Rock
Ability: Heavy Metal – Doubles its weight
Level: Early Gym Tier
Moves: Heavy Slam, Dragon Rush, Double-Edge...Dynamax Type: Steel
"Alright! Let's catch it! Pikachu, Surf!"
"Pika~!" A huge wave surged from under Pikachu, slamming into Lairon. But Lairon roared and burst through the water, throwing Pikachu back.
"He's tough… okay Pikachu, full power Volt Tackle!"
"Pika—CHU!"
Lairon was knocked out. Ash threw a Poké Ball—1…2…3—Click!
"Nice! I caught a Lairon!" Ash grinned, then sensed something glowing faintly in the wall.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail, right there!"
CLANG! Rocks scattered—and revealed a mysterious shimmering gem.
"Another one of these stones!" May gasped. "Just like the one from those Shroomish before."
[Ding~ Obtained Aggron MAGE Stone]
Ash smirked. Buy one, get one free!
They continued on—gradually feeling the incline increase.
"We're almost back to the upper level," Ash said. He looked up and shouted, "Is anyone there?!"
"Pikapi~?" "Hello?"
Suddenly, Ash felt a familiar Aura. He ran forward with May and Pikachu—and saw a young man with silver-blue hair, standing beside an Aron.
"That's…!" Ash's eyes widened.
"Steven Stone!"
"Huh?! That's Steven?!" May gasped.
Steven turned and smiled politely. "Hello! Are you two lost?"
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town. This is May, and my partner Pikachu. Can you help us? We got separated from our friends…"
"Oh, Ash! My father mentioned you. No problem—leave it to me," Steven said.
Then he paused. "Ah… so that's why the Aron earlier were so agitated."
Ash tensed. "Wait—were they disturbed?!"
"That could be dangerous! Let's go quickly!" May said, panicked.
"Right! Follow me," Steven nodded, leading the way.
After running a while, they reached a path—only to find it split by a chasm.
"What now?" May asked nervously.
"Look down!" Steven shouted.
Footsteps echoed from below.
"Brock! Max! Quilava! Up here!" Ash called.
"Ash!"
"May!"
"Huh?! Ash?!"
"You guys alright?" Brock shouted back.
"We're fine! We ran into Steven!"
"They're heading your way," Steven explained. "At the next intersection, there's a waterfall. Head there—we'll meet you."
"Got it!"
Brock and the others turned and ran—followed by a stampede of Aron.
"They're chasing us!" Max yelped.
Back at the waterfall, Bayleef emerged.
"Bayleef, use Sweet Scent!"
A calming fragrance spread. The Aron slowed down, relaxing.
Steven stepped forward. "It's okay, these people are friends. Go home now."
The Aron finally retreated.
Ash, May, and Steven descended and rejoined the others.
"Alright, now it's our turn to shine—prepare for trouble!"
"Not again…"
"Go, Seviper!"
"Let's go, Cacnea!"
Cacnea turned and latched onto Brock again.
"Ahhh! Let go!"
"Pikachu, end this—Thunderbolt!"
"Pika—!"
"Wait!" Steven raised a hand. "This cave is a peaceful home to many Pokémon. If anyone dares to disturb that peace—I'll be your opponent!"
"Go, Aggron!"
"ROARRR!"
"Hyper Beam!"
A dark-purple beam of energy blasted Team Rocket into the air once more.
"This feels awful!"
"Wobbuffet (˃ʍ˂)~"
Steven smiled and recalled Aggron. "Great job. Get some rest."
"Wow, so cool!" Max's eyes sparkled. "You really are amazing!"
"I'm actually the former Champion," Steven chuckled. "I passed the title to my friend Wallace."
At that moment, one of the Aron started digging through the dirt and uncovered a red stone.
"You found it! Good job, Aron!" Steven picked it up with a gleam in his eyes.
"Ko~!" the Aron beamed proudly.
"Mr. Steven, is that…?" Max asked.
"Yes, a Fire Stone! I've been searching this cave for one."
"A Fire Stone?" May blinked.
"It's one of the Evolution Stones. For example, Growlithe can evolve into Arcanine using one," Steven explained.
"And Vulpix into Ninetales, Eevee into Flareon," Ash added. Then he turned to Steven. " Steven, I want to battle you!"
Steven smiled. "I accept your challenge."
To be continued...