You guys got to the goal, wooo, lets go, here is your extra chapter
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When Ash got back the next day from his home visit, it was about midday. Molly was excited to have him return and hadn't wanted to let go of his leg all night. And of course, Delia was always happy to see him.
So, last night after a nice little family dinner celebrating Molly's birthday, Molly fell asleep in Ash's arms, and he went to sleep in his own bed again. He stayed home a bit longer in the morning to help Delia set up decorations for Molly's actual birthday party before her friends from school showed up, because believe it or not, Molly did make friends.
He also lent them Abby, since Molly wanted to invite Margo and Kellie, and who was Ash to refuse? After setting everything up and giving Molly another hug, he told her he'd come back later that night since he had business to take care of. Then he left with Abby, and once they were back on the beach, Abby headed off.
Ash stretched his arms and went into his bag, pulling out the letter he needed to deliver. He had a general idea where Steven might be, but there was no guarantee Steven was actually there.
"Ash!"
May's voice carried from the porch. She jogged toward him, still a little stiff from yesterday's training torture. Max followed behind, notebook in hand, probably ready to take notes on whatever Ash was about to do.
"You're back!" May said with a smile. "How was Molly's birthday?"
"Great," Ash said honestly. "I'll tell you guys the details later. Right now, we've got a job to do, but just one question." Ash looked around. "Where is Brock?"
May sighed and pointed toward the shoreline. "He's… uh… over there."
Ash followed her finger.
Brock was kneeling dramatically in front of a very confused beach lifeguard, roses in hand, pouring his heart out like he was auditioning for a romance movie. The girl looked two seconds away from calling security, or using her Torchic-shaped rescue float to hit him.
"Oh for Arceus' sake," Ash muttered.
Pikachu facepalmed, and Vee shook his head.
Max looked up from his notebook. "Should we stop him? Or… is this one of those 'let natural consequences teach the lesson' situations?"
Before Ash could answer, a Wailmer in the shallows suddenly sprayed a massive blast of water directly at Brock, launching him backward into the sand like a flailing ragdoll.
Ash nodded. "Natural consequences."
"BROCK!" May yelled anyway, jogging over, while Ash stayed perfectly still, unimpressed.
Brock sat up slowly, soaked, hair drooping over his eyes like he'd just survived heartbreak and a hurricane at the same time. "I… I think she likes me…"
Ash walked over, grabbed Brock by the collar, and hauled him to his feet. "Come on, Romeo. We've got a letter to deliver."
Brock blinked. "Letter? What letter?"
"The one I told you about yesterday," Ash said, holding up the sealed envelope. "We're delivering this to Steven Stone."
"Oh yeah… I forgot," Brock said, rubbing the back of his head.
Ash grabbed the bridge of his nose. "Oh my lord, you're getting dementia now. It's getting worse… now I get why Misty hit you so much…"
Brock held up a finger. "In my defense, I was emotionally occupied."
"You were harassing a lifeguard," May corrected as she returned with Max.
"I was expressing passion!"
"You were harassing a lifeguard," all three of them said in unison.
Brock deflated.
Ash sighed and dusted some of the sand off Brock's shoulder. "Alright, enough romance disasters for one morning. We've got work to do."
"Right, right," Brock muttered, taking off his muscle shirt and wringing water out of it before putting it back on. "Let's… let's just go."
Ash nodded and turned toward the small dirt path leading away from the beach. "Come on. Our best bet is probably Granite Cave."
"Wait, why?" May said. Part of her didn't really want to go down into a literal cave.
Ash raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? Are we sure you know who Steven is? The guy obsessed with rocks and ruins doesn't want to go to a place where both rocks and ruins would be?"
"A–ah… good point…" May muttered.
"Alright, if no one has anything else to say, then Granite Cave it is," he said. "If Steven's anywhere on this island, that's our best bet to find him."
May swallowed, glancing toward the cave entrance far in the distance. "I just… hope nothing jumps out at us."
"May," Max said, pushing his glasses up, "it's literally full of Zubat."
"DON'T remind me," she shuddered.
Ash snorted. "Relax. If anything jumps out, I'll handle it."
"I–well, I know you and Brock are strong, but it's still scary," May muttered.
Ash and Brock looked at each other and shrugged. "Okay, you don't have to come with us. Stay here, then," Ash said as he turned his heel in the sand and started walking toward the cave.
May's eyes widened. "W–Wait no! I'm coming! I just don't like caves, okay!?"
Ash shrugged without turning around. "Then don't complain when the Zubat swarm your hair like a nest."
May made a strangled noise. "WHY would you say that!?"
Pikachu and Vee snickered behind Ash, tails swishing.
Max jogged up beside them, scribbling something in his notebook. "Note to self: May's weaknesses include Ghost-types, Bug-types, caves, darkness, jump scares, and-"
May grabbed the notebook and bonked Max on the head with it. "Stop cataloguing my fears!"
Brock, still wringing occasional water out of his shirt, sighed. "Kids, please. I've already drowned once today. Let's not add emotional drowning to the list."
The group started down the sandy path, the ocean breeze fading behind them as they approached the rocky cliffside where Granite Cave loomed in the distance. The entrance was wide, dark, and unwelcoming, like it was daring them to walk inside.
May hugged herself as a chill ran down her spine. "It… it looks even creepier up close."
Ash didn't slow down. "It's a cave, not Giratina's front door."
"Feels the same," she muttered.
As they reached the entrance, the air shifted, cooler, stiller. The faint echo of dripping water reverberated through the shadows.
Pikachu's ears twitched. "Pika…" he muttered as he jumped onto Ash's shoulder and used [Flash], lighting up the way for everyone. Meanwhile, Vee was inspecting the walls; since he was an Eevee, and especially because he was mutated, he could sense all the evolution stones embedded in the rock.
Max looked around and spotted a pair of footprints. "Hey, look at what I found! These must be Steven's!" he said proudly, looking back at Ash like he was expecting praise.
"Or, you know… any of the other hikers that come in here. People come to mine for evolution stones all the time," Ash said.
Max's smile faltered. "…Oh."
Ash smirked and patted Max's head. "Good effort, though."
Max perked up instantly. Validation acquired.
Brock adjusted his pack and leaned closer to the ground. "Actually… these might be Steven's. See how the footprint is deeper on the heel? That's from someone who stands like they're carrying a lot of weight in a backpack, probably stones. And the stride pattern is too even to be a beginner hiker."
Ash smirked and elbowed Brock in the side. "Okay, nerd."
Brock rolled his eyes. "You're one to talk, Mr. Doctor-at-eleven. I grew up hiking; I know these things."
Ash pointed deeper into the cave. "Well, Steven or not, someone went this way. And we need to go deeper anyway."
May swallowed hard. "D-Deeper?"
"Yep," Ash said, walking forward. "If he's researching ruins, he'll be in the lowest part of the cave."
May hugged herself again. "Why do rock nerds live for creepy caves…"
"I take offense to that," Brock said, raising his hand, while also clearly resisting the urge to stop and examine every rare stone around them.
Inevitably, some of the Pokémon in the cave jumped out to attack, but Vee just blasted them with a [Bouncy Bubble] to chase them off. Ash noticed a few Aron, but none of them interested him at the moment, so he kept walking.
Ash got bored and reached into his bag, grabbing a can of soda. He cracked it open and started sipping as they walked.
They continued on, Ash sipping his soda, May hiding behind Ash and Brock, and Max busy taking pictures of the walls with his PokéNav.
The deeper they went, the quieter the cave became. Just dripping water… soft wind from deeper tunnels… and the occasional "Zubat" echo that made May jump high enough to hit the low ceiling.
"Ow—! Why is everything in here built to traumatize me!?" she complained, rubbing her head.
"Because caves existed long before you," Ash said casually, taking another sip.
Vee trotted ahead, fur puffed, tail swishing as he tracked something only he could sense. Every so often he stopped, sniffed the air, then continued. Pikachu hopped lightly from rock to rock, using tiny bursts of electricity to light up darker corners.
Brock checked the walls with a flashlight. "These carvings… they're old. Really old. Steven would definitely be interested in these."
"Great," May muttered. "So that means we're going the right way… deeper… into the giant pit of nightmares…"
Ash snorted. "Relax. I'd know if something dangerous was here." He chuckled as his eyes briefly glowed blue, reminding her about his thing.
"Ah, right, so that means there's nothing here, right?" May asked hopefully. "Well, maybe if that's the case then we ca—"
Before May could finish, the ground beneath her cracked, then gave way. For a second she was standing on nothing, and then she started falling.
But before she dropped into the darkness, Ash reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her up with one arm like he had done this way too many times. He took a sip of his soda and said, "May, you really need to see where you're going."
May dangled in the air for a moment, heart rattling in her chest like a Poké Ball in a dryer. Ash hauled her the rest of the way up with zero effort, one hand still holding his soda can.
May clung to his arm, shaking. "I—I almost DIED!"
"You almost fell," Ash corrected. "Falling isn't dying. Usually."
"WHY WOULD YOU ADD 'USUALLY'!?" May screeched.
Ash shrugged. "Because it's true."
Brock knelt by the cracked floor, peering down into the darkness with his flashlight. Max leaned over his shoulder.
"Whoooooa…" Max whispered. "That's a long drop."
Brock nodded grimly. "Yeah. If Ash didn't grab you, May, you would've ended up in the lower chambers instantly."
"I DON'T WANT TO END UP ANYWHERE INSTANTLY!" May yelled, still wrapped around Ash's arm like a terrified Slakoth.
Ash finally pried her off and set her back on her feet. "Just stay close. And stop walking backwards while complaining."
May huffed, dusting off her skirt. "Maybe caves should come with warning signs…"
Max raised an eyebrow. "Like what? 'Watch Your Step'?"
"Yes!" May said. "Exactly like that!"
"Yeah, well, these are mines, you know. There are bound to be places like that where people mined," Ash said with a shrug, finishing his soda.
"Why are you just drinking that!? Can't you take things seriously?!" May yelled at him.
"Okay, one: I'm drinking this because I'm thirsty, and I'm not drinking it anymore, I'm done with it. And two: no," Ash responded simply.
As May deflated, Brock looked at the can in Ash's hand. "What are you even going to do with that can? You're not just going to throw it down there, right, Ash?"
Ash looked at the can. Then a little Aron popped its head out of the stone where it was digging. Ash looked at it. It looked at him. And Ash simply handed the Aron his can, which the Aron happily took in its mouth before walking away.
The group stared after the Aron as it waddled back into its tunnel with the empty soda can clamped in its jaws.
"…Well," Brock said slowly, "at least it's recycling?"
"See?" Ash said, dusting off his hands. "Environmental kindness."
May blinked. "That… Ash, that Aron is going to eat that can."
"Yup," Ash said.
"And you just GAVE it to him."
"They do eat metal. Aluminum does count."
"…Ash, that's so cute I can't even be mad," May admitted, hands on her cheeks as she watched the Aron disappear. "Look at him helping keep the cave clean…!"
Ash rolled his eyes with a smile. "Alright, come on. Watch your step this time, May. No more accidental skydiving."
"I wasn't skydiving; I was FALLING!" she began, but Ash was already walking.
"Come on, we're almost to the ruins," Ash called out behind him.
"How do you know that?" Brock asked, walking up beside Ash while May and Max scurried to catch up behind them.
"There's a map of this place. I'm surprised you didn't get it, my guy," Ash said, raising an eyebrow.
"I—well, look, in my defense, I didn't think we were gonna be here today. I was busy… doing things," Brock tried to defend himself.
"Uh-huh. Did those things include you calling Suzie to get Vulpix back?" Ash asked, crossing his arms.
"I—um, well… I did do it… I have Vulpix again…" Brock said weakly.
"Uh-huh. And?" Ash waited.
Brock whistled and looked away. That was all the answer Ash needed. He sighed; he was too tired and not caffeinated enough for this. "Whatever. Let's just keep going."
So they did. They kept walking until they were at what they could only assume was the deepest point of the mines. Most Pokémon didn't come down here, there was no point, and most didn't want to be in areas like this.
But they pushed through until they found an opening that led into a clearing. Once they stepped through, they saw a massive underground cavern. Lanterns lined the walls, illuminating the space.
Along the stone walls were markings and ancient drawings depicting many things. And standing in the center of the room, in his trademark suit, was Steven Stone, staring intently at the murals.
On the left, a large dinosaur-like beast flashed its claws viciously, while a stream of fire poured out of its jaws. Beneath it, spirals of earth erupted from the ground. The earth transitioned harshly to sea, which seemed to be at war with it. Great waves and torrents of rain rose up, guided by the fins of a great sea Pokémon. The only colors on the wall were the sapphire glinting on the sea Pokémon's head and the ruby locked where the land Pokémon's heart would be.
Steven rubbed his chin as he looked at the drawings, "…Mm-hmm. So in the ancient world, their primal forms once held this much power…? The super-ancient Pokémon… What terrible strength… But this appearance here… It seems somehow different from Mega Evolution… Hmm. It seems my questions will not be answered today."
Brock and Max were looking at the walls, while Ash and May were staring at Steven's back. I mean, who couldn't recognize Steven? You'd have to be blind, and maybe not even then.
May took a step and accidentally stepped on a random pebble, making it roll. The little clanging sound echoed through the silent room.
"Hm?" Steven glanced back, finally noticing the group. "Oh, hello there. You are…?"
Ash raised a hand casually. "Yo, I'm Ash. Nice to meet you," he said casually, like he was greeting an old friend instead of someone he'd never met before. "Those two over there are Brock and Max," he added, pointing toward the corner.
"O–Oh, hi, I'm M–May, Stev—I mean, Mr. Stone," May stammered, straightening up. Because, like mentioned before, who didn't know Steven Stone? Most people, especially young girls, were fans of his. His fanclub was even bigger than Lance's, and Lance had been champion a year longer.
And then there was the whole situation about Steven's champion title. It was… complicated. To simplify it: Steven was champion first. He kept the title for a while, then Wallace came in, challenged him, and beat him. Then Steven went out, got a little stronger, and came back to beat Wallace. Then Wallace went out, got stronger, and beat Steven. And so on, and so on.
So yeah, Steven currently wasn't champion; he'd lost the title recently. But, knowing their track record, he'd probably be champion again in less than a year.
But until that time came, Steven was more than happy to trade all the champion paperwork for his real passion: rocks.
Steven gave a polite nod to May, a gentle smile creeping onto his face as he recognized the typical 'oh no he's hot' expression she was desperately trying to hide.
"Nice to meet all of you," Steven said warmly. "Not many trainers come this deep into Granite Cave. Especially not… without flashlights." He glanced at Ash's group.
Ash just shrugged. "I have Pikachu. He's more than enough."
Pikachu nodded and lit up the cavern with another Flash.
Steven blinked. "…I suppose that does count."
May elbowed Ash. "Show some respect, this is Steven Stone!"
Ash raised an eyebrow. "I know who he is. He's the guy who likes rocks more than oxygen."
Steven choked.
May looked like she was about to die of embarrassment just being near Ash.
But Steven actually laughed. "No, no, he's quite right. Stones are fascinating. Each one has a story etched into it over millions of years."
May nodded quickly, pretending she understood anything he just said. "Yes. Uh-huh. Totally. Me too."
Ash nudged her. "Name one rock."
"R-Rock-type Pokémon?" she offered weakly.
Even Max facepalmed at that.
Steven clasped his hands together politely. "Well, regardless, it's a pleasure to meet you all. What brings you down here? Most travelers only visit the upper chambers."
Ash held up the sealed envelope. "We're here to deliver this. For you."
Steven blinked, surprised. "For me? From whom?"
"It's from your dad. Some… trouble happened. He said everything should be explained in that letter," Ash explained.
Steven nodded, opened the envelope, and began reading it slowly. He spent a full minute looking it over. His face didn't change, but Ash noticed a slight twitch in his finger, something so tiny no one else caught it.
Then Steven gently closed the letter and slipped it into his pocket. "I see. Well then, it looks like I have to thank you for saving my father not once but twice. I swear he would lose his head if it wasn't screwed on."
He joked with a small chuckle, but again Ash caught him adjusting his tie uncomfortably. Then Steven looked at Ash and gave a small, but genuine, smile.
"Though I suppose if anyone had the power to save him, it would be you, Ketchum."
Ash wasn't surprised Steven knew his last name. After all, Steven was champion during the Silver Conference, and champions often watched tournaments to scout new trainers to support personally. And Ash had left a pretty good impression, especially considering his best friend and rival Wallace.
"You're too kind. I just did what I thought was right. Besides," Ash said, placing his hand on May's head, "they also messed with my little friend here. And she's my responsibility to protect."
May froze the instant Ash's hand landed on her head, her cheeks turning red so fast it was almost audible. "A-Ash! Don't just, say it like that!" she sputtered, puffing her cheeks as she swatted weakly at his hand.
Ash ignored her entirely, leaving his palm resting comfortably on her hair like she was his personal stress ball.
Steven raised an eyebrow, amused. "My, my… quite protective, aren't you?"
"She's clumsy," Ash corrected bluntly. "If I don't keep an eye on her, she'll fall through another hole, get attacked by a random legendary, or challenge a Geodude to a beauty contest."
"I—I would NOT!" May yelled.
"She would," Max and Brock said simultaneously. Even Pikachu and Vee nodded.
May shot all of them a glare promising at least three murders.
Steven chuckled lightly. "Well… I certainly understand the sentiment. Traveling companions can become like family. It's admirable that you take responsibility for your team's safety."
Ash shrugged. "'Course. This whole adventure thing isn't worth much if I don't have my favorite victims-I mean friends~." Based on the smirk he gave, he absolutely did not stutter by accident.
Steven chuckled again, then fixed his tie. "Well, I have to go deal with some things. But I cannot leave you without a reward for coming all the way out here and for saving my father."
He thought about it, then smiled. "You have a Pokédex, don't you? Since you're Professor Oak's student, of course," he asked.
"Yeah, I have one," Ash responded. He didn't use it much, but he still kept it on him, just having it was valuable.
"Well then, you must be helping with completing the Pokédex," Steven assumed as he walked over to his bag. He picked it up, reached inside, and continued, "Then allow me to help you with that." Steven pulled out an incubator from his bag, holding a small light-blue egg inside.
He walked up to Ash and held it out. "This is one of my favorite Pokémon, and since it's you, I'm sure you'll raise this little one well."
Ash nodded and gently took the egg into his arms. "I see. Thank you." He didn't bother trying to refuse, first, it would be rude to turn down a gift, and second, Ash wasn't about to give up free loot. Not when he was the loot goblin he was.
Steven smiled and nodded. Then he looked back at the wall, and back to the group. "If you don't mind me asking… do you feel anything in particular when you look at this mural? A primal world, lost thousands of years in the past. A Legendary Pokémon of tremendous power became humanity's greatest threat. The terror aroused by that power is clear to see in this ancient artwork."
"Well…" Brock stepped up and rubbed his chin. "I suppose there's a story being told here, but I can't really decipher the writing on the wall." He pointed to an area covered in what could only be described as an entirely different language.
"That is what I was thinking as well," Steven agreed. "This area is actually newly discovered. There was a separate wall hiding these ancient drawings, almost like some kind of ancient technology."
"Wait, wha—? But isn't the whole thing that we're usually smarter than ancient people?" May asked.
"Not necessarily," Brock said. "There are always things we lost that ancient civilizations knew. That's what makes archaeology so fascinating."
Ash nodded. "Yeah, I mean, generally that's true, we're smarter because we have what they had and more. But ancient civilizations were much smarter than we give them credit for."
"I see… but I mean, these are just drawings, right?" Max began. "Dad used to tell us stories about how Groudon and Kyogre made Hoenn during their war over land and sea, and they almost destroyed it before going to eternal sleep. But that didn't really happen, right?"
"I wouldn't be so sure," Steven chuckled softly. "Every legend has a grain of truth. Maybe they didn't go to war… but then again, maybe they did. That's what makes archaeology so fascinating, learning, theorizing…"
Brock nodded rapidly. "I completely agree! That's why I love museums, getting to learn about the ancient world, ahh, it's always so exciting."
Before Brock and Steven could start fully nerding out, Ash clapped his hands. "Hey, guys, can we walk and talk? We're still in a cave."
"Oh, right. I apologize," Steven said. "I got a little carried away seeing fellow enthusiasts. Here, let me walk you all out."
Max nearly choked. "Really? THE Steven Stone, guiding US? I must be dreaming."
"Hey, don't die on us yet, Max," Ash said, rubbing his head. "Anyway, let's go."
And go they did. Steven led them out of the cave, guiding them through the passages. Since when they went down they were just randomly exploring instead of following an actual path, Steven, of course, knew the correct way by memory.
When they reached the top, the sun was already setting. Steven glanced back at them. "Well, it was enjoyable meeting all of you. Farewell. I hope you stay safe, until next time." He waved as he walked away, leaving the gang alone.
"Welp, that was a fun side adventure." Ash stretched. "Got an egg, delivered the letter, and I've got like an hour before Abby comes to pick me up to head back to Molly for the rest of the day. You guys hungry?"
Right on cue, May and Max's stomachs rumbled in perfect synchronization, making both of them look away from Ash and Brock.
"H-Hey… it's not our fault we were down there for hours…" Max muttered.
Ash chuckled. "Okay, how about we go get something in town? I think there's a-" He stopped mid-sentence when he heard a small crunch.
He turned back toward the cave entrance to see a little Aron munching on the ring pull of a soda can. The same Aron Ash had given his can to.
"Aww, look at it! Looks like it followed us out," May said, putting a hand to her cheek.
"Yeah, guess it did," Ash said as he thought about it, and then smiled. He walked over, reached out, and picked the Aron up, tucking it under his arm. "You're my friend now. Anyway, let's go," he said casually, walking off like he hadn't just picked up a random wild Pokémon.
"Wha—Ash!!" May screamed after him.
"Yeah? What's up?" Ash replied casually as the Aron finished the ring, let out a tiny burp, and made absolutely no attempt to escape.
"Are you seriously just grabbing another random Pokémon? What happened to actually catching Pokémon?!"
"Yeah? I mean, it's not that heavy." Ash looked down at the Aron.
"That's not the, wait, actually that is a good point. How are you carrying an Aron?!" May asked frantically.
"I work real hard. Get on my level. Anyway, come on, I've only got an hour before I'm leaving you guys again," Ash said, continuing to walk without a care in the world.
Brock walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Again, don't question it. You get fewer headaches that way."
May sighed deeply and followed after them with a defeated look on her face. At least she was going to get something to eat. That was something.