Priceless Treasures-Chapter 20

The Thief of Time

   "So this is the guy stealing the Time Gears..."

   "10 stars. I've never seen such a high ranking for an outlaw before..."

   "Forget the rank! Check out the bounty! 500,000 P...that's outrageous!"

   Scattered whispers greeted Ivy, Aden, Turk, and Dusknoir (who had tagged along with them) as they emerged onto the first sub-level of Wigglytuff's Guild, finding the guild members gathered around the Outlaw Notice Board. "We just heard the news!" Ivy announced as she and her companions approached the bigger group. "We finally know who's been stealing the Time Gears?"

   "We sure DO!" Mal boomed, waving Ivy and the others forward. "See for yourself!"

   The apprentices moved aside to let the group of four approach the Outlaw Notice Board, where a fresh new wanted poster was pinned, taking up the majority of the bulletin board's surface in its great size. Ivy was the first to reach it, and she looked up in apprehension at the illustration of the Pokémon connected to, if not causing, the time crisis.

   "It's a Grovyle," she muttered under her breath, shuddering at the ferocity the simple illustration displayed in the thief's eyes. "A Grovyle is stealing the Time Gears..."

   "Rank: 10-star," Aden read in a hushed voice. "Distinguishable by a long scar running down his neck and shoulder. No known alibis..." He glared up at the Grovyle on the poster, which seemed to be glaring back at him in what felt like haughty superiority. So this is the moron that's causing the time crisis...

   "Th-this Grovyle character sure looks like a piece of work, yup yup," Turk muttered anxiously to Ivy's left. "By the way, how did we find out he's the one stealing the Time Gears?"

   "Because the Time Gear from Fogbound Lake has been stolen as well."

   Only when he spoke up did Ivy and Aden realize that Ray was in the room. They snapped their heads around, startled to see him standing amongst the guild members. "H-how did you know about-?"

   "On my way back from Amp Plains," the Raichu cut off Ivy's question, "I ran into Uxie, who was beaten and bruised and close to fainting. I had no idea who I had met at the time, but I knew that he needed help, and brought him into the closest police outpost. When he was able to speak coherently again, Uxie identified himself as the Time Gear guardian of Fogbound Lake, and that he'd just narrowly survived this Grovyle's attack and escaped...before the Time Gear was removed and the entire area became trapped in time."

   It felt as though a cold wind blew across the room, making Ivy's skin prickle. U-Uxie was attacked? And his Time Gear was stolen??

   "Did anyone..." she heard Aden mutter beside her. "Could someone have talked, and it reached this Grovyle's ears...?"

   The entirety of the guild's apprentices rounded on the Pikachu faster than he had time to blink. "OY!" Mal boomed. "That was TOTALLY uncalled for!"

   "Hey hey hey!" Raul yelled. "What gives!? Suddenly don't trust your fellow apprentices anymore!?"

   Aden's face turned bright red in humiliation. "I-I didn't mean it like that..." he muttered, averting his gaze from everyone else's. "...Sorry."

   "I thought the same thing, too," Ivy quietly admitted, coming to her partner's aid. "I mean, think about it, the theft happened so soon after our expedition, and we were the only ones who knew about the Time Gear at the lake, right? It was uncalled for to wonder if anyone broke our vow of secrecy, yes, but you gotta admit, it's very suspicious..."

   A few mumbles of apologies were heard from the guild members before Dusknoir said, "I'm afraid you've lost me. There was a Time Gear in Fogbound Lake? And Uxie, the being of knowledge, was guarding it?" He cast a suspicious eye toward the Guildmaster. "I was under the impression that your expedition for the treasure of the lake ended in failure, Guildmaster."

   Wigglytuff looked ashamed. "I apologize, Dusknoir, but we made a promise to Uxie. A promise to never breathe a word of Fogbound Lake to anyone outside our guild. We didn't want to break that promise, so I had to lie to you. I'm sorry."

   "That is completely understandable, Guildmaster," Ray insisted. "And besides, as it turns out, your guild members were not the only ones to know of the lake's secret. According to Uxie, the Grovyle's exact words were this: 'No one led me here, nor has anyone told me about your lake. I have known about this place for a long time.'"

   It was unsettling to know that Grovyle had known about Fogbound Lake without anyone telling him about it, and it was apparent in the faces of each Pokémon gathered inside Wigglytuff's Guild.

   "Is...is Uxie alright?" Turk asked, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence.

   "Yes, Uxie is fine," Chatot assured the Bidoof. "He has been placed under the protection of Officer Baron's squad. They will make sure no further harm comes to him."

   A collective sigh of relief came from the apprentices. "Also," Chatot continued, "his victim statement has provided us with information retaining to the Time Thief, as we are choosing to call this Grovyle, including what you see on this wanted poster Glenn was kind enough to provide us with. Many more are being sent to all corners of the continent via Pelipper delivery, so that all may know what we are dealing with. Such precautions have been made because Officer Baron, like all of us, does not wish for the time crisis to become more out of hand than it already is."

   Silence befell the group again. Ivy found herself staring at the Time Thief's mug shot and thinking about the promise she and the rest of the guild made to Uxie.

   We promised not to reveal the secret of Fogbound Lake, and now this happens... I feel so ashamed, even though none of us leaked the secret. Does Uxie hate us now? Like Dominic and his tribe hate all outsiders? And the lake... All those Pokémon that couldn't escape like Uxie did, its magical view...completely ruined...!

   Sorrow turned to anger. She would never again experience the magical moment she had at the lake, with its glistening lights dancing within its spurting fountain, and it made her so mad she felt herself trembling.

   However, her body was not trembling only because of her anger, but also because the room was trembling too. Everyone else noticed this, and swayed where they stood, worry on their faces, for a few more moments until-

   "YOOM-TAH!"

   The tremors Wigglytuff was causing stopped. Those standing closest to him flinched back, stunned from his sudden outburst. "Everyone!" he yelled, voice full of justified fury. "We're going to capture the Time Thief! We'll catch that no-good Grovyle! I vow it upon the name of Wigglytuff's Guild! Basil! If you will!"

   Chatot looked too stunned to speak for a few seconds. "Wha-? Oh, oh yes! Of course!" Collecting himself, the Music Note Pokémon turned to address the apprentices. "Starting now, everyone's usual work for the guild will be put on hold. From here on out, we are putting our undivided focus on capturing Grovyle, the Time Thief, so that no more Time Gears will fall into his hands!"

   Many of the apprentices shouted cries of agreement, some pumping their fists into the air, too. Chatot beamed to hear such responses from the apprentices, and with a hopeful gleam in his eye, turned his head toward the two Pokémon that didn't belong to the guild. "Would it be alright to ask for your assistance in the Grovyle's capture?"

   "Absolutely," Dusknoir replied almost instantly. He then said to Wigglytuff, "I will join in your guild's pursuit of the Time Thief. You can count on me."

   "Th-thank you, Dusknoir!" Wigglytuff blubbered in shock and happiness. The Guildmaster then directed his gaze to Ray. "And what about you, Glenn?"

   The Raichu shrugged lightly. "This time crisis we currently find ourselves in is everyone's problem. Alright, I'll help out, too. Although, I'm afraid I won't be much use on the front lines, so to speak, so I'll be joining those spreading the word instead. That alright with you?"

   "It sure is!" Wigglytuff answered with a smile. "Thank you, Glenn!"

   Feeling honored to have the cooperation of these two famous explorers, Chatot spoke out to call the apprentices to attention. "At present, the Guildmaster, the great Dusknoir, and I will confer to devise a strategy for tracking down the Time Thief! In the meantime, all apprentices should begin preparing to go on searches. You are to return here when and only when you are ready to set off. Alright everyone, let's all outdo ourselves!"

   Many fists were pumped into the air as the apprentices collectively cheered, "YEAH!"

   "I suppose I'll take my leave then," Ray calmly told the Guildmaster as the apprentices dispersed to make their preparations. With a small nod to Wigglytuff, he turned and made his way out of the guild, passing Team Sky as he walked.

   "Stay vigilant," he discretely whispered to them as he passed, "and be sure not to get in over your heads."

   "Okay," Ivy whispered back. "Thanks, Mister Ray."

   Ray paused for a moment, glancing back at the pair, looking as if he wanted to say something more before Aden asked, "Shouldn't you be going now?"

   The remark was very rude, and Ivy glared at her partner for issuing it. Ray stared, brow furrowed, at Aden, who was refusing to look him in the eye, for a good few silence-filled moments before the Raichu stated, "Just...be careful."

   Without another word, he turned and calmly walked away.

------

   The apprentices of Wigglytuff's Guild had returned to the guild within an hour of their dismissal, prepared to begin their searches and gathered in front of the giant map on the bottom floor of the establishment.

   "It goes without saying," Chatot said, pacing up and down in front of the wall map, "that the Time Thief is sure to appear wherever there is a Time Gear. The real question we must ask ourselves is, where could the remaining Time Gears be?"

   He stopped pacing and turned to face the apprentices. "Together, with the great Dusknoir's assistance, we have identified several possible locations for the Time Gears to be hidden. We ask you now to split up into groups and investigate each of these potential sites."

   "Yessir!" the apprentices answered.

   "Mal and Raul." Speaking to the Loudred and the Corphish, Chatot pointed the tip of his wing to a cluster of trees on the map. "You have been assigned to search the Eastern Forest."

   "Got it!" Mal boomed.

   "Hey hey, sure thing!" Raul responded.

   "Turk, Flint, and Calliope," Chatot continued, addressing the Bidoof, Dugtrio, and Sunflora as he pointed to another location on the map. "You three are to search Crystal Cave."

   "Understood," Flint said.

   "Will do, yup yup!" Turk added.

   "You can count on us!" Callie chirped.

   "Lastly, Ivy and Aden. You are to search the Northern Desert."

   Chatot's wing pointed to a location on the map almost directly north of Treasure Town. Taking a mental note to mark the area on their own map, Ivy nodded in understanding. "You got it, sir!"

   "Yeah," Aden muttered, nodding slightly. "Got it."

  "Um, what about me?" a quiet voice asked. All heads turned to Simon. "What will I do, sir?"

   "It will be unwise to leave the guild entirely unattended," Chatot explained, "so you will be staying here, Simon."

   The Diglett looked very disappointed. "I wanted to help in the search..."

   "Don't be too disheartened, Simon," Anju said soothingly. "Raj and I are staying behind, too. And remember that the Amazing Glenn is out there spreading the word instead of joining the search."

   "We must all do what we can to stop the Time Thief," Raj pointed out, "even if it means staying behind to gather and relay information. Besides, I much prefer staying behind the scenes anyway, meh-heh-heh..."

   Ignoring the Croagunk's slightly disconcerting chuckle, Simon nodded. "O-okay!"

   "We all have our assignments!" Wigglytuff yelled in the same voice of justified fury as before. "Now let's find the Time Gears, everyone! YOOM-TAH!"

   "YEAH!"

   The apprentices dispersed once again, some returning to their posts, others heading out to search their designated areas. Before Team Sky could make a move to even leave the guild, Dusknoir approached them. "It appears, Ivy, that our quest to unravel the mystery of your identity will have to wait for a while."

   "I don't mind, sir," Ivy assured the ghost-type. "Finding the Time Thief takes top priority right now. Everything else can wait."

   Dusknoir grinned. "The Northern Desert is not only wide and deep, but raked by vicious sandstorms that many a Pokémon have gotten hopelessly lost in. Please, do take care when exploring that place."

   "We will," Aden replied. "Thank you, sir."

   Dusknoir nodded at the pair and hovered off to join Wigglytuff and Chatot in conversation. Once he was out of earshot, Ivy rounded on her partner. "Why can't you behave that politely around Mister Ray, huh?"

   The pleasant look on the Pikachu's face was replaced with a deep frown. "None of your business."

   "Don't make me make it my business!" the Eevee warned. "If you don't stop treating Mister Ray - your own father - like this, I'll-"

   "As I recall," Aden interrupted, "finding that Grovyle 'takes top priority right now,' and 'everything else can wait'." He began marching towards the ladder. "Let's do our work and check out the Northern Desert."

   Incredibly offended that her own words were used against her like this, Ivy grimaced and quietly fumed as she followed her teammate out of the guild, out of Treasure Town and, after consulting their Wonder Map, on to the Northern Desert.

------

   "No one's found anything? At all?"

   Team Sky's search of the Northern Desert didn't yield any results. All there was to the desert area was rocks, sand, and a small valley full of quicksand pits. When it was decided that it was too dangerous to try to get around the quicksand, and because there was no where else in the area to search, the pair decided to go back to the guild. All the way, Ivy feared what would happen to them when they returned empty-handed.

   What a shock she got when it was discovered that she and Aden weren't the only ones who failed.

   "It is disappointing," Flint answered after the Eevee's shocked outburst, "but our words are true."

   "Same here," Mal voiced. "We found NOTHING!"

   "Hey hey, we checked out the Eastern Forest alright," Raul said, sounding crestfallen, "but, hey, there's nothing really there but a bunch of trees!"

   "As for Crystal Cave," Callie confessed, "it's chock-full of crystals, but there wasn't even a hint of there being a Time Gear. Right, Turk?"

   The Bidoof looked as though he was only half-listening to the conversation when Callie addressed him. "Huh? Oh yeah!" he said quickly. "No Time Gears! No siree! Plenty o' mighty pretty crystals though, yup yup!"

   Flint cast a sideways glance at Turk, suspicious of the way the Bidoof was smiling to himself, before speaking to Ivy and Aden. "What about you, Team Sky? What did you find in the Northern Desert?"

   "Sand," Aden answered, frowning that he could still taste grainy particles in his mouth. "Lots of sand."

   Chatot sighed audibly and turned to Dusknoir. "Dusknoir, sir, I regret to say it, but our guild's search efforts have ended fruitlessly. Not only that, but we have yet to receive any word of news about the situation."

   Dusknoir frowned thoughtfully, clasping his hands behind his back. "This is quite vexing indeed. I had thought the search locations we chose held promise, but it turns out that I was wrong." He looked to Wigglytuff in abash. "I blame my lack of knowledge for your guild's failure. I am truly chastened."

   "Goodness, no!" Chatot squawked before Wigglytuff could say anything, flapping his arms frantically. "You mustn't place blame upon yourself, Dusknoir, sir! Why, if it wasn't for your vast knowledge, we would not have been able to come up with our plan!"

   "Nonetheless," Dusknoir reasoned, "the fact remains that our efforts have ended in failure. It is also true that being hard on ourselves will prove to be pointless. I suggest we reconsider our plan; devise a different strategy for tracking down the Time Gears before that Grovyle gets to them first."

   His wings folded back against his body, Chatot let out a calming sigh. "A reasonable suggestion, as to be expected from the great Dusknoir." The Music Note Pokémon turned to address the apprentices. "There you have it, everyone. The Guildmaster, the great Dusknoir, and I shall once again confer and revise our strategy for locating the Time Gears. For now, though, you have done enough work for today. Anju has prepared us a wonderful dinner; let us eat and get some rest. Tomorrow we resume our searches!"

   "Understood!"

   With the guild in agreement, everyone filed into the dining hall, ate their meal, then scampered off to their rooms to get their sleep afterwards. When morning came, and everyone gathered outside the Guildmaster's chambers, Chatot announced that as he, Wigglytuff, and Dusknoir worked on their new strategy, the apprentices were to search for the Time Gears on their own initiative. After yelling their morning cheers, the apprentices dispersed, and the group of Dusknoir, Wigglytuff, and Chatot began their strategy meeting.

   "Well," Aden said to Ivy, vaguely acknowledging that Callie and Flint were chewing Turk out for secretly leaving Crystal Cave yesterday with a souvenir crystal a few feet behind him, "unless you have somewhere you wanna search, looks like we have ourselves a day off."

   He stretched his arms and clasped his hands behind his head, looking off into the distance. "Don't get me wrong, finding the Time Gears is important and all, but where are we even supposed to begin looking for them?"

   "I want to go back to where those quicksand pits are."

   Aden nearly tripped, even though he had been standing still, and gawked at Ivy. "Back there?" he demanded. "There's nothing there but a bunch of death traps!"

   Ivy, looking sheepish, fidgeted where she stood. "Well, uh, I didn't mention it at the time, because I wasn't sure what it was myself, but when I thought about it last night, I realized what it was. Do you remember the expedition? When we arrived at the base camp outside Foggy Forest?"

   "Yes...?" Aden answered, not sure where his partner was going with this.

   "Then you remember," Ivy continued, "that I had a peculiar feeling overcome me. And yesterday, when we were at the quicksand pits...I had the same feeling as the one I had back then."

   Aden's eyes widened. "You mean the feeling that you'd been there before?"

   Ivy nodded. "So, that's why I think we should check out those quicksand pits again. There might be something more to them there, but there might not. Either way, I wanna go back there, to make sure the sensation I felt was legitimate..."

   Aden chewed the inside of his mouth for a minute or two, remaining silent until he muttered, "And here I was looking forward to a day off..." A deep sigh blew through his lips. "Oh well, if we leave now, we'll be there by midday. Let's go."

   For a moment, Ivy didn't move. She only gawked at her teammate. "Y-you think it's a good idea?"

   "It's as good idea as any," he nonchalantly replied with a shrug. "Besides, if you think there's something there...then I believe it's worth checking out-"

   His words were cut off as he felt Ivy pounce on him. This was not like her usual pounces, however. It was much more gentle; not quite strong enough to make him lose his balance, though he did sway a little. Her legs wrapped around his neck and, with her face nuzzled against his cheek, she whispered to him, "Thank you, Aden."

   She released the hug within seconds of initiating it and moved toward the ladder, humming a tiny tune as she walked. Aden, however, made no move to follow her. In fact, he made no movement at all. Ivy's sudden embrace had stunned him into speechless stupor. He could feel heat rising into his cheeks, feel his heart racing from the lingering feeling of having her body close to his, her arms wrapped around him so tenderly.

   And, more than that, he felt excitement and happiness that her touch brought filling his heart with a comfortable warmth...

   "C'mon, Aden!"

   Her voice snapped him back to his senses. He looked up and saw her waiting for him at the base of the ladder, a carefree smile on her face. "For the guy who wanted to get there before midday, you sure are being a Slowpoke!" She laughed, a light, jovial sound that made Aden's heart race again. "Let's hurry back to the desert already, Mister Slowpoke!"

   "S-shut up," he muttered, trying to hide the redness in his face as he followed Ivy out of the guild, out of Treasure Town, and back toward the Northern Desert. I swear, he thought along the way, one of these days, this idiot is going to give me the heart attack that kills me.

------

   The pair arrived at the quicksand pits in a much shorter amount of time than they had taken yesterday, most likely because they knew exactly what they were searching for this time and how to get there.

   "Still nothing here other than quicksand, I see," Aden stated, brushing some sand off his shoulder and looking around. "You really sure you wanted to check out this dead end again?"

   "Yes," Ivy murmured beside him, sounding breathless. Her eyes were wide and she was looking around the area, too, but with more concentration than her partner. "I feel it. It's definitely real. The same nostalgia I felt at Foggy Forest. I can't explain it, but I definitely know this place!"

   She soon let out a sigh. "But, looking over this, I have to admit that you're right, Aden. There's really no much here other than desert and quicksand, and aside from these pits, there's really nothing at all..."

   Aden blew a low sigh. He recalled that the last time Ivy had this feeling, there had been a Time Gear hidden deep within the place where she first felt the sensation. But now, if the feeling she had now was just a ruse, if coming here had been for nothing and was a wild Swanna chase...

   Feeling aggravated, he kicked a small stone at his feet, making it tumble into the largest of the pits, which was directly in front of where he and Ivy stood. Both members of Team Sky watched as the pebble sank, rather quickly, into the whirlpool of sand, Aden scowling, Ivy silently musing. Hmm... If there's nothing here other than quicksand...wait a minute! That just might be the key to our mystery!

   She suddenly threw herself to the ground, long brown ear pressed against the hot sand. Noticing this, Aden gave her a curious look. "Um...what are you-?"

   "Shh!" the Eevee hissed. A few moments later, she looked to Aden, frowning. "Could you kick another rock into that pit?"

   "Uh...sure." Not sure what she was trying to do, and deciding to humor her, he sent another stone tumbling into the quicksand. Still keeping a reasonable distance away from the pit, Ivy inched closer to the quicksand, ear still pressed to the ground. She cringed at the hot sand against her ear, but endured the burning, wishing the ground wasn't so unstable so that it would be easier for her to-

   It was small, faint, and may have just been her imagination, but Ivy could've sworn she heard the stone Aden just kicked landing on something directly beneath the pit.

   "That's it!" she exclaimed, jumping back to her feet. "Our only way to progress is by jumping into the quicksand!"

   Aden's jaw dropped to hear the statement. "J-jump into one of those death traps?!" he shouted, a hint of hysteria in his voice. "Are you out of your mind!?"

   "I don't think they're death traps," Ivy argued. "See, I think there's something down there beneath the pits; I heard the stone you just land on something down there, though I have no idea what. It's just like when we discovered the cave behind the waterfall. All we need is to take a leap of faith and-"

   "This is completely different from that time!" Aden insisted, voice raising an octave. "You had a Dimensional Scream to tell you that there was definitely something behind the waterfall! Now you're relying on disappearing pebbles to tell you that we're not jumping to our deaths?!"

   "Yes I am! This feeling that I've been here before; I must have it for a reason! And I think it's trying to tell me that the only way to go forward is to...Do you hear that?"

   Ivy became very quiet, eyes scanning the area once again. Aden, though still bewildered by the thought of jumping into the quicksand, followed suit. Soon, his ears picked up on a sound, probably the one Ivy heard, coming from behind and growing increasingly louder with each passing second. Aden and Ivy's eyes met for a fraction of a second as, slowly, they turned around and saw what was creating the mystery sound.

   A monstrous sandstorm had kicked up, howling and racing with incredible speed to where Team Sky stood.

   Ivy's wide eyes looked to Aden, then back at the sandstorm, then the quicksand, then back to Aden. "We have to jump!" she yelled over the howling wind. "That thing's blocking our only other exit! There's no other way! We'll be alright, I promise!"

   She was right. Of course she was right. But no matter which way Aden looked at it, they were trapped between a rock and a hard place. "How do you know?" he called, the wind picking up speed. "How do you know we'll be alright if we just throw ourselves in there?!"

   "I just do!" Though it was hard to hear it over the whooshing wind, she said in a much softer voice, "Aden, please, trust me!"

   Aden wished for time to stop, so that he could think over their options. On the one hand, there was braving the sandstorm, which risked getting battered, covered head to toe in sand and, as Dusknoir warned, becoming hopelessly lost in the endless expanse. On the other hand, there was jumping into the quicksand, which risked becoming buried alive in the swirling, bottomless pit.

   But, if Ivy truly believed it, was the pit really not bottomless at all?

   The edge of the sandstorm was just meters away. It would be upon them in mere moments. Deciding to face the lesser of two evils, Aden steeled his nerves and faced the quicksand pits. "Hurry!"

   At his command, with only seconds to spare, Aden and Ivy ran and, inhaling big gulps of air, dove into the biggest of the pits, closing their eyes as they sank deeper and deeper into the swirling sand.

------

   Aden spat repeatedly, having gotten a mouthful of sand despite holding his breath before jumping. Thankfully, none of the bothersome particles had gotten into his eyes, and when he opened them up, the first thing he saw was that he and Ivy were sitting on a mound of sand and inside a massive, cavernous area. After meeting each others' gazes, they turned their heads up toward where they fell, hearing the muffled sounds of the sandstorm raging above them.

   "There really was a secret to this place," Ivy muttered in disbelief, eyes scanning the area they landed themselves in. "A giant underground cave hidden beneath the quicksand pits!"

   With a triumphant laugh, Ivy hopped to her feet, shook off most of the sand clinging to her fur, and took a sweeping glance at where they landed themselves in. "Look at that!" she said, pointing at a spot on one of the walls. "Do you see where that rock formation looks like it's forming a bunch of stairs that goes all the way up there? Looks like we can get back out that way! Oh, oh! And it looks like we can go deeper into the cave over there! Let's check it out!"

   Ivy began to move to where she saw the cave continuing onward, stopping only after a few steps when she heard a quiet voice say her name.

   "Ivy..." Aden muttered, a sheepish look on his face as he stared fixedly on two stones - the one's he had kicked earlier - that laid peacefully on the ground beside him. "S...sorry...f-for doubting you..."

   Ivy felt her heart leap to hear an apology come from the Pikachu. For a moment, all she could do was gawk at him as he nervously twiddled with the two pebbles and refuse to make eye contact. After a while, though, she flashed a smile. "That's alright. It was a crazy idea, I had a few doubts, too. But at least we're safe and out of that sandstorm's way now, so, apology accepted."

   Still averting his eyes, the corner of Aden's mouth briefly pulled up into a half smile. "Now come on, Mister Slowpoke!" Still wearing her smile, Ivy beckoned her partner to follow her deeper into the cave. "Let's explore!"