Back at the Pokémon Centre, Ash and Misty were busy showing May around the building, so that she would have a basic idea of the layout of each Pokémon Centre they would visit.
"And this room's where the trainers sleep," said Misty as she showed May the sleeping accommodations.
"Wow! Not too shabby," commented May as they then made their way over to another room filled with various other Pokémon trainers, sitting on benches and merrily chatting with each other.
"This is the lobby, where the trainers that stay here hang out to share information," stated Ash.
"Yeah, you mean like where the malls are, and where the best places to eat are, and the best clothing stores are, and things like that?" asked May enthusiastically.
"Don't be silly, May," said Misty with an exasperated look. "They're all talking about Pokémon stuff."
"Okay, okay! Sheesh, you don't have to get all snippy, Misty," huffed May.
At that moment, they could not help but hear one trainer remarking to another, "I heard there's a new gym leader over at the Petalburg Gym!"
This immediately caught Ash's attention and he dashed over to the trainer, eager to find out more.
"Really? Can you tell me who the new gym leader is?" he asked.
But before Ash could get an answer, May suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
"Hey, what gives, May?" asked a surprised Misty, who had noticed that the young trainer had suddenly seemed nervous at the mention of the Petalburg Gym.
"Yeah, I was trying to find something out!" protested Ash.
"Can't you tell I'm completely starved?" said May hastily. "Let's go and eat!"
"She has a point, Ash," conceded Misty, as she glanced down at Togepi, who was starting to look hungry. "It is getting late, and we ought to get some dinner before turning in for the night."
"Uh, okay," said Ash reluctantly.
And so, they made their way to the canteen, and soon they were all sitting at one of the tables, enjoying some delicious hot meals.
"Mmm, yummy!" said May happily, as she took a bite from her plate. "You know these centres are really great! Everything you can want in one place!"
"But remember they're only here for the trainers, so that they can rest in-between heavy training," reminded Ash.
"Yes, Pokémon training is a major responsibility," added Misty. "It's not an excuse just to eat and shop."
"Well, Ash is getting ready for heavy training, and I'm training too, right?" pointed out May.
"Uh, I guess if you put it that way," muttered Ash.
Just then, a familiar figure came over to their table, carrying a dinner tray in his hands.
"Well, it's the three weary travellers," greeted Professor Alden. "Glad you made it safely."
Meanwhile, right outside the building, Team Rocket were hard at work, digging a deep tunnel with their shovels, their intention being to break into the Pokémon Centre, steal the various Pokémon inside, and use them to help build their base in Hoenn. However, as they continued digging, James and Meowth were distracted by smells of food coming from the open canteen windows.
"Yum! Something smells really good," commented Meowth.
"Spaghetti and Meatballs, with Garlic Breadsticks on the side," added James dreamily.
"Snap out of it!" said Jessie sharply, who was busy digging with her shovel. "Work on being a good thief, not a restaurant critic!"
"Oh yes, right, thanks," said James hastily.
"Soon as we set up a Team Rocket shop in the Hoenn region, we're number one!" grinned Meowth.
"But just a minute, since we're the only members of Team Rocket in the Hoenn region, we already are number one, aren't we?" pointed out James.
Meowth liked the sound of that. "Hello! Slick thinking, James!"
Jessie glowered at them both. "If you two lazy good-for-nothings take that sort of attitude, Butch and Cassidy will just slide on in and take over!"
The idea of their hated rivals taking all the glory was enough to bring new resolve for James and Meowth.
"Jessie's right," agreed Meowth. "Those no-good crooks!"
"You're so good with those moral building pep talks," James complimented Jessie.
And with that, Team Rocket resumed digging merrily away at their tunnel, on their way to steal Pokémon and to finally gain the respect and glory they believed they so greatly deserved...
After dinner, Professor Alden had kindly offered to tell Ash, Misty and May more about his work, and so he led they way to his research office, in which were an number of fossils and other interesting artefacts. As the three youngsters looked around, Ash spotted a photo hanging on the wall.
"Professor, are those the same ruins we saw when we were up on that hill?" he asked, gesturing to the photo.
"Yes, and lucky for me, the Pokémon Centre has been generous enough to give me the use of this room while I continue my research on those ruins. You know, there's a stone chamber within the ruins, and legend has it that it's a sort of bridge, or portal, between our world and the ancient Pokémon world."
"Wow, that sounds really amazing, Professor," remarked Misty.
"Yes, but because of its strange construction, any attempts to enter the chamber have caused it to begin crumbling, so its contents remain unknown."
"What do you mean by 'ancient Pokémon'?" asked Ash.
"Pika?" added Pikachu.
"Well, Ash, I'm not talking about extinct fossil Pokémon, like Aerodactyl and Kabuto," explained the Professor. "I'm talking about ancient Pokémon, that have been living since ancient times without changing at all."
"Wow, how cool!" breathed Ash in awe.
"Most of the details involving ancient Pokémon, like where they lived and how they lived, are still a complete mystery to the world," continued Alden. "Guess it's all that mystery that makes it so fascinating."
May looked really impressed by all this. "There might be more to Pokémon than I thought."
Ash looked again at the photo of the ruins, with much greater appreciation in his eyes. "Ancient Pokemon. I'd love to meet one."
"Pika Pika," agreed Pikachu.
"You just might get your chance, Ash," smiled Alden, as he held out an old stone tablet with strange markings on it. "The correct way to enter the stone chamber is written right here on this tablet."
"You mean we might be the first to see inside the chamber?" asked Misty excitedly.
"Let's go then!" chimed in May.
"Well, there are four keys needed to enter that haven't yet been found," said Alden. "So I'm afraid we'll have to wait just a bit longer."
As Alden continued chatting with the excited youngsters, none of them were aware that sinister eyes were watching them. Outside the Pokémon Centre, hiding behind some bushes, were several figures clad in crimson robes and hoods, wearing goggles over their eyes to hide their features. One of the figures was using heat-sensing googles to scan the building and pinpoint the exact position of Professor Alden inside.
"Professor Alden sighted," she reported to the Group Leader.
"Good," hissed the Leader. "Then let's begin."
"Right!" said the rest of the group in unison, and with that, Team Magma began to move into position to commence their attack...
Back in Alden's office, the Professor was still telling Ash, Misty and May about his findings, when all of a sudden, all the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness.
"Hey, what's going on?" asked Misty in alarm, clutching Togepi close to her chest, as the Team Magma Group Leader and two of his grunts marched into the room, accompanied by three growling Houndoom.
"What... What is the meaning of this?" demanded Alden.
"Professor Alden, we would like you to accompany us on a little journey to the Oldale ruins," stated the Group Leader with a sinister smile.
"I will not!" said the Professor, refusing to allow himself to be intimidated.
Just then, Nurse Joy appeared in the doorway with a torch in her hands. "I'm sorry, Professor Alden. When the power went..."
But before Nurse Joy could complete the sentence, she was startled first at the sight of the Team Magma grunts in the room, then by another one who came up behind in the dark and grabbed her!
"Well now, Professor," leered the Leader, "would you like to change your mind?"
Seeing that he had no other alternative, Alden reluctantly nodded. "Yes, all right. I'll go with you then."
"Excellent," smirked the leader, before turning to his lackeys. "We'll take the redhead along as well, to ensure the Professor's full cooperation. As for the others, lock them up."
Before anyone could protest, one grunt seized Misty, tied her up and dragged her away along with the Professor, while the others grabbed Ash, May, Nurse Joy, Pikachu and Togepi and roughly threw them into a storage room, locking them in!
"Hey, let us out of here! Let Misty go right now!" bellowed Ash angrily as he furiously banged his fists against the metal door.
"Priiiii!" cried Togepi, distressed at being separated from its mother-figure.
"What do those guys want?" wondered May.
"To get inside the chamber, I'll bet," replied Nurse Joy.
"Do you know those people, Nurse Joy?" asked Ash.
"Oh no, I don't, but I'm sure they caused that blackout by cutting the power here to the centre," said Nurse Joy, before she suddenly realised with horror, "Then that means all of the Pokémon treated here are in danger!"
"Wait, you mean my Torchic's in trouble?" exclaimed May fretfully.
"We have to switch over to our reserve power right away," said Nurse Joy.
"We also need to rescue Misty and the Professor," said Ash with a look of sheer determination. "But first, we've got to get out of here."
Just then, there came an enthusiastic cry from Pikachu, and as they all turned, they saw the electric mouse Pokémon pointing urgently at a large metal grill set in the wall.
"An air shaft!" said Ash with a grin. "Pikachu, that's great!"