"Why are you guys just lazing about?" Parker asked.
"Because nothing is happening right now. Funding is cut, and my winnings can only go so far." Ash said, from a chair. His bare legs hanging off the back. He had on a tank top and some shorts, his bra straps showing.
"So what now?" Parker asked.
"Right now we're thinking Pizza." Goh commented.
"I thought we were doing sandwiches." Chloe commented.
"It's seven in the morning, why don't we ever think about breakfast?" Serena questioned.
"You know what, Serena's right." Ash said confidently.
"I mean she has a point, but it's not exactly an argument." Chloe said.
"Not about breakfast, but in general. Funding never stopped me before, why should it now?" Ash asked.
"Because we need it to go places." Goh reminded.
"No, we need it to go to other regions. We all have Mag train and rainbow passes, Parker excluded." Ash said.
"It's fine, I'm trying to convince the others to convince their parents to let them return." Parker said.
"So we go somewhere, then what?" Chloe asked.
"There's four of us. We can find something that's strange in the greater Kanto area." Ash said. "All we need is a lead."
A bit later
"I've got something!" Chloe exclaimed. "Strange energy readings south of the canyons on Seven Island."
"Strange how?" Ash asked, looking over her shoulder.
"Strange as in radio waves from a bunch of caves." Chloe said.
"Sounds like a lead to me." Goh said.
"I'll check the dock schedule." Serena offered.
"I'll get the gear." Ash said.
A bit later at the docks
"Okay, we're all set." Ash said, holding his bag.
"Why do I feel like we're forgetting something though?" Chloe asked.
"Chloe? Ash? Goh? Serena? Where are you guys?!" Professor Cerise shouted at the empty lab.
"It's probably nothing, come on let's go." Goh urged.
A bit later on the boat
"Penny for your thoughts." Serena said, leaning on the railing.
"Back in Galar, we really messed up, and no one seems to realize they might be right to shut us down but me." Ash said. "And now Darkrai has more allies than ever, all because of what we did."
"Are you saying that you're agreeing the lab should be shut down?" Serena asked.
"No, I don't know. I've never had consequences like this when a legendary attacked, maybe we need someone to tell us when to stop." Ash sighed.
"That's what you're here for." Serena reassured. "If at any point you felt we wouldn't make it, you would've sent everyone back to Vermillion via Hoopa. Look, if you really feel that we should stop, then I'll trust you on that, but think about your heart's desires too."
On seven isle
"Okay, so the radio signal is coming from that direction." Goh said, looking at his phone. "Guys, you have to listen to this." Goh said, turning up the volume.
"What in the, it's music?" Ash said surprised.
"I'm guessing you four are here to look into the mysterious song too, huh?" An elderly woman said. "Good luck, no one else has been able to figure it out."
"Sounds like a challenge." Ash said with a smirk. "I'll go through the canyon, you guys search up in the air, see if you can spot anything."
As Ash and Pikachu walked through the canyon, it felt like their troubles were being washed away.
"What do you think Pikachu, are we being too risky?" Ash asked.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked.
"Yeah, I guess we've been part of more dangerous things, but I still can't help but worry." Ash said, kicking a stone up, an echo was heard from the wall it hit. "Guys, I think I found something." Ash said over the coms.
Ash quickly began searching the wall for anything that would resemble a door.
"Come on, I know I heard something!" Ash said pounding on the door. "Maybe a little force will do the trick!" Ash said, his eyes lightly glowing. "Pikachu use Iron Tail!" As the words left Ash's mouth, the stone wall seemed to fold in, revealing a long passage.
"Ash!" Serena called out. "What is it?"
"I'm not sure, it just kind of opened up." Ash said stepping inside.
"Be careful!" Goh exclaimed.
"It's fine, come on." Ash said, activating his light.
"Do you think this is where the signal is coming from?" Chloe asked.
"I don't think so, everything down here seems pretty ancient." Goh said.
"Ancient people created Golett and Golurk, it's possible they created radio signals too." Serena pointed out.
"I'm with Goh, but for different reasons." Ash said. "When I activated my aura, the door opened, I think this place was made by the aura users."
"So, does that mean they might still be down here?" Chloe questioned.
"I doubt it, Ultima said these were created for us to hide in, away from people who would use us as weapons. In my research on aura users, there aren't many that know they have powers nowadays, and very few people knew about them at all before I went public about the findings." Ash said.
"And if these were meant for hiding, then sending a signal out would be pointless." Chloe realized.
"Guys, I hear something." Serena whispered.
As Ash lead the group round a corner he stopped dead in his tracks.
"We're leaving." Ash said calmly.
"Ash, I'm sure that it's not…". Chloe tried defending.
"That wasn't a suggestion. We're done here." Ash said, turning away from the broken skeletons, and bloodied walls.
"Ash! Wait up!" Goh said chasing after him.
"I said we're done. It was foolish of me to want to explore here, Ultima had told me about how we were hunted, and I ignored what it meant. Now I know too much." Ash said angrily.
"So you're just going to ignore it!" Goh said. "This is probably the first aura temple found in over a hundred years, and you're walking away from it!"
"Yes! Once we're out I'm going to reseal the door, and it will stay that way." Ash said angrily.
"Why? Your entire thing is battling and aura, why hide this?" Goh questioned.
"Because sometimes we dig too deep, sometimes we get into things we shouldn't, and this time I'm stopping it before it starts." Ash said. "Especially now, we can't risk revealing a series of catacombs full of skeletons."
"Just promise me, you won't forget about this." Goh said.
"I can't promise that, I'm sorry." Ash said sternly.
Back in Kanto
"There you four are!" Professor Cerise exclaimed. "Where have you been?!"
"Sevii Islands." Ash said plainly.
"Dead end research." Chloe added.
"Long trip for nothing." Serena pointed out.
"Ughh." Goh grunted as he slumped into a chair.
"Well, I have good news. We have to do some good publicity, but our problems will blow over." Professor Cerise said.