Mysterious Ancient Murals

The three of them were fairly lucky. Those Zubat were only out for a stroll, not looking for food.

There were many cracks in the ceiling deep within Granite Cave, allowing sunlight to filter through. Although it was much brighter here than before, it was also more dangerous. Much of the ground had collapsed and loosened, so they had to watch their step carefully or they could fall in.

Although they had emerged from that pitch-black stretch of tunnel, the three of them still had no idea where to find the murals. Splitting up would have been much more efficient, but Gu Yan could not bring himself to let the two of them go alone.

Most Pokémon did not actively attack humans, but they all had some sense of territory. And the Pokémon in this cave were especially aggressive.

"There are three entrances up ahead. How about we split up?" Sapphire was not afraid. She felt that Pokémon were very reasonable.

"Forget it. We'll check them one at a time. These entrances are too narrow, otherwise I could have Tropius protect you." Gu Yan had no other choice; his Pokémon were all rather large.

Although Zeno and Sapphire wanted to venture in on their own, they knew how dangerous this place was. Following Senior Brother was fine too—he would not object to whatever she wanted to do anyway. Sapphire happily tightened her grip on her little pickaxe.

"It really is amazing. There's such a huge cave here. Nature truly works wonders." Zeno could not help marveling at the complexity of Granite Cave.

"Actually, this cave was not originally this large. It was all caused by human activity. Haven't you noticed that many of these paths bear signs of artificial excavation?"

"I really hadn't noticed."

"Granite Cave originally had only one path, and it led straight to where we're looking for the murals. Later, geologists discovered abundant mineral resources here, and many of these paths were left behind from the mining operations back then."

"Senior Brother, wouldn't that kind of mining affect the Pokémon's habitat?"

"It certainly did have an impact, but the Pokémon League negotiated with these Pokémon groups. Look at those exhausted mine shafts—don't they provide shelter for them?"

"I see."

Along the way, Zeno had indeed seen many Pokémon. In comparison, the traces left behind by humans were far less noticeable. It seemed the Pokémon League had maintained this place quite well.

"Senior Brothers, come quick! I found something!"

"What is it? Did you find the mural?"

Hearing Sapphire's delighted voice, Zeno thought they had gotten lucky and picked the right path on their first try.

"Something even better than a mural! Hurry over!"

Earlier, when Sapphire heard the two of them about to start chatting away again, she had unconsciously quickened her pace. She had not gotten very far, though, and Zeno and his senior brother spotted her after just a few steps. She was holding her little pickaxe and excitedly digging at the wall.

"Look at this stone! It's so golden—it can't be a huge chunk of gold, can it?"

Gu Yan could not quite understand it. With her family background, she lacked nothing, so why was she so obsessed with money?

"Doesn't look like it. This stone is much brighter than gold ore. Move aside a little and let me take a closer look."

Sapphire could only make room for him, but her eyes remained fixed on the stone. Gu Yan touched it and sensed a dense surge of energy within.

"This isn't gold ore. It looks more like raw Thunder Stone. Give me the pickaxe."

Sapphire handed him the pickaxe, while Zeno placed his own small shovel beside him. Gu Yan dug carefully, and the two behind him watched just as intently. Before long, the object was completely exposed, roughly the size of a plate.

"That's right, it's raw Thunder Stone. At this size, it can probably be cut into three pieces. The quality is good, and it has plenty of energy too." Gu Yan handed the raw stone to Sapphire after he finished speaking.

"Don't worry, everyone who saw it gets a share. I won't shortchange either of you on your hard-earned money." Sapphire happily put away the raw stone, not forgetting to pat them both on the shoulders.

"As long as you're happy. But we didn't come here to mine. We've already wasted so much time, and it's probably getting late outside." Gu Yan was helpless. He did not want to spend the night in this cold, damp cave.

"Senior Brother, it looks like there's no path ahead."

Zeno shone his lamp around. They had nearly reached the end, so the three could only turn back the way they had come. Having found treasure, Sapphire was especially well-behaved now; whatever her two senior brothers said, she did.

The second path had also been difficult to traverse at first, leaving the three of them somewhat discouraged. They thought they had chosen the wrong route again, but as they continued onward, it unexpectedly became broader and broader. Holding up his lamp, Zeno looked at the surrounding walls and discovered scattered, simply carved drawings.

"This should be it, right?"

"Not necessarily. These are only simple records of ancient people's lives. What we're looking for are murals that record Hoenn's ancient myths." Gu Yan felt she was celebrating too early.

They continued onward and saw many more drawings, but they were all trivial everyday matters. Gradually, they entered a fairly spacious stone chamber. Old, broken candle lamps still remained in its four corners.

"Ninetales, use Ember on the lamps in all four corners."

Ninetales had thought it was something important, only to be summoned to light some candles. It could not help yawning. Opening its mouth, it spat out four wisps of Ember.

Once the candle lamps were lit, the entire stone chamber brightened at once. The three of them finally saw its contents clearly. Three different Pokémon were painted across three walls, and the sheer presence displayed in the murals made them seem immensely powerful.

Looking at the three paintings, they all thought of something. Gu Yan noticed a passage of writing ahead and could not help stepping forward to examine it.

"Senior Brother, can you understand ancient writing?"

"Yes. What's recorded here should be the ancient Hoenn myth our teacher mentioned."

"What does it say? Read it out loud." Sapphire was very interested in this as well.

"It speaks of three Pokémon from Hoenn legend. The people of ancient times called them the Dragon of the Sky, the Giant Whale of the Deep Sea, and the Colossal Beast of the Land."

"Senior Brother, does that mean Rayquaza, Kyogre, and Groudon?" Zeno had seen them in their teacher's materials, but there had only been a few brief lines. After all, no one had ever truly seen them.

"It should be. It says that they normally remain asleep, but once they awaken, they are bound to clash. When that happens, Hoenn's weather will fall into extreme chaos. As the ocean and land battle, all of Hoenn will be devastated."

"Is it really that terrifying?" Zeno had originally wanted to see them, but it seemed better if they stayed asleep forever.

"But there's no need to worry. Whenever those two fight, the Dragon of the Sky can sense it. It will step in and mediate between them."

"Senior Brother, do you think they might fight again someday?" Zeno asked curiously.

"Who can say? All right, let's make rubbings of the information first. Once we're done, we should leave early. I'm filthy all over."