If they went out through the opening overhead, they could leave the cave immediately and return to the surface. Although that would let them get their bearings again, it would clearly defeat their original purpose in entering the cave.
Misty had clearly thought of this too. She was about to discuss it with Xia You, but before she could speak, he actually moved over to her and gestured for silence.
Misty froze for a moment. Before she could figure out what was happening, he pulled her behind a rock and pointed into the distance!
Looking closely, she saw a group in matching blue-and-white uniforms over a hundred meters away, on the other side of the waterfall. They were shoving a bespectacled man along, pushing and dragging him toward a cave entrance.
Misty's eyes widened in surprise, and she immediately realized this was a kidnapping!
She was about to ask Xia You what they should do, but when she turned and saw his deeply furrowed brow, it was clear he recognized those people. The words on her lips became, "Xia You, do you know those people?"
Xia You nodded. "They're from Team Aqua."
"Team Aqua?"
"They're an organization in this region, like Team Rocket, but they aren't evil, and they don't want to steal other people's Pokémon."
"Huh?" Misty raised her eyebrows. "They don't sound like bad people!"
Glancing at her, Xia You shook his head. "But their ultimate wish is to reclaim the habitats Pokémon have lost to human greed, and they plan to expand the oceans to do it. They believe the ocean is the source of all life, so they want to reclaim it and build an ideal home for Pokémon."
"What?" Misty's mouth fell open. "Then that means..."
"Exactly." Xia You snorted. "To put it plainly, they