steven privately owns caves in different regions. most caves he owns are ones he’s preserving. cave preservation. nice. he + a team ( mostly people like may or brendan or someone he can drag along )  clean / protect formations / protect the pokemon in there all for the sake of restoration. unless you’re extremely close to steven, he will not let you in those caves. if you do go in, he makes sure to enforce certain, strict rules ( EX: lint-free clothing, all clothing must be washed, shoes should be non-marring shoes, wear gloves, don’t disturb the pokemon, etc ). wheezes.