With that, Kai and Sandshrew ventured back into the cave's darkness, this time moving slowly and keeping low, mindful not to disturb any Zubat that might still be lurking in the shadows.
Curiosity had gotten the best of him, and he couldn't help but wonder if he might stumble upon a rare or perhaps powerful Pokémon in this cave.
Kai got further into the cave than he had before, with Sandshrew following behind, both of them keeping as quiet as possible.
"H—Hey, look," Kai said, pointing into the distance.
A small group of Pokémon could be seen moving around, but it was too dark for Kai to make out what they were.
But as he got closer, they were able to spot him coming and ran away, clearly not used to humans this deep inside their home.
"Darn it... They keep running away." Kai said, thinking that it would have been easier than this to find Pokémon.
He crouched down and waited for a moment, hoping that if he stayed still long enough, whatever they were might creep back out. Sandshrew sat beside him in the dark, its pale scales just barely catching the faint light filtering from the cave entrance far behind them. But nothing came. The silence stretched on, broken only by the occasional flutter of wings somewhere deep above them. Kai let out a slow breath through his nose.
"Maybe they could smell us," he muttered. Sandshrew looked up at him with what he could only describe as a sceptical expression. "Or maybe just me," he added.
Kai had been inside the cave for a while now and knew that if he didn't turn around, it would start getting dark outside. And given he was still quite a way from Violet City, he would have to make camp for the night and get a fire going.
"Come on, Sandshrew, it doesn't look like we are going to find anything else in this cave without having some kind of light," Kai said, looking at his Sandshrew.
With that, the two of them made their way back towards the cave entrance, somehow managing not to get lost.
Kai had been right; the light at the cave's entrance was noticeably dimmer now, with the sun sinking toward the horizon. He was still frustrated that his exploration had turned up nothing, but he knew he couldn't always get what he wanted.
Kai now had other things to worry about, like finding a good camping spot and getting a fire going, and with Ethan's Cyndaquil not being around to light it, he wasn't sure what he would do.
Kai did his best to find a good spot, pushing onward away from the mountain area and back towards a large wooded area. He pitched his tent in a shelter and gathered some firewood, getting everything ready and set.
It took longer than he expected. The wood he found was damp in places, and he spent a good ten minutes snapping branches down to a workable size, stacking them the way he vaguely remembered seeing someone do it on a camping show once. Sandshrew helped where it could, dragging over a thick stick with both arms and dropping it at Kai's feet like a proud offering.
"Good work," Kai told it. Sandshrew puffing its small chest out with pride.
"Alright, all that's left is to get this fire going," Kai said, rooting around through his bag looking for his fire starter. Something he was glad he had bought back in Newbark town when Lyra helped him get his supplies.
Kai pressed the button and watched as a small but powerful flame burst out, heating the small twigs and dried leaves he had gathered and setting them ablaze before it spread to the larger sticks above them.
"I did it!" He said, feeling a deep sense of accomplishment after starting his own fire, almost beating his chest like a gorilla.
Sandshrew had been watching him the whole time, sitting beside him with a confused look on its small face, but still happy for his trainer.
Kai sat cross-legged on the ground and let out his other Pokémon from their Poké Balls. Totodile, Rattata, Snubbull, and finally Zubat appeared in flashes of light, each happily greeting their trainer and taking a moment to stretch.
"Gather round, you lot," Kai called, drawing their attention as Totodile leapt onto his head, draping its arms over him and letting its legs dangle down his back.
"I want you all to meet Zubat," Kai said, ignoring Totodile's actions as normal behaviour from the small water-type Pokémon.
All of them looked at the Zubat, who was hanging upside down from a tree next to them, each acknowledging it as part of the team.
Zubat didn't seem particularly bothered by the attention. It hung in silence, turning its eyeless face slowly from side to side as if sensing the others through something other than sight. Rattata sniffed the air in its direction, remembering its last battle with another of its kind. Snubbull, on the other hand, made a low grumbling sound that might have been a greeting or a warning. Hard to tell with Snubbull.
"Good," Kai said, getting their food set up for them all before he grabbed one of his protein bars to snack on laying next to the fire.
Kai opened up the map on his Poké Gear, seeing that he was currently sitting on Route 30, with Violet City being around half a day's walk.
Finally... Violet City, where my first gym battle will be. Kai thought to himself.
He knew that the gym leader used flying-type Pokémon, but he couldn't remember his name for the life of him, trying to think of which of his Pokémon he would use and potential strategies that might fare best.
Sandshrew can use Rollout, which is super effective against flying-type Pokémon. Kai thought, watching the small Pokémon as it sat and ate its food with its small hands.
But is one attack really enough?
Kai lay on the ground with one arm tucked behind his head like a pillow, legs casually crossed, soaking in the comforting warmth of the flames.
Rattata struggled against that Zubat earlier today. Kai then said to himself, looking at the little guy as it ate its food quicker than the rest of his Pokémon, wolfing it down as if it had never eaten before.
Snubbull has Thunder Fang and Ice Fang, both hitting super effective against flying-type Pokémon... Kai thought, looking at the small bulldog Pokémon who seemed to be annoyed at his Totodile for stealing some of its food and winding it up.
"Kai burst out laughing as he shouted, 'Totodile, stop swiping Snubbull's food!' The little crocodile Pokémon froze mid-bite, eyes wide with guilty mischief, while Snubbull glared like it was about to attack."
Totodile stepped back, prompting Snubbull to give a satisfied nod before returning to its meal.
Zubat was the newest member of the gang and probably needed more training before being ready for a gym match. Kai thought to himself as he watched his latest Pokémon hanging from a tree, appearing to mind its own business.
"Guess that just leaves you." Kai then said, looking at his Totodile, who was keeping itself busy playing with Rattata at the moment.
"I guess your water gun attack will come in handy thanks to the long range," Kai said as he took another bite of his protein bar.
He stared up at the canopy above him, the fire casting orange light across the underside of the leaves. It was strange, lying out here in the middle of nowhere with a team of Pokémon around him. A few weeks ago, he had been back home in the real world. Now here he was, building fires in the dark and mapping out gym strategies in his head like it was the most natural thing in the world. Living his Pokémon fantasy.
He smiled a little at that.
Still, there was much to be done, and Kai knew that he would have to push his Pokémon out of their comfort zones if he wanted to help them grow stronger.
But for now, he knew that they should all get a good night's rest, returning each of them to their Poké Balls once they had finished eating, all except Sandshrew, who rolled into a ball next to Kai, ready to sleep.
Kai couldn't help but smile at his partner before he lay down in his sleeping bag, doing the same.
"Sleep well, little guy, tomorrow we have a lot to look forward to."