Kamon walked right into a stalagmite.

He grabbed his foot and held it in the air, cursing loudly. Then he lost his balance and fell to the floor. He collided with another stalagmite. This led to louder, more graphic cursing.

Walnut reflected that this was the third time his trainer had done this since entering Dark Cave.

"This is the worst place in the world," Kamon groaned. "And I'm saying this as someone who lived in New Bark Town for ten years."

Walnut didn't even understand why they were here in the first place. Their destination was Violet City, and this cave was off the path that would take them there. But Kamon had seemed determined that they explore the inky black cave. Maybe he was looking for rare items here.

Walnut's stomach began to growl at the thought of that. He felt around on the ground and grabbed a pebble. He nibbled on it happily. Rocks weren't nearly as delicious as Pokéballs (the paint coating gave them a certain kick) but they still tasted great. Best of all, they were all-natural.

Based on his trainer's cry of pain behind him, Walnut guessed that he had tripped over another rock. As a Sentret he had excellent night vision, so Dark Cave wasn't giving Walnut too much trouble. He couldn't say the same for his trainer.

"We're going to get ourselves killed doing this." Kamon felt his way over to Walnut. "Or I am, at least. Stand back Walnut, I'm going to let everyone else out."

Walnut had mixed feelings about that. He certainly liked Theo; the Cyndaquil had been remarkably understanding about the time Walnut nearly ate him. But the newest teammate wasn't so pleasant; that Bellsprout named Chimer. Walnut had assumed he would like her (her head looked like a delicious yellow pear) but whenever she opened her mouth it was to criticize or insult him. She wasn't very nice to Theo or his trainer either.

Theo appeared in a flash of light, and he squeaked in happiness. His flames produced a tiny glow, but not one large enough to navigate. When Kamon had first entered Dark Cave he had tried to illuminate the cave using Theo's flames, but that had somehow gotten them waist deep into an underground lake. Since then, Walnut had taken over navigation duties. At least he could see where he was going, even if Kamon couldn't.

Chimer appeared next, in another burst of light. She cried out in protest when she saw how dark it was, and she tumbled back. She fell to the ground, very narrowly avoiding landing on Theo's flaming back. She immediately got back to her feet, glaring at Theo as though the mess was his fault.

"Okay everyone, listen up!" Kamon waved his hands so they could all see him in the darkness. "We're looking for some – ow!"

Walnut's fur bristled. Chimer had just smacked Kamon in the leg with a Vine Whip.

"Chimer, knock it off!" Kamon ordered. When Chimer readied another Vine Whip, Walnut prepared to race forward…

But Theo arrived first. He used Tackle on Chimer and knocked her backwards again. Then he pinned her against the ground. He was growling – Walnut had never heard Theo growl before.

"Nice work Theo," Kamon said. "I… er… I appreciate it. But we'll actually need every member of the team active right now. And that includes Chimer."

Kamon stared over the Bellsprout, who was only faintly illuminated from Theo's flames.

"So Chimer, are you going to behave?"

Chimer nodded reluctantly.

"Good. Theo, let her up."

Theo quickly released Chimer and scurried over to Kamon's side. Not for the first time Walnut remembered that Kamon had been training Theo quite a bit longer than he had Walnut or Chimer.

"Okay, here's the plan," Kamon said. "I'm going to release all of you-"

Theo squeaked in fear.

"Wait, poor choice of words!" Kamon stammered. "I meant 'release you' as in let you roam free for the next little while. Not 'release you' as in stop training you and leaving you in the wild. Nobody's getting released… at least, not in that way."

Theo calmed down.

"We're all going to be exploring Dark Cave," Kamon said. "I thought I could find what we were looking for by myself, but I was wrong. Walnut can see in the dark and Theo can light his path with the flames on his back. Chimer can… well, Chimer can do something, I'm sure. So I need help from all of you."

Walnut scurried closer. Things were getting interesting.

"We're looking for a psychic Pokémon," Kamon said. "We're also looking for ghost types, and maybe dark types too. Any Pokémon with the moves Dream Eater or Nightmare. Professor Elm said there might be psychic types in this cave, but I can't find them in this darkness. I need all of your help."

Chimer didn't look up for helping, and said something very rude to Kamon in Pokéspeak. Fortunately Kamon didn't understand her, and Theo was focused on his new orders.

"So everybody split up!" Kamon said. "We'll cover more ground that way. Yell if you get into trouble."

With that the Pokémon split up; each of them heading in different directions. Theo headed north to the farthest stretch of the cave. Chimer headed east, and promptly found herself blocked off by a steep cave wall. Walnut headed south, back to the underground lake they'd visited earlier. Kamon began to head west, back towards the cave entrance.

Sound carried easily in the cave, and the team could keep in contact. Every now and again Kamon would give an order, or somebody would find and battle a wild Pokémon. Walnut was the only one who could see properly in the dark, and he noticed the cave wasn't all that large to begin with. It extended further to the east, but that was up beyond steep cliffs that he didn't think Kamon could climb.

"Bat!" Walnut turned at the sudden noise. He saw Theo sitting to the north, with a wild Zubat approaching him.

"Hey neat, a Zubat!" Theo said. "I've never seen one of those before! I bet battling it will be fun!"

Kamon squinted to make out the Zubat through the dim glow from Theo's flames. Walnut scurried closer to watch the battle. Chimer didn't seem to be paying attention.

"This should be interesting," Kamon said to his team. "Zubat's a flying type, and we'll be facing those in the Violet City Gym. So it's important to note this Zubat's strengths and weaknesses because it'll be-"

Theo released an Ember directly at the Zubat. It cried out and fell to the ground. It had fainted.

Kamon blinked. "Or… uh… we could do that, I guess. Good job, Theo! I guess I know who I'm using for the Violet City Gym battle!"

Theo blushed with pride. He began to run towards Kamon, but then a second Zubat flew down from the sky.

"Hey look, another one!" Theo said. "I think this one wants to battle too! Zubat sure are friendly!"

Walnut turned away from this battle. Watching Theo one-shot a bunch of Zubat was entertaining, but he had a responsibility here. He was searching for psychic, ghost or dark type Pokémon, and Zubat was none of those. Walnut continued to head south, and the sounds of battle echoed throughout the cave. It sounded like Theo was winning.

As Walnut headed south, he passed Chimer. The Bellsprout couldn't see in the dark at all (few grass Pokémon could) and Walnut's first inclination was to sneak past her. He doubted he'd enjoy any conversation the two would have. But Chimer was a part of the team, and Walnut felt it was his duty to at least try to make her feel welcome.

"Hi there!" Walnut said. "Any luck finding something?"

"No," Chimer snarled. "I haven't found any Pokémon here at all, let alone some stupid psychic type. But if I did find a psychic type, I'd beat it up myself, because-"

Chimer was interrupted when a Geodude leapt down from the ceiling. Her poor night vision must have made it harder to see, because she flailed back in surprise.

"Let me handle this," Walnut said. Admittedly his normal attacks wouldn't affect the Geodude much, but it was better than letting a new Pokémon with hardly any training battle the thing. Walnut didn't know if this was one of those Geodude that exploded, but he didn't want to risk it.

"You!?" Chimer smirked. "Don't make me laugh!" She raced towards the Geodude and delivered a Vine Whip. The Geodude used a Defense Curl to resist, but the attack still struck it hard.

"You think that'll save you!?" Chimer cried. She delivered another Vine Whip that knocked the Geodude right out. Then she laughed and turned to Walnut.

"I bet you couldn't have beat it in two hits like that," Chimer said. "Knowing you, you'd just try to eat it! That's probably why you're so fat!"

Walnut thought things were getting a little personal. He decided to head north again to see how Theo was faring. He found the fire type having just defeated another Zubat.

"These things are feisty!" Theo said. "I don't know where they keep coming from, but they all want to fight me! They aren't that strong, but there's just so many of them…"

"Want some help with them?" Walnut asked.

"No, that's okay. I can – oh, are there even more!?" Theo sighed as two Zubat flew down from the cave roof. "This is getting annoying now."

Walnut wanted to jump in to help, but Theo soon made short work of the Zubat. Then he remembered his assignment was to search the south, and he hadn't done that yet. The last thing he wanted was to disobey his trainer now, after Kamon had been so patient with him.

As Walnut headed south again, he encountered Chimer. This time he did actively try to avoid her, but she must have overheard him.

"Hey, it's the loser!" Chimer sneered. "How's it going, loser? Looking for some more Pokémon that you want me to beat for you!?"

Walnut wondered if Chimer's hostility towards him was because he'd defeated her and allowed her to be captured. Whatever the reason, it sure was annoying. He kept walking south. He'd be out of her line of sight soon, and he could get back to searching for psychic types.

"You're just a furry sewer rat," Chimer said. "I'm one of the most powerful grass types around. If you don't respect that, I'll Vine Whip you until you're crying like a baby Cleffa. So stay out of my way or I'll..."

As Chimer walked towards him, she stepped dangerously close to the fainted Geodude. With her limited night vision, she didn't see where he was lying on the floor. Walnut was about to call out a warning, but Chimer stumbled over the Geodude and fell to the ground.

Chimer struggled to regain her balance, and she felt at the ground for support. One of her arms happened to touch an uneven space on the cave floor, a space that led to a five foot drop. Chimer misjudged her weight and fell back again, this time over the uneven part of the floor. She scrambled to steady herself, failed, and began to tumble over the ledge. At the last moment, she grabbed at the floor with one of her arms. Soon she was dangling off the ledge, grabbing at the edge to keep from falling.

"Walnut!" she cried. "Help me!"

Walnut began to race towards her, using his Quick Attack to gain speed. But then he noticed a faint round shape out of the corner of his eye. It was sitting in a corner of the cave that Walnut hadn't explored yet. It only took a second before Walnut recognized what it was. It was a Potion.

A delicious, delicious Potion.

Walnut's mouth began to water at the sight of it. He imagined cracking the purple plastic with his teeth, tearing away to get at the juicy chemicals inside. The chemicals gave the Potion its flavour, and the plastic coating added a zesty crunch.

Entranced, Walnut began to walk towards the Potion. He imagined the delicious first bite – the first bite of a Potion was always the best. He pictured savouring the flavour, eating away without any guilt. The Potion wasn't Kamon's after all, and that meant he wouldn't mind if Walnut ate it.

"Walnut!" Chimer cried. Her grip was beginning to loosen. "What are you doing!?"

Walnut looked from Chimer to the Potion. Whatever else she might be, Chimer was still a member of the team. Nobody else could see what was happening to her in the darkness. The only one who could save her was Walnut. His choice was clear.

Walnut darted over to the Potion, and began to chew on it.

"WALNUT, I AM GOING TO TEAR OFF YOUR-" Walnut never found out what Chimer was going to tear off. She lost her grip and fell five feet to the floor. It was quite a distance for such a tiny Bellsprout, and she collapsed in a heap.

Walnut hoped Chimer was okay. He would've called after her, but that would mean he'd have to stop chewing on the Potion. And he wasn't about to do that.

"You stupid… worthless… rodent." Chimer moaned from the ground. "When I get… my hands… on you…"

She was interrupted by Theo, who was racing towards them. Walnut heard the flutter of wings. He looked up and saw over thirty Zubat chasing Theo.

"They won't leave me alone!" Theo cried. "You beat one of them, and three more show up! What did I do to deserve this!? Why won't they go away!? They never go away! I didn't do anything!"

Walnut swallowed the remainder of his Potion and thought for a moment. He considered racing to help his friend, but the sheer number of Zubat flying after them made him rethink that plan. Instead he beckoned Theo towards the small cliff Chimer had jumped off of. He waited for Theo to reach them, and then they jumped from the cliff together. They tucked and rolled, which kept them from hurting themselves in the fall like Chimer had. As Walnut and Theo fell to the ground, the flock of Zubat flew overhead and off into the distance.

"Thanks Walnut," said Theo. "I don't know how that happened. Those Zubat just never go away! You beat one and five more come out of nowhere. It's just so annoying, it – oh."

Theo realized that he had been sitting on Chimer's leg. The Bellsprout was glaring at him angrily, but didn't look like she wanted to risk attacking a fire type.

Theo shuffled off her leg and turned to Walnut.

"We should get back to Kamon. If there were any psychic types living here, that flock of Zubat would've scared them away."

"Sounds like a plan," Walnut said. He turned to Chimer. "Do you need some help walking back?"

"I hate you," said Chimer.

"We should get going," Theo said. "You lead the way, Walnut. Your night vision should help us find Kamon." Then he paused and squinted at Walnut. "Hey wait a second, is that plastic in your teeth?"

"No," said Walnut. He covered his mouth with his paw, and led Theo and Chimer back to their trainer.

Kamon noticed them from a distance, thanks to Theo's flames. He waved at them and they raced towards him.

"Did you have any luck?" Kamon asked. Walnut, Theo and Chimer all shook their heads. "Me neither. Hey Chimer, what happened to you?"

Chimer snarled at him.

"Never mind," Kamon said. "I guess we should try – oh, hang on." His Pokégear had started to ring. Kamon picked it up to answer. "Hello?"

"Hi Kamon, this is Professor Elm. I've been doing a bit more research about Dark Cave after you asked me about it."

Walnut scurried closer to hear.

"I'm afraid I gave you some bad advice," Professor Elm said. "The only psychic Pokémon that lives in Dark Cave is Wobbuffet. It can't use Dream Eater or Nightmare, or transmit its thoughts through dreams in any way at all. The only psychic move it knows is Mirror Coat. And you can't find it through the Violet City entrance to Dark Cave anyway."

Kamon gritted his teeth. "So this visit has been a complete waste of time?"

"I'm afraid so," Professor Elm said. "I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble."

"No," Kamon sighed. "That's alright. Thanks for your help, I guess."

Kamon hung up the Pokégear and turned to his team.

"Well, you heard the professor. The psychic type we're looking for isn't in Dark Cave after all. So I guess we've wasted a trip. Did any of you learn anything from it? Any items or experience? Anything at all to justify our visit here?"

Theo shrugged. Chimer scowled at everyone.

Walnut nodded. He had gotten a free meal out of it, after all.

"Well that's something, at least." Kamon beckoned to Walnut. "Come on, you're the only one who can see more than two feet ahead. I need you to help us find the exit."

Walnut moved ahead of his trainer and began to scan the area. Theo and Chimer were recalled to their Pokéballs.

As Walnut began to head for the exit, his stomach growled happily. Yes, he'd betrayed Chimer for a free meal, Kamon was no closer to solving the mystery behind his dreams, and Theo had nearly been eaten by a flock of Zubat. But Walnut had gotten to eat a free Potion. So all in all, it was a pretty good day.