Head Down To The Forest

You exit Viridian City to the north and soon find yourself stepping into the maze of trees that is the Viridian Forest. The place is eerily silent compared to the city, and the sunlight is pretty much blocked out by the canopy of foliage above your head. You still feel confident you can make it through here, though; Viridian Forest is known as an infamously easy place for rookie trainers to gain some experience, mostly due to the abundance of so-called 'bug catchers' that liked to hang around here due to the abundance of bug type pokemon in the area. These insect enthusiasts were all nerdy guys ranging from young men around 19 years old to middle-aged dudes in their 40s, all of whom had a fascination with the bug type and pretty much refused to use any other type of pokemon, making them incredibly easy opponents for anyone who started with Charmander or went out of their way to catch a flying pokemon before entering the woods.

As you had done both, you make quick work of every bug catcher you encounter on your way through the forest, completely ignoring their attempts to interest a 'pretty young lady' like you in their lectures about how great bug pokemon were, before completely destroying their teams of various insects with Charmander's new Ember move and Pidgey's Gust attack.

With several more wins now under your belt, you feel satisfied that the loss to Blue was just a fluke, and you were on your way to fulfilling your dreams. You've been progressing for a fair while now, so you figure you must be near Pewter City at this point, but you're feeling pretty tired from all the walking. A brief stop won't hurt, you think to yourself, setting down your bag on a nearby tree stump before taking a seat next to it on the mossy forest floor, pulling your water bottle out of your bag and taking a sip.

You listen to the cries of the bird and bug pokemon all around you, and realise that for probably the first time since you started your journey, you're actually feeling pretty relaxed right now. You're confident in your abilities to handle anyone who came looking for a challenge here, and with your new Mankey on your team you didn't feel threatened by your upcoming gym battle either. This is part of why you started your pokemon journey in the first place, to feel powerful and confident in yourself like you did right now...

"There she is!" cries a voice from up above you in the treetops. "Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!"

You barely process what the voice said before a purple butterfly pokemon swoops down towards you from a nearby tree. The bug type flaps its pretty wings in your direction, and a powdery yellow substance is propelled into your eyes. "Aaaah!" you cry out, frantically blinking and rubbing your eyes as you try to get rid the irritating substance. "What the... hell was... that...?" You feel your words slurring and your awareness slipping away from you, the powder acting like a fast-acting tranquiliser as you feel yourself fighting the urge to fall asleep.

"What's happeni-" is the last thing you say before you fall ****, the sounds of the pokemon around you becoming fainter and fainter as the world fades into darkness...