To Viridian Forest

You head for the woods. Familiar, but now somehow new. Everything is new and exciting, with your trainer card on your wrist. It's always been customary for trainers who encounter each other on the road to battle their Pokemon, but in all the trips you've taken through the Forest, not one trainer has ever tried to stop you for a battle. It's never really made sense how or why they knew you were no trainer even though you carry a single Pokeball on your hip. The trainer cards must have something to do with it. 'Better not get too close to anyone tough.'

Your usual route has always been through the Eastern edge of the forest, where there are more worn paths and the foliage is a bit less dense. But you're not looking to make good time through the forest. No, you want to stick around a while and get some training in so you head to the Western region of the forest.

You're struck by how, despite being in wholly unfamiliar terrain, the feel and atmosphere of the forest is calm and familiar, but it is darker and there's a lot more tall grass. Your heart pounds in your chest; even as familiar as it is to be among the trees you've known for years, now you're a Trainer. Other trainers will want to fight you; you're carrying spare Pokeballs to capture yourself a team to train up. Pidgey has always been your one thin line of defense against overly aggressive wild Pokemon, but now she's suddenly more than that. She's your only weapon in a dangerous, merciless world.

Everything is new, everything is exciting. You hear a rustle in the grasses next to you and freeze, your hand shooting to the ball containing Pidgey. A Caterpie crawls out of the brush at you, chirping excitedly. 'Aww, these things are kind of cu—'

You cut off as the thing abruptly rears back and spits some kind of sticky webbing out of its mouth at you. It hits you with just enough **** to threaten your balance and you throw your arms up defensively. Several thick strands of the stuff trail over you, sticking to everything they touch. The substance reacts to your body heat and turns to a gooey slime, coating you in a warm glue. "You little freak!" you scream. You reach for your Pidgey, but find your arms stuck fast to one another from wrist to elbow.

Fortunately, your cry startles the bug for a moment, giving you the precious seconds needed to claw your arms free of the bug's goo enough to swat your Pokeball from its notch on your belt. Dropping to your knees, you scoop the ball back into your hand just in time to be tackled by the Caterpie. It feels like you've been kicked by a grown man, catching you in the ribs and throwing you hard onto your side. Pain blossoms along your side.

"PIDGEY!" You cry, clicking the button on the ball and letting it roll out of your fingers to the forest floor.

Your faithful Pidgey appears in a flash of light, standing in the grass directly between you and the inexplicably aggressive Caterpie. "Pidgey! Take this bug out! Tackle!"

As your companion lowers her head to slam into your attacker, you struggle to regain your footing as the bug goop oozes further down your body, trying to glue you to the grass. You know that the Caterpie's strings will dissolve within minutes, but you'd never been covered in the stuff; it's surprisingly difficult to deal with. You've gained new appreciation for what your Pokemon goes through in a battle.