Ash looked cautiously around, paying attention. The sounds that came from the forest were the most varied, from chirping to noises of movements being emitted from the forest. Trees and bushes surrounded him everywhere, giving the impression that that place would never end.
He guided his bicycle with both his hands because at that point in the Viridian forest it was practically impossible to navigate.
A sound of leaves being stirred suddenly emerged.
A Cartepie fell from the top of a tree right in front of Ash. Shivering, he picked up the repellent bottle and began to sneeze at the insect. At the smell, the Cartepie fled away.
Ash sighed in relief.
Bug Pokemon are scary, he thought. For as long as he could remember he had this irrational fear of bug-type pokemons.
He stopped walking.
"Luna, I'm already dying of tiredness... I think we'd better find a place to set up our tent", said Ash.
He had no answer.
He looked at the bike's basket only to realize the pokemon wasn't there.
"LUUUUUUNAAAA", he shouted as he looked back, hoping the pokemon wasn't too far away.
And now, where did she go?
He was extremely tired and all he wanted at the moment was to rest. However, with the disappearance of the pokémon, he would now have to look for her in that huge forest.
He took a deep breath. Then he went back the way he was going and started yelling, "LUNA! LUNA!"
However, no response came. Only the sounds of insect pokemons hiding in the surroundings could be heard.
When, finally, the fatigue reached an extreme level, he decided to rest under a tree.
Where the hell did she end up?, he reasoned as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. His feet were covered in calluses from pedaling so much that he could barely stand.
He leaned his head against the tree trunk and closed his eyes.
A buzz woke him up.
He looked around and realized that something was surrounding him. Shapes appeared and disappeared around him. Terror was beginning to take hold of his mind.
"W-w-who's there?", he asked.
The buzzing intensified.
He picked up the repel bottle and fired it, only to find that the contents had been used up.
It can't be. He should have been more careful, after all, he was still far from Pewter and would need to use it for quite some time until he was completely safe.
Ash took two Pokéballs from his pocket. He summoned Ember and Poly outside as a sign that he wasn't helpless.
Then they came.
A group of five Beedrills were looking his way, and from the look on their faces they weren't there to make friends.
Five against two, he thought fearfully.
"Ember, Flamethrower," Ash ordered.
The lizard released flames from its mouth towards the insects. They disperse, evading the move quickly.
They're very fast.
"Poly, Discharge!"
Porygon launched Electric Discharge towards them. The Pokémon teleported almost instantly away from there, evading again.
How am I going to land a hit if they always dodge?
Then, the five of them, at the same time, started shooting small purple stingers towards Ash.
His Pokémon moved in front of him and took the brunt. They fell to the ground. A few stingers hit Ash's leg and dug into his skin. He could feel thin threads of blood running down his legs.
They're poisoned, he thought.
He realized that there would be no possibility of a battle. At that moment all that was left to do would be to somehow escape from there.
He called Porygon and Charmander back to their respective PokéBalls.
I need some distraction to get away.
He glanced at his bike standing by the tree.
That's the only option.
He took the vehicle, threw it in the direction of the pokemon. Then he fled from there.
As he ran desperately not knowing where to go, he looked back one last time just in time to see his bike being butchered by the Beedrills' massive pincers.
And there went his birthday present he'd gotten from his mother.
He kept running with all the strength he had left in his body.
The poison from thepoisoned stingersbegan to take effect. His vision blurred. The world around him spun and he didn't even know where he was going anymore.
He ended up tripping over a fallen log and rolled across the grass. When he pulled himself together he realized he had been surrounded by the Beedrills. His vision was almost completely dark, he could just make out the silhouette of the insects next to him, their sharp pincers ready for the kill. The beat of their wings emitted an almost unbearable sound.
Ash felt the strength in his body leave him. A flash suddenly appeared and that was the only thing he remembered before going dark.