Morning in Viridian Forest. Spring foliage is coming in to bloom. Gentle sounds of wind rustle through tall grass. Sunlight filters through thin clouds above, shimmering across gentle hills and dense trees.

Morning in Viridian Forest. Two ten year old boys are playing with a pikachu and a camera. Every passing pidgey, every unusually shaped rock, is faithfully pointed at, shouted at, and recorded. Pikachu scampers ahead and up a tree sometimes, only to run right back as soon as the boys stop next to a new flower. A shrub's branches are carefully pushed aside to reveal a litter of eevee kits. The boys coo over them until the mother snaps, sending the boys running away with cries of surprise and delight. Pikachu follows them again after sniffing the shrub.

Morning in Viridian Forest. The boys check the sun and realize that it will be lunch time soon. They argue over which tree they should climb to see which way town is. One tree is very tall and they can see a long way from the top, but the other tree is long and low, with strong branches. One boy is about an inch and a quarter taller, and that makes up the difference for the shorter tree, so up he goes. Up the tree, the branches make it hard to see very far. But, there definitely seems to be something not too far away. Not swaying brown trees, but gray, unyielding concrete. This merits closer inspection.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Morning in Viridian Forest. Two little boys and a pikachu are sneaking along a wire fence that hums with electricity, keeping wild pokemon away from the blocky nondescript buildings. The boys can see the R faded on the doors, and know to keep themselves quiet and hidden. The camera makes a loud click, but no one else is around to hear it. One of the buildings has a wind sock. The wind has been consistent all morning, and the boys realize which way home is. They look at each other to make sure they're on the same page, then pikachu's ears perk up. A door is opening. The boys go very still, and pikachu follows suit. Four men exit one of the buildings, conversing in low tones. Two of them are wearing black jumpsuits with a red R on the front. They point to the fence, to another building, and the other men nod along. The boys' eyes widen. One of the men, stocky with short brown hair, is easily recognizable to them as the Viridian City Gym Leader! Without thinking, the camera is pulled up and a photograph is taken. The sound seems deafening to the boys, who are now frozen in horror. The four men, a mere thirty feet away, all swivel to the boys' position. The Gym Leader nudges his companion, a taller man with a cloth newsboy cap. The man pulls a pokeball from his belt and starts towards the boys' hiding place.

Afternoon in Viridian Forest. It is done. The man's scyther cleans blood from his blade. The camera is dashed to pieces. Mourning in Viridian City.