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I hear you know a lot about sedatives. Is there anything that works really quickly and is really strong, like a movie-style instant knockout drug? I have to admit, I was a little disappointed at how un-cinematic it was when I experienced being sedated myself
Unfortunately not, or at least, not to the degree you'd hope.
The slowest method is intramuscular, which are tranquilizer darts. These aren't precise, and hit muscle to slowly inject through the fibers and eventually reach blood. They take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes, and need a counter-agent administered immediately after whatever's been done is done to ensure whatever (or whoever) was hit doesn't die to it. Sedatives are lethal, upping the strength doesn't mean they just up how fast they work, it means the risk of death by overdose is increased. So, a dart to the neck or butt wouldn't instantly send a character off to dreamland (in fact, you don't dream under sedation), and if it hits a vein or artery, that can be it for them.
The second, is intravenous sedation. This is usually used in hospitals, typically taking 15-30 minutes. Unless you're a stunning sharpshooter, you typically can't use a dart to administer this, but if your whumpee is restrained, and they're perhaps shot with a dose of paralytics before being administered this...
The third is inhalation, so that chloroform rag a whumper slapped to a whumpee's face as they struggle before falling limp for hours? Really, it would take 5 minutes (compare to the other's double digit numbers) of constant deep breathing, and only keep them under for a minute once it's removed. But, if you really want chloroform, a way you could do it is soak a fabric bag in it, and tie it over your whumpee's head, resulting in constant exposure and your whumper not having to hold a rag the entire time.
And, the quickest and most dangerous, is an injection directly into the heart. There's little research past pet euthanasia vets, which I feel speaks for itself when I say that this method is dangerous.
But, a lot of sedatives have flexible times. Some take hours, some take minutes. If you want to use a real sedative for your story, research what type it is! If you want to use a fictional one, try to base it off a real one for a certain interest to the story. I always love watching whumpees helplessly struggle as they inevitably fall asleep.
Oh, also, because I hate when people go off on a different topic and don't answer the original question itself; this is fiction, M99 is probably your ticket to insta-knocking out your character. A quarter's worth of weight can knock out a couple thousand-pounds stallion. Have fun!
it sees you when you're sleeping it knows when you're awake it knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness' sake