A psyduck

You may not have graduated from the Pokemon Academy or anything like that, but there’s one random piece of knowledge you have stuck in your head, and that’s the fact that there are a bunch of Psyduck to the east of Saffron City! …Seriously, how do you know that? Maybe Stump rambled about it once.

You make your way through the east gate, prepared to chase down a Psyduck and add it to your team, but you’re not given the chance. Out of nowhere, a Golduck starts running towards you from a field of tall grass. Ahhh, it’s big! That thing’s taller than you, and it’s ambushing you before you can even get your pokemon out! You look away and wince before it makes its attack, but after a few seconds, you realize that no attack is coming.

The Golduck is just jumping up and down frantically as it points into the tall grass. “You want me to… follow you?” It doesn’t respond, and charges back into the field. “Hey, wait up!” You chase after it, not sure of what it wants, and even less sure of why you’d just follow a random wild pokemon.

Barely keeping up, you follow Golduck to a tall tree. At the top is an alarming sight. A Psyduck is stuck at the top, hanging from a branch. If it falls, it could get seriously hurt! Golduck keeps jumping and pointing at the Psyduck, so it clearly wants you to help out. And you will, because that’s what a powerful, yet gracious and benevolent lady would do!

You send out Onix, who forms a bridge from the branch to the ground. The distressed Psyduck runs down Onix’s back, and… disappears into the tall grass, as if it finds you just as scary as the thought of falling. “Wait!” Well, apparently you won’t be catching THAT Psyduck.

Golduck does a cute, happy dance, but the relief is short lived. It starts jumping up and down in a panic, points somewhere in the distance, and runs off again. S-So are you supposed to follow it again!?

Still unsure why, you run after Golduck and find another Psyduck in a predicament. It’s pinned beneath a bunch of heavy rocks. How did that even happen!? Well, there’s no time to waste. “Dugtrio, go!”

Dugtrio burrows over to the Psyduck and makes a hole. The Psyduck falls underground and gets shuffled away from the rocks. Dugtrio pops back up a few feet away, launching Psyduck out of the ground as well. Again, it flees before you can even think about catching it. “Hang on, come back!” And, just like last time, Golduck only spares a few seconds to dance before running off, beckoning you to follow.

This time, you find a Psyduck swimming against the current of some rapids, mere inches away from tumbling down a waterfall. By rapids, you mean a gentle stream. And by waterfall, you mean a two-foot drop. Well, uh, Dugtrio and Onix wouldn’t want to get wet. And Gloom wouldn’t be able to help here. Maybe Mankey could jump in and throw the Psyduck out, but… Hang on a second…

You slowly wade into the water. The current which is giving the Psyduck so much trouble is hardly noticable. You pick it up and it immediately starts flailing in your arms as though you’re a predator. You barely get it onto shore before it jumps free and waddles for its life. Wait, aren’t both Psyduck and Golduck Water-type pokemon…?

Again with the happy dance, panicking, and running into tall grass. What is this Golduck’s problem!?

This time, you find the most absurd situation yet. There’s a Psyduck with its head stuck in the dirt. That’s it. Golduck just stands there, jumping up and down in a frenzy, the same as ever. You walk up, pull the trapped pokemon out of the ground, and let it run away.

“YOU could have done that, you know!” you scold.

Golduck looks away sheepishly, then strikes a heroic pose. What, is it proud or something?

“Pfft. Bahahaha!” You fall over laughing, and Golduck does the same. Well, things are pretty clear at this point. This stressed out Golduck needs a vacation. And what better vacation is there than going adventuring with a talented trainer like yourself?

You take out a pokeball, and Golduck seems to understand the situation. It’s almost as if you have a spiritual connection with this pokemon, or like, a psychic bond of some kind… Oh well! That just makes this a lot easier. You throw the pokeball, and Golduck is caught without a struggle.

Pokemon Gained: Golduck (Capable, Healthy)

(Throughout the story, Golduck will be treated as a Water/Psychic dual-type, despite being a plain Water-type in the games. I always thought it was silly that Golduck wasn’t Psychic-type in the first place :P)

Looks like it’s time to start training.