Nurse Isabelle and the Kanto Pokédex: the Diary of a Travelling Nurse

#055 Golduck

Golduck, the Duck Pokémon. The evolved form of Psyduck. Golduck is the fastest swimmer among all Pokémon. It swims effortlessly, even in a rough, stormy sea. It sometimes rescues people from wrecked ships floundering in high seas. The webbed flippers on its forelegs and hind legs and the streamlined body of Golduck give it frightening speed. The Pokémon is definitely much faster than even the most athletic swimmer.

Sometimes, her self-made travelling nurse uniform felt too restrictive, especially if the sun was shining as brightly as it was today. So, to allow her white skin some sun, Isabelle was wearing some shorts and a tank top, which had an image of a Caterpie wearing a Butterfree onesie emblazoned on it. She found herself at the beach again, near Bill's lighthouse. It was so far away, Cerulean being the only town nearby, that few people came here.

Walking through the sand on bare feet, Isabelle enjoyed the wind through her loose curls. Even her hair was enjoying an off-day. High above her, Pidgeotto was surfing the wind. She'd let him loose since he hadn't had a lot of time to shine, recently. To give her bird some much needed attention, he was the only one of her Pokémon she had released today. He seemed to be practicing Agility from the speed he managed to achieve in this unrestricted space of air.

Dragging her eyes away from Pidgeotto and the scorching sun, Isabelle saw a man at the coastline, with a bunch of tall, blue Pokémon. Upon approaching him, she saw they were Golduck. Only barely giving her a glance, the trainer tossed a heavy, Rattata shaped toy into the surf, waited for a moment, and then blew his whistle. As one, his flock of Golduck dove into the water had retrieved the toy within less than a minute, however far he threw it.

"They're training for Search and Rescue," the man suddenly said, closer to her than he had been before.

"Hm?" Isabelle hadn't really been listening, transfixed by the competence of the Golduck. They were now training themselves. As soon as one dove up the toy, it flung the purple thing away for another Golduck to retrieve.

Golduck were very magnificent creatures. Being as tall as Isabelle and a bit heavier than her, they could swim faster than any other Pokémon. This made them unbeatable underwater since nothing was too speedy for them.

"Search and Rescue. They're aquatic aid Pokémon," the man repeated, a little impatient now.

Pidgeotto descended upon Izzy's arm, perching proudly with his head held high.

"This is Pidgeotto, a Medical Bird," Isabelle said, not to be outdone by his Golduck.

The man checked out her Pidgeotto, smiled softly, and gave her a salute.

"Keep up the good work, Officer," Isabelle greeted the man who obviously belonged to the police.

"You too, Nurse."

Smiling, Isabelle let Pidgeotto fly again as she continued to walk down the beach, enjoying the sun on her neglected skin and the wind through her hair. It truly was a glorious day.