Golduck, Surskit, and Masquerain

The young Psyduck was curled up in his nest, shivering. He was still sleeping, but when his mother ran her paw along his head, he was no longer warm with fever. For the past few days, he had been terribly ill. There were times when the Golduck thought she'd lost this child. He was weak, so he was still in danger. But she already felt more hopeful because the worst of it seemed to be gone.

He probably wasn't happy, she thought. Not only after being sick, but also because of all the chalky roots and bitter leaves she had fed him. Those things would have healed him, as she knew from what her mother had told her, but they were so awful that no Pokémon seemed to like them. Being unhappy due to bitter medicine was probably the least of his troubles now. Still, if there was something she could do to make things a little better for him…

On thinking over what was around her den, the Golduck recalled something that should be safe to give him. It would be a little troublesome to get. But after all the medicine, he should be happy to have a little treat. And it wouldn't take her far.

Since he was sleeping hard, she put the blanket back over him, then left the small cave home they lived in. The Golduck stopped at the shore, looking to her right. The red jewel on her forehead glowed; at the same time, a slight red glow appeared under a large rock. Using telekinesis, she shifted the rock to block off access to her den. That would keep her son safe.

The Golduck then plucked a large leaf off a nearby tree. That would do. With that in paw, she dove into the cool waters of the lake.

Golden rays of sunlight covered the forest. They grew deeper and darker in color as the sun descended on the western horizon. On the surface of the lake, a group of Surskit were still at play. They skimmed along, involved in a game of Tag. One girl moved herself to near a leaf, getting as close as it could. The leaf pressed against the surface tension of the water. Not by a lot, but enough that the boy who was It couldn't speed up near her without slipping.

After watching the position of It be changed twice, she stepped onto the leaf to check on her feet. The oils there needed to stay clean and fresh, so she spent some time grooming. The others would understand. Most of them wouldn't try tagging her like this.

As she wasn't focused on the game, she spotted something odd in the distance. The light was quite dim now, with the sun fully past the horizon. It was a small red glow, kind of like an ember. But what would a fire be doing on the lake's surface?

Then an invisible force took hold of her body and lifted her in the air. Shrieking, the Surskit flailed with her thin legs, trying to find some surface to grip. Her friends called her name and came over, but they didn't know what was happening to her. She was scared enough that she went for the usual trick in throwing off enemies: making a sweet drop from the tip of her head.

Then she was dropped just as abruptly as she was picked up. However, she landed on her back and began sinking in the water. The Surskit struggled to get herself upright, but couldn't get her feet back on the surface. Two of her friends pushed the leaf towards her while others tried to grab her. With their skinny legs, it was hard. But she managed to get a grip on the leaf to pull herself above the water.

"Oh gosh," she said, gasping. "Thanks. Let's get out of there."

Her friends agreed, worried that whatever had grabbed her might do it again.

Once they were gone, the Golduck surfaced where they had been. The Surskit group had left several sweet drops behind. They were like honey, but of a different taste. Using the leaf, she skimmed the drops off the surface of the water. The little bugs made them to distract predators from chasing them. Maybe it was a little mean to scare them just for these meager drops. But they were a tasty delicacy, something her ill child would appreciate.

There was a soft hum in the air. Probably not a large Pokémon; the Golduck gathered up the last of the drops, then tied the leaf up tight to keep them inside. She could mix them in with something else, as they were strong enough to flavor things. Like some Leppa berries.

"There you are!" a voice boomed from overhead. "I am a Fury, the spirit of Vengeance! Bully, I will punish you for your torment of small Pokémon."

The Golduck turned around and looked up. It was dark, but an enormous pair of red eyes glared down out her. Yelping, she clutched the leaf package close and dove under the water as the thing laughed at her. Briefly, her imagination filled in what an awful huge creature it must have been to have eyes like that.

But when she got back to her side of the lake and reemerged, the Fury creature was nowhere to be seen. She calmed down, realizing that it was probably one of the Masquerain, not some giant spirit of Vengeance as it claimed. Still, she needed to make sure things were all right with her son. Then she could go looking for Leppas to mix with the sweet drops.

She wouldn't go hunting for more of the drops, though.

The Masquerain hovered over the water, watching as the Golduck emerged from the lake. For a moment, there was that little red glow as she moved a rock. So it was her, he thought. Gossip around the lake said that her son was ill. Maybe she was getting the sweet drops from him. Still, he didn't like anyone to pick on the little Surskit. If he didn't stand up for them, then many more Pokémon would try scaring them for sweet drops. Those were meant to be in case of danger, not for others to take advantage of.

Deciding to leave the Golduck mother alone for now, the Masquerain took off backwards, twisting his body around without swerving in flight. Other than moving to the side to avoid a rock, he went straight back home. There, he met with the little bugs he was watching for. "Did you get back at the bully?" one Surskit asked.

"Of course," he told them. "It was a really mean nasty Pokémon, but I scared it good. You should never see it around here again." Actually, the Golduck usually wasn't that bad. He just didn't want the young ones to know that one of their neighbors had scared them like that.

The Surskit kids cheered. "Thanks uncle," one of them said.

"No problem," he said. "Are you all right now?"

The girl who had been picked up nodded. "Yeah, but I think I'll stay here for now."

"That's a good idea," he said. "I'll be flying around here to keep you all safe."

"Hey, can you do that trick where you fly upside-down again?" one of the boys asked.

"Not now," he said.

"Aw, why not?"

"It's time for you kids to go to sleep; it's dark."

They whined for a bit, but eventually found spots to settle down and go to sleep.

…

Golduck Soul Silver entry: It appears by waterways at dusk. It may use telekinetic powers if its forehead glows mysteriously.

Sapphire entry: If Surskit senses danger, it secrets a thick, sugary syrup from the tip of its head. There are some Pokémon that love eating this syrup.

Ruby entry: Masquerain intimidates enemies with the eyelike patterns on its antennas. This Pokémon flaps its four wings to freely fly in any direction – even sideways and backwards – as if it were a helicopter.