Leaving behind the fragrant flowers and warm memories of Celadon City, Ash and his friends arrived at the quiet and peaceful HopHopHop Town.
As soon as they entered the town, they felt an unusual atmosphere the streets were sparse with pedestrians, and the few residents they encountered bore expressions of deep worry.
They first went to the Pokémon Center, only to find that the Pokémon there were mostly listless and lethargic. Even the usually energetic Pikachu appeared somewhat wilted.
"Nurse Joy, what's happened to the Pokémon here?" Brock asked with concern, forgoing his usual attempts at flirting.
Nurse Joy sighed heavily. "I don't know what's been happening lately. The Pokémon at the center have become completely dispirited, as if their minds are being affected by some unknown force. And..." she lowered her voice, "several children in town have recently gone missing. Their parents are incredibly anxious."
Hearing this, Ash frowned slightly. He quietly activated his Aura Power, carefully sensing the surroundings.
Soon, he captured a faint but persistent ripple of strange energy fluctuations spreading out. This wave carried a strong hypnotic effect, and it was precisely what was interfering with the spirits of the Pokémon.
"It's a powerful sleep wave," Ash said with certainty. "The source... seems to be in that direction!" He pointed toward the roof of a tall building in the center of town.
Following Ash's lead, the group tracked the source until they reached the building, only to find a sign hanging there that read "Pokémon Lover's Club." They went up to the roof and saw several adults surrounding a Drowzee and a Hypno.
A member of the club explained to them that because many members suffered from long-term insomnia, they were using Hypno's power to generate sleep waves to help everyone fall asleep.
"So it was you!" Misty said, sounding quite angry. "The hypnotic waves from your Hypno aren't just making the Pokémon at the center listless; they might also be related to the missing children!"
Ash added solemnly, "Such large-scale hypnotic waves have a massive impact on children and Pokémon with weaker mental strength. Please stop immediately."
The club members only then realized they had caused harm despite their good intentions. Feeling extremely ashamed, they apologized and promised to stop using Hypno at once.
Just then, Misty developed a keen interest in Hypno. "Is the hypnotic effect really that miraculous? Let me try!" Ignoring the discouragement from Ash and Brock, she stepped forward and asked to be hypnotized.
Under the influence of Hypno's waves, Misty's eyes quickly became glazed. Her behavior turned bizarre as she began to mimic a Seel, swaying her body and letting out seal-like barks before ditzily running off on her own.
"Misty!" Ash and Brock cried out, quickly giving chase.
They followed the strangely behaving Misty all the way to the town park, where the scene before them left them stunned. The missing children were all there, but every single one of them was mimicking the movements of various Pokémon. Some were hopping like Pikachu, while others were flapping their "wings" like Pidgey, completely immersed in a hypnotic illusion.
"The children... and Misty, they've all been affected by Hypno's sleep waves and think they're Pokémon!" Brock judged.
The club members followed them and were filled with even greater regret upon seeing the scene. They suggested using Drowzee's ability to break the hypnotic state.
Ash and Brock first brought Misty who was still acting like a Seel and trying to jump into a fountain back to the club.
With Drowzee's help, Misty finally regained her senses. She felt both embarrassed and annoyed by her recent behavior.
The group then returned to the park with Drowzee, prepared to rescue the children. However, the Team Rocket trio appeared right on cue, like cats smelling fish!
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"This Drowzee and Hypno belong to Team Rocket now, meow!"
Their goal was clear, heading straight for the two precious Psychic-type Pokémon.
"Don't even think about it! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Squirtle, Water Gun!"
"Primeape, give them a taste of your strength!"
Ash reacted instantly, and his companions struck in unison. Team Rocket's scheme vanished like a bubble before Ash's overwhelming strength, and they disappeared into the horizon with their signature wail, "We're blasting off again!"
With the meddling Team Rocket driven away, Drowzee began to concentrate, using its special move to break the hypnosis on the children. As ripples of soft light spread out, the children gradually stopped mimicking Pokémon, and the clarity returned to their eyes. Parents who had rushed over embraced their children with tears of joy, expressing endless gratitude to Ash and the others.
At the same time, the Pokémon at the Pokémon Center were freed from the influence of the sleep waves, regaining their former vitality.
Once the incident was fully resolved, Nurse Joy brought over a Psyduck that was holding its head with its hands, looking quite dazed.
"This Psyduck has chronic headaches and doesn't seem very bright. I was wondering if you could look after it?" Nurse Joy looked toward the most reliable one, Brock.
Brock observed the Psyduck carefully and shook his head. "Sorry, Nurse Joy, but I don't have much experience caring for Pokémon that are... well... not very quick-witted," he declined politely.
Nurse Joy then looked at Misty. Misty stared at the Psyduck's vacant eyes and silly appearance and waved her hands frantically. "I don't want it either! It looks so clumsy and not cute at all!"
As if to prove its own clumsiness, the Psyduck began to waddle and stumble around.
Seeing this, Misty instinctively backed away, but she accidentally tripped over a stone. An empty Poké Ball tumbled out of her backpack.
At that exact moment, the Psyduck happened to step right on the button of the Poké Ball.
Don! A flash of red light followed, and the Psyduck was sucked inside the Poké Ball.
The Poké Ball didn't even shake; it simply emitted a click and locked.
Misty stared dumbfoundedly at the Poké Ball on the ground that had now captured the Psyduck. Her entire body seemed to turn to stone.
Ash picked up the Poké Ball, suppressing a laugh as he handed it back to Misty. "It looks like... it chose you, Misty." Ash, being familiar with the original story, knew that this was the very one future Pokémon fans would call the "Duck God" of the "Three Egyptian Gods"!
But for now, this was a problem Misty would have to solve on her own.
Misty took the Poké Ball, wanting to cry but finding no tears. Looking at the dazed-looking Psyduck inside that was still clutching its head, she lamented, "Why... why did it have to be like this!"
And so, after experiencing a hypnotic storm in HopHopHop Town, a new partner joined Misty's team one that didn't look very smart but perhaps hid an unknown potential: Psyduck.
Happy National Day, everyone!
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