Kylie Rancor
An entire generation of kids grew up playing Pokémon and wishing that real life included setting off on our own adolescent journeys through the Kanto region, catching Pokémon and learning how to be the very best, like no one ever was.
While Pokémon Go does its best to replicate that world through augmented reality and coaxing us away from sedentary video games, the tragic fact remains that Pokémon just don’t exist in our boring, normal world. There are no Charmanders or Mews or legendaries out in the wild, no matter how hard we look.
But, it turns out, there is a real life critter that looks just similar enough to Pikachu that our dull world just got a little bit brighter.
Back in 2018, the Boronia Veterinary Clinic in Melbourne, Australia shared a photo of a possum that had been brought into their clinic.
This gorgeous little gal was brought into the clinic at around five months old, suspected to have been orphaned or separated from her mother. And while she looks like she could have stepped right out of Ash Ketchum’s battle against the Elite Four, she’s actually a “rare golden variety of a Common Brushtail Possum.”
“The golden colour occurs due to a mutation which causes a low level of the pigment melanin which gives them their normal colour,” the clinic explained. “They are so rare in the wild as although their bright colour makes them look special to us, they also stand out to predators!”
Although this baby first showed up in 2018, her photos continue to circulate across the internet.
While so many fads and trending stories come and go as soon as there’s a new hashtag to write about, nobody wants to forget about this adorable Pikachu-wannabe.
Even Nintendo blogs picked up on the story.
Seriously, the resemblance is too real.
She’s rare, but this golden possum isn’t the only one of her kind.
As the clinic explained, golden possums have a harder time hiding from predators than common brown possums, which helps explain the lack of sightings in the wild. But the pics we do have of these cute pals definitely make us wish there were more.
Now do Eevee next, Mother Nature. Gotta catch ’em all!