Greetings trainer! My name is Professor “Quaking” Aspen. ‘Aspen’ is my family name while ‘Quaking’ is just a nickname given to me because of my muscular physique… and because I have had tremors since I was a boy. “Why do all professors in this world have tree names” you ask? I have no idea what you are talking about…
Anyways, welcome to the vast and phenomenal world of Pokemon! Pokemon are incredibly powerful creatures, each with their own story to tell and each one eager to make your acquaintance. But you don’t need me to tell you that, you are a Pokemon trainer are you not? As a trainer, you are probably anxious to set out on your own and catch Pokemon companions just like I am doing in the picture above. Well before you go out on your own and potentially do something illegal, your mother told me to talk to you about adventuring with Pokemon and to give you your first Pokemon companion.
The starting Pokemon I have picked for you is called “Pikachu.” But before you go out and push your poor Pikachu unnecessarily in battle, I am here to teach you just how special and remarkable this ‘mini power plant’ of a Pokemon is. Perhaps if I can help you appreciate the science behind Pikachu, you will think twice before exhausting your new companion in battle. At the very least, knowing how Pikachu ticks can give you a strategic edge in trainer battles.
To teach you about Pikachu, and other Pokemon you encounter, I have made this “Pokedex” just for you. This Pokedex contains the most recent discoveries in science related to each and every Pokemon, and I have crammed it full of Pikachu facts just for you. Go ahead, try it out right now!
Please come back to our Natural History Museum of Video Game Characters (NHMVG for short). We are hard at work building more exhibits that you can enjoy. As always, please leave us a review so we know how we are doing and if you found your stay at our museum educational and enjoyable. See you soon!
Visit any of our other Museum Exhibits by clicking on the slides below!
***NOTE: I do not own the rights to the images and characters depicted above. Nintendo owns the rights to the images and characters. I am merely a science writer trying to connect science and video games into one in an entertaining way. Thank you!
Life through green tinted glasses 
Hi Jay, cool article! I really enjoyed the interactive Pokedex. Lots of info, and organized in a small and fun space. I never realized that there is actually science to explain things like how Pikachu can pull off an Iron Tail attack, and why Pikachu eat berries.
I was particularly interested in your section about Pikachu’s powerful tail and the Caudofemoralis muscles. Do these muscles also mean that Pikachu’s tail is prehensile, meaning it can grasp things with it like some monkeys do?
Thanks for all the hard work on these great posts!
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Thanks Ben! Well I am not sure if that is the exact science behind the Pokemon that the creators had in mind, but it is fun for me to hypothesize! Though the use of gripping has not been noticed in the behavior of wild Pikachu before, it is absolutely plausible that their tails could be used for such purposes. Though the staircase shape of the tail muscles might make it more difficult for them to grip things.
Thanks again for reading! Glad you enjoyed it and I enjoyed the comment!
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