Anyone feeling underappreciated right now needs to fire up their Switch, head into Sword and Shield's Crown Tundra, and find a Spheal or two.
Pokemon games have been a big part of many of our lives for more than 20 years. As much as we still love those early games, and would play them again in a heartbeat, improvements have been made. More Pokemon to catch, wider worlds to explore, and best of all, trainers can now see Pokemon in the wild, for the most part anyway.
In the past, we were left to just hope that we didn't end up in a battle with a Pokemon we had no interest in catching. If that did happen, fingers crossed the wild Pokemon would allow us to run away and get on with our day. That mechanic has led to an entire generation of Pokemon players hating Zubat, and it's a hate that we will never be able to shake.
Modern-day Pokemon games allow trainers to see most of the Pokemon wandering around in the world. Whether they be lurking in tall grass, splashing just below the surface of a lake, or out in the open. In Sword and Shield, different wild Pokemon react to seeing a trainer in different ways. Some will chase you, others will run away, and Jynx will even blow you a kiss if you whistle in its general direction.
Our favorite reaction to a Pokemon spotting a trainer was added via Sword and Shield's Crown Tundra DLC. When Spheal sees a trainer, it rolls on over, stops just short of their feet, and proceeds to applaud. As can be seen above, Spheal will gather around trainers just to smile and clap. It's the perfect way to cheer yourself up when feeling affected by what is a pretty depressing real world right now.
As for why exactly Spheal applaud trainers, there might be more to it than meets the eye. According to its Pokedex entry, the reason Spheals clap is to try and get food which will help them achieve their final form. They also clap while eating to show their happiness, and since they tend to eat in groups, mealtimes can get pretty loud in a Spheal nest.