Omega's Protector(s) and a New Friend

Paradox’s head turned, and that was the first glimpse Omega caught of the gleam from a wild Pokemon. The thing was, Paradox didn’t bristle or tense like he had when any other Pokemon had approached. Instead, he and whatever it was stared at each other for the longest time, though it couldn’t have been more than a minute at most. She peered around the protective goat Pokemon, and her breath caught in her throat as she saw it. A curved horn seemed to glow in the gloom, with an equally glowing pair of eyes illuminated by her flashlight from her phone. A dark colored Dewgong fusion of some kind watched the pair of them, a safe distance away. It tilted its head, before effortlessly diving into the tar like substance that made up the water in this swamp. It surfaced again a bit further away, looking at them again.

“You think it wants us to follow it?” She asked her Pokemon, who turned his massive head to look at her. He knelt down, and she took that as a ‘yes’. Omega climbed onto his back and held on tight as he carefully got to his feet. The large Pokemon carefully picked his way over to the glowing beacon of a horn the Dewgong had, and as he got more confident in his footing, he started moving faster and faster. The other fusion continued to duck in and out of the water, leading them further and further into the twisted, warped trees. 

Omega sputtered and spat out a clump of moss that slapped her in the face as they maneuvered from patch of dirt to patch of dirt. She shook her head and wiped off her face, quickly grabbing hold of Paradox’s horns again when she felt her balance slip the slightest bit. Where was the Dewgong leading them? She had no idea, and that growing sense of excitement curled in her stomach again as they raced into the unknown after their guide. 

Abruptly, their guide stopped, and Paradox did too, both looking around as an eerie echoey call rang out, seeming to reverberate through the trees. It was like a chorus of screeching wails, and the water nearby churned and boiled. The call made the hair on the back of Omega’s neck stand on end and her shoulders tensed and squared as her body readied to fight or flight. Paradox shifted, and Omega scrambled off of him to get out of the way of what seemed like a brewing fight. Something writhed under the surface, and from this distance, she couldn’t make out much beyond the sound of something slapping against the tar-like water’s surface. It was a sickening noise that made her stomach turn over and she covered her mouth to try and keep her lunch down. 

A silhouette rose up and up and up from the water, and she quickly swiped at her technical display on her temple to turn on a light of some kind from the list of apps present there. The outline of whatever it was squirmed and undulated, and a pair of large eyes opened and glowed ominously at the three gathered. Paradox snorted and stomped his feet in warning at the looming Pokemon, and the Dewgong fusion slapped its tail on the surface of the water as well. Whatever the thing was had the vague shape of a Gyrados, but something wasn’t quite right about it either. Again, that eerie, panic inducing wail, as if from many Pokemon at once, made her clap her hands over her ears with a whimper.

Something flickered and snapped out of the corner of her eye, and she quickly looked over. Small flames licked and curled around Paradox’s back hooves, growing larger and larger, until the Pokemon whipped around and lashed out at the shadows looming over them. Bits flew off, and a feminine voice chimed in, “Paradox has learned Blaze Kick. Would you like to learn more?”

Without thinking, Omega shook her head, and the entry swiped away, giving her a clear view of the fight going on. The Dewgong fusion let loose a flurry of water from its mouth, and more bits fell off and to the water. Omega frowned, her brain racing and wracking through all she knew about Pokemon. A glow of energy caught her attention and she focused back on reality, her eyes on Paradox again as his horns and crest glowed brilliantly with a greenish tint. He rushed forward and slammed into the enemy Pokemon. Energy came from many sources to Paradox’s horns and her eyes went wide. 

“Paradox has learned Horn Leech. Would you like to learn more?” Again, Omega shook her head, dismissing the message, focusing her light again on the massive Pokemon. Which… turned out not to be what it was. As she looked closer, and the more the two Pokemon attacked it, the smaller it seemed. Shine of tears glinted, giving the appearance of scales, and her brain finally caught up with what she was looking on. Shit!

The young woman frantically dug through her satchel. Again, that screaming wail sent a chill through her spine, but she quickly steeled herself as she moved items around. Paradox and the Dewgong still fought, whittling the creature down. No, not one creature. A group of Pokemon. A group of Wishiwashi fusions schooling together for protection. All the same fusion, too: Wishiwashi and Tirtouga.

Finally, the mass fell away into the tar-like waters with a disgusting sloshing noise. Paradox finally relaxed, the leaves rustling together as they settled down. The Dewgong dove into the water and reappeared closer, nosing at something on the ground. A panicked squeaking noise came from Paradox’s other side and Omega hurried to look. She was right! A tiny little blue and gray creature with a shell. It shook as she approached, and she stopped a couple feet away, squatting down to study it. It shrunk back in fear, propped up on two fin-like flippers.

“Hey… it’s OK…” She murmured, reaching over to bop it with a Pokeball she finally managed to procure from her bag. It dissolved into energy and was drawn into the ball.

“Wishiwashi-Tirtouga captured. Would you like to give it a nickname?”

This time, Omega nodded.