Disclaimer: Pokémon is by Satoshi Tajiri
Pokémon BW: Yin-Yang Quest
"Woobat!" Taylor called out as his Woobat followed the Oshawott's trail. 'What are you going after?' he thought.
Psychically, Woobat picked up his question and stopped. It started talking to him, which Taylor picked up and was able to translate.
"Yeah, go on…" he said.
"Woobat, Woobat," it continued.
"What's it saying?" Mia asked.
"My Woobat found something hiding in the bushes," he explained. "She's following it somewhere."
"Following what exact-LY!" Mia began, but yelled out as she slipped on muddy soil.
"Whoa!" Taylor exclaimed as she fell downhill. "Woobat, return!"
He recalled Woobat into her Poke Ball and made his way down the hill, being careful not to slip on any mud.
Mia tumbled down through the bush and stopped on soft soil. She sat up, back aching from the sudden fall.
"Ow...gotta watch where I'm go..." she began before trailing off.
"Hey, Mia," Taylor called as he approached her. "Are you...okay?" he asked in confusion.
The two were staring directly at a river. The river contained Oshawott smaller than normal and lacking their keratin shells. Some were playing in the water, some were bathing in the spring sun, and some were on land eating berries.
"Those are Oshawott!" Mia exclaimed as she stood up.
"They're all babies," Taylor noted. "Pretty cute."
Mia looked up the Pokémon on her Pokédex. The screen showed profiles of the Pokemon.
"Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon," the Dex explained. "The scalchop on its stomach is made from the same element as claws. It detaches the scalchop for use as a blade."
"I gotta get a better look at these phenomena!" Mia noted with interest.
Taylor spotted something coming out of the water and approaching Mia.
"Wait, Mia, don't go any further!" Taylor warned.
"O-sha!"
A normal sized Oshawott with a keratin shell jumped out of the river and squirted her back with a jet of water from its mouth. This soaked Mia wet and pushed her away from the edge.
"What's all the racket?" a voice asked in surprise.
An elderly man with silver-gray hair styled similarly to an Oshawott's ears came up to them. He readied a wooden sword. "Listen, poachers! I watch over these Oshawott! Get out of this reserve or else!"
"FYI, we stumbled upon here. My friend wanted a better look at those Oshawott," Taylor explained, readying himself for a possible fight.
"We're sorry, sir," Mia apologized. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I wanted to know more about these Oshawott you keep watch over."
"Oh?" the old man asked.
"They're smaller than normal, except for the one that attacked me," she explained. "An Oshawott is typically one foot, eight inches in height, and they have keratin shells used for battle. These are about the size of a baby Pokemon, and they don't have shells."
"There goes the bookworm again," Taylor remarked.
It earned him a punch in the head by an offended Mia.
"I'm raising these Oshawott for the Professor," he explained. "When they grow, they'll become Pokémon for their future trainers."
"Ottawa, you're a special Pokémon Breeder, aren't you?" Mia asked. "I've heard about you guys. You raise the Starter Pokémon in preserves for the regional Professors."
"This is the Sapphire River," Ottawa explained. "A preserve for the Oshawott I raise."
In Ottawa's log cabin, he began to explain everything. Starter Pokémon are raised in a preserve usually kept away from public view.
"Where did all those babies come from, though?" Taylor asked.
Ottawa directed Mia and Taylor to a rack containing medium sized light blue and white eggs. Pokemon eggs, specifically that of Oshawott. One of them began to glow and flash white.
"One's about to hatch!" Mia exclaimed. The three of them went over to the glowing egg. It cracked and burst apart in blue light. When the light faded, a baby Oshawott was born. Mia beamed up in excitement, eyes twinkling.
"This is just amazing!" she again exclaimed. Upon leaning in to get a closer look, she was squirted with a Water Gun by the baby. Ottawa laughed at this while Taylor just sighed. Mia spat out some water in her mouth.
"What is it with me and Water-types?" she bemoaned as Ottawa got a towel for her.
"Osha, osha, oshawo!" the baby Oshawott giggled.
Taylor looked out the window to find the baby Oshawott playing in the river. One of them got too near a waterfall and almost fell over, but the normal sized Oshawott grabbed it and pulled it back up. "Hey, old man?" he asked.
"Yes?" Ottawa asked back.
"What with that other Oshawott?" Taylor inquired. "It just saved one of the babies."
"Oh, this Oshawott stayed behind when it grew old enough to leave the river. She keeps watch over the younger Oshawott."
"Like a Mom or a guardian, huh? Pretty nice."
"Actually, it makes me worry recently. She's too boisterous for the young trainers, and she'll also be left alone when the others grow old enough, receive their shells, and leave the pond."
"Yeah, I can see that as a pro-what the?"
"What's wrong?"
Ottawa looked out the window. Six Sandile popped up from out of the ground and caused the Oshawott on land to flee. "Oh no, not them again!" Ottawa panicked and rushed out. This got Mia's attention and she and Taylor followed him outside.
Some baby Oshawott ran past them in fear as the Sandile fired glowing grey rocks at them, which thankfully missed.
"Those troublemakers!" Ottawa said angrily. "Can't they leave them alone for one day?"
Taylor looked up the Sandile on his Pokédex. The screen showed profiles of the Pokémon.
"Sandile, the Desert Croc Pokémon," the Dex explained. "They live buried in the sands of the desert. The sun-warmed sands prevent their body temperature from dropping."
"Everyone!" Ottawa called to the baby Oshawott. "Follow me!"
"We'll help out, too!" Mia offered. "Give me a hand, Pidove!"
She sent her Pidove out, who cooed upon being called out. "Help Ottawa with those babies!" she told Pidove. Pidove flew off to the waterfall.
"Momo, let's do it!" Taylor called. Out came Momo from her Poké Ball. Emolga also popped out of his Poké Ball.
"Emolga, what-?" Mia asked.
"E-ga! Momo!" he said.
"He wants to help Momo," Taylor translated.
"How did you-?" Mia asked.
"Call it a sixth sense of sorts," Taylor summarized.
The larger Oshawott removed her shell from her chest. It began to glow as a blue trail extended from it. "Oshawott!" she growled as she rushed in to attack the intruders.
"Sandile?" the Sandile asked as they looked behind them. Oshawott slashed at two of them with her shell, knocking them back with major damage.
"Emolga, ThunderShock!"
"Use Charge Beam, Momo!"
Both Sky Squirrel Pokémon fired beams of electricity on the ground near the group of Sandile. Three of them went in to attack the two Emolga.
"Looks like they've taken the bait," Mia noted. "Over here, you toothless crocs!" she taunted. The four of them ran off, the three Desert Croc Pokémon in pursuit.
Pidove carried a few small Oshawott riding in a basket to the elder. "Thank you very much," Ottawa thanked as he took the basket. "But where is that larger Oshawott?"
"Osha-WOTT!"
With that yell, Ottawa and Mia's Pidove turned to find Oshawott knocking the two Sandile out with a Razor Shell. The blow, however, caused her to be pushed back a few feet and begin losing her balance.
"Pidove, grab Oshawott!" Mia commanded as she ran over to Ottawa. Pidove flew over to her and grabbed Oshawott before she could teeter over the edge and down into the water below her. "Bring it over here!" Pidove complied and flew to Mia with Oshawott riding on her.
A Quick Attack and two Charge Beams later, the other Sandile retreated out of the Sapphire River.
"I cannot thank you two enough for protecting the Oshawott!" Ottawa thanked.
"You're welcome!" Mia replied. "This was a fascinating learning experience for me!"
"Yes, she is a bookworm," Taylor told him. Mia again punched him in the head.
"Mia, there is something I wish to ask of you," Ottawa began.
"Go on," Mia allowed.
"Will you allow Oshawott to come with you on your journey?" he asked. "I feel it would be best for her."
"Don't know. I'll ask her," she responded. "Hey, Oshawott?"
The adult Oshawott looked up at Mia.
"Want to come with me through Unova?" she asked.
Oshawott contemplated this for a moment, and then nodded "yes".
"Great!" she cheered.
Ottawa gave her a Net Ball, which she threw into the air. Oshawott jumped and hit the capture mechanism on the Poke Ball with its appendage. She turned to red energy and the ball landed in Mia's hand. A minute of rattling later, and Oshawott was now hers.
"Thanks, Ottawa! I got an Oshawott exactly as planned!" she declared.
"Maybe I'll come along, too," Taylor requested. "There's never a dull moment with you around."
"If you insist," she agreed begrudgingly.
"Accumula Town is a few miles west of here," Ottawa directed. "You cannot miss it,"
"Thanks, old man," Taylor thanked as the two left.
"Goodbye!" Mia called out.
"Take care!" Ottawa bade farewell as he saw the two leave.
With two new partners by Mia's side, she and Taylor continued through the rest of Route 1.