Alomomola
Morphs [Oak Catalog #]
- Alomomola [#594]
Morphology and Notable Biology
Alomomola is a species of piscine tetraodontiform Pokémon native to the waters of the Unova and Kalos regions. They are pink in color, with a light pink body and dark pink operculum, oddly hand shaped fins, and clavus, along with golden eyes. A rare phenotype exists that is purple in color, and highly prized by collectors.
Alomomola are most famously known for finding wounded Pokémon and bringing them close in order to heal them with the membrane covering their entire bodies. This is more than just altruism, as this act also prevents the Pokémon from getting eaten by predators. Said mucus covers an extremely rough skin, which can be as rough as sandpaper. Despite looking similar to Luvdisc, Alomomola are not closely related to them at all, and in fact are more closely related to Qwilfish, sharing the same four fused teeth that gives the family their name. Research is still inconclusive as to whether or not they contain the same tetrodotoxin in their organs as their cousins, however.
Alomomola also like to bask, and can be seen floating on the surface with their bodies facing the sun, said skin being highly reflective, and also capable of changing in shade in response to attack by predators. They can be accurately described as "floating heads," as they lack much of a spine, and most of their skeleton is made of cartilage. Similarly to species such as Sharpedo, they lack a swim bladder, and have to keep swimming constantly in order to stay afloat. Unlike many species of piscine Pokémon that swim from side to side, Alomola move their fins in a way akin to a rower, except that they don’t go horizontal to do so.
Two known morphs of Alomomola are known to science. The more common phenotype has the ability to more easily heal Pokémon from burns or paralysis, and can more easily heal itself from such conditions in the rain. The second, rarer phenotype has an enhanced Healing Factor, but can only activate it upon fleeing from battle.
Diet
Alomomola tend to eat soft bodied seafaring Pokémon such as Frillish and Tentacool, but are also known to eat young members of different species of piscine Pokémon, crustacean Pokémon such as Krabby and Binacle, and eel grass. Due to the low nutritional value of such a diet, Alomomola need to eat a large amount of food in order to get the calories necessary for survival.
Habitat
Alomomola are pelagic, mainly staying in the open ocean with a preference for tropical waters, though some populations do venture into shallow water and live in temperate waters. These places include Routes 4, 17, 18 and 21 of Unova, as well as off Virbank and Driftveil City. Within the Kalos region, Alomomola can be commonly found swimming in the waters of Azure Bay. Following the rise of Primal Groudon and Kyogre, within Hoenn Alomomola can be found in all oceanic Routes. In Alola, the most reliable spot to catch them is fishing in Brooklet Hill. Outside of these populations, Alomomola tend to spend most of their time at depths greater than 660 feet (200 m), but cannot handle prolonged temperatures lower than 12 °C (54 °F) without basking, as that will lead to eventual disorientation and death.
Hazards
Alomomola are as a whole completely docile and prefer to swim away from potential danger. The most danger that can come from one normally is one launching itself out of the water and colliding with someone’s face. However, if cornered, like all Pokémon they are capable of defending themselves.
Their main method of defense tends to be using various barriers to defend themselves from attack, though if that doesn’t work they can spin their bodies horizontally in order to slap enemies with their fins. They can also shoot pulses of water with ultrasonic waves that disorient opponents, fire salt water into their opponent’s wounds, cloak themselves in water in order to ram opponents, and in the case of older Alomomola, fire blasts of water capable of tearing skin off. Another odd ability they have is the ability to lower an opponent’s defenses using an odd beam fired from their eyes. Alomomola do have some paranormal abilities, but they tend to remain inactive without proper training.
However, Alomomola are at their most dangerous when helping other Pokémon. Their skill with barriers allows them to block wide ranging attacks such as Blizzard and Discharge, and they can soak their enemies to the bone so that species such as the Chinchou Line can zap them dead. Alomomola's lack of a swim bladder makes them incredibly hard to keep in aquariums, as they need rounded tanks in order to keep themselves from ramming the tank sides and suffering serious injury, with one of the few places with specimens on display being an aquarium in Goldenrod City in Johto.
Courting and Childrearing
Little is known about how Alomomola breed in the wild, but in captivity it is noted that they can lay the largest amount of eggs out of any single vertebrate Pokémon, and said eggs are fertilized externally. Alomomola are born extremely tiny and somewhat reminiscent of Qwilfish, but grow incredibly fast, with one captive specimen growing to nearly adult size in merely a few months. Alomomola do not practice parental care, with the fry being left to the tender mercies of the ocean once their eggs are fertilized. In captivity, however, Alomomola tend to lay larger eggs, and their fry come out much larger than their wild cousins, and more similar to their adult counterparts.
Social Structure
Alomomola fry mainly spend their time in groups for their protection, as they’re tiny enough for even Magikarp to be a danger. Once they get big enough, however, they separate, with adult Alomomola spending their time either alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Some Alomomola are known to stick close to other species in order to feed on their scraps while they get a free healer, and others will hang around humans to be hand-fed.
One such species that commonly hangs around Alomomola are Remoraid, who often feed on their scraps instead, as well as any parasites on the body of the Pokémon. In some cases this can lead to younger Remoraid getting lodged in their gills, causing respiratory problems. This relationship tends to last until they evolve into Octillery, at which point they leave or in some cases even attack their old partners.
In Human Culture
Alomomola are rarely eaten, though those regions that do consume them consider the Pokémon to be a delicacy and within Unova’s zodiac they represent the month of March. Views of the species within popular culture range from neutral to positive, especially due to the fact that they rescue injured Pokémon and in some cases humans, with the part of the world containing Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh making them a household name. One such story involved a holy man being thrown into the sea by ruffians in the folklore of the area north of Kalos, only to be saved by a helpful Alomomola.
Actual depictions of the species within popular culture are rare, however, with exceptions including a popular community simulator, an ally in a popular platformer, and a scuba diving simulator. Pokémon Centers located by the sea often have Alomomola on hand, as they tend to be better suited for treating aquatic Pokemon as opposed to the Chansey Line members and Audino used normally. On a more negative note, however, fishermen have been known to cut their fins off and leave them to die at the seafloor due to viewing them as pests.
Due to their highly reflective skin and odd shape, many cultures associate Alomomola with the moon in their mythology, with their name in many languages more or less meaning “moon fish”. In others they are considered sacred and are forbidden to be killed, as it’s believed that without them other species couldn’t find their way to their fishing spots, and by extension the fishermen’s nets.
Written by rmctagg09.
