Weak Might

[Pokemaster Cody]

E-V-O-L-U-T-I-ON
*Does little chant*

Ummmm... sorry. Excellent chapter. Very interesting with the Gyarados deal. Good job! I can't wait for more.

[Otto=ottO]

S-N-I-P-E-R
*does little chant*
um, yeah. Anyhoo, it's kinda vague when he says, "We're the only ones left" or something like that. It makes it sound like the other magikarps are dead, not only the injured ones. I'm not sure Gyarados could go for a little magikarp until she's evolved. It's like you hitting on a monkey. g2g

[Zach Starmourn]

It has been a long time since I've been here. I guess it was just my lucky day when I typed in the URL out of boredom. The last time I had checked this place was gone.

Nothing else has changed though. Everyone is still here, still doing the same things as last time I visited. I've even been writing the whole time.

Oh, oops. I got way off topic. Anyway, great story. I never looked at a Magikarp like that. I guess they could be considered dangerous couldn't they? They do evolve into Gyarados, which kinda make me like them a little more. Well, it is great to be back, and I hope you can keep writing.

[AquaBabe727]

This is coming along very nicely, Shadowed Mewtwo! I think the last time I replyed it was around chapter 2. I like Magi; it's good to be independant. But that stupid Karp guy...abandoning them seemed like something he would do. >_< Grrr. But I like how you mix a lot of history and tradition in there; it makes the story more three-dimensional. Very nice! Can't wait for the next chapter. ^_^

[Dark Shaman]

Still here, still reading, still enjoying

Sorry I haven't responded, been in a solitary mood lately -_-

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

Meh... I never said the Gyarados liked her... you guys thought that up yourselves! o_O... Anyway, it's cool to see my old friend returned! *huggles Zach Starmourn* I like your new name! ^-^ And thankees for the praise, peeps! It makes me very happy!

Eh... this is an action-ish chapter... very fast and short... ^^;; Still hope you enjoy it!

~*~Chapter 6~*~

BOOM! BANG! BASH! The stones fell about the two small Pokemon, who sat there shivering with fear. The massive Gyarados was toying with them, but its games were not innocent. If you lost the game, you died.

The Magikarp stared at her evolved form with complete hatred. She was destined to evolve into a creature like that?! If she made it through this… she would kill for pleasure??? Be huge and ferocious, without any care for any creature but herself??? Obviously, she would have to evolve to get out of this… but was it worth turning into a Gyarados? Would she even be herself anymore???

“Calm down!” hissed Keshaa, her colleague. She turned to him questionably, since she really wasn’t acting all that scared… The scarred Horsea’s eyes were full of fear, and she realized with surprise that he was talking to himself. She watched him cowering under a stone sadly, and then looked back up at the Gyarados. The sight of it thrashing about, breaking chunks of stone, made her tremble. How could they get out of this?

The Gyarados beat upon the stones as hard as it could, very intent on what it was doing. It bit at them, stuck them, crushed them, but there was so much stone! It would take all day to break them away, unless they dashed out. That’s what it was hoping for. If they tried to flee, it could easily get them, and finally have some fun. Yet, for some reason, they weren’t trying to escape. The Gyarados paused and looked at them. The Horsea, of course, couldn’t run, and looked scared stiff, but the Magikarp’s fear had dwindled to almost nothing. She looked more worried, and seemed to be deep in thought. Strange…

“Leave’m alone!!!!” bellowed a second Gyarados, who was called StripFang, as he dashed towards them as fast as he could. When he came close, he banged into the stones instead of stopping, and sent a few more boulders down among the terrified Pokemon. The first Gyarados, the attacker, frowned at his command.
“Why? Ya too scared your girlfriend’s gunna get ‘urt?” It said this in a mocking tone, and StripFang once again blushed.
“Shaddup, Shredded! I promised that I’d leave ‘er alone, not that I’d go’n marry her or somethin’! Me an’ a wee Magikarp??? Blech! Ya must think I’m pretty desperate for somethin’ like ‘er! I ‘spect ‘er, that’s all. An’ SINCE I ‘spect ‘er, I dun’ wan’er ta get ‘urt! She’s gonna grow inta a fine lady Gyarados, ‘specially wi’ all those pretty gold’n scales o’ ‘ers, an’ she’s got spunk I dun’ want destroyed, ya see…” he defended. The two Gyarados glanced over at the Magikarp, who was glaring at them angrily while speaking words of comfort to her crippled friend. Sighing, the first Gyarados, Shredded, turned to his friend.
“Yeah, I see… She’s got no fear’n ‘er. Terr’bly spunky for a Magikarp… but I still wan’ the Horsea!”

It the crevice, Keshaa’s heart froze, his pupils dilated, and he desperately tried to go farther under the rock. The female Magikarp tried to comfort him, but she herself was slightly worried. Her head spun with ideas. She hated them, so she definitely wasn’t going to BECOME one of them. There had to be other things for her to do. They liked her; they found her special. They were still talking about her, oddly taking their attention off their victims. She and Keshaa… No… They were too slow together. She would have to make a run for it, find the Horsea’s home, and get some Seadra together, and maybe some Kingdra if she could find any, and save Keshaa from death. That was her best choice… she just hoped she could slip away unnoticed.

The female Magikarp’s heart pounded as she snuck to the edge of the crevice opposite of the Gyarados. She had gotten directions for where to go from Keshaa, who was starting to look a little hopeful as he watched her preparing to leave. The Gyarados were still chatting away about how they were going to get her out as safely as possible. What was so special about her that they wanted to keep her safe?

The female Magikarp shook her head. Now was not the time to think about it. She had to get away, and as soon as possible. Taking a deep breath, she shot out of the rock, swimming as hard as she could. The rest happened in a blur.

She was swimming faster and faster, her heart racing. The water seemed to be trying to hold her back, but she fought it frantically, as though the Gyarados were on her tail. Her cold body quickly started to heat up as her heart pounded, but she kept going, too terrified to look back. A sudden voice made her dash faster, trying to stop her heart from beating so terribly hard.
“She’s goin’ away! Lookit!” rumbled the voice of the now distant Gyarados, and she could only watch in horror as they uncoiled their huge snake-like bodies and follow her much, much faster than she was going. Desperate, she went faster, everything racing in an adrenaline rush. Still, despite her efforts, they were easily catching up to her.

Soon the two Gyarados were so close she could smell them, and quite frankly, they didn’t look as if they were trying to go fast at all. They looked half amused as they watched her go along, a little Magikarp girl, swimming as fast as she possibly could. Grinding her teeth to hold back her embarrassment and fear, she kept going, taking advantage of their enjoyment. She swam faster and faster, her determination rising higher and higher, until something happened that she did not expect.

The female Magikarp felt a sudden surge of pain, so she dove between some rocks similar to the ones she had been hiding between before just in case she were getting sick or something. She just made it as everything went white, and the pain increased, running through her whole body... She sat there a moment in shock, then realized, horrified, that she was evolving… Desperately, she began to fight it. She trembled as she fought down her adrenaline and the power that kept attempting to surge through her veins and make her a “better” creature. She fought the silent voice in her head that fought with that evil power. She fought against herself.

The Gyarados StripFang peeked between the jagged, crimson stones that the female Magikarp had chosen as her hiding place. His eyes widened with delight as he watched her glowing. He barely noticed when Shredded came up grinning.
“She wen’ pretty fo’ a Magikarp at that speed! She’s prob’ly gonna evolve sooner than we think! Eith’r that, or she’s just one speedy critter fo’ ‘er type!”
“Ssshhh!” snapped StripFang, who had not taken his eyes off the crevice. To surprise, the glowing was starting to fade, then it came back, then it faded again. The female Magikarp looked as though she were being tortured as she fought her own evolution. Why didn’t she want to evolve?

Indeed, she was in a way being tortured. She still couldn’t see, and the pain was becoming unbearable. Also, Magikarp never EVER fought their evolution, and she was slowly slipping away. She didn’t have the strength to do this. If she fainted… she wouldn’t evolve! Yet… then she couldn’t save Keshaa… though it was too late now… it was too late for everything… It was stupid of her, a pathetic Magikarp to try at anything. Her species was weak, and she was very conscious of this now… She might as well give in like any normal Magikarp would do… Though, a decision like that was more like one Karp would do…

The thought of the male Magikarp and how he abandoned them sent a wave of fury through her, making it even harder to fight the evolution… THIS WASN’T RIGHT!!! She had to evolve!!! What she was doing wasn’t natural!! Her anger grew, now at herself, as she wished she had been more ready for this. Though, how could she expect something like this to happen?!? Here she was, stuck between two boulders, far from her family with Gyarados waiting just outside in an area she knew nothing about, TRYING TO FIGHT HER EVOLUTION!!!! At the sudden intense rage, the white became blinding, and the power, rage, and pain overpowered her.

The female Magikarp screamed in agony, trying with all her might to fight the force within her, and as she fought, it felt as though she were ripping herself in two. Everything tore through her like the flames and lightning from Jolteon and Flareon. Her head spun, her heart ached, and she watched with horror as the light grew brighter and brighter. Miserably, she fought the power one last time, screaming louder than before.

Then everything went black.

Outside, the Gyarados backed away, eyeing where Magi lay hidden intently.

~*~*~

Keshaa looked out from his hiding place, to find the coast clear. Well, if Magi didn’t make it, at least she helped him have a chance to escape himself. So, in a way, she succeeded in her mission automatically!

Smiling fearfully, the little crippled Horsea slipped out from between the rocks, and slowly moved along, making his own slow journey towards his home.

[AquaBabe727]

O.O
Oohoohoohoohoohoooooooooo!!!!!!!! Very cool, Shadowed Mewtwo! This story just keeps getting better! There's lots of stuff going on in this chapter. Stripfang! Teehee! I almost want her to evolve, but it makes for a very interesting plot to have her fight her very instincts. Cool! ^_^

[Crystalmaster Mike]

Her head spun, her heart ached, and she watched with horror as the light grew brighter and brighter. Miserably, she fought the power one last time, screaming louder than before.

Then everything went black.

What a... a...

I'm speechless! (But not typeless! ) 't Was another delicious chapter o' yours, ShadowedMewtwo!

If you were wondering, the reason I don't reply that much is that I just don't know what to say! If the chapter rocked, it rocked! If it stinks, I'm dreaming because non of these chapters stinked so far!!! Keep up!

[Ace Blaze]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How dare you stop NOW! Update ASAP unless you want a case of murder from suspense on your resume!

[Rainstone]

OOOOoooooh! I was kind of hoping that Keshaa would be the one to evolve instead of Magi ... She did evolve, right? RIGHT?! Have you happened to check your Private Messages lately, Shadowed Mewtwo? Hmm? And also, would you please take a look at my drawings posted up in the FanArt section?
Anyone else would be welcome to see them, too. *ahem**cough* *glances at others reading "Weak Might"*

[Otto=ottO]

Interesting view on evolving. Oh, the pain, the pain of it all. Well, I have no constuctive critism, you certainly are making us want to read more. Although we CAN'T READ MORE I put really emphatically. So, you get lots of people ragging on you to update. Since there are several readers here, I'm sure they'll bug you a lot really politely. At least, I hope you do. Nobody can stay under the pressure of a really comsumed reader. So, the moral of this story is, always have a chapter ready. So, go ahead and post it. Now. Yeah, sure, um, yeah.

[Zach Starmourn]

I'm happy to be back, and thanks for the complement on the name. A last name is something I forgot to give Zach in Revelation of Evil, and now he has one.

Anyway... another suspenseful chapter. WHY?!? Why so much suspense. Well, I'll try to keep a level head instead of exploding from the need for more chapters.

Also it is a good idea to keep another chapter ready. I usualy do, but I haven't had time to write up another for Eternity and Back.

*Is hating school more than ever because of that*

Must... read... more... Need... new...chapter...

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

I'm evil...

(Warning: This chapter is kinda... violent and bloody. It will put bad pictures in your head. You have been warned.)

~*~Chapter 7~*~

The female Magikarp awoke slowly, and at first had no knowledge of where she was. It was darker than she remembered… and colder. The water smelled like thousands of Keshaas… all around her. What had happened?

Magi jumped when she remembered everything that had happened previously, down to her fight to keep herself the way she was. Almost panicking, the female Magikarp glanced at her body. Even in the darkness she could see her glistening, healthy golden scales, her small fins, and bright yellow whiskers. Good. She was still a Magikarp. Yet… where in the world was she?!?

Suddenly, a light appeared in the darkness. It showed that there was a tunnel connected to where she was and this is what it was going down. It bobbed along slowly, and its scent was like nothing Magi had ever smelled before. Frightened, she attempted to get up…
“Hold it!” warned a gruff voice, and a rubbery-ish fin held her down. Still feeling the effects of her previous inner struggle, the Magikarp obeyed without question.

The tunnel was made of solid stone, with a few water plants growing between its cracks, and it was altogether smooth and round where there was no vegetation. The light coming down it was a yellowish color, and was slowly growing brighter. As it approached, the female Magikarp found that she could see, and that she was in a cave with a similar texture to the tunnel… Surrounded by Seadra.

The rather large Pokemon had a menacing look about them, and there was hostility in their scent. They all sat in an organized manner around her, two seemed to be guarding her, and one sat alone—possibly the leader. None of them looked happy to see her… Trying to be friendly, Magi attempted to start a conversation with them.
“Hello there! You must be Keshaa’s kin! I thank you for saving my life and—” A quick blow to the head stopped her from finishing her sentence.

~*~*~

The two Gyarados, Shredded and StripFang, stared at the two stones the female Magikarp had been between in horror. Shredded wasn’t too upset, but StripFang was miserable! He had become rather attached to little Magi, and had started planning how he would toughen her up to be a fine little Gyarados! He had wanted to be a father to her… and now she was gone…
“Those stupid Seadra!!!” he bellowed at the top of his lungs. Enraged, he shot a Hyper Beam at the Smokescreen that had covered the stones and given the Seadra that had caught the Magikarp time to escape. When his Hyper Beam was finished, he could only sit for a minute, recovering from his strong attack. Shredded listened quietly to his colleagues heavy breathing for a moment, then muttered,
“There’s no reas’n to be upset ‘bout it… She gone now, ‘n there’s nothin’ we can do… She’s destined to be their next supp’r.”

StripFang lowered his massive head miserably, and closed his eyes in despair. His breathing was growing lighter now, and he rose to a swimming position.
“What should we do now that she’s gone’n’all?” he asked. Shredded’s deep red eyes shone with a fierce delight.
“We could go’n ‘ave some fun wi’ the Horsea…”

StripFang glanced up and the same cold, bloodthirsty looked filled his eyes. The two huge Gyarados sat there grinning at one another, then almost in unison, turned towards where they had come. StripFang’s mind was full of revenge against the enemy, and since the Magikarp’s friend was the only one he could get at at the moment…

~*~*~

Keshaa stopped to take a breather, exhausted. The little crippled Horsea glanced around himself warily, then let himself sink to the bottom to rest. His long snout sniffed the water as he allowed himself to shut his eyes. His one ear listened carefully, but at the moment all he could hear was the soft “keshaaaa” of the underwater current. His one fin twitched for no real reason, and he let out a deep sigh.

Had Magi made it? He hoped she had. He had never met a Magikarp like her, or any other Pokemon for that matter. Even his own kin was cold to him, mostly because he had been born unable to spit out ink. It was like a natural defect of his, making him join the ranks of the weaklings, and mean nothing to anybody. He had known that he would be eaten by a Gyarados soon, but had never suspected a MAGIKARP to come and save him! Magikarp usually weren’t that conscious of others…

Was it fate that they had met? Obviously she was something important, and it was nice to think about the fact that he was friends with someone like her… That is… if she was even still alive…

Keshaa rose and looked sadly out over the bleak stones and rubble of the Gyarados territory. It was bare of vegetation, but only had stones, mud, and sand to cover its floors, with an occasional bone. Why oh why had he been born near a place as bleak as this???

Sighing, Keshaa once again began his slow traveling, going at a grueling pace by grabbing a rock, then trying hard to reach for the next one without being taken by the current. It was slow, and rough, but it made his movements very suttle and hard to detect, and hard to detect, and with his light blue color, he would be hard to find indeed.

After about fifteen minutes of this traveling, Keshaa had not gone very far at all, but far enough where he was out of view of his old hiding place. This filled him with confidence, and he began to crawl along a little faster.

After THREE hours, Keshaa was much farther along, and was becoming skilled at his new means of travel. Once he had seen the two Gyarados that had attacked his colleague and himself, but they took no notice of him, much to his luck. They were going back to where he had once been hiding, most likely expecting he was still there.

It was mainly uneventful during his journey… or at least at first…

Keshaa suddenly froze at a stir in the water, and ducked into the first hiding place he could find. He listened and felt for whatever approached as it swam at a moderate speed towards him. As it came nearer, he caught a whiff of its scent. It was a Horsea.

Eagerly, Keshaa jumped out of hiding.
“Hey!!!” he called excitedly, waving his fin with great enthusiasm. “It’s me! Keshaa!!! I’m alive!!!!” The advancing Horsea stopped as soon as it heard him, then moved forward a little faster. As it grew nearer, Keshaa recognized him as a very good friend of his. The Horsea’s name was Sethaut (Se-thot), and the two of them had the same disablement of no ink.
“Sethaut! It’s you!” Keshaa shouted joyously, trying his best to move faster to his friend.

Sethaut, a pale, thin Horsea with large, wide eyes and unusually big ears, swam to his close buddy fast as soon as he recognized him.
“Keshaa! It IS you!!!” the little Horsea cried, nuzzling the scarred one. The two of them took each other in, Sethaut with more surprise than Keshaa because of his new scars and missing body parts, and then embraced each other as well as they could.

~*~*~

“What brings you here, Sethaut?” asked Keshaa curiously. The two Horsea were traveling towards their home, with Keshaa gripping Sethaut around the middle and riding on his back. The skinny little Horsea was a runt, and found carrying his friend difficult, but Keshaa was in far worse a condition than he, so he bore the burden without complaint.
“Actually, I was looking for you!” he admitted, glancing back at Keshaa with a grin. “You’re the only friend I have, Keshaa, and I just couldn’t bear the thought of you truly being gone! Even if I died looking, it would be better than not having your friendship all my life!”
“Oh, Sethaut, I couldn’t bear having you eaten by a Gyarados! It hurts when one gets you, and they make you die slowly. Trust me; it’s not fun.” Chuckled Keshaa. Sethaut laughed.
“I’ll take your word on that!”

It was an easy, enjoyable journey… for the moment…

~*~*~

Sethaut and Keshaa paused for a break, to let the little Horsea try and recover what strength he had. They didn’t know what was hiding behind the stones around them. They had no knowledge of a threat that was more horrifying than a Gyarados itself stalked them hungrily. Tiny, bloodthirsty creatures all swimming by the thousands, waiting for a chance to attack…

Keshaa jumped at the roar of a distant Gyarados.
“I think those two Gyarados that attacked me caught our scent…” he said nervously, shrinking towards the ground a little with fear.
“Sethaut… I think we should…” Keshaa stopped suddenly, and slowly turned around.

Sethaut had vanished…

The little crippled Horsea looked around frantically for his friend, but he was indeed gone. What had happened?! He jumped slightly at the roar the Gyarados again, now much closer, and coming quickly.
“Sethaut…?”

Suddenly, Keshaa was blindfolded with a leaf of sea grass, and he screamed in terror as dozens of little mouths, full of sharp teeth, took hold of him, and began to carry him away. He tried to struggle, but there were too many of them, and whenever he got one off, another would grab at him. Each new one bit him harder, and he soon smelled his own blood starting to flow out of him… so he grew still.

After what seemed like forever of being surrounded by teeth and fins, he was suddenly free, and sat on the sand trembling. The re-injured Horsea was far too frightened to make any sudden movements, lest whatever currently held him captive might attack. It the darkness he heard their voices, mutterings and murmurings to one another, felt their movement, smelled their scent through his own. That’s when he realized what they were…

Magikarp.

One of the Magikarp took off the blindfold with his little teeth, and flashed a dark grin to his prey. Keshaa looked about himself at the Magikarp all around him, their bodies blood red and spotted with bits of blue and yellow, with complete and utter fear. These were Magikarp that were born from Gyarados. They were tougher, meaner, and scarier, as well as terribly carnivorous…

Keshaa’s heart froze at a sudden ear-piercing scream. He spun around behind him to find Sethaut there… being eaten. The Magikarp swarmed around him, tearing him apart bit by bit, as he cowered in terror and screamed again in torture. Already he was missing his ears, fins, and large chunks out of his back.
“No…” Keshaa whispered, watching the terrible scene before him. It left him feeling nauseated, horrified, and shocked. He closest friend he had ever had of kind was being eaten alive, and there was nothing he could do…

Keshaa yelped as a stray Magikarp took a nibble of him, attracted to his strong scent of blood. His cry attracted a few more Magikarp, who started to slowly circle him and take a nibble here and there. Their red colors mixed with the red coming out of himself, filling him with an intense fear worse than his facing the Gyarados. These Magikarp were going to eat him live… and slowly…

Sethaut was finally bitten on the throat several times, and with a gurgling whimper, he died. Keshaa was a bit too busy fighting off his own attackers, who were starting to move faster the more injured he became. One of them latched itself onto his head, trying to blind him on the scarred eye. Another began to rip at his one good fin, and still others tore away at his very body. Keshaa screamed miserably for help… any help… just so he could LIVE!

His cry was answered, but not by something that filled him with any hope. He turned, now half blind, and peered through the several dozen or so bodies around him, to see the two Gyarados that had been tracking him all this time. One, most likely “StripFang,” let out a loud roar that made the Magikarp quickly flee. One sank its teeth into the back of Keshaa’s neck and tried to drag him away, whimpering slightly, but the advancing Gyarados made it drop him and catch up to its school.

Keshaa’s limp, finless body lay on the sand, in complete ruin. He could only watch with half opened eyes as the two Gyarados looked at him curiously. One sniffed him, then said, “Looks like we’ve ‘ad our job done fo’ us…” He sounded discouraged as he said this. The other one sat there still looking at Keshaa, and then suddenly curled back its lips in a fierce, toothy grin.
“I know what we can do wi’ it…” he said darkly.

Keshaa fainted before he could hear the rest.

[Ace Blaze]

Shadowed_Mewtwo, you are truly EVIL! Update so we can see what happens....

[Crystalmaster Mike]

Heheh, it's hard to be a succesful writer, isn't it SM? You post a good chapter and already those readers are thirsty for more... more... MORE!!! Whahahahahahaaaaah!!!

Serious now, you'd think being eaten by Gyarados is bad, but being eaten alive, by MAGIKARPS at that! Poor Keshaa! But I can't let go of the feeling you threw his friend in just so you could discribe his horrible death... ;o

And what will become of poor Magi? Next on "Weak Might"!!! (*mutters* hopefully soon... ...)

[Otto=ottO]

Those are the complete oppisite of bad images in my head. If it had to do with "feelings", um. Anyhoo, you are a great evil person writery dude fellow. Good job.

[AquaBabe727]

Oh my god. How much more can that little seahorse take? There can't be much left of him... Sad! Okay, I was thinking the wrong thing about Stripfang and Magi... eheheh... Cute, tho! He want's to be her daddy! Awwww ^_^ KYOOOT

ANyway, yeah. So seadra are like evil? Scary! I like how you deferenciated natural born magikarp and gyarados born ones. Pretty cool. Can't wait for the next chapter!

[Zach Starmourn]

Well... lots and lots of blood. Though that was a very mean thing to have happen to Keshaa... It was still a good chapter. I think.

[Dark Shaman]

*Has read*

*Is ready for more*

*Likes this story*

[Ultra_Poke2000]

iv been trying to catch up on this fic for a while (im only on during the weekends), so im ready for the next update! this fic has everything:gore, loss, danger, susspence, evil... update plz!

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

That previous chapter was the worst thing I have ever written... *shudders* Though I am happy that those who enjoyed it did so! For those who didn't, I side with you, aginst myself. o_O This new chapter isn't near as bad...

Ultra_Poke2000: Good to have you up to date with us!

~*~Chapter 8~*~

It is not a fun thing to wake up with the jaws of a Gyarados in your face, especially if you know what they feel like. Yet, this was exactly what Keshaa woke up to, and for a moment he panicked and screamed.

“Shaddup, ya dumb Horsea!” growled the Gyarados, opening his mouth wide in a snarl. Keshaa promptly obeyed.

StripFang studied his new prisoner curiously. How in the world the Horsea had lived through being half-eaten was beyond him, but it was all for the better. This Horsea would be useful for his plan, and if all went well, he could get his female Magikarp back soon.

He had healed the Horsea’s injuries, and now it looked more like a worm than a Pokemon. It was missing an ear and a half, almost entirely both its fins, an eye was closed forever, covered in scars, and other than that it was so badly scarred up that it was hard to find what color it really was. But it was alive…

“Now, I’ve gone’n saved ya, Horsea, so ya owe me your life!” he snorted. The Horsea nodded vigorously, obviously doing its very best to stay on his good side. After all… he HAD been the one that attacked it in the first place! This thought made StripFang chuckle.
“Look now, Horsea. I ain’t gonna eat ya! You’re too val’able fo’that! I need your help, see. That wee Magikarp you’ve spent so much time wi’s been captured by some Seadra, an’ now it’s your job ta get’er back!”

The Horsea’s good eye opened wide in horror.
“Magi’s been captured by them?!? Seadra?!? How in the world did she run into them?!? She was supposed to go to the Horsea!”
“Yea, well, she went’n started ta ‘volve, an’ tried ta ‘ide so she could fight it in peace. Then, she got caught. I dun’ want ‘er ta be supper! She’s special! You’re gonna ‘elp ‘er!”

The Horsea nodded in agreement, a determined look filling his face.
“Right. She won’t be eaten, but she’s still in danger…”

Suddenly he noticed that he was very much better and fit as possible. He hadn’t really thought about his state before, but as the horrible memory of how badly he had been injured came back to him, a slight worry grew on his face.
“How long have I been unconscious?”
“Let’s see… ‘Bout four days…”
“Then we have to hurry,” Keshaa said, looking even more worried than before.

~*~*~


Darkness… Cold... Pain…

Pain.

The female Magikarp lied there, here eyes quite open, yet unseeing, breathing painfully. Her body had receiving its first beating ever, and she was just waking up to it. It the darkness she lay, completely at a loss of where she was, though at the moment she didn’t really care.

Pain…Coursing through… me.

Even through her fight to her evolution she hadn’t felt near as much pain as she did right then! Most of the pain during that time was mental, but this was serious injury, possibly something internally wrong. The Seadra obviously weren’t that friendly.

Can’t… think… head… h… hurts…

The female Magikarp winced at a sudden bright light, as a plump sort of fish entered the cave she was in. It was fat, round, and blue, with crosses in its yellow eyes, and two antennae with dewdrop-shaped things on the ends that glowed an eerie yellow color. It was the same glow she had seen before.

“Chinchou!” the Pokemon cried with surprise, seeing her move slightly. The female Magikarp looked at it uncomfortably as she began to get her bearings, and her head cleared.
“What are you…?” she half asked, half whimpered. The Pokemon eyed her suspiciously, then answered.
“Me Chinchou! Servant of Seadra, yes yes! I watch you! You sick, you hurt, I no help. Not allowed. Just watch. I wait, you get better. Take long time, yes yes! Now you awake. Now you better. You go to prison. No fight. I have lightning. It hurts. You hurt ‘nough.”

The female Magikarp made a feeble attempt to move, and winced. It hurt too much to do so. The Chinchou sat there watching her make her attempt, its small slit of a mouth curving downwards in a frown.
“You better. You get up! Up up up up up!!! Lightning hurts. I got lightning! I hit you with it! It hurt you! Get up! Smart choice, yes yes. Smart to listen to Chinchou. You no get hurt if listen to Chinchou. Get up!”

The female Magikarp, frightened by the threat, tried to get up again, and cried out in pain.
“I can’t!!! I’m not better yet! It hurts to try!” Miserable, hurt, cold, and very much frightened, the golden Magikarp began to cry. The Chinchou was very much surprised by this outburst, and its anger softened a little.
“You really no better? No? I hafta take you then, yes yes! I take you myself. You no move. You relax an’ get better. It important that you get better. Yes yes, very important. No get better, no win. Then, you die. Dying is bad, yes yes. Very bad. Hush hush. I take you myself.”

Then, gently, carefully, the Chinchou lifted her with its antennae, its dewdrops caressing her with warmth, and carried her slowly away. For an unevolved Pokemon, she noticed it was strong, and despite the way it talked, it obviously knew what it was doing. She didn’t feel any pain from its carrying her all.

~*~*~

They journeyed through several dark narrow underground tunnels deep below the sea, the only light coming from the Chinchou that lived there. The female Magikarp eventually fell asleep in her warmth and comfort, and she didn’t miss much. There were only tunnels, tunnels, and more tunnels, all interweaving and branching this way and that in impossible ways.

The Chinchou swam through these tunnels, at first going deep into the ground, then rising up again towards the surface. Not a Seadra met them, and for the better: the Chinchou was not allowed to do what it was doing. This made it a little nervous, but it didn’t have that much fear of other water types since it was part electric, so for the most part it remained perfectly at ease.

The journey took less than an hour.

~*~*~

The female Magikarp’s vision slowly came back to her, and she found herself in the darkness once more. Now, however, she was feeling better, and getting used to the darkness, and how to locate things in them.

Listening to the current, and feeling the movement of the water, she found she was now in a hollow cave with bars of some sort at the mouth. The walls, floor, and ceiling were smooth and there was an absence of plants here. There wasn’t much to it…

Another ripple in the water made her freeze.

The female Magikarp was not alone. In the cave with her were, from what she could tell, four other Magikarp, all male. Three of them were smaller than the fourth, which had a long spike of his head… The female Magikarp gasped as she realized who this Magikarp was.

Karp: the Magikarp that had left Keshaa and herself to their fate when they needed him most.

A sudden surge of anger rushed through her at the memory. Karp had hated her, even when she saved his life, and the evil red Magikarp had abandoned his rescuers in a heartbeat.

The female Magikarp rose at the sound of another coming, and from the light, she could tell it was a Chinchou. She watched quietly as the fat little fish swam to the mouth of the cave, stopped, and turned around. Obviously, it was keeping guard, and this was its current post. All the better, Magi thought with a grin, since it had lights that would help the prisoners see.

She now got a good look at her own bruised body, and winced. She was not in very good shape. Karp saw her, too, and also looked surprised at her wretched state.
“What did you do to make them do that???” he asked in shock. Magi sighed.
“I thanked them for saving me…”

~*~*~

Karp had left Magi alone to sleep and recover, which she did for two days. By the time she was done, her injuries had already dwindled to almost nothing, and she was feeling much better. Of course, now that she was feeling better, she had more time to think about what Karp did, and let her anger build.

The other three smaller Magikarp were as red as Karp, but there was something not right about them. They were constantly biting at each other, whispering and eyeing her, and sometimes would strike at Karp as well, only to get impaled with that spike of his.

Karp stayed away form everyone as best he could. Magi noticed there was something different about him… very different. His head injury was gone, but he looked as though he were in constant pain. He studied her a lot, and often suddenly looked like he were suffering from guilt. He wasn’t proud anymore.

Magi, after a view hours of studying her enemy, finally decided to talk to him. Slowly, she swam over, and he backed away, scattering the three smaller Magikarp as he did so. Magi paused at his reaction, confused.

Was Karp AFRAID of her???

Why would he be FRIGHTENED of HER??? The female Magikarp stared at the male, who pressed against the stone wall. It was an odd thing to see, after he had put her down so bad before.

“Karp…?” she whispered, starting to approach him again.
“Don’t call me that! A Magikarp is nothing, just one of billions. We are worthless! We don’t deserve a name!…… Please don’t hurt me, female Magikarp! I’ll call you by your name, Magi, if that’s what you want!”

Magi had tried to approach him again, and he had panicked. How odd…
“That’s not my name; it’s my nickname. Like you, I have no name… Magikarp,” she said softly. “And why would I hurt you?” Karp looked at the ground.
“I left you… When Magikarp stick together. We were both injured in some way… I had no right to do what I did. I wasn’t healthy enough to have right. And… I heard that you almost evolved…” At these words he looked back up at her. “You’re far stronger than I. Above me. I… deserved to be punished.”

Magi blinked in shock at his words.

~*~*~

“This is the Seadra prison. Here, the Seadra take captured Magikarp and divide them into groups of six to battle for their lives. When enough are in a group, they hold the battle, and let the prisoners watch. You have to fight a “Mantine” to the death. It’s never been beaten, though I wouldn’t say I was surprised. These Magikarp here are… wrong. They aren’t like normal Magikarp at all. Instead of trying to fight the Mantine, they try to EAT him! It’s just… wrong.”

Magi and Karp sat together, studying the three other Magikarp with disgust. The little twitchy things bared their teeth at the two of them, but did not dare approach.
“So… why are they killing the Magikarp? When I mentioned Keshaa being my friend, they got angry. I just… don’t get it.”
“The Magikarp eat the Horsea often. There used to be so many Magikarp that they would actually go into the Hosea and Seadra’s territory and attack them. Then the Seadra untied into a sort of band of fighters, and started killing the Magikarp by the thousands. Their numbers in this area were badly dwindled. That’s when the Gyarados got mad.

“These Magikarp are actually directly born from Gyarados, and that’s why they’re so heartless. They feel no affection, care, or anything of the sort because they have no need to until they evolve. The Gyarados are very protective of their children, no matter how vile they are, and seeing their children attacked like that made them have a lust for revenge. Their added attacks, however, have just pretty much turned this into war. Any chance they get, one side kills the other. They probably think we’re just two more filthy children of the Gyarados, and were insulted when you said what you did. They most likely thought you were trying to weasel your way out of a bad situation.”

Magi stared.
“How do you know all this?”

“Told! He was told, yes yes!” laughed a familiar voice. Magi turned to see the Chinchou that had carried her swimming before them, holding some sort of meat. Neatly, it tossed the meat between the bars.
“Yummy munchies, yes yes. Good Gy’dos fishes ‘ave good meal! Yummy meat fo’ young Gy’dos!”

The female Magikarp looked at the meat with horror, the scent of blood and flesh more nauseating than ever. Karp looked just as grossed out. The other Magikarp, however, raced over to the food, gulping it down greedily. The sight made the two larger Magikarp sick.

The Chinchou was unaffected by them, but seemed curious about Magi and Karp. It swam a little closer to the cage, and dipped its still glowing dewdrops near their faces, causing their pupils to dilate noticeably.
“Why you look sick? Good meat, yes yes! Nice and fresh, yes yes! Make you better, gold Gy’dos fishy! Make you strong, yes yes!”

“I… only eat plants,” gulped Magi, still staring at the three Magikarp with shock. How could a Magikarp eat a fellow Pokemon like that?!
“Really?” asked the Chinchou with surprise, its yellow eyes widening. Magi nodded, still unable to draw her eyes away from the scene.
“Then I get some plants, yes yes. Good, green plants for weird fishes. You no Gy’dos kid, no no? Gy’dos eat meat. Gy’dos need meat. You don’t. Maybe we wrong to hurt you, yes yes?”

Magi shook her head.
“I’m not hungry Chinchou… not after this.”
“Neither am I…” Karp managed to say, also staring at the Magikarp before them.
“Oh pshaw!” frowned the Chinchou. “You need food. Food imp’ant! You no eat food, you no be strong. If you not strong, you die. Dying is bad, yes yes! You no eat; you no win tomorrow’s battle. I want you win, yes yes! You two not same as others. You two special. You two NEED ta win! I get food. You eat. You win. Okie-dokie?”

Magi and Karp looked at each other. They were going to battle tomorrow?! One Pokemon short?!?! Magi turned back to the Chinchou, now very frightened, as did Karp.
“Okie-dokie, Rays. We’ll eat, if you fight on our team and give us the number of members we were promised we could fight with. That, “okie-dokie” with you?”

The Chinchou, Rays, pondered this for a moment, scratching its… erm… her chin with a glowing dewdrop.
“Okie-dokie, fishy! I no fear Mantine. I no fear Seadra. I ‘ave lightning! I like you. I fight with you. I ‘elp you. You eat. I go get food now.”

Without any good-byes, Rays turned to leave. She only nodded a farewell to the Chinchou still guarding them, then continued on her way.

Suddenly, Magi snapped back into reality.
“Rays! Wait!” she called, causing the Chinchou female to stop and turn to her. With a deep breath, the female Magikarp built up the nerve to ask her question.
“What… exactly… did those… Magikarp just… eat?” she asked slowly, carefully, almost afraid to do so, because she felt knew the answer already.

The Chinchou looked at her a moment, debating how to approach with answer, before finally saying awkwardly, “Ma-gi-karp. Magikarp fight Mantine. They lose. Next fighters eat the losers. New Magikarp go crazy. Crazy Magikarp can’t fight, no no… They must eat more. They try to eat Mantine. Mantine beats them. Then they are the losers. They are eaten…”

An uncomfortable silence followed, since Magi had lost the ability to speak with her horror, as had Karp. They turned once again to the three Magikarp, who were biting each other viciously now.

Cannibalism…

Silently the Chinchou swam away, leaving them alone.

[Otto=ottO]

Wow. Great ideas. I'd like to dub those cannibles, Han, Ni, and Ble. lol. Hmm. Not funny, oh well. I liked the last chapter and if that's the worst you've ever written then you must write very well. Good job, I wanna read more.

[Ace Blaze]

Excellent chapter! You better update SOON! I NEED to see what happens!

[Crystalmaster Mike]

Otto, you're right you know. SM can write very good! And she has just proven again!

't Was another well depicted chapter, SM (mind if I call you that for shorters?)! Though I have one or two questions: how did Karp know the Chinchou was called Rays? And did Rays tell him about... the Magikarp-Mantine Ultimate Fight?

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

Otto=ottO: Ble? *chuckles* Sounds like something I'd name my Grendel! (game called Creatures III ^^;; ) Aw... thank you for your praise! I'm not THAT good... I know better writers than me...

Ace Blaze: Yes, I'll probably write this new chapter faster than usual, since this is one of my favorite parts of the story! ^-^

Crystalmaster Mike: Thanks for the praise, CM! You can call me SM as long as I get to call you CM! Anywho, Karp has been there longer than Magi, and if you notice, Rays has a thing for them. She's very friendly, and probably noticed a difference in Karp right away, and decided to talk to him... That's how he learned all he knows about this place.

Lookee!!! I gotta signature!
(No... I can't draw banners well...)

[Ace Blaze]

Nice new sig! You can sure draw better than me! Also, was the banner HAND-DRAWN?! The quote... it's forshadowing something to come....

[Ultra_Poke2000]

great update! does the quote mean what i think it means? also, if you have like a paint document on your comp, how do you get it on you sig? i have all these little pictures that i made but i cant get them to work. can you tell me how? just post it here or pm me. thanx in advance! keep posting!

[Zach Starmourn]

Well, good chapter. I liked the way the Chinchou talked for some reason. I gues it reminded me of goblins or orcs, or something esle who doesn't make very good guards. I guess it was just a different kind of speech than I expected for a guard. Still, I liked it for some reason.

Anyway, I'd comment more, but I'm tired. I've played Warcraft III almost non-stop today, at this point making somewhere near 15 hours.

Bed is good. Must have bed. If have no bed, you no rest. No rest bad. No rest mean you no able to go to school. Too bad no school tomorrow anyway.

*Has always wanted to talk like that*

[Dark Shaman]

Geez, I'm late, aren't I? o_o;

This has taken an interesting twist, especially with the revelation of the war between the Kingdra and Gyarados.

Words fail me at times, but I know that I'll enjoy the next chapter ^_^ excellent work, S_M

EDIT: Btw, I posted a fic called "The Dance of Passion" last month, and have gotten only one review, some more would be nice, please? ;_; *Shuts up*

[Doomykins]

*eyes glued to screen* More! More!

This is really great! And I love the idea of taking it from a Magikarp's point of view. How different. I saw you're banner in another post and couldn't figure out what it was until I read this.

ps, please tell me there's a place on the web where you keep all of the other stuff you've written and posted here? I've been hunting one of your fics!

[Count von Dark]

Awww... What has Magi turned into? And poor Keshaa, wormy and all... Speak of worms, I just got infected by chicken pox, and darn it feels bad! I also feel bad to take the first post and stop posting! Shoot, I've still got a temperature of 38 degrees, and I'd hate to "evolve" into a chicken. Just like Magi...

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

Ace Blaze: Yeah, I hand drew it... And yes, the quote is as you say...

Ultra_Poke2000: Thanks!

Zach Starmourn: Yeah, I like how the CHinchou talk a lot, too!

Dark Shaman: Thank you! I'll be sure to chack your fanfic out when I can!

Doomykins: Thankee, and welcome! ^-^ I'm afraid I don't have Year of the Clones anywhere right now... And I'm quite sure that's the fanfic you're looking for, right? Don't worry, I plan on putting it nack on Pokemasters when I'm done with this fic, and I'm gonna revise it!

Count von Dark: Aw... I hope you get well soon...

Meh... As soon as I really want to write chapters fast I can't go on the computer for several days! Sorry peoples!

~*~Chapter 9~*~

The Seadra looked menacingly down at the poor excuse for a Horsea that cowered before him. His huge, spiky body was far more superior to this sniveling creature, which looked as though it wouldn’t survive a month. He had not a scratch on him, but this tiny male Horsea was scarred from head to foot, crippled, and half blind. It was amusing that it was attempting to speak to him when it was so lower.

“Please, sir, I MUST talk to whoever’s in charge! My friend is in there! If I don’t save her, she’ll die!” Keshaa begged, looking miserably up at his superior, as it paid little attention to his words. When he was done, the Seadra chuckled.
“Look, you sniveling little worm! You have no business here, so leave! If you want revenge on whatever made you look like something that passed through a Gyarados, I assure you, we give excellent torture to our prisoners well worth whatever they’ve done to our Basic Form.” As soon as it said this, a creature lowered itself in front of it.

The Seadra’s dark eyes widened at the sight of a huge, terrible set of teeth suddenly before it.
“THAT is why if ya dun’ let us in, YOU’LL be the one passin’ through a Gyarados!!!” warned the furious StripFang, letting loose a mighty roar that tore through the water, shattering the Seadra’s pride immediately.

Keshaa just sat there between the two of them, grinning with amusement.

~*~*~

Rays looked miserably between the bars of her new cage, away from anybody and everybody. The round female Chinchou knew it had been bold to attempt to side with a Magikarp, but she had never known it would lead to her own imprisonment!

Of course, they were just stupid Seadra, and had no idea of the wrong choices they were making, so she had played along without argument. They had agreed to let her fight, thankfully, but she was no longer a member of the guards that watched the underground prisons. Now she was a prisoner.

Why was Rays trying to help out these two Magikarp? Simple. For one, they smelled good. It may sound silly, but a Pokemon relies a lot on scent, to see another Pokemon’s health, moods, gender, and personality, as well as other things. Most Magikarp Rays had smelled were a foul, sickening-sick smell like rotten meat.

These were the first two Magikarp she had ever smelled that were pleasant, and if they could be released, they may be able to make more good-natured Magikarp. If that happened, perhaps this silly rivalry between the Seadra and Gyarados would stop. At least, that was what she was hoping.

Rays is, which has been mentioned often before, fearless of the Seadra and Mantine because of her Electric ability. She serves them only because of the free shelter, entertainment, and food, but like all the other Chinchou, she is very much her own self, and does what she wishes. It is beyond any doubt that if any other Chinchou had been in her place, they would have done the same thing she had. So, even if she hated the cage, it was the only unpleasant thing she had been unhappy about.

Bored, Rays let out a loud yawn, and, still with the miserable look on her face, she swam to the back of her cage and fell asleep.

~*~*~

In the darkness sat two large Magikarp; one a lovely orange-gold color, the other a deep intense crimson. The gold one was slender and long with speed and evasiveness unmatched for her species, while the crimson one was thick with muscles and had a savage spike on the shell of his head that no one dared to mess with. The two Pokemon were an impressive pair considering their age and breed.

Though, at the moment, they were scared stiff.

For before them, three other Magikarp fought. The fish were tiny things, barely over half the size of the two Magikarp. Yet, where there wasn’t size, strength, and speed, the little Gyarados children made up with ferocity.

The three Magikarp had been tricked into eating the meat of another Magikarp, and it was driving them mad! Angrily they had started ripping one another apart, biting and tearing into each other in a crazed manner.

Magi and Karp, the larger two Magikarp of the five, kept opposite of the room, too frightened to rest or relax. They had never seen such a gruesome sight. To see Magikarp trying to eat one another… The sight made them want to weep.

Their fighting partners were ruined, and the two of them were sure that Rays the Chinchou had failed in her attempt to help them. They were all alone…

~*~*~

Magi and Karp jumped at a sudden shriek, and realized that two little Magikarp had cornered one that was slightly smaller than them. It shrieked again as they bit into it, and desperately tried to bite them back.

The female Magikarp turned to her crimson partner uncomfortably, and he shook his head.
“We are not helping it!” he snapped. “Those baby Magikarp are mentally insane, bloodthirsty killers! If we tried to trust one enough to save it, it would be our death!” Magi sighed.
“I can’t help it. I can’t stand seeing anything suffer, no matter how bad it is. I’m going to go help it…”

Before Karp could stop her, Magi swam towards the attacking two Magikarp and rammed into one as hard as she could. It let out a shriek, and the other turned to face her fearfully, baring its teeth in an attempt to look frightening. Magi simply spun around and hit it critically with her tail. It rammed into the stone wall, and sank to the floor limp, similar to what had happened with her battle with Karp.

Magi stared at the limp body, feeling mixed emotions about what she had done. Another injury, all thanks to her… Though at least she had saved a life…

It was Magi’s turn to shriek as the first Magikarp she had attacked sank its teeth into her back. She spun around, trying to see it, but it was in that one spot where no matter what she did, she could neither see it nor get at it. Desperately the female Magikarp tried to jerk it off, but it only sank its teeth in deeper, making her cry out again.

Karp was there in a heartbeat.

The crimson male Magikarp dove at the attacking Magikarp, thrusting his spike deep into its side. The little Magikarp gave a tiny cry, its grip loosening on Magi’s back. Karp went even deeper, jerking his head from side to side, and slowly the Magikarp let go altogether, sinking to the ground. Magi shot away to the other side of the cage in terror as soon as she was free, while Karp studied the body. The Magikarp was dead.

Magi trembled and pressed against the wall hard, her head spinning. She had almost been eaten! BY ANOTHER MAGIKARP! If that Magikarp had won…

Magi felt like crying. Her instincts had left her alone for some time now, as though shocked by all the unnatural things happening around her, but with her new injury, now it came back to her in a rush. The silent voice urged her to try and escape, or to evolve, or do SOMETHING!

She very much agreed with it.

Yet, how could she get out? The Chinchou may be on her side, but they wouldn’t let her escape, and the Seadra even less so. These Magikarp were mentally insane and dangerous, and Karp’s self-confidence had dwindled since the last time she had seen him. And Keshaa…

The thought of her Horsea friend out alone, amongst Gyarados and flesh eating Magikarp made her heart grow cold. She had forgotten her reason for being here in the first place. Keshaa… her best friend… out alone and unable to swim… She had to escape. For him. She had to save him, and leave this corrupted land altogether. If she had to fight this “Mantine” to have her freedom, so be it.

Suddenly, Magi felt the need to survive and save Keshaa so bad that she was willing even to evolve for him. It calmed her down, and let her rest herself. She needed to heal first.

~*~*~

The rescued little red Magikarp grinned shyly at Karp, who growled a warning and pointed how spike at its face. Its smile faded, and it looked at the ground, which it had been doing for a while now.

The dead Magikarp had been eaten by the Magikarp they had saved, much to the two larger Pokemon’s disgust, but after it was done, it seemed to have calmed down. It was no longer twitching or snapping at every little thing like its still living and now awake partner, but it looked frightened. This was understandable, of course, since its new company was with Pokemon twice its size, and hostile Pokemon at that. It looked pretty pathetic for even a Magikarp, and every once in a while it would glance uncomfortably at its still bloodthirsty ally. Then it would look back at the ground.

After a bit of this, it looked back up with a frightened grin at Karp, who glared at it, then looked at the still injured Magi, who managed to force a smile back.
“Uh… hi,” muttered the red Magikarp nervously. “M’name’s Nip. I’m a girly Mag’karp. I th’nk ya fo’ savin’ me! I… eh… yeah.” Nip pressed against the ground fearfully at the sight of Karp’s spike so close to her face in warning.
“So… uh… What’s yo’ name, fella?” she asked Karp nervously, not daring to take her eyes off that spike of death.

The male Magikarp snorted, but held his spike in position.
“I have no name in my school, but when I’m with this female, I am known as Karp,” he muttered gruffly, motioning to Magi. Nip stared.
“No name? What kinda Gy’dos dun’ name their liddle’uns?” she asked in shock.
“What kind of Magikarp eat their kin?!” Karp shot back, making Nip grow uncomfortable and quiet.

“I din’ know ‘at was Mag’karp they was feedin’ us,” she whispered sadly. “An’ afta’ I gotta taste o’ tha stuff, fo’ some reason, I needed one mo’ eatin’ of it! I’m betta’ now’ve I gotten that one mo’ bite, though.” She added this last part with a slight grin, once again at Magi, who naturally smiled back. Karp thrust his spike even closer.

Nip’s tiny body quivered, and slowly she moved away from Karp.
“Ya friend’s ‘urt. She needs doctorin’.” She muttered nervously. “I c’n ‘elp ‘er. Ya just gotta trust me…” At these words, Karp lunged, and dug his horn into her nose just barely, letting a small ribbon of blood escape. The little red Magikarp’s eyes widened with fear.
“I have NO REASON to trust you after what I’ve seen, you evil Magikarp!” he snapped, glaring at her with rage. “You have eaten your own friend! If you do that to those who are close to you, there’s no telling what you could do to us!” Nip just trembled.

“Oh, let her, Karp…” muttered Magi, who found that her injury was worsening over time instead of healing. At this rate, she could be too weak to even flee from the Mantine when the battle came. “If I don’t get help soon, I’ll die anyway…” she stated, wincing as she said this. Karp backed away from Nip, and looked at Magi uncomfortably.
“It bit you THAT hard???” he questioned worriedly, swimming over to her. Magi nodded weakly.

“I c’n ‘elp!” Nip persisted as Karp studied the wound. “I c’n mak’er better afore ou’ fight lata t’day!”
“Well, then do it!” barked Karp, glaring at the scum before him. Even the still bloodthirsty Magikarp paused and stared at him at the coldness of his voice.

It took a moment for Nip to snap out of the shock, but when she did, she nodded and swam over to the stones.
“Ya may not know it, but these stones aw’ sp’cial. They ‘eal when they’re ground inta powder an’ put on tha wound. Now, I can’t scratch off any o’ this stone…”
“I’m on it!” Karp cut in, swimming over to a wall and hitting it with his spike. He did this over and over again, until a crack formed, and then he started chipping away at the wall bit by bit. While he did this, Nip sat near Magi.

“Ya ‘ave a white spot on ya cheek!” was the first thing she said, and this with great surprise. Magi grinned.
“It’s a birthmark I’ve had all my life,” she said proudly. “It’s natural.” Nip studied the spot for a moment, and then continued trying to have a conversation.
“M’name’s Nip. What’s yours?”
“Magi.”
“So ya ‘ave a real name?”
“No. It’s my nickname, but it works just as well.”
“Why duncha ‘ave a real name?”
“We weren’t born from Gyarados like you. We were born from Magikarp, and have never actually seen our parents. Most of us live without love or care, just relying on our instincts to keep us going. I myself have ignored mine, however, and saved a little Horsea from a Gyarados. That’s how I got here.”
“Ya saved a Hosea?”
“Yes.”
“Why???”
“Why not? They’re living creatures, too!”
“We eat’em. They’re lower than us.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Well, we still eat’em.”
“You don’t HAVE to!”
“Look, Magi, we eat Horsea ‘cause when we get older we’ll ‘volve, an’ then we GOTTA eat meat. We’re training fo’ when we’re Gyarados, which we’ll def’nately be! We can’t think ‘bout what ou’ prey feels, o’ we’d sta’ve ta death! An’, since we’ve done this fo’ so long, we ‘ave these sharp teeth… If ya’ wonderin’.”
Magi fell silent.

“I’m done!” said Karp triumphantly, trying to brush the ground stone towards his friend.
“Here, Magi! This’ll make you feel better! …I think.” As he pushed the powdered stone along, it somehow grew soft from the water, and eventually turned into a paste. This made it easier for him to move it, and soon he was rubbing it on the female Magikarp’s injured back. Almost like magic, it healed the wound, and she felt her strength return.

Little did the three Pokemon know, this stone was the key stuff used to make Max Potions that humans use.

~*~*~

The cave was still dark, and in this darkness were three Magikarp, all cuddled together asleep. They looked very happy despite their situation, and were greatly enjoying each other’s company.

On the other side of the cave, sat a single Magikarp. It was twitching and snarling like a dog, almost as though it had rabies. Its body craved the flesh of its own kin, and it was growing more and more agitated at the fact that it could easily kill one of the Magikarp that were currently sleeping. Just one swift bite behind the head… But then there was that big Magikarp with the spike. That was the one thing that kept it away.

After a while of muttering to itself and pacing back and forth, the Magikarp could not help it anymore. Swiftly, silently, it dove towards the slumbering Magikarp, ready to kill.

A blow in the head stopped it.

All the Magikarp were aroused by a large Seadra, with a single scar on its chest. Its scales had a darker tint than usual, and it looked very strong.
“It’s time for you to fight, weaklings,” it stated coldly, and as it did this, two Chinchou came in. Using their dewdrops like threatening weapons, they herded the four remaining Magikarp out of the prison… Leading them to their doom…

[Otto=ottO]

Ya, when you can't write, you stop at the battle. You're really nice to us. I guess I'll have to sleep for awhile. Whatever, you tain't get'in nun profit fro'is. Fer ye ownz enjooment.

[Doomykins]

Whoo-hoo! Another friend! But now they have to fight. I hope this goes well.

[Snakes N' Legends]

I have been trying to finish reading this but I never get farther another. Each chapters is great. Two Magikarps and a Horsea, and that Gyarados who seems to like Magi. Sure, it is little gross and distrubing but this is the interesting fanfic I have read. As I say to the other fanfic authors, keep up the good work.

[AquaBabe727]

Heheh, cool chapter! You know on Skies of Arcadia, the girl Aika? She's the one you always see with those brown braids and yellow leather skirt and top? That's who Nip reminds me of for some reason. I like the little carnivorous Magikarp! I gotta question, tho. How come the Gyarados and their offspring have like southern accents? I just find that a little strange. But a good chapter! ^_^ Can't wait for the next one!

[Crystalmaster Mike]

Hehe, wouldn't have thought something up like this, the Carnikarp helping Magi! Though by looking at your quote, I would've thought she'd be called Foul, instead o' Nip. LOL, I'd never thought Keshaa'd ever co-operate with the 'Dos, but he's doing it now, and I like it

[WARNING: cliché coming up] Keep up the good work, SM (yeah, I don't mind CM either)!!!

[Ace Blaze]

YOU HAVE TO GET TO THE FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[V.o.t.M]

Story=happy me! Whee! WHAT will HAPPEN to da fishies who go "Karp!" when ya poke 'em with yer pointer finger? WHAT WEEL HAPPEN?! Huh? HUH?! I need food stuffs now!

[Zach Starmourn]

Hmmm. Another Magikarp to help in the fight instead of just try to eat the Mantine. Hope they pull it off. Wouldn't want this to end up in the death of them all, because then there wouldn't be anything else to about them to read.