Weak Might

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

~*~Prologue~*~

Down, down deep… in a watery world few have seen… lay thousands of white eggs, all round and shimmering like a great hoard of pearls. They rested there holding tiny bits of life; a treasure greater than any other thing man has been given. Though, man would find the things inside not worth anything…

As the eggs swelled from water and pressure, the creatures inside of them began to feel the need to escape into the world around them. They did not know why they felt this, but they did, an imaginary voice urging them on. The soft shell revealed that the youngsters were now struggling for freedom, their lives in jeopardy even before their birth. After only a few minutes, however, they were all quickly popping out of their lifelong homes and adjusting to their new terrain in the ocean. The water soon seemed to be stained orange-red with thousands of newborn Magikarp, each one with its own thoughts and feelings, emotions and ideas, but not a one thought to be wirth anything. When there are so many, a single life is nothing.

Their voices high yet gentle, the Magikarp all started crying out their names, as they grew accustomed to speaking for the first time. However, the great noise, movement, and color attracted a large number of hungry Mantine, and the large Pokemon enjoyed a large crunchy snack. Though adult Magikarp are impossible to eat and anything but satisfying, young ones are like potato chips to a desperate carnivore.

Soon the thousands had dwindled to only about twelve, and these dozen baby fish fled for their lives silently and deliberately, a little female leading the way. Their eyes were large and unblinking, with a rather stupid look to them, and they swam with their mouths gaping as open as their eyes. Their little fins moved as fast as possible until they were sure they were a safe distance away, but even then they still didn’t stop. That invisible voice that had commanded them to leave the safety of their homes at the worse possible moment was now driving them towards the shallow waters, where large creatures could not reach them.

The little female that had led the way now held back to catch her breath, then continued on. She and her brothers and sisters were constantly shifting positions, now afraid to lead into what might be danger, now afraid of something attacking from behind. The female did her best to stay in the middle of her school, where she was sure she would be safe, though her siblings wanted that position also. They were very much lucky that their small group passed through the ocean unnoticed, until they made it to the warmer waters in the bay. If she had been in any other group, the female Magikarp, as tired as she had been, most likely would not have made it.

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

*looks around* *sighs*

~*~Chapter 1~*~

The ocean waters were a wonderful thing in the summer, when the warmth filled the water Pokemon’s bodies with life. The Magikarp loved to sit just below the surface, taking in the sunshine as best they could. Their lives meant nothing to them, of course, so they thought nothing of the danger of what they were doing. They lived for the moment, any thought of their own well being all but nonexistent. It’s the way of the Magikarp.

The female Magikarp felt no remorse for her thousands of dead siblings. No… In fact, she had no memory of them. She was much older now, almost fully grown, and looked rather lovely as far as Magikarp go. Her large eyes still stared unblinking at everything about her, but for a Magikarp that can be expected. Her body was almost a golden color, and she had a white mark on her left cheek. It was no particular shape, but to see any kind of mark on a Magikarp is rare.

As she lazily rode the water currents, another Magikarp swam over to her.
“Water nice, yes?” he asked, his voice deeper with his maturity. The female Magikarp recognized him as her brother because of a small rip in his left fin.
“Oh yes. Water warm, slow, and lovely. Very good water.” She responded with a grin, blowing a few bubbles absently as she said this. If he had been another male she didn’t know, most likely she would have ignored him.
“Yes, yes. Good… good…” her brother left it at that, and rested beside his sister, enjoying the warmth greatly.

A couple of Magikarp joined them that the female did not know, and of course, she went out of her way to completely ignore them. Her brother did the same, even when one was snatched out of the water by the talons of a hungry Pidgeot. As long as they weren’t the ones getting eating, they had no problem with one less of the breed. Even the lost Magikarp’s companion didn’t seem to mind, but continued his relaxation.

As the day grew late the female Magikarp went down to feed, and then sleep. She had no dreams, no thoughts, and no cares. Any personality she had been born with was long gone, buried with the lack of action in her life. She simply lived, like every Magikarp, and cared nothing for anything. Love was something she had never heard of… as well as hate. She was as dull as a sphere.

That was her earlier life. When she awoke the next day, however, her instincts had altered over night. She was almost an adult now, and it was time for her to travel to her birthplace deep in the ocean. She instantly forgot her lazy, boring life and without hesitation turned to the ocean, joining others that had already started. She barely thought about it, only swam with the ever-increasing school.

Magikarp are born with feelings, emotions, and thoughts, which fade during their life in shallow waters, because they have no need for them. They may not know it, but their mind shuts off because it’s waiting for the moment of adulthood, when the Magikarp start their life of migrating. Dangers are unavoidable, and their minds must be fresh and sharp.

The female Magikarp found herself wondering about why the water grew colder the deeper her school went. She would miss that warmth during her juvenile years, but that was past. She was now following a voice she could not hear, yet knew it was telling her to go home. Home being her birthplace. Home being her death place. It was that dangerous body of water she had to go to, and her chances of survival were slim.

The Magikarp school swam for the whole day without even seeing other Water Pokemon. They smelled them; felt the ripples of their movement from far away, but never came close to one. That was all the better for the Magikarp anyway, for their senses and minds were still growing and sharpening.

As night fell (though it was getting harder to tell when this happened) all the Magikarp split up and found hiding places to rest. The female Magikarp went with her closest brother, whom she had spent most of her time with in life. The Magikarp seemed redder than before, and this surprised her, though she didn’t mention it to him.

The two Magikarp settled among water plants on the sea floor. Once comfortable, the female Magikarp turned to her companion.
“Have you noticed we’re changing? I’m noticing things I never noticed before!” Her brother nodded.
“Yeah. I think it has something to do with “levels” that all Pokemon get as they grow. The higher level you are, the better you are all ‘round!”
“That’s amazing!” said the female Magikarp in awe.
“Yeah. Isn’t it? I learned that when I was still little. I talked to another Pokemon that looks like a plant!”
“I don’t know what either of those things are…” sighed the female Magikarp.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll learn by the time we’re done wherever we’re going!”
“Yeah, but—”
“No buts! It’s late, and I don’t feel like talking anymore. We need to sleep. So… good night!”

With that, the female Magikarp’s brother fell asleep; his eyes still very much wide open. The female Magikarp was left to ponder about everything, a very confusing thing to ponder indeed.

[Count von Dark]

Woah! I haven't anything to say! This is too good to be true though. I the view of a Magikarp, yeh? That's very original. If you could crank it up a little longer, than it can be one of the best fics on TPM!

Cheers!

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

*grins really, really wide* A reader!!!! YAY!!!!

*throws a party* My first reader! *dances* Thankee so much for reading this!

Longer? *thinks* I could do that! I'll take a bit for the next chapter, though, because of exams, so please be patient!

*puts party stuff away* That was fun... ^-^

[Count von Dark]

I think the "in" in the last post was spelled as "I". but never mind. Got exams, huh? I just passed one. Good luck on the next chappie!

[Otto=ottO]

You're a very good writer. I need something to happen though, so post an action packed chappy, which you will describe with lotsa blood. Yes, Yep, yeah... Right.

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

Ooh! Another reader! *dances again* Heh, ya want blood? Well lucky you! This chapter happens to have a little.

(Be warned, peeps, this story starts out very cute, but will grow darker and darker as it prgresses.)

~*~Chapter 2~*~

The Magikarp were all very surprised as many weeks went by, still no predators came. They swam deeper and deeper into the sea, and as they did, they grew larger and larger to fight the increasing cold. The female Magikarp found her brother growing redder and redder, as well as all the other males. She did so with out saying anything, however, because nobody else cared.

Their going was easy with nothing hunting them, and they paused often so the males could practice fighting each other in preparation. The female Magikarp had no idea what they were preparing for, but she felt that it was important that they fought. It was that silent voice that told her, and she trusted it without hesitation.

It was at the beginning of the third week that they paused for good. The school was actually ahead of schedule, and that was bad, so they had to stop and wait for some time to go by. The female Magikarp was actually quite excited by this, though, and took this free time to gain some knowledge about “everything.” Her brother had taught her things all the time, and she absorbed them like a sponge. She loved to learn, an unusual thing for a Magikarp, and would take in every detail. Her brother had finished teaching her everything he knew not too long ago now, and her thirst for knowledge was already driving her into exploring. Her brother said that he had grown smart by talking to Pokemon. So she wanted to find a Pokemon herself.

The Magikarp were hiding on the ocean floor, in a sort of pit. At the bottom of this pit lay a great variety of sea plants, and around the pit were large amounts of coral. Though this made it hard for a predator to see the large school of Magikarp, it also made it hard for the Magikarp to see a predator. Thus, the female Magikarp found herself too frightened to leave her hiding place, and instead explored the pit, looking for any intelligent life she could find. Of course, she found nothing.

The female Magikarp found the abrupt halt in her lessons unnerving. She started begging her brother to at least repeat what he had learned, but he refused to do so.
“You already know it, so why should I waste energy on saying it all again?” he would always ask her, and of course she had no answer. She began to swim frantically around the pit, and two days felt like two years to her with no learning.
“I’m going to fall back into my stupidity,” she almost constantly muttered to herself. She also began eyeing the other Magikarp with anger, as though it were they whispering that mysterious order for her to stay.

Just as the female Magikarp thought that she would go crazy, something finally happened to stir the life in her again.

A scream tore through the water from somewhere out of the pit.
All the Magikarp fled in terror, hiding wherever they could. The female Magikarp, however, sat where she was with a fierce grin on her face. She could now, finally, have something to do!

Slowly the Magikarp swam up out of the pit, making sure to keep hidden among the protective coral. She swam carefully between the cracks, trying to move as slowly as her patience would let her. She went about a foot before she froze. She could now smell blood in the water. It was fresh and strong, so wherever it had come from was very close.

Shutting her mouth to keep from tasting the stuff, the female Magikarp swam a little farther, now going extremely slow as she felt fear for the first time. The scream came again, though it was much weaker. She stopped at this and tried to slow her heart down. The creature, whatever it was, was in great pain, and was probably being eaten alive or something. That meant that a predator was nearby, and she was a prey-type of creature.

Should she go on???

Yes. If she wanted to learn anything, she would have to overcome her fears and witness the killing of a fellow creature. It wasn’t her favorite idea to learn, but it would teach her things… she hoped. Holding her breath, she swam to the edge of the coral, and found herself face to face with a huge monster!

It was gigantic! A sort of long, snake-like creature, with protective plates that went over the top of its neck. It was a light blue, with yellow markings that went down its body. It had a fin on the end of its tail, on its neck plates, and on its cheeks. Underneath its cheek fins were long whiskers similar to hers, though these things she only glanced at. What caught most of her attention was its great gaping mouth, full of long sharp teeth, which it held in a snarl position.

She tried to breath, but the blood was even thicker in the water here, from whatever the monster had attacked. The female Magikarp coughed, and was very thankful that the monster did not notice. It seemed too interested on whatever was underneath it. The female Magikarp had to lift herself slightly out of the coral to see just what that was.

A tiny Pokemon, barley larger than herself, lay on the ocean floor with its eyes half open. A good deal of it had been bitten off, but what was left she took into her memory. It was also a light blue Pokemon, but looked far more harmless than the beast towering above it. It had little spiky ears, large red eyes, a scaled, off-white stomach, and a long snout for blowing out ink. If it had once had any fins, they were bitten off, as well as a good deal of its side. Its chest still moved, though, so it was alive, despite the liquid ribbons of red leaving its body.

The monster looked at it, grinning.
“You Horsea are such a nuisance! Yall ain’t even good ‘nuff ta eat! Fact is, the only thing yall’r good for at all is sport! Yall were meant to be our game! … And it looks like I’ve won this ‘un!” With that, the creature opened it jaws wider and lowered them towards the dying Horsea, who could barley squeak it pleads to be spared.

In panic, the female Magikarp dashed over to the two of them, and placed herself between them. She couldn’t help it! Seeing that poor Horsea suffering so badly was terrible, and from what she had heard, even the predator gained nothing but pleasure from killing it. She flinched as the jaws stopped around her, and the monster lifted itself back up and looked at her curiously.
“Whatcha want, Magikarp?” it asked, a touch of anger in its voice. Shaking badly over the fact that she had almost been eaten, the female Magikarp stammered,
“You have no reason to kill it, so please, mighty predator, leave this poor thing be! It has done you no harm, and you’ve won your game. You beat it. Badly.” The monster stared at her with surprise, then, slowly, it smiled. She felt herself cower slightly at that terrible, toothy grin, but she held her ground. They looked at each other for a while more, then the monster burst out laughing. The poor Magikarp’s heart froze at the sudden outburst of noise, and it was all she could do to keep from bolting.
“OHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! A MAGIKARP’S TRYIN’ TA TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!!! ME!!! A GYARADOS!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!”

The monst… I mean, the Gyarados, sat there laughing for quite a while, while the Magikarp did her best to fight her fears. Even her silent voice urged her to flee to safety, and that was hard to ignore. The smell of blood, strange creatures, and the sight of it all grew so overwhelming she found herself growing light-headed. She was greatly relieved when it stopped.
“You’re a bold critter! Ya may not have the strength ta beat me, but I like your guts! Because of that… and ‘cause I was a wee Magikarp once… I’ll letcha go. But remember!!! I’m bein’ nice, an’ you’re bein’ lucky. Don’t risk you’re life too much, Magikarp.” With that said, the Gyarados turned and swam away, kindly avoiding the two smaller Pokemon.

The female Magikarp watched the Gyarados with wonder, her mouth opened wide. She watched him until he was out of sight, then turned her attention to the half-dead Horsea. She gently nudged it, and it looked at her with clouded eyes.
“Thank… y…y….”
“Shh…” she whispered to it, “You need to rest. I’ll be right back. My brother knows how to heal things. You just take it easy until I’m back.” The Horsea relaxed and shut its eyes. Silently the female Magikarp left it, heading through the coral to the pit for her brother. As she swam, she thought of all that had happened, and found with despair that she had been left with more questions than answers from that event.

The Gyarados had said, “… I was a wee Magikarp once…” What had it meant by that? Had that huge, terrible, cruel creature once been a small stupid fish like her? Or more importantly, was she destined to become one of those monsters? Her head spun as everything raced through it once more, and was relieved when she reached the pit.

[Zup]

WOW!

Good job! You've got another reader here!

BTW, it's spelled Gyarados.

[Otto=ottO]

heh heh heh. Mmmm blood. The gyrados shoulda said "It's already dead, let me eat it" And then 'accidently' bite the magikarp. But your way's good too. If the brother knew so much, wouldn't the female one've known about other pokemon sooner?

[Pokemaster Cody]

Neat-o chapter-os. I like this a lot. The first chapter had a few grammar mistakes. The second one was pretty much clean of mistakes however.

[Count von Dark]

Ahh... new chapter... melikes. So the Magikarp saved a Horsea? I thought the inky creature was a squid or somethin'. The length is good, but the language seems to be less descriptive than the prologue. Good stuff!

Cheers!

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

Lookee at all da readers!!! *gets all the party stuff out again* I better answer all your posts, eh? Here goes!

Zup: Thank you ^-^


Otto=ottO: The female Magikarp's brother, like her, had never left the shallow waters until now. He's never seen deep sea Pokemon like she just saw.

Pokemaster Cody: ^^;; I kinda never looked over the first chapter...

Count von Dark: Yeah, that's a problem of mine. The farther along I get into my story, the more eager I get to see things happen as though I were reading the story myself instead of writing it, and it becomes harder for me to keep the patience for writing good descriptions... *grins awkwardly*

[Dark Shaman]

You've got yourself another reader, this is good! I like! ^^

And may I say I'm impressed with the viewpoint of the Magikarp, good characterization on Gyarados too

[Rosa_Lacrimas]

Lol, my first post! Yeah, I registered again, to change my username. Long time no see . As everyone else has said, great originality, I was expected something of a more mewtwo/mew based fic.
Great POV, keep it up!

[AquaBabe727]

Heya, this is very good! Nice and original, and the images you describe easily spring to mind. Have you seen the previews for that Pixar movie 'Finding Nemo'? That's what this story reminds me of--which is a good thing. Very cool! Can't wait till the next chapter! ^_^

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

MORE readers! *offers everyone party foods*

Dark Shaman: Thankee!

Rosa_Lacrimas: You thought it was gonna be about Mewtwo and Mew?... *gives a sly grin and chuckles*

AquaBabe727: I like Finding Nemo! ^-^ It looks so cute!!! Thankee for the praise!

~*~Chapter 3~*~

The Magikarp were all stupid fish, and even an injured animal filled their pathetic minds with fear. They ate, slept, and communicated while they hid, too scared to come out. The female Magikarp (who had started to mature and change color like her brother) had learned to ignore them. This was, however, fairly difficult, since she saw the orange patches in the green seaweed quite clearly. She also heard their mutterings as they talked about her and her brother, their deep voices full of suspicion.

The female Magikarp would be fully mature in just a few days, however, and had lost most of her childishness in the weeks that had gone by. Her scales had paled until they were almost gold, as did all the other females, and the males were redder than ever. She had more important things to do than to get mad at her own school, like taking care of the fast recovering Horsea she had saved. She also felt an urge to sometimes turn her attention to the darker patches of orange in the plants, the males, and study them with a fascination she did not understand. It was that silent voice that had haunted her all her life telling her to do this, and still she obeyed it without struggle.

The only time she ignored it was when she had to take care of her Horsea. Like the other Magikarp, she was afraid of him, and just wouldn’t show it. He smelled of blood and injury, and the more she spent time with him, the more she smelled like him. It was terrible stressful to her. However, despite his scent, his scars, and the fact that he was missing a fin and an ear, the Horsea himself was very charming.

The Horsea’s name was Keshaa (Kay-Shaw), which represents the sound of the ocean’s underwater currents for Horsea. Keshaa knew a lot about the ocean, and was more than willing to help the female Magikarp learn some about the ways of deep-sea water Pokemon. She learned that the Gyarados she had talked to was especially nice, and she had been luckier than lucky that she wasn’t immediately eaten. She learned about all these Pokemon:
Mantine, about the Corsola, the Tentalcool and Tentacruel, the Kibania and Samehadaa, the Wailmer and Hoeruo, the Dojocchi and Namazun, the Heigani and Shizarigar, Hinbasu and Mirokarosu, Staryu and Starmie, Paaruru, Hanteeru, Sakurabisu, Jiiransu, Corsola, Chinchou and Lanturn, and, of course, the Horsea, Seadra, and Kingdra, and well as the many varieties of Magikarp, as well as many others. If she had seen these Pokemon she would not have recognized them, but if they had said what they were she would understand how to be polite to them and not get eaten.

The female Magikarp was right about Keshaa’s long snout—he blew ink from it to make getaways. Though, when she asked him why he didn’t use that skill to get away from the Gyarados, he would suddenly grow too weary to talk anymore and request to be left alone. Having no important reason to argue against it, she would leave him as he wished.

The female Magikarp’s brother proved to be less brave than she. Even though he was recovering, Keshaa still smelled of blood even after the several weeks had gone by. Since blood easily attracted predators, the Magikarp’s brother would only stay around long enough to add more medicine to the wounds, and then he would leave. Keshaa didn’t mind, but the female Magikarp was bothered by it. She had always looked up to her brother, and had thought he knew everything. Now she found that there was something very important he didn’t: the importance of making friends.

Keshaa taught the female Magikarp all the legends of the Horsea. She learned of the many guardians of the sea, and how they would come to a Pokemon’s aid if he/she deserved rescuing. She learned how it is a dream of all Horsea to become dragons as Kingdra, and the hard work they must do in order to reach that goal. Her favorite, however, was in the last day of her time in the pit.

She awoke bitterly cold. The ocean currents had changed during her slumber, where almost freezing water was now coming from the north. Her now much bigger, golden body trembled, and for a moment she wanted to just go back to sleep. Her large, open eyes stared up into the dark water, and she found herself longing for the warmth of the surface that was so very, very far away now. Her mind drifted to those easy days where she only ate, slept, and sunned in complete bliss. Why had she left that life?

“Magi?” called Keshaa. “I think it’s about time for you to get up!” Grumbling, the female Magikarp buried her head in the sand.
“Tired…” she mumbled.
“Magi!” he persisted, shouting it louder, “Now would be a really good time for you to wake up!!!!” The urgency in his voice was obvious, and the female Magikarp reluctantly rose from the ground and swam through the seaweed to her friend. She found him being threatened by three Magikarp that wanted him gone more than anyone. Angrily she swam over, and placed herself between them as she had done with the Magikarp. Two males and a female glared at her angrily. All three of them were much smaller than her and still orange, but they felt confident and bold together. The male was especially confident, since he was one of those few males who had spikes that were starting to grow on his head, and large ones at that.

The female Magikarp was twice as big as any of them, and with her size and wisdom she had her own confidence, though even if she hadn’t had even that, her anger at their rebellion against her friend would easily make up for it. She glared back t them wit ha fierceness greater than all three of them put together. This made the small Magikarp back away a little. Keshaa peeked out from behind his Magikarp curiously, then grinned at the sight of his attackers becoming scared.
“Leave the Horsea alone,” growled the female Magikarp, opening her gills and spreading her fins to make herself look as large as possible. The three younger Magikarp glanced at each other, then the females looked over and nodded to the male. He nodded back, then turned to the female Magikarp, confidence once again in his eyes.
“Stay out of this you big fish,” he snapped, “That creature’s practically dead as it is, and even if he heals completely, his fins are gone. He can’t swim!”
“I have one fin,” Keshaa put in indignantly, though this little comment was ignored.
“I didn’t risk my life against a Gyarados to have three little Magikarp ruin what I’ve worked so hard to save,” the female Magikarp snapped back, growing angrier every second. The male and female Magikarp glared at one another for a while, then the male Magikarp tossed his head a bit.
“All right. If you want it that way!” With a strange sort of Magikarp battle cry, he lunged at the female Magikarp, his horns pointed towards her for a lethal strike. Surprisingly, he was easily defeated. With skills she never knew she had, the female Magikarp waited until he almost hit her, then knocked him away with her tail. There was a soft thud as she made contact, and he was thrown into a rock from the collision, making a much larger sound. He immediately fainted, and the two females rushed over to him. They looked him over, and found his spikes were chipped off, and a large crack lay in the plate that surrounds all Magikarp’s heads. Blood was soon gushing from that crack about as badly it had come from Keshaa. Disgusted, the two females left him, muttering together. Soon they were hidden, like all the other Magikarp. The male did not move.

The female Magikarp dashed over to the male, looking to see how badly she had hurt him. She was relieved to find the injury bad, but not lethal. He wouldn’t die if she fixed him up… though she still hadn’t learned the art of good healing. She could always ask help from… A light cough made her turn around. It was Keshaa, looking at his fallen foe.
“You’re not… planning on helping him… are you?”
“What would you suggest?” she muttered, digging for mud to stop the bleeding. Keshaa frowned.
“If he lives, he’ll bring everyone against us! How many Magikarp do you think are here??? This pit is large enough to hold eight Gyarados, and the Magikarp fill every bit of it!! You may be able to go against two or three with your skills, or even maybe ten to twenty, but the hundreds and hundreds, possibly THOUSANDS of Magikarp that are here… Helping him will lead to our doom! Those Magikarp are already at the limits of their tolerance of us… He will talk ill of us, and those fish will attack!”
“I just became responsible of him, just as I am responsible of you…” the female Magikarp whispered, spreading the mud over the wound.

Keshaa, not having the heart to argue with her, watched as the female Magikarp tried as best she could to be neat about her spreading. The mud wouldn’t sit still, but instead kept trying to slip off to the ground, and kept threatening to run into the Magikarp’s gills. After a bit of studying her struggles, the little deep-sea Horsea decided to be useful.
“Magi, if you take me over to him, I could help you out.” The female Magikarp glanced over at him, her fins covered with mud, and nodded her agreement to his proposal. She gently wiped off the mud so it wouldn’t suffocate the Magikarp while she was gone, then swam over to Keshaa. As he led go of the plant he was holding with his tail, and curled it around her, he started chattering excuses for his crippled state.
“I’m sorry I can’t swim… It’s not my fault, y’know… Those blasted Gyarados have always hunted us for sport… Though, if I had been born a shallow water Horsea, I would have one fin in the center of my back, instead of two on the sides… though I suppose it wouldn’t do me much good, eh?… He kinda got me where that fin would be… Oh, I feel so useless!… I’m so sorry I’m such a trouble for you… You’d think that since I still have one fin I’d be able to swim about at least some!… I—”
“That’s all right, Keshaa,” chuckled the female Magikarp. “I don’t mind giving you a lift at all! You’ve proven to be very useful. Now, could you please show me how to dress this Magikarp’s wounds correctly?” Keshaa agreed, and set to work immediately, using his one fin with great skill.

“You know, I learned how to do this from your brother! He’s a fine teacher, and… oh… what’s wrong?” Keshaa looked at the Magikarp, whose face suddenly became full of pain at the mention of her brother. They were slipping so far apart…

Keshaa studied her for a moment, her silence bothering him, and then turned back to his work. A sudden idea popped up in his head as he did this, and his pale blue face brightened with excitement.
“Hey, I know what’ll cheer you up! How about a story?” He glanced back at her, and found she was deliberately keeping herself from looking at him, and instead studied their fallen enemy. Trying to keep an awkward silence from coming, Keshaa decided to tell his story. Having nothing else to do, the female Magikarp listened, as well as watched her Horsea do his work.

“I’m going to tell you the birth of Pokemon. It’s a long, fascinating story told through every species of Pokemon, even some types of Magikarp! That’s proof enough that it’s true… Shall I begin?

“Ahem. Long ago, when God created all the creatures of the earth, he made a thing that had strange powers. It also had wisdom, and was created to protect and watch over the earth. This it did with great care, and all the creatures loved it. Yet… when it tried to help man… they began to worship it. This creature’s name was Mew.

“Mew was not at all happy about the humans worshipping it. They created statues, carved pictures, and one day when Mew hurt itself on something, they took what it left behind and set it in a small container to last forever. Then, after a while, they began to even worship this. That, Magi, was very much the last straw. Mew lost its temper, and attacked them. Its shrine was left in ruins, and the people were left very much angry. So was God.

“As punishment, God took away Mew’s title. He also took away bits of it and made other creatures with strange abilities, making it far less important. Mew became a shadow, a whisper unheard, and it was driven crazy by this. It lost all intelligence, and grew completely child-like, but still helps out where it can. God, as another bit of punishment, made sure it would never flourish as a huge species, so it is very rare. The other Pokemon bred and multiplied, and mankind found that they weren’t masters like Mew had been, but instead were servants. Man took charge, and now we are all owned if we are found by the man.” Keshaa finished fixing up the injury, and turned to the female Magikarp.
“Did you like it?”
She smiled, then frowned in confusion. “So… the first Pokemon was called Mew… and all its species are called Mew?”
“Yup!”
“Is that the case with all Pokemon?”
“Uh-huh!”
“Is that why our language is based on our names? To honor the first of our species?”
“You are one clever girl! Yes, you are exactly right. Each child of Mew was different, yet their children looked like them, and were named after them, and so on and so forth.”

The female Magikarp mused over this story while Keshaa covered his work with a bit of seaweed.
“That’s it!” he said, with a worried grin, “All we can do is wait… And pray that he doesn’t turn on us!”

[AshsBabyLapras]

Wow Shadow, this is brilliant! A story about a Magikarp.. it's definitely an unusual idea and it's very well done too. (Of course, you've always been creative. ^~) Your descriptions are great and I really like the focus on emotions. That's one loyal, caring Magikarp - you've created yet another wonderful, lovable character! Excellent work so far. ^^

Oh, by the way Shadow, Dark Shaman's a good friend of mine. Glad to see he likes your story too! ^^

[Crystalmaster Mike]

... but a Magikarp!!! Fine piece of writing you've got there, but we've could've expected that from you, no?

It really combines details with information: why Magikarp looks so dull, and always has such big eyes!! The idea of an adventurous Magikarp, heh! *whistles Indiana Jones tune* Dumderrumdum, dumderrum!! To the KarpMobile!!! Wait, that came from another movie...

[Pokemaster Cody]

Great chapter! I liked the excellent detail and description you put into everything. I liked the Mew story, it makes sense. I want to see if the female Magikarp evolves first, or the Horsea. I also want to find out if Horsea regrows its fins when it evolves. Great, keep going.

[Rainstone]

Wow!! Why can't I write like that? I especially love the Mew story. Cody's right, it does make sense. *takes cookie from party food tray* Thanks. ^_^

[Dark Shaman]

**Finishes his cookie as he reads the chapter** Wow, this is good, once again! I certainly am looking forward to reading more!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see ABL-chan here, she has good taste, it's good to see she too enjoys this story ^_~ **Waves to Dani**

As a Dark/Ice type, I don't know much about water, but I do know what I like, and I like this story

And I have to agree with what the others said about the Mew story making sense ^^

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

*stares at all the posts* Cool! ^-^ That's the most I've ever had in one day! *notices poeple are actually, finally, eating the refreshments* Double cool!

AshsBabyLapras: Hi again! ^-^ I'm so happy you like my Magikarp! Yes, she has a very caring personality, and as you can tell, that makes her very different. To Pokemon, however, different is more often bad than good, and not easily welcomed...

Crystalmaster Mike: Muahaha! Took ya by surprise, didn't I?! Yeah, I've written about legendaries a very long time... and lately I found I wanted to challenge myself with something nobody wants to write about... Magikarp!!!

Pokemaster Cody: *smiles* Actually, I didn't make that story up completely! I used to write about Mew and Mewtwo a lot, and I studied about them in every way I could. This story is taken from bits and pieces of every legend about Mew I could find.

Rainstone: You're welcome! ^^ You really liked Keshaa's story? Cool! I'll have to tell him!

Dark Shaman: Thankee so much for your praise! Such kind words make my times of writing all the better! *grins*

If you guys don't mind, I'm going to take a break during Christmas and Christmas break... Merry Christmas peoples!

[Pokemaster Cody]

I mind. A lot. Oh well, Merry Christmas! *gets huge stomache* Uhhh, hoho *beards appears* and to all a good night!? *red suite and bag appear* Uhhhh, I gotta go.

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

Aw... Sorry, Pokemaster Cody... Here's a picture to cheer you up, k?

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/draganie/...c=ph%26.view=t

Edit: Sorry... try the new one I put up.

[Rainstone]

The picture's link won't work for me! I feel deprived ...

[Crystalmaster Mike]

I think you've messed it up a bit, because the same pic's in that album three times! Say, is that "lil' blue thing" related to NewMew by any chances? Other wise, there all fine pieces of art! Magi's quite long though, but other wise it would've been able to carry Keshaa I guess.

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

My lil blue thing has similar markings to a NewMew, but a completely different shape. To explain Magi...

The differences in Magikarp:

Magi is a deep sea Magikarp. These Magikarp are small and round at birth; so small that their tiny bodies can only be seen when they're in large numbers. As they grow, they lenghthen and thin out, making them more evasive when their many predators come. Only the males grow rounder, and this is in muscle, for they are the only gender that trains. Magi had the upper hand when she fought that male, because her gender is built for speed, and his for brute strength. It's the male Magikarp that get eaten more often by larger predators. (The males are red and females are golden)

There is a certain Magikarp that lives like a salmon, going both in the ocean and inland. These Magikarp are larger when they're born, and far greater in numbers. As soon as they age a bit, they swim an easy journey to the sea. There, they lengthen and grow slender like a female sea Magikarp, and neither gender is eaten easily. When the time comes for breeding, the Magikarp go back inland. During their long, hard struggle they gain huge muscles, making them easy prey for predators. Fatigue also drops their numbers, the journey is so difficult, and few make it. When those that survive do make it, the males fight fiercly for the females, and with their huge strength, they will often evolve. Sometimes one or two evolve during the journey, and whenever one does, it heads out to sea to find its own kind, and is finally given a name. (The males of this species, and also the females, are a deep crimson)

The shallow water Magikarp are kinda pathetic. These are the Magikarp we all know and love, that we all catch on our fishing poles and later curse. They are short, fat, and stupid, with no organized breeding system, and few words. Because of this, they breed all year round, and there are far more than there needs to be. Predators usually find them too much of a hassle to try and eat, since they're mostly made of fat, and leave them alone. They're a bother to nature, but are far too stupid ot realize it.
(both genders stay orange they're whole lives)

Get it? Magi's a sea Magikarp, and therefore has to be long! *grins* She's long in the book, and her length and slenderness will be pointed out later.

[Rainstone]

At first I thought to myself,"Cool! That Horsea has red stripes, but he looks a little funny" and then I realised that was where he was attacked... Heh *embarrased chuckle*. Yet another excellent piccy. ^_^ Your lil' blue thing is so ... little! ... and blue! I want one. I'll call mine Sam.

[Ace Blaze]

Erm, Shadowed Mewtwo, the only Golden Magikarp I know of are the Shiny ones in G/S/C. Not many people know that the Shiny Magikarp is gold because they only get the Red Gyarados, but they're gold alright. Anyways, a nice and original story you've got there.

[Pokemaster Cody]

Good pic. I like the stripes on... wait... . I can't wait for the next chapter.

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

Rainstone: Heh, yeah, Keshaa has no stripes... I would have mentioned them. They're scars all right... Sam? That's a good name for my blue thing! ^^

Ace Blaze: Yeah, you could call Shining Magikarp gold, but I call them yellow. I know what color they are... I just like the color gold! ^^;; Thanks for your praise on the story!

Pokemaster Cody: Yes, Keshaa is very scarred... *evil chuckle* =^-^= Here's that chapter you wanted!

My gosh... I'm already on chapter four!!!


~*~Chapter 4~*~

It’s odd at the bottom of the ocean, never knowing when it’s day, and knowing when it’s night just as much. It makes it difficult to know when to sleep if you aren’t a Pokemon, and even Pokemon that aren’t used to the depths of the ocean have awkward times with this. The Magikarp, however, have an advantage, using their instincts to tell them when it is time for slumber. They all fall asleep at the same time, all across the ocean, their orange, red, and gold bodies lying on the ocean floor, with perhaps one or two bright, yellow, Shining Magikarp among them.

The female Magikarp was one of the billions out there, so small and unimportant, yet she no longer felt this. She was doing something that was starting to draw her out of the crowd, things that no other Magikarp would think of doing. She was becoming as different as a Shining Pokemon, and slowly grew more and more special. Her newest thing weird: staying up “late.” Afraid of all the Magikarp turning on her like Keshaa had said, the female Magikarp stayed up, watching her injured enemy, trying to keep him from hurting himself worse.

Keshaa, loyal to his rescuer, stayed up with her, telling her story after story, growing into the tales as though he were listening himself for the first time. His pleasure in the tellings added to the female Magikarp’s enjoyment, as she herself absorbed every bit of knowledge of the undersea world she could, and even bit of out of sea.

“Do you know what it’s like out of the water?” The female Magikarp turned from the injured Magikarp curiously.
“Do you know what it’s like?” she asked Keshaa. The crippled Horsea grinned.
“One of my friends used to live out of the water and—”
“You can DO that???”
“Oh yeah! All Water Pokemon can live on land!”
The female Magikarp had been practicing keeping her mouth closed all the time, but now let it fall open in shock. Grinning wider, Keshaa began.
“Above the surface, it’s very green on the ground, and very blue above, kinda like down here. Only it’s brighter, though, and there are more extreme temperatures. You think it’s cold now? In some places, you can DIE of cold above the surface! But also, it can be very warm, and some places are comfortably in between.

“Also, you feel heavier, where you can’t lift yourself off the ground, and have to move along it. The creatures up there, they have things called legs, and they use them to move across the ground. They’re naturally stronger because they have to try harder to do everyday things with their added weight, and excelling beyond that is just incredible strength! Because of their strength, though, they’re cruel to sea creatures, and don’t think all too highly of us.”

The female Magikarp, as always, thought about what she had heard as she looked over the hurt Magikarp. He was still in bad shape after being slammed into a sharp rock, and it would be a while before he got better. She was worried about him waking up, even though he was in no condition to be making speeches about how evil she was, but that silent voice persisted its warning in the back of her mind. Actually, it had been yelling at her for quite a bit ever since she had saved Keshaa. She was starting to really hate that voice, of course it didn’t care, but she wanted it to go away forever.

It was an hour later. Keshaa looked at the female Magikarp with worry as she struggled to fight her instincts, backing away from the two of them, then approaching again. Her thoughts seemed to have become an argument that had nothing to do with what he’d been talking about. Her inner turmoil was torturing her, after everything she’d done since all her time in the pit. Plus, with a new injury, there was fresh blood in the water, and the smell of blood seemed to fill Magikarp with fear. Wanting to help her, Keshaa carefully climbed down the rock he was gripping and nudged his friend.
“Hey… It’s all right… Just ignore that stupid voice in your head and do what you know is right! It hasn’t failed you yet...”

The female Magikarp nudged Keshaa back, and then lowered herself into the cold sand. Miserable, she started crying.
“Yes it has…” she sobbed, motioning towards her injured attacker. “I almost killed one of my own species! How is that doing good?! I’m corrupted! Somewhere along the line, was messed up somehow…” Frowning, Keshaa gripped her fin with his blue tail, and stared into her eyes.
“If you talk like that, you will become corrupted… You are something special, Magi. You’re different, and sometimes you’ll be attacked for that difference. You may even be shunned from the world your whole life… but if you keep being yourself and doing what you think is right, no one will forget what you did. Especially not me…”

The female Magikarp pressed close to Keshaa, her way of hugging. Tears still left her eyes and vanished into the water, but they were more like tears of joy now. Keshaa’s words filled her with peace, and that soundless voice left her be.

~*~*~

Keshaa helped up the injured Magikarp, giving him a mixture of support and warning. The Magikarp was welcomed to sit up, but had to remain still and silent, as well as respect his caretakers. The red male glared at his company angrily, but obeyed since he was in no condition to argue. The female Magikarp formed him a sort of bed out of the softer bits of seaweed and other plants, and formed a hollow in the sand where he could lie comfortably. Still silent, the male let himself be put in and made comfortable, glaring at them the whole time.

When they were done, Keshaa let out a loud yawn.
“Well! That was a lot of work! You two should get some rest!” Gripping onto a plant, he shoved at the female Magikarp until she was in the bed next to her patient, looking up at Keshaa like a little child. Keshaa looked at them side-by-side, and chuckled.
“You two aren’t anywhere near going to sleep, are you? You’re far too awake because of everything that’s been happening this day. Well, I know how to fix that! I’m going to tell you a bedtime story!”

And, without giving either member of his audience any chance to protest, he began.
“Once, not too long ago, there was an Eevee. Like all her kind, she came at the age where she wanted to evolve, and such a time for a thing like an Eevee is very special indeed.

“What’s an Eevee? Well, let me tell you! They’re little furry things, and very brown, with large, gentle eyes and long ears. They’re soft and lovable, something you’d want to fall asleep with at night, and have feet, because they live on land. These Pokemon are strange, because when they evolve, which is to suddenly grow bigger and stronger, if you don’t know,” he said this last part for the male Magikarp, who seemed confused about the entire story. Without pausing, Keshaa continued.

“When an Eevee evolves, it’s a very special thing, because they can evolve into more than one creature. If they touch a certain stone, they’ll change into whatever that stone is related to. If the stone came from the flames of the earth, the Eevee would become one with those flames the stone knew so well, and have mastery over them. Its brown coat would have their color, and where it was once fuzzy, great tongues of heat would lick themselves around it. If the stone came from the sky, from the storms and lightning, the creature that came from it would have the fearsome strength of that lightning. It would no longer be cute and fuzzy, but instead would be sleek, spiky, and fast, with the ability to call upon the power of the sky when it needs it. If the stone came from the sea…” at this part the Horsea smiled, “the little land Pokemon would gain the qualities of a sea creature, yet keep its ability to travel fast out of water. It gains the beauty of the ocean, as well as the power, and grace. It is very much an awesome thing to see one of these creatures…

“But that’s not what my story is about. It’s about an Eevee who was not sure what to do. All three stones lay before her, their power radiating from them. She could feel their strength, but they all brought power. She would follow different paths in her life with each stone, and this was why she was debating. They all seemed wonderful to her, and filled her with excitement. The question was… which would she pick?

“It grew dark as the Eevee sat staring, motionless, at those stones. Her clan soon left her, needing their rest, and she was left alone. Still, the Eevee stayed, after every other Eevee had chosen what to become. She was awkwardly different, a very deep thinker, and now she found herself alone, but it did not stop her. She continued to debate over what to become, thinking over the good and bad of each choice, as it became so dark she had trouble seeing the stones she was going to use.

“Then, out of nowhere, there came another Pokemon, a thing called a Houndour. These are black creatures, with long legs, and they like to hunt and eat anything they can, even when they’re not hungry… Kinda like the Gyarados.” Keshaa added bitterly, “The Houndour attacked the Eevee, and with her family so far away, she had to face him herself.

“The two fought fiercely, but the Houndour was obviously stronger, and the Eevee found her energy slipping from her. Then, Just as she collapsed, and the Houndour readied himself for the final blow, as strange thing happened. The Eevee started to glow. She was surrounded by a blinding light, and she started to grow.

“When the light faded, a creature unlike anything anybody had ever seen stood before that Houndour. It was sleek and black, with glowing rings on its head, legs, and around its tail. Its eyes were as red as the blood that ran through its mighty body, and they were filled with more confidence than any other Eevee evolution. It raised its head, and shouted a single word.
‘Umbreon!!”

Keshaa looked at the two Magikarp to find the male sound asleep, and the female starting to slip off. She looked up at him, and yawned.
“So, her name was Umbreon?”
“Yes.”
“And she was the first of a new species.”
“You can figure anything out, can’t you?” chuckled Keshaa. The female Magikarp thought a moment, then asked another question.
“Are you finished with the story?”
“Yes.”
“Then… we don’t get to find out if she won the fight?”
“What do you thing, Magi?”
“I think she won.”

Keshaa smiled and cuddled up close to his friend. He watched as she slowly fell asleep, her eyes still eerily opened wide.
“Yes, Magi. She did. Like I said before, you don’t need all the facts. You can figure anything out without them.” He whispered to her in her sleep, “You’re that special…”

The Horsea lied down, and found himself starting to drift off. Just before he shut his eyes, however, he witnessed every healthy Magikarp in the pit awaken and swim off, abandoning those who could not come. He glanced worriedly over at his pair of Magikarp, and snuggled closer to his friend. Now she would need his help, and he was determined not to let her down.

The pit was soon empty of Magikarp, and they all began to swim away. The only one who looked back was the female Magikarp’s brother. He stopped, turned back, and watched the pit for a while, whispering farewells and good luck to his closest sibling. Then, tears entering the ocean water in a trail after him, he left, following the school he belonged to.

The injured male and exhausted female knew nothing of their being abandoned, and slept soundly, two enemies, side by side. Both of them dreamed of the Eevee in the story, how they thought fire looked, and of the mighty that the innocent could become. They swam with the Water type, defeated the Lightning, and the female Magikarp gazed with wonder at Umbreon, who smiled at her with pride.

Still asleep, the female Magikarp smiled back.

[Ace Blaze]

Very interesting. Please write the next chapter ASAP so we can see what happens!

[Dark Shaman]

Another great chapter, and this is a prediciment that should be interesting to see them geting out of, please continue

[Otto=ottO]

Yep, I'm back. Anyhoo... Horsea sounds cool, especially since he's crippled. Magi (oh how original, damn magikarp with their thoughtless names) has a strange idea of being different. yeah, so, mo chappy, yes.

[Rainstone]

Oh, no! What's going to happen to them?! Why did you stop writing there? Oh, and it was another excellent chapter, by the way, but PLEASE, for the love of rare desert penguins, keep writing!!!

[Pokemaster Cody]

Hmmmm...

The storytelling took most of the chapter. It seemed a little short, and I wasn't exactly "on my toes" at this chapter. It was more of just a story about someone telling a story. It was okay, not action-packed or "THIS CHAPTER BETTER NOT HAVE AN END" but it was okay. I am interested at the development that the school of Magikarp have laid upon them. The next chapter should be interesting indeed.

[Shadowed Mewtwo]

Ace Blaze: Here's that chapter you wanted ^-^ Though It's kinda fast paced...

Dark Shaman: And continue I shall!

Otto=ottO: Heh, actually, Keshaa thought up Magi's name so he didn't have to say Magikarp all the time!

Rainstone: And write I shall, especially for those desert penguins!

Pokemaster Cody: Well, a good story, I find, should have a little bit of everything in it. Comedy, action, romance, tragedy, mystery... And also have both slow and fast paced chapters.

~*~Chapter 5~*~

When you’ve lived your entire life in the crowds, hidden among thousands, there is nothing more frightening than being completely alone, with no one there to help you. The dark and quiet enshrouds you, absorbs you into itself, the silence consumes you. It is overwhelming, and can drive a Pokemon mad.

The female Magikarp found herself in this position, much to her shock and dismay. She looked about herself, trembling, trying to see into the darkness. She was cold and scared, and because of this attempted to cower into the earth, trying to hide from dangers that she could not see. The darkness… the silence… It was driving her crazy!! Where had everyone gone?!

A gentle rippled in the water made her jump, and she turned to see a red, injured Magikarp with a Horsea holding onto him. They were going along at a slow paced, both rather pathetic, and both still smelling of blood. Their approach brought her relief and misery together, since her instincts still strongly hated their scent.

The female Magikarp made a dash towards them, but then backed away. She had been brave with everyone around her, but her bravery was draining fast. This isolation was unnerving! She pressed against the ground as they approached, trying to stop shaking. If she didn’t watch it, she would have a panic attack, and that wouldn’t help anybody at all. Keshaa’s face filled with worry at the sight of her wretched state, but the male Magikarp wasn’t even paying attention to her. He was busy deep in thought, his wide eyes distant. There was worry on his face, too, but not for her.

“You okay, Magi?” the Horsea asked when they had reached her. Awkwardly he switched over to the female Magikarp, wrapping his tail around her waist. She flinched at his touch, then began to shake again. She made no answer.

The male Magikarp finally looked at her, but didn’t seem to care about her panicking. His mind was still on something else.
“They’re dead.” He said gravely. “The Magikarp killed every sick and injured Magikarp that tried to follow them. We’re the only ones left.” The female Magikarp made small sobbing noise in horror, but did not move or speak. Keshaa just nodded sadly in agreement.

~*~*~

The male Magikarp, who Keshaa had started calling Karp, was very bold and helpful. He may not have been as friendly and loving as the female Magikarp, but he knew how to keep a cool head in times of danger. While the female Magikarp lay on the ground, trying to gather her wits, the male Magikarp was burying the bodies of his kin. Keshaa puts plants where the graves lay, a Horsea burial custom, and said a few solemn words of respect to each of them. He did this by himself, trying his very best to swim, though it was hard on him. He mostly gripped what plants he could.

When they were finished with the bodies, the two males discussed what they should do in their situation.
“We need to get Magi among large crowds again. I’m really worried about her,” muttered Keshaa to the male Magikarp. The red Magikarp frowned and impaled a plant with his horn to calm down.
“Do you not think that’s obvious??? We BOTH need large crowds, but obviously I have more self control than that female you call Magi. We can’t follow our school; we smell like weakness and injury. They’ll kill us. If we went to a strange Magikarp school, they’d kill us even worse. It’s hopeless. We’re on our own, and by the looks of it, the female will die first.” Keshaa frowned, and started nibbling on the plant the Magikarp had killed so that it wouldn’t go to waste.
“I’m not stupid, Karp.”
“Don’t call me that!” the male Magikarp snapped, “It’s not my name! If you know so much, you would know that the Magikarp gave up names a long time ago. None of us have names! You singling a few of us out and trying to name us is just rude. The Magikarp do their best to be one creature. None are different. They kill the different. I never will be different where I can help it! Any respectful Magikarp would say the same.” Keshaa shrugged.
“Magi doesn’t mind…”
“Well, that female with the spotted cheek is just… weird. She tries to be different. That’s why they left her when she was healthy. Now she’s suffering from it, like she deserves. She almost killed me…”
“We’re getting off subject.” Said Keshaa quietly, “Now, I know where we can go. I’m not a Magikarp, and I have kin. My kind doesn’t kill the sick in their school—they help them. When they see Magi saved me, they’ll help you. I’m sure of it.” The male Magikarp frowned, trying to find a fault in the idea, but couldn’t. He didn’t know enough about other sea creatures to do so.

“Where is your school? And how far will we have to go?” he asked sulkily, annoyed that he didn’t think up the plan. Keshaa frowned, sighed, and then shuddered.
“Not far… but we’ll have to go through… Gyarados territory…”

The male Magikarp didn’t notice the Horsea’s fear, and nodded that’s he’d go. Feeling hungry, he turned his back on the poor crippled blue Horsea, who was shaking as badly as the female Magikarp with fear from his own idea. Keshaa hated Gyarados… and they hated him. If he went back there… after being pinpointed as prey and surviving… He shivered again. He was more than likely doomed to die a terrible death. That much was clear. He would never feel the joy of evolution, the power to finally be able to hold his own against the enemy.

Keshaa turned to Magi, and sighed. No, not all of them were his enemy. He had been saved by a baby Gyarados. Strange, she was completely the opposite of your average Magikarp. A killer in the making. That’s all most Magikarp were. Weak might, power, destruction, just waiting for the moment to let itself loose upon its enemy. He had always had something against Magikarp. When they evolved, almost always, they began to destroy. Magikarp are so dangerous… and most creatures forget that.

Keshaa shook his scarred blue head. He couldn’t daydream like that today. There was too much that had to be done. Too many Magikarp that had to be saved. Too many Gyarados that had to be avoided… With another violent tremble, the Horsea turned his attention on Magi again. He was doing this for her, just as she had faced the Gyarados for him. He shook his head to get rid of his fears, and swam over to the still shaking Magikarp. He gently nuzzled her, then did his very best to calm her down.

~*~*~

It was noon, and the trio of rogue Water Pokemon set off on their dangerous journey. The male Magikarp was in the lead, his spiky crimson body sticking out greatly against the deep navy blue water around them, and the crack on his head leaving a small liquid red ribbon behind him. Holding onto him was Keshaa, a rather sad sight, still missing an ear and a fin, and covered with lots of scars. He whispered warnings and directions to the Magikarp, acting as his guide. The female Magikarp lagged behind, still shaking badly and eyeing the world around her with suspicion.

The three journeyers went about an hour between coral and rocks, a difficult and slow journey, since they were all so afraid of getting caught. The female was a bit troublesome: she bolted at any little thing, and finding her was hard. The voyage was difficult and stressful on all three Pokemon, though the males were too proud to show it.

Keshaa, however, snapped when that hour was up. They were in a crevice between two large stones; it was extremely rocky here. He began to panic when he saw a sort of marking, made from the bones of some unfortunate Pokemon, in the shape of teeth: the symbol for Gyarados territory.
“We’re among the Gyarados… I’m going to die!!! They’ll smell me!! They’ll catch me! Then they’ll kill me… slowly… for escaping them!” Keshaa’s grip on the male Magikarp loosened as he grew light headed, and he let himself sink to the stone beneath them. The male Magikarp looked at him then looked behind them at the female Magikarp. She was doing a little better, but was still very jumpy. Both were in no condition for moving on.
“Pathetic…” he growled. “I have a head injury and I’m still in better condition than you two!” With that said, and no reaction from his colleagues, the red Magikarp did what any “respectable” Magikarp would do. He left them to die.

The female Magikarp silently watched the male leave, too tired from stress to protest. She glanced down at Keshaa, who was frightened to tears, and swam over to him. Gently, she put a fin on his back, and he jumped. The Horsea glanced over his shoulder at her, then looked at the ground.
“Feeling better?” he mumbled. The female Magikarp nodded silently, and wriggled underneath him until he was sitting on her instead of on the ground.
“We are probably going to die,” she said sadly, “but we might as well die trying.” Keshaa nodded glumly, and the two journeyers began their voyage again, warily passing the symbol of bones.

~*~*~

“How long’ve they been in here?” rumbled a deep voice. In the shadows, hidden amongst the huge stones, sat two Gyarados. They watched the slow process of the two basic form Pokemon, one carrying the other, who was a cripple. The Gyarados who had spoken was glaring at his colleague, who kept from making eye contact. The two huge snake-like Pokemon knew the silent one was supposed to do something… and he didn’t want to.
“‘Bout two hours. They’re really tired’n’stuff… They look kinda weak, too…” The Gyarados who had spoken first gave a dark grin.
“D’you wan’em, or can I ‘ave the honors.” He asked. The second Gyarados sighed.
“I know those two… an’ I promised I’d leave ‘em alone. The Magikarp’s a bold’un. If’n ya gotta hurt ‘em, just get the Horsea. Leave the wee girly Magikarp alone. Or I’ll ‘ave your ‘ide for m’self!” The first Gyarados laughed.
“Got an eye on that’un, eh StripFang? Waitin’ for ‘er to become a big ol’ Gyarados herself, eh?”

StripFang blushed slightly, but said nothing, instead lowering his head and scowling a bit. The other Gyarados’s grin broadened, and he tensed for an attack.
“I’m goin’ out there.” Then, he added, with a mocking grin, “Don’t worry, I won’t ‘urt your precious girlfriend!” Before StripFang could get at him, he shot towards his prey, even with his huge size at first unnoticed.

“We’ve been going too slow… We’re not welcome here… They’ve definitely seen us by now… Can’t you go faster???” Keshaa was now worse than the female Magikarp had been, shaking badly and keeping a constant eye out. The female Magikarp was a great deal better, but was going very slowly; she hadn’t traveled in a while, and all that bolting had tired her out. She needed time to rest… but first she had to get Keshaa out of here. Her crippled friend wouldn’t need a Gyarados to kill him if they stayed too long.

She was so tired…
“Let’s take a small break,” she suggested, lowering herself between the stones of a crevice. Keshaa opened his mouth to disagree, then shut it again, deciding instead to keep a look out for the predators definitely close by.
“They’re coming…” he hissed, “I can feel their movement… Fleeing would be futile. We’re safer here.” The female Magikarp got herself comfortable, and listened to the movement of the water. They hadn’t seen a Gyarados yet… Maybe Keshaa was mistaken? Maybe they wouldn’t see any Gyarados…

She hoped too soon.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the huge monster appeared that she could never forget, with those same red eyes and huge, gaping mouth full of long, sharp teeth. It stared at them, threw back its head and roared.
“Don’t run,” warned Keshaa, “I think it’s trying to scare us out.”
“I don’t plan to.” Answered the female Magikarp, glaring up at her evolved form. The Gyarados roared for a very long time, so long that it became almost amusing, then finally stopped and positioned its huge snakelike body in a pose that made it look even larger. It growled deeply, and its breath smelled like thousands of Keshaas long dead. The scent made the two friends nauseous.
“Come out, little critters. Come out’n’play!” it mocked, eyeing his helpless prey murderously. They cowered from it, trembling, but did nothing more.

The Gyarados snorted after about ten minutes of enjoying their terror, and said coldly,
“Fine, you won’t come out yourselves? Then I’ll make ya come out!” And with that, he began beating upon the rocks, breaking them bit-by-bit. They couldn’t run, they couldn’t stay. The two Pokemon, Keshaa and Magi, were trapped.

[Ace Blaze]

Lemme guess: one of them is going to evolve. Well, update so I can see if I'm right or wrong!

[Rainstone]

*gasp!* I hope one of them DOES evolve soon! Magi and .... StripFang ...? Eurgh. Blech. Ewww ... So this is where the romance comes in, eh? Ugg. o_0 *shudder* Happy New Year, everyone, by the way!!! ^_^

[Crystalmaster Mike]

O_O !!! A Gyarados... seeing a Magikarp as a potential girlfriend???

Meh, it's your fic! Serious now, I see something... odd. The Magikarp gave up names long ago, right? But the Gyarados HAVE names? Would you care to explain?

And again, it was a good chapter. I can't say much more than: do continue...