I've looked around to see if anyone else has done this idea, and I haven't been able to find anyone who has made a story about this yet.
Everyone makes fun of Magikarp, but very few take into account the Pokedex states it was stronger in the past. It may say only somewhat stronger in the past, but I'm going to ignore the word somewhat.
Magikarp was stronger in the past. Unknown reasons created the pathetic and weak existence that over populates the world today. But what if some of these ancient Pokemon still existed, hidden from the world? What if Ash finds where these creatures live on accident on his first day of his journey, and a pair of them(1 male, 1 female) decides to join his journey? Join Ash on his journey to show the world that Magikarp was a powerful Pokemon in the past, and will once again show the world what they can truly be.
Magikarp's stats will be posted at the end of this chapter. Pikachu will not be disobedient like in canon(besides for the Pokeball that is). There will be no Spearow/Fearow attack, as Ash will not even run into them.
Story Start:
Welcome to Pallet Town. A small, peaceful town south of Viridian City. The world reknowned Professor Oak lives here, where he studies different Pokemon and how they interact with others in their natural habbitats.
The town is a quiet and confortable place to live. There is little to no crime, and everyone knows each other by name. Overhead we see flocks of Pidgey flying around without a care in the world. In the fields you can see small Pokemon playing with the children. It's a place where you can relax and no one seems to have a care in the world...
"I'M LATE!" or almost anyways. Here we have a soon to be trainer, Ash Ketchum. Today is a very special day for him, as he recently turned 10 and is to start his Pokemon journey today.
"Oh man. I can't believe I overslept. Charmander.. Bulbasaur.. Squirtle.. I don't care which, just please let there be one left for me!" Ash is running down the road still in his Pajamas. Why is he so worried you may ask? He was told by Professor Oak to arrive at his lab by 9:00 am, and it is currently 10:45 am.
Fifteen minutes later he arrives at Professor Oak's lab and knocks on the door. "Who is it?" Oak asks as he opens the door and sees Ash trying to catch his breathe. "Oh, Ash. I was wondering if you were going to show up or not. The other three left over an hour ago. Come in." He turns around and walks further into the lab.
"I'm sorry to inform you that there are none of the regular starters left to chose from Ash. Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander were all picked up by trainers who showed up on time today." Oak states and smirks slightly seeing Ash looking depressed.
"However, you are lucky as I captured a Pokemon earlier who was chewing on our power cables here at the lab." Oak says and he pulls out a Pokeball with a lightning bolt sticker on it. "He is still considered wild, so I'm not sure if I should give him to you or not. The choice is yours, you can wait until next month when I get a new batch of starter Pokemon, or you can chose this guy here and start your journey today." Oak says still smirking as Ash starts smiling happily.
"I'd like the Pokemon you caught earlier, Professor. I don't care what it is, every Pokemon is special and I'll be happy with whatever you can give me." Ash answers with a wide smile. Oak nods calmly and hands him the Pokeball. Ash calls out the pokemon instantly to see what he received as a starter.
"This is Pikachu, the electric mouse Pokemon. They're difficult to handle for new trainers, but I believe you two will get along nicely." Oak says and sees Pikachu glaring slightly at them both and small bolts of electricity arcing from his cheeks. Let's see how you handle this, Ash.. were Oak's thoughts as he watched calmly.
Ash stares happily at the Pikachu and crouches down in front of him and holds his hand out slightly towards the Pikachu who narrows it eyes slightly.
"Hey there Pikachu. I'm Ash Ketchum, and I hope we can become friends." Pikachu smirks and shocks Ash making Oak wince while Ash coughs out some smoke and smiles even wider which surprises Pikachu and Oak.
"Wow Pikachu! Your thundershock is powerful, you should be proud of your power." Ash says sincerly and reaches out and scratches Pikachu's head shocking the mouse.
I like him! Pikachu thinks and nuzzles into his hand. "Chaaa."
Oak smiles fondly at the two creating a bond right in front of him. You'll go far, Ash. Oak has always seen something in Ash since he first met him. He never gets mad at Pokemon, no matter what they do, and they all tend to like him quickly. Oak has watched Ash interact with the Pokemon at his ranch, some of which are very shy and don't trust very many humans. Ash was always able to get these Pokemon to play with him after some time.
"Here, Ash. This is a Pokedex, a very Hi-Tech Encyclopedia on the different kinds of Pokemon in the world. There has been a massive update recently in our technology, and we have been able to add in an automatic function that will search the internet for information on any type of Pokemon or attack training you may need, or wish to simply look up and learn about. Do not lose this, as it is irreplaceable, and will also act as your Trainer's Identification."
Ash continued to pet Pikachu as he listened to the professor. "Thank you, Professor. That will help a lot on my journey." He replied as he took out Pikachu's pokeball. "Pikachu, return." He said and aimed it at Pikachu who used his tail to knock the Pokeball out of his hand and then climbed up onto his shoulder. Oak chuckles lightly at this.
"It looks like Pikachu doesn't want to go back in the Pokeball, Ash." Ash looks at Pikachu and scratches under his chin.
"Is that true, Pikachu?" he nods while purring lightly. "Alright, I won't make you go back in the Pokeball then." he stores the Pokeball on his belt and turns back to Oak.
"Here are five empty Pokeballs. You can use them to capture wild Pokemon. Now you better go home and get dressed properly before you leave for your journey. Good luck." Oak tells him fondly.
"Thanks again professor. I'll make you proud by winning the Indigo League this year!" Ash says confidently and Pikachu cheers on his shoulder. "I'll call you when I get to Viridian, Professor. Bye!" He runs out of the lab leaving a chuckling Professor Oak behind.
~1 Hour Later - Entrance to Route 1~
"Be safe out there, Ash" Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother says while hugging him tightly and teary eyed. "Be sure to make new friends, and make sure you call every time you reach a new town."
"Don't worry mom. I have Pikachu with me, so I'll be fine." Ash says quietly with Pikachu sitting on his shoulder. "I'll call when I get to Viridian City." Delia let's him go and waves as he walks away.
"Don't forget to change your underwear every day!" She yells out to him making him trip in embarrassment. Pikachu rolling on the ground laughing.
"Mom! I'm not a little kid anymore!" He yells back at her before walking away again, dragging the still laughing Pikachu by his tail.
~Three Hours Later, Somewhere East of Route 1~(The Uncharted Area in the games between Cycling Road and Route 1)
"Pikachu.. I Think we're lost." Ash says calmly while looking around the forest. There is a heavy fog for miles around them, with no signs of it letting up any time soon. He hasn't seen any wild Pokemon for nearly an hour, and is starting to get worried.
"Pika.." Pikachu responds quietly, his ears twitching back and forth trying to listen for anything. Suddenly he turns to a random direction and starts running off that way.
"Where are you going, Pikachu?!" Ash yells as he follows after him. After running for a few minutes, the forest and fog breaks to show a giant lake with Pokemon of multiple different colors swimming around and playing. Ash pulls out his Pokedex and scans them.
Magikarp, the Fish Pokemon. History has shown in the distant past that these creatures were more powerful than the pathetic excuse for a Pokemon that overpopulates the world today.
Gyarados, the Atrocious Pokemon. This Pokemon has been known in the past to destroy entire towns in a fit of rage.
*Note. Due to the odd coloring of these Pokemon, they are possibly shiny Pokemon.
More specific data can be given with the capture of these pokemon.
Ash looks around in awe, with Pikachu doing the same. Everywhere you look you can seem Magikarp and Gyarados of different colors playing peacefully with each other. You can see brown, red, green, yellow, black and a many other colors.
"This is amazing. I've never seen a Pokemon that comes in so many different colors." Ash says still in awe. All of the Magikarp and Gyarados turn towards Ash and Pikachu when they heard him, making them both freeze in fear of the Gyarados. They start swimming towards the two, and to the shock of them both, crawl or hop on the land towards them. They all surround Ash and Pikachu who are shaking in fear when a group of Magikarp suddenly jump at them and start tickling them with their whiskers.
"Hahahaha!" Ash and Pikachu break down laughing at the Magikarps antics, and looking around see the rest of the Magikarp and Gyarados are also laughing at them. "So you all just want to play, Huh?" He asks and sees them all nod happily, even the Gyarados. "Alright, then let's play!"
~The Next Morning~
We find Ash and Pikachu sleeping against a green Gyarados, with the rest of the Magikarp and Gyarados sleeping around them, or in the water. They all start waking up to the sun shining down on them, and slowly open their eyes.
Ash looks around at all the Gyarados and Magikarp, and smiles sadly, wishing he could stay here and play with them forever. But he has a dream to accomplish, so he can not stay.
"Gyarados, Magikarp, it was a lot of fun playing with you guys yesterday, but Pikachu and I need to head off on our journey. We'll try and come back again in the future to play with you all again though." All of the Gyarados and Magikarp pout, as it's the first time in thousands of years that they have had someone of a different species to play with. A Black and Brown Magikarp hop up to Ash and tackles him crying slightly. The two Magikarp look much younger than the rest of the group.
"Don't worry guys, I'll be back to play with you again some time." The two shake their heads furiously and turn to Pikachu and ask him something. Ash looks on confused as Pikachu perks up and replies to them. He points at the Pokeballs on his belt a couple of times and the two Magikarp look happy as Pikachu walks up to Ash and points at the Pokeballs and then back to the two Magikarp.
Ash looks around confused at the two Magikarp that look happy then around to the other Gyarados and Magikarp, seeing them smiling fondly at the two young Magikarp. Ash finally pieces it together.
"Pikachu, do they want to join me on our journey?" Ash asks, and smiles happily when Pikachu nods.
"Pika!" Pikachu bounces around happily as Ash takes off two Pokeballs from his belt and turns to the two Magikarp who are also bouncing around happily.
"Are you two sure that you want to come with me?" He asks them and sees them nod(or as close as a fish can get to nodding) at him. He turns to the rest of the group. "You guys don't mind if them come with me, Do you?" he sees the Gyarados shake their heads.
"Alright, then I'll catch you and we'll be on our way!" Ash says excitedly before capturing the two Magikarp. "I'll be back to play with you all again someday. Take care of yourselves!" Ash calls to the others and they all roar their goodbyes to the two as they start to leave.
"Well Pikachu, we may still be lost, but we found a bunch of new friends, and two of them are going to be joining us on our journey!" Ash says before looking at the sky and seeing a majestic bird Pokemon flying through a Rainbow. He pulls out his Pokedex to scan it.
No data found in the Kanto Regional Database. Searching...Data found in the Johto Regional Database.
Ho-oh, The Rainbow Pokemon. A Legendary Pokemon of the Johto Region. This Pokemon only shows itself to those with a pure soul, and is said to bring eternal happiness to the viewer. This Pokemon has not been recorded as having been seen in nearly 300 years.
Ash and Pikachu stare at the Legendary Pokemon in awe as it flies away. "Let's follow the direction Ho-oh was flying. Maybe it will lead us back to Route 1." Ash says and starts running in the direction Ho-oh left towards.
~At Professor Oak's Lab~
"Oh, Ash has captured two new Pokemon. Looks like I won that bet with Gary. What are they..? Hmm.. Magikarp? He could do better, but I won't argue with what a new trainer captures.. What's this? He's scanning something from another region now..?" Oak freezes in shock at what Ash's Pokedex has scanned. "Ho-oh..? It can't be.. It hasn't been seen in almost three hundred years when it's tower burnt down... Ash.. what kind of amazing future do you have coming...?" Oak says in awe of the Pokemon Ash has scanned, before looking back at his captures and wondering if there is something weird about the two Magikarp.
~An Hour Later - Route 1, A Few Miles From Viridian City~
"It's a good thing that we saw Ho-oh when we did. Who knows how long it would have taken us to find our way back here otherwise." Ash said with a smile while scratching Pikachu.
"Let's stop and have lunch before we head into Viridian City." Ash says before letting out his two new Magikarp and setting up a small picnic with what's left of his mother's cooking.
"Hmm, I should scan you two to know how far along you are in your training.." Ash says as he takes out his Pokedex and scans the black Magikarp first.
This Magikarp is Water and Dark type... Error.. Rescanning. This Magikarp is Water and Dark type... Error.. Searching Internet... Searching History... Data Found.
In ruins deep in Sinnoh, data has been found suggesting Magikarp were able to use a wide variety of attacks from every type of Pokemon. There is a possibility that Magikarp and Gyarados were the ancestors of most known variety of fish pokemon that evolved to adapt to their environments. Magikarp with these abilities have not been seen in thousands of years, suggesting that this Magikarp is a direct descendant to these ancient creatures.
Scanning.. This Magikarp is Water and Dark Type. This Pokemon is Male and is 3'2" and weighs 38 pounds.
It's ability is Infiltrator.
Infiltrator ignores Safeguard, Reflect and Light Screens effects.
This Magikarp knows the moves: Tackle, Faint Attack, Water Gun and Fake Tears.
Ash stares in amazement at the black Magikarp as he turns his Pokedex to scan the brown Magikarp.
This Magikarp is Water and Rock type. This pokemon is Female and is 2'9" and weighs 124 pounds.
It's ability is Solid Rock.
Solid Rock makes super effective moves weaker.
This Magikarp knows the moves: Tackle, Ancient Power, Water Gun and Harden.
Ash sits there staring at the two Magikarp amazed before smiling and jumping up in joy. "The second day of my journey and I've caught two extremely rare Pokemon! I can't wait for the rest of my journey!" Ash yells out excitedly and his Magikarp and Pikachu join him, slightly confused why he's so happy though.
~Professor Oak's Lab~
We find Professor Oak passed out on the floor, foaming from the mouth. On his computer screen, you can see the information that Ash just received on his two Magikarp.
~Route 1~
"I should give you nicknames so you know which one of you two I'm talking to." Ash says in thought before turning to the black Magikarp. "How about Hades for you? He is the God of Death, and you're a Dark type. " He asks and sees the black Magikarp nod happily.
Turning to the brown Magikarp. "How about Gaia for you? Gaia is the goddess of the Earth, and you are a Rock type." He asks and sees her hop around happily. "Alright! Welcome to the group, Hades and Gaia!" He says and the two tackle him and tickle him, while Pikachu laughs at them from the side.
I can't wait to see what is coming with the rest of my journey! Ash thinks excitedly before calming everyone down for lunch.
Going to end this story here for now.
As for the Magikarp's stats, they are as follows. *Note, These Magikarp won't evolve until 'level 50'. I won't be basing things around level, so I'll just place it around the 7th - 8th badge. One will evolve against Blaine, and the other will evolve against Giovanni. This is so that rumors will start spreading around Kanto, and eventually the other regions about a trainer defeating gym leaders with Magikarp. When he gets to the Indigo League, The rumors will be so widespread, everyone around the world will tune into the Indigo League to try and find proof in the rumors of someone actually winning with the world's most pathetic Pokemon, where when he battles with his Gyarados, the world's researchers are going to go nuts over them being different typings. After the Indigo League, he'll breed them and donate the eggs to Pokemon Reserves so they can bring back these powerful beasts from near extinction.(The ancient Magikarp genes will be dominant. Any typing can come out of the eggs.)
Gaia:
HP: 50 Attack: 50, Defense: 105, Special Attack: 30, Special Defense: 85, Speed: 40. Total: 360.
Gaia as a Gyarados will have.
HP: 100 Attack: 95, Defense: 165, Special Attack: 70, Special Defense: 120, Speed: 80. Total: 630
Hades:
HP: 40, Attack: 80, Defense: 30, Special Attack: 70, Special Defense: 40, Speed: 100. Total: 360.
Hades as a Gyarados will have.
HP: 95, Attack: 160, Defense: 50, Special Attack: 125, Special Defense: 60, Speed: 140. Total: 630.
Yes, I know the total stats are close to Mega Gyarados' stats. I meant it to be that way. I look at Mega Evolution as being their form of true power from ancient times.(Like Primal Evolution for the Weather Trio). These Magikarp ARE the ancient creatures, they just look similar to the normal forms, rather than Gyarados' Mega Form. There will either be no Mega Evolution for Ash, or it will NOT be his Gyarados that will Mega Evolve.
Hades is going to be the reckless powerhouse that destroys anything it faces, but gets taken out quickly once it starts getting attacked. While Gaia is going to be a massive tank who deals average damage but can barely be moved.
These numbers will probably have zero effect on anything besides letting you know how strong they are. I will not be detailing out in the future the stats of any other Pokemon.
My question for you all is, Do you want me to make a 'normal' team for him. Ie: It'll be Pikachu, Gaia, Hades, Charizard, Vileplume and Pidgeot. Electric, Water, Dark, Rock, Fire, Flying, Grass, Poison, Normal.
Or would you like Ash to have a 'fossil' team. Ie: It'll be Pikachu, Gaia, Hades Aerodactl, Armaldo, Charizard. Electric, Water, Dark, Rock, Flying, Bug, Fire.
The reason I say Charizard for both is not because I 'like' Charizard. It's because I can't stand the thought of leaving Charmander to die because of Damien. Either team you chose, Charizard will not be a disobedient Pokemon. How a Pokemon that Ash literally saved from death and an abusive trainer turns his back on him is beyond me to begin with.
If you want the fossil team, but without Charizard, I'll simply have him save Charmander and send him back to Professor Oak's Lab to live the rest of his life happily in safety, giving him a fear of battling after what Damien put him through. Recommend what you want as the final fossil for him if this is your choice.
I'm unsure if Brock and Misty should join Ash or not. Let me know if you want one of them, or both of them to join him on his journey. There will be no relationships until I post future Regions at the earliest.(If I chose to go past Kanto) Ash is 10 years old. I don't know about you, but in 4th - 5th grade, all I cared about was hanging out with my friends and having fun. I didn't start getting interested in girls until I was 12. Maybe I was just late on that part though.
Going to leave this for a week to get some answers on which team you'd rather see Ash use. The next couple of chapters depends on which team is chosen. I can work with both teams, and may make a A.U. side story using the other team in the future if enough people want the other team as well.
Author's Notes in the future will be much shorter.