"Magikarp, jump!"

David thrust his finger into the air, as was his custom flourish.

David's magikarp and the opposing magikarp shot up into the sky, all the while flailing and sputtering like the fish out of water they were. Their hang time was long enough for David and his opponent, Sullivan, to exchange thin lipped smiles.

As the two magikarp careened down to earth, David winced a little. A jump this high would surely make a magikarp shaped hole in the ground upon landing. Magikarp never seemed to be hurt, but David still worried. He loved his magikarp and couldn't bear the thought of it being hurt. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to push it. No early retirement for this pokémon. Every day from here on out was going to be training, berries, and league matches. All the way to the Master League.

The magikarp landed. The crowd went silent as the announcer conferred with the judges. He stepped to the mic.

"That's right, it's me, Flop Hoppington, here to please. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a first for the jump circuit, but we have a tie!"

The crowd gasped.

"Good job, Magikarp!" Sullivan pulled out a pokéball and pulled his magikarp back.

A pokéball, that's strange, David thought. He had never even seen one until he'd left Hoppy Town. Pokéballs were tools of so called pokémon trainers. People who forced pokémon to fight to the death. Or fainting, as they called it.

No matter, what a jump. A historical tie. It had never happened in all of jump history. That was an honor in and of itself. But a tie with someone using a pokéball?

David and Sullivan stepped into the winner's circle. Flop was there, giddy with the prospect of overseeing a tie. This would seal his position as the premiere jump announcer. Sullivan could barely withhold his excitement. David showed no sign of emotion.

Flop held up the two opponents' hands. "Let's hear it for…"

"Ditto, I choose you!" David shouted.

Suddenly, a ditto burst out of Sullivan's pocket as the sound of a pokéball erupted.

"Diiiiii-tto!" the ditto cried.

The stadium jumped to its feet. The shape changing pokémon, ditto, had been used in a jump event! It had been so long since such an attempt was made, proper checks against ditto weren't even bothered with.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the second unheard of event of the night, but with Sullivan's magikarp disqualified, David is now champion of the Fast League!"

The crowd was already on their feet, but if they weren't they would have risen to celebrate the most exciting match in jump history.

David smiled at his magikarp. "Let's give 'em a jump they won't forget, eh, Magikarp?"

Magikarp launched into the air as the crowd roared. Flop cupped his hand around his mouth as if to do a stage aside, "With a jump like that, you two could enter the Luxury League."

David scratched the back of his head. "You need real money to enter that league. Me and Magikarp are just going to stay on the local circuits for now."

"Look out!"

Magikarp, coming down from its victory jump, crashed into Flop and David, knocking both of them off their feet.

Dazed, Magikarp was David's first thought. "Magikarp, are you all right?"

"Karp… karp karp."

David grabbed Magikarp off the ground with a gasp of relief. He and Magikarp were safe.

"Karp karp karp? Magi… karp."

David looked down. The everstone he had in his bag had taken the brunt of the fall. Everstones were the only way to keep a magikarp from evolving into a monstrous gyarados. The everstone was broken. Were Magikarp to gain any experience, from berries, training, support pokémon, or Arceus forbid, battle, it would evolve into a gyarados.

David took a seat on the train back to Hoppy Town. He wrapped his blanket around Magikarp a little tighter. Magikarp didn't understand what would happen if it tried to perform a jump, so the less it could move, the better.

"Berry sir? Fresh berries?" An old merchant holding a box of berries stood over him.

"I'm fine, thanks."

"What about that magikarp there, it looks hungry."

"Magikarp is fine too."

"Your magikarp won't evolve into a gyarados if you don't feed him."

"I said we're fine."

"Here you go, mister, a free sample in case you change your mind later."

David batted the berry away. "Look, I'm trying to be polite here, but I don't want your stupid berries."

"But don't you want your magikarp to evolve?"

"No I don't, old man, go away!" David raised his voice a little too loudly and caught the attention of the other passengers. This was a Lumiose commuter train. Most people from the big city wouldn't understand why he wouldn't want Magikarp to evolve into one of those soulless, unthinking monsters, bred only for combat. David shuddered at the very thought. Compared to trainer battles, magikarp jump was so tiny, they probably hadn't even heard of it. Much less understand it.

"You dropped your berry, mister." A small child stood before him holding the berry he had swatted away.

Some days you just can't get rid of a berry.

David took it and swallowed it so that he could be rid of the thing.

The kid made a face. "Ew." The Lumiose commuter train was not known for its clean floors. "I thought you were going to give it to your pokémon."

"Well, thanks anyway."

"Is that a magikarp?"

"Yeah."

"Can I play with it?"

"No."

"Why isn't it in water, is it okay?"

"We're going to be fine once we get home, thanks."

"Why can't I play with it?"

"Because you can't."

"Mommy this man is being mean to me and he won't take care of his magikarp!"

That did it. He was getting the wrong kind of attention. The other passengers murmured with concern.

"Why won't he feed his magikarp?" "Should he be on a train like this?"

David got up to move to another car. Before he could get there, he ran into a conductor. "Is there a problem here, sir?"

"No problem, just stretching my legs."

"I've been getting some complaints about you disrupting other customers. And that magikarp looks sick."

"We'll behave, sorry for the trouble."

"I'm going to have to ask you to get off at the next stop. There's a pokécenter there that'll take care of you."

"I don't need a pokécenter, I need to get back to Hoppy Town!"

"Hoppy Town? Sir, this is an express train, the closest we're going to get is Shalour City."

"Shalour? That's half a day from Hoppy Town!"

"Sir, please lower your voice."

"I will not lower my voice, we need to make an extra stop!"

"Perhaps you'd like to take it up with Officer Jenny and her Growlithe?"

"Maybe I would! Water types are super effective against fire types, are they not?" David was bluffing. He didn't understand how pokémon typing worked and even if he did, Magikarp was a jumper, not a fighter. But he had to try something to get back home.

"You're getting off at the next stop, sir."

"You're letting me stay on until at least Shalour!" David said with a poke at the conductor's chest.

"That's it."

The conductor grabbed David as the train skidded to a halt. David realized the whole car had been watching them as they let out a cheer. One of them opened the door for the conductor.

"Have a nice day," he said as he threw David to the ground.

"Wait, what about Magikarp?"

Magikarp was tossed at him like so much rubbish.

A gyarados slithered across the route 111 desert. Thirsty for blood, it smacked its lips. There was prey nearby. It came upon a campfire, a human and his pokémon sleeping nearby. It was David, clutching onto Magikarp as if for dear life. Magikarp woke up. He saw the gyarados but showed no fear. He looked the gyarados in the eye and nodded as if to accept his fate.

"Karp." It swallowed hard. "Magikarp."

The gyarados bared it's teeth and went in for the kill.

"Magikarp!" David shouted as he jumped up from his blanket. A dream, thank goodness. Magikarp blew a spit bubble, still asleep even with the commotion.

"Nice night," a voice behind him calmly intoned.

David turned around to find an unshaven man in a Hawaiian shirt holding a fan.

"Yes, very."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all."

The man of mystery took a seat by the fire. "Been on the road long?" he asked.

"Long enough."

"Where you headed?"

David was wary of this stranger, but it couldn't hurt to tell him his destination. "Hoppy Town."

"Hoppy Town, huh? You're a long ways from home, aren't you?"

"I suppose."

"I feel bad for asking, but do you have any food? It's been a while since I've had a good meal."

"Sorry, I don't."

The man pondered that for a few moments. "You sure about that?"

David was confused. "Look, if I had food to share, I'd share it. I'm as hungry as you are, I'm just tying to get home."

The man scratched his stubble. "See, you say you're hungry. But I find that hard to believe."

"Why's that?"

The man motioned at Magikarp. "Seems like you've got fish on the menu if you want it."

David pulled Magikarp close. "Not funny."

"You're not hungry?"

"You're not welcome here, move along."

"Or else what? You'll pull a knife on me?" The man pulled out a knife of his own. "Serrated edge. Perfect for gutting a fish. Or a man, for that matter."

David set Magikarp behind him. "Fine by me." He lunged at the man, unconcerned as to whether he might be hit by the blade. Magikarp shouted at the top of his gills as if to give David commands. Ironic, David thought. A pokémon giving commands for a human in battle. David managed to get the knife away from the man and threw it out of reach.

"I don't want to hurt you. Move along and I won't report you to the authorities."

The man stood up and dusted himself off. "Fair enough. Shake?"

"Sure, fine."

The man reached out his hand to shake, as did David. When they touched, the man pulled David in, throwing him to the ground. His hands wrapped around David's neck.

"What's wrong with you? A magikarp's life isn't worth anything. And you're risking yours to defend it?"

David tried in vain to reach the knife. His fingers fumbled at it, trying to bring it closer. He was starting to lose consciousness.

The man laughed. "Don't worry, I'll save you a bite." David, with his last ounce of strength took the knife and plunged it into the man's back. Blood trickled out of his mouth.

"I… just…" David stabbed him again. And again. Until he lost count. The man's body eventually went limp. David got out from under him and picked Magikarp up.

"Are you okay, Magikarp?"

Magikarp stared back at him. Scared, confused. "Kaaaaaarp."

"Come on, Magikarp, we need to get going."

Hoppy Town: Population 6,432. All magikarp welcome! The sign at the city limits of Hoppy Town. They were finally home. And not a moment to soon. David's lips parched, still limping from his fight with the stranger. Magikarp, in even worse shape, his scales discolored and peeling off.

"We made it, Magikarp. We made it." He could barely hold himself up anymore and dropped to the ground. A small child approached him.

"Are you okay, mister?"

"I'll be fine. Just… Do you know where Clefairy Lane is?"

"Sure."

"The first house on the block. The door's open." People always left their doors open in Hoppy Town. That's the kind of place it was. "There's an everstone under the kitchen sink. Could you get it for me?"

"Okay!"

"And some water for Magikarp. Please."

The kid ran off.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all this, Magikarp. But it's over now. We're home."

"Well well. The prodigal pokémon returns."

David looked up. Sullivan. And five of his thuggish looking friends, all with their own magikarp.

"What took you so long, David? I've been waiting here for my rematch."

"You don't get a rematch, Sullivan. You cheated and you lost. You're a disgrace to the sport."

"Am I now? Boys…"

Sullivan's thugs picked David up off the ground and held him up by his arms.

"You want to say that again?"

David gritted his teeth. "You're a disgrace to the sport."

Sullivan punched him in the gut. "I didn't mean that literally," he chuckled. "Now, I know Flop Hoppington isn't here to oversee this, so it's not quite an official match, but it'll do, won't it? All of you here will verify that I won this match fair and square, right?" His thugs nodded. "If I win, of course," he said with a smile.

"Sullivan. Fine, we can do a rematch, but please, let's wait for that kid to get back. He's bringing my…"
"I don't care what that kid is doing, we're having a rematch now." Sullivan's magikarp made a few practice bounce. Was it even a real magikarp this time? I didn't matter.

"Please, I'm begging you, Sullivan, I don't have an everstone. This will evolve him."
"Shut him up!" The thugs covered David's mouth.

"Magikarp!" Sullivan shouted. "JUMP!"

The two magikarp flew up into the air. They went high enough that everyone lost track of where they were in the sky. A few moments later, Sullivan's came crashing down, making a magikarp shaped hole. A few moments later, David's Magikarp came down to, making an even bigger hole.

"Magikarp!" David broke free from the thugs to rush over to his pokémon. "Magikarp, are you okay?"

Slowly, a monstrous figure arose from Magikarp's hole. Magikarp had evolved into a gyarados. "Magikarp, nooooo!" Tears welled up in David's eyes. He reached out to touch his pokémon's face but quickly drew it back when it snapped at him. "Do you still recognize me, Magikarp?" David stared into the newly cold eyes of his best friend. There was nothing behind those eyes. Magikarp had become a monster. It let out a terrifying roar. David dropped to his knees and sobbed.