A/N: This is a short one-shot that just popped into my head one day (it was inspired by my own Magikarp in my Diamond version), and so I wrote it down. Also, I really didn't know what category to put it in, so now it is in Angst. Well, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

I spent most of my life swimming around the small ocean world that I knew – my entire species did, really; we really weren't capable of much else. My kind was very disregarded among trainers, even though many fishermen liked using us in battles.

But every one of us dreamed of evolving, of not being limited to a few pathetic moves, of some sort of revenge against humans. For we, the Magikarp, had been mistreated for as long as we could remember.

There were stories. Stories we all knew about – ones about revulsion, of pity, of humans looking down on us. We, the fish Pokémon. Laughed at and scorned; our suffering at the hands of humans had no end, and there seemed to be no end in sight.

Even worse, there were accounts of Magikarp being eaten. A delicacy in some parts of the world, or just roasted on a stick. Either way, hearing of these practices enraged us even more.

Granted, we didn't have the best memory spans, but we could remember all of the loathing humans had poured onto us, a huge flood of abhorrence ever since they had started training Pokémon. Only some had loved us and cared for us, turning their backs on what other humans had said, then evolved us. These humans were the ones that all of us wished would come into our lives; all of us unevolved ones wished to evolve, even in captivity, for our evolved form was so much more powerful and influential than what we were now.

Of course, there were other tales… Tales of powerful Magikarp that evolved into powerful Gyarados. Huge ones, mighty ones who could – and would – knock down whole towns and cities with a swipe of their tail. We also heard of strangely colored ones, bizarre Magikarp and Gyarados that were highly prized among humans. They were golden-colored, or so we heard. Evolving into powerful red Gyarados, they would be the prize piece in any trainer's collection. Even so, they were rare, and the chances of many appearing at once and helping to lift our species from our low tier were slim, at best.

Magikarp. A pathetic, sad, useless Pokémon, they all said. Even their Pokédexes said so, and their professors did too. Released or made fun of immediately after being caught. It wasn't a happy existence we lived, that's for sure.

Communication between our species was difficult sometimes, making our life almost unbearably dull, but we managed to plod along in our lives. After all, each of us struggled through the days to hope and dream of becoming a Gyarados someday. It wasn't often that one of us did, but maybe after a brief struggle or battle, one of our kin would evolve. These events were always a cause for celebration, and the newly evolved Gyarados would leave to find a better life, and to take their own revenge on trainers that they had been mistreated by.

There was a catch, however.

Once we evolved, there would be trainers – many trainers, who would want to take a shot at catching a Gyarados. Even if they weren't monstrous or uniquely colored, many trainers wanted to raise them. Still counted as powerful sometimes, and useful in battles.

And so, when one of us evolved, that Gyarados was immediately sought out by greedy trainers eager to lay their hands on one of those elusive Pokémon. Their twisted ethics of taking away all of our hard work kept us from exacting our rightful revenge, for once captured, the Gyarados would soften up to humans.

When we encountered a trained Gyarados, we still treated them with respect, since we knew that the happiness with humans was forced onto them. Well, we didn't know, but that was what we suspected – none of us could ever imagine forgiving a human, especially not a trainer.

After seeing numerous Gyarados like that, the only thing that kept us going was the thought that if we, individually, could overcome that seemingly mandatory feeling of friendliness towards the human who would capture us if we evolved. At least, that was what kept me going.

Ever since I learned of our plight, I knew that I would have to work hard to fight for us Magikarp. So now, after every one of my personal struggles, no matter how large or small, I keep our species' eternal struggle in mind in the hopes that I will be the one to avenge us all.

For I know that some day, even though it might be a long way off, one of us will break through.

Someday, we shall make them pay.

And someday, I will join our centuries-long fight for our long overdue justice.

As a Gyarados.