At the mouth of the river, in a calm and serene pool were hundreds of eggs nestled into countless tight groups. A gentle and weak current guided everything in the pool towards the thin mouth of the river. Leaves, small twigs and seeds lazily bobbed through the water with the current. The eggs however stayed where they were, walls of sturdy rocks forming barricades around all the different clusters. The pool was veiled in darkness by the tight canopy above, the walls of tree trunks offering the vulnerable eggs protection from hungry eyes. Suddenly a beam of light split through the darkness, radiating out of a crack in one of the eggs. It shook and hopped, more cracks splitting light through the darkness. Until eventually the shell of the egg crumbled apart and a tiny Magikarp floated to the surface, bobbing for a moment before being carried away by the current. More eggs began to crack, countless thin beams of light dancing around the small clearing of the pool. Curious eyes peered out from the thick forest around, marvelling at the show. A little army of Magikarp began trickling from the pool, the light of their siblings hatching glistening off their red scales. While many egg groups had begun to hatch, the first one to begin was almost complete with only one especially large egg remaining. It jostled about, twitching and hopping until a huge crack split it down the middle. The shell fell away and Magikarp floated to the surface. Unlike his siblings, he was anything but calm. He flailed and panicked as the current dragged him from the pool. He couldn't see anything but what the tiny beams of light offered him, catching glimpses of the rocky river floor and tall trees surrounding him.
After a few minutes of blindly bumping into rocks and skidding through the shallow waters, the river began to widen around him. The canopy thinned and the water grew deeper until suddenly his eyes were bombarded with sunlight. He winced, squinting his eyes as he continued to uselessly flail his body. None of his muscles would listen to him no matter how hard he tried to coordinate them. In front of him, he saw his siblings floating lazily through the water not putting any attempts into moving. They allowed the current to take them, not so much as flinching when they gently floated into rocks or scraped against the sides of the river. He tried copying them, relaxing and allowing the current to lead him. It felt pleasant for a moment and he felt as if he might drift off to sleep as the water gently rocked him. Yet, as other pokémon came into view above him he felt a strange yearning. He watched Pidgey and Spearow fighting each other above the river, their wings moving precisely to manoeuvre through the air. The air didn't guide them as the water guided him, their bodies demanded control and achieved it gracefully. He wondered if he had wings like them and decided to check. To his disappointment, he found only fins, while they looked like wings when he tried to flap them he did not fly. Instead, he only jumped out of the water for a moment, splashing uselessly against the surface. The air did feel refreshing though as his body rushed through it if only for a short moment. Slowly his body began to make sense to him, his fins were more like wings than he gave them credit for. They let him move side to side and up and down through the water. His tail, flat and fan-like, helped him go forward and turn. Although turning while the current dragged him along proved futile. His body could bend from side to side which helped him move faster. Gleefully he shot through the water with the current, smashing into rocks and his siblings. Excitedly he looked for someone to play with but no one was moving like him, they kept still and floated aimlessly. Perhaps some of them twitched their fins and tails but nothing ever came of it.
Defeated, he stopped and floated with them. Again he looked up, the sky much clearer now as the trees grew further and further apart. He saw the white fluffy clouds, floating just like him through the sky. That yearning came back again and he felt himself longing to swim amongst the clouds. He watched with envy as a huge Fearow soared high above in the air, gracefully ducking and weaving through the clouds. Magikarp leapt from the water again but only made it a few inches before splashing back down. Again and again, he tried to leap from the water but never made it far. Now, as the river became more populated he found himself being mocked by other water pokémon. He scowled at Krabby who clung to the river floor, digging through the stones for food. Poliwag hopped in and out of the water, using their legs to waddle about on the shore. One pokémon however surprised him. Another fish pokémon Goldeen swam against the current gracefully and barged at a Krabby. The Goldeen speared him with her horn and threw him up above the water, leaping up to catch him in her mouth. Whether it was out of envy of Goldeen or spite towards the river, Magikarp felt determined to turn around and swim backwards too. He flicked his body, spinning around to face backwards. However, the current caught him and spun him back around in a full circle instead of the half he was aiming for. Undeterred, he tried again and again until he finally was facing backwards. Unsteadily he fought his body as the shape of it tried to spin him back around. His tail flailed and his body writhed as he tried to swim against the current. While he did slow down slightly, the current still dominated him and eventually flipped him back around. He crashed into a rock and his head spun, his vision blurring slightly.
After taking a moment to regain his senses Magikarp spun back around. He fought the current with everything he had. The furious movements of his tail and body churned the water into white foam. Until finally he looked around him and saw that he was now still in the water, the power of the current and himself at an equilibrium. Distracted by his achievement it was already too late when he noticed one of his siblings being hurtled towards him by the current. Vainly he tried to use his fins to duck out of the way but he had only managed a small adjustment before the two of them crashed together. They spun wildly out of control, his sibling zooming past further down the river while he crashed right into another rock. This rock was sloped and rather than stopping him where he was, it shot him out of the water. However, in his panic, Magikarp failed to appreciate that. He was shot into the river bank and found himself stuck in the silty sand, unable to flick himself back into the water. For a moment he thought he would suffocate without the water but to his surprise, he found he could breathe the air. The gills on either side of his head closed shut and he found that the air ran down his throat and filled his lungs.
"Don't give up, you were doing great!" A sweet voice called out to him.
With the eye not buried into the sand, Magikarp saw a strange-looking pokémon on two legs wading through the river towards him. It was tall and skinny, with smooth hairless skin that had no scales either. The skin was pale and when it got wet it seemed to glisten, the water making it slick. On its head, long auburn hair hung down all the way past its shoulders. Perhaps most strange of all, it wore fabric on its body in place of fur. Once it arrived, two long arms stretched out with open hands. The hands grasped his body and lifted him into the air, holding him right in front of its face. The face was flat, with two eyes pointing forward, a strange bump below them and a mouth full of strange white things. Around the pokémon's shoulders was what appeared to be another pokémon. It was long and skinny, with no fins or wings or limbs at all. It had two ears that looked like a mixture of fins and wings. Its eyes shone purple and stared at Magikarp with a fascination that unnerved him.
"Magikarp!" He exclaimed with a panic, flailing to try and get free.
The strange pokémon giggled and the fingers wrapped around him stroked his scales soothingly.
"Okay okay, I'll put you back!" It laughed before dropping him gently back into the water.
Immediately, the current caught him and began to drag him along again. Only for a moment, however, as he soon was stopped by the pokémon's hand.
"Try again, I'll be here if you mess up." It assured, the words muffled by the water.
Magikarp wearily did as it said and began swimming against the current again. His tail whipped back and forth, bringing him slowly away from the hand. Again, another Magikarp came speeding towards him but he dodged. His fins shifted much like the wings of Pidgey and Spearow. He ducked down beneath him and continued forward slowly. Again and again, he weaved out of the way, still not able to gain much speed.
"Concentrate Magikarp! Feel the energy around you and use it!" He heard the strange pokémon call out to him.
He had no idea what it was talking about but decided to go along with it anyway. Around him, he didn't see any energy or feel it. Not that he knew what energy was meant to feel like and he didn't dare close his eyes to really concentrate as his siblings continued speeding towards him with the current. As he continued to dodge and weave with fluid movements something began to feel off. He kept pushing his body harder and harder. As he approached what felt like his limit something began to tingle around him. The tips of his fins buzzed and his scales felt almost alive. Then suddenly, out of the corner of his eye he saw a white spark shoot from his fin. Followed by another and another, until before knew it both his fins were glowing white. Although he couldn't see it he knew his tail was too from the intense heat radiating from it. Each flick of his tail felt powerful and he began to zoom through the water faster than he knew how to handle. Immediately, he crashed into another Magikarp and spun out of control. The white glow immediately snapped away before he crashed into a rock and was quickly swept back by the current. As promised the strange pokémon caught him and again lifted him from the air. While he felt exhausted, it was smiling.
"Amazing! You're so strong!" It congratulated.
The purple pokémon around its shoulder even gave him an approving grin.
"Karp?" He questioned in a confused daze.
The creature's face seemed puzzled for a moment before an amused grin flashed across its face.
"Oh, I'm sorry." It laughed, "My name is Abby, I'm a human and this Dratini… a Dratini." She explained cheerfully.
She sat down on the river bank and placed him in the shallows of the water. Flicking away would be easy but Magikarp was intrigued now. From the way this Abby described it, it was like being a human was different from being a pokémon. His intrigue was peaked even more when she offered a red and white ball to him.
"Would you like to join me and Dratini? I want to help you not only swim but go much further too!" She offered, bubbling with excitement.
Magikarp felt hesitant, but when he looked back at his siblings floating aimlessly through the water it disappeared. Whatever lay ahead with this, "human," could only be more exciting. He smiled at her and splashed in the water.
"Karp! Magi-Magikarp!" He exclaimed, making Abby laugh loudly.
She held up the ball and pointed it at him, pressing a white button on the front with her thumb. Suddenly a flash of red light blinded him and the world disappeared, seeming to dissolve into wobbling waves. Then everything was black and Magikarp could feel nothing. He couldn't see, hear, taste, smell or feel. Like he was floating in a void.
"Species identified as, Magikarp. Magikarp, do you consent to capture?" A robotic voice seemed to ask in his head.
He knew he nodded but couldn't feel the movement.
"You will be relocated from your current habitat. Do you still consent?" The voice asked again.
Again he did not feel the nod but when the last question came he knew he must have.
"Do you trust and feel a bond with the human who has captured you?" The voice asked.
Magikarp considered the question for a moment and imagined the genuine joy that Abby had expressed when he agreed to join her. Confidently, Magikarp nodded again. Immediately, the darkness was replaced by a huge expanse of water. So deep that Magikarp couldn't even see the bottom.
"This is your virtual habitat. Any needs you may require can be found within it while inside your pokéball. Feel free to explore, no predators will harm you here." The voice said one last time before going quiet.
Only a few moments had passed before again a red light filled Magikarp's vision and he found himself back in the river with Abby looking over him excitedly.
"Alright!" She exclaimed, "You ready to do more training?"
Magikarp could feel the current thundering against him again, pushing him hard into Abby's open palm. With a determined scowl he turned around and started to swim again. He demanded control of the current and with this human on his side he felt confident it would obey. Again and again, he pushed and pushed, zipping between the Magikarp and rocks. Although he would inevitably crash into something and end up back in Abby's hand, each attempt made a little more progress. What had seemed like an untameable force of the river was beginning to make sense to him, each movement of his body now calculated and practised rather than random guessing. He ducked around Magikarp, leapt over rocks and commanded the white glow with a controlled grace. It was only when Abby plucked him from the water and hugged him to her chest did he realise how tired he was. Although it had only felt like moments when he looked up the bright blue sky was now a vibrant pink that made the clouds glow red. His muscles felt red hot and stiff, any movement a tremendous effort. He allowed himself to be carried away by Abby, closing his eyes and listening to the gentle beat of her heart. Eventually, he felt her sat down and a great heat washed over his body. When he opened his eyes he saw a blazing fire contained in a circle of stones before him, with logs placed around it. Abby was sitting on one, holding him in her lap. Out of the water his fins and tail did nothing, so he allowed her to hold him and decided to enjoy the warmth. Across from them on another log was another human and what he assumed was a pokémon, although it did look oddly human. The human was sat beside him with her head resting on his shoulder, while the pokémon's arm was firmly holding her to him by the waist. Magikarp soon noticed that Abby and this other human kept glancing at each other when the other wasn't looking. The faces they made were strange, a bundle of mixed emotions. Magikarp looked up at Dratini around Abby's shoulders, to see if his expression would tell him anything. Dratini was slumped down on her shoulder, looking out away from them both with an expression that seemed both bored and annoyed.
"Karp?" He asked softly to Dratini.
His voice caught the attention of the other human, raising her head from the pokémon's shoulder to look at him.
"You caught a Magikarp?" She asked timidly.
Abby poked at the fire with a stick and didn't so much as lookup.
"Yeah." She answered bluntly.
The answer made the human shuffle awkwardly as if she was building up courage.
"Abby… I'm sorry if I upset you okay?" She murmured uncomfortably.
There was a pause as Abby shifted on the log and Magikarp saw the guilty look on her face as she looked down at the ground.
"I'm not, angry at you." She struggled out, "It's just..." She stopped as if the words pained her.
Dratini lifted his head and turned around to face her, watching her intently. The other human gave her a puzzled look and sat forward on her log.
"It's just what?" She probed.
Abby huffed and whipped her head up to face her.
"It's just! Well, I thought once I left my family behind I'd feel better." She admitted, kicking at the dirt, "but I don't." She muttered with a tremble.
The human's face turned from confused to sympathetic as she got up from her log. She walked across the circle and sat down next to Abby. They hugged the human holding Abby to her chest and resting her head on top of hers.
"Oh, Abby…" She whispered gently.
Dratini smiled at Abby warmly and nuzzled his cheek against hers, running the tip of his tail up and down her arm. Abby made a small whimper before quietly sobbing into the human's chest. Despite not knowing what was happening, Magikarp didn't like seeing the human that had helped him sad. So he wriggled gently on her knees.
"Karp." He said softly.
A smile cracked on Abby's face and she stroked his scales without saying anything. They stayed like that for a while, holding each other in the warmth of the fire. Its glow intensified as the pink dusk sky was replaced by the dark black of night. The clouds still remained, only letting a few stars twinkle in the sky. As well as a part of the Moon. The clouds drifted slowly, revealing new stars and covering old ones. All the while letting more and more of the moon slip out until it was beaming down on them fully. In his wonder of its beauty, Magikarp hadn't noticed that Abby was carrying him. Only once she had ducked into the tent and the moon disappeared behind its canvas door did his eyes dart about. Abby sat on the floor and flung her bag into the corner.
"You wanna sleep here or in your ball?" She asked both him and Dratini, offering the two balls to them.
Dratini dismissed them instantly and slithered down from her arm, coiling up in a tight spiral on the ground. Magikarp considered the ground but the idea of sleeping on its hard, bumpy surface didn't seem too appealing to him. He shook his head and looked at the ball.
"Magikarp!" He exclaimed, making Abby giggle.
"Okay, here." She laughed, pointing the ball at him.
Again red light filled his eyes and he found himself back in the huge expanse of open water. In this world, it was night too, with the same dazzling night sky. Magikarp gazed at it for a while before feeling his exhaustion creep back. He dove down under the water and found that a huge coral reef covered a giant pillar of rock that reached down further than he could see. All kinds of water pokémon, mostly other fish swam about disappearing into holes and crevasses. Magikarp zipped about the coral, looking for a vacant opening. Eventually, he found one. A large, deep cave surrounded by a plethora of vibrant coral. Lazily, he drifted inside and nestled up deep inside where the light didn't reach. He shut his eyes and drifted off the sleep peacefully.