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A long time ago, there was a poor fisherman who lived by a large lake in Johto. He was one of many, many others. He wasn’t a bad catch by any means, but even if he caught 100 fish in a day, no one wanted to buy a single one. Every day, he would go to the lake and catch two plump Magikarp, one each for his father and himself to eat. Even if he couldn’t afford much else, his elderly father always reminded him to be grateful for the nourishment the Magikarp provided.
One day, the poor fisherman went about his daily routine. He cast his line, waited until he felt a tug, and then reeled it in. To his surprise, the Magikarp he pulled out was covered in golden scales! Ecstatic, he immediately ran back to his house with the shining Pokémon to tell his father the news. The old man was just as overjoyed, but wise enough to exercise caution.
“You must not put this Magikarp in harm’s way,” his father warned him, “this is a blessing from the lake. Do not allow yourself to be blinded to that fact, lest it becomes a curse.”
The fisherman took a wooden basin used for bathing and filled it with water to place the Magikarp inside. There wasn’t a lot of space, but the Magikarp didn’t seem to mind so long as it was in water and could breathe. The fisherman then noticed that one of the Magikarp’s golden scales fell off when he was carrying it, and thought to himself that its luster could be mistaken for real gold. He brought it to his neighbor, who was a farmer, and awed by its beauty, the farmer agreed to take the golden scale in exchange for a sack of rice.
Immediately, word of the golden-scaled Magikarp spread, and hundreds of fishermen hurried to the lake with the high hopes of snagging one to bring home. The frenzy didn’t last very long though, and their determination vanished soon after the sun set in the west. Others would pay visits to the golden Pokémon and circle around the modestly sized basin, their jealousy only growing when witnessing the exchange of a singular small scale for some vegetables or grain. Overnight, the once-poor fisherman had become the envy of his neighbors, all thanks to the golden Magikarp. Soon enough, the servants of powerful families arrived at the fisherman’s doorstep, offering riches that he had only ever dreamt of before now.
“If it’s food that you seek, my masters can offer the finest grains of rice in all of Johto,” one servant spoke.
“Hah! My masters have even finer grains, imported from Kanto!” another servant said.
“Nonsense!” a third cried out. “For something as precious as gold, only alcohol and meat can come close to its value!”
The wealthy families showered the fisherman in riches, providing everything his heart desired in exchange for the Magikarp’s golden scales to adorn their clothes and jewelry. The money given to the fisherman improved his life dramatically. No longer did he sleep in discomfort when the tatami mats were replaced with soft cotton. No longer was he forced to eat only fish when he could afford the fattiest of Miltank steaks. Yet as his wealth accumulated, so did his greed. His father noticed what had become of his once humble son, and worriedly tried to persuade him to go back to his simpler ways.
“My son, this Magikarp has given us its blessing, and we can live more than comfortably with the money we have left. I beg of you, release it back into the lake so that it may bless others.”
But the fisherman only laughed at his foolish father’s advice. “Why should a Noctowl be satisfied on land when it is capable of reaching the sky? I can still put the Magikarp to good use.”
His father feared the consequences, but as he was weak in his old age, he could do nothing but pray his son saw reason. Now that the greedy fisherman had tasted extravagance, he was no longer content living the simple life he had once led. He demanded more and more. Yet as he improved his way of life, not once did he consider doing the same for the golden Magikarp.
While he feasted like a king every night, he only threw half-rotten berries to the water for the poor Magikarp to eat. Mold formed in the corners of the water basin, the fisherman not once considering to transfer it out of its measly home. The Magikarp had also rapidly grown in size despite its malnutrition, and so it was even more unhappy, unable to swim even an inch. The poor Magikarp fell ill, but the negligent fisherman paid no attention to the murky water nor to the lack of space, only caring that its scales continued to make him rich.
Eventually, as if determined to fight off the illness, the Magikarp no longer shed its golden scales. Yet instead of taking this as a sign of his wrongdoings, the fisherman criticized the Magikarp and took to pulling its scales out by force, raking the sharp side of a knife against its body. The golden fish flailed wildly each time he did so, crying out in pain, but its cries were drowned out by all the fisherman’s greedy thoughts. All he could think of was how much wealthier he would be.
Finally, one fateful day, the stress of being abused triggered a change in the golden Magikarp’s body. Its scales hadn’t fully grown back yet, and when the fisherman drew his knife against it, the metal cut into flesh instead of skin. Blood soaked the water, and soon it began to stain the Magikarp’s skin too. Its body was enveloped in a bright light, and the basin broke as the Magikarp grew massively in size, reaching the ceiling. When the light faded, the fisherman was astounded to see that the helpless fish he had taken advantage of had turned into a monstrous creature covered in hardened red scales.
In fear, the fisherman turned his knife against the red Gyarados. Seeing that the greedy fisherman still wanted to harm it, even after all the pain it had gone through, the red Gyarados opened its mouth wide and swallowed the fisherman whole. It thrashed around the house wildly, destroying all the riches the fisherman had gathered, until it crashed through the walls and fell back into the lake, swimming deep beneath the water.
The old man, mournful of the loss of his son, returned to his simple way of life, though much lonelier than before. The abundance of fish in the lake meant little to him when all he sought was companionship. When kind fishermen took pity on the old man and gave him food to eat, he insisted on sharing the meal with them. In exchange for their company he told them about the red Gyarados and his son’s tragic fate, allowing the story to be passed onto their friends and families, and future generations of fishermen. And so the tale lives on, so long as the red scales of the shiny Gyarados continue to glimmer with the rage it felt all those years ago.
So heed this tale of greed
do not harm the flesh that feeds
echo these words, before you find
tragedy’s luster and shine
Red and gold scales flash
lurking beneath fiery ash
with every line you cast
an encounter that might be your last!
Take caution! Do not tempt fate
nor the melancholy of this lake
lest your death be another page
in the history of this Lake of Rage!