"Heh, give it up, kid," the Maraquan Grarrl who runs the fishing rod stand near the lake sneered as he watched you cast your line for the hundredth time. "No one has ever caught a Titanic Giant Squid on their first day here. It takes months of training and a great amount of skill to catch one! Look at ol' Skippy there. He's been fishin' for YEARS and still hasn't caught one." He scoffed as he nodded to a rather worn-looking Krawk who was hunched over on the edge of the dock, clutching his fishing pole. His clothes were in tatters and he had a grey beard almost as long as he was tall! That Grarrl's words would have been enough to discourage anybody else, but not you! You WERE going to catch that squid and you WERE going to get that avatar! Sitting up straight and righting your shoulders, you turned from the Grarrl and concentrated on your fishing. But little did you know that someone was watching you...

A little yellow Draik had been spying on you ever since you had arrived. He hid himself behind the fishing rod rental hut so that no one would notice him, and he had spent the past several hours working up the courage to come and talk to you. Half the day had passed and he still hadn't spoken to you.

When lunch time finally arrived, you set down your rod and picked up your lunchbox. That's when the little Draik gathered the nerve to get you to notice him; well, his tummy did, anyway.

GROOOOOWWWWWL!!! A rather formidable rumple made everyone in the Cavern stop and look around. Where could such a massive sound be coming from?!?! Was it the much awaited Titanic Giant Squid? Were you going to get your avatar today after all? Your excitement was interrupted by a gentle tap on your shoulder. When you looked down, there was the Draik, staring shyly up at you.

"Um... well... uh, if you don't mind, c-could we maybe share your lunch, possibly?" he stammered while looking at your ham sandwich, drooling. Feeling a bit sorry for the poor little thing, you handed him half of your sandwich, which he gobbled down with gusto.

"Ah, that hit the spot!" He sighed after lying back and burping loudly. You couldn't help but giggle at this little creature's antics. He was pretty small to have such an audacious attitude. He was like an interesting breath of fresh air in this stale cavern, which reminded you, you had to get back to fishing! Just as you turned to pick up your fishing rod, your little lunch partner darted and grabbed it. When you turned to look at him, he also had the flask you fished up earlier.

"I've been watching you all day, and I think I have a better idea for catching your squid." He grinned at you. And with that, he popped the top off of the flask and drank down its rainbow colored contents. Afterwards he doubled over and began to change.

His brightly colored yellow scales began to grow pale until they were completely white. His wings spread then combined to form a single fin down his back, and his tail gained a fin as well. When he stood up, that little yellow Draik had changed color to Maraquan!

Gawking in amazement, you inquired, "H-how did you know that this would happen?"

"Hee hee, that was a Flask of Rainbow Fountain Water! It can change any neopet into a different color, but I'll tell you a secret! Many think that the color is random, but it really isn't. The flask will change you to the color you're supposed to be," he said proudly.

"My name is Mizuz, and I love the sea! For as long as I can remember, it's been part of who I am, so I knew I'd become a Maraquan Draik if I drank it. How did you think I got down here if I didn't like the water?"

While you paused to ponder this, Mizuz prepared himself to dive into the lake. "Wait! Where are you going?" you stammer as you watched him hop into the water. His little head bobbed up from the surface and he just smiled at you before disappearing below.

The time passed slowly after that. Mizuz didn't show any sign of coming back so you returned to your fishing, only half a sandwich and a entire Flask of Rainbow Fountain Water lighter... You didn't catch a single new thing after that incident, and as everyone began packing up to go home, you thought about turning in for the day too. Just as you reeled in your line for the final time that day, something shimmered in the water.

The more you reeled, the closer it got! It must be attached to your line! Curious, you reeled it in and only when it broke from the surface did you realize...

"THE AVATAR!" you exclaimed as you drew up the fishing avatar. At the edge, a small white claw grasped the avatar, and just the face of a familiar Maraquan Draik emerges.

"Phew, that was harder than I thought. Hey! You haven't been waiting long, have you?" Mizuz beamed.

But how? How was this tiny Draik able to get this avatar, especially without catching a Titanic Giant Squid?

Your confusion must have been plain on your face, because Mizuz laughed heartily and said, "That's right! This avatar is ours now! Oh and so is this!" And he held up his other claw. In that claw was a massive tentacle that extended down into the murky depths of the lake.

And so it turns out you WERE able to get the avatar on your first day, with the help of a new friend.