Chapter Two: Sickness

“Hello, Cedus. What do you think you’re doing here?”

“Chill out, Poisson. I’m just hunting.” Must try to avoid him.

Poisson rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“Go jump in a whirlpool. Or just don’t scare all the Goldeen away.”

“I’m not going to try and stop you from attending that meeting Idosa Neptune just called, Cedus. Just don’t think I don’t know you.” He smiled smugly.

“What gives you that idea?”

“You think you’re clever enough to get him to let you in. Hah. Good luck trying, flounder.”

“Yeah, well just because-” But Poisson was already swimming away. Cedus growled menacingly. “Your name means fish, you know that? Fish! That’s what you are, too! A fish! A disgrace to the name of a Gyarados!”

“Easy, Cedus,” came a new, gentler voice. Cedus whirled around, sending strong ripples cutting several yards into the lake. He hadn’t smelt or heard Idosa Wasser coming. “The Fish is wrong. You are coming to this meeting.”

Cedus smiled weakly. Idosa Wasser hated Poisson as well. Their families held grudges against one another, what the cause was Cedus didn’t know. Though Poisson was cold and nasty by nature, and no doubt easy to hate. It was Idosa Wasser who had crudely dubbed Poisson “the Fish,” though an elder rarely acted in such a way.

“Follow me,” said Idosa Wasser. “You see, Cedus, what you need to do is not let your anger blind your intelligence. Next time, try treating Poisson as if he has the rights of a fish rather than a Gyarados. It will work, I assure you. You are a clever young Gyarados, and a smart one.
Smart enough to dream of traveling beyond the Lake.”

“You mean-”

“I have wanted to for a long time. The only way possible is to ask the Pokemon around us where the nearest river is. But how do we know we can trust them? And how could we even get one close enough to ask, since they fear us so much? But now we have no choice.”

That sounded bad. “No choice? What’s happened?”

“There is a sickness that we call the Gyarados Bane. It acted up about fifty years ago. Has Phoro told you the story of Sangue, the Red Gyarados?”

“Yes,” Cedus replied. “He was a Gyarados that existed at the Slaughtering. When he evolved he became a mutant because of the radio waves, so he became red and his scales all shiny. Then a trainer captured him and used him to beat Team Rocket, and then he died a year later.”

“He died because of the Gyarados Bane. He was the last to have it. We were nearly wiped out with the sickness and the Slaughtering put together, but we managed to pull through and recover. Until now, Yash-gyasha. Seven of us so far are ill with the Gyarados Bane. This is what the meeting is about. Someone must go for a cure.”

“But Idosa Wasser,” said Cedus, “what does this have to do with me?”

“You are among the candidates we have chosen.”



All the Gyarados at the council were older than Cedus, which naturally made him uncomfortable. Phoro was there, and they nodded at each other when Cedus swam to the circle.

The oldest elder, Idosa Neptune, was in the middle of the meeting circle. He could be considered the leader of the Gyarados of the Lake of Rage. At least, he was the elder who made all the decisions.

Cedus swam to Phoro. He seemed to be the last one to have arrived. The sun made the surface of the water look like a gigantic crystal as it shone through to the flat, sandy part of the lake that was the meeting circle. The water felt warm and clean as it stroked the Gyarados’ scales.

After some silence, Idosa Neptune spoke. “We are gathered here to discuss the ill event that has befallen us. Several of us are down with Gyarados Bane. Someone must retrieve the cure. This will be a long and hard journey to the Vapor Sea. But it has been done, so it is possible.

“We have had consistent reports of a river to the west that runs to a lake that connects eventually to a large ocean. A large manmade wall separates that ocean from a channel that leads to the Vapor Sea. This wall can be opened. This is what one of us must do.”

Silence.

“The chosen candidates are Serpa, Maldives, Aqualia, Phoro, and Cedus.”

Phoro shook his head. “Idosa Neptune, you know I’m too old.”

“But you are wise,” said another elder, Idosa Agua.

“If he does not feel up to the journey, than he shall not have to go,” replied Idosa Neptune. “We will force no one to go. Let’s read down the list. Serpa?”

In the end, Aqualia agreed before Idosa Neptune got to Cedus. This disappointed Cedus. He wanted to go, too. Now he would probably get sick with the rest. What the heck. I’ll die young, sighed Cedus as the meeting was dismissed.

He carried his thoughts for the few days as Aqualia prepared for her journey. But then came the news that Aqualia had become ill with the Gyarados Bane.

Then everyone looked towards Cedus.