Chapter Four: Ira

The crowd was going wild. The icy battle was becoming fiery hot.

“Piloswine, Blizzard attack now!” yelled the Gym leader Phil, successor to Pryce.

“Taglio, try and pull off Ancient Power!” yelled Ira Joff, the challenger. She was a thirteen year old girl who, despite her age, had become quite famous as a Pokemon trainer in Johto. After all, her father was the famous Dr. Joff, the man renown for his documents on Gyarados behavior. He had even recorded the Gyarish language, and had taught it to his daughter, too. Dr. Joff had passed away about a year ago, a few years after his beloved Gyarados, Hydra. Ira had always felt it her destiny to do what her father had done, though no one thought anyone could even come close to his skill, and his understanding of the mighty Gyarados that had accepted him as their own, even giving him a Gyarish name, Yasha-gya, which meant ‘Human Brother’ (actually, his full name was Yasha-gya-yasha-gy or Human-Brother-No-Questions, but everyone thought that was too long).

Still, no one could deny that Ira had outstanding talent as a trainer. The audience gasped as Taglio, her trusty Aerodactyl and number one battler, performed a breathtaking Ancient Power. When hit by the blizzard attack, it barley felt it.

“Aaaand it looks like that turn is a score for young Ira,” announced the announcer. “Aerodactyl’s eeextrordinary Ancient Power does serious damage on Piloswine. It looks as though Piloswine has Flinched!”

“Great job, Taglio!” yelled Ira over the announcer. “Now finish it with Hyper Beam!”

The Aerodactyl illuminated the stadium with a powerful Hyper Beam, tinting the air orange and making everyone in the audience tingle all over. It had the desired effect. With a blank look in its eye, the Piloswine wavered for a second, then collapsed onto the floor.

“Piloswine, return!” shouted Phil. “Nice try, Piloswine,” he soothed.

“All right, Taglio!” screamed Ira, and ran up to the center of the ring to congratulate her Pokemon, shake hands with Phil and receive the badge.

Phil waked slowly towards her, the Glacier Badge in his hand. “They were right about you,” he said to Ira.

“You put up a great fight too,” Ira replied.

Phil smiled. “Here,” he said, holding out the Glacier Badge.



Ira walked and Taglio flew out of the stadium with high spirits. “To the Pokemon Center,” said Ira happily. “And then, I suppose, we’ll head for the next badge.”

“Dactyl,” Taglio replied.

“Or we can see the Gyarados at the Lake of Rage.”

“Dactyl, Aerodactyl.”

The two walked down the sidewalk, past the vendors on the street selling Rage Candy Bars, and up to the door of the Pokemon Center. After her four Pokemon were healed, Ira let them out of their Pokeballs.

She admired her team for a second. Taglio, her Aerodactyl, Algol, her Umbreon, Osiris, her Tauros, and Queenie, her Girafarig. “The Glacier Badge is ours,” she said to them.

“Bre,” said Algol.

“Five down, three to go. We’ll shoot for the Mineral Badge next. Which means, Osiris, I’m going to have to teach you Surf.”

“Tauros,” Osiris replied.

“Ira?” called Nurse Joy. “Ira Joff, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure,” Ira replied. She walked over to Nurse Joy, her Pokemon behind her.

“Ira, we just found a sick Gyarados washed up on the banks of the Rage River. We were wondering if you could... talk to him.”

Ira shrugged. “All right,” she replied, wishing she was a little less famous.

Nurse Joy led her to a room with beds containing sick Pokemon. They passed a Slowpoke covered with bandages that looked up at them, hardly any life in its eyes, and a Meowth that looked like it had had fallen into a food processor. Queenie stopped to say something to the Meowth, which could only make a weak noise in reply.

And straight ahead lay a twenty-foot Gyarados that the nurses had to combine beds to hold it on. His eyes were open and followed them as they entered.

“This is Ira,” Nurse Joy told the Gyarados. “She can understand Gyarish. Her father was Dr. Joff. Perhaps you’ve heard of him.”

The Gyarados fidgeted. “Gya,” he replied.

Ira stepped forward, bowed her head, and decided to greet the Gyarados in his own language. “Gyasha, gyasha.” Greetings, Gyarados.

“Gyasha, yasha.” Greetings, human.

“What’s your name?”

“Gyasha, Yash-gyasha. Yasha, Gy-gy-ahsh-asha-gy.” In Ancient Gyarados, Yash-gyasha. In your language I would be Cedus.

“Okay, Cedus. Can you tell me why you’ve strayed this far? Maybe I can help you.”

The Gyarados replied, Yes, daughter of Yasha-gya, you can help me. I come from the Lake of Rage, where the Gyarados Bane poisons the waters. I seek the cure from the Vapor Sea to save my people.

“The Gyarados Bane?” Ira exclaimed. “But then yes, I will help you! When will you be done resting?”

I am ready to leave now. You have proven to me that you are the descendant of Yasha-gya by understanding my words. I believe I can trust you.

“Very well, Cedus,” said Ira. “I’ll be proud to help you. “How’d you like to fly in a helicopter?”