Chapter 22

Link, Charlie and Navi were following Captain Ralis to Lake Hylia. Both Link and Charlie were getting tired from the long walk. Navi was tired of flying so she went to sleep in Link's hat until they were at the lake. Link tapped Ralis on the shoulder lightly.

"Excuse me, sir? Are we almost there yet?", asked Link as he gasped for breath.

Ralis rolled his eyes. These humans sure complain a lot. He turned his head and grinned.

"Patience, human! It is not much farther. You two really need to get in better shape. Our destination lies beyond the hill ahead. There is a fork in the road on the other side of this hill and we must keep going straight ahead. If we turn right, we will end up in Gerudo Valley. Just keep following me and don't go to the right. Is that clear?"

Link stood to attention and saluted Captain Ralis.

"Aye sir! Crystal clear!"

They continued walking forward. They made their way up the hill and down the other side. They kept going straight ahead and after what seemed like hours, they finally saw the entrance to Lake Hylia.

As soon as they entered Lake Hylia, they were taken aback by the sight of the clear and beautiful lake ahead of them. They looked across the lake and noticed a building . It had a wooden post in the ground next to it with a wooden cutout of a fish nailed onto it. Captain Ralis remembered his duty and pointed to a nearby house.

"We need to go inside that house. That is where the professor lives. He has helped us out in the past and I hope he will do so again."

They walked into the house and they saw an old white haired man in a white jacket standing in front of a table. He had his back turned to the travelers. When he heard the door close, he turned around to face the travelers. He walked over to Ralis and shook his hand.

"Good to see you again, Ralis! How have you and your people been doing?"

Ralis gave the professor a downcast look.

"That bad eh? Tell me what's wrong."

"Our guardian god is sick again, professor Masami. I'm afraid it is a lot more than just a cold this time. He has fallen into a deep sleep and will not awaken. It is the evil work of that maniac Ganondorf!"

Masami sat on a nearby chair and tried to think of a solution. Suddenly, he jumped out of his chair with excitement.

"Eureka! I had forgotten about the notes I wrote about the different species of fish I discovered in my youth. I treated a dreadfully sick bass I found floating lifelessly in the lake with a plant similar to seaweed that grows underwater here. It glows green. I wrapped it around the body of the fish and after a couple of days, the fish showed signs of improvement . I'm really glad I had the aquarium behind me back then. Otherwise it would have been very difficult to treat that fish."

Ralis scratched his chin. He may have found the answer to Jabu Jabu's problem. However, how was he going to get enough of the plant to wrap around his body? Ralis had a different idea. If he couldn't get wrapped up with it, why not try getting him to swallow it?

"Professor, is it dangerous to eat the plant?"

"I don't believe so, Ralis. But how are you going to feed it to him if he is unconsciencous?"

Ralis frowned. He had completely forgotten about that. The professor snapped his fingers.

"I think I have an idea, my friend. In my aquarium, I have a very smelly red fish. I believe it's called a reek fish. Believe me, it's well named! Take it with you in a bottle and see if he wakes up to the smell."

The professor got a long net and dipped it into his aquarium. Shortly after, he pulled out a red fish. The stinky fish made the whole lab smell awful! Link and Charlie were almost gagging from the smell, so they ran outside to get some fresh air. Shortly after, Ralis and the professor ran outside as well. They were coughing and breathing the fresh air in deeply. They had the red fish in a sealed bottle. The professor pointed at the water not far from his labrotory.

"The plant should be around that area. You will recognize it by the green glow. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to air out my lab!"

The professor walked back to his lab. Ralis turned to Charlie and Link.

"I will be back in a few minutes. Just sit here and be patient."

He jumped and dove into the water with a big splash. He was gone only for a moment when he resurfaced from the water holding a glowing plant. It had eight spear shaped leaves and they were almost six inches in length. He nodded in satisfaction.

"We have everything we need. Now we must return to my home."

Both Link and Charlie groaned aloud. Not another long walk! Ralis could sense what they were groaning about and held up his hand to silence them.

"We are taking another route back to my home. There is a mysterious portal in Lake Hylia that takes us directly to my home. Can you two hold your breath for long?"

Link smiled. What a convenient solution. He nodded yes to Ralis's question.

"Me and Charlie can hold our breath for almost ten seconds. What about Navi? She might get washed away when we are in the water."

They stood there for a minute and thought about a solution to their problem when suddenly, it hit Link! An empty bottle! She could simply be put in a bottle and released when they were at the home of the zoras! Link took off his hat and put his hand inside and brought forth Navi. She was fast asleep still. Link called her name quietly.

"Navi. Can you hear me? We need you to wake up."

She moved around a little and then she opened her eyes and looked at Link.

"What is it, Link? I'm very tired."

"We want to put you in a bottle so you don't drown when we got diving down to Ralis's home. Are you okay with that?"

Navi yawned loudly.

"Sounds good to me. Just don't take too long. I don't want to suffocate."

Link nodded and gently placed Navi in his bottle. He then put the bottle away. He looked over at Charlie.

"Are you ready for this?"

Charlie shrugged nervously.

"Not really. But if it's a faster route, let's go for it."

Ralis pulled out a long rope. It seperated into two separate ropes in the middle.

"Okay let's go. Dive into the water with me. You will be fine. Just don't let go of the rope."

All three leaped into the water. The temperature of the water almost made Link cry out. It was freezing cold. Ralis continued to swim even deeper. Link took a quick look around and there were different species of fish everywhere he looked. Link was hoping it wasn't much farther. He didn't know how long this trip was going to take. He glanced over at Charlie and he could tell he wasn't enjoying himself either. He opened his mouth suddenly and bubbles came out of his mouth. He looked at Link in alarm. He wasn't going to make it! Link noticed this and he turned to say something to Ralis when he quickly remembered he was underwater! How was he going to alert Ralis that there was a problem? He looked in Ralis's direction and he realized that they were heading for a cave. Link Noticed that Charlie was slowly losing his grip on the rope. He reached over with one hand and grabbed Charlie by the arm. Suddenly, things were starting to get dark. Link could hardly see Ralis now. He started to feel lightheaded. Shortly after, everything went black and Link passed out from lack of oxygen.

Link was dreaming. In his dream, he saw Max! He looked normal again! He wasn't wearing armor and he had a friendly look on his face. Link ran over to embrace him and suddenly, he grinned evilly and pulled out the Kokiri sword and stabbed Link in the stomach. Link could hear him laughing evilly as he collapsed in pain. Suddenly, Max disappeared and Charlie appeared. He starting to say something, but it sounded very quiet to Link. As soon as Charlie walked closer, he could hear his odd voice. But it wasn't his voice.

"Hold him still! I think he's still alive! Come on, Link! Open your eyes!"

Suddenly, Charlie disappeared and the dream began to fade. Link opened his eyes slowly. Ralis was looking down at him. He smiled with relief.

"You're alive! Thank the gods! I thought you drowned back there! You and Charlie passed out in the water. I had to go back and get you two. You're the first to wake up. We haven't gotten any response from your friend yet."

Link sat up in alarm. Was Charlie going to be alright? He stood up and saw three zoras attending to his friend. They were pushing on his chest and breathing in his mouth trying to revive him. Suddenly, Charlie opened his eyes slowly. The zoras backed away. He coughed violently and spit out some water. Link laughed with relief. He had thought he lost his best friend to that lake. He rushed over to Charlie's side.

"I'm so glad you're alright, man. I thought you drowned after Ralis told me that him and his zoras hadn't gotten any response from you."

Charlie grabbed his arm weakly.

"Link...Thank...you...I owe you my life for grabbing me by the arm back there. If you didn't, I would've been lost in the lake."

Link smiled.

"Well, we were both almost lost in that lake. Ralis had to swim back to get us. We would've both drowned if not for him."

Ralis walked over to Link and Charlie.

"Sorry to interrupt but I want you two to rest after your ordeal. Later on, I will take you two to see our guardian god."

Link nodded happily. Ralis smiled and walked away. He reached behind him and brought forth the bottle containing Navi. He opened the bottle and let her out. She sighed with relief.

"Thank you so much, Link! I was getting cramped in that little bottle. Why is Charlie laying on the ground. You don't look so well yourself. What happened?"

"Me and Charlie almost drowned back there. We passed out from lack of oxygen."

Navi gasped in disbelief.

"Wow! I'm glad you two are alright. I don't know what I would've done if you two drowned in that lake. Who would've saved Hyrule if you drowned?"

Link smiled.

"I'm not sure. Maybe Brad would've continued my journey? That guy is awesome. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he actually did that if I drowned back there. He's definitely got the skills. But anyway, we are alright. We just need to rest after dodging death."

Navi smiled. Brad would've been a good choice. She remembered fondly how he defeated Mido's leadership and killed him. She was glad that it didn't result in having to find a replacement for Link. She looked at Charlie and Link and they were both fast asleep. She followed suit. She laid down on a nearby ledge and went to sleep herself.