Dedicated to an aspiring author.

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"So dream a better dream, then work to make it real." The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl

"Volcanic waves have made landfall on Hawaii's..."

The lone owner of the rickety shack turned off the old radio, and sighed. Looking above his head, he spotted signs of a water cyclone. So much for his hope of getting in paying customers on this cloudy evening...rough storms always frightened them off.

Tough luck for those caught in its wake though, the old man mused.

Elsewhere, a tanned lean-muscled man panted as he dragged his bloodied leg across the still-burning sand. In a small island located quite a distance away from Oahu, he struggled to keep breathing as the gashes on his skin grew larger, dripping hot blood onto the burning silicon-based sand.

Nearby on another island, a volcano gave birth. Oceanic waves crashing tempestuously as the volcano roared, it secreting lava down a lush tropical green forest. He only knew this as the young man could hear it from here; that loud sound matching the beat of his accelerating heartbeat.

At this point, he wasn't sure if he could make it to the spot in time.

"Give it! Give it to me!", chanted the mystical man chasing him, clearly not caring whether the young man lived or died.

"In your dreams," he remarked, cradling the injured leg in his hands as he paused for just a moment and massaged his damaged tendons.

The older man cackled, saying, "It belongs rightfully to the tribe. Give it now."

"As I said," he stated. Standing up, he wavered for a bit before placing himself fully upright with the assistance of a nearby palm tree branch. T

Then, he chanted, "Life is but a dream." Never had that song's lyrics seemed so fitting.

"We Dragons don't have time for this," replied the Dragon Chief's head advisor, sighing as he viewed the filthy human who messed with them in a bad light.

First, robbing them of their treasure, and now resisting polite subjugation? Was he mad?

The greatest wonder of all was how he still fighting after that dreadful torrential rainstorm. Even Dragons did not brave that beast; this human must have some gall after all.

"Well, your kind are not exactly known for your patience, rather your temper," the young pirate offered up as a response, smirking in amusement at his astute observation.

Instantly, the dragon's eyes flashed the color of molten magma, and yellow-green scales formed as the advisor wagered the man had enough rest if he could make such flippant discriminatory remarks like that...

Nostrils flaring, the advisor aimed to have a go at the interloper, however, he was stopped by an older-looking man with the title of the Dragon Chief.

"We need him alive," the Dragon Chief reminded his younger advisor.

Cooling his head, the advisor glanced at the man, and realized the human had been stalling for time.

Now it appeared they were not alone.

"There you are," quipped a strange woman, lying on the sand without a care in the world.

"You are?", asked the Dragon Chief. Quickly, a mat made out of tropical reeds carried the human out of harm's way. The Mermaid Queen's attendants had finally arrived to help.

"Oh I'm sorry. Didn't know we were so overdue for an introduction," remarked the Mermaid Queen. Taking off her sunhat and red shades, she grinned and offered her hand to shake.

"Mermaid Queen?"

"Well, the one for Oceana anyway," she said, touching up the red curls as she did so.

"I wasn't aware you were also in the area...", squeaked the Chief's advisor.

"Not only in the area, but advised that the Dorakono were harming my people."

"Harm? That young man came to no harm under us," countered the advisor.

"His injuries say otherwise," she replied. Sighing, she placed her sunhat back on and continued, "Wonder who has to tell the wife. Poor woman would probably be bereaved to hear of it."

"We did not hurt that human," started the cautious advisor.

"Let's leave that up to the Faerie Court, shall we?"

"Not those blasted fairies," muttered the Dragon Chief. Their sense of justice was as skewed as a bent tree in the middle of a tornado. One hint of coin from the other side and they were history! (Dragons never parted with their horde...ever. Meanwhile, mermaids collected and disposed of most treasure like it was nothing!)

In addition to their renowned avarice, imagine if they acquired a fairy judge with adequate knowledge of the human world, he'd definitely pin it on the dragons! Not that they were eyed favorably by most of the magical world anyways.

"Now return the treasure," she said, lip quivering as if to beg.

"Your human...has it," he responded back, crossing his arms across his chest.

Suddenly, the human pirate leaped over the attendants, ran over to a chest hidden from view, and opened it all the way.

"Fool! What are you doing?", she screeched as the coveted booty shined brightly, lighting up the entire island shrouded with gloom with an ethereal luminescent glow.

"Tell my wife...I'm so sorry," he stated before shutting it closed again.

The Mermaid Queen reached out with her hand as he disappeared and the treasure vanished without a trace.

"So he sacrificed himself...," surmised the advisor. He added, "Not what I expected from a human."

"It will take twenty years to regrow the Pearl," hissed the Mermaid Queen.

The Dragon Chief turned away from the scene, itching to get out of this mess as soon as possible.

"Where are you going?", she asked, wondering if that old bat had another trick up his sleeve.

"This changes nothing. The Dragons still claim these islands, and the Pearl's Daughter, as our own."

"Then why leave?", she yelled as the two elder dragons faded from view.

"We'll be back in twenty years for it," he promised.

"Twenty years...", she muttered out loud. How many things would change in a few decades?

Perhaps enough to deter the Dorakono Tribe from their pointless pursuit.

After all, a human had died to stop them from laying their dirty hands...no, claws on it.

Well, if they tried this charade again, the mermaids would not stand for them stealing their most prized treasure.

"Madame?", questioned her personal attendant as she glanced at the Mermaid Queen with concern.

"Prepare the deterrents."

"But will they be ready in time..."

"If we speed up the process, the artifacts will awaken in a few decades..."

The attendant sighed in relief, and said, "Which means..."

"We'll be ready."

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Author's note: This takes place twenty years before the main story....