Dreams (Part 1)

Fred and Stephen swam to the ship, which was renamed as [Arcadia] by Fred.

The exterior was as cramped as it looked, as you'd expect on any small-sized sailboat, but still roomy enough to fit three or four people at once...

However, the interior, which was taken down the stairs, was much more spacious than it seemed and although it wasn't furnished, Fred could imagine the possibilities that this little boat had. There was room for everything you needed, such as a bed or bunk, a small kitchen, a small bathroom, a small storeroom, and a small laboratory in which to prepare poisons and medicines on the sea

However, what most caught Fred's eye was the very thing that made Stephen most proud, which was the cockpit. A cabin located in the upper part of the boat that allowed a 360% panoramic view, where the rudder was located and the engine, which was a...

Stationary bike with levers for the arms stuck to the rudder?!

"And this is what I am most proud of, my...

Well, you'll give it a different name so I won't even try...

However, by pedalling and/or turning these levers with your arms you will be able to move the boat even if there's no wind!

How fast you move will depend on you, although obviously there's an imposed limit of 200 k/h, otherwise you could break the motor mechanism... I don't think you will reach that speed now, but surely you will in the future

I added a mechanism similar to one of your weird stories about ships that don't use sails... your stories really are a great source of inspiration...

In addition, this way you will be able to train hard and take advantage of said training to move faster from island to island.

This way you kill two birds with one stone" Stephen said, reviewing his latest creation while giving a small demonstration of how the command center worked by slowly circling the Arcadia around the cove.

A somewhat quiet demonstration that didn't bring out 100% the capabilities of the Arcadia, but still showed that Stephen had created something quite innovative for these seas

"IT'S AMAZING STEPHEN!" Fred shouted with star-shaped eyes as he imagined himself pedaling like a madman to flee and chase pirates at absurd speed across the seas.

However, Stephen wasn't 100% satisfied with his work, not only because there was a lot of wood in it, but because he would have liked to incorporate more interesting elements into the Acadia, so he confessed "Not so amazing...

I had to reduce the size of the boat so that this motor is fully efficient so that you can flee from any danger at high speed...

In addition, what I would have liked is that the energy produced by the engine doesn't go directly to the propellers, but is stored in several electric batteries and so you could use that electricity to move the propellers and power other parts of the ship whenever you wanted without the need to be constantly pedalling...

I've made room to make those modifications later, but for now you'll have to settle for this very primitive method, after all I still need to improve on that and I don't have the materials yet...

Not forgetting that it still has no cannons or other built-in weapons..."

'Stephen is definitely a genius, he started learning about electromagnetism a week ago and is already thinking about applying it to a ship...

This world isn't short of hidden geniuses...' Fred thought, even more amazed at Stephen's excellent work. He couldn't help but imagine what that child would be like in a few years and what crazy things he could come up with...

"What do you think now?

It's the best gift in the world, right?" Stephen said, asking to be praised as if he were a puppy

And of course Fred didn't mind spoiling him, after all he deserved it "Yes! It's without a doubt!

But we'd better get out of here for now, we've got two boars to skin, dismember, bag and partially cook.

I am ravenously hungry!"

"And you're not the only one!" Stephen replied as he patted his belly

They both came down from the Arcadia, swam and walked to the entrance of the cave and began to skin Pumbaa and Pumbaa 2 carefully so that they could sell their skins within two weeks at good price. Also rained the blood of the two beasts, dismembered them, boned them, wrapped the meat in papers that they had stored in the cave and packed it in boxes to take later to the village...

Although it wasn't all the meat, the best pieces were saved to eat on the grill right now...

"UUUUHHHHHH!!!

There's nothing like freshly hunted meat on the barbecue!" Said Fred who ate ravenously like a true shonen protagonist while covering his meat with allioli and ketchup, the sauces of the gods, at least in his opinion.

"You sound like an old men Fred!

STEEL! STEEL! STEEL!" Stephen said between laughs while he ate wild boar loin, the part of the boar with the most iron of all

"I am and always will be youngold!

You will never forget!

HAHAHAHA!!!" Fred replied with a laugh as he served more loin to his buddy, who ate as much or more than him

They both ate and laughed, sang songs... some of which were anime openings and other songs that Fred had popularized on the island... and of course they talked to each other about their stuff...

"Tell me Stephen...

Yesterday I told you what my dream is...

Why don't you tell me which one is yours?" Fred asked casually as he doused the coals and cleaned the cave entrance.

"My dream...

The truth is…I don't know if I have any…I've already told you many times, I'm fine just the way I am now" Stephen replied with a bit of difficulty as he washed the dishes and cutlery

"Yes, I know...

But surely you have some yearning, some goal... something that you would like to do, achieve or discover in the future...

It doesn't have to be something extreme like mine... just something that you are passionate about..." Fred insisted, who knew that as much as one liked the routine, it was impossible not to yearn for something outside the comfort zone, especially for an almost ten-year-old boy in a fantasy world.

And from the way his face flushed at that moment, it seemed that Stephen had some of it on his mind, although he was having a hard time expressing it, possibly because of embarrassment "Okay...

The truth is that... as you know I have always liked to build things...

There are a lot of things I would like to build, like a bigger ship made of 100% metal... or super cool armor for me when my body is fully grown...

But the truth is that what I would love to do is...

It's...

This…"

"The what?

Come on! Say it!" Fred shouted, who couldn't stand the expectation anymore, he felt as if he were listening a game show host prolonging the agony unnecessarily in the process of announcing an award

"I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO BUILD A GIANT TRANSFORMABLE MECH MADE OF 100% METAL THAT COULD FLY, LAUNCH LASER BEAMS, MISSILES AND....

OOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

ALL KINDS OF COOL THINGS!

YESIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!

AS AN ENGINEER THAT'S MY DREAM!" Stephen answered, bringing out his greatest dream in the most explosive way possible while drooling, crying with pride as he imagined his future masterpiece and in the process almost ripped his shirt apart by increasing his muscular build in an extremely manly way.

He was extremely excited and elated! So much so that if Stephen was in another anime he would surely have transformed or unlocked some kind of hidden power, luckily or unfortunately he was in the world of One Piece and those things didn't happen... very often at least...

'The typical dream of a child who likes to build things

Hahahah! How nice...

But as a man I support his dream 100%!

SINCE IT'S THE DREAM OF ALL MEN!' Fred thought, almost shedding tears of pride as he imagined himself together with Stephen in front of the waves with that long-awaited ultimate Mecha, and then asked "And why don't you fulfill your dream by traveling with me!?

I don't think both goals conflict!

In fact, I'd love to use your mech against pirates!"

"Why are you so insistent that I go with you?

Will you miss me so much if you go?" Stephen said with his favourite smug face, teasing Fred has never been as satisfying as today

A satisfaction that Fred wasn't willing to give him one more time "Bullshit!

I'm just worried you'll end up becoming a conformist bum who won't step out of his comfort zone if I'm not around.

Come on! You won't be able to fulfill that dream if you always stay on this island devoid of metallic resources!"

"I know Fred...

I know that one day I will have to leave the island, but I'm not sure I want to be a Pirate Hunter...

I don't want to worry Mom and Dad the way Uncle Norman worries about you..." Stephen responded with infinitely less enthusiasm, opening up to Fred and his proposal.

"My father went yesterday to talk to your father and mother about me and about my initiative to be a bounty hunter until I get enough money?" Asked Fred, who could read his little friend's face like an open book.

It wasn't that hard to figure out, though. Norman, Marlon and Roxanne used to see each other almost every night to talk, especially on Saturdays. It was almost obvious to her that Stephen had overheard them talking about such a novel subject.

"Yes...

No... I wasn't able to hear everything... or very well what they said...

But Uncle Norman was very, very, very worried about you, I even heard him cry...

They also talked about your mother, although they didn't say anything specific, so I still don't know what exactly happened...

I am sorry" Stephen replied with a high hesitant voice at certain parts of his explanation as he sat and buried his head in his knees, in part for not being able to help his friend solve the mystery of his mother

A totally unnecessary apology from Fred, who answered while rubbing his friend almost bare head as if he wanted to polish it "Don't apologize Stephen...

Ever since my father came home alone, wounded and in tears after that trip seven years ago, it's been like this.

Surely he told your father and your mother what happened that day, but he has never told me anything... and he made sure that neither you nor I knew about it, even if it was by mistake, but I think it's pretty obvious that my mother died during the trip...

And since then he has been this depressed and terrified of the outside world…"

"Fred...I'm not a psychologist...

But I think that event is what has made him not want you to leave this island, to keep you safe...

Don't hate him for it...he just wants the best for you..." Stephen said as he buried his head further into his knees, partly out of sadness and partly to make it harder for Fred to polish his head.

"Hate him? Why should I do it?

He's a very good person, a great father and he's also in the top 3 of my best friends!

I understand perfectly why he does what he does and says what he says. Surely if I were or had been in the same position as him I would think the same... in fact, I even respect his opinion, after all no normal parent wants their child to do such a dangerous job...

However, even if I understand his opinion and respect it, it doesn't mean that I share it...

I have good reasons for doing what I want to do and nodoby will change my mind easily" Fred replied with concern and some guilt as he sat next to Stephen, after all it's awkward to talk standing up when the listener is sitting down

"I know Fred...

But it still worries me..." Stephen replied, still in his fetal position, almost like a tortoise

If he had his suspicions before at this point Fred had no doubt, Stephen overheard the conversation between their parents last night and the content was surely worrying and depressing. Fred couldn't think of any other explanation why Stephen, such a young, cheerful, and even innocent boy, would start having such thoughts and expressing these concerns

'I don't know what Stephen heard last night... but clearly he heard something...

Norman, I'm going to have to talk with you again tonight... I don't know what kind of paranoia has sprung up in your head, but none of that's real...

I have lived two lives, I have had two fathers counting you, and for me you are as much a father as my previous father was, plus you've had a much worse time

You lost your wife, surely in a horrible way and even with that sadness and depression take care of me, you loved me and taught me as well as you could without paying that frustration with me not a single day of your life

There's nothing that can throw you in the face! Not even your fears and attempts to make me stay here with you!

On the contrary, I am extremely grateful to you for taking care of a stowaway like me... that's why I want to reward you properly in the future.

So stop harassing yourself!' Fred thought, rehearsing part of the conversation he would have with Norman that night.

After that conversation the atmosphere had become extremely depressing, something that Fred didn't like at all... and above all he didn't like seeing Stephen depressed, he wasn't used to seeing Stephen without a stupid smile on his face

"Come on!

Don't be a spoilsport, it's my birthday!

Do you want to have a little fight before you go home?

This way we burn the food" Said Fred, offering his hand to Stephen to get up

"A fight?

Can I know what I have done to earn your hatred?

Maybe it's small and made of wood...

BUT IT'S A FUCKING BOAT!" Stephen responded melodramatically as he accepted Fred's help to get up.

"Don't worry...

It will be fast, you will mark the beginning of the fight, I won't use my hands, we will fight inside a circle to penalize my superior speed and the winner will be decided with the first accurate hit or who remains the last inside the circle, but… to give you more advantage you can receive 3 attacks

You need more perks, little cripple?" Said Fred mockingly as he smirked with his demonic face and imitated a chicken to provoke Stephen narratively, expressively and gesturally

Some conditions and provocation that Stephen couldn't let go, after all he hadn't beaten Fred for many years "Mmm...

Ok... I'm in...

But I don't want to hear excuses if I win..."

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You'll be able to see 8 chapters in advance in my Pa-treon

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