Trollex

The Entrance

Echo made a sudden stop.

Trollex woke up, "We're here? See, I told you I could do it!"

Trollex then went up ahead and saw where he really was, "Techno Reef? I'm...home?"

One of the corals then dissolved in darkness.

"Trollex!"

"Dad?"

"Trollex!"

"Mom?"

Trollex's parents were surrounded by the darkness, "Help!"

Trollex was horrified, "No!"

Coral hugged Marine tight and looked at his son, "Trollex!"

***

Trollex woke up.

Maui was still navigating, "Enjoy your beauty rest? You know, a real wayfinder never sleeps. So they actually get where they need to go. Muscle up, buttercup. We're here."

They had arrived to an island with a gigantic tower of stones.

Trollex asked, "You sure this guy's gonna have your hook?"

Maui responded, "Tamatoa? Oh, he'll have it. He's a scavenger. Collects stuff, things that look cool. And for Tamatoa, trust me, my hook is the coolest collectible."

They tied Echo to a stone so he would stay put.

"And he lives...up there?"

"Oh, ho, no, no, no... That's just the entrance... to Lalotai."

Trollex gasped, "Lalotai? Realm of Monsters? We're going to the Realm of Monsters?"

Maui answered, "We? No. I'm going to get my hook while you stay here with your pet...and your whale."

TBDB was clearly offended.

Trollex said, "First of all, he's not my pet. He's my best friend. Second of all, I think I can handle this since I survived an attacking horde of coconuts."

Mini-Maui gestured him to allow it, and Maui finally said, "Fine. But, don't come crying to me when you get eaten by an eight-eyed bat."

As Trollex and Maui floated up the tower, Maui asked, "So...Your Highness. I thought you'd stay in your reef. You know, kissing babies and things like that."

Trollex glared at him.

"Hey, I'm just trying to understand why your people decided to send, uh... How do I phrase this... You."

Trollex responded, "My people didn't send me. The ocean did."

"The ocean... Makes sense, you're what, eight? Can't navigate? Can't control your whale? Obvious choice."

"It chose me for a reason."

"If the ocean's so smart, why didn't it just take the heart back to Te Ora itself? Or bring me my hook? The ocean is straight up nutso. But I'm sure it's not wrong about you. You're the chosen one."

When they got to the top, Trollex looked out at the ocean and said to himself, "The ocean chose you for a reason."

"If you start singing, I'm gonna puke."

Trollex rolled his eyes and said, "So...not seeing an entrance."

Maui said, "Yes...because it only appears after a Troll sacrifice."

Trollex silently gasped.

Maui then said, "Kidding! Ha, ha, ha... So serious."

Maui used his breath to blow sand off the entrance.

He then shouted in a native language and opened the entrance.

Trollex looked down with worry and Maui said, "Don't worry. It's a lot further down than it looks."

" Chee-hoo!"

He dove down into the portal.

"I am still falling."

When Trollex heard a splash, he mustered his courage and dove right in as well.