"Oh, come on, where is he?" Trixie demanded aloud, frustrated. She and Spud were at the skate park. It was a bright, sunny day in New York City. "He said he'd be here by ten-thirty!"
"Maybe he meant ten-thirty at night," Spud suggested.
"Now who'd be dumb enough to go skateboardin' at ten o'clock at night?" Trixie asked, though one look at Spud plainly answered her question, for he was currently trying to do an ollie on an upside-down board. The girl rolled her eyes. "Need I have asked?"
"Hey, guys!" a familiar voice called. Spud and Trixie looked up to see Jake skating smoothly down one side of the half-pipe, sliding up the other side and doing a 360 in mid air. "Yeah, the Am Drag's got some skills, homedawgs! Skills that pay the bills!"
"Oh, quit showin' off, Jake," Trixie told him. "Now, are we gonna have a skatin' tournament or what?"
"Can it wait, actually, Trix?" Spud asked. "I mean, I had leftover pizza for breakfast and I'm not sure my stomach is up for skateboarding just yet."
Jake tilted his head, now doing a handstand on one hand at the top of the half-pipe. "Well, if you're afraid that you're not good enough to beat the magical protector of the NYC, then by all means, sit the first few dozen rounds out," Jake taunted playfully, a sly grin spreading across his upside-down face.
Spud narrowed his eyes and turned his helmet backwards. "Bring it," he said simply.
"AW, YEAH!" Jake shrieked excitedly, pulling off his own helmet and tossing it away in showoff fashion. "It is on like- Wh-Whoa! AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Jake screamed as he lost his balance and fell, hitting the pavement hard, face down. He lay there, not moving.
"JAKE!" Trixie and Spud screamed in unison, rushing to his side. They turned him onto his back and he moaned, sitting up slowly, rubbing his head. There was a nasty purple bruise on his forehead and his nose was bleeding. He looked quite dazed.
"Whoa, man, that was seriously scary!" Spud exclaimed. "You alright, Jake?"
"Jake?" repeated Jake, staring at his friends with a puzzled look. "Who's Jake?"
Spud and Trixie exchanged worried looks.
He's cool, he's hot like a frozen sun.
He's young and fast, he's the chosen one.
People, we're not braggin'!
He's the American Dragon!
He's gonna stop his enemies with his dragon power!
Dragon teeth, dragon tail, burning dragon fire-
A real live wire!
American Dragon!
American Dragon!
He's the American Dragon!
His skills are getting faster
With Grandpa, the Master.
His destiny- What's up, G?
It's showtime baby! To the legacy!
American Dragon!
("I'm the dragon, I'm not braggin', it's my destiny!
I'm the magical protector of the NYC,
Ya heard?")
American Dragon!
Memory Mismatch
Jonathan and Susan Long, Jake's parents, came hurrying into the hospital's waiting room, Jake's little sister Haley at their heels. They spotted Trixie and Spud sitting next to each other, looking greatly distraught, and rushed over.
"We came as soon as we heard," Jonathan said breathlessly. "How's my… How's my…" He couldn't go on and burst into tears, unable to bring himself to say 'Jake-a-rooni'. Susan tried to calm him, being the more down-to-earth and logical parent. Haley was just staring at her shoes, not sure what to say.
"We haven't heard anything since he was admitted," Trixie said, her voice cracking. "I just hope he'll be alright."
Spud found his brains and, more to the point, his voice, at last. "Don't worry, guys. I mean, don't get me wrong - I'm worried too, but Jake's a dragon. He'll walk away from this and have a good laugh about it later." He smiled comfortingly at Trixie before looking solemn and quietly adding, "I hope."
An electronic bell dinged and a nurse walked in through the double doors that separated patients from visitors and vice versa. Susan raced right up to her immediately, concern all over her face. The nurse calmly answered the fretful mother's unspoken questions.
"His physical injuries are nothing serious, and he should fully recover from them within a week, but the bad news is…"
"I knew it!" Jonathan cut in, having finally dried his eyes, at least for now. "I knew there'd be bad news. Give it to me straight, Doc. I can take it."
"It seems that Jake has suffered long term amnesia," the nurse said grimly. "He has no memory of the accident or anything before it, as far as he can recall."
"Deep," Spud summarised. "Does he remember us, at least?"
"I don't think so," the nurse concluded sadly. "We've treated him to the best of our ability, but whether his memories will return remains to be seen. You can go and see him now, but take it slowly with him. Individuals with amnesia of this caliber are often confused, frightened and uncertain about who to trust."
The Long family and Jake's friends filed quietly into the Patients Ward. Jake was sitting on the edge of a hospital bed, holding an ice pack to the bump on his head. Upon seeing him like this, Susan felt her heart break and it took all her willpower not to burst into tears on the spot, wanting nothing more than to embrace her son in a tight hug, but she knew better. Jake probably didn't even know who she was right now.
"Jake, you have some visitors in the form of your friends and family," the nurse said gently.
Jake gazed at the group before him; a group of sad and worried faces, clearly trying in vain to look braver than they felt. He didn't recognise any of them, apart from the two in skateboarding gear (but only by appearance, as they were the ones who had brought him here to get help. He was grateful for that). Nonetheless, they were all clearly worried about him, meaning that they cared for him, and that alone spoke volumes. He greeted them with as warm and friendly a smile as he could manage.
"Hey, everyone," he said, trying in vain to sound casual. If they were his family and friends, he didn't want to worry them too much.
"Hi, Jake," Trixie said gently, trying not to let her cracking voice betray her.
"Yeah, hey, Jake," Spud greeted, looking as though someone he knew had died.
The group all tried to introduce themselves to Jake, and boy, did it feel awkward for them. It was heartbreaking, having to introduce themselves to someone who had known them all his life. Haley was the first one to crack, bursting into hysterical tears right after introducing herself as Jake's sister and proceeding to bury her face in the bedsheets, her distressed wailing somewhat muffled by the fabric. Hating to see his apparent sister sad, Jake tried to comfort her, gently patting her shoulder in what he intended as a manner of brotherly love.
"C'mon, don't cry, Haley. Of course you're my sister," he said kindly. "I knew that if I had any siblings, they'd have to be as sweet and adorable as you."
Haley looked up at him tearfully, a faint smile forming at his words. She was greatly relieved when Jake then pulled her into a gentle hug. She wrapped her arms around her big brother, feeling a great sense of comfort.
"Jake, I… I'm your Mom," Susan said slowly, looking almost as bad as Haley, but still managing to keep herself together. "B-But you don't have to call me that! You can just call me Mrs. Long if that feels easier for you."
The concern, the sadness, the look in her eyes… Jake concluded that there could be no question. "No, no, it's okay… Mom," he said, smiling gently. Susan smiled back and stepped aside, allowing Jonathan to step up. He cleared his throat.
"Well, I kinda feel like Darth Vader right now, but… Jake, I am your father," he proclaimed awkwardly.
Jake tilted his head, frowning, a slightly fuzzy image in his mind's eye. "Didn't we go camping at some point?" he asked.
"He… He remembers me," Jonathan managed softly in amazed disbelief. He then whooped with joy. "He remembers me! HEY, EVERYONE!" he shouted, sticking his head out into the hallway. "MY SON REMEMBERS M-!"
Susan quickly pulled him back into the ward before he could embarrass himself any further. "Yes, Jake, this is your father, though sometimes I wonder about that," she said half-jokingly. They all chuckled at Jonathan's expense while the bespectacled man straightened his tie and tried to look dignified. This ended abruptly when he stepped forward and tripped over a bucket and mop. As Susan helped him up, Trixie and Spud took their chance to introduce themselves... or rather reintroduce themselves.
"Jake, we're your friends," Trixie told the amnesiac boy, smiling kindly.
"Best friends, that is," Spud inputted, but Trixie nudged him in the shoulder.
"Don't overwhelm him," she hissed.
"You guys helped me when I was hurt. You brought me here for medical treatment. You stayed to make sure I was alright. There can be no question that you are my friends, and dang good ones at that," Jake declared, shaking their hands. "I owe you guys so much. Thanks to you, I've been reunited with my family, and for that I'm grateful. I say that we get together at my house later - wherever it is - and watch a movie. I'll make the popcorn!"
"Not to get ahead of things, but I think everything is back to normal. Jake may have lost his memory today, but he sure didn't lose himself," Spud declared.
"Hey, that's really insightful," Trixie commented, impressed.
"Thanks. I think I read it on a card somewhere," Spud confessed. Trixie rolled her eyes.
"He seems a little weird," Jake whispered to Trixie. She shrugged in response, but couldn't help smirking.
"You'll get used to him," she assured him. "Eventually. Maybe. I mean, I'm still trying to."
The two shared a knowing chuckle.
That night, at the Long family residence, Susan and Jonathan were sitting at the kitchen table, sipping mugs of tea. Spud and Trixie had gone home and the Long kids were in bed.
"Hey, hon, I've been thinking about something for the last half hour or so," Jonathan said, putting his mug down. "Do you think Jake will remember that he's a dragon?"
"I've been wondering about that, too," Susan confessed. "He might. He might not. Until we know for sure, it's probably best not to bring it up."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Jonathan said, shrugging. "It was hard enough for me just to accept that dragons exist around me. Imagine how terrifying it would be for a kid to suddenly find out that he actually is a dragon."
Later that night, a storm broke out, with thunder, lightning and rain ravaging the outdoors. Up in his room, Jake tossed and turned in his bed, caught in a restless sleep of strange dreams.
"No. What…?" he mumbled in his sleep. "What is this? I don't wanna… What's going…? Sphinx hair? What are you…? How is this…? No. No! This doesn't make any sense! I don't know what… What about dragons? I should… Dragon Up?" he asked the hazy figure in his dreams, confused. As soon as the last mumbled words left his mouth, Jake's body began to grow, his skin turning to bright red scales as he continued to sleep. His mouth and nose became a snout and a set of huge teeth. His hands became clawed and his feet grew larger. Wings protruded uncomfortably from his back, spreading out across the bed. His tail grew, long and powerful, out from behind him…
Jake gasped and sat up in bed. Something was wrong. He could feel it. A loud clap of thunder sounded outside and he gasped again, gazing out the window at the heavy rainfall pelting the glass. He shook his head. "Must've been a nightmare," he mumbled, rubbing his forehead a little. "I need some water."
He got up and made his way through the dim corridor, trying to remember where Haley had told him the bathroom was. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky outside as he walked past the window in the middle of the corridor and he shivered, not noticing the draconic silhouette cast on the wall beside him. He found the bathroom and turned on the light, still half-asleep. He cupped his clawed hands under the running tap and took a sip, glancing into the mirror for just a fleeting moment before going for another sip…
"Huh?!" Jake's gaze became locked onto the mirror. The teeth. The ears. The reptilian features. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. The dragon was still staring back at him, looking as horrified as he was.
"EYAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" he screamed in absolute terror, stumbling back and falling into the bathtub. "MOM! DAD! ANYONE! HELP!" he howled, shutting his eyes as he caught another glimpse of himself in the mirror. "No! This cant be happening! I can't be a dragon! I... I don't wanna be a dragon…"
"We're a-coming, Jake, m'boy!" Jonathan called, footsteps hurrying in the hallway. The bathroom door burst open and Jake dared to open his eyes to see his parents standing there.
"Mom, Dad, you've gotta help me!" Jake pleaded, frightened. "I've turned into a horrible, fire-breathing…. dragon." he finished slowly as he looked down at himself.
He looked perfectly normal.
"Uh, Jake, what happened?" Susan asked, deciding to feign ignorance. This wasn't the first time Jake had changed into his dragon form in his sleep. In fact, before Jonathan had found out the truth, there had been some close calls when trying to conceal it from him.
Jake summarised the situation in his head and came to the most obvious conclusion, feeling like an idiot. He sighed. "Uh, nothing, Mom. I had a weird dream and when I got up for a drink of water, the dream was still in my head and I thought I saw…" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Sorry I woke you over nothing."
"It's alright, son," Jonathan said reassuringly. "You've had a rough day. Perhaps it's only natural that you'd have a nightmare or two after what you've been through."
"Do you want me to tuck you back in, dear?" Susan asked kindly, instantly regretting her choice of words. Jake was fourteen!
"What? No!" Jake spluttered, embarrassed. "I may have lost my memory, but I'm not a little kid anymore."
"Right. Sorry. Mother instincts, you know," Susan said, shrugging lightly. Jonathan put an arm around her and led her out of the bathroom, leaving Jake to head back to his room. Something was still wrong. He could hear it in his mother's voice. There was something that his parents weren't telling him, but what? Had something happened before he had lost his memory, something that everyone thought he was better off not knowing?
"Nah. They wouldn't keep anything important from me. They're my family," he mused as he stopped in the doorway of his room. "If it was important, they'd have told me."
Haley, who had overheard everything, peeked out of her bedroom, thinking about what Jake had just said. Jake was the protector of all magical creatures in New York. Many were depending on him.
"He has to know, but not just yet," she whispered to herself. "He can go without knowing for one night. I mean, what're the odds that some sort of dragon business will arise right after he's lost his memor-?"
Her mumbled thoughts were interrupted when she heard the instrumental tune of the American Dragon theme song emanating from Jake's room. His phone was ringing! Haley gasped.
"I have a cell phone? Sweet!" Jake said as he picked up the cell phone on his bedside table. He was about to answer it when Haley suddenly tackled him to the floor and snatched the phone away. "Hey-!" Jake started in protest, but Haley pressed the 'answer' button and held the phone to her ear, waving Jake away, much to his annoyance.
"Hello?" she said nervously. "Oh, hey, Grandpa!"
"I have a Grandpa?" Jake asked, but Haley motioned for him to shush, annoying him to the point where he tried to wrestle the phone away from his sister.
"What's that, Grandpa?" Haley asked loudly. "Some what business has arisen? You think Jake should what up?"
"Haley, what are you playing at?! This is important!" Lao Shi said from his end of the phone call. "Put Jake on! He needs to hear this!"
"I heard that. He wants to talk to me!" Jake pointed out, still trying to grab the phone. "And I wanna talk to him! I ought to talk to my grandfather who I don't remember! I should get to know everyone in my extended family!"
"Jake can't come to the phone right now!" Haley half-shouted into the phone as she struggled with Jake. "He's caught up in some... personal mind matters, so to speak! Plus, it's the middle of the night! Have a sense of consideration for others, will ya? I don't get you out of bed at two in the morning!"
"Haley!" Jake exclaimed, loud enough for Lao Shi to know that he was there. "That's no way to talk to our grandfather!" Right then, he succeeded in grabbing his phone and holding it to his ear. "Sorry 'bout that, Grandpa. Jake Long here. How are you?"
"How am I?" Lao repeated, confused. "You never ask me how I am! Jake, if you and Haley are trying to 'prank answer' me or something, it's not funny and there's no time for such nonsense! Now, get it together and Drag-!"
"HE CAN'T! HE LOST HIS MEMORY!" Haley blurted out loudly. "HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW HE'S A DRAG-! Uh... y'know."
There was deathly silence from the other end of the line. Then-
"Say that again slowly," Lao said, his voice eerily calm.
"She right, Grandpa," Jake admitted. "I have amnesia. In fact, this actually feels like the first time I've ever talked to you. Still, it's nice that we've had this time to catch up and all. I don't know what Haley's on about, though. What is it about dragons around here, anyway?"
"Oh, no," Lao said softly. "Oh, no! OH, NO, THIS IS TERRIBLE!" he shrieked, starting to hyperventilate. Another voice was then heard through the phone.
"Take it easy, Lao. I'll handle it from here. Yo, Jake?"
"Uh, hello," Jake said uncertainly. "Who's this?"
"Jake, is it true that you've lost your memory?"
"Yeah…" Jake said slowly, not sure where this was going.
"You don't remember anything? Nothing at all? Nothing, say, important? Like, really important?"
"No, I don't think so. Should I?"
The speaker groaned quietly. "Okay, Jake, I need you to put Haley on for a sec. Tell her it's Fu."
Jake handed the phone to his sister cautiously. "Someone called Fu wants to speak to you, apparently," he said. Haley took the phone eagerly and held it to her ear again.
"Yeah, Fu?"
"Haley, this is really big," Fu Dog said hurriedly. "The leprechauns owe some dwarves money and are unwilling to pay up. Long story short, the entire Magus Bazaar has pretty much become a war zone. We need the American Dragon to settle this conflict before it spills out onto the streets of Manhattan and the magical community is exposed to humans."
"But Jake doesn't even know about his… duties," Haley explained. "And I don't know how he'll take it or even if he'll believe it."
"You have to make him believe, Haley. There's a lot at stake here. Worse still, Jake's friends are caught in the crossfire. They apparently went shopping for pizza dough earplugs - Spudinski's idea, of course - and now they're in a heap of trouble. Memory or no memory, Jake would never forgive himself if he didn't save them. You have to get Jake in a dragon hero state of mind. Do whatever it takes. Just get him down here pronto!" With that, the talking dog hung up.
Haley looked apprehensively at Jake, who was glaring at her suspiciously. "Haley, what's going on?" he demanded.
"Jake, you have to listen to me. This is really important," Haley said seriously.
"I'm listening."
"You might want to sit down."
"Why?"
"Just sit down."
"I'm not doing anything until I know what-"
"JAKE, SIT DOWN!" Haley demanded warningly, her hand catching alight and turning pink, becoming clawed. Jake cried out in horror and stumbled backwards, falling onto his bed in a sitting position. Haley exhaled deeply and her hand returned to normal.
"What the heck was that?!" Jake asked fearfully, staring at Haley as though she were an alien on the verge of abducting him.
"Truth," Haley answered, making her whole arm pink and scaly again. Jake swallowed, letting out a small whimper. "Jake, why do you think my arm is like this?"
"I'm not sure I wanna go over all the possible answers to that," Jake replied nervously.
"Jake, I want you to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Just try to relax, 'kay? I don't want you to freak out about this." She cleared her throat. "Okay, here goes: I... am a dragon. DRAGON UP!"
In a burst of fire, Haley was gone, replaced by a little pink dragon with stubby wings. Jake screamed and tried to hide under the covers.
"Don't eat me!" he howled cluelessly. "I'm your brother! Hey, wait." He peeked out from under the sheets, a thought occurring to him. "If I'm the brother of a real live dragon, then…" He gasped. "No. No way."
"Yeah, Jake! That little incident in the bathroom was real! You're a dragon, too! Isn't it great?" Haley asked, beaming. Her face then fell as she realised that Jake had fallen to the floor.
He had fainted.
Haley groaned at the sight of her unconscious brother. "Aw, man!"