The Skate Park, one of the most popular parks in New York to all teenagers who love the sport of skateboarding and rollerblading. Often you would see this park full of teenagers practicing and showing off their skills after school and on the holidays. It would be common to see this park packed on Christmas days when new skateboards and rollerblades are received as gifts on Christmas morning. It's also one of Jake Long's favorite locations in New York.

Yahto stood by the entrance of the park, reluctant to walk in as he eyed the park and everything in it. He has never been to a skate park like this, so many mini ramps, grind rails and half-pipes. Of course Yahto has never attended to a skate park; he only rollerbladed down the streets and such, he was never one to pull tricks or hit the ramps.

'So many people…' Yahto clutched at his backpack a bit tighter as he hesitated to go in. Jake Long already went inside to look for his friends, maybe he could still sneak away and save himself the stress and peer pressure…

"Yo, Yahto!" Too late. He turned his head to his left to a mini ramp close by the gates to see Jake waving at him along with his two friends, a boy and a girl. Yahto shyly lifted a hand at them and slowly stepped forward to the mini ramp. It's too late to bail now. As he got closer he recognized the two kids there. These two are his classmates, just like Jake. He saw them on his first day of school before the bell rang.

Turning his head to his friends he began as he motioned his head to Yahto. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Yahto." Jake then turned his head to Yahto and motioned his thumb toward his two friends. "Yahto, this is Spud and Trixie. My two best buds in all of the NYC."

Spud and Trixie held their hands up to Yahto in greeting. "Hi there."

"Wassup!"

Yahto gave a weak smile, slightly lowering his cap from the shyness. "Um…H-Hi…"

Jake glances over to Trixie and Spud to continue the introduction. "Yahto's new here, so I thought why not show him around, especially the skate park. You should see the pair of skates he has, they're quality blades, yo!"

Trixie spotted the skates dangling from Yahto's backpack and couldn't help to be taken back from the brand as well. "Dang, man! Those skates are looking tight there!"

"I'll say!" Spud adds. "That type of brand is one of few they use for the X-Games competitions! Ranked as one of the best roller skates in the history of ever!"

Yahto gave a nervous smile as he looked back to his backpack where his pair of roller blades is hanging from. He seriously didn't know these skates were of high quality and often used in skating competitions. He's not a hardcore fan of the sport to keep up with the latest and quality brands. "I wouldn't say quality…"

"Say, why don't you try 'em out and show us what you can do?"

Yahto jumped and looked at Jake. Try them out? Show them what he can do? Right here? Right now? In front of all these people…? "Y-You mean…Right now?"

"Well it certainly won't be after the sun goes down, boy." Trixie sarcastically replies.

Yahto's eyes wander to the ground. He takes a deep breath and nods. "A-All right." Rather timidly he takes off his backpack and sets it down next to a bench. Sitting down he slowly starts putting on his skates. How did he get himself into this? He doesn't know how to skate in a skate park such as this one. And with so many people here watching, he'll make a fool out of himself and everyone will be laughing at him. He won't be able to show his face again at this park or at school.

The boy stands after putting on his skates, slick black roller blades with blue along the sides and wheels. He looks down at his skates a bit before looking back at the trio. "Um, is a simple stroll around the place all right?"

Jake shrugged. "A warm-up? Sure."

A warm-up, right. Yahto isn't much of an athlete with skates; he just knows how to stroll around with them. He doesn't know any tricks, what can he do other than see him skate around the park? Well, no backing out now. With a deep sigh he propelled himself forward, slowly gliding over the ground with his skates as he slowly picks up speed, his heart thumping against his chest as he nervously looks around. So many skaters, they're very good. Performing ollies, going back and forth on the ramps pulling off tricks as they gain air. It makes him look silly just skating around like some kind of newbie…

"Yahto!" Jake cried out as he cupped his hands to his mouth. "Watch where you're going, bro!"

"What?" Yahto was so focused on seeing everyone else skating he didn't pay attention to where he was going and tripped over a railing meant to be grinded, not tripping. "Aaah!"

Jake, Trixie and Spud gasp at the spill Yahto just took and jump off the mini ramp to help him up. As Yahto slowly got up to his hands and knees he could hear the teasing laughter of someone laughing at him. Just what he wanted to avoid…

"Haha, what a loser!" A blonde boy with a red shirt teases while pointing at the boy and laughing. "Don't you know you're supposed to grind on them and not let them trip you down? Hahaha!"

"Ugh, lay off, Brad." Jake growled as he helped Yahto up to his feet with his buddies Trixie and Spud backing him up. "Even you started with so many face plants to the concrete."

Brad just gave him a smug look and held his skateboard up under his armpit, trying to look superior. "Hah, shows how much you know, twerp. The Bradster here has never fallen on his face, not even on his first try skateboarding; and not even on an easy way of skate like roller blades. Haha!"

"Just take a hike, Brad!" Trixie exclaimed with a thumb over her shoulder.

Brad simply complied with a laugh as he got on his skateboard and rode off. "Haha, later losers!"

"What a jerk." Spud scoffed.

Trixie nodded. "Mmm-hm, that's Brad for ya."

Jake simply shook his head at Brad's uncaring way and turned back to Yahto. "You okay, Yahto?"

Yahto simply had his head hanged. He was humiliated and couldn't find the courage to lift his eyes up to Jake and his friends. Not only did he fell and made a fool of himself in the middle of a skate park, but someone else ridiculed him for falling on an 'easy way to skate'. He didn't know how to lift his head up again to them. "I…I'm fine…"

"Yo, don't listen to Brad there, bro." Jake tried to make Yahto feel better. "He does this to everyone on a daily basis. Guy's got nothing better to do. He does this to us all the time and we just ignore him."

Trixie added to spite Brad and to lighten the mood. "Guy's got nothing to do at home and makes himself feel better by messing around with us."

As Jake and Spud agree to Trixie's comment Yahto couldn't help but lower his head a bit, his eyes down at his skates. They say he's got really good skates, but he can't use them for what they're worth. Maybe he should just leave and save himself even more humiliation…

"What you need is a little practice to get your groove on with those blades!" Yahto lifted his head up to Trixie, a bit startled by her sudden comment. "Just listen to us and you'll be gliding with the best of 'em!"

Yahto was a bit nervous to reply, as evident as he gave a very weak smile as he tried to say something. "I…I guess I could use…Some help…"

Spud smiled and added with some 'rock-on' gestures with his hands. "No worries, bro! We got your back! In fact, Jake's the best skater there is here. He's even entering the skating competition this weekend! If anyone can teach ya, he can!"

Jake couldn't help but smirk and blush a bit. "Heh! Nah bro, don't put me so high of a pedestal there. I just roll how I roll, know what I'm sayin'?"

Now Yahto really felt out of place. Combining their slang with their skills at skateboarding and roller blading, there's little common room here. But he's too deep into it now to even sneak away. With a gulp he gave a nervous nod, agreeing to the lessons they have in mind. "A-All right, I'll give it a try…"

And next thing he knew, he was really gliding places…Well, all over the ground either on his back or front side.

Jake was rather patient with him. He tried teaching him how to keep balance the more speed he got, including a few jump tricks here and there, mainly teaching how to keep his balance when going straight and turning. Easier said than done as Yahto kept falling and eating dirt almost every attempt to jump or turn without losing speed.

"No no! Keep y our knees a bit bent!" Jake hollered to Yahto. "You gotta keep your body low to go faster! Lean forward, not back! You'll take a nasty dive if you keep that up!" Almost on cue afterwards Jake winced and covered his eyes with his hands.

"Aaah!" Yahto just fell backwards.

Trixie was even worse. She wanted Yahto down in the skating bowl to learn how to do tricks and keep his momentum. She was more aggressive in what she tried to teach the boy, being more of a person who loves seeing people perform tricks. She was always persistent in having Jake learn new tricks for the skating competition, and she wasn't going to skip anything with Yahto despite him being a newbie. No pain, no gain.

"You call that a jump!" Trixie hollered as she watched a pitiful attempt from Yahto. "Puh-lease! My grandma can catch bigger air than you! Pick up some more speed! Bend your legs down like Jakie told ya! Feel the momentum and go with the flow!"

From the other side of the bowl Jake and Spud watched, each time wincing as Yahto fell and took dives from his attempts at jumping. "Um, Jake? Maybe Trixie's being a bit harsh with Yahto."

Jake responded with a nod and a sigh. "You know how she is. I hate being him now. I remember how it was with me back in the day."

Yahto slowly gets back up to his hands and knees, breathing heavily as he wiped his cheek from that last drop. This isn't going so well. He can't land that jump for the life of him. "This is too hard…" He looks up at where Trixie is standing. "Isn't there another trick I can do?"

Trixie shook her head as she crossed her arm. "No way, dawg. That's the easiest jump you can make!"

Yahto frowns. "But I…"

"Yo, Yahto! Don't give up!" Jake called out with his hands cupped to his mouth. "You're doing great! You almost landed that one! Remember what we told ya! Keep your eyes on the ground and make sure your feet touch it first!"

"Don't panic and you'll nail it!" Spud adds some encouragement.

Yahto takes a big sigh and nods. Despite all the falling and aching body parts, he's actually enjoying just being taught how to skate. Sure Jake is a little pushing and Trixie is a little scary, but they're actually being nice and encouraging…But some of the looks Trixie shoots at him he could do without.

"Okay…" Yahto mutters as he stands back up, balancing on his skates as he looks at the incline of the skating bowl in front of him. "I'll keep trying."

And continue trying he did. His falls and injuries continued, but he was determined. It's funny, by now he would've given up and left the park from the embarrassment, but with the encouragement from Jake and the others (not to mention their willingness to help him) made him stay. It was…Different from everything he went through in the past, what with people making fun of him and ridiculing him. It's a nice change for once for everything to be encouragement rather than laughter at his expense. It certainly made him feel better.

Now if only he could only finally get the hang of balancing himself on his skates at high speed and jumping! Before Trixie or Jake suggest trying grinding…

Meanwhile, while Yahto is busy making friends with the skate park concrete, Lao Shi and Fu are busy with their own trials and errors at their home. As they are aware, the Millenium Dragon once again walks among them. And if they want to have any chance at saving the entire world from this psychotic dragon's rage, they would have to create the only spell they know that can stop this dragon.

"This is it." Lao Shi flips to a page in their magic book and read the content. It's all here, the ingredients and instructions. "This is the spell that will help us in defeating the Millenium Dragon."

Fu Dog read over the contents of the page, making sure he understood this right. "The Petra Carcer spell?"

Lao Shi nods. "That is correct. It is a spell that has been used for centuries against all of the Millenium Dragon's incarnations. It is a powerful spell that when used it encases the victim in a shell of stone, petrifying it from within."

Fu rubs his chin. He believes he's heard of this spell before. Then it hit him, like an avalanche falling on his head. The rare times he did witnessed the Millenium Dragon hundreds of years ago, he does recall a type of spell they used on it to stop it. Every time, into stone the dragon became, only to be shattered into pieces. He shuddered at the thought…

"So uh," Fu began as he looked back at Lao. "the plan is to gather the ingredients for this powerful mumbo jumbo and use it for whenever the Millenium Dragon rears its ugly head, am I right?"

Lao Shi nods. "Precisely. It has been the only spell recorded to have ever been effective against the Millenium Dragon. It attacks the dragon's powerful chi and magic, causing it to overflow from the Dragon's chi's exit points and encase it into solid stone from the inside out."

Fu Dog was afraid of that. And the mere description of the spell caused a shiver up his spine. That would mean…Oh boy, Jake's friend…He's getting a one way ticket to the Stone Age. It's still hard for him to believe that kid is the Millenium Dragon…Does he even know? Is he aware of the danger that he is?

Lao Shi took note of Fu's pensative state and arched an eyebrow. "You seem troubled, old friend. Is something the matter?"

"Uhh, no! I'm fine, gramps. Just thinking about how I'm going to find the ingredients for this spell!" The Shar Pei immediately turned and took the book and held it up to his face, reading the list of ingredients needed for the spell. "Yup! Traces of rare rock minerals, some ogre slime, unicorn hoof metals. Oh yeah, some rare items on this list, gonna have to comb all over the Magic Shop District over at the usual for these babies."

"It is important that we must find each and every item on this list, Fu. This magic spell could be our only hope against the Millenium Dragon." Lao couldn't help but sigh as he began to think about this horrible dragon once more. He never met this dragon, but he's heard tales and stories about it, a powerful dragon that could rival the Dark Dragon himself.

But most of all, he fears for Jake's safety. "And we must be quick about it as well, before the time comes when Jake has to face it."

Fu frowned from behind the book. It's a pretty safe bet that Jake already faced the dragon, but only its human side. The good side.

Yahto…Oh man, Fu still can't believe what he saw last night at the park. He wouldn't have ever imagined betting his stash of treats on his usual betting events that one of Jake's friends was this evil creature of destruction. Heck, it was quite a surprise as well when they found out that Rose was the Huntsgirl, the Huntsmaster's most trusted Huntsman.

"We better get started, Fu Dog." Lao Shi declared as he made his way out of the shop. "The sooner we prepare the spell, the better."

Fu lowered the book from his face and gave a heavy sigh to himself, holstering the book under his arm and followed suit. "I hope the kid can take it well when he finds out too…"

What a day…

It was already 2PM in the afternoon, and boy what a sweat he worked up. Despite the bruised knees, elbows and body, Yahto had some fun. He at first was hesitant at staying at the park with Jake, Trixie and Spud, but now he's glad he stayed.

"That was a good try, Yahto." Trixie commented as she passed around water bottles, one for each as they sit on a bench near the vending machines of the park. "You're not as bad as you said you were, dawg!"

Jake laughed a bit as he held up his water bottle. "Haha, got that right! Despite making friends with the pavement all day long, you've actually pulled off some good jumps. You learn fast, bro!"

"Hehe…" Yahto chuckled nervously, blushing from the comments. He rotated his water bottle in-between his two hands, a bit shy from the attention and compliments. "It's harder than you guys make it look, but it's fun."

"You'll be skating with the pros before you know it!" Spud added before taking a big sip of his water.

"Speaking of pros…" Trixie turned her head over to Jake, giving him a look before speaking. "Ain't it time you start practicing again for the skating competition this weekend? You've been slacking off enough as it is!"

Jake mentally kicked himself as he rubbed the back of his head. "Awww man…! Geez, you're right…I've been so busy with so many things this week that I've been slacking off big time."

Yahto blinked as he overheard. "Skating competition?" That's right; Spud mentioned earlier that Jake is entering a skating competition this weekend.

"Yeah, remember? Jake's entering the skating competition this weekend." Spud reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and handed it over to Yahto. "It's gonna be big, and I mean big!"

Yahto looked curiously at the crumpled ball of paper before opening it up, revealing a rather worn out but readable flyer. It's about a skating competition all right, set for this Saturday at ten in the morning. There's a skateboard division and a roller blade division. First place wins a brand new skate board or roller blade (depending on the division entered) and signed by the top skaters of the sport.

"And I'm going for the gold!" Jake narrowed his eyes as he clenched his fists, a smirk forming in his face as his confidence grows. "Oh yeah! I'm gonna wipe the floor and steal the show!"

"Not with the way you're going you ain't!" Trixie brought it to Jake's attention as she prodded her finger to Jake's skull. "You haven't even gotten on your board all week for some practice! Even my grandma could roll wheels all around you!"

Spud blinked as he looked at Trixie in amazement. "Your grandma can skate?"

Jake gave a nervous giggle as he held up his hands defensively at Trixie. "Chill Trix, I know I know! It's just I've been very busy with a lot of stuff lately, you know how it is."

Trixie just kept giving Jake a look. "Mmm-hmm, yeah, I've heard that one before."

Yahto couldn't help but ask. "Busy with what?"

"Oh, you know. The usual stuff like figgg-iii…" For a moment Jake forgot that Yahto was even there and nearly spilled the beans. He managed to stop as he realized what he almost did. Even Trixie and Spud froze. "Fiiiii-iiiling some stuff at grandpa's shop! Yeah, that's right! Hahah, filing…"

Trixie and Spud sighed in relief, all while Yahto just blinked and arched an eyebrow, a little lost at what just happened.

Truth is, Jake has a secret that nobody must know. He's the American Dragon. He has the job of protecting New York from any magical mayhem and to protect the magical inhabitants of the city as well. With the exception of his family, Trixie, Spud and a very very select few, nobody must know about this secret. Not only could it bring bad results, but it would totally destroy Jake's rep.

Keeping this secret from Yahto wasn't any different.

"Uh, yeah, that's right!" Trixie was quick to make the safe. "You see, Jake's grandpa has a shop here in the NYC. And almost every day after school he has to help him around the shop. It's a real bummer and time waster if you ask me."

Spud nodded quickly. "Yeah yeah! It's a total drag, man."

Jake gave a nervous chuckle as he nodded in agreement before sighing in relief. Safe, and he thanked them both in his mind for the assist.

"Oh, that's why." Yahto was totally unaware that they were hiding something from him; he was either naïve or doesn't bother questioning what they're hiding. "I think it's great that you're taking time to help your grandpa at his shop, I'm sure he appreciates it."

"Heh, yeah. I'm sure he does." Jake looked at his half-empty water bottle while thinking about his gramps, Lao Shi. He's probably busy at his shop going through magic books finding a way to stop the Millenium Dragon, no doubt.

Millenium Dragon…Jake thought back to what Rose told him earlier this morning. The dragon's human identity…Jake didn't want to believe it, but the dragon's human form is sitting not too far from him…

Jake pushed the thought aside for now and stood up, adjusting his head gear and elbow pads. "All right, I better score in some practice time before the competition this weekend. I gotta be at my best to score that sweet skateboard!"

Spud beams as she leaps up to his feet, finally seeing the enthusiasm to practice that he wanted to see from Jake. "All right! Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"Yeah well you better start shifting into overdrive at the pace you're going." Trixie pointed out as she stood up as well, pointing at the mini ramps where a number of skaters were pulling tricks. "While you've been going around doing your thing I've seen some real talent entering this year. You better have some slick and fancy tricks in your pockets."

Jake simple smirked, playing it cool. "Hah, chill guys, it's cool! The Jake Meister here definitely has some secret moves up his sleeve. Just watch me!"

As the trio got on their boards and to the mini ramps Yahto simply eyed them as he sat at the bench, taking his last few drinks from his water bottle. They seem really determined to win, that autographed equipment must be really valuable for them.

They're really good friends to each other, it seems. Something Yahto wished he had. He never had any real friends, most of the people he used to know were either bullies or just knew him but…Well, weren't friends…

The boy looked to his right and watched from afar as Jake rode the ramp up and down, shooting up into the sky and either spinning or pulling a trick, practicing for that contest he surely wants to win, all while Trixie and Spud watch from the bottom and throwing advice and tips at him. Now that's friendship, and in a way Yahto was a bit envious.

Keep your friends close and develop a strong heart.

"Akuba…" Yahto muttered. He remembers the words of that dragon. That reminds him of his current dilemma. Of his dreams. Yahto looked down at his wristband around his left wrist, subconsciously pulling on the wristband to reveal the birth mark that the band hid from the world.

"Millenium Dragon…" He echoed the name of the…thing inside of him. Akuba told him that he's the inheritor of the awesome power of the Millenium Dragon, but the power suffers from a curse that's been haunting the Millenium Dragon tree for what? A thousand years, was it? And he has to what? Fight the curse and break it? How is he supposed to do that? He can barely stand up for himself!

He was terrified. Plain and simple. He was always alone to do things by himself, but this…This is something that no one, not even his loving mother, could help him. He never felt so alone.

Keep your friends close and develop a strong heart? How is he supposed to do that when he has no friends?

No…No, he can't start shriveling up in his usual corner thinking that he's alone. So far he has met people like Jake, Trixie and Spud. They're the closest he's gotten to people here as friends. They've treated him well, haven't ridiculed him or turned a cold shoulder to him. He can trust them, right? Maybe he could find some strength in them, something that could inspire him to become stronger.

And besides, he's not alone. Despite knowing next to nothing about Akuba, he feels that he can trust him. And if he's telling the truth then he's always with him, keeping an eye over him just in case the curse acts up again. But then again, he can't help him in finding a way to beat the curse. It's something he has to figure out for himself…So, how do you beat a thousand-year-old curse?

He might have to visit a library or something for that one.

A loud cheer broke Yahto's thoughts. Looking over toward the ramps Yahto caught a glimpse of Jake catching major air and pulling off one awesome trick, at least to Yahto's standards.
Wow! Jake's good.

"Wow!" Spud exclaimed as he gave a thumbs up. "That was awesome, Jake!"

"Wicked move there, Jakie!" Trixie approved with a nod of her head. "I take that was one of ya'll secret moves?"

Jake grinned as he stood at the top of the ramp in triumph. "You know it! One of my patented secret moves I cooked up just for the competition! This is going to be cake, yo!"

"I'll say! You got my vote!" Spud was getting excited. With a trick like that Jake is sure to win!

Trixie however wasn't completely assured. "The trick is good, but I'm not sure just one is going to cut it, Jakie."

"Hehe, don't worry! The AmDrag here has more moves up his sleeve!" To prove his point Jake jumped back onto the ramp with his board to practice his new moves.

As Yahto stood up from the bench and made his way to the ramp, someone is closely watching the group. It watched the young boy skating with intent, as if scanning and reading its frame and soul. Nobody could see this stalker. He was there, yet he wasn't. He watched through another's eyes, and nobody knew it.

Jake Long…The American Dragon…Are you true to your word?

Jake smirked as he launched off the ramp again, his speed increasing and getting major air. He needs to go higher for this one to work! He turns around as he reaches the ramp and with great speed he launches up from the other side, almost!

Just as he was about to descend his eyes caught the most unusual sight and gasped. Peeking through an alley across the street was a small goblin! What the heck is it doing out there!

"Say what…?" Jake watched in shock as the goblin ran across the street to behind another building. That troll is really out of place and shouldn't be here in the first place!

"Jake!"

"Huh? Whoa!" Losing his concentration was a bad mistake while on a skateboard and in the air. And before he could regain his composure the wheels of his skateboard clipped the edge of the ramp and he took a nasty flip forward and collides against the ramp on his stomach, sliding down to the bottom on his face.

Trixie, Spud and Yahto gasp and cover their eyes from the painful fall. Oh man, that had to hurt.

"Jake!" Trixie cries as the three of them rushes over to Jake's side.

"You okay?" Yahto was worried for Jake's well-being.

"Say something!" Spud jumped up to the ramp and kneeled down to Jake's side.

Jake groaned, his face throbbing in pain after such a nasty fall. Clutching his face a bit as he slowly got up to his knees, he shook away the pain before responding. "Nnngh, I'm all right…Just fine…"

Spud lightly patted Jake's back to help him get back to his senses. "What happened? You just zoned out and came diving down like a bomb."

Jake rubbed his head as he hesitated to say. Telling Trixie and Spud is no problem for him, but…

"Yahto?" Jake turned his head to Yahto. "I ummm…Kind of scrapped my knee on that fall. Could you go to the First Aid Station over there by the entrance and pick up some disinfectant cotton and a little alcohol napkin?"

"First Aid Station?" Yahto looked over his shoulder and spotted the red shack by the entrance of the park. "Okay, I'll be right back."

As Yahto turned and left toward the shack Trixie and Spud looked at each other and back at Jake, his knee looks fine with the way he got down from the ramp behind Yahto's back.

Spud blinked as he witnessed Jake getting off the ramp with little problem from his supposed injured knee. "Wait…I thought you said you were hurt?"

Trixie however simply folded her arms as she arched an eyebrow at the boy. "Jakie, what's up with you? I know there's nothing wrong with your knee. We always wear knee pads when we skate."

Jake rubbed the back of his head, feeling a bit bad about lying. "Sorry guys, but I had to get Yahto away from us." He looked to make sure that Yahto's at the shack before turning back to Trixie and Spud. "I saw a goblin across the street, it caught me by surprise that I spilled."

Trixie was rather surprised to hear that. "A goblin?"

Spud was just as surprised as she was. "I thought goblins weren't supposed to be in this part of the city."

"That's right. Goblins aren't supposed to be in this part of the city. I don't know what it's up to, but it won't break any rules on my watch!" Jake clutched his left fist into the palm of his right hand as he continued. "I gotta look into this, guys. Can you guys cover for me while I get back?"

Spud nods, agreeing to help. "Sure!"

Trixie agreed as well. "Leave it us, dawg!"

"Hehe, thanks guys, I owe you guys one!"

And with that they broke. Jake made sure to slip out of the park without Yahto noticing all while Trixie and Spud made their way to him. As luck would have it there was a little line to the shack, and those making the line would have their backs turned to the entrance and where Jake and the others were. Luckily for Yahto, the line wasn't much of a wait.

As Yahto finished with the shack and turned with the stuff Jake asked for he noticed Trixie and Spud going up to him as he was about to make his way back. "Hm? Trixie? Spud? What's going on?"

Trixie was quick to make an excuse as she grabbed Yahto's arm. "Um, I just remembered about this wicked roller blade trick I want you to try! You could use the practice and all, dawg!"

Yahto was hesitant to even get back on his roller blades with her teaching, she's tough! He needs a way out of this. "Ummm…But what about Jake? He's hurt and I have the-"

"Spud will take the stuff back to him!" She immediately cut him off as she took the stuff from Yahto's hands and shoved them to Spud. "Won't ya, Spudinski?"

"What?" Spud was absent-minded for a moment as the stuff was shoved into his hands. Suddenly realizing the plan and about Jake's dilemma he quickly jumped into gear. "Oh! Yeah, don't worry bro! I'll just take these back to Jake and he'll be good as new in no time!"

Trixie winced a bit as Spud almost blew it, but managed to keep her role as she continued to try to keep Yahto busy. "Yeah, what he said! Now let's go, dawg. You won't learn how to skate like a pro by just standing here!"

Yahto was a bit taken aback from the tug on his arm from Trixie, she's really determined to teach him how to skate! He'll be coming back home with a lot of bruises tonight. "Aah! OK OK! Just stop pulling on my arm! Aaah!"

And there they go, once again to practice and for Yahto to get more acquainted with the skate park concrete. Good luck Yahto, you're going to need it.

Meanwhile, Jake was outside of the park and crossing the street. He looked around, trying to remember where he saw that goblin run off to.

As much as he would like to stay at the park to continue practicing, this is something he just can't ignore. A goblin on this side of the city is pretty suspicious, considering they shouldn't be anywhere near this place. Usually this means bad news. And as the American Dragon he can't let things like this go without checking it out. He's gotten in a lot of trouble ignoring these kinds of things before, and he's learned his lesson…Mostly.

"Where did that goblin go?" He muttered as he skated down an alley. He remembers seeing the goblin run in here. He couldn't have gotten far.

He stopped by a three way crossing and looked down each direction. Well this stinks, where now?

A sudden sound caught Jake's attention, and when he looked down a path he saw the shadow of a goblin.

"There you are!" Jake hollered as he rushed down the path, turning a corner and surprising the goblin, who was in the middle of raiding a trash bin. The startled goblin fell out from the trash bin and immediately rolled over and ran off.

"H-Hey!" Jake got on his skate board and followed the goblin. The goblin tried to slow Jake down by bumping over trash cans and other stuff in Jake's path, but he managed to Ollie over the obstacles and kept the pace. "Stop, goblin! You're not getting away!"

Jake turned a corner and stopped, his lips forming into a triumphant smile. The goblin just ran into a dead end, and there's no way out.

"Hah! It's over, goblin!" Jake smirked as he stepped closer to the cowering goblin. "You can't get away from the American Dragon! Now, how about telling me what you're doing all the way out here? You goblins aren't supposed to be on this side of town."

"Hmhmhm…" A chuckle rang out of nowhere. "I told him to…"

"W-What?" Jake was startled and looked his surroundings, seeing nothing but walls and the goblin. "Who's there?"

Jake heard footsteps. He looked to his left and from the shadows something big walked out! Jake was shocked at the creature who greeted him from the darkness. It was black with a tan underbelly and red hair. It's menacing green eyes looking down at the young boy as wicked-looking tattoos go from its wrists up its arms, shoulders and chest. It looked mean, dangerous, and it's intimidating smirk was creeping Jake out! And to top it all off, it's a dragon!

The goblin sneaked its way toward this dragon and slowly it disintegrated into a purple smoke. This smoke swirled and met the dragon's outstretched hand, absorbing into it as the dragon's tattoos glowed for a moment. "It's a wonder how magic works, eh Jake?"

Jake took a step back. This dragon knows his name? But how…?

Suddenly the dragon took a step forward to stand in front of Jake. No time to ask questions! If he lured him here with that goblin, then he's trouble! "You lured me here with that goblin? Picking a fight! Well you found one!"

"Dragon up!" Jake cries as he throws his arms to the side and focuses deep into his Dragon Power within, closing his eyes and concentrating on the transformation. Flames engulf his body as his height increases up to around 7 feet, his arms and legs grow longer and bulkier as his chest and torso expands, a strong tail forms as wings sprout from his back. His head was next as it changes to the shape of a dragon's head as his black spiky hair changes to green spikes from the top of his head down his back and tip of his tail and sharp claws arm his fingers and toes.

Freshly transformed Jake flexed his claws and growled at the opposing dragon, ready for anything.

"The American Dragon." The dragon stated with the smirk still adorning his face.

"Who are you?" Jake demanded to know as he stood in a defensive position. "What do you want from me?"

"What do I want from you?" The dragon chuckled as he shook his head. "What I am after is not something you can just hand over."

Jake arched an eyebrow, a bit confused at this dragon's word play. "Say what? Make some sense, yo!"

The dragon merely chuckled at the young dragon's reply. "Do you wish to find out?"

Jake was starting to get a little creeped out. He took a step back to get some space between them, just in case those were fighting words. The dragon however merely narrowed his eyes a bit as he witnessed the American Dragon taking a step back. "Hey, that's dangerous."

Before Jake knew it his foot stepped out of the ground, causing him to nearly trip backwards and fall down a…Pit? What? As Jake regained his footing by taking a step forward he looked over his shoulder and was left even more confused. "What the?"

He's by the edge of the top of a building? What's the deal here? A second ago he was at the dead end of an alley facing this dragon! How in the world did he suddenly get to the top of a skyscraper all of a sudden in the blink of an eye? Not to mention that it's not pure night time! It was the middle of the day! How could the sun have gotten down already?

Jake was flabbergasted, but he knew who to blame for this. "You." He turned back to the dragon, who was merely standing there with his tattoos giving off a faint glow as his red hair flowed in the wind. "What kind of mumbo jumbo did you do? Where did you take me!"

The dragon merely chuckled before answering. "What's wrong? You don't recognize the night life of your city? And from the roofs of skyscrapers, no less."

Jake didn't know what to make of this dragon. But one thing's for sure, if he used his magic (Or whatever he did) to take them to the roofs of New York's buildings and during the night, there's going to be a night time rumble where nobody can interrupt them. "Looking for a place to fight?" He growled.

The dragon only lifted a hand to himself with his eyes in a slight glare, his smirk never leaving his face. "Fight? You hurt me, my friend. Nothing of the sort."

"Say what?" Arching an eyebrow, now Jake is even more confused by this dragon's mysterious nature. "If you're not looking for a fight, then what do you want?"

"A test." The dragon lowered his hand and folded his arms, the tattoos on his arms glowing once again. "It's game time, American Dragon."

"Game?" Jake spat out, puzzled by this. A game? What in the heck is this dragon smoking? What kind of trick is he trying to pull on the AmDrag? Well whatever, he'll blaze through this and get that dragon.

The dragon merely resumed as his face went serious, his head dipping down a bit. "Friendship is like a fragile ship floating out at sea. When doubt and distrust begin to take root, the ship's bottom begins to get riddled by cracks. Before you know it, the ship fills with water as it struggles to stay afloat. In your case, your ship is headed toward an iceberg. An iceberg of duty, American Dragon…"

"Say what?" Now Jake knows this dragon is smoking something. If that isn't the most messed up and nonsensical proverb he's ever heard. It even beats his grandpa's…Wait, friendship? Doubt? Duty? Does this dragon know about…?

"You are at a crossroad, American Dragon…" The dragon continued as he began to step back, stepping into the darkness. "And soon your choice will be known…Through a game of sacrifice…"

"Game of…Wait!" Jake stepped forward to go after the dragon, but the dragon disappeared into the darkness, nowhere to be seen.

The rules are simple. Follow your instincts, or follow your orders as the American Dragon. Your actions determine whether you win or lose this fateful game.

Jake looked around, trying to find where the dragon is hiding. He couldn't have disappeared into thin air like that! Then again, if a dragon can use his magic mumbo jumbo to turn day into night and take them away to the roofs of New York buildings, he can probably do anything.

But what does this wacko think he's doing? Making him play a game? Say what? He has more important things to do then to just play this game of his. Follow his instincts, or follow his orders as the American Dragon? This dragon is nuts!

Jake was about to leave when he froze and tensed his muscles. For some reason he felt like someone is watching him…And whoever it is it's very close. Little did he know how right he was, for someone or something is standing over him at the top of the roof behind him, looking down at him.

Jake's senses caught the sound, and when he turned he gasped to his attacker leaping toward him with a flying kick.

"Whoa!" With a gasp Jake brought up his arms and crossed them over his face, blocking the kick from connecting to his face. Wow, that was a tough kick!

Pushing the attacker away and rubbing his sore arm Jake got a good look at his opponent as he landed gracefully in front of him, taking on an offensive pose in preparation for a fight. "No…" Jake's eyes widen as he took a step back. "It can't be…!"

His opponent is wearing a black ninja-like uniform with purple markings on his sleeves and pants, a mask concealing his face and hiding his identity. On his back he carries a green staff, the tip glowing with magical energy. If Jake didn't know any better, this is none other than a member of…

"The Huntsclan…!" Jake gasped, unable to believe what he's seeing. He couldn't believe it. It couldn't be possible.

The Huntsclan had their final stand almost a year ago. They tried to destroy the Magical World and all Dragons with their latest performance-enhancer product. It was a magical crystal they reverse-engineered and adapt into their technology. When the Huntsclan wore the device it enhanced their strength and performance to even rival the Dragon Council and its members.

The device had a diabolical catch though. Whoever wore them would become mindless puppets of whoever was holding the remote of these devices, mind control so to speak. The orders within these devices were routed from a machine in their headquarters, and it controlled the wearers of these devices to infiltrate and attack the Dragons and any magical beings.

This was done as a safety precaution to control the fear within the Huntsclan, just in case anyone got cold feet and would deny or run away from the mission at the sound of attacking the heart of the Dragon Council, where they would most likely fight against every Dragon in existence.

Those who wore the devices were never in control of themselves, couldn't speak, couldn't control their actions.

It wasn't until they wiped out all of the Huntsclan did they found out about all of this. They quickly destroyed all of the devices, but the controlling machine was never found.

They called this fight the Huntsclan Purge. Mainly because it was believed the entire Huntsclan was wiped out in this fight at the hands of countless Dragons who participated against the fight, many of them lost their lives.

Jake's grandpa, Lao Shi, was always the survivor. He survived against the Dark Dragon, numerous fights with the Huntsclan, and countless other untold stories. He was among the survivors of the Huntsclan Purge.

However, he finally met his end at the hands of…Well, no one is sure.

He was killed a few days ago, when a lone hunter was rumored to be spotted. Rumors say it's a survivor of the Huntsclan Purge. Lao went to investigate the sightings. He never came back.

Seeing this lone hunter in front of him, Jake is certain this is the lone hunter his grandfather was tipped off about, the one who murdered him.

Anger and rage began to boil up inside of the young Dragon. He clenched his hands into fists, clutching so tightly the claws could pierce through his skin at any moment. "You…! You killed him, didn't you…!"

The hunter merely returned the glare, not a word escaping from his lips.

Jake didn't need to hear anything. He merely charged in with a fist reaching back for a punch, a battle cry coming out his mouth. "Raaaahh!"

The hunter leaped up into the air, dodging the punch as it smashes into the wall behind, punching through the concrete. The enraged Dragon took out his fist from the wall and leaped up after the hunter, jumping from roof to roof chasing after his grandfather's killer.

The hunter stopped on one of the bigger roofs and turned, watching the Dragon land on said roof growling at him. The hunter charged and leaped for a flying roundhouse kick. Jake ducked his head to avoid it, responding with a quick left hook, which the hunter dodged by crouching down low and throwing a sweep kick at Jake's legs.

Jake yelped as his legs were kicked from under him and caused him to trip, but with the quick use of his tail he managed to plant it firmly down on the ground and suspending him in mid-air. With his legs in front of him Jake took aim and kicked at the hunter with both legs, catching the hunter off-guard and knocking him back against the wall.

The hunter staggered a bit while Jake got to his feet and glared at his opponent. The hunter, after regaining his composure, reached back and took out the staff, wielding it in his hands as the tip began to glow brighter.

Jake gasped as the shots were being fired straight at him. He flew into the air with the use of his wings and dodged the best his could, lean left and right, descending and ascending. Anything he could do to avoid eating one of those shots. He had to stop this guy!

Taking in a breath Jake spat out a fireball just when the hunter shot another energy shot from the staff. The two shots collided with each other, resulting in an explosion that blinded the hunter's sight, forcing both the hunter and Jake to shield their eyes from the bright collision.

When the explosion subsided, the battle raged on!

The two combatants rushed at each other again and exchanged blows. Jake's superior strength proved to be deadly to the hunter, but the hunter's speed and dexterity proved to be a challenge for Jake to land a blow on. They jumped from roof to roof, chasing and following each other, sometimes even fighting in the air in-between roof jumps.

All the meanwhile a shadow watched them from the tallest building in the area, a faint glow emitting from its chest and arms. It was the Dragon that sent Jake here, and he was enjoying the show with a smirk plastered on his face, his hair swaying in the night breeze.

He's not bad, the Dragon thought to himself as he watched the fight. So the American Dragon can fight well after all, with the right motivation, of course. But will it cloud his judgment now that he's in a blind rage to avenge his grandfather's death? He'll see soon enough…

Back to the battle at hand, Jake took a step back as he gasped for breath. That kick to his stomach left him a bit dazed and made him lose his breath. His body was bruised all over, and his left shoulder was slightly burned from one of the staff's energy shots nailing him. But he's cool, he can still fight. He has to, for his grandfather's sake…

The hunter wasn't faring much either. The Dragon's harder punches began to take his toll on the hunter's small figure. Compared to Jake's tougher armor from his scales and endurance as a Dragon, he was outmatched, but he had the speed and agility. But such ferocity from the Dragon wasn't anticipated…

They both knew this was the final round.

"Haaaaa!" Jake cried as he charged in for his attack. He threw a left and right hook, followed by a roundhouse kick and a jump kick. The hunter managed to avoid them with great agility, crouching low and leaning to the sides.

The hunter took the opening after the attacks and leaped, turning around in a full 360 with the leg outstretched for a kick. And it connected to Jake's face with a loud thud, Jake's face whipped to the side and dazing the Dragon.

The hunter landed and, grabbing the staff tightly in his hands, stepped forward and rammed the staff into Jake's stomach. Dragon's have soft underbellies, and by striking the Dragon to the stomach like this it would cause them a good amount of pain. Follow it with a point blank shot from the staff at full power, and it could kill.

However, instead of feeling the staff striking into a Dragon's belly, it felt like something stopped it.

Jake slowly moved his head to glare down at the stunned hunter. Despite a kick to the face like that the Dragon managed to catch the staff before it could strike the soft underbelly. Did the hunter underestimate the Dragon? Or was the blind rage the Dragon's in managed to enhance his endurance, acting purely on adrenaline and anger?

Wanting the hunter to feel this one, Jake yanked the staff in to his side, forcing the hunter to stumble forward from the pull. And with one arm, Jake bent it for the elbow to face the hunter. "Grraaaahh!"

And he extended it out, striking the hunter in the face with the elbow as hard as he could, the momentum from the yank of the staff increasing the force of the blow.

Jake watched, with much satisfaction, as the hunter flew back from the strike and fell to the cold hard roof floor, lying motionless from the damaging attack. If he broke the hunter's nose or rammed the bone into his brain, he was satisfied either way.

"Hahh…Hahh…Hahh…" Breathing heavily from exhaustion Jake dropped the staff near the hunter. He knew the hunter was still alive, and he wasn't going to let him live. He killed his grandpa, and now he's going to pay. That and this guy is the last member of the Huntsclan, he just can't let him get away!

"You killed my grandfather…" Jake growled as he stalked forward to the downed hunter. He kneeled down, flexing his claws to ready the final blow and reaching to the hunter's mask with his other hand, pulling off the mask to reveal the hunter's true face. "Who are you!"

What Jake saw next was like taking a knife and stabbing it right through his heart.

"No…" Jake's throat tightened, he could barely even whisper the word. He froze as he slowly lowered his readied arm; his eyes widened in horror as his chest began to heave, breathing heavily from the shock.

That face…Those blue eyes…That blonde hair…No…It couldn't be…Of all people…Why…

Jake couldn't bring himself to move, he was completely frozen stiff. The shock was unbearable. He swore he was going to die of a heart attack right then and there. It was too much to bear, the pain, the sorrow. This can't be real…!

"Hai-ya!"

"Aaagh!"

A powerful blow struck Jake across the face. The staff he threw away was near for her to grab, and she used it to strike Jake off of her.

The Dragon fell to the ground with a loud thud, his head throbbing from the impact as he lied on his back, dazed and in a lot of pain. As his composure was returning he caught a glimpse of her getting up and standing over him, ready to strike the staff down on him for the killing blow.

"No!" He cried as he held out his hands and grabbed at the staff, struggling with her, trying to keep her from committing a big mistake. "Nnngh! Rose! Please! Why are you doing this! How could you…How could you kill…?"

Jake choked; he couldn't bear the thought that Rose, the woman he loved, could do such a horrible thing. To kill his grandfather…

But that look in her eyes, that glare, it just wasn't her. It was almost as if…As if…

Suddenly Rose's glare softened, and soon she grit her teeth and howled in pain as she released the staff and backed away, clutching her head as if struggling with something inside her thoughts. She twitched and convulsed, looking as if she's trying to resist something, fighting against a force.

Jake witnessed the torment as he slowly got up, clutching his left arm as he breathed heavily from exhaustion. It all came together in his mind, and now he knows what's going on.

"I know what's going on…!" He whispered as he ran toward Rose and held her still with one hand to her shoulder and with his free hand he used his claws to rip open a part of the suit on her chest.

There! Attached to her chest! That's it! That damned performance-enhancing device of the Huntsclan they used to attack the Dragon Council with! That terrible device that, when worn, brainwashes everyone and became the Huntmaster's puppets, locking away their feelings and emotions and, essentially, becoming the perfect warrior.

I gotta take this thing off of her!

Before Jake could get the chance Rose pulled a back flip kick, kicking Jake right under his jaw and freeing herself from his grip. The device got a hold on her again; she can't control her actions or even her thoughts!

Wait, no. That's not true. When Jake tried talking to her a few seconds ago she responded, causing her to twitch out of control as if fighting against the device's influence!

"Nngh…Rose…" Jake began as he rubbed his chin. He raised an arm to block a high kick from Rose, trying to think what he can do to get to that device. "Please, stop…I don't want to hurt you!"

He blocked a right hook and crossed his arms to block another kick. He doesn't want to hurt her, he has to find a way to get to that device and get it off of her! "Rose, please! It's me, Jake!"

She jumped for a leaping roundhouse kick, which Jake dodged by crouching low. He then jumped back to gain distance, but Rose is determined to keep the fight at close-range. She threw punches and kicks as hard and fast as she could, all Jake could do was dodge and block her attempts, all while trying to make her snap back to sanity.

"Please stop, Rose! Come on, snap out of it!" Jake's arms were starting to get sore from all the beating he was getting. He just can't bring himself to hurt her anymore, not even if she was the one who…Oh he can't even think about it anymore! It just breaks his heart…

"What's wrong?" The Dragon responsible for all of this commented to himself as he watched the fight from a faraway rooftop. He was enjoying the show until this turn of events happened. "She's one of the Huntsclan, the organization all Dragons swear to destroy, one of the top threats to the Magical World. It's your duty to dispose of them and her."

He couldn't help but smirk as the American Dragon continued to go on the defensive, trying to find another way to end this battle. This is the crucial point of all of this, wherever this fight takes will speak volumes about Jake. "So why do you hesitate?" He continued with his little speech, as if talking to Jake trying to influence him down one road. "Fulfill your duty as the American Dragon. Destroy her!"

But Jake couldn't bring himself to destroy her. He much rather prefer holding this defense stance as she pummeled him. The Dragon was slowly dropping to his knees from defending all of her blows, some of them breaking through his defense and striking his ribs or face.

It was no use; she's not responding or listening. But he couldn't bring himself to attack her, not anymore. Rose's his friend, the one who helped him fight against the Huntsclan after bringing her back from the Academy. She's been there for him; she even came back for him when he was about to leave the prom because his breath stunk. She helped him through anything!

And…Most of all…He loves her!

"Rose, stop!" Jake shouted at the top of his lungs, his arms nearly ready to drop from the abuse they've been through.

Then, it happened. Rose stopped her attacks, she must've heard him. The device began to act up again, and Rose began to scream as if she was in pain.

This is his chance. Even though his body was battered, he had the will to do this. With a grunt he got up and held her still as he grabbed onto the device. With a mighty yell he began to yank at the device and, with his mighty Dragon strength, the device came clean off of her, crushing it into a tin can in his powerful hand, destroying the evil device.

That did the trick. Rose backed up as her pain subsided, the device's grip releasing on her. Exhausted, Rose began to fall back, only to be held up by Jake's arms.

"Rose…" Jake began as he held her up in her arms, slowly kneeling down on one knee and gently shaking her. "Rose…!"

Rose moaned as she came to and slowly opened her eyes, the evil intent in her eyes now gone. "J-Jake…?"

Jake couldn't help but smile. "Rose…You're okay…"

Rose smiled but then it soon faded away, feeling at her chest as she realized what she had done. "The device…It's finally gone…But…Oh God, I was so aware…That thing it…" The tears began to form in her eyes as the memories came back, unable to believe the savagery she had performed while controlled, especially about…

"Jake…" She whispered as she looked back up at Jake. "I'm so sorry…So so sorry…" With tears in her eyes Rose suddenly went limp, passing out from the exhaustion and the physical strain she must've been in from having that device controlling her and acting as an eternal steroid.

Jake soon broke down into tears as well, closing his eyes as he tried to hold back from crying "No, Rose…It wasn't your fault…!" Unable to hold it back, he broke down into a sob, still holding Rose in his arms. "It wasn't your fault! You don't have to apologize to me! I don't hate you!"

Gritting his teeth in anger he opened his eyes in a glare up toward the night sky, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I'll find that stupid machine and turn it into a bunch of bolts! I'll find the guy that did this to you! And I swear I'll make that loser pay, for you and my grandpa!"

He looked back down at Rose as she lay unconscious in his arms, his heart aching by the mere thought of what she went through during this. The torment, the pain of having to slay…No, he won't think of that any longer! It wasn't her fault!

"Rose…" Jake muttered as he cradled her in his arms. But then an unexpected turn of events triggered, and Rose suddenly disappeared from his arms in a puff of black particles.

"Rose…?" Jake was stunned, his eyes widen in shock as the woman he loves just disappeared. What happened to her? What? What!

"Rose!" He jumped up to his feet and looked around. Nobody but himself is up here. But what? Did magic do this? Who? Who took her from him! Where is she? Who did this?

"ROSE!"

Before he knew it he heard someone behind him clapping.

A quick turn of his heel he comes face to face with the black Dragon who's been witnessing the whole thing from another rooftop, and he looks quite pleased at what he witnessed. "What a pleasant show, young Dragon. And quite a nice twist too."

Jake glared at the dragon. Oh this Dragon must be the one who took Rose away! He knows magic, after all!

"You…" Despite having a battered body Jake charged at the Dragon, ready to punch his light's out. "What did you do to Rose?"

The Dragon simply took a step to the side and lifted his arm, catching Jake's fist in his hand with ease and squeezing it to prevent Jake from ever getting his hand back, much less throw another fist at him with said hand. "Hey now, calm down. The Rose you saw was merely a creation of my magic. Simply put, a fake Rose."

Jake obviously didn't look happy, not in the mood for this. "Fake?"

"That's right." The Dragon continued with a faint smirk. "I simply created her from samples of your memories. All that you experienced today was nothing more than my magic creeping into your mind and implanting fake memories and altering your personality, creating a believable and quite realistic world of fiction."

"World of…Fiction?" Jake wasn't getting any calmer, he was just getting furious. "Are you telling me that you sucked me into a videogame of yours just to play with my feelings? That's not cool, yo! That was Rose! She's my girl!"

Jake tried with his free hand to punch the Dragon in the face, but the Dragon leaned his head aside to dodge it. In a quick motion the Dragon lifted his arm, pushed Jake's outstretched arm aside for a bit and locked his arm around it, pulling it down and locking it under his armpit and placing his hand on Jake's bicep, locking his arm in place and putting some force into it and hurting his already battered arm.

While Jake grunted and reacted in pain, the Dragon continued. "Listen, American Dragon. I am not your enemy. Antagonize me all you want, but I'm not here to fight. I'm here to simply ask for your help."

In-between his grunts Jake opened one eye to look at the Dragon square in his eyes. "Ask me…For help? You…Have a funny way of getting…My attention…Agh!"

"Hehe." With a chuckle the Dragon released his hold on Jake, letting the young Dragon to back away while gingerly rubbing and clutching his strained arm. "What you just went through is what I like to call the Game of Sacrifice."

As Jake tended to his injured arm, the Dragon continued to explain. "You were tempted by your anger, the fear that such a dangerous hunter was out and about, including the desire for revenge of the death of your loved one. All of this, combined with your duty as the American Dragon, is playing a vital role as we speak."

"Say what…?" Jake lifted his head up to the Dragon after attending to his arm. He doesn't have an inch of a clue of what this Dragon means. All of this is playing a vital role as we speak…?

Hold the phones…Jake remembers he's in a current crisis about a new threat in the city. The Milleniun Dragon, who's really…Wait, does this Dragon mean…?

"You know what I'm talking about, do you?" The Dragon doesn't even need to ask this, it's obvious Jake is now on the same page as him. "Your own promise and wish to help a certain someone…The Millenium Dragon."

Jake shouldn't be surprised that another Dragon knows about the Millenium Dragon. After all, didn't Fu and G tell him that the entire Dragon Council is aware of this monster and has terrorized the Magical World for what, every hundred years in a span of a thousand years? But how does this Dragon know the Millenium Dragon is Yahto? In fact, how did he know that he's trying to think of another way to both deal with the Millenium Dragon and save Yahto?

Jake wants to try to get to the bottom of this. "Hold the phones here. You know who the Millenium Dragon is? And how did you know that I-"

"I saw you." The Dragon interrupted him. "I also sensed your desire to help him. You have a strong heart despite your recklessness and sometimes irresponsible behavior. But most importantly, you can be quite true to your word, and ultimately show a great sense of responsibility."

"However," The Dragon resumed. "While you seem to have a good track record on helping others, this is a very serious and dangerous matter; one that conflicts with both your feelings and your responsibility as the American Dragon."

Jake was slowly grasping at what this Dragon was saying. "So…you're telling me that all of this was-"

"A simulation, if you may." The Dragon once again interrupted him. "What you experienced here was the conflict between your heart and your duty. On the one hand, your duty as the American Dragon leads you with no choice but to follow your orders to slay the Millenium Dragon. Or, in the case of this simulation, destroy the hunter."

"On the other," the Dragon resumed with the explanation. "You felt there was another way through the situation, in this case the brainwashing device the hunter was wearing. Despite your anger and rage toward the counterfeit memory of your grandfather being slain, you resisted quite well from taking our revenge. Quite impressive, American Dragon. And the type of strong will the boy needs by his side to defeat the weakened curse."

Jake was beginning to understand the Dragon's intention. He needed someone to help Yahto who wouldn't turn on him if the situation gets worse. Granted, he doesn't think he'll forgive this Dragon for implanting fake memories that his grandfather was killed by Rose (Of course it wasn't her fault to begin with), he can see the symbolism of such action. Yahto doesn't seem like a bad guy to commit the horrors the Millenium Dragon is said to do. And he would guess that the curse acts like that device he removed from Rose, brainwashing him and controlling him for evil.

"I get it…" Jake began as looked at the Dragon with a determined look. "This was a test for me, wasn't it? Well as you saw me, I passed with flying colors, didn't I?"

"I'll admit, you performed a bit better than I expect."

"Hah!" Jake couldn't help but smirk, his cocky attitude catching on again. "Yeah, baby! The AmDrag here beat your test with A+, yo! Haha! That's right! Not a C or a D, but A+!"

"I hope you're through with your little celebration." The Dragon interrupted (For the third time) the prideful young Dragon. "You may have won my Game of Sacrifice, but the situation at hand will be far worse than this little simulation."

With his eyes growing serious, the Dragon continues. "You will have to go against your grandfather's words and the whole Dragon Council. You'll even put the whole Magical World at risk. This is a huge gamble, one that you might not like."

Despite the warnings about going against everything and everyone to help a friend, Jake was still determined to go through with this. "Hey, no sweat. Wouldn't be the first time I go against grandpa's wishes. Besides, this is for a friend. I'm not gonna slay someone for something that they don't have any control over on." Jake paused as he recalled on what he just went through. Despite it all being fake, he wouldn't know what to do if he had killed Rose. "And you saw that I couldn't…"

The Dragon nods, acknowledging Jake's determination. "Good, you're determined and inflexible, this is good. With you by his side, I have no doubt that the child will be able to overcome the curse's influence and grow spiritually stronger."

"Heh, chill, bro. I'll help him, no problem. I also have Trixie and Spud by my side. You can trust them too, they're cool."

It seems like Yahto is in good hands after all. But will he able to overcome the curse in time? That's something they don't have much of…Time.

Looking up at the night sky the Dragon spots the full moon. "As easy as you make it sound to be, there's one obstacle trying to hinder us…" He adds as he looks back at the American Dragon. "Are you familiar with the red moon? The Moon of the Dragon?"

The Moon of the Dragon? Jake blinked as he looked up at the moon. Where did he hear of that name before…?

"The Moon of the Dragon…?" Jake scratched his chin and shook his head. "Doesn't ring any bells. Should I know about that?"

"You should." The Dragon replied with a slight height of volume to his voice, almost as if he's angry that Jake doesn't know about it at all. "The Moon of the Dragon is an important symbol of the Dragon's power. It occurs once every hundred years on the night of a full moon. When this night arrives, the moon turns blood red, and in turn the moon favors the Dragons in the land, increasing their strength tenfold."

If Jake was drinking soda he would've choked upon saying that. "Whoa, hold the phones here! Are you saying that when this red moon shows up, every Dragon in the world gets a sudden power up for the night?"

A simple nod from the Dragon causes Jake to think of many possibilities. Just imagine everything he could do on one night when the red moon is out. He could stop Pandarus with little effort, find and collect the remaining Aztec Skulls with ease before the Huntsclan finds them. He could even put a stop to the Huntsclan once and for all!

Not to mention, the sudden power from the red moon could give Jake's muscles an upgrade for the night. Suddenly the young Dragon got an image of himself in his head as a very muscular Dragon with impressive biceps. He'd be the most respected Dragon in the NYC!

"Empty your mind of such pleasurable thoughts, American Dragon!" The Dragon suddenly scolded, his usual smirk gone as he plainly saw what Jake was thinking. "The Moon of the Dragon is a sacred symbol for the Dragon Council and all Dragons alike. We take its gift seriously and do not use it for personal gain or any of the sorts!"

Jake winced from the scold and rubbed the back of his head. "Geez, sorry! You don't have to blow a gasket." It's starting to get a little disturbing at how this Dragon can easily read his mind.

"Besides, we don't have the luxury of taking the Moon of the Dragon's gift for our help. For this time, the Moon of the Dragon is our enemy."

"Say what?" Jake spat out all of a sudden. Granted he didn't know a thing about it, the way this Dragon described the Moon of the Dragon it clearly said 'I'm the Moon of the Dragon and I'm here to help you against your enemies'. What does he mean that this time it's their enemy?

The Dragon soon began to explain to the confused American Dragon. "While it's true that the Moon of the Dragon helps us Dragons with increasing our strength, it also aids the terrible curse."

"W-What? How? How can it also help the Millenium Dragon's curse?"

"The curse is a part of the Millenium Dragon, so the Moon's power also affects the curse as it affects the Millenium Dragon. I cannot tell you how many times the Moon has caused the curse to completely overtake the victim."

The Dragon shakes his head as the memories come back, but he maintains his composure (and anger) in check as he explains. "Many times past Millenium Dragons succumb to the curse because their wills were weak. However, few Millenium Dragons have displayed strong wills to resist the curse's pull. However, where the curse itself failed it finds success with the Moon's help. The Moon itself is like a deadline for a Millenium Dragon to defeat the curse. Otherwise, they're gone forever."

So that's it. If Yahto doesn't beat the curse by the time the next Red Moon surfaces, he's going to be instantly possessed by the more powerful curse. Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, out comes this whole moon business. In other words, the Moon itself is to blame for some of the past Millenium Dragon attacks.

By how the Dragon began to talk about the Moon of the Dragon, Jake was a little scared to ask this question. "So…When is the next Moon of the Dragon then?"

The Dragon closed his eyes and began to use his magic to calculate the last time the Moon of the Dragon was out and for when it is expected to come out next. He opened his eyes after a few seconds and he doesn't seem too happy. "In three days."

Three…Three days? How can that be? That's…Way too short! This is almost as bad as almost meeting the deadline for a big final project that counts toward fifty percent of your final grade! W-Way worse! We're talking about the fate of the Magical and Real World alike!

"Tell me…" Jake began to demand, he didn't have time to dilly-dally this. "Tell me how I can beat this curse!"

The Dragon merely had this to say. "Beating the curse falls upon Yahto's hands. And even I can't say. The curse cannot be beaten in the same way as other Millenium Dragons tried to beat it. Some tried spells while others tried to train their bodies to sheer exhaustion to power the curse out from them."

Thinking back to Yahto and his Game of Will, the Dragon resumed. "But if you believe in him, Yahto will find a way. He's stronger than he believes, and with an ally like you beside him he'll grow stronger mentally and spiritually. You have wisdom, child. Use it, define it, and pass it on. How you grow as a friend to Yahto could determine his fate against the curse."

This is all so confusing. How to start? Does he tell Yahto that he knows all about him? Does he let Yahto in on his secret that he's the American Dragon? Maybe…Then again, maybe not. He has to be a good friend to him and help him grow. He saw how shy and unsure of himself Yahto is, perhaps he can do something about that, to help him grow mentally and spiritually into a stronger being.

"Don't be so puzzled, American Dragon." The Dragon commented as he sensed Jake's troubled thoughts. "I have faith that you will be a good friend and inspiration to the child. I have faith that in three days you will be able to help him overcome the curse. After all, it has been prophesized that in a millennia the curse will finally come to an end."

Prophecy? Oh yeah, now he remembers. Fu told him as much this morning back at the grandpa's shop. In a thousand years the curse will be as weak as a soaked notebook page. Hey, if prophecy says that it will be broken during this time period, then they should have nothing to worry about. All he has to do is be there for Yahto as a friend, right?

Yeah well, how is he going to explain this to gramps? He kind of made it clear that he's not willing to risk the whole Magical World all because of some prophecy. Yeah, that's one to add to the "To-Do" list.

"Now, I believe I have taken enough of your time." The Dragon declared, snapping Jake out of his thoughts. "I shall return you back to whence I took you from."

"Before you zap me back with your magic." Jake interrupted. There's just one thing that's been nagging at his mind ever since this Dragon made it known that he knew about the Millenium Dragon, and about Yahto. "Would you mind telling me who exactly are you?"

The Dragon smirked. "Of course. I believe after putting you through so much the least I could do is introduce myself." He chuckled for a moment before continuing. "I am a Dragon from days old, master of Magic and king of games. My name is Akuba."

"Aku…Ba?" Why does that name sound familiar…?

"Ah!" He remembers now! Fu mentioned him this morning! According to his records Akuba was the Dragon who sealed the curse in the first place a thousand years ago. But that…That can't be right, could it? For this Dragon to be alive he'd have to be…Well, one heck of an old man! But this Dragon looks too young to be that old; he barely looks older than thirty.

"Come on, you're pulling my leg, right?" Jake meant to disrespect, but he finds it hard to believe this Dragon is the same Akuba from a thousand years ago. "You can't be this Akuba dude, could you? The same one who sealed the curse?"

"Ah, so you've heard of me."

"Say what? But that can't be right. You'd have to be more than a thousand years old, and you barely look thirty!"

"Alas, I am the same Akuba who sealed the curse a thousand years ago." The Dragon, Akuba, began to explain. "A thousand years ago I casted a powerful magic to seal the curse away; however it came at a price. My body was destroyed, and my soul was sealed away along with the curse. I am present within every Millenium Dragon that has existed, keeping the curse at bay and trying to aid them at breaking the curse. In other words, you can think of me as Yahto's guardian angel against the curse."

"If you're the one who sealed the curse, wouldn't it have been easier to just destroy it?"

"Even my magic has its limits." Akuba replied.

"Oh…Right. Duh." Jake knew it couldn't be that easy, otherwise Akuba would've done it centuries ago.

"Now, if that is all. I believe it's time I should return you to your home." With that Akuba raised his arm and aimed the palm of his hand at Jake, his tattoos acting up again as the American Dragon is suddenly surrounded by a white light.

A bit surprised Jake covered his face from the light, but he still has a question or two in his mind. "Wait, Akuba! What if I…What if we need you? How can we talk to you?"

Akuba chuckled and gave a simple answer. "Don't worry, young Dragon. I am never far. While the curse is within the boy I will always be within Yahto. I'll be in his shadow, in his heart. If any of you need me, I am but just a simple step away."

Before Jake could say anything else, he felt his body levitating and the white light getting brighter and brighter. He had to close his eyes from the blinding glow…

"Come on, Yaht. Just one more!"

A groan. "Maybe later, Trixie. I'm tired…"

"You might wanna give him some time to rest, Trix. I mean, he's been practicing all day and between that and falling, I don't think his bones really like that."

"All right, Spud. I get the message. Let's call it a day then, y'all."

Thank goodness Spud was on his side. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. He was grateful that they were taking their time to help him get better at skating (And he was having fun doing it despite all the falls and drops), but it's just that sometimes Trixie ran him to the ground (Not literarily) with some of her teachings. Some of the obstacles she made you do were a bit…Extreme.

Yahto sighed in relief as they stepped out of the park, gingerly rubbing his sore right shoulder as they exited the park. He looked around and only had one question in mind. "Hey guys, did Jake went home or something? I haven't seen him since I brought him those things from the First Aid Station in the park."

Trixie and Spud looked at each other. That's right, Jake hasn't gotten back yet from his little goblin issue. Uh-oh. Quick, come up with something to say!

Spud suddenly got something. "Ummm…Yeah! You see, he uh…He had to go home because…His cell phone rang! Yeah! It was his mom and she needed his help with something so uh…He was coming right back after he was done though!"

In her thoughts, Trixie gave a handful of thanks to Spud for the quick save.

"Help his mom?" Yahto echoed. "Well, that's nice of him. I thought he got hurt much badly than we thought and had to be taken to the hospital or something."

"Nah, he's fine!" Spud responds casually. He looks over to his left and points out with a smile. "In fact, there he comes right now!"

Yahto turns around and finds Jake walking out from an alley and toward them. Looks like he's okay from his injuries (Unaware that it was a lie), that's good at least.

"Jaaaake!" Yahto calls, waving his arm.

Jake, deep in thought as he got out from the alley after going through his little experience with Akuba, lifted his head and saw his friends standing just outside the skate park. Waving back at Yahto he heads back toward them, meeting by the sidewalk next to the skate park.

"Hey guys." Jake greets them. "Sorry I bailed like that."

Trixie shrugged it off. "Hey, no worries Jakie! We know how it is with ya. While you were busy we spent time getting Yahto here to practice some more with his skates!"

Jake gave a nervous chuckle. With Trixie again? Ooh boy. She can be quite harsh. And judging by how Yahto looked, dirt on his clothes and some bruises here and there, she didn't take it easy on him. "Hehe…Eeehh, rough practice huh?"

Yahto lowered his head a bit shyly and nodded in response. "Y-Yeah, but it was still fun. I learned a lot than I would have skating by myself."

"At least you had fun." Jake added. He couldn't help but feel relieved that Yahto felt better and more confident now, instead of backing away and going home after getting a taste of how a practice session with Trixie is. And if Akuba is right, this kind of improvement in his confidence and courage is what he will need for the upcoming events involving the Millenium Dragon curse.

Jake snapped his fingers suddenly. "Ah! I almost forgot something!" He dug into his pocket for something and soon pulled out a certain necklace. Yahto gasped upon seeing it. "Before I forget again, this is yours, right?"

"My…My necklace!" Yahto couldn't believe it; he thought he lost it during one of his memory lapses! "Where did you find it?"

"I found it at the park." Jake replied, taking in account the park they were in last night. "I figured it was yours since you had this sort of bling on yesterday at the park."

That's right! Last time he had it on he was at the park with Jake. That memory lapse…He must've lost it during it. How he lost it he didn't know, but he's so happy now that Jake brought it back to him.

Taking the necklace back, Yahto smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, Jake. I was very sad when I thought I lost it, it means a lot to me. My dad brought it home for me during one of his trips. It never leaves my side."

Quite true, Yahto takes it almost anywhere he goes. Out of all the treasures and gifts his father always brings home from his trips, this necklace was the most important to him. It reminds him of his father, and whenever he wears it he feels protected from anything evil in the world. It may sound silly, but to Yahto this necklace is important. He would feel incomplete if he has to go through a day without it.

Little does he know though, this necklace holds a secret…

"Yo!" Trixie cries out to get the attention of everyone. "Today was fun and all, but this day has been pretty hot y'all. How about we kick over to the usual ice cream shop for a little something something?"

Jake smiled. An ice cream is what he needs after such a day. "Hehe, I'm down with that!"

Spud was more than happy to go. "Yeah! I could go for an ice cream sundae with hot fudge and sprinkles!"

"Well then, let's go!" With that, Trixie took the lead.

Meanwhile Yahto looked at his necklace before putting it around his neck, feeling that aura of protection developing over him. His most prized possession, now hanging around his neck once again, and its rightful place.

"You seem to have fun today. And you've made new friends as well."

"Ah!" Yahto whirled around, facing no one but the skate park's entrance. That voice…

"You seem to be in good hands, Yahto. You have hardships ahead of you, but I'm certain you will do fine. I'll be with you, for you and I are intertwined."

"Akuba…?" It sounds like him, but where is he? He and him intertwined? Of course, he's part of the curse, right? He's helping him stay alive from the dragon in his dreams. Like a guardian angel…?

"Yahto!"

Yahto jumped and turned around, seeing Jake, Trixie and Spud already across the street looking back at him. Right, they were going to the ice cream shop.

"Yo!" Jake called out. "Aren't you coming too?"

Yahto blinked and pointed at himself. "M-Me?"

"Who else are we talking to?" Trixie joked around. "Are you coming for some ice cream or are you going to burn under the sun all day?"

Yahto smiled. They want him to come along too? This would be the first time he would actually go out to hang out with a group of friends since…Since, wow, he doesn't even remember when was the last time he did this sort of thing. He was always a house body you could say, always staying at home after school or anything he had to do outside.

Needless to say, it was a refreshing change.

"Come on!" Spud called out to hurry him up.

"OK! I'm coming!"

Six…Six out of ten…

More than halfway done…The plan is going smoothly…

Only three days until the Moon of the Dragon is upon them…

Then their plan will come into fruition…

Six…Six golden scales in their possession…

Six bright lights in the dark room…

You can feel the energy flowing from them…he feeling overwhelming…

The Huntsmaster knew their time was coming. Soon enough the plan will be set into motion, and they will attain unimaginable power, the power that could destroy the Dragons, and the Magical Realm.

Who would've thought that these seemingly harmless scales would grant such power when all ten are together? And with six already in hand, the Huntsmaster can already feel the power at his fingertips. All they need to do is to find the remaining four, and when the Moon of the Dragon is up in the night sky, they will finally fulfill their destiny!

The only obstacle is the American Dragon. The Huntsmaster clearly knows how many times that meddling Dragon has foiled his plans, more recently in the struggle into collecting the Aztec Skulls.

However, with this turn of events, the Aztec Skulls have been rendered obsolete. Once this plan has been fulfilled not even the Aztec Skulls will compare! And even if the American Dragon manages to foil this plan, the Aztec Skulls will still be there as a plan to fall back on. One plan may fail, but the other may succeed.

"Have you discovered the locations of the remaining four?" The Huntsmaster inquires to the approaching Huntsmen.

"Not yet, Huntsmaster." One of them replies as they drop to one knee in respect. "But we are searching high and low for them. We will find them on schedule."

"You better." The Huntsmaster threatens as his eyes narrow dangerously. "Need I remind you that we have three days until the Moon of the Dragon is up? Once the Moon is up, we need all ten, including the Dragon!"

The Huntsman nods and gulps, bowing his head. "Y-Yes, Huntsmaster. We will not fail."

"For your sake, you better." The Huntsmaster concluded as the Huntsmen leave to continue the search.

Six out of ten…

When all ten are together, the power will be unlocked on the Moon of the Dragon…

A power so terrifying that could destroy the Dragons and the Magical Realm.

"Soon." The Huntsmaster mutters as he looks at the six golden scales in his collection alongside his collection of the Aztec Skulls. "Soon our ideals will be finally realized. The power of the Millenium Dragon will soon be ours!"

"Soon the Magical Realm will fall!"

Best day ever.

That's how Yahto could only call this day. Despite having numerous falls and bruises at the skate park and possibly humiliation on a scale of the whole park, he had a lot of fun. At first he was shy and timid about going to the skate park, but now he doesn't regret facing his fears and attending the park with his new friends.

Wow. Yahto just now realized at how much potentially fun times he must've missed for not facing his fears before. Who knows what else he has missed out on; parties, outings, even getting into sports, and…Even finding the right friends.

Akuba was right; keeping his friends close is what he needed. Maybe he can trust this Akuba dragon after all.

"Akuba…" That's right. He was having so much fun at the skate park and at the ice cream shop that he totally forgot about this whole Millenium Dragon business. He needs to grow stronger, and perhaps this is what he needs. To get over his fears and become more courageous.

"Hey um, Yahto?"

"Hm? What is it, Jake?"

"Can we…Meet at Central Park tomorrow by the Bethesda Fountain? There's something I wanna talk with you about."

"Oh…Sure, I guess."

"I wonder what he wants to talk about." Yahto wondered as he skated his way back home.

And so ends the third day...