"No one knows who he is or where he came from.
Only that he's been consumed by powerful dark magic."
Only that he's been consumed by powerful dark magic."
Production Code: 111
Jake is put through a series of tests by the Dragon Council, where if he fails more than one of the tests, he will lose his grandfather as his dragon master. If Jake's own devil-may-care attitude towards the tests—resulting in him spending more time engaging in a prank battle with the Australian Dragon, Fred Nerk—doesn't result in him failing more tests than is allowed, then perhaps the plotting of the #1 threat to the Magical World will...
Tropes
- Bittersweet Ending: Jake has not only earned his right to be trained by Lao Shi, but also convinced the Dragon Council that the Dark Dragon is back. But unbeknownst to anyone, Councilor Chang is the Dark Dragon's spy.
- Character Development: Encountering the Dark Dragon and barely escaping causes Jake to realize he needs to stop being so flippant about his duties and take his training more seriously.
- Continuity Nod: Jake taking Jasmine to the school dance in "Dragon Breath", Jake misusing his shapeshifting powers in "Shapeshifter" (though that episode technically aired
after this one), and Jake letting himself get exposed as a dragon to Trixie and Spud and refusing to wipe their memories in "Professor Rotwood's Thesis" are all mentioned when Councilor Kulde lists off Jake's many offenses as the American Dragon. - Digging to China: Actually the island of Draco off the coast of China, as Jake, Fu, and Lao Shi take a magical elevator all the way through the Earth to reach the Summit.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Jake and Fred Nerk become closer after they help each other escape from the Dark Dragon at the end of the episode.
- Lethal Joke Character: This episode shows brownies to be this. Councilor Andam chooses brownies to be Jake's opponent in his test. Jake underestimates them, but the second Jake goes dragon, the brownies tie him up, almost costing Jake the test.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Jake fails his first test because he brought along some sneezing powder to use on Fred. On that note, the test is a target practice with ice sculptures, some shaped like enemies to hit, some shaped like innocents to avoid. Needless to say, Jake accidentally drops the sneezing powder, causing him to melt both enemy and innocent statues alike.
- The Reveal: Jake learns that not only was his Grandfather not originally allowed to be his dragon master, but he was also the only dragon to ever face the Dark Dragon alone and live to tell the tale.
- Sick and Wrong: Fu Dog dressed up and acting as a siren is "so wrong in so many ways" to Jake.
- Source Music: Fu plays a violin while Lao Shi defends Jake's actions as the American Dragon in an attempt to "set the mood."
- Squirrels in My Pants: The brownies crawl up Jake's pants at the beginning of Councilor Andam's test, much to Lao Shi's embarrassment.
- Stink Bomb: This is one of the many practical jokes Fred Nerk pulls during the prank war with Jake.
- Stock Beehive: Fred drops one on Jake's head as he's practicing for his firebreathing test in retaliation for Jake humiliating him earlier.
