.Sorry for the wait people, but I finally had time to get this chapter done! This one is a little longer than usual, but I hope you guys like it! Enjoy!

Chapter 7

The Final Test Part 1

For the next few weeks or so, we continued to swim while breathing underwater to train my lungs. It took a while of getting used to, but eventually, I was able to swim a lot faster while breathing underwater. Because of learning this skill, my fishing and swimming skills have improved tenfold. I was able to catch fish a lot quicker, and I was able to stay in the water for extended periods of time. It was great fun being able to breathe underwater, and was quite an incredible experience. It was like viewing the world in a whole new way.

Eventually, after mastering breathing underwater, Aquadia began teaching me dragon slayer magic. First, she taught me the basics; Iron Fist, Wing Attack, Talon, and one of my favorites, Roar. It was hard mastering the spells at first. For one thing, when I was learning how to use the breath attack, I had to practice taking in a whole bunch of water in my belly and shooting it out from my mouth. I must admit drinking the ocean water was very salty, and I didn't like the taste of it, but eventually, I got used to the taste. I also was able to master the breath attack in about a few weeks. It wasn't as strong as Aquadia's, but it was still pretty powerful.

Next, I had to learn the Iron Fist. This part of the training was tough for me. Especially on my hands. The reason being was, that Aquadia had me punch a boulder until I broke it by myself. When I first tried it, I hurt my hand so bad that it felt like I broke it. Luckily Aquadia had her healing magic to heal my hands, but she pressed me to keep going. To keep punching the boulder until I was able to break it. I did so. I kept punching and punching it until my hands were bloody. It soon became a process; I would hit and punch until my hands battered and Aquadia would heal me and have me try again. The training went on for a couple of days, and frankly, it was so frustrating, I was almost ready to give up.

But then, one day, Aquadia gave me a helpful tip. She told me to think about why I wanted to use my magic. Why did I want to become a dragon slayer in the first place? At first, I wanted to learn because Aquadia's magic looked cool, but then something came into my mind. My parents. I thought back to when my Mama hid me in the tree to make sure I was safe and then go off to her death to protect me. I felt so powerless when my parents died. They sacrificed everything to make sure that I was alive and safe. They risked their lives to protect me, and all I could do was cry. That made me want to get stronger, so that I could do my best not only for their sake, but to make them proud. Feeling that way caused magic power surge inside me, and finally, with one mighty punch, I was able to break the boulder and master the Iron Fist.

As for the Talon and Wing Attacks, I was able to master those as well in a couple of days. Aquadia was proud of how far I've come along. She told me I have practically become her prodigy. After a while, she began teaching me the advanced spells and other water spells. From the dragon slayer secret arts to learning how to utilize water in battle, I faced every challenge and conquered everything that came my way.

The days rolled on by, and the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. Before I knew it, six years of training had passed, and I was now eleven years old. My appearance hadn't changed other than me being taller than before. I also was darker, and my muscles were slightly toned. I practically looked like a jungle man.

I was looking out to the sea, standing on a rock wearing nothing, but a pair of tattered blue shorts. I sniffed the air and looked around me as if I was looking for something. I jumped off the rock and dove into the water. I swam until I was near the floor of the ocean. The reef was as beautiful as it was a couple of years back. Colorful fish swam around me as they went about swimming in big schools. I smiled and waved at them and swam on. Yes, today was a beautiful day.

Then suddenly I sensed something. Something was coming, and was heading straight for me. The fish sensed this too, and they all scattered and disappeared. I, however, stayed put and waited. I knew what it was, and I knew what was coming. I took a fighting stance and got ready as a dark shadow came towards me in the distance. It came closer and closer. I clenched my fist, and a glowing blue magic circle appeared on my hand, and then a blue light formed on it. The dark shadow grew closer and closer. I brought my fist back and was ready to attack, but then the shadow came into the light. That's when I could see what the shadow was.

It turned out; it was only a shark. It lurked out of the darkness, looking for someone to be its next meal. Then it saw me. It automatically turned and began to swim towards me. I stayed put, not intimidated in the least by it. The shark started to speed up and bared its teeth ready to go for the kill. Then, right when he was about to take a bite out of me, I quickly swam to the side and gave him a strong punch in the gills. The shark was sent recoiling and slammed to a rock. The shark recovered from the attack and swam away, not wanting to go through that again.

I let out a sigh and swam to the surface. I swam toward the rocks and got out of the water.

"That was way too easy," I thought. "For a moment, I thought that it was Mama, but I guess I was wrong. Hmm. I wonder when she's gonna-"

Suddenly out of nowhere, a giant waterspout erupted from behind me, causing a giant wave to come straight at me. I bent down and jumped high into air, managing to dodge the incoming tide as it crashed onto the shore where I was standing, as I landed on the ground as if it was no big deal. I looked to the source of the wave and went on the attack. My hands glowed blue again, and water cloaked my fists. Gigantic streams of water erupted from my hands, and then I jumped into the air and flung the streams of water toward my target.

"WATER DRAGON, WING ATTACK!"

The attack hit the ocean with a mighty splash, making water rained down everywhere. I looked to see if I was able to hit my target, but as the water settled, I could see nothing but the ocean. Then there was a rumbling sound. I took my stance and prepared myself for what was coming next. Suddenly the sea exploded in a massive spout of water, and a giant shadow loomed over me, but I smiled and laughed. I knew who it was. It was none other than Aquadia.

Aquadia roared at me, making the earth slightly tremble from the sound. Any average person would have turned tail and run, screaming in fear, but not me. I stood my ground with a toothy grin on my face and went straight for her. I jumped up and used another one of my spells. My feet cloaked in water and went for her face with a powerful kick.

"WATER DRAGON TALON!"

Aquadia immediately went on the defensive by using her right claw to block the attack. She then pushed me back, sending me flying straight towards a rocky wall. Luckily I was able to save myself shooting jets of water at a wall from my feet.

"WATER DRAGON AQUA JET!"

I launched myself away from the wall and landed safely on the ground. I heard Aquadia call out to me.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Willy! Is that all you got?"

"As if!" I called back. "I'm just getting warmed up!"

My fists became cloaked with water once again, and I ran straight toward her. Aquadia prepared to defend expecting me to attack her, but it was nothing more but a bluff. I zipped right past her, and dove straight into the ocean. I looked back as I swam and saw that Aquadia was entering the water, no doubt trying to follow and find me, but I made sure that I was hidden from her line of sight, waiting for my chance to attack if it arose. I focused my magic power and then made three clones of me. I nodded to my clones, and the four of us then split up.

She then began to sniff around the water, trying to find me by scent. I knew that she would eventually find me thanks to her sharp nose, so I went on the attack deciding that now was the time to strike. I pumped my legs swimming up towards the surface, shooting right out of the water, bursting out from it, and going high into the air. Then I clenched my fist, letting the power flow from it and cloaked it with water ready to attack. I was hoping that my sneak attack would be able to catch her off guard. However, Aquadia saw through my little ploy by immediately turning around and grabbing me by my claw. I struggled and tried to get free, but Aquadia's grip was firm, and I wasn't going anywhere.

"Come now, Willy," she chuckled. "Surely, you didn't think I wouldn't fall for something so predictable, did you?"

I continued to struggle, still trying to break free from her grip, but then I smiled, making Aquadia feel puzzled. Before she could figure out why I was smiling, my other clones went on the attack glomping to Aquadia's face right on her eyes. Feeling overwhelmed and taken by surprise, Aquada instinctively let me go making me seize my chance. I shot towards her just as she brushed off my clones.

"You're wide open, Mama!" I yelled as I cloaked my elbow with water. "WATER DRAGON GUSHING ELBOW!"

I then connected my elbow right at Aquadia's cheek, which caused her to stumble a little, as I landed on the ground. Aquadia held her cheek and looked at me, appearing to be surprised.

"How'd you like that, Mama?" I spoke, feeling confident. "I used my Water Dragon Clones to get the drop on you! Pretty good, huh?"

Aquadia smiled, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I have to admit, you got me on that one, Willy. Well done!" she said. "But don't think it'll happen again. I think it's time that we end this."

"Bring it on, Aquadia!" I yelled, as I ran towards her cloaking my hands in water once again, but this time I straightened my hands, and the water both took the shape of blades.

"WATER DRAGON WATER BLADES!"

I jumped and slashed at Aquadia, but Aquadia countered the attack by throwing a large rock. I immediately used my blades to cut straight through the rock like it was butter, making it split in two. Then using the stone as my footing, I jumped back and landed on the ground. Unfortunately, that left me open for an attack. Aquadia swiped her tail, causing a wave to come barreling straight at me. The tide was so huge; it was practically a small tsunami. As the wave came towards me, I ran towards the wave not willing to back down, and just when it was about to swallow me, I slammed my hands into the ground.

"WATER DRAGON GEYSER WALL!"

A huge wall-like spout of water burst forth and protected me as the wave crashed against the wall I had made. When it died down, the wall disappeared as well, and I stood tall with a grin on my face. Aquadia grinned at me back, her face filled with pride.

"Very impressive, Willy," complimented Aquadia. "Your geyser wall is stronger than it ever was before. It was enough to repel the wave I made. However, I grow tired of this battle of ours. Let's see how you handle this attack!"

Aquadia then began taking a deep breath concentrating a large amount of magic power into it. My eyes widened in shock, immediately knowing that she was going for a breath attack. I knew that I had to act fast to try and counter it, so I did the first thing that popped into my head. I took a deep breath, and water began rising from the sea in ropes and entered my mouth as I began to drink it. I drank as much as I could until I reached my maximum power. I braced my legs, held my head high, and focused as well. A bright blue light began forming inside my mouth, and a blue magic circle appeared underneath me. Aquadia had finished charging up and then released a powerful beam of water aimed straight for me. Right at that moment, I leaned my body back, took a deep breath, and released the same attack as she did.

"WATER DRAGON ROAR!"

Both of the beams of water shot straight at each other until they both collided with a mighty explosion. The collision of the attack made water fly everywhere and rained down on us.

When the water stopped raining, I stood in front of Aquadia, out of breath and feeling tired. Aquadia, however, seemed perfectly fine. We both stared at each other for a couple of moments, then Aquadia spoke.

"That's enough for now, Willy," said Aquadia. "You've done very well."

I then sat down and let out an exhausted sigh. "Thanks for the compliment, Mama, but you could've gone a little easier on me."

"If I did, this wouldn't be much of a training session now, would it?" chuckled Aquadia. "Then again, I was barely using any power, to begin with."

"Speaking of which Mama, am I ready?" I asked, eagerly. "Am I ready to begin my final test? I mean, that was the point of this whole thing. Please say I'm ready."

You see, Aquadia and I were having a training session as a test to see if I was ready for the final part of my training. After all, I've been training these past years, so I figured it was time for me to step it up. As Aquadia hummed to herself, trying to make a decision, I prayed that she would think that I was good enough and would allow me to go through the final phase. Then after a few seconds of thinking,

"Very well, Willy. I now deem you worthy," Aquadia decided. "Therefore, you shall take the final test."

"All right!" I cheered with delight. "So what are you gonna teach me, Aquadia? Another spell? A dragon slayer secret art? Another water skill that's exclusive to me?"

"Now, now, Willy, calm down," laughed Aquadia. "I'm afraid it's none of those things. It's something quite different and should simple enough for you to do."

She held out her claw in front of me and made a magic circle. From the magic circle, something appeared. It was a small blue stone that looked like a reptilian eye with a string around it. She then put it around my neck. I was amazed. It was so beautiful and shiny.

"What is this, Mama? It looks like a dragon's eye." I said.

"A very precious stone," said Aquadia. "It's been passed down from generation to generation. Legend has it, the spirits of the water dragons in the past are inside that stone."

"Really?" I asked, my eyes twinkling with wonder. "How interesting!"

"Yes. Your final test is simple," Aquadia said. "All you have to do is make sure that keep that stone with you until the end of the day. I'm expecting a meeting from Grandeeney today, and I have to make sure I'm there. I won't be back till the evening, so make sure you keep that safe no matter what. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mama," I replied. "I'll keep it safe no matter what. You can count on me."

"Good," said Aquadia. She opened her wings and prepared herself to fly, but then she stopped.

"Oh, Willy. One more thing. If you lose that stone, there will be dire consequences," she added, giving me a sharp glare with her eyes gleaming. That glare alone gave me the shivers and made me break into a sweat. She usually gave me this glare, whether she was serious or angry. Then Aquadia's angry snarl was

"I'll see you later in the evening," she said. "Oh, and if you ever decide to go out and play in the water, watch out for the waves. They've gotten bigger this time of the season, so be careful when you're swimming. I'll see you later." And with a great flap of her wings, she took off into the air and flew away until she was out of sight. I was left alone, still feeling frightened by Aquadia's warning.

"Mama's scary when she glares at me," I thought, shivering. "It makes me want to pee my pants a little."

I then took off the necklace and inspected it, letting it sparkle in the sunlight. While it was indeed beautiful, it seemed to be just an ordinary gem necklace.

"All I have to do is to keep this necklace safe? It seems a little too simple for a final test," I thought to myself. "Oh, well. If Aquadia wants me to protect this necklace, then I'll do as she says. Besides, if I succeed in doing this, I'll be able to complete my training! But until then, it's time for me to have some fun!"

Since Aquadia was going to be away for a little while, I thought that I might as well do something fun for a little while. And I knew just the thing to do to have fun. I waded into the water and dove right into the water. I swam until I reached the bottom of the ocean floor. I looked around, searching for a trio of particular underwater creatures that I always played with whenever I had a chance.

At first, I couldn't find them anywhere. Perhaps my friends weren't around today. Then suddenly, I spotted them. A trio of dolphins shoT about in the water just a few feet away from me squealing with joy as they did. Feeling happy to see them and wanting to play, I swam after them, soon coming alongside them. Taking it as a challenge and wanting to play as well, the trio of dolphins increased their speed and shot out even higher. Not wanting to be outdone by them, I too increased my speed. We swam around and also breached out of the water, leaping about until I was starting to get tired.

I was now taking a break lying on the flat rocks by the shore, listening to the waves as they crashed softly against it. As I lay there, listening to the waves and bathing in the warm sun, I couldn't help but feel a little bit sleepy. At first, I tried to stay awake, but then I decided to take a short nap. I mean, it was such a good day, and Aquadia wouldn't be back until the evening, so why waste it? I slowly closed my eyes and went to sleep.

But what I didn't realize was that I was careless while I was sleeping on that rock. I had forgotten about Aquadia's warning about the waves. As I continued to sleep, the waves continued to crash against the rock where I was sleeping. Each time a wave washed up on the rock, an even bigger wave came after it. Pretty soon, a wave crashed on the rock I was on and caused a large spray of water to rain on me. Any other person would have woken up from it, but not me. I continued to sleep, not thinking it was a big deal. Then a wave that was bigger than all the other waves came rushing towards me. It grew closer and closer until it was right on me. At that moment, I finally started to wake up. That's when the trouble started.

One minute, I was sitting up, rubbing my eyes, having enjoyed my nap. The next minute, the wave hit me full force, knocking me off the rock completely. It made me tumble, and tumble in the water, and I couldn't tell which way was up. I tried to regain my composure, but the current from the wave was intense. I pumped my legs and used my Water Dragon Aqua Jet spell. Thanks to that spell, I shot out of the water like a rocket. I then fell back into the water and swam towards some rocks. The waves calmed down a little, so I was able to swim. I climbed up on the rock and got out of the water. I sat there on the rocks trying to catch my breath, coughing a little.

"Whew. That wave took me by surprise," I coughed. "At least I was able to get out that safely."

I took a few deep breaths until my breathing was normal again. Then I got up, and looked to the sea. The waves were still crashing about, but they seemed to die down a little as if nothing happened. I figured that was enough napping for one day after getting hit by that wave, so I started for home. I just thought I'd wait for Aquadia to come home back at the cave. It was then that I remembered my final test, and the necklace I was supposed to be watching. I reached to my neck, expecting it to be there, but there was nothing around my neck. I felt around neck double-checking if I wasn't crazy, but the only thing I felt was nothing but my bare chest. I looked down, and my eyes widened, and my skin paled. My necklace was gone.

Oh, dear! Willy's lost his necklace! What will he do?!

Stay tuned for Chapter 8! The Final Test Part 2!