The mist wrapped around the mountain peaks like a living creature, whispering through the air with an energy none of them could quite place. Danny, Swift, and Jake stood frozen on the plateau, sweat still cooling on their skin from the shock of Bones' attempted emergence. The spot where the rift had cracked reality only minutes earlier still pulsed faintly, as if the world itself hadn't fully stitched the wound shut.
Sedge Hat's crooked cane tapped the stone rhythmically as he trudged through the mist, muttering to himself. Danny caught up to him.
"Wait! You said… Dragon Emperor. That can't be right—"
Sedge Hat didn't look back. "Oh ho… Mr. Chan, you're barely old enough to grow whiskers. Of course it sounds wrong."
Jake whispered to Swift, "He's doing the thing again."
Swift nodded. "Everything he says sounds like an insult wearing a compliment as a disguise."
Danny tried again. "Sedge Hat, I'm not ready for anything like that. I'm barely handling Golden Dragon training—how can I be—"
But Sedge Hat halted abruptly.
And the world stopped with him.
The wind paused mid-gust. A leaf hung frozen in the air like a trapped memory. Even the mist halted its drift, suspended unnaturally.
Danny's breath caught. "You froze time?"
Sedge Hat stiffened. "No. He did."
From the fog stepped a man in a crisp teal suit, wearing an expression that somehow managed to be bored, annoyed, and deeply disappointed all at once. An embroidered badge on his jacket shimmered:
BUDDIES ORGANIZATION — Multiversal Affairs Division
He flicked a crumb from his waffle.
"Morning," the man said flatly. "Sedge Hat, I've told you not to tamper with Class-Twelve rift physics without notifying headquarters. Again."
Danny blinked. "This is your friend?"
Sedge Hat sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately."
The man straightened his tie. "Name's Jimmy. Jimmy of the Buddies Organization. Boss of Buddies HQ. Enforcer of the Buddy Code. Approver of Forms A-77, A-77b, A-77b-Supplemental, and the dreaded R-77 Rift Violation Affidavit."
Jake leaned toward Swift. "Is… is he serious?"
Swift shrugged. "I'm terrified, so probably."
Jimmy snapped his fingers, and time resumed. The wind pushed past them. The leaf continued its descent. Mist began drifting again.
Jimmy stepped forward, hands in his pockets. "Now then. I came because a certain someone—" he pointed at Sedge Hat "—opened a sealed rift without filling out the proper paperwork. Which means I've spent the last hour wrestling with cosmic auditors."
Sedge Hat lifted his nose. "I was improvising."
"Yes," Jimmy deadpanned. "Your improvisation nearly destabilized the mountain."
Danny eyed Jimmy carefully. "Sir… Bones reached through that rift. You saw him?"
Jimmy let out a slow exhale. "Oh, I saw him. And if he'd pushed any harder, half this region would be a glowing crater. We're dealing with a being who has already broken more inter-reality laws than any creature should legally be capable of."
Swift tightened his grip on his sword. "Then you'll help us fight him?"
Jimmy turned, giving Swift a look of bureaucratic pity.
"I only fight when regulations allow. And right now, my role is management, not combat."
Jake frowned. "Then why are you here?"
Jimmy smirked. "Because part of management… is recruitment."
The three stared at him.
Jimmy clasped his hands behind his back. "Gentlemen, I am authorized to extend an invitation—rare, prestigious, and extremely selective."
A glowing file materialized, flipping open in the air beside him.
"Danny Chan. Swift of Espearia. Jake Chan. You three are hereby offered the opportunity to join—" he tapped the badge on his chest "—The Buddies Organization."
Danny blinked. "You want us to… join you?"
"Oh yes," Jimmy said. "You're exceptional. Raw power, potential for dragon ascension, multiversal relevance… and most importantly, you've already been involved in enough inter-dimensional nonsense that ignoring you would be a liability."
Jake lifted a hand. "Um… what exactly is the Buddies Organization?"
Jimmy's chest puffed with pride.
"Protectors of the multiverse. Diplomats of cosmic crises. Administrators of universal peacekeeping. And, when necessary…"
He flicked his wrist.
A portal opened behind him showing dozens of powerful beings—dragons, armored warriors, shimmering entities—eating lunch together in a cafeteria.
"…we're also a very efficient family."
The portal snapped shut.
Danny exchanged looks with Swift and Jake.
Sedge Hat perked up. "Tell them the benefits package."
Jimmy cleared his throat. "Of course."
A long scroll unrolled dramatically.
"Full access to inter-dimensional travel. Medical coverage for dragon transformations, magical injuries, and spontaneous soul-implosions. Training libraries of every reality. And—most importantly—"
He whispered dramatically.
"Free waffles. Every Friday."
Jake gasped. "Oh my god."
Swift muttered, "The waffles are a power move."
Danny crossed his arms. "What's the catch?"
Jimmy smirked. "You do what Buddies do."
"And what's that?" Danny asked.
Jimmy's eyes darkened.
"You protect worlds that cannot protect themselves."
The wind grew colder.
"And you fight things like Bones when they try to consume existence."
Danny exhaled slowly. "So basically… accept responsibility. Big responsibility."
"Universe-wide responsibility," Jimmy corrected.
Before they could answer, Jimmy snapped his fingers again.
A massive dome of golden energy erupted outward, swallowing the entire mountain range. The plateau trembled, stones buckling beneath the force.
Danny staggered. "What—what did you do?!"
Jimmy adjusted his tie.
"I created a Temporal Safety Field around this mountain. Bones cannot open another rift within this boundary."
Danny's breath steadied. "For… how long?"
Jimmy shrugged casually.
"A year."
Swift nearly dropped his sword. "A YEAR?!"
Jake's jaw hit the ground. "You mean… we have a full year to prepare?"
Jimmy nodded. "Twelve months of uninterrupted training. Twelve months for Danny to unlock his Golden Dragon's true potential. Twelve months for Swift to stabilize that green star infection. And twelve months for Jake to stop accidentally punching through boulders he doesn't mean to."
Jake flushed. "Hey—those boulders had it coming."
Jimmy tapped the ground with his polished shoe.
"In one year, Bones will attempt a full breach. When he does… the world will need its champions ready."
Danny stood tall. "And the offer? If we join Buddies… will you help us fight him?"
Jimmy's grin returned—sharp, amused, dangerous.
"Oh ho no, my young dragon. If you join the Buddies… you won't just have me. You'll have access to every Buddy across the multiverse. Advisors. Mentors. Weapons. Strategies."
His aura pulsed faintly with cosmic authority.
"You will not face Bones alone."
Danny, Swift, and Jake looked at one another—fear, hope, and determination blending in their eyes.
Jimmy cleared his throat. "No rush deciding. You have a year. But if you do join, make sure you like waffles."
He winked.
"And paperwork."
He turned toward the fog.
Sedge Hat called after him. "You'll check on them?"
Jimmy paused. "Of course. They're potential Buddies."
He raised two fingers in a casual salute.
"Good luck, heroes. Don't disappoint me."
And he vanished, leaving behind only faint golden sparkles and the smell of maple syrup.
The mountains fell completely silent.
Danny inhaled deeply.
"A year."
Swift nodded, staring at the glowing barrier. "A year to get stronger than the god who destroyed my world."
Jake cracked his knuckles. "A year to become legends."
Sedge Hat chuckled, tapping Danny's shoulder.
"Oh ho… Mr. Chan. Time to train until your bones weep."
And from every corner of the mountains, the earth rumbled—as if the world itself was preparing them for the storm to come.