The days that followed Jimmy's departure were unlike anything Danny, Swift, or Jake had ever experienced. The golden dome Jimmy erected shimmered overhead like a second sky, humming with protective energy. For the first time since Bones' emergence, the mountain felt… safe.
But safety didn't mean peace.
Not when Sedge Hat was your trainer.
Danny woke every morning to the man's cane whacking him in the ribs, Swift was forced into meditation so intense he sometimes forgot he had a body, and Jake was repeatedly told that "if you break the mountain again, please do it on the west side—my herbs grow there."
Still…
The training worked.
Swift gained finer control over the green star inside him, learning how to dampen its volatile pulses. Jake's Bronze Dragon chi stabilized, his punches more controlled—even elegant at times. And Danny—Danny was changing the fastest. His Golden Dragon aura had grown from a steady flicker to a blazing mantle of gold that sometimes lit up parts of the mountain at night.
Six months passed in a blur of sweat, bruises, and Sedge Hat screaming, "DO NOT THINK—BE," in increasingly dramatic poses.
One evening, the trio gathered around a campfire high on a cliffside ledge. The sky above them shimmered with the false "sunset" generated by Jimmy's protective dome. They were resting between sessions, muscles aching but spirits high.
Danny wiped sweat from his brow. "Half a year. We're actually getting stronger."
Jake collapsed onto the grass. "Speak for yourself. I think my bones are protesting."
Swift smirked. "Good. Maybe they'll stop cracking every time you sneeze."
Danny laughed—but the sound died suddenly as a ripple of energy crackled through the air. The wind stilled, and the flames bent sideways as though saluting someone.
Danny rose, hand on his katana. "Sedge Hat?"
"No," Swift said, eyes narrowing. "This is different."
A tear of violet light split the air in front of them.
A portal.
But unlike the destructive, sickly rifts forced by Bones, this one was controlled, elegant, and absolutely full of paperwork.
A stack of floating documents shot out, each covered in glowing seals. Then a floating scroll unfurled itself and bopped Jake gently on the forehead.
"Ow! Hey—!"
A voice boomed from within the portal:
"ATTENTION, COMPETITORS! DELIVERY IN PROGRESS!"
The scroll spun gracefully and projected golden letters into the air.
Jake squinted. "Uh… is this from Jimmy?"
Swift sighed. "Who else announces paperwork as if it's a divine blessing?"
The scroll cleared its throat—yes, the scroll—and read aloud in a voice that sounded far too excited for its job:
"Hear ye, hear ye! By decree of the Buddies Organization, Division 12: Combat Events and Inter-Reality Recreation…""Danny Chan, Swift of Espearia, and Jake Chan are hereby INVITED to compete in the…"MULTIVERSAL MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT"Battle of Boundless Horizons!"
Jake's jaw dropped. "A tournament?! Like—like an actual tournament?!"
Swift's eyes widened. "Multiversal means… fighters from other worlds."
Danny read the rest of the projection silently, then aloud:
"…Held in six months' time, within the Omega Arena, a neutral-plane stadium capable of hosting star-level entities. The winners will receive:
Universal acclaim
Advanced Buddies training privileges
And a wish of significant but regulated cosmic value."
Danny's heart pounded. "A… wish?"
"Regulated," Swift repeated flatly. "Meaning Jimmy or some other nightmare with a tie approves it."
Jake punched the air anyway. "Still counts! A wish is a wish!"
The scroll continued:
"Participants must accept or decline by completing Form M-22A, 'Tournament Entry Agreement,' co-signed by a registered Buddy or Buddy Adjacent."
The scroll turned expectantly toward the trio.
Danny scratched his head. "Buddy Adjacent…?"
A cane tapped lightly behind them.
"Oh ho… that would be me."
Sedge Hat materialized out of the shadows—literally stepping out of the shade of a boulder in a way that defied physics.
Jake yelped. "Stop doing that!"
Sedge Hat ignored him and plucked the glowing scroll from the air. "Of course the boys will compete. They need the experience. And I need entertainment."
Danny frowned. "Sedge Hat… is this safe?"
Sedge Hat stared at him like he'd asked whether water was wet.
"Of course not! Nothing worth doing is safe!"
Swift rubbed his temples. "Can someone normal answer this?"
As if summoned, the portal expanded—and out stepped Jimmy.
In a Hawaiian shirt.
Holding a smoothie.
"Sup."
Danny blinked. "Jimmy…?"
Jimmy took a sip. "I was on vacation. Had to pause it because you three were taking too long to accept the invitation."
Swift crossed his arms. "You could at least pretend it's dangerous."
Jimmy shrugged. "It is extremely dangerous. You'll probably almost die. But the smoothies on my vacation planet are amazing, so I'm trying to get this over with."
Danny frowned. "Is this tournament actually going to help us fight Bones?"
Jimmy's expression shifted—from casual to razor-focused.
"Yes," he said. "Desperately."
He paced, swirling his smoothie.
"Bones isn't just gathering power. He's testing the barriers between realities, pushing at weak points. In one year, he'll launch a full assault on your world."
He pointed at the team.
"You need allies. You need exposure to other fighters. You need to learn techniques that don't exist here. And most importantly…"
Jimmy tapped Danny's chest.
"You need pressure. Real pressure. The kind that forces you to surpass your limits."
Danny swallowed.
Jimmy continued:
"In six months, you will enter the Omega Arena. You'll fight warriors from universes where chi is liquid, worlds where dragons are born from stars, dimensions where people punch in seventeen directions at once."
Jake grinned. "Uh… awesome?"
Swift smirked. "Terrifying."
Jimmy snapped his fingers.
A badge appeared on each of their chests—small golden icons shaped like tiny clasped hands.
"Your temporary Buddy Adjacent status," Jimmy said. "Wear it proudly. Or don't. It sticks to your shirts regardless."
Danny looked at the badge glowing on his gi.
"Jimmy… do you think we can win?"
Jimmy finished his smoothie, tossed the cup into the portal (which swallowed it with a burp), and looked Danny straight in the eyes.
"Yes," he said. "I do."
He adjusted his Hawaiian shirt dramatically.
"But only if you train like you've never trained before. Because the tournament won't just challenge your strength. It will expose your weaknesses."
He gestured toward the mountain.
"And you, Danny Chan, have one weakness above all."
Danny straightened. "What is it?"
Jimmy grinned.
"You still haven't accepted the possibility of becoming the Dragon Emperor."
Danny's breath hitched.
Swift and Jake both turned to him, eyes wide.
Sedge Hat tapped Danny lightly on the back. "Oh ho… Mr. Chan. Time to face destiny."
Danny clenched his fists. "Then we train. Twice as hard."
"Three times," Swift corrected.
"Seventeen," Jake added mysteriously.
Danny lifted his katana.
"Six months from now… we step into that arena."
Jimmy nodded. "And that arena will decide the fate of more worlds than you can imagine."
With a final snap of his fingers, the scroll stamped itself with three glowing signatures and sealed the invitation.
The portal snapped shut.
Silence returned to the mountain.
Danny took a deep breath, feeling a fire ignite inside him.
"Then let the real training begin."
And somewhere beyond the dome, in the vastness of the multiverse…
The Omega Arena awakened.
Waiting.
Watching.
Humming with anticipation.
The Dragons of Earth had entered the game.