The morning sky rippled like heated glass as sunlight filtered through Jimmy's golden dome. Danny, Swift, and Jake stood at the center of the Training Grounds of Seventeen Tortures, battered and bruised from yesterday's grind, but stronger than ever.
Master Oro stood before them, arms crossed behind his back, posture flawless. His pale silver jacket fluttered in the wind, and his expression was calm but firm—the look of a teacher preparing to break minds and remold them into legends.
"Today," Oro said, "you face the next phase of your evolution. No more illusions. No more gravity chambers. No more emotional torture."
Jake sagged with relief.
Swift muttered, "Good."
Danny nodded. "We're ready for whatever comes next."
Master Oro's eyes sharpened.
"Today, you learn to become dragons."
Danny blinked. Jake choked on his own spit. Swift's jaw twitched.
Sedge Hat appeared out of nowhere, chewing on a fruit. "Oh ho… yes. This is where things get loud."
Jake lifted a hand. "Wait, wait—full dragons? Like… huge, winged, fire-breathing monsters?"
Master Oro nodded calmly. "Correct."
Danny swallowed. "But… we've only ever used aura projections. This is actual shapeshifting?"
"Not shapeshifting," Master Oro corrected. "Becoming. Your bodies hold dormant dragon potential. You've inherited chi that was never meant to stay inside a human shell."
Swift looked at his hand. "You mean… we're meant to become dragons."
"Exactly," Oro said. "But you will not start with complete forms."
He pointed upward.
A swarm of glowing dragon silhouettes spiraled through the air—slender, sleek, massive, spikes, horns, wings, claws—dozens of shapes made of pure training chi.
"These," Oro said, "represent the two paths of draconic evolution."
He raised two fingers.
"Full Dragon Form.
Humanoid Dragon Form."
Jake perked up. "Humanoid dragons? Like… half-dragon warriors?"
Sedge Hat grinned. "Oh ho… picture yourself, but with wings, claws, and the ability to sneeze fire."
Jake pumped a fist. "AWESOME."
Danny asked the obvious question. "Why learn both forms?"
Master Oro looked him in the eye.
"Because in the Multiversal Martial Arts Tournament, combat shifts constantly. Tight spaces, aerial arenas, water stages, cosmic vortex rounds… If you cannot switch forms fluidly, you die."
He gestured to the largest pillar in the valley.
"Danny Chan. Step forward."
Danny inhaled deeply, stepped onto the stone platform, and felt the ground vibrate beneath him.
Master Oro stood behind him.
"Close your eyes."
Danny obeyed.
"Feel your chi. Do not force it. Let it expand."
Golden chi flared around him, swirling like a living flame.
"Good. Now listen."
Danny felt the world fade.
He heard…
Wings beating.
Fire roaring.
A heartbeat the size of a mountain.
A voice—ancient, deep, golden—echoing in his chest.
YOU ARE NOT BOUND TO THE HUMAN SHAPE. LET GO.
Danny gasped, eyes snapping open—
His aura exploded outward.
Scales rippled across his arms. Horns of light sprouted from his temples. Golden wings erupted from his back, unfurling with a crash of wind.
Jake stumbled back. "DUDE—YOU'RE HALF DRAGON!"
Danny looked down—hands ending in golden claws, wings like sunrise metal, eyes glowing like twin suns.
Swift's voice shook. "Humanoid form… complete."
Master Oro nodded approvingly.
"Good. That is stage one."
Danny's body trembled.
Gold chi surged.
Wings expanded.
His spine elongated.
Claws grew.
Muscles shifted.
Bones cracked—not in pain, but in rebirth.
Sedge Hat grinned. "Here we go."
Danny roared.
The sound shook the entire mountain.
A shockwave blasted outward as Danny's human shape dissolved into brilliant light—and a massive golden dragon rose from it, wings spanning fifty feet, horns twisting like twin blades, scales shimmering like sunlight on armor.
Jake covered his head. "HE'S HUGE!"
Swift shielded his face. "He's… magnificent."
Danny's dragon eyes focused sharply. He felt powerful. Ancient. Entirely alive.
Master Oro stood unfazed. "Full Dragon Form achieved. Excellent control for a beginner."
Danny tried to speak—and instead unleashed a gout of golden fire that vaporized a boulder.
Sedge Hat chuckled. "His inside voice is still loading."
Danny shifted back—glowing, scales retracting, wings folding, shrinking back into human size. He fell to his knees, exhausted but exhilarated.
"Th-that was… incredible…"
Master Oro smirked slightly.
"And now it is your turn."
Swift and Jake exchanged a look. Swift cracked his neck. Jake stretched.
"Let's do it."
Swift's TransformationSwift stepped onto the platform. The green star in his chest pulsed in rhythm.
Master Oro lowered his voice. "Swift of Espearia. Your dragon is not born of your world, but of the star sealed within you."
Swift nodded.
He closed his eyes—silver aura surrounding him, shifting violently with hints of green.
Wind howled around him.
His bones sharpened.
His skin flashed silver.
Jake shouted, "He's glowing like a blade!"
Scales exploded across Swift's arms, his hair turning metallic silver. Wings erupted—sleek, sharp, blade-like, almost more weapon than flesh. His humanoid form stood tall, regal, deadly.
Then he shifted further.
His body expanded—four legs, massive wings, armor-like scales, horns like curved swords.
A silver dragon, sleek and deadly, stood where Swift had been.
Master Oro nodded. "Western dragon, bladed variant. Well done."
Swift returned to human form, breathing slowly, eyes glowing with silver fire.
Jake's TransformationJake stepped forward, chest heaving with anticipation.
"Okay," he whispered. "Be cool. Be cool. Be dragon."
His bronze aura erupted.
Muscles swelled.
Scales spread across his chest like armor plating.
His arms turned to bronze gauntlets.
Wings burst from his back—thicker, heavier than Danny's—built for brute force.
Swift gasped. "His wings look like battering rams."
Jake roared—and transformed fully.
A massive bronze dragon, thick-bodied, horned, powerful. Earth-shaking. A dragon meant for smashing mountains.
He tried to move forward and accidentally crushed a boulder.
Jake blinked. "Oops."
Sedge Hat clapped. "Excellent! You destroyed the east side. Perfect balance!"
Jake returned to human form, panting.
The True Challenge BeginsMaster Oro clasped his hands behind his back.
"You have each achieved both forms. Impressive. But there is a problem."
Danny stood. "What problem?"
Oro's voice turned cold and sharp.
"You cannot control it."
Jake gulped. "We… we can't?"
"No. You transformed. But you cannot transform while fighting, and you cannot hold the form under pressure. Your bodies are unstable."
He pointed at a massive rune on the ground.
"You will learn in battle."
Danny swallowed. "Battle against what?"
The rune glowed.
The air shook.
Sedge Hat laughed.
A massive stone coliseum erupted from the ground.
Inside it—
Roaring, armored training dragons awakened.
Danny froze. "We're… fighting those?!"
Master Oro nodded.
"In humanoid and full dragon forms.
Shifting mid-fight.
Under exhaustion.
Under chaos."
He pointed to the arena gates.
"Because in six months, the real fights will not wait for you to be ready."
Danny looked at his brothers.
Swift nodded. Jake cracked his knuckles.
Danny drew his katana.
"Then let's begin."
And the gates of the arena thundered open.