The multiverse rarely trembled.
It had weathered cosmic wars, time fractures, collapsing universes, even Bones' eternal shadow. But today… something older stirred. Something hungry. Something that walked not as a force of nature, but as a creature driven by instinct and ambition.
Something wild.
The Wolf King marched.
The Wolf King's MarchIn the broken-dimension realm called the Howling Nexus—stitched together with violent chaos energy—the Wolf King strode across a cracked obsidian plain, each step shaking the drifting islands around him. Black fire rolled from his fur like living smoke, eating the air itself.
Behind him, his pack followed. Hundreds of wolf-human hybrids moved in perfect sync: massive bodies, burning fur, molten claws, glowing eyes. Their formation was tight, disciplined, predatory.
A true army of monsters.
The Wolf King halted at the cliff overlooking the fractured horizon. He sniffed the cosmic wind, his fangs bared.
There it was.
A scent buried beneath universes. A scent older than stars.
A scent of ancient creation-flame.
A golden dragon awakening.
His lips curled.
"The ancient spark rises… at last."
Magic Kid floated beside him, legs crossed in midair, twisting his staff idly.
"You're practically vibrating," he said. "You sure you can wait until the tournament?"
The Wolf King growled, the sound cracking the stone at his feet. "I hunger."
"You'll feed," Magic Kid promised with a grin. "On the dragons. On the chaos. And if things go well…"
He leaned forward mischievously.
"…Bones himself might show up to watch."
The Wolf King's flames surged.
"I will take his throne."
Magic Kid cackled and snapped his fingers, projecting a shimmering image of the Multiversal Martial Arts Arena—a structure bigger than planets, brighter than galaxies.
"There it is, Your Majesty. Where you'll have an audience of every universe watching. Kill the dragons there… and you'll shake the cosmos."
The Wolf King's claws scraped molten lines into the rock.
"Soon."
He threw back his head and howled—a sound so powerful that pieces of the Nexus shattered and drifted into void.
His pack howled with him, a storm of fire and teeth.
The multiverse heard.
And shivered.
Jimmy's Panic SpiralInside the Buddies HQ, every alarm blared like a cosmic tantrum.
Jimmy stumbled into the Command Chamber, hair frazzled, jacket half-buttoned, eyes wide—and absolutely done with today.
He pointed at the nearest technician.
"You. Talk. Now."
The tech stuttered and pointed at a monitor showing dimensional disturbances.
"Sir… the Wolf King has left the Howling Nexus."
Jimmy sighed dramatically. "Of course he did."
"It gets worse," another tech said, pointing to Danny's readings. "Danny Chan's golden chi levels have spiked again. He's nearing Resonance Tier Seven."
Jimmy froze.
"Tier Seven?! The kid's fourteen—he shouldn't even be allowed to hold that much power without adult supervision!"
A third technician raised a trembling hand.
"Um… Magic Kid is also causing disturbances. He's rewriting the tournament's dimensional anchor points."
Jimmy blinked.
Then blinked again.
"…I hate children."
He inhaled deeply, preparing for a long, painful night.
"Okay team, LISTEN UP! We delay the Wolf King. We monitor Danny's power levels so he doesn't turn into a sun. We keep eyes on Magic Kid so he doesn't break reality again. AND SOMEONE GET ME ACTUAL COFFEE."
The chamber exploded into activity.
And Jimmy muttered under his breath:
"The multiverse better give me a raise after this…"
Swift's Silver TrialUnder the golden training dome, silence ruled the Silver Chamber.
Mirrors hovered in geometric patterns. Pools reflected moonlight from nowhere. Silver chi symbols drifted slowly, glowing with a soft, ethereal pulse.
Swift stepped inside, gripping his silver staff.
Master Oro stood across the mirrored pool. His expression unreadable.
"Today, we begin your Silver Trial," he said. "To stand beside Danny—not behind him—you must defeat the chains you forged yourself."
Swift nodded, though he felt his heart racing.
Oro tapped his staff.
The chamber shifted.
Illusions exploded into existence—Bones towering over him, Espearia burning to ashes, his younger self crying out as he pushed a sealing stone that should never have been touched.
Swift gasped, staggering back.
"Not this…" he whispered.
"You fear your past," Oro said calmly. "Face it."
Bones swung a fist of green flame at him.
Swift barely raised his weapon in time.
Espearia's screams echoed around him.
The younger Swift grabbed him by the arm, pulling him toward the disaster he caused.
Swift's breath shattered.
"No… no, I didn't mean to—"
Oro's voice cut in sharply:
"Intent does not matter. Only acceptance."
Swift clenched his teeth.
He exhaled.
Silver aura burst from his body.
He blocked Bones' strike with a shimmering crescent shield.
He slashed through Espearia's flames with a sweep of moonlight.
He knelt before his younger self and placed a hand on the trembling illusion.
"It's okay," Swift whispered. "You made a mistake. I forgive you."
The illusions shattered like glass.
The chamber calmed.
Oro's stern expression softened.
"You have shed fear, Swift. Now you may grow."
Swift stood stronger, spine straight, aura flowing like a quiet, determined river.
For the first time since Espearia fell, Swift breathed freely.
Shadows Before the ArenaOutside the chamber, Jake finished pulverizing training boulders while muttering encouragement to himself. Danny sat near the cliff's edge, staring at his glowing hands as the ancient Golden Dragon voices whispered within him—distant, enormous, overwhelming.
When Swift stepped out of the Silver Chamber, the air changed.
His aura was calm.
Balanced.
Precise.
Danny looked up, smiling. "Swift… you okay?"
Swift nodded. "Better than I've been in years."
Jake grinned wide, slapping him on the back. "Bro—your aura is CLEAN. Like… moon-water clean."
Swift chuckled softly.
But then Danny stiffened.
Swift immediately noticed. "Danny?"
Danny stared into the sky, golden flames flickering around his irises.
"I felt something… again."
Jake swallowed. "The same presence as before?"
Danny nodded slowly.
"A hunter. A… predator."
Master Oro appeared behind them, his expression grim.
"That was the Wolf King. He grows stronger. And he is marching toward the tournament."
Danny's heart pounded.
"When do we meet him?"
Oro's voice was low.
"In the arena. Not before."
Danny exhaled shakily.
"Then we'll be ready."
Swift placed a hand on Danny's shoulder.
Jake stood on his other side.
Oro watched his students with pride and concern.
Far across the multiverse, in the Howling Nexus, the Wolf King licked his fangs, sensing the golden flare.
His eyes burned.
And he whispered:
"Soon."