Danny felt the moment it happened.
He had known the Creation Flame was growing inside him, stretching its wings, testing boundaries. But now—now it wasn't just growing. It was waking. Rising. Unfolding like a star whose time had come.
He stood in the courtyard beneath the cherry blossom tree. The petals trembled.
The grass bowed flat.
The very boards of the dojo groaned as if under great weight.
Kael'ar sensed it before Danny even moved.
"Danny," they whispered.
"Your flame is… expanding."
Not flaring.
Not pulsing.
Not even burning.
Expanding.
Danny clutched his chest as if something inside him were trying to burst free.
"I can't… hold it back."
Kael'ar stepped forward, wings spreading in alarm.
"You must leave."
Danny staggered. "I—I don't know where to—"
"The outer reaches of the universe," Kael'ar said without hesitation. "Where matter thins and time softens. Where creation has no boundaries to break."
Danny fell to one knee.
Gold erupted from his spine—just flashes, but enough to scorch the nearest stones. His eyes flickered between human and draconic, his breath shaking the air.
"Kael'ar—"
"You CANNOT stay," the Phoenix insisted. "If you lose control here, the planet will reshape around you."
Swift and Jake ran from opposite ends of the courtyard.
Swift skidded to a stop, eyes wide. "Danny—your aura—it's—"
Jake clapped both hands over his ears. "DUDE YOU'RE ABOUT TO GO SUPERNOVA—STOP—OR—LEAVE—OR—SOMETHING—"
A golden shockwave rippled outward from Danny.
Trees bent backward.
Sedges Hat's beard fluttered like a flag caught in a storm.
The sky shimmered.
Danny forced himself upright. His voice was low, distorted.
"I… have to go."
Swift nodded quickly. "Go. Now. We'll handle the check-ins."
Jake waved frantically. "And not die. Hopefully."
Sedge Hat zipped over, robe flapping.
"Oh ho! Yes yes yes! Off you go, Danny-boy! Pursue the outermost edges of existence before you turn us into confetti!"
Danny gave an apologetic half-smile as golden fire flared over his shoulders.
"I'll be back before the tournament."
Swift nodded firmly. "We'll register you."
Jake pointed upward. "Go before you burn a hole in the planet!"
Danny looked at the dojo—his home—then at Swift and Jake—his brothers—then at Kael'ar—his guide.
"I won't be long."
He spread his arms.
A golden tear ripped open the sky.
Danny stepped into it.
The world flashed.
And the Golden Dragon vanished into the cosmic frontier.
Swift released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.
Jake's shoulders sagged with relief. "That was… terrifying."
Sedge Hat patted Jake's leg with his cane. "Oh ho! That was only Stage II! Just wait for Stage III!"
Jake paled. "There's a Stage III?"
Swift winced. "I was hoping not…"
Kael'ar folded their radiant wings. "It will come when needed."
They turned toward Swift and Jake.
"You two must go. The fighters begin assembling in less than four hours."
Jake pulled his bronze bracers tighter. "Right. Tournament check-in."
Swift twirled his staff. "Danny's name still holds his slot?"
"Yes," Kael'ar said. "But it must be confirmed. And you must arrive prepared—mentally and physically."
Sedge Hat shot upward suddenly.
"UP! UP! AND AWAY!"
He floated in circles.
"Let us register the golden child while he resists exploding into a sun!"
Jake blinked. "Is Sedge Hat… okay?"
Swift sighed. "He's Sedge Hat."
"Fair," Jake said.
And with that, the trio—Swift, Jake, and a very enthusiastic elderly wizard—set off for the Tournament Rift.
On the far side of the Rift dimension, Jimmy was hosting an event he never imagined would exist:
The Waffle Buffet of Truce Maintenance.
Long tables lined a reconstructed platform, stacked with towers of waffles: blueberry, chocolate-chip, plain, triple-buttered, caramel swirl, and something Jimmy swore the Builder Bots invented called "quantum crunch."
Builder Bots shuttled back and forth carrying trays.
"Builder."
"Builder."
"Builder builder."
Jimmy rubbed his temples. "Saying it twice doesn't magically teach you vocabulary."
One bot stared blankly, plate of waffles balanced perfectly on its head.
"Builder."
Jimmy sighed and pointed toward the table. "Just… put them there."
It did. Perfectly. Impossibly neatly. In a way no human would ever replicate.
Jimmy watched it.
"…Okay, I admit. That was impressive."
Across the platform, Buddy soldiers cautiously ate waffles—never taking their eyes off the wolf hybrids perched along the opposite cliff. The wolves watched them too, tails twitching, saliva dripping, but obeying the truce.
Barely.
A single misstep could break everything.
A hybrid growled.
A Buddy soldier stiffened.
Jimmy walked between them with a plate of waffles in hand.
"No growling! No glaring! No lunging! You are ALL eating waffles and liking it until the tournament starts!"
The hybrid blinked.
"GrRrArrr…?"
Jimmy held up a waffle threateningly.
"I swear to all cosmic gods I will put syrup on your snout."
The hybrid backed away.
Jimmy exhaled. "That's what I thought."
A voice echoed across the Rift.
"They listen to you well."
Jimmy turned sharply.
Shadeclaw approached from the shadows, cloak pulled tight. Behind him, the Wolf King strode forward—towering, burning, radiating molten dominance.
The Buddies stiffened. Weapons half-raised.
Jimmy hurried forward, waving his arms. "No! No stabbing! No biting! No superpowered laser attacks until the tournament, PLEASE."
The Wolf King looked down at him, eyes burning with predatory curiosity.
"This truce is fragile."
Jimmy nodded. "Yes. That's why waffles."
The Wolf King sniffed the air. "I do not eat… waffle."
Jimmy thrust one into his hand.
"You do today."
For a long moment, the Wolf King simply stared at the square pastry.
Shadeclaw cleared his throat softly. "My king… perhaps… as a symbol of neutrality?"
The Wolf King raised the waffle, examined it, then took a slow bite.
Jimmy held his breath.
The Wolf King's flames flared slightly.
"…Acceptable."
Jimmy nearly collapsed with relief.
Shadeclaw bowed. "We have come to negotiate our travel to the tournament."
Jimmy straightened. "The tournament overseers said you may enter… if your armies withdraw to their homeworld."
A low growl rolled from the Wolf King's chest.
Jimmy held up a waffle in each hand like talismans. "It's that or you stay here and miss the whole thing."
Shadeclaw whispered urgently. "My king. Danny will be there."
The Wolf King's fury evaporated instantly. His eyes sharpened.
"When do we leave?"
Jimmy blinked. "You'll… send your armies home first?"
The Wolf King rotated his wrist—a flick of claws igniting a pulse of dark-red flame that shot across the entire Rift.
The hybrids reacted instantly.
Growls ceased.
Formations shifted.
And then—
in synchronized leaps—
they vanished into blood-red portals, returning to the Wolf King's planet.
Jimmy stared, slack-jawed.
"…Why couldn't you do THAT in the first place?"
The Wolf King turned toward the Tournament Rift—now glowing brighter.
"I go where my prey goes."
Jimmy swallowed.
"That is deeply concerning."
Shadeclaw gave a polite bow. "We will join the fighters at the Rift."
Jimmy handed him a waffle.
"For the road."
Shadeclaw accepted it delicately and followed his king.
Jimmy watched them go and whispered:
"Yep. This is fine. Everything is fine. We are all doomed."
The Tournament Rift was alive.
A massive ring of shimmering starlight hovered above the collapsing dimension—its center swirling with cosmic currents and floating sigils. Every few minutes, a distant thunderclap echoed from within, like a giant heartbeat preparing to wake.
As Swift and Jake approached with Sedge Hat, they saw fighters gathering:
Celestial monks with glowing tattoos
Titan-blooded warriors wielding hammers as big as mountains
Jellyfish-like psionic beings drifting in air
Walking storms contained in humanoid suits
Jade Killington sipping tea, a single eyebrow raised
Magic Kid dancing on a floating platform made of confetti
Jake's jaw dropped. "This is insane."
Swift nodded, breath steady. "We're among the strongest in creation."
Sedge Hat laughed. "Oh ho! And you are the strongest among them, if you don't explode first!"
Jake glared. "Stop saying explode."
A holographic construct approached—a Tournament Registrar shaped like a floating mask of light.
"Name and sigil," it intoned.
Swift and Jake stepped forward.
Swift: "Swift. Silver Dragon of Earth."
Jake: "Jake. Bronze Dragon of Earth. Soon-to-be Titan. Maybe."
The mask flickered.
"Verified."
Then it turned to Sedge Hat.
"And you?"
Sedge Hat grinned. "Sedge Hat! Famed wizard! Elder of nonsense! I am here to register our third—"
The registrar flared.
"Danny. Golden Dragon of Earth."
Swift and Jake exchanged nervous glances.
"He will arrive," Swift said firmly.
"Someday," Jake murmured.
The mask pulsed.
"Entry confirmed.
All three dragons are now bound to the arena.
Countdown: three hours, fifty-eight minutes."
Jake swallowed. Swift straightened. Sedge Hat twirled his beard.
Magic Kid cartwheeled past them, laughing.
"HI DANNY'S FRIENDS!"
Jake jumped. "AAAAH!"
Swift sighed. "Magic Kid…"
The chaotic mage threw a handful of sparkly dust in the air.
"I came early! I'm gonna make the arena MORE FUN!"
Swift narrowed his eyes. "How?"
Magic Kid grinned madly.
"By pressing buttons!"
He pressed a button on a floating panel.
The panel burst into flames.
The flames burst into butterflies.
The butterflies exploded.
Jake screamed again.
Sedge Hat clapped. "Marvelous!"
Swift pinched the bridge of his nose. "We need Danny back."
On the farthest edge of the universe, Danny floated above a sea of fractal stars, golden fire roaring around him.
Stage II Ascension was not gentle.
Not patient.
Not forgiving.
His body stretched.
His wings flickered in and out of reality.
His heart beat in creation's rhythm.
But he held on.
He forced the flame inward.
He stabilized.
Barely.
He felt the countdown.
Four hours.
Danny looked toward the Tournament Rift—visible even from here.
"I'm coming."
He closed his eyes.
Golden fire wrapped around him.
And the universe waited.