That afternoon, while the others were practicing with their Digivices under Piximon's watchful eye, Naruto led Sparky away from the central clearing, deeper into the mist-veiled groves that bordered the training grounds. The foliage shimmered faintly with digital residue, as if leftover bytes of forgotten data had made their home among the leaves.
It was quiet here. The kind of quiet that whispered possibilities.
Naruto knelt, planting his palms gently on the earth, feeling the subtle tremor of his chakra beneath the surface like a stream winding underground. Sparky watched him, uncertain but eager, his small frame tense with anticipation.
"All right, partner," Naruto said, cracking his knuckles. "Today we're trying something from my world. Something the Inuzuka clan used—a technique where the ninja boosts their partner with chakra, making them faster, stronger, sharper."
Sparky's ears flicked forward. "Sounds awesome!"
"It is," Naruto said, then added with a grin, "when it works."
He took a deep breath and extended two fingers, channeling chakra outward toward Sparky. Blue energy flared along his fingertips as he tried to thread it, carefully, like a tailor sewing chakra into the fabric of Sparky's body.
But the moment his chakra made contact—it slipped. Like trying to grasp oil in water.
"Tch…" Naruto frowned, resetting his stance.
Again. He focused. Slower this time, steady. Sparky tensed as the chakra pressed against his fur, almost entering—and then again, it scattered like fireflies in the wind.
Sparky flinched. "Ow! That stung a little."
"It's not you," Naruto muttered. "You're a whole separate being. I can enhance tools, weapons... even kunai. But this is different. It's like my chakra's being rejected."
Sparky looked up at him, ears drooping slightly. "Maybe we can't do it…"
Naruto didn't answer.
Instead, he sat back, closing his eyes. His mind drifted—not to theory or logic—but to instinct. To experience.
To the time he had shielded Hinata from Pain's spear with nothing but raw emotion and the Nine-Tails' chakra. The moment the cloak had surged from his body, unbidden, to protect what he loved.
Naruto opened his eyes slowly. They burned faintly with red.
"That's it…" he murmured. "I can't push my chakra into you. But I can wrap it around you."
He bit his thumb, drawing a small line of blood, and whispered, "Time to cheat a little."
With a slow breath, Naruto let his chakra flare—red and potent. One tail shimmered into existence behind him, crackling with power, swaying gently like a serpent made of fire and will.
Sparky stared, stunned. "That's… that's the Nine-Tails' power, isn't it?"
"Yup." Naruto stepped forward. "I've used it to protect people before. Let's see if it can empower them too."
He extended a glowing hand—soft and careful—and placed it atop Sparky's head.
The moment contact was made, the cloak leapt from Naruto's body to Sparky's like a living flame finding dry tinder. It wrapped around the small Digimon, lifting him slightly into the air as red chakra swirled around him in flickering arcs.
Sparky gasped. He could feel it—raw, unfiltered power surging through every cell, every byte of his code.
"I-I can feel everything!" he shouted, leaping into the air. "I feel ten times faster! Ten times stronger!"
His paws struck the earth and left behind small craters. He zipped through the trees like a blur, bounding from trunk to trunk with a howl of excitement.
Naruto smiled, breath a little shallow from the energy draw, but proud. "Told ya I'd find a way."
Sparky returned with a laugh, eyes gleaming with adrenaline. "This is incredible! You really gave me a tail beast power-up!"
"It's not perfect," Naruto admitted, resting a hand on his knee. "That was just one tail, and it's draining. But with training… maybe I can push it further. We can even make new combinations—chakra and data."
Sparky tilted his head, grinning. "Team Nine-Tails Inuzuka?"
Naruto laughed. "Nah. Team Naruto and Sparky sounds way cooler."
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Sparky skidded to a dramatic stop, his red chakra cloak flickering like a cape in the breeze. He puffed out his chest, looked at Naruto with sudden seriousness, and declared:
"Okay. I've made a decision."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "About what? You suddenly realize you were actually a squirrel in a past life?"
Sparky shook his head, tail twitching. "No! About my name! Sparky is—ugh—it's too cute! I've been talking to the other Digimon, and everyone's got cool names like Agumon, Gabumon, Palmon! I sound like an electric hamster from a kids' cartoon."
Naruto blinked. "...I mean, you are kinda—"
"Don't finish that sentence."
Naruto smirked, folding his arms. "All right then, oh mighty not-a-kids'-toy. What do you want to be called?"
"I want a real name!" Sparky stood tall, little paws on his hips. "A name that strikes fear! Dignity! Coolness! Like a samurai or a ninja! Something with honor!"
Naruto rubbed his chin in thought, then grinned. "Okay, how about... Daiki the Lightning Blade?"
Sparky scrunched his face. "Too dramatic."
"Shigeru the Stormfang?"
"Sounds like a retired pop idol."
"Okay okay okay," Naruto said, cracking his knuckles. "Let me think... something strong… brave… fierce…"
He suddenly snapped his fingers. "Got it! What about… Raikōmaru!"
Sparky's ears perked up. "What's that mean?"
"'Raikō' means lightning flash," Naruto explained with a proud grin, "and '-maru' is a traditional suffix in samurai names. It makes you sound cool and old-school."
Sparky's eyes went wide. "Raikōmaru... I LOVE IT!"
He immediately jumped on top of a rock, puffed out his chest like a hero in a sentai show, and shouted:
"From this day forward, I am no longer Sparky! I am RAIIIII-KŌ-MARUUUUU!!"
Unfortunately, he yelled so hard, he slipped on a mossy patch, fell backwards, and landed with a loud THUD behind the rock.
There was a long pause.
Naruto peeked over the rock. "You okay, Raikōmaru the Thunderfallen?"
A tiny paw rose weakly from behind the rock. "Still… majestic…"
Naruto burst out laughing. "Yeah, real samurai vibes, little guy."
From the training field, the other kids heard the crash and Tai leaned over to Matt. "Did Sparky explode again?"
Matt sighed. "Probably just evolving… into drama."
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Sparky, now proudly going by his new name Raikōmaru, dusted himself off and gave another dramatic pose, tail flicking back and forth with all the flair of a samurai warrior.
"Raikōmaru... it does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it, Naruto?" he asked, his voice filled with pride.
Naruto scratched the back of his head, trying to hold back his laughter. "Well, yeah... I guess. I mean, it sounds cool and all, but there's just one small thing."
Sparky cocked his head, eyes gleaming with excitement. "What? You think I look even cooler than before, don't you? I'm definitely giving off some serious warrior vibes, right?"
Naruto gave a mischievous smile. "Oh yeah, you look super cool. But you know... maru actually means 'shit' in some contexts in Japanese."
Sparky froze, his tail twitching. "... What?"
"You heard me right," Naruto chuckled, trying to hold it together. "In some old-school samurai names, maru is a part of the name... but it also means... uh... poop. Like, little 'Raikō-poop' could be your new warrior name."
Sparky's face turned bright red, and he staggered back in horror. "NO! You mean to tell me this whole time, I've been walking around thinking I was some kind of legendary lightning warrior... and I'm really just 'Raikō-shit'?"
Naruto couldn't hold back his laughter anymore, clutching his sides. "Hey, you wanted a cool name! What's more samurai than 'Raikō-shit,' huh? It's got that authentic warrior charm."
Sparky's ears drooped, his tail swishing in embarrassment. "No! I'm Raikōmaru, the lightning flash! I can't be Raikō-shit! No way!"
Naruto grinned, kneeling down to Sparky's level. "Look, it's fine, buddy. You're still a badass... just maybe... don't yell 'Raikōmaru' too loudly in public, yeah? Especially if there's a lot of, uh... wind around."
Sparky stared at him in disbelief, then looked around nervously. "I can't believe you tricked me into this..."
Naruto smirked. "Come on, we can fix it. You could always add a cool nickname. How about 'Raikōmaru the Thunderstorm'?"
Sparky lifted his head, a small spark of hope returning to his eyes. "'Raikōmaru the Thunderstorm'? Yeah... I could live with that."
Naruto laughed. "Yeah, much better than Raikō-poop, right?"
Sparky glared at him but couldn't hold the smile in. "Fine, fine. You win. Raikōmaru the Thunderstorm it is. But if anyone finds out I'm actually Raikō-shit, I'll never forgive you."
Naruto chuckled, ruffling Sparky's fur. "Hey, it's all part of the journey, little warrior."
The two of them shared a laugh, the bond between them growing even stronger.
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With the golden morning sun spilling across the mist-laced training ground, the DigiDestined stood in a line, their partners beside them. Their Digivices pulsed faintly at their sides, a rhythmic glow like a heartbeat—each child feeling stronger, more attuned to their partner, and more like a team than ever before.
Piximon hovered in front of them, arms folded, the breeze ruffling the tiny feathers of his wings. His usual mischievous sparkle had been replaced with the stern look of a veteran. His eyes, though small, carried centuries of wisdom.
"You've learned your core skills," he said, his voice surprisingly deep for such a pint-sized creature. "Now, it's time to fight."
A wave of surprise rolled through the group.
"I will be your opponent," Piximon continued, twirling his staff once before planting it into the ground with a quiet clink. "I will suppress my powers. My stats will be just above yours, and I won't use my true strength as an Ultimate. This is how you will learn—by losing, adapting, and improving."
Tai cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Matt, flipping his hair back, narrowed his eyes. "You're on. I'm not going to let you one-up me today, Tai."
The two rivals surged forward like lightning bolts—competitive fire in their eyes, their Digimon already growling with anticipation.
But whump—they both slammed into an invisible force and were bounced back like tennis balls hitting a trampoline.
Piximon hadn't even moved.
"No," he said calmly, his gaze shifting down the line. "Joe. You're up first."
"Wha—what?!" Joe stammered, his glasses nearly falling off as he fumbled to catch them. "B-but—Tai and Matt were already volunteering! They're really excited about this. Super motivated. They should definitely go first. I wouldn't want to... get in the way."
Piximon shook his head slowly. "You always say that, Joe. Always. But listen carefully—if you'll have to fight in the end, there's no point hiding behind excuses at the start."
Joe looked around, half-expecting a reprieve, but all he saw were eyes watching him. Gomamon gave him an encouraging nod. Tai smirked. Matt crossed his arms. Even Mimi, holding a parasol for no apparent reason, whispered, "You got this, Joe!"
He gulped. "Right. No pressure."
Joe stepped into the center of the arena, his legs wobbly, his palms clammy. Piximon floated opposite him, serene as ever.
"I'm a healer, you know," Joe called nervously. "More into... shielding and recovery."
Piximon smiled slightly. "Then you'll learn what happens when the shield becomes the sword."
Joe's Digivice lit up. His crest shimmered faintly. Gomamon stepped beside him with a wide grin. "Let's give them something to talk about, Joe!"
Joe's knees cracked as he bent slightly. "I think my spleen's already panicking."
The match was on.