Chapter 11: Foxfire, Thunder, and Blue Fists
[Multiverse Destiny Shop – New Customer Arrival]
DING.
The front door of the shop creaked open.
Jake looked up from his interdimensional sudoku and sighed. "Another one already? I haven't even finished re-alphabetizing the chaos scrolls."
A boy strolled in like he owned the place.
Barefoot. Straw hat. Grinning as if this entire bizarre room full of glowing shelves, floating books, and a taxidermy squirrel holding a wand was perfectly normal.
He stopped at the counter, sniffed the air, and declared, "Smells like meat. And mystery."
Jake blinked. "You're early."
"Early for what?"
"For being ridiculous."
The boy looked delighted. "Cool."
Jake stood up. "Let's skip the formalities. Alphamon?"
ZHHMM.
A portal flared open in the middle of the shop, and out stepped Alphamon, majestic as ever.
"You have been chosen," Alphamon intoned. "Not for what you are, but what you will—"
"Do I get lunch?" the boy interrupted.
There was a beat of silence.
Jake mouthed oh boy.
Alphamon didn't flinch. "You will receive a partner."
He extended his hand, and a glowing orb floated toward the boy. It pulsed with soft blue light and strange symbols across its shell.
"A Digiegg," Alphamon said. "Treat it with care."
The boy caught it with both hands and immediately hugged it like a plush toy. "It's warm!"
Alphamon nodded once, then vanished back into the portal without another word.
Jake leaned over the counter. "Okay, I'm placing bets. It hatches in three... two…"
CRACK.
A tiny round creature poked its head out. "Hi!" it squeaked. "I'm Chibomon!"
The boy's eyes sparkled. "You came from an egg!"
Jake smirked. "Give it five more seconds."
Chibomon wriggled, glowed—and with a shimmer of energy, evolved into a blue, wide-eyed creature with stubby horns and a bold smile.
"Now I'm Veemon!" it announced. "You smell like oranges and bad decisions!"
The boy laughed. "Best day ever."
Jake raised an eyebrow. "Skipping straight from In-Training to Rookie with one hug? Either you're incredibly lucky or cosmically cursed."
"Why not both?" the boy replied.
Jake chuckled and summoned a floating scroll. It stamped itself with golden ink: "Customer #003: Registered".
He snapped his fingers, and a cluster of floating orbs zoomed toward the back room.
"I'll prep your welcome package," he said. "Try not to feed Veemon anything cursed while I'm gone."
"No promises!" the boy and Veemon said in unison.
Jake sighed. "Multiverse help us all."
[Hogwarts Express – Harry's Arc: Part 4 – Steam, Stories, and Spark-Snakes]
The train whistled. Steam curled through the air as Harry climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express, his heart thudding like the engine beneath his feet.
Dratini slithered tighter around his shoulders, alert and curious.
"Right then," Harry muttered, trying to navigate through a crowded corridor. "Now I just need a seat… and maybe less attention."
Easier said than done. Most students stared—at Dratini, not him.
He opened a door halfway down the train and found an empty compartment. No sooner had he sat down than the door slid open again.
A red-haired boy peeked in. "Everywhere else is full. Mind if I sit here?"
Harry shook his head. "Go ahead."
The boy's eyes widened at Dratini. "Blimey. What is that?"
"Dratini," Harry said. "He's… protective."
Dratini narrowed his eyes as if to say Darn right I am.
"I'm Ron," the boy said, sitting down and setting a shabby suitcase beside him. "Ron Weasley."
"Harry. Harry Potter."
Ron froze. "The Harry Potter?"
"Um… maybe?"
Before Ron could process that, the door opened again. A girl with bushy brown hair and an armful of books poked her head in.
"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost it."
Ron shook his head.
Harry said, "Sorry, no toad. But maybe Dratini could sniff it out?"
Hermione glanced at the creature. "Is that a real dragon?"
"Sort of."
She stepped in fully, setting her books down. "I'm Hermione Granger. And you're Harry Potter. I read about you in Modern Magical History."
Harry blinked. "That's… odd."
"You're famous," she said simply.
Ron groaned. "Don't remind him."
Dratini snorted and coiled around Harry's neck like a smug scarf.
As they chatted, Harry found himself… smiling. For the first time in days, maybe longer.
This felt real.
Not the scar. Not the fame. Not the chaos Dratini left in his wake.
Just… friends.
The golden trio, born in a compartment filled with steam, laughter, and the occasional static spark.
The peace didn't last.
The compartment door slid open with theatrical flair. A pale boy with slicked-back hair, flanked by two stocky shadows, stepped in.
"Well, well. If it isn't the famous Harry Potter," drawled Draco Malfoy. "And what is that on your shoulders? A rejected Chinese firework?"
Dratini hissed, and a tiny spark popped from his nostril.
Ron bristled. "Sod off, Malfoy."
Malfoy's eyes narrowed. "Watch your mouth, Weasley. You'll hex yourself with your own wand one day."
Hermione stood up. "Shouldn't you be somewhere else, like polishing your ego?"
Malfoy looked her up and down. "And you are?"
"Someone who can read without moving their lips."
Harry didn't say a word. He let Dratini lean forward.
The air grew tense.
Malfoy gave a forced chuckle. "Whatever that thing is, it should be locked up."
As he turned to go, Dratini snorted. A tiny orb of energy bloomed from his snout and popped like a firecracker, sending sparks across the floor and singeing the hem of Malfoy's robe.
"ARGH!" Draco stumbled, patting at the scorched fabric.
"Oops," Harry said, deadpan.
Ron nearly fell off his seat laughing.
Hermione hid her grin behind a book.
Dratini purred.
New Ability Learned: Spark Snap – Level 1
The rest of the ride passed in a blur of chocolate frogs, laughter, and wide-eyed dreams.
And Harry couldn't help but think… maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.
[Konoha – Naruto's Arc: Fire, Fangs, and False Friends]
The leaves rustled gently over Konoha. The afternoon sun bathed the rooftops in warm gold as Naruto stood proudly on a bridge, grinning up at the clouds.
"Genin Naruto Uzumaki!" he shouted, fists raised. "Ready for anything!"
Kurama snorted from within. "Except logic."
Vulpix rolled her eyes. "He's harmless. Like a firecracker with no fuse."
Naruto turned to glare at no one in particular. "I heard that!"
But Vulpix and Kurama were already wandering through the woods outside the village, enjoying their temporary freedom.
"Should we be worried about leaving him alone?" Vulpix asked.
Kurama chuckled. "What could possibly go wrong?"
[The Scroll of Seals Incident Begins]
Back in the village, Naruto wandered toward a training post when a familiar figure called out.
"Naruto! There you are," Mizuki said, voice smooth like syrup over broken glass. "There's a secret Genin graduation test tonight. A special one. If you can master a high-level jutsu, Iruka will have no choice but to pass you for real."
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Really?! What jutsu?"
Mizuki leaned closer. "The Shadow Clone Jutsu. You can find it in the Scroll of Seals. I can help you get it. Come to the training woods tonight."
Naruto, naturally, didn't question anything.
That night, under the crescent moon, Naruto cracked open the forbidden scroll, eyes wide with excitement.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu, huh?"
But there was more.
Another jutsu shimmered beneath the ink.
Fox Flame Spiral Technique.
Naruto tilted his head. "Fox Flame Spiral... sounds cool."
[Kurama and Vulpix Return – Trouble Unfolds]
Kurama and Vulpix returned just in time to see Naruto surrounded by glowing scrolls and wildly flickering chakra.
"You left him for three hours," Kurama deadpanned.
"Three hours too many," Vulpix added.
"Naruto!" Iruka shouted, running into the clearing. "What are you doing with the Scroll of Seals?!"
Naruto froze. "It's the secret test!"
Mizuki burst into the clearing, smile razor-sharp. "He's lying! Naruto stole the scroll! He's the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki! He should be locked away!"
Iruka stepped between them. "Shut up, Mizuki!"
Mizuki hurled a giant shuriken toward Naruto.
Iruka lunged—
But Naruto was already moving.
[Fox Firestorm Unleashed]
"MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"
The clearing erupted in smoke as dozens—no, hundreds—of Narutos appeared.
Mizuki stumbled. "Wha—?!"
And then they glowed.
Every clone ignited with the orange shimmer of the Fox Flame Spiral.
Drills of burning chakra spiraled from their arms, all aiming at Mizuki.
Kurama's jaw dropped. "He... combined them?"
Vulpix purred. "He finally paid attention."
Naruto pointed dramatically. "Fox Firestorm Barrage!!"
BOOM.
Mizuki vanished beneath a storm of spinning fire.
When the smoke cleared, Iruka stood dumbfounded.
Naruto walked up, coughing soot, grinning wide.
"So... do I pass twice now?"
Iruka cracked a laugh. "You might have skipped a few steps, Naruto."
Kurama nodded, impressed. "That idiot may actually survive this world."
[Multiverse Destiny Shop – Jake's Interlude: Foxes, Firecrackers, and First Years]
Jake lounged behind the counter, sipping tea from a mug that said "I Don't Do Normal."
Alphamon stood silently nearby, arms crossed, observing a floating vision screen replaying Naruto's clone army wrecking the training grounds.
"I'm just saying," Jake muttered, "this might be the first time someone's accidentally passed a trial that doesn't even exist anymore."
Arceus floated by with a sigh. "And now we've got a fire-wreathed ninja and a lightning dragon boy making sparks on opposite ends of reality."
Alphamon nodded. "Balance is... holding. Barely."
Jake sipped his tea. "Think the new one will stabilize things?"
A thud echoed in the back room, followed by Veemon yelling, "WHO PUT A TOASTER ON MY BED?!"
Jake didn't flinch. "Nope."
The trio stood in silence for a moment longer, watching magical fires flicker across timelines.
Jake cracked a grin. "Well, on the bright side... at least nobody's wished for a pony yet."
Arceus and Alphamon exchanged glances.
"...Yet."