Here's the newest chapter to this story. I hope to be able to continue updating regularly for as long as I can.
Also, please pardon the slight timeskip at the beginning of the chapter. I didn't really want to repeat the same song and dance as before with the first chapter. Perhaps I'll explain it more in-depth later on.
Note: In the Digimon Excel continuity, Armor level Digimon can be equivalent to any level from Rookie to Mega. Also, for reasons to be explained later, Mikemon and BlackGatomon will both be treated as Rookie Digimon.
Jenna: Previously on Digimon Excel, Alex, Anna, Noah and I were thrown into the Digital World and separated from each-other. There, Alex and Anna met Gareth and Bree, two other children who had experienced the same strange electrical storm they had. The boys went off to look for food, where they discovered Impmon and learned a bit more about this new world.
Meanwhile, Isaac, a strange boy with his own Digimon partner, Dobermon, seems to be following Alex. What is his purpose, and who does he work for? Questions will be answered right now on Digimon Excel!
-NOAH-
Noah's day had been strange from the moment that boy had shown up outside the cafe back on earth; a place where he clearly no longer was. After the lightning bolt and strange portal full of floating binary functions which looked straight out of the Matrix, he and Jenna had been deposited right in the center of a large lake...
FLASHBACK
The water struck him like a heavy blanket, squeezing him in an embrace which was somehow warm, but also suffocating. He quickly oriented himself in the water, still holding on to Jenna, and began swimming upward.
"You look like you could use a hand," A voice declared, vibrating in perfect tone despite being underwater. "Well I may not have one to lend, but here's hoping a fin will do."
Noah didn't even care that the speaker appeared to be a giant fish. He simply grabbed ahold of its dorsal fin and was pulled along by its strength.
"The name is Swimmon, by the way," The creature explained. "I've been waiting a long time for you to get here. Welcome to the Digital World!"
-X-
"So when you think about it, Digimon are a lot like earth animals, but much more diverse, and in my case, more intelligent," Swimmon finished his explanation. "And you two are destined to become Tamers and partner with us to fight evil!"
"That sounds awesome!" Jenna cheered. "When can we start?"
"You've just got to find a partner of your own, the way Noah chose me," Swimmon reiterated. "Then you can use that digivice your phone turned into to help them digivolve."
"And you're sure it will still work after getting wet?" Noah confirmed. "I should probably call my mom and let her know I wont be home for a while."
"Don't worry, they have automatic sealant protection against water and dirt. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the phone function works across dimensions, so you'll have to wait on that."
Noah was about to voice his dismay when the trees rustled once more. Out stepped four figures-a boy and girl with sandy and silvery blonde hair respectively, a bipedal lion-like creature, and what appeared to be a large rabbit wearing some sort of robe.
"You guys too, huh?" The boy asked. "Great; the plot thickens."
-X-
Noah and Jenna quickly became acquainted with Derrick and Alisa Baums; twins from Ontario who had become partners with two Digimon-the bipedal lion Coronamon, and the rabbit known as Lunamon. Unbeknownst to them, these four would be with them as partners for quite a long time, through many difficulties, including the one they were about to face...
END FLASHBACK
The seven of them were now traveling along a dirt path which Coronamon claimed led to a village where they could obtain supplies.
"This is the way to travel!" Swimmon's voice chirped from within Noah's blue-trimmed digivice. "I can finally go somewhere other than that nasty lake. Honestly, you get tired of seeing the same old coral and algae day in and day out."
"So you've lived there your entire life?" Noah asked.
"As far as I know. I may have been someplace else right after I hatched, but becoming a water Digimon gives you limitations. I can get around on land if I have to, and I can even glide for a bit if I get a good jump in, but I'm not very fast out of water..."
"That's alright, I can just be the one who carries you around," Noah grinned. "But you talked about becoming something else because of...was it digivolution? What exactly does that mean? Are you just going to keep transforming as you get stronger?"
Coronamon perked up at this.
"Actually, Noah, Digimon do stop digivolving eventually. In fact, unless you've got a partner helping you, it can take years for a Digimon to grow strong enough to digivolve even one level."
Rick looked down at his partner. "So you only digivolve a certain number of times? How many?"
"It changes for every Digimon," Lunamon spoke up. "But there are six basic stages in a Digimon's life cycle. After hatching from a digi-egg, they usually start out as a baby form known as Fresh form. Later, they digivolve to In-Training, and then Rookie, which is the level the three of us are at.
"Then there are three more main ones-Champion, Ultimate and Mega. They get stronger in that order and each level takes longer to reach. A majority of Digimon only reach Mega near the end of their lifetime, unless they gather lots of data or are super strong."
"Then there are special ones too," Swimmon reminded her. "There are Armor Digimon who can be any level, from a Rookie all the way to Mega. Usually Armor Digimon digivolve using special digi-eggs, but sometimes they can become one normally."
"There's other levels too though, some even higher than Mega, but those first six are the basic ones which almost any Digimon can reach eventually," Coronamon finished.
"That sounds awesome," Jenna grinned. "I hope I get to partner with a really strong Digimon-an Ultimate, or maybe even a Mega! I'd be able to take out any of those guys you said have been attacking Digimon around here."
"You'll probably get a tiny little snake who can't even attack or something," Noah grinned. This was received with an elbow to the ribs delivered by Jenna.
"Hey Rick," Coronamon spoke up after a few seconds. "I thought you would want to know that we're getting close to the town."
"That's a good thing, right?" His golden-haired partner asked.
"It would be," Coronamon nodded. "If I didn't smell smoke in that direction."
A panicked air swept instantly over the other four. Rick was first to react, turning to his sister.
"Allie, I want you to stay here with Lunamon and the others until I come back. Coronamon and I are going to check things out, then come get you guys if it's safe."
Allie huffed, obviously used to having her brother try to keep her out of "trouble," despite the fact that she claimed to be the older twin. "And if it's not?"
"Then we double back and try to find somewhere else for supplies," Rick continued. "Don't worry, I'm only going to check things out."
His twin nodded, obviously bummed out over the fact that she was being forced to stay behind. Rick, meanwhile, took off along the path.
"I should go too," Noah decided. "I'm the other one with a Digimon partner and I can keep him in line."
"Don't do anything crazy," Jenna spoke up. "You still need to help me beat my win streak on Global Kung Fu Showdown 3."
"But you just barely set the new high score," Noah complained.
"Strive for greatness," Jenna grinned. "Now hurry up, he's getting away."
Noah nodded and jogged off as well. It took him only a moment to catch up with Rick.
"Do you make a habit of lying to your sister?" He asked as he drew even with the other boy.
"I'm only going to take action if there are few enough for us to take out," Rick assured him. "Coronamon and I can handle this."
"So, not a lie, just not the entire truth," Noah surmised.
"Sometimes, in order to keep others safe, we just don't tell them about the bad things. Ignorance is bliss, you know," Came the boy's reply. "Quiet now; somebody is close by."
That somebody turned out to be a strange creature with a misshapen rubbery body, three-fingered hands and a strange gas mask covering its face. It ambled past them slowly, not noticing them through a large bush.
"That was a Troopmon," Coronamon explained.
DIGIMON ANALYZER
Coronamon: Troopmon is a nasty Undead Digimon which is basically just a rubbery skin filled with evil energy like a balloon. They are often created by a larger master so it can't think for itself. In addition, it doesn't feel pain or fear and won't stop attacking an enemy until either it is ordered to retreat or one of them is torn to ribbons.
"So it's not seeming likely that he'd be friendly," Noah noted. "Can we take them?"
"With two Rookies? It'll be tough, but if there are only a few of them and we pick them off one by one, we should be fine," Swimmon advised.
"The real question will be whether their boss is here," Rick spoke up. "You heard Coronamon-with these guys, someone else is always pulling the strings."
"I'd like to see him try pulling strings after a run-in with my Razor Fin," Swimmon grumbled. "But remember, we aren't gonna take them on until we've scouted out their numbers."
Rick looked out at the Troopmon still ambling off. "Maybe we could grab that one and force it to tell us how many there are, or at lest who it's working for."
"Worth a try," Noah nodded. "Swimmon, you up for it?"
"Our first battle as a team," Swimmon sniffed. "It's beautiful."
Noah held his digivice out in front of him and gave the order, "Swimmon, Realize." In a flash of light, the giant fish Digimon went flying forward, gliding through the air as effortlessly as he would have on water.
"Brine Pistol!" He called, sending out a jet of concentrated sea brine which knocked the Troopmon off-balance.
This was all the lightning-fast Coronamon needed to get in a good hit. With a cry of "Corona Flame," He fired a blast of heat from the crownlike object on his head.
The Troopmon spun, dizzy from the blows, and the steam which now was rising around it.
"Razor Fin!"
"Corona Knuckle!"
Two simultaneous blows took the Digimon from either direction, causing its latex skin to tear in several places. Wispy clouds of data leaked out as it fell.
"We need to find out what it knows before all the data disintegrates," Coronamon warned. Rick nodded, running in and grabbing the Troopmon by the neck.
"How many Troopmon attacked the village? Who is your master?" He shook the creature with intensity, so much so that Noah was understandably frightened.
The Troopmon made no noise-perhaps it didn't have the strength to. Instead, it leaned back and seemed to exhale once more before a beacon of emerald light burst from its mask. Rick swore, jumping back as he returned to the others.
"It must be a built in mechanism in case one of them is defeated!" Coronamon cried. "We need to get out of here!"
"Why? What does it mean?" Noah demanded.
"It means that this Troopmon has been attacked," Coronamon replied. "And now every one of its brothers close enough to see that signal will be coming after us."
-ANNA-
When Anna first saw the cat wandering around in the woods, she thought at first that she might have been seeing things. For the entire time they had been here, she had not noticed a single bird, bug or animal in this forest.
"Did you see that?" Bree asked, confirming her suspicion.
"Yeah, wanna go check it out?" Anna grinned.
"The boys may come back soon," Bree noted.
"Then they can wait for us just like we've been waiting for a half-hour. I'm starving and maybe that cat can lead us to a fruit tree or something."
Bree shrugged before following her younger companion after the cat. It wasn't long before they found it heaving and tugging against a large rock which appeared to have fallen on a strange rabbitlike creature.
Suddenly, the cat turned to them and gave a full-on Cheshire grin.
"Excuse me," It began. "Would you mind helping me with this?"
And that was how they met Mikemon and Gazimon.
-ALEX-
The surprise Alex felt when he discovered his sister cuddling an oversized cat wearing gloves was only rivaled by that when it jumped to grapple onto his face and began talking to him.
"You must be Anna's brother, Alex," The cat purred. "My name is Mikemon. I've been waiting to meet you for hooouuuurrrrssss..."
"We only met thirty minutes ago," Anna noted.
Impmon, meanwhile, had strolled over to where Bree and the rabbitlike creature, Gazimon sat. "Hiya, Gazimon. Been a while since I saw you, eh?"
"Guess so," Gazimon nodded nonchalantly.
"You guys found a Digimon too?" Bree asked Gareth, who had been bringing up the rear of the group. "Is he your partner?"
"Sure is," Gareth nodded. "I'm guessing the four of you got acquainted while we were gone?"
"Yes," Mikemon nodded, finally releasing poor Alex's head. "These two helped Gazimon and I out of a pretty sticky situation, but we're alright now.
DIGIMON ANALYZER
Mikemon: I'm Mikemon, by the way. I'm a Rookie level Beast Digimon with an eye for beauty, especially if it glitters. Watch out for my Neko Claw and Beast Mesmer attacks though-I use them to show that I'm no pushover!
Gazimon: And my name is Gazimon, another Rookie, but don't be worrying about my claws. The saying "His bark is worse than his bite," definitely applies to me with my Electric Stun Blast technique!
Impmon: While we're at it, let me formally introduce myself. I am Impmon, another Rookie, but I'm sure I hit like a Champion. You'll be impressed when you get a load of my explosive Badda Boom technique. If that doesn't get the job done, I use my Machine Gun Kick to finish them off, or Night of Blizzards to punish foes with waves of darkness!
"So why does everyone get a partner except me?" Alex griped.
"Maybe you just need to find the right Digimon," Impmon suggested. "Or any Digimon, really. Not many live on Mount Voltan to begin with. You might find one when we get to the temple though."
Mikemon turned sharply to face him. "You're going to the Temple of Jupiter? Why? Are you insane?"
"We need to go there to figure out how to get down," Alex explained to her. "Impmon said there may be someone there who can help us. Is there?"
Mikemon was quiet for a long time. "Yes there is, but you're probably not going to like meeting him."
"How bad can he be?" Gareth joked, but was silenced by a glare from Mikemon.
"You would be surprised," She continued. "He lives inside the temple and guards it day and night. If he wanted, he could probably delete all of us in a fight. We call him the Steward of the Gods."
Alex grinned. "Perfect. Then I'm not leaving this mountain until this guy, whoever he is, agrees to be my partner."
-JENNA-
The pillar of light was the first indication that something had gone wrong with Alex's plan. The second took the form of horrible shrieking sounds which reverberated through the entire forest.
"Those sound like Troopmon," Lunamon shuddered. "Coronamon is in trouble!"
"There's nothing we can do to help them from here," Jenna declared. "We need to regroup and defend ourselves!"
No sooner had she said this than a Troopmon leapt out of a tangle of bushes, slamming a fist into Alisa's side. The girl went flying, but was luckily caught by a leaping Lunamon.
"Tear Shot!" The rabbit called, launching a bolt of liquid energy at the creature, knocking it off-balance.
Jenna grabbed the first weapon available-a sturdy branch-and swung it at the Troopmon's head. The impact was soft, as though she had struck the surface of a hot air balloon. A small tear opened in the creature's neck, causing a slight trickle of data to begin.
"Jenna, it's hollow!" Lunamon called. "If you rip a big enough hole, all of its energy will spill out and it'll be powerless!"
Jenna nodded, swinging the branch again. Unfortunately, the Troopmon turned and caught the blow on its gas mask face, shattering the piece of wood.
"Plan B?" Jenna called nervously.
"Lunar Claw!" With a flash, Lunamon leapt in with claws of shadow, shredding the monster's rubber body like sackcloth, instantly spilling its data.
At that moment, Rick and Noah came running back out of the forest.
"One of the Troopmon sent out a distress beacon," Rick puffed. "My bad...should have been more careful."
"We need to find cover," Coronamon insisted. "Lunamon, are you hurt?"
"I'm okay, just startled," Lunamon explained. "One of those Troopmon attacked us."
"And you fought it off by yourself?" Noah whistled. "Impressive."
"Come on guys, Rick is right," Jenna interrupted. "We need to find someplace to hide."
They ran, searching desperately for any sort of cover. After a few moments, they reached a shallow cave.
"If we squeeze, we should all be able to fit," Swimmon declared.
"Easy for you to say; you're inside the digivice!" Noah growled. Still, he squirmed into place and tried to make room for the others.
"If we're lucky, maybe they won't see us," Alisa whispered.
"GRAAAAHHHH!"
"Why are we never lucky?" The blonde whimpered.
"We have to stand and fight," Coronamon declared. "We can't let these guys beat us!"
"Are you going to try that thing?" Rick asked. "Digivolving into a Champion?"
"If I can," Coronamon nodded. "Come on, let's make our stand!"
The four children leapt up from their hiding place and took up defensive positions, their Digimon out in front.
"I count seventeen Troopmon," Jenna reported. "And it took three of us working together just to take out one. Not sure I like those odds, and that's coming from me."
"Is the gaming queen getting cold feet?" Noah chuckled. "It's a bit late to duck out of this fight."
The Troopmon finally lurched into motion, howling as they went. That was definitely a change-the Troopmon from before had been completely silent during their fight.
"Corona Flame!"
"Tear Shot!"
"Brine Pistol!"
The three attacks collided with the opposing force, but only served to push them back slightly.
"Digivolution isn't working," Rick called. "We need a new plan!"
"I've got one!" A voice called down to them. In a flash, a small creature leapt from the ledge above them.
"Spiral Twister!" A vortex of energy burst from the creature's mouth, lifting several Troopmon off their feet and tossing them back into their allies.
"Get moving!" The creature yelled to the others. "We have no time to lose!"
-ALEX-
The Temple of Jupiter looked just as intimidating close up as it had from a distance. With huge twisting towers which reached toward the heavens, the entire place resembled an explosion frozen in place just after forming.
"They say it was formed by a bolt of lightning," Mikemon explained. "And that the ground that exploded melted into crystal and metal from the heat. Jupitermon decided he liked the place, so he turned it into his temple."
"That guy must have way too much time on his hands," Gareth whistled.
"He does now that he's dead," Gazimon muttered.
Bree raised an eyebrow at him. "Jupitermon is dead? But isn't he, like, a god or something?"
"Even in this world, nobody can really be a god," Impmon shook his head. "Jupitermon just happened to be a pretty mondo powerhouse. He and his comrades, the Olympus Twelve, used to be like the diplomats of the whole world."
"Then Titamon started attacking them and absorbed all of their power," Mikemon added. "And he kept that power locked inside his body until it was released during his battle with Ogudomon."
"Who is Ogudomon?" Anna asked softly.
"Fifteen years ago, Ogudomon was an incredibly powerful Digimon known as the Super Demon Lord. He was one of the most powerful dark Digimon in the world," explained Impmon. "But even though he was called Demon Lord, he wasn't inherently evil. In fact, when Titamon tried taking over, he came to stop him."
"They had a huge battle which lasted for weeks, and split Atlas Mountain in half," Gazimon nodded, the respect in his voice obvious. "And at the end, Ogudomon sacrificed himself to destroy Titamon."
"That's an amazing story," Alex said in awe. "But...what happened to the power of the Olympus Twelve?"
"It vanished," A new voice growled from somewhere in front of them. "When Titamon was struck down, the energy was dispersed to new hosts, though who those are, nobody knows."
Alex raised an eyebrow as a birdlike creature stepped out of the shadows. It resembled some sort of owl with its curved beak and feathers sticking back into twin points on its head. Where its wings would have been, however, greatly resembled feathered arms tipped with claws.
"Who exactly are you? Are you the guy we're looking for?" Bree asked.
"It should not matter to trespassers like you," The Digimon growled. "I am Falcomon, Steward of the Gods. Leave this place, or I will destroy you."
DIGIMON ANALYZER
Gazimon: Yep, this is our guy. Falcomon is a powerful Rookie Digimon who likes to live in tall mountains. He may seem tough with his Wind Blade and Falco Rush techniques, but this flightless bird is actually pretty compassionate when you're not on his bad side.
"Gazimon, Mikemon, you brought these intruders here?" Falcomon demanded.
"These four are our Tamer partners," Mikemon explained. "They need our help to get off the mountain."
Falcomon scoffed. "Partners? Well I count three of you and four humans here. If they are too weak to each find their own partner, why should I help them?"
Alex stepped forward suddenly, holding out his digivice for Falcomon to see.
"Because I am a Digimon Tamer too, and you are going to be my partner."
It was impossible to tell who was more shocked by the outburst-Falcomon or the rest of his team. Gareth stepped up beside him.
"Are you insane?" He demanded. "I thought you were kidding about that! Why would you want to partner up with this jerk?"
"I agree with your friend there," Falcomon nodded. "Except for that last part. Why would you think I would ever become your partner?"
"Because I sense that you have a good heart and a strong spirit. Those are exactly the types of characteristics we need on this team to survive. We could really use your strength."
Falcomon was silent for a moment. "There is...a sort of aura about you. It intrigues me." He looked up sharply. "Very well then, I will join you on one condition."
"Name it," Alex nodded vigorously.
Falcomon threw his arms out wide. "Before I join you, you must defeat me in trial by single combat!"
"Are you insane?" Mikemon demanded. "You want to challenge a human even though he has a major disadvantage to you? That isn't fair!"
"Then I will use none of my techniques. We will fight with our physical skills alone, hand-to-hand."
"This's still suicide," Impmon declared. "Alex, don't tell me yer gonna be crazy enough to fight this guy!"
Alex ignored them all. "I accept your terms. Let's do this!"
Falcomon gave a bow of courtesy which was returned by Alex. Moving into their respective fighting stances, they waited, neither one wanting to move first.
Finally, the anticipation was too great and Alex dashed forward, knowing full well that he was opening himself to attack. Falcomon waited for him to get close, before attempting a jab at his solar plexus-a move which could take a fighter out in one blow if they weren't fast enough.
Alex was fast enough, twisting away and bringing up a knee in an attempt to catch Falcomon off-guard. But the bird man had reflexes just as sharp as, if not sharper than Alex.
"You seem at least capable in combat," Falcomon acknowledged. "But there is a great difference between being capable and possessing skill!" He moved in with a kick, too fast for Alex to dodge, which drove the air from his lungs. His body screamed at him, but he forced it to move, grabbing his foe's foot. With a grunt of exertion, he heaved Falcomon around, tossing him away.
"He's not bad," Gareth admitted. "To keep moving after a kick like that? Impressive."
"Alex used to take judo for a little while," Anna explained. "The man who he learned from taught him that sometimes you have to take a hit if you want to hit the other guy even harder."
"Sounds like some pretty good advice," Bree nodded. "But that was still a pretty nasty kick. I'm not sure how much longer Alex can hold him off, much less beat him."
But Alex was nowhere near finished. He went on the offensive, swinging punch after punch, only to have each hit blocked. It was clear that unless he found a way around Falcomon's speed, he would tire out long before he landed any significant damage.
In a split second, however, that no longer mattered. Before either could strike again, an explosion rocked the area, knocking everyone from their feet.
"Something else is attacking us!" Mikemon called. "Get down!"
The group hit the dirt as another blast of energy hit the ground nearby.
"Who would dare to attack this place?" Falcomon demanded. He looked up to see what seemed to resemble a snake with wings flying around.
DIGIMON ANALYZER
Falcomon: This is an outrage! Airdramon is a winged Digimon meant to serve holy Digimon with its Spinning Needle attack. To attack this temple, a place which it ought to be protecting, is inexcusable!
"Spinning Needle!" Airdramon launched another blade of wind toward them, which was Narrowly dodged by Falcomon.
"Alright kid, let's put this on hold," The Digimon called. "In fact, what say we team up to teach this guy a lesson?"
Alex grinned. "I thought you would never ask."
-JENNA-
The Digimon who had saved them was quick to introduce herself once they were clear of the Troopmon.
DIGIMON ANALYZER
Biyomon: The name is Biyomon; I'm a Rookie bird Digimon, but that doesn't make me weak. With the spinning power of my Spiral Twister, this girl doesn't let anyone push her around!
"Thanks for saving our hides back there, Biyomon," Swimmon grinned. "But what are you doing here?"
Biyomon looked at him sadly. "Those Troopmon have been sweeping across the entire forest, destroying all the villages they came across...and the last one they reached before this was mine..."
Jenna immediately kneeled down to hug the pink Digimon. "That's terrible! And you escaped?"
"I was the only one who escaped," Biyomon replied. "Which is why you guys should help me stop those Troopmon!"
"How can we do that?" Noah demanded. "If you haven't noticed, you were the one who saved us just now."
"But I heard you talking," Biyomon insisted. She turned to Rick and Coronamon, "You said your partner could digivolve. So digivolve and stop those Troopmon!"
"Well..." Rick rubbed the back of his head. "You see..."
"I've never actually digivolved before," Coronamon finished. "But I'm sure if I did I could take out every one of them!"
"That's not exactly encouraging," Jenna frowned. "You're gonna have to try though. There's no way we can beat all of those Troopmon like this, and we don't even know who's controlling them."
Biyomon shivered. "I know. It's an evil Digimon called Musyamon. If we defeated him, the Troopmon would be powerless!"
"Do you know where he is?" Alisa asked.
Biyomon nodded. "He's in the center of the village which was just destroyed, probably still plundering the place."
"Then we'll take the fight to him," Jenna grinned, holding a hand out to Biyomon. "Will you help me do that?"
Biyomon was hesitant, but slowly stuck out her wing. "You mean, as a team? Are you saying that you want me to be your partner?"
Jenna smiled. "Why not? What do you say?"
Biyomon smiled slowly, then shook Jenna's hand. "Deal."
-RICK-
They reached the center of the village an hour later, where they could see a large figure standing before a wooden house.
"Ninja Blade!" The figure called as a ghostly blue flame surrounded the long sword he carried. With a single slash, he set the entire building on fire.
"I'm gonna guess that's our guy?" Swimmon deduced.
bDIGIMON ANALYZER/b
Biyomon: Yep, Musyamon is a Champion level ninja Digimon. Usually he's an honorable soul, but this guy is pure evil. He'll use his Ninja Blade attack to turn his foes to ash, or simply use his Shogun Sword to launch a fire dragon to attack!
"Musyamon!" Rick called, stepping forward. "You've terrorized countless villages, and attacked my friends. I will not stand for it any longer!"
Musyamon turned to glance at him, his reddish armour glinting in the dappled light. "A human? You've got a lot of nerve to try and challenge me! I'll cleave you apart with a single blow!"
With a roar, the swordsman rushed toward them, covering the distance with alarming speed. He reached them in seconds, his blade already flashing toward Rick.
"Ninja..."
-ALEX-
As Alex stood there, trying to feign confidence despite his fear, he almost didn't notice the tingling at the back of his neck, but he couldn't miss the bolt of lightning.
It jutted down, forking into two points as it fell. One end struck Alex, the other, Falcomon. Instead of harming them, however, it filled both with a warm glow of energy.
With a burst of light, Alex's digivice came to life, text running across the screen.
"What's going on?" Alex called in confusion.
"That lightning and your determination has activated the digivolution function!" Falcomon called. "Quickly, point it at me and focus your will to win!"
Alex nodded, holding the digivice out straight, the light becoming even brighter.
bDIGIVOLUTION ONLINE/b
"Falcomon, digivolve to..."
A bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky, striking Falcomon and covering his body with energy. His wings grew into powerful arms, his taloned feet transforming into hooves. He grew taller, his upper body becoming more humanoid, with ram horns curling back from his head. Finally, a red scarf wrapped around his neck, causing the lightning to disperse.
"AEGIOMON!"
DIGIMON ANALYZER
Impmon: Whoa, that's one serious powerhouse! Aegiomon is a Champion level Digimon who controls the power of lightning. His Iron Thrust is a slamming hoof attack with the power to break through steel, and his Stun Beat Blow electrifies his entire body to unleash a barrage of lightning-enforced blows!
-RICK-
The sword flashed down, about to strike the unarmed boy.
"Rick!" Alisa screamed, trying to rush forward.
As the blade descended, Rick glanced at his partner and nodded. Then he lifted his digivice, light flashing from it.
DIGIVOLUTION ONLINE
"Coronamon, digivolve to..."
A ray of sunlight caused the ground at Coronamon's feet to burst into flames, covering his body. He bent over, becoming quadruped, and increasing in size. His paws became vicious claws as wings burst from his back. A mane grew around his neck as his crown grew larger, his face becoming that of a lion.
"FIRAMON!"
With a roar of power, Firamon caught the falling blade on a bronze wing, sending shockwaves through Musyamon.
"So, you are a Tamer after all," Musyamon mused. "Perhaps you will present a slight challenge after all."
DIGIMON ANALYZER
Lunamon: Is my brother awesome or what? Firamon is a Champion Digimon who definitely lives up to the title King of the Jungle. His Flame Dive attack is as brilliant as a falling meteor, while his Fira Bomb creates the real thing!
"Alright Musyamon, you asked for this!" Rick called, mounting Firamon's back. "So now we're gonna show you what the power of our teamwork can do!"
-ALEX-
"Spinning Needle!" Airdramon launched its air attack once again, but Aegiomon simply batted it aside.
"How dare you enter this sacred place with evil intent!" Aegiomon called. "In the name of Lord Jupitermon, I will banish you back to the data from which you came!"
With a thrust of his legs, Aegiomon rocketed into the air, flipping around so that his hooves were pointed toward Airdramon.
"Iron Thrust!" He called, slamming his hooves into the dragon's face hard enough to fracture the skull which it wore. The two fell to the earth with a crash.
"You've got this, Aegiomon! Finish him off!" Alex cried. Aegiomon nodded, electricity gathering around his body.
"Stun..." He rushed forward, kicking Airdramon up into the air.
"Beat..." Hooves and fists flashed out, lashing with hits enhanced with electricity.
"Blow!" with a final thrust, he drove his fist directly at the Digimon's head, shattering it into data. The floating energy was quickly absorbed into Aegiomon's body, while a single digi-egg fell to the ground, eventually to be reborn-hopefully-into a purified form of Airdramon.
-RICK-
"Fira Bomb!"
Firamon took to the air, firing flaming comets from his crown at Musyamon. The swordsman parried most of them but took a few hits in the process.
"You cannot hope to defeat me with flames!" Musyamon chortled. "Shogun Sword!"
His blade glowed with blue flame once more, but this time when he slashed, the silhouette a brilliant blue dragon burst from the tip.
"Rick, jump off!" Firamon called. "This is about to get hot!"
As the lion Digimon swooped low, Rick leaped free, grabbing ahold of a nearby branch to stop his momentum.
"Flame Dive!" Firamon roared, a wreathe of flame surrounding his body. He rushed forward to collide with the dragon, the impact creating an explosion of black smoke.
When the smog cleared, the two Digimon were still standing, but both had taken substantial damage. Firamon was panting, while Musyamon's sword hand wobbled.
"We are nearly matched in power, but I am still stronger than you," Musyamon gloated. "What trick can you pull out now to defeat me?"
Before anyone could respond, Musyamon was tackled by a giant dog. The creature wrestled Musyamon to the ground, pinning it easily.
DIGIMON ANALYZER
Swimmon: Hey, where did Dobermon come from? He's a Champion level Digimon packing some serious firepower. His Gray Noise and Black Beam techniques can tear through foes like a knife through hot butter!
"Quit messing around, Dobermon," A voice called. Rick looked over to see that the source of the voice was a young man with longer black hair.
"Hey, you're that guy who was watching us through the window this morning!" Noah accused. "Who are you and how did you get here?"
The boy ignored him, keeping his attention on the wrestling Digimon. He pulled a small object from a pouch at his waist and slid it into the side of his digivice, which appeared to be mounted to a band on his wrist instead of free.
"Digital Advance," He said simply. "MetalMamemon's Metal Smart Bomb."
Dobermon began glowing with a strange outline, before leaping into the air. It opened its mouth and launched a reddish orb which exploded, reducing Musyamon to data.
"Scan data," The boy called, holding out his arm. The data collected and entered his digivice, before transforming into what appeared to be another small card.
"What the-" Jenna tried to speak. "How...what...what did you just do?"
The boy looked up sharply. "This was a one-time thing, remember that. Even with a Champion, I could tell you didn't have the strength to defeat Musyamon."
"Well, you've got nerve, kid," Firamon growled. "I could have defeated him in half a second if I wanted to."
"Believe what you want," The boy shrugged. "But just know that I won't be stepping in the next time you get overwhelmed-not until you prove yourselves worthy."
"Isaac," Dobermon spoke up. "It is time to leave."
The boy turned and began walking away, Dobermon at his heels. "As annoying as it is to say it, I sincerely hope that we meet again. That will mean that this world still has hope," He turned back for a moment. "Also, if you want to find your friends, I suggest you head to Codon City. Farewell."
And with that, he vanished into the woods.
-ANNA-
As they walked down the secret passage Falcomon had shown them, Anna tried to make sense of what had happened today. She and her friends had been thrown into this world of transforming monsters and fallen gods, and were already beginning to understand what was happening. She wasn't sure whether that should thrill or terrify her.
"Don't worry, Anna," Mikemon assured her, wrapping a gloved paw around her hand. "I know this is confusing, but really, being in the Digital World can be an amazing adventure!
Anna was hesitant. "It's not that, I'm just worried about how my mom is feeling. It's almost night time now and I'm sure she's worried by now."
"I'm sure we'll be able to get you back to her," Mikemon promised. "What about your dad?"
Anna was quiet for a moment. "I don't...have a dad any more..."
"Oh, sorry," Mikemon said. "I didn't know..."
"It's okay, I didn't know him that long," Anna shrugged. "Do you have a dad?"
"I don't know," Mikemon replied. "I was born from a digi-egg in the middle of a forest; I don't even know if I have parents."
"I guess we're kinda the same then," Anna smiled. "Come on, let's keep going."
-X-
They reached the bottom of the steps hours later, after much exhaustion and complaining-mostly on Bree's end-and Anna was glad to see the ground again.
"This is where we part ways," Falcomon nodded. "If you should ever need assistance again, let me know. I wouldn't mind working with you again."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're going back on our deal?"
"Our deal was that I would bring you here. To become your partner, you needed to defeat me in combat; a task which you never completed. Besides, I am the only one capable of protecting the temple. I cannot leave my post; you saw that it was attacked today."
"I don't think it attacked because of the temple," Gareth noted. "I think it was because of us."
Falcomon snorted. "And what makes you so important?"
"All of us, yourself included," Gareth explained. "Impmon said humans haven't traveled to the Digital World in a very long time, and I suspect that force attracted Airdramon to attack us."
"And you're saying that because one Digimon came to Jupitermon's temple without intent to destroy it, that means none will come to do so?"
"No," Gareth shook his head. "You don't need to protect the temple because Jupitermon can do it himself."
There was silence, until Falcomon finally demanded, "Explain yourself."
"Well Jupitermon seems to parallel the human world's mythical Roman god, Jupiter," Alex picked up. "Jupiter was the god of the sky, with his greatest weapon being the lightning we see in the sky, so I'm assuming Jupitermon governs those things as well."
"Exactly," Gareth nodded. "It was a bolt of lightning that brought us here to the Digital World."
"And it was lightning that struck you just as you digivolved," Alex continued.
"You're saying Jupitermon brought you here and gave us the power to fight as a sign that we are meant to be partners?" Falcomon clarified.
"Precisely," Gareth nodded. "I think it's a sign that he wants you to go with us."
Falcomon pondered those words then grinned, as much as one can grin with a beak. "Well, it would be nice to get out and stretch my wings, I suppose."
Alex smiled, holding his hand out. "So it's a deal?"
The Digimon shrugged. "I must be crazy." He reached out a clawed hand and shook. "But yes, it's a deal."
"Alright!" Alex cheered. "Next stop, Codon City!"
FIN
AN: This may be the longest chapter I have ever written for a story. Honestly, I'll have to go back and compare later...but that takes effort.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and would love to hear your feedback. Did you love it? Hate it? Are you pairing people up in your heads yet? (I know I am, but then again, I wrote it, and half of the people involved haven't been introduced yet.)
Next time on Digimon Excel:
Will always heard stories about the Digital World from his mother, but never believed it was real until he was taken there by some strange power. Now, in a strange place known as Codon City, he must learn about this new world alongside his bullied partner, as well as discover the secrets of a team of cat burglars, a detective who's story doesn't quite add up, and a boy who claims to be receiving visions from a god. You won't want to miss chapter three of Digimon Excel!