Digimon Excel

by Darkiceflame

Fifteen years ago, two powerful Digimon clashed in a battle which raged so powerfully that they threatened the Digital World with destruction. At the last moment, the Super Demon Ogudomon sacrificed his own body to defeat his foe. Now, the same evil is beginning to stir once again, and it is up to a group of heroes to protect this world from being destroyed once more! On hiatus.

3. The Will To Forgive! Enter The Mason!

Welcome to chapter three! It's good to see that I've held the interest of at least one person past the first two chapters.

Reminder Note: In this story, Armor Digimon can have level equivalents to Digimon from Rookie to Mega level, as will be the case with one character introduced in the chapter. No spoilers though!

Anna: Previously on Digimon Excel, Alex and our team met Mikemon and Gazimon, who became partners with myself and Bree. We went to the Temple of Jupiter and met Falcomon, who agreed to become Alex's partner and help us get off the mountain if Alex could defeat him in a one-on-one brawl. Before they could finish, Airdramon showed up and attacked. Alex and Falcomon teamed up, letting Falcomon digivolve to Aegiomon and defeat the dragon. Falcomon finally realized that he and Alex were destined to be partners and joined him.

Meanwhile, Noah and Jenna met Rick and Alisa, along with their partners and Noah's partner Swimmon. After being attacked by a group of Troopmon, Biyomon came to protect them and joined forces with Jenna. She explained that Musyamon was controlling the Troopmon, so Rick digivolved Coronamon into Firamon to fight him. When it was clear that Musyamon still had the upper hand, Isaac and Dobermon stepped in and destroyed him with some sort of strange upgrade card. This world is getting stranger by the minute, but that makes it that much more exciting!

---

-WILL-

It had been two weeks since seventeen year-old William Cain entered the Digital World, but he remembered it like it was yesterday. He had touched down on the outskirts of a huge city which he would soon call his home.

When the lightning deposited on a hill near Codon City, a massive commotion had been taking place. The first thing he saw after getting up was a mob of strange creatures attacking a smaller one.

"Nobody wants you here!" A green lizardlike being wearing a brass horn declared. "Get out of town before we stomp you!"

"Yeah!" Barked the one next to him-a bipedal blue dog wearing a red headband and boxing gloves. "This city is at peace; we don't want you bringing us bad luck!"

In the midst of the group, the creature they were harassing could be seen. It resembled a large hamster with purple fur, a cream underbelly, and twin purple bat wings extending from where its ears should have been. It was bruised and scratched all over from where the other creatures had thrown objects at him.

"Dark Digimon!" Cried one which appeared to be wearing a kendo uniform.

"Somebody ought to delete you!" snarled a bearlike creature wearing a hat.

Will finally couldn't take it any more. He ran over, fists raised in the air.

"That's enough!"

The creatures turned to him with a mixture of confusion and anger.

"Stay out of this, human," The gecko creature warned. "Why are you outside the city anyway? You clearly aren't a Tamer."

Will looked himself over for a second. Maybe his brown hair was a bit overlong, his red T-shirt and black jacket slightly wrinkled, but that was no reason to be so rude to him.

Then again, these were foreign creatures in a world he had never seen before. He had no clue how things worked here.

But that was no reason to let them bully one of their own. "I don't care if I'm a Tamer or not, I'm not going to let you attack an innocent creature just because he's a...Dark Digimon or whatever. So just back off."

"Or what?" The dog creature demanded.

Will bent over, looking the creature straight in the eye. "Or I'll make sure not a single one of you leaves this place without a broken bone or six."

The dog was unfazed. "You expect me to believe you'll back up that threat?"

Will's response was to punch him in the face, sending him tumbling back several feet.

"Yeah," He growled. "I do."

The others backed off, a mixture of awe and shock on their faces. It was obvious that the hit had caught them totally off-guard. A sinking feeling formed in the pit of Will's stomach, but he made no move to back away. And miraculously, the group began to step back away from their victim.

"You'll regret that, human," The dog muttered, standing slowly. "Sticking up for a monster in Codon City isn't going to earn you any friends."

Will spat. "The only monster I see here is the one I'm looking at. Now get lost or I'm not going to pull back after the first hit next time."

The crowd dispersed, muttering as they went. Once they were gone, Will turned to the creature on the ground.

"What's your name?" He asked it quietly.

"Tsukaimon," The creature responded. "Why did you help me?"

Will lifted him up gingerly, trying not to hurt him further. "I saw that they were picking on you and it made me angry. I don't like it when people are bullied."

"Well thank you," Tsukaimon sighed. "That group comes in and attacks any Digimon like me who try to enter the city. They call us Dark Digimon because we have the possibility to become monsters when we digivolve, so they fear and hate us."

"I don't know what Digimon or digivolving are," Will admitted," But I promise I won't let them hurt you again. Is there somewhere nearby that we can treat these wounds?"

Tsukaimon thought about it. "In the city there's a pharmacist who deals in herbs and medicines. I'm sure he'd help us and give us a place to stay."

"Then that's where we'll go," Will decided. He lifted Tsukaimon until he sat atop his head. The small Digimon had one last question.

"You said you don't know about Digimon, does that mean you came here from the Human World?"

Will shrugged. "I guess I did. Is that important?"

The Digimon was quiet for a moment. "It might be...I'm not quite sure yet. My brain's all fuzzy."

"Let's get you that medicine, then you can bother with thinking," Will promised.

"That sounds nice," Tsukaimon nodded. With that, the two of them set off.

-?-

The heist had gone off exactly as planned, and the two criminals were now dashing through the streets to secure their treasure.

"We certainly brought in a haul tonight," The tall one cackled. "We'll eat like kings for a week with all this treasure."

"More like queens, you mean," Her small partner purred.

"I suppose that's true," The tall one admitted.

They relaxed their pace, relatively certain that they had escaped any pursuers. As they continued through the alleys, a bright flash caught the small one's attention.

"Hold on, I want to check something out," She held up a paw. Her partner nodded and they ducked around a corner.

Lying on the ground in the center of the street was a girl with ebony hair and skin so pale it could have been paper. She wore a green blouse and pair of blue jeans, and was obviously not in the best condition.

"A human falling from the sky?" The tall one questioned. "Seems a little suspicious to me."

"Don't be such a worrywart," The small one disregarded the thought. "She could be useful...let's bring her with us!"

"If you insist," The tall robber shrugged, lifting the girl up onto her shoulder. "I sure hope you know what you're doing."

The small one purred with a grin, a black tail swishing out behind her.

"Trust me, I do."

13 SEPTEMBER, ONE WEEK LATER

-WILL-

The diner was a bustle of activity as Will came to the front counter. In one corner, a Snimon had left deep gouges in a table with its scythes, and was now being chastised by one of the Burgermon staff members.

Across the room, Shurimon was attempting to balance three trays at once as he slowly made his way to a table surrounded by a pack of Monochromon who had been baying for their meal for twenty straight minutes.

"Seems pretty chaotic out there," Noted Meramon, the head chef. "You sure you can handle waiting tables, greenflame?"

Will nodded confidently. "If I don't do it, who else will? And besides, I'm tired of coming home every night with grease burns all over my arms."

"It was hardly my fault the fryer exploded," Meramon pouted.

"Easy there, I'm not blaming you. Besides, shouldn't you be working? I can't serve up the food until you make it."

Meramon snapped a salute and turned back to the grill behind him. He inspected a set of hamburgers to determine whether they were finished cooking, and upon realizing that they weren't, he simply placed a hand on them and instantly finished the job.

"It would be nice to be heatproof," Will chuckled, before turning back to his waiting customers. "Well, here goes nothing."

-X-

The dinner rush was finally beginning to die down as Will finished wiping down the counters several hours later. It had been a hard shift, but it had been worth putting in all his effort.

"You're doing well, Will," Commented Mr. Amara as he came to the front of the room. "Not even here for a week and you're already one of the most popular employees."

Amara was a big man who loved cooking, making the perfect choice for running a restaurant. He had a full head of hair thanks to data implants he'd gotten when it had begun to thin out, and wore a chef's outfit to complete the look.

Will bowed in thanks. "I'm guessing it would be preemptive to ask if this was about a raise?"

Amara chuckled. "I can't start paying you extra quite yet-favoritism kills a restaurant faster than data corruption. As long as you're planning to stick around, maybe at the end of the month, eh?"

"Not many other places I can go with Tsukaimon still healing," Will shrugged.

"How is that little puffball anyway?" Amara asked. "I haven't seen him since he was in here trying to fly and broke a stack of dishes."

"Hasn't tried it since, so you can rest easy there," Will assured him.

Amara laughed, trickling off after a bit. "Say, I know you're always talking about how you came from the homeland, and I've been wondering, if you ever do find a way back there, would you mind taking me with you for a visit?"

"I'll have to see about that," Was Will's response as he finished off the last counter. "Well, stay safe tonight. I'm finished up here."

"Get some rest, you hear? I expect to see you working just as hard tomorrow as you did today."

"I'll do what I can," Will nodded. He turned and walked out, placing a black cap on his head as he went.

Codon City was even more beautiful at night than it was during the day, with all the lights of the buildings illuminating things. The white walls seemed to shine with an inner light, which may very well have been what was happening, considering that everything around him was digital.

He turned a corner into a part of the city without quite so much light. Here, the walls were drab, not maintained as well as the major sections of the city. It was sad to see that in a digital world there were still slums and poverty, when the people could be helping one-another.

Unfortunately, this was also the only section of the city where he'd been able to find a place to stay. There were many more Digimon in the city than humans, and they seemed to live in a parallel society, only intermingling in Tamer partnerships. This often meant that the humans got the short end of the stick in most situations.

As he turned a corner on his way home, a figure bumped into him, sending them both sprawling.

"Sorry!" Will gibbered. "I didn't see you as I was turning."

To his surprise, the person whom he had knocked over-a human girl, he could tell-jumped up with fear in her eyes.

"Err, are you okay?" Will asked cautiously. "Are you hurt? I can help if you-"

"Stay away from me!" The girl snapped, stepping back. "Y-you aren't supposed to see me!"

"Hey, it's alright," Will flailed his hands. "I'll let you keep going, pretend I didn't see you or something. Will that help?"

The girl looked at him suspiciously. "Really?"

"Sure. We humans have to look out for one another, right?" He stepped aside to let her pass. "My name is Will, by the way."

The girl hesitated, as though she was about to reply with her own name, but shook her head and pulled up the collar of the coat she wore. "I have to go."

Without another word, she rushed away down the alley.

Will stared after her for a few moments, before finally shrugging. "She obviously had somewhere important to be. I should be getting home."

And he walked off down the street, thinking no more of it.

-X-

"Will, wake up!" Tsukaimon called, nudging his head against the covers lightly. "Come on Will, you're gonna be late for work!"

The droopy boy slowly sat up, looking around. It was still a shock each morning to wake up in this strange room, but he hoped to grow used to it eventually.

"Can I come to work with you today?" Tsukaimon asked. "My bruises are pretty much faded now, and I can fly again; I've been practicing since yesterday."

"Sure," Will yawned. His partner cheered, doing a flip in midair as they hopped out of bed together. Will slumped over to the bathroom to get ready for the morning while Tsukaimon prepared waffles.

"Remember, wait to brush until after you eat," The Digimon called. "Otherwise you'll have that awful minty syrupy taste in your mouth all day."

Will took the advice and hurried out to eat. The waffles were good, though it was obvious that they had been defrosted from a package. Will finished his portion quickly and was soon preparing for the day.

Ten minutes later, the two were walking (Or in Tsukaimon's case, flying) through the streets to the cafe where Will worked. They weren't prepared for the sight that greeted them.

The front of the building showed obvious signs of breaking and entering, with several windows shattered and the door hanging loosely on the frame. Will noticed Jijimon, the night custodian sitting on a bench out front looking extremely disoriented.

"What's going on here?" Will demanded, approaching Jijimon.

"I...uh...I dunno..." Jijimon muttered in confusion. "There were these three ladies...said they needed to borrow the phone...and then one of them looked at me with these big yellow eyes and then...nothing."

Will thanked him and moved along, continuing to question the investigators at the scene.

"We had a witness who believes he saw the intruders before they reached the restaurant," A Deputymon explained. "A shorter figure, most likely the Digimon who hypnotized Jijimon, as well as two taller figures. He said the taller ones could have been humans, or perhaps humanoid Digimon, and definitely seemed to be female. He was unable to make out faces, however, so it isn't much of a lead."

After asking all around, Will thanked the Digimon and stepped off to the side. Thoughts raced through his head as though they were cargo on a freight train. Who were these intruders? Why would they attack a restaurant of all places when there were jewelers and banks all along the same area?

And most importantly, in Will's mind, could that strange girl be involved? She had seemed to be in a hurry, and was very distressed that he saw her.

"Quite the predicament," Another figure declared, striding up. This new person was clearly human, but obscured a majority of his features with a black coat and fedora, along with a purple scarf around his mouth and nose.

"This is only the latest in a chain of robberies which has occurred in the last few weeks," The man continued. "Each location was totally random-a supermarket, a toy store, even a barber shop. So we can deduce that either they are incompetent and inexperienced, or they are trying to feign such an air in order to throw us off."

"Right..." Will nodded. "Err, sorry, but who are you?"

The man tipped his hat with a mysterious flair. "My name...is of little importance, but you may call me...the Mason. Yes, I quite like that. And that babbling white Digimon over there is my partner, Gargoylemon."

Will looked over where the man indicated to see a white winged Digimon who honestly didn't much resemble a gargoyle.

DIGIMON ANALYZER

Tsukaimon: Gargoylemon is pretty strong for a Rookie level Armor Digimon. He attacks with his white and black Statue attacks. Black Statue freezes his body in black energy which is essentially impenetrable but leaves him immobile while in use. In contrast, White Statue launches a clone made of light from his body to strike his foe.

"We joined the case for these two just after the last robbery prior to this one," The Mason admitted. "But we already know all the info on this trio. If only we could get better descriptions of them we might have a base to start from."

Will contemplated for a moment mentioning the girl he had seen, but ultimately decided against it. The attackers had been in a trio, right? A lone girl would have nothing to do with such a group.

"I've just had an idea," Mason declared. "You were an employee at the restaurant? I could use a Tamer like you to help me out. What do you say?"

Well that was rather abrupt. Will pondered the question for a minute. Maybe this could be why he was brought to this world, to help solve the problems of others. But could he live up to the challenge?

"C'mon, Will, it's not like you'll have anything else to do until Mr. Amara reopens."

"I suppose you have a point," Will nodded. "Alright detective, let's see what we can do."

19 SEPTEMBER, SIX DAYS LATER

-LAUREN-

The hit on Digital Eats had been Lauren's first big gig in this place, and she had supposedly pulled off her part flawlessly.

So why did she have a sinking pit of worry in her stomach?

It had something to do with that boy she had run into, she was sure. It seemed obvious that he knew what she was doing, in fact, he was an employee at the very place they had robbed! But he hadn't even reacted that night. Had he really not suspected what she was doing rushing around?

"Lauren, hurry up," BlackGatomon called from the other room. "It's nearly time for our next hit!"

DIGIMON ANALYZER

Lauren: BlackGatomon is a Rookie level Dark Digimon with an eye for anything that sparkles. She prefers to avoid confrontation-curiosity killed the cat, after all-but can hold her own with her Lightning Paw and Cat's Eyes techniques.

BlackGatomon had been the one to find her when she came to this world. She had gone from hungry and cold to living in decent comfort. A true rags to-admittedly stolen-riches tale.

"You both remember your parts?" Confirmed Witchmon, BlackGatomon's partner. She was taller than Lauren, though that could have been an illusion from her pointy hat. She pointed the end of her broom at Lauren as she entered.

DIGIMON ANALYZER

BlackGatomon: Witchmon is a powerful sorcerer who specializes in wind and water magic. She is formidible in a fight with her magical techniques Baluluna Gale and Aquary Pressure, but she would prefer to vanish without a trace on her magic broom.

"It's time for the, ah, second trial of your faith. Help us out tonight and I may consider keeping you with us. But fail, and you're out, no matter what BlackGatomon says."

And that truly was the question, wasn't it? Was she set on becoming a criminal? Witchmon had made it clear there were no hard feelings if she dropped out, but where would she go? She had no exceptional skills to put her ahead in this kind of city.

No, she would have to stay with Witchmon and BlackGatomon until she could afford to get away from the city without starving to death.

The plan for tonight was a simple break-in, a job that should take no more than an hour. Only this time, Lauren would be going in on her own.

The three padded softly across the roof, each being sure to move low and fast. As none of the clothing she had when she came to this world had been great for stealth, Lauren wore a long-sleeved black shirt and pants over the same clothes she had come to this world in. The idea was that if she was spotted, she could swap clothing to disguise herself.

They reached the jewelry store twelve minutes before midnight and began preparations. A coil of rope would be used to lower Lauren through a skylight-after the alarm was disabled, of course-in order to grab any valuable items she was in reach of. Then they would retreat to their base a few blocks over.

As BlackGatomon prepared the rope, Lauren looked down in mingled anticipation and terror. Doing this would solidify her role as a thief. Was that a step she was willing to take?

The rope was secured, both to an overhanging post and to herself. Before she could second-guess herself, she was already being lowered through the open sky light.

"White Statue!"

a searing pain slammed into her side, severing the rope and throwing her to the edge of the building. Through fuzzy eyes she could see the mystery detective who had been following her partners since their last heist.

"End of the line, ladies," The Mason declared, stepping toward them. "I'm bringing you in on counts of breaking and entering, theft, and assault. I'd prefer it if you came quietly."

"Not gonna happen," Witchmon declared. "Aquary Pressure!" She raised her hand and fired a blast of water at the pair. "Get out of here, kid!"

Lauren nodded weakly, squirming her way to the edge. She threw herself down onto the store's awning, then awkwardly rolled to the ground. A searing pain in her left arm told her she hadn't landed quite as softly as she'd hoped.

"Lightning Paw!" She could hear BlackGatomon call from above, followed by a roar from Gargoylemon.

They're going to be fine, she thought. But I need help. That attack hit me pretty hard, and I'm in no shape to try taking care of it myself.

She staggered down the street further, thinking furiously about where she could go. The only place anywhere nearby was...Will's place. She had scoped it out for Witchmon in case she needed to track the boy down after the job last week.

It was better than nothing, and hopefully she would be able to convince him to help her. Assuming he didn't have her arrested first.

-WILL-

The knock at the door was unexpected, as it was well past midnight. Will slowly climbed out of bed and began to trudge toward the door.

Tsukaimon got there first, peeking through the spyhole in the door. "There's a girl out there Will. Looks like you're getting pretty popular in town."

Will ignored him, stepping over to open the door. As soon as he did so, the girl collapsed against the frame, gasping.

"Please," she panted, "I need your help."

-X-

The arm was swollen from her fall, sprained if she was lucky, broken if she wasn't. He was no doctor and couldn't examine it well.

"You said Gargoylemon hit you with his White Statue attack?" He confirmed. "Where?"

"My side," Lauren muttered. "Same as the arm."

"I'm going to have to take a look at it, see if there's any bleeding I need to stop," Will explained. "Try to stay calm."

Lauren blushed a bit, but nodded. Will lifted the shirt from the side, finding that the blouse underneath was also quite shredded. As he'd feared, there was a long scorch mark straight across her ribs, deep red and bleeding.

"I don't have the tools to treat this," He explained, "But I know a guy who might be able to help more. All I can do for now is wrap it."

When there was no objection, he went and grabbed a roll of bandages, using them to gently wrap the wound, trying to be gentle in case the ribs were broken.

"Why are you helping me?" Lauren asked suddenly. "I robbed the place where you work, which means you don't have a job for now. Why haven't you called in the Mason and Gargoylemon to take me away?"

Will considered the question. "When I first came to this city, I helped someone out who was being attacked just because Digimon like him tended to be evil. I stood up for him and cared for him until he was better," He grinned. "And now the two of us are partners."

Lauren looked over at Tsukaimon, a look of understanding passing over her face.

"So that's why," Will nodded. "Because I feel like you just need a chance."

Lauren nodded softly, but another question formed in her head. "You said 'when you came here.' By any chance, did you come from-"

A knock at the door startled her. Voices were heard from the other side, clearly those of the Mason and Gargoylemon.

"I forgot to lock the door after I brought you in," Will hissed. "If he walks in and sees you covered in bandages, we're had."

But Lauren was a quick thinker. "Quick, pull of your shirt and climb into the bed."

"What?" Will asked in shock. "Why-"

"Just trust me!" Lauren glanced frantically at the door. Will shrugged and did so, climbing into bed beside her.

"Sorry about this, in advance," Lauren whispered. "Try to act surprised." Just as the door opened, she pulled Will into a kiss.

There was no need for acting on his part. Will simply sat there for a few seconds, brain seeming to grind to a halt.

"Oh, whoops," The Mason's voice came from the hallway. Lauren shrieked, pulling the covers up over herself, skillfully hiding the torn shirt and bandages.

"Do you have a key to my apartment now or something?" Will demanded, realizing what Lauren's plan was and trying to go along with it.

"The door was unlocked..." The Mason explained awkwardly. "I'm, uh, guessing that now is a bad time? I was hoping to update you on the case."

"Let's do this outside; give me a few minutes," Will frowned. "And this had better be important."

The Mason nodded, stepping back out. Will turned to Lauren with a grin on his face.

"Quick thinking," He complimented. "You seem like you've done that before."

"First time, actually," Lauren confessed. "I figured that would be the easiest way to draw away suspicion."

Will nodded, pulling his shirt back on and heading to the door. He closed it behind him, turning to the Mason, plastering an annoyed expression on his face.

"Sorry about that again," The Mason bowed. "But you ought to know, there was another attempted robbery a few hours ago. "I have identified the thieves as a Witchmon, BlackGatomon, and a human. The Digimon escaped, but the human was injured; she's probably still on the streets."

"You don't want me to go look for her right now, do you?" Will asked. He pointed a thumb back toward the door. "I'm kind of preoccupied tonight."

"So I see," The Mason nodded. "She your girlfriend or something? That's fast, considering you've only been here for two weeks."

"Something like that," Will nodded. "Don't worry though, I'll keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. You said she was injured?"

"Took a hit from Gargoylemon's White Statue," The Mason nodded. "I feel a bit bad, to be honest; he hits hard."

Gargoylemon shrugged. "It was an accident, really. I was only trying to cut the rope she was hanging from."

He hits hard? no kidding, Will thought. "Right, well I'll let you get back to the investigation then."

"And you to your...activities," The Mason turned away, Gargoylemon following behind him. Once the two were out of sight, Will re-entered the apartment. As he did, a thought occurred to him.

How did the Mason know I've been here for two weeks? I've always told people I've been here for a month, moving between villages until I came here.

He looked back suspiciously. "Could it be possible that...no, not a chance. He's been around for years, people have known him forever."

So why did he get the suspicion that the scarf-wearing solo detective knew more than he was letting on?

-LAUREN-

The next morning, Will took her to see Floramon, the herbalist who he had taken Tsukaimon to see. He had bought her new clothing to replace what she'd lost-a new green blouse, a slim black overcoat, and a pair of boots to match.

"That's quite the scraping up you took," Floramon tsked as she looked her patient over. "The wrist is sprained, not broken thankfully. You didn't get off quite so lucky with the ribs-you managed to crack three of them-and I can't stitch up the wound because of the burning. We'll just need to use disinfectant, burn ointment and gauze, then hope for the best. I'm afraid this will probably leave quite the scar as it heals, even with my best efforts."

Lauren nodded. "I deserve that, honestly. Shouldn't have gotten involved in something stupid."

There was a sudden outburst and Floramon turned. "Hold that thought while I check on one of my other patients."

"Lord Bacchusmon!" The voice called. "I hear your voice, can't you hear mine in return?"

"Please Carter, calm down," Another voice pleaded. "Bacchusmon isn't really here; you're not well."

"Anything I can do to help?" Will asked.

"Not with this one, I'm afraid," Floramon replied. "You know the rumors about the strange lightning which brought children here from the Human World two weeks ago? Monodramon, who brought him in claims that he's one of those, only the lightning did something to his mind."

Both Lauren and Will looked up sharply when she mentioned the children from the other world.

There are others? Lauren thought. I thought I was the only one...

"The human boy, Carter, claims to be receiving visions from Bacchusmon of the Olympus Twelve," Floramon continued, "Which, of course, is impossible since Bacchusmon was destroyed fifteen years ago."

"Maybe he's being haunted by the guy's ghost?" Tsukaimon proposed.

"I highly doubt that," Floramon shook her head. "Digimon reformat into eggs when they die. They don't become ghosts unless their data is corrupted."

The door to the infirmary ward opened and a girl peeked her head in. She had brown hair tied up into a stylized bun and wore what appeared to be a mint green labcoat over a matching tank top accented with white stripes.

"Floramon, Jijimon is back," She informed the Digimon. "He needs more medicine for those leftover headaches from being hypnotized."

Floramon humphed. "That old coot's dosage ended two days ago. The only headaches he could still have are from old age!" She sighed. "But I suppose we should go a bit easy on him. The pills are in the third cabinet to the left, Daneca. Grab them while I see to Carter again."

The girl nodded and backed out of the room, while Floramon passed through the divider to the other end of the wing.

"So what do you plan to do once you're healed up?" Will asked conversationally. "Are you planning to go back to Witchmon and BlackGatomon, or try going straight?"

Lauren looked down. "Well it may be a bit silly, but I was thinking maybe I could stay with you and Tsukaimon for a bit. Would that be okay?"

Will nodded. "That would be perfect. Of course you can stay with us."

Lauren's heart fluttered a bit. Not only had she managed to befriend another human in this world, but one who understood her when anyone else would have turned her in, or at least denied her.

And he wasn't too bad-looking either...

Soon enough, Floramon cleared them to be released, instructing Will to replace her bandages every morning until the redness of the burn had cleared. They walked down the street arm-in-arm, talking about their lives before coming here.

"I have a little sister back home," She admitted. "Her name is Lilly, and she's only ten. I feel awful every day when I think about how long I've been gone from her."

"I'm sure you'll find a way to see her again," Will assured her. "Sure must be nice to have family. I'm an only child; my parents weren't too sure about the idea of having a family, but they figured they would see how it was raising me. They're great about everything, but I guess one was enough for them."

They continued in conversation, not even noticing as two figures walked up behind them. It wasn't until a hand was placed on Will's shoulder that they noticed that anything was amiss.

"Afternoon, you two," The Mason nodded as they turned. "We need to talk."

-WILL-

He was an idiot. Of all the rotten luck they could have, of course the Mason would notice them walking out of the medical bay. He had a description of Laura, knew that the robbery had taken place near Will's home, and somehow was aware how long they had been in the Digital World. It didn't take a genius to fit the pieces together, and for the Mason, a brilliant detective, it must have been child's play.

But there was a chance, though slim, that he didn't know. So Will tried to play cool.

"Something else come up on the case?" He asked, turning calmly.

"Don't play innocent-I know who she is," The Mason responded.

Damn...

"You need to think carefully about what you're doing here," The Mason informed him. "Even if she didn't commit the crimes herself, this girl was an accessory to robbery. You know I have to take her in."

"I'm giving her a chance," Will replied. "A chance for redemption. The only reason she was involved in the crimes at all was because Witchmon and BlackGatomon gave her little other option. She would have starved on the streets if she hadn't joined them."

"And yet you seemed to do just fine when you showed up," The Mason replied. "I know about your story, about how both of you got here."

"Because it's the same way you did?" Lauren asked.

The boys looked at her in surprise.

This girl is more observant than she is given credit for, Will thought.

"I have been working in this area for years," The Mason countered. "I wasn't part of your little 'accident,' if that's what you're saying."

"But never in Codon," Will noted. "I read your file last night-you've only ever worked in smaller towns on the outskirts of the area. Why not come here, unless your past was forged? Or maybe the previous Mason wasn't bold enough to come here, but his mysterious new apprentice was all for jumping into the action?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," The detective denied.

Will stepped forward, getting right up in his face. "Who are you really, Mason? And why won't you admit that you're from the Human World like us?"

The Mason flung his arm out in rage, but Will ducked back to avoid it.

"If you refuse to turn her over to my custody, I'll be forced to arrest you too." He turned to Gargoylemon. "We're taking all three of them in."

"Not gonna happen," Will said, throwing his arms out wide. "Come on, Tsukaimon, let's take this guy."

His partner took to the air with a whirl, while he pulled his black and red Digivice Excel from his jacket pocket.

"You can't beat us with so little experience," The Mason laughed. He pulled his own digivice from his pocket, this one accented with orange, and prepared for an attack.

"Bad Message!" Tsukaimon called, firing a stream of darkness from his mouth.

"Black Statue," Gargoylemon growled, an ebony coating of stone surrounding his body. Tsukaimon's beam bounced straight off of it. "And now White Statue!"

Tsukaimon was sure to dodge the white silhouette as it raced toward him-he had learned from Lauren how painful it could be.

The Mason did not seem to be deterred. He pulled a small chip from his pocket and slid it into his digivice.

"Digital Advance," He called, "Ankylomon's Tail Hammer!"

An aura of energy surrounded Gargoylemon as his tail lengthened, a large metal spiked ball growing form the end. The larger Digimon raced toward Tsukaimon, swinging his tail out at him.

"You aren't the only one with neat tricks," Will called. He held his digivice out in front of him. "Now Tsukaimon!"

DIGIVOLUTION ONLINE

"Tsukaimon, digivolve to..."

An aura of shadows surrounded Tsukaimon, causing his body to stretch and grow. His wings moved to his shoulders, becoming larger and more enveloping. Humanoid arms and legs appeared, while twin horns grew from his head. With a flash of lightning, the evolution was finished.

"DEVIMON!"

DIGIMON ANALYZER

Gargoylemon: Devimon is a powerful Fallen Angel Digimon who attacks with shadows. His Death Hand fires a beam of concentrated darkness, and his Evil Wing attack rips the foe's data apart with powerful rage!

Gargoylemon's technique struck, but Devimon was able to block it, moving back only a few feet from the blow.

"So you've unlocked the power of digivolution; I'm impressed," The Mason nodded. "But I will still bring you to justice, I swear it!"

"Tail Hammer!" Gargoylemon attacked again, this time breaking through Devimon's guard to strike at his chest.

"Stand strong, Devimon!" Will called.

Devimon nodded as his fist was surrounded by shadows. "Death Hand!" He fired a beam of blackness to hit Gargoylemon. The Rookie stumbled back, shaken but not falling.

By this point, citizens were gathering around to watch. Why were the ace detective and the waiter fighting one another? Who was that mysterious girl behind the waiter? And where had that Digimon protecting the two come from.

Then, from the back of the crowd came a voice which Will remembered far too well. It was a voice he hadn't heard for two weeks, and had been hoping never to hear again, but there it was.

"Look!" Shouted Gaomon, the same blue dog Digimon who Will had defended Tsukaimon from. "The boy Will has brought a Dark Digimon into the city! It's already turned on the Mason and now it's going to delete us all!"

The panic was instant. Digimon's screams could be heard along the entire block as they ran.

"The demon will destroy our entire city!" Geckomon declared. "We have to drive it out!"

The Digimon formed a large ring, some wielding weapons, others only their fists, but each one seemed determined to protect their city with their lives. Only a select few, the other workers at Amara's restaurant in particular, stood off to the sidelines, watching with fear, not because of Devimon, but because their friend was being threatened.

Finally, Will realized it was hopeless. So gently, he scooped Lauren up and placed her in Devimon's arms, before climbing onto his back.

"Guess we have no choice then," He nodded. "Let's get out of here, fast."

Without a word, Devimon lifted into the sky and flew off while the Mason looked on smugly. "The secret's safe," He muttered. "Now let's get back to tracking down those thieves."

-CARTER-

Bacchusmon was calling to him again, shaking him from sleep like an incessant mother.

"Hurry, Carter," His voice called. "Take Monodramon, Floramon and Daneca with you out of the city. You must join Will and the others."

"Will...the boy you told me about this morning?" Carter asked.

"Indeed," Bacchusmon confirmed. "They will need your help if you want to stop the evil spreading through the city."

"Then I guess we have to go," He decided. He rose, shaking Monodramon awake. "Hey, grab my wheelchair and call Dani in here. We need to go somewhere."

"Now?" Monodramon complained. "Please tell me this isn't about Bacchusmon again. I told you, he isn't real!"

"It doesn't matter," Carter shook his head. "That boy and girl who were in here this morning are in danger. We need to bring Dani and Floramon with us to help them."

"We can't leave now," Daneca protested, sticking her head through the doorway. "Floramon is still treating patients!"

Carter lowered himself into his wheelchair carefully, then looked up at her. "Dani, I've been here for two weeks and I've never asked to go outside. Please, do me this favor. For Will and Lauren."

Daneca raised an eyebrow. "How did you know their names? I only ever asked them at the front desk, and that was while you were having one of your...fits."

"That isn't important," Carter insisted. "We need to go to them, now!"

Daneca sighed. "Alright, fine. But this had better not be some kind of hallucination joke."

"Trust me," Carter swore, raising his hand in an oath position. "It's not."

FIN

AN: The Mason is possibly going to be my favorite character to write later on. He's a sort of cross between a wannabe superhero and a coldhearted detective. He also has a pretty awesome backstory, but we'll get into that later.

I want to thank you guys again for putting up with this story and encourage you to review the chapter. Feedback, even if it is negative, allows me to improve the story as I go along, so don't be shy!

Next time on Digimon Excel:

Will, Lauren and Tsukaimon have been driven out of Codon City by the mysterious detective known only as the Mason, who seems to have much more to him than meets the eye. They are followed not only by Lauren's former employers, Witchmon and BlackGatomon, but also by Carter, Daneca, and their partner Digimon who seem to be following instructions from one of the Olympus Twelve.

Meanwhile, Rick and Noah try to figure out the mysterious Digital Advance technique which Isaac used, but when the only option to make it work becomes clear, Noah throws himself into a challenge he may not be able to overcome. Will any of them succeed in their efforts? Will Lauren, Will and their friends escape the Mason? And what ever happened to Alex and the rest of his group? Find out on the next Digimon Excel!