Opening Presentation- Part 2

Remember me? My name's Tai Kamiya.

I'm about to start my senior year at Odaiba University. Yeah, my sister's about to start her college life while mine's about to end. I'm ready to get my degree in political science. Huh? Why are you all looking at me like that? You look surprised. Ok, I'd better explain a few things before I go any further.

Somewhere in high school, I got really interested in politics. It caught everyone by surprise when I joined the debate team AND ran for class president. I guess something about it just grabbed my interest. Maybe it's the whole concept of being a leader. Hey, it wouldn't be the first time. Some say I was meant to be a leader. I guess now I just want be a leader…for something more.

I figure I need to do SOMETHING with my life. So much time has passed since that day we all fell into the Digital World for the first time. I can't believe so many years have already passed. I can't even believe this is my last year of school…EVER! I've spent so much time partying and getting crazy that it seems like hardly any time has passed at all. College has been the best four years of my life.

And things are about to get better. Don't tell Davis, Ken, or TK…actually, don't even tell Kari…but…I'm gonna be an RA this year! I'm gonna be the RA on Davis, Ken, and TK's floor! I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they see me and…a certain other friend. Oh, and don't tell Kari that some other friends…are gonna be RA's on HER floor. This year's gonna be a blast!

Man, I've never felt so young!

I can't help but think about how much I've grown up every time I look in the mirror. But here I am at 22 years old, going into my final year of college. Not only am I about to graduate…but my best friend and I are getting ready to go national with our business.
I hope you all remember me. My name's Sora Takenouchi.

A lot's happened these last few years. After struggling to find a niche, I finally decided in the middle of my sophomore year to become a marketing major. You should see how Tai reacted to that one. He reacted the way anybody expected him to…unfortunately. At least Matt was a little more supportive.

Speaking of Matt, we're still together after all these years. I'm starting to think our love's actually grown stronger these last few years. I'm even beginning to hear rumors that he wants to take the next step soon. But…I don't think that's a good idea right now. Right now, I'm entirely focused on my studies…and finishing up getting my degree in marketing.

I finally settled on marketing, but once I'm out of college, I'm going into business for myself along with my best friend, Mimi. We've seen the potential that our clothing line, STMT, has. We think it could be really big. I think that's why I settled on deciding to be a fashion designer. I'll be a fashion designer with a marketing degree to fall back on, just in case. But I have a good feeling that STMT is about to take the world by storm. And as long as I have Matt and Tai supporting me, then I know I can be a success!

I hope Tai didn't spill the news already, but Mimi and I are also going to be RA's. In fact, we're going to be living on Kari's floor. Won't she be surprised? Not only does this mean Mimi and I won't have to look for an apartment, but it hopefully gives us some room to work on our designs.

I just wonder how Kari will react when she sees us?

I'm going into my junior year of college here at Odaiba University. But can I share a secret with you guys? If I tell you guys, you can't tell anybody, especially my friends and family. I don't know what they'll say.
Oh! Silly me. I haven't even told you my name. My name's Mimi Tachikawa.

I guess before I say anything, I should tell you all that I moved back to Odaiba shortly after the end of my senior year. Yeah, my parents let me come back home to go to college and are funding my college education. I enrolled in Odaiba University and haven't really looked back since. It's great to be here with my old friends…even though I miss my friends from New York…especially Michael. But maybe things are better this way. Joe and I have given our relationship a second chance and even though he's as busy as…well…Joe, everything's still going better than I ever could have hoped for. He's really a wonderful guy…even if he DOES like to complain occasionally. Ok, so he complains a lot, but he doesn't do it nearly as much as he used to.

And everything's gonna so much fun this year! Sora and I are gonna be RA's! Oh…she told you that already. Oh, thanks a lot, Sora. I told her *I* wanted to be the one to say it. Next she'll be telling me she already told Kari. I hope she hasn't, because that'll be so much fun to surprise her…

Huh? What is it? Why are you interrupting me?! Oh…right…that secret.

Well…I'm going into my third year of college and the truth is…I still don't know what I'm majoring in. I know I'm really behind and I should know what I'm doing, but the truth is…I really don't. I don't know what I'm going to do with my life! I feel like such a failure!

At least Sora has a marketing major to fall back on. If STMT collapses, then I don't know what I'll do. It's not that I don't have faith in our clothing line. But everyone says it's always safe to have a backup plan. And right now…I don't. All I've done so far is take my school's core curriculum. I still don't know what I'm majoring in. And I'm afraid if my parents find out, they'll be really disappointed in me and they might even go as far as to bring me back to New York! And I couldn't take that. The best thing I could do is come to a decision soon. I just don't know what to do.

You'll keep my secret…won't you?

Hey, I'll bet you didn't expect to be hearing from me right now. Yeah, I'm still sticking around here at Odaiba University. I have my Bachelor's Degree, but I'm not quite done yet. My line of work requires a little more than four years of university studies.
Hope you all remember me. I'm Joe Kido.

You probably know that if I'm still here, then that means I'll be a fifth-year senior. I really like it here at Odaiba University and it's hard to believe I'll be getting my master's degree this year at the university's graduate school. But it still doesn't end there, since I'll be pursuing my PhD. I hope I'll have people calling me Dr. Joe Kido in a few years.

And I've got plenty of people on my side. Mimi's been on my side since day one…when she hasn't been wrapped up in her fashion label. And there's another certain someone who's been supporting me for a long time. And that's Gomamon. Gomamon has always been there to root for me. There's just one problem.

He won't stay put!

He used to be in the Digital World all the time, but now I can't get him to leave. It'd be nice if he could stay in the apartment…but he won't. Yeah, as difficult as it sounds, I'm lugging Gomamon around everywhere. You can just imagine how well that goes over in all my classes. Everyone thinks I'm a weirdo for carrying a "stuffed animal" around everywhere. I should probably start to put my foot down a little more. Don't get me wrong, I've tried to be firm with Gomamon, but he has this way of using reverse psychology on me. I don't know how he does it, but he always ends up getting his way. Will you listen to me? I sound like I'm raising a child.

I know I'm not the only one with this problem. Izzy tells me he's having the same problem with Tentomon. I don't know why our Digimon have been so attached to us lately. I don't see Tai or Matt having this problem with Agumon or Gabumon. Yet here *I* am carrying Gomamon around all the time.

And it doesn't help that he just WON'T stop eating!

I'm about to start off my junior year at Odaiba University, still hoping to get my computer science degree. But so far, college life has been a very enlightening experience. And it's also been…pretty fun.
Greetings! My name's Izzy Izumi.

Being here at Odaiba University with my friends has been a great experience. And even if Tai tries to tell you that I've spent all my time studying, I'm still having a blast! Not only have I been working for my computer science degree, but on the side, I've tried to conduct studies of the Digital World. It's been a long time since we first encountered it and there's still a lot to be learned. And I haven't been conducting my studies alone.

Tentomon has been a big help by telling me all the sights he's seen over the last few years. But I find it pretty odd that after spending so much time in the Digital World, I can't seem to get him to go back. It's like he's become attached to the college campus and college life. He really seems to like it here. And I sense Gomamon has gone through something similar from what Joe tells me.

I hope to be around a little more often. I'll try to take time out of my busy schedule to see how my friends that are just starting their freshman year are doing. Has Tai told you that he's an RA this year? Oh…he has. Then I don't know what else I can tell you. It's not that I don't have confidence in Matt's ability to keep Tai in line, but…

I just hope that hall can stay in one piece.

Well, a lot of time's gone by and I'm down to my last year in college. I can't believe it's all gone by so fast. School's almost over for good. After this year, I'll never have to attend another class again. I guess that's one of the few bright sides of everything in my life.
Hey, everybody. My name's Matt Ishida.

You might say the last four years haven't exactly been my best. It's not that I haven't had fun. Having all my friends around is one of the best things I could ask for. But there's just a lot that hasn't gone my way. And it's got a lot to do with…you know…the band.

The Teenage Wolves have split. It's over. Every member of the band has gone their separate ways. The only who was in denial over these last few years…was me. Now what am I left with? Just a guitar and a bunch of shattered dreams. I really thought we could make it big someday. Guess I was wrong.

At least Sora's been there for me. She's always been there for me and she knows just how to cheer me up. I've never been in love with anyone else like I have been with Sora. And…I want to take the next step with her soon. And I want to take it…before we graduate. I want to make her Mrs. Matt Ishida. But lately she's been pretty distant with her studies and her fashion label. I wonder if I should even bother asking?

Has Tai told you I'm gonna be an RA this year? If he hasn't, then I guess I'll tell you. I'm gonna be an RA and I'll be living…in TK's hall. But don't tell him I said anything. I want to see the look on his face. I'm thinking the only real downside to this whole thing is that I'll have to be Tai's roommate. Oh well. If he ever comes in late and wakes me up at four in the morning, I guess I can always punch him in the face…just like the good old days.

From what I'm hearing, TK probably wants to leave Patamon home. Maybe that's a good idea. I know I haven't had Gabumon around in a long time…as much as it hurts me. You know, it's been a long time since our adventures in the Digital World and a lot's happened. I'm starting to wonder if it's even worth the effort to hide them anymore.

Isn't about time the world found out about Digimon?

Many years have passed since the disasters of five years ago. I'm happy to say that West Shinjuku has remained calm and there have been no more threats in the area. However, I'm now receiving some distressing news. I'm afraid it may be time for me to confront a new threat. And from what I hear, there hasn't been a threat this big since the days of the D-Reaper.
Believe me, it's been a long time. I am Mitsuo Yamaki.

I was once a part of a secret government agency known as Hypnos. The objective of Hypnos was to monitor the phenomena of wild Digimon that were bio-emerging into our world. From there, we would try to destroy the wild ones, but not only were our efforts unsuccessful, but Hypnos was ultimately destroyed. I knew there was an evil out there, but I'll admit we were misguided in attempting to exterminate ALL of the Digimon. It turned out that the Digimon belonging to a group of kids were the key to saving the world.

Since the whole D-Reaper fiasco, I've decided to lay low and try to take a vacation, as have my closest colleagues, Riley and Talley. I haven't spoken to either of them for a while now. I believe it's time for us to get in touch again. Unfortunately, these weren't the circumstances I was hoping for. I should probably brief you in on the threat, but I cannot reveal too many details, for even I am not completely sure what it is we're dealing with.

There's a report that there may be a threat of Digimon attempting to infiltrate the real world. And the general feeling is that these Digimon are hostile and have evil intentions. My superiors have assigned me to gather a short team of agents and find as much information about the threat as possible. The threat is reportedly coming from Odaiba University. And in an effort to keep everything as normal as possible, this must be kept secret. In other words, the students are not to know who we are. And that means…we'll have to work undercover.

A new mission's about to begin. I'd better make a phone call.

It's been five years since the incident with the D-Reaper and I'm happy to say West Shinjuku is in a state of peace. I know I've been on vacation for a long time now, but if you knew what this city went through, you'd understand.
Right now, I'm just a government agent on vacation. My name is Riley Ootori.

I can't tell you everything that happened five years ago. To say I'm still a little touchy about it would be an understatement. It wasn't easy to see Hypnos destroyed by wild Digimon and it was particularly difficult to see a giant boar run through the town you've been trying to protect.

It didn't help that after the destruction of Hypnos that Mitsuo was wallowing in self-pity. I can't believe I had to go and snap him out of it myself. He finally realized that he'd need help from those kids to beat the evil that was threatening not just our town, but our entire world. And I'll admit that those kids turned out to be much stronger than they looked. A couple of kids saved the world, something a big government agency couldn't do.

I've kept in touch with Mitsuo every once in a while. I guess you could say he's more than my superior; he's also my friend. Talley and I have always trusted him more than anybody. And we've always been a team…even when we COULDN'T always get the job done. There are times we succeeded and times we failed, but we've always succeeded and failed as a team united. I'm almost looking forward to the day Talley and I go back to work, just so we can all be together again.

I wonder what Mitsuo's doing right now?

There are some that might say I'm too old to be a student. And you might be right. But after being an elementary school teacher for so long, I'm hoping to get a little more educated myself. That's why I'm coming back to Odaiba University. I'm seeking my PhD so you can call me…well…I won't say just yet.

I'd like to introduce myself…but I'd rather keep my identity a secret for now.

I should probably tell you a little about myself. I've been to many places in my lifetime, but I've most recently been living in the small town of Reedington. You might say a lot of strange things have happened in that time, but sometimes I've been in the middle of it. That's because a certain someone needed my guidance. But she no longer needs my help and she can take care of herself.

And now that she no longer needs me, that frees me up to do some studying. I hope I'll have that PhD by the end of the year. Years of being an elementary school teacher won't prepare me for what I have ahead.

One other thing I should note is that I've had a friend pull a few strings for me and I'll not only be staying on campus, but I'll also be a Resident Director. I've heard the names of the Resident Advisors I'll have the pleasure of working with. I've also heard they're all friends and that'll hopefully make things easier. But I wonder how they'll feel about having an RD that's older than them? I hope it doesn't make things awkward.

After everything I've seen in my life, I'll just be happy to be in a NORMAL college environment.

Davis: So I guess this is it…

Veemon: Everything's gonna change…

TK: Nothing will be the same…

Patamon: Because we're all leaving.

Takato: We'll all start new lives…

Guilmon: See new places…

Henry: Meet new people…

Terriermon: And have a lot of fun doing it.

Kari: Some will start new relationships…

Gatomon: While some will try to forget their past.

Rika: Some will try to forget OLD relationships…

Renamon: While some friendships may have to end.

Jeri: Some will get a chance at a new beginning…

Impmon: While some will crave a fresh start.

Ken: Life will definitely get exciting…

Wormmon: When living in a hall full of freshmen…

Yolei: But it could get weird with a roommate you don't know.

Kazu: College is gonna be a BLAST!

Kenta: It only gets better from here!

Cody: It's gonna be hard to be on the outside looking in.

Tai: This is the best years of our lives…

Sora: But we'll soon have no more classes…

Mimi: We'll have to step into the real world…

Joe: Living our own lives…

Izzy: Hopefully living out our dreams…

Matt: But also knowing dreams may not always come true.

Yamaki: Here's hoping the reports are just a false alarm…

Riley: Here's hoping nothing bad happens…

???: Here's hoping for a normal life…here at Odaiba University.

Author's Note: So maybe I didn't get EVERY character, but there have to be some surprises. I hope you all get an idea of where our characters, Digimon, and one cameo from another series are at. This weekly series will be interesting in more ways than one as I'll hopefully give you your fix of comedy/drama/romance/adventure every Thursday starting NEXT Thursday.

*- See "Double Play"

**- See "Keeping Secrets"