Dear Mr Izumi,

Upon hearing about your recent declining to once again run for office in the upcoming Presidential elections, I must use this opportunity to express my sincerest disappointment.

Of the names that have been banded about the media as to who my successor will be, yours was the single name that I wanted to see. Naturally given your history, your abilities and your dedication over the last ten years to the cause, I fail to see a valid reason for you to come to this decision.

We have reached a critical point in the lifespan of the Digital World and the direction that it takes in the next five years will have a huge impact on a number of key global issues. You know this as well as I do and to argue otherwise would demonstrate a level of ignorance I would not have attributed to you. It is my firm belief that should Ishizaki gain power we will be heading into a period of great uncertainty and danger. Whilst showing on the surface a great deal of humility and mercy, his policies on viral Digimon are both controversial and irrational and should not be allowed to come to fruition. Furthermore the move to make the DCS avaiable to the general public carries a tremendous risk, but on a personal level, would take away from yours and your companions achievements greatly.

Whilst it is with regret that I must put this upon you, I would hope that you would reconsider. Whilst the majority of your companions have seemingly, in some capacity, disregarded their duties to the Digital World, I remain grateful for the work you have done over the last ten years. But should Ishizaki come to power, that good work is likely to be undone overnight.

Please get back to me in due course,

Your friend,

Aiko Haruko

Digital World, President of the

Izzy never responded to this email. He didn't respond to any emails now. As he gazed out from his vantage point across the wide open plains, rich with green and interrupted only by the forest, he made the most of one of the few privileges he had left. His laptop buzzed beside him. His inbox, full, mostly from members of the public asking him the most pointless questions. His trust had been badly shaken in the system that had been there to protect his anonymity.

Having just turned eighteen, Izzy was well on his way to becoming a man. Truth be told, his maturity had peaked from a very young age and he had been through more in his young life than most would in their entire existence. But now he was being expected to couple this natural maturity with very adult responsiblities, to make decisions that would impact the world.

He always felt a slight deal of resentment that he had been left to deal with the situation by himself. He had been quick to use his considerable talents to amend the Digital World as best he could after the defeat of MaloMyotismon. As he grew older, he saw the Digital World as less of the living entity it was and more as an elaborate computer program, plagued with viruses and malware, and he hated himself for it. When the adults got hold of it, he'd had no choice but to go along with it. Without the support of his fellow DigiDestined, and with other problems taking precident in his life, he began to forget all that he and the others had been through. At times, he even found himself questioning whether it had happened at all.

This was around the time that a book had been published. The story. Their journey. Those that witnessed the Digimon first hand knew of the eight children that had been intrinsically linked with the attacks. Then after MaloMyotismon had been dealt with, a further four were held in a similar regard. Only in Japan were their accomplishments truly recognised. Then the book was published. And a furore insued.
It became a worldwide phenomenon. Social networking allowed the truth to travel instantly. Within days of the publication the twelve went from being revered by their friends and family to being adored by millions worldwide. Izzy, so at home with seclusion and solitude, had not taken well to the sudden spotlight. So he disappeared, assuming a new pseudonym and altering his appearance whilst regaining his right to enter his beloved Digital World. The place where he felt most at home.

In exchange, he returned to his research on the Digital World. He was reunited with his close friend Tentomon. He learned of the extensive virus protection work that had been implemented into the Digital World. He had revelled in it being used as an untapped resource for scarce products. In the same way that the Digimon had been able to physically appear in the real world, other entities, such as food, gas and coal were being programmed into the Digital World, before being transferred into the real world. Izzy had never been happier. He had never before fully considered the enormous potential the Digital World could have.

The trouble started when other countries and companies began to get wind of it. A seemingly unlimited resource with an incredible vastness of space? Japan could practically smell the drooling of the hounds who were after it.

It didn't take long before money came into play. Huge sums of money poured into Japan in return for access to the Digital World. Contracts were drawn, many of which Izzy was involved in. Greed dictated and reared it's ugly head. Soon the programmers who had worked so hard to turn the Digital World into something truly productive began to leave, content that they had been turned into millionaires in a matter of months. Their replacements had neither the skill nor genuine care to benefit the Digital World. Programmers from other countries began to put their stamp on the it. Soon the Digimon themselves began to suffer, with data constantly being manipulated and transferred around them. They began to grow hostile once again.

Eventually, politics came into play. Izzy, now a prominent figure in trying to keep the Digital World running smoothly and still safe from the frenzy of celebrity status, convinced the twelve countries who had access to the Digital World to meet and evaluate. His knowledge of the program was far greater than that of any other designer, so his threats to override this precious access were reluctantly adhered to.
There, a President was elected, a Board was put into place, and rules and regulations were devised. Izzy himself had been put forward as President but declined, instead nominating his mentor and close friend Aiko Hurako. He was unanimously elected for the term of twelve months.

Izzy could not have known the fire that he had ignited and chosen to play with at that time. Within weeks of the appointment, Izzy's true identity had been leaked. Once again, the attention of the general public reached fever pitch, now that the elusive twelfth member of the DigiDestined had a face. He was hounded by well wishers, criticised openly in the press for 'abandoning his duty to the public.' His one escape was the Digital World.

And that's where he had stayed. For the past six months he had hidden himself away from everything. He had been betrayed but by who he had no idea. He had his friend Tentomon with him and that's all that he needed. He had the cool air and the trees and the plants, a million miles away from the cold, metallic nature of the technological environment he had dedicated the last three years of his life to.
His natural instinct was to fight back, to find out who did this to him. But with the election imminent and, more importantly, his companions scattered around their world enjoying themselves, he was loathed to admit that, for once, he didn't have the answer.