Reviews:
jacquelinemueller53: Yes it does, and we will get to them all soon. Be patient :-)
Music Chick: Yup. It's pretty sad. I'm glad you liked the way I liked it.
Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint: Like with Tai and Sora in ROTI, it would be boring if they didn't have that stage of their relationship. We'll see if Matt can find that strength as the story goes on.
Ackbarfan5556: Thank you.
Sweet Cari: Yeah. It was a sad picture to put in my head, but she was everything to him. People move on in their lives though, and as he said, long distance relationships don't last long.
Malalala11: I'm glad you liked it. We're still building up to it, but there's no slice of life stuff here.
Clefeifei: Glad you liked it. I'm sure you guys will find out by the end.
Shout out to tmp1114 for the favorite and follow also to TheGamingAssassin for the follow. You guys rock.
Hey gang. Back with the next part. I'm still blown away by the support for the story so far and we haven't even gotten into the meat of it yet.
The slice of life is over for a little while as we get into the conflict, and that means introducing these two new characters. While I have no serious complaints about them, I just feel they were boring or just plot convenient with no real purpose. Hopefully this is the start of making them a little more significant and interesting.
Not much else to say other than enjoy ;-)
Tai discretely snuck glances down at his phone while trying his best to pay attention to his professor's lecture the next morning. He browsed through different news websites, all with breaking headlines based on one thing.
'As of early morning on the 20th, the young woman that fell unconscious in Kyoto three days ago has not yet regained consciousness,' said the article he was reading. 'The cause of her condition is still unknown. Online groups have so far raised over ¥5.7 million to help cover her medical bills and other expenses.'
His first thought when he heard about it was that it may have just been someone who collapsed from overwork. It was unfortunately such a common thing in Japan that people hardly blinked when they heard of someone literally working himself or herself to death. Even so, something about this case didn't feel natural. If someone was indeed overworked, a good night's sleep should have taken care of it. Three days unconscious? It didn't sound like this woman had been working herself too hard.
His phone vibrated. Tai looked at the top of his phone and saw he had a text message from Izzy. Attached to it looked to be a letter or message from someone Tai didn't know. After reading the message over, he typed out a reply.
Why are you sending this to me?
He sent it off and listened to the lecture, taking notes as he did so. A minute later, his phone vibrated once again. He checked and saw that Izzy had replied.
Come by my office later and you'll find out.
Izzy Izumi turned his black swivel chair away from the computer monitor as he heard some more guests enter. He smiled when he saw TK and Matt come into the conference room of his office. The older blonde wore a grey long-sleeved shirt and dark pants. The younger one was a little more colorful; he wore a Kelly green tunic with a white shirt underneath, grey pants and white suede shoes. A Yomiuri Giants hat sat on top of his head.
Tai and Kari had arrived before the two brothers. The Jedi of Courage wore a shirt split between black and blue with a white stripe on the blue side. His tan pants were rolled halfway up his legs, and he wore sandals. Kari had on a cute white blouse with little cherries designed on it. The sleeves were open at the top, exposing her shoulders. She also wore short denim shorts and her sandals. A choker wrapped around her neck with a pink star resembling the tattoo on her wrist hanging off. Izzy chuckled when he saw TK try to keep himself controlled around Kari with her brother present.
"I'm glad to see you all could make it today," he said, adjusting the gold tie around the collar of his clean, white button up shirt. He also wore black pants. A nametag that doubled as a security card was clipped onto his breast pocket. Looking around, he saw that only the four of them were present besides himself. "Is this all? Anyone else coming?"
Tai shook his head. "Nope. That's it."
Matt glared at the leader. "And Sora?" he bit, crossing his arms over his chest. "Let her sleep in again?"
Izzy sighed in preparation for what was coming.
"She wanted to come, but couldn't be here," Tai replied. "Something came up at the last minute."
Matt growled in frustration, baring his gritted teeth for a split second. "It's always something!" he roared. "What's going on with her?"
"Matt, come on. Stop." TK said, resting a hand on his brother's shoulder but Matt pushed him off.
"No! I want to hear it straight." He took a breath and hissed through his teeth, "Tai, why doesn't Sora want to come? We all, I'm sure, want to hear why."
Izzy smiled and nodded when Tai looked over at him for help. Kari squeezed her brother's arm. The Jedi of Courage then took a breath and gazed down at the hardwood floors.
"She's trying to find herself and discover her place in the world," he said softly. "While she does that, I do everything I can to ease the burden on her for everything. That includes Jedi business."
Matt quivered with fury. He looked so frazzled and angry that he could hardly say a thing. Izzy himself would have preferred the whole team be together but he understood how impossible that was given that everyone led different lives.
"Find herself?" the older blonde's voice bubbled with anger, but he was clearly holding back. "Jedi stuff? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Why, I oughta–"
Izzy couldn't contain his annoyance anymore. "That's enough!" he barked, shooting up out of his chair. "We've got important business to take care of so let's leave that conversation for another time."
Everyone turned to look at him, stunned by his outburst. The Jedi of Knowledge brushed some of his ruby hair to the side and took a deep breath. He was usually able to control his temper well, but years of having to break up Tai and Matt's arguments had taken their toll. Maybe some of Mimi's emotional nature had rubbed off on him during the five wonderful years they have been together.
"All right," Tai said with a shrug. "What do you have for us today, Izzy?"
Izzy smiled and nodded. "Let's get started. Everyone gather around."
He planted himself in his chair and rolled up to the computer monitor. With a few clicks of the keyboard, an email sent to him the previous night appeared on the screen. He felt the others looming behind him as they stared at what he was showing them.
"Last night, I received an email from a woman named Menoa Bellucci," he explained. "She is a researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States. She's asked for our help."
"Help with what?" Matt asked. "What did the message say?"
Izzy turned his head around, showing a bright grin on his face.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" he said. "I've invited her here."
"She's here?" Tai echoed with a look of surprise.
"Yes." Izzy glanced at the door that connected the conference room to his office and called out, "Menoa, Imura. We're ready for you."
The door opened and two people, a man and a woman, walked into the conference room. The woman surprisingly looked to be about the same age as Tai and Matt. A little young, considering the reputation she had from what Izzy gathered during his background check of her. Her body was slim and fit, almost athletic. She looked like she could have been an athletics star in another life.
The woman wore an expensive-looking white blouse, black skirt, and red Nike shoes. Her red hair was tied in a long braid that sloped over her right shoulder, making her look like a grown up version of the title character from Anne of Green Gables. An azure butterfly hairpiece rested at the end of her braid and her pale green eyes sparkled with a youthful exuberance.
The man, Imura, looked Japanese and had a fade haircut with the top styled upward. He wore a simple dark suit with a grey shirt and black tie. His face was stern with no trace of emotion. If Izzy hadn't known any better, he would have assumed the man was a bodyguard for some Yakuza boss.
Menoa bowed to the group with a bright smile. "Good morning, Destined Jedi," she greeted flawlessly in Japanese. "It is such an honor to meet you all. As Mr. Izumi said, I'm Menoa Bellucci, an associate professor at Georgia Tech in Atlanta."
"And I'm Kyotarou Imura, her assistant," the man introduced himself with a neutral voice. He then bowed his head. "Pleasure to meet you all."
"Wow, Miss Menoa. Your Japanese is amazing," TK praised.
Menoa shrugged and answered in English, "Thanks, I guess. I'm still working on it though." She turned to her assistant. "Kyo here has been a tremendous help in that department."
Imura grunted in response.
Izzy stroked his chin in deep thought. Her accent was unique. It sounded like it came from Brooklyn, New York, but had some Southern twang to it. Izzy couldn't quite place it at first listen, but now he believed he could.
"If I may, Menoa. Your accent…" he said before making a guess. "…Southern Louisiana?"
Menoa smiled and nodded. "Very good, Mr. Izumi," she said in English before turning back to Japanese. "That's exactly right."
"New Orleans?"
"Yes. On the other side of the Mississippi River from downtown in a place called Algiers Point, Louisiana. I would have to go climb up on top of the levee in order to get a view of downtown. How did you figure that out?"
Izzy shrugged. "No special trick. I went there for an international tech conference earlier this year and some people took us around the town. I heard the accent enough that it became ingrained in my memory."
Tai then stepped forward to introduce himself. "Nice to meet you, Menoa. I'm–"
She held a hand up to stop him. "I know who you are. You're…" she scratched her chin for what Izzy gathered was dramatic effect. "…Tai Kamiya, the leader of the Destined Jedi." Menoa then set her sights on Kari. "And you are Tai's sister, Kari. Is that right?"
Kari nodded with a smile and bowed. "Yes. It's very nice to meet you."
"You too. I must say, you're a very pretty girl, Kari."
The Jedi of Light blushed. "Thank you."
TK jumped in. "Yeah she is. I'm her boyfriend; I tell her that all the time," he said in a way that Izzy could tell was him being protective of Kari.
Seemingly unfazed, Menoa bowed to the younger blonde with a smile. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. TK Takaishi." She then did the same for Matt. "And you're Matt Ishida, his brother."
The older blonde nodded. "That's right. Nice to meet you," he politely greeted before asking, "How do you know–?"
"Our specialty is Digimon research, which subsequently includes the Destined Jedi," Menoa explained. "I also know of Sora Takenouchi, Joe Kido, and Mimi Tachikawa." She surveyed the room. "It's a shame to see they could not be here too. I was looking forward to meeting all of you, but as my mama always said 'A great gumbo tastes best when cooked slow'."
Izzy knew what she meant by that saying. Gumbo was a local delicacy in New Orleans; he had some when he was there and enjoyed it very much. Looking around, he saw the others giving blank stares so he explained what she was talking about.
Menoa shrugged. "I guess I have beaten around the bush long enough so let's get this ball rolling. We need your help in an investigation we are undertaking. Since you all have saved the world countless times, your help is necessary to our success."
"How can we help?" TK asked.
The woman took off the bag she had slung around her shoulder as she and Imura moved further into the conference room.
"Have you all heard about what happened in Kyoto three days ago?" she asked, pulling a tablet out of the bag.
Izzy breathed sadly through his nose. He heard about the whole thing when it happened. The others reacted with surprise and shock.
"Something happened?" TK replied. "What?"
Matt sounded even more concerned than the others. "Kyoto?" He looked at the computer genius with worried eyes. "Izzy?"
Izzy did not miss a beat. "A young woman mysteriously fell unconscious in Kyoto three days ago," he explained. "She still has not woken up yet. No one knows why."
Menoa smiled. "That's right."
Kari had her hand rested on her mouth in shock. "Oh my goodness. Is she okay?" she asked.
"Yes, she's fine," said Menoa. "Doctors have thus far been unable to determine the cause of her coma though. It happened while she was at work." She switched on the tablet. A second later, she turned it towards them with a video cued up. "This is the news report from the other day."
The video started and went over all the details that were known at the time. Izzy and the other Jedi listened all the way through, absorbing as much as they could. When it reached the end, the Jedi of Knowledge rubbed his finger along his chin.
"What does she have to do with your research?" he asked.
Izzy swore he saw a smirk play on the right corner of Menoa's mouth, but it must have been his eyes playing tricks on him. She answered his question.
"I think I may know what caused her condition."
He leaned forward in his chair. "I'm listening."
Everyone else moved in closer too. Imura spoke this time.
"From evidence we gathered at the teahouse she worked in the other day, we found a small bit of digital static," he said. "It is our belief that a Digimon may be the cause of this."
The room went deathly silent. It was so quiet that a pin dropping could be as loud as an elephant stampeding through the jungle. Izzy studied his comrades' faces and saw they were just as surprised as he was.
"A Digimon?" Kari breathed.
"No way," TK echoed.
"Wait a minute," said Izzy. "You've gathered data?" If what she said was true, then maybe this data could help them discover what attacked the woman.
Menoa nodded. "Yes. We tracked Eosmon from Atlanta to Japan and were in the process of pinpointing its location when the incident in Kyoto happened. We went straight there and took samples for ourselves. That was how we determined that this was indeed its doing," she explained. "We found that it has the ability to take one's consciousness."
Imura continued from where she left off. "We believe it takes that consciousness and turns it into data somehow. It then stores the data in the area of cyberspace that it dwells."
Izzy's heart dropped in his stomach as he sensed a change in the room. It felt much colder all of a sudden. His fellow Jedi seemed like they too were stunned by this news judging by the fearful expressions on their faces.
"A Digimon that can make people unconscious?" Matt cried.
"What kind of Digimon can do that?" Tai echoed, staring at the computer genius as he said it.
"We ran a scan on every Digimon we have in the system. Its pattern was unlike any that exists in the Digital World right now," Imura replied before Izzy could say anything.
An unknown Digimon? This was not good, Izzy thought. If it were one they knew of, it wouldn't have been hard for him to look it up in his database. They could then figure out a way to – Hold on. What did Menoa just call that Digimon again? He was about to ask, but Kari seemed to read his mind and beat him to the punch.
"Eosmon?" she asked curiously. "Is that its name? I haven't heard of it before. Have you, Izzy?"
"No," he replied. "This is the first I've ever heard of it."
"Yes. We call it Eosmon after the Greek goddess of the dawn, Eos," Menoa explained. "I discovered it early one morning in Buckhead when I was driving to work. The dawn was coming so I named it Eosmon after that."
Izzy froze. Did she just say what he thought she said?
"Wait. In Atlanta?" he asked in shock.
Menoa nodded.
"You mean you saw Eosmon in America?"
She nodded again. "Yes."
His jaw dropped. "Has this happened before?"
Menoa shook her head. "No. Not until I saw Eosmon for the first time."
Izzy grabbed his head as he tried to make sense of all the new information.
"Prodigious!" he exclaimed while leaning back in his chair. "This is the first instance I've ever heard of a Digimon appearing anywhere other than Japan. This is amazing!"
"It's fascinating and all, but what makes you think this….Eosmon is responsible for what happened to the woman in Kyoto?" Matt asked skeptically. "Despite the data you've collected, how do we know this isn't just another example of someone collapsing from overwork?"
Menoa smiled and pulled up the news report again on her tablet. "This." She fast-forwarded the video to a point around the middle and pointed to something on the screen. "There. See that?"
The group of Jedi gathered around to get a closer look. Izzy didn't know what he was supposed to see. It was just a shot of the field reporter interviewing the manager of the teahouse.
"Hold on. Isn't that where-?" Matt started to say before Tai shushed him.
Izzy sensed the unease in the blonde's demeanor as he continued watching the report.
Menoa then paused the video at a particular moment. Izzy wasn't sure what he was supposed to see, but had a feeling he'd find out soon.
"What are we looking for?" Tai asked.
Menoa pointed to something on the right of the screen. "See that shadow there? That's Eosmon."
They all took a closer look. Izzy tried to find what she was pointing out, but he couldn't see much of anything with this quality.
"Looks like a smudge to me," said Kari.
"Pardon me, Menoa, but I don't see what you're seeing," Izzy agreed. "Matt, do you?"
The older blonde shook his head. "Nope."
The woman took a sharp breath, sounding almost disappointed that the group didn't see what she wanted them to see. She rewound the video to a few seconds before the shot she just showed them and ran it at a slower speed.
"Here we go. Right…pa pa pa pa PA!" she exclaimed, stopping the video to point at the same spot she pointed to earlier. "Right there. See that shadow? That's Eosmon."
Izzy tilted his head and squinted his eyes to get a closer look. He wanted to believe her, but couldn't. There was nothing to suggest her theory held any water. It was just a feeling––a feeling not rooted in fact or backed up by evidence.
"I agree with Kari. It looks like nothing more than a smudge," said Matt. "I'm sorry, but you haven't convinced me of anything."
"Me either," Izzy agreed. "Menoa, this is all just speculation. Only a video showing what you think to be a shadow is not absolute proof that it's Eosmon. If you had an actual photograph of this thing, we'd probably be more inclined to believe you. However, this doesn't tell us anything."
"It is Eosmon," Menoa replied firmly, a slight edge to her voice. She flipped the tablet around to face her. "I'd know that shadow anywhere. I imagine it's doing this for pleasure. Feeling someone's consciousness be sucked out of their body, the shell becoming limp, and then falling over like a rag doll. Oh, what a rush!"
Izzy felt a surge of fear run through him. Her eyes twinkled with an excitement that made him feel uncomfortable as she pulled the tablet closer and closer until it was mere inches from her face. Glancing at his fellow Jedi, he noticed that they too were concerned by what they saw. Menoa's lips curled in a joyful grin. She looked almost psychotic.
Then, almost as if a switch had been flipped, all of that went away as Menoa rubbed her neck with a nervous chuckle.
"Hypothetically, of course," she said, turning the tablet back around to them.
Imura coughed to clear his throat before he spoke. "After analyzing the data we collected, we are almost 100 percent sure it's Eosmon that is responsible for this attack."
Izzy's gut gave off warning signals at a mad rate after that display. He pressed his lips together. During their brief exchange via email the previous night, Menoa seemed open and honest about who and what she was. Now that he was meeting her in person, some things were not adding up.
"How exactly do you want us to help you?" he asked.
"We need the five of you to go into cyberspace, find Eosmon, capture it, and then bring it back," Menoa explained. "Kyoutaro and I will stay here and retrieve the data of that woman's consciousness to bring her back."
"Hold on, lady," Matt interjected warily. "You want us to bring a Digimon into the real world? More specifically, you want us to bring a Digimon into Izzy's office?" He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but no. I don't know what you've heard about us, but we keep Digimon in the Digital World, not drag them here. If we do this, we contain the fight to the Internet. You'll have to find another solution to gather her consciousness."
Menoa nodded. "Then let's keep this fight online," she said. "Your job is to weaken Eosmon so that we can download the information. Once you have it captured, Kyo and I will take it from there. Does that sound reasonable? We don't want to ask too much of you, but the lives of billions of people are at stake."
The group all looked at Tai. He seemed lost in thought with his thumb and index finger holding his chin between them.
"If this is the only way," he said with a sigh, "Then we'll help you."
Izzy placed a hand on the leader's shoulder. "Hold on. Excuse us for a second," he said to Menoa and Imura before escorting the Jedi all back to his office to talk in private. "Are you sure about this, Tai? Something doesn't feel right to me. I don't know how I missed this before because Menoa seemed legit in our communications, but I'm asking you to reconsider."
Tai folded his arms over his chest and gave him an annoyed glare. "Got any better ideas?" he shot back. "There is no other way."
"What if we're just chasing theories? Kari and Matt weren't even sure if it was Eosmon on the video."
"Sometimes you have to chase a theory to reach a conclusion, don't ya think?" Izzy didn't challenge him, which prompted Tai to continue. "The point is it may just be this one person now, but who knows how many others this creature can rob the consciousness of before we do something. We're the only ones who can stop it."
"He's right," TK agreed. "If we don't stop it now, then it's only going to get worse. Let's help the woman."
He took Kari's hand in his. She smiled at him before looking at her brother. "I'm with you, Tai. If you're sure, then let's do it."
Matt nodded. "Then I guess I'm in too," he said with a shrug. "One thing at a time, Izzy."
The computer genius felt everyone's eyes on him, almost silently whispering for him to go along with them. He still had some serious reservations about Menoa and what her intentions were, but he was clearly in the minority on this. There was no use arguing now.
"Okay," he relented. "Let's help the woman."
Tai smiled at him and patted his shoulder. "Thanks, pal."
The five of them went back into the conference room, where Menoa and Imura remained in the exact same spots they were in when the group left.
"So what's the verdict?" Menoa asked. "Will you help us?"
Tai nodded. "Yes. We will do whatever you need us to do," he said.
She smiled. "Thank you."
"Menoa," Izzy chimed in. "May I be allowed to look at the data you collected when we're done? I'd like to inspect the findings myself. Perhaps we can find markers that stand out more than others."
"Of course you may. We're in this together."
"Then let's get this show on the road," Matt said determinedly.
Imura pulled a flashdrive out of the inside of his jacket and showed it to everyone.
"Here is our plan," he said. "Let's have a meeting in five minutes. I understand we have thrown a lot your way."
"You're welcome to use my computer to set up," Izzy offered.
"Thank you."
xXx
As Imura and Menoa set up on Izzy's computer, Tai looked around and saw everyone doing their own thing. Matt looked out the floor to ceiling windows to gaze at the bay. TK and Kari were talking to each other in hushed voices, but he heard every word being said.
"Let's go see Eclipse this weekend," Kari said. "This is our best chance to go see it now."
"Sure," TK nodded with a smile. "I know how much you've been wanting to see it. How about Saturday?"
"That works. What time do you want to go? First thing in the morning?"
"Can't. I have stuff to do. Let's go that night and see it in Shibuya. Afterwards, we can go grab a bite to eat at the café that just opened not far from the theater."
"Sounds great. I've heard good reviews about that place."
Tai smiled. He was happy to see how well Kari and TK were doing. It scared him sometimes just how much in love they were. The fact they had been dating for five years was an accomplishment in and of itself, but he trusted the younger blonde completely with his sister. After all they had been through, TK treated her like the princess she deserved to be treated as and that was enough for the oldest Kamiya.
Tai touched his left pocket and felt the ring box inside before looking for Izzy. The Jedi of Knowledge was sipping on some oolong tea, his favorite drink, near the door to his office.
"Hey, Izzy," he said walking over to him. "Can we talk for a minute?"
Izzy nodded. "Sure, Tai. What's up?"
Tai glanced at the door to Izzy's office, giving him the signal that he wanted to speak in there instead. "Alone?"
The younger man looked at everyone else. Tai hoped that he got the message he was trying to imply. Izzy then nodded, which brought a smile to his face.
"Excuse us for a moment," Izzy said to everyone in the conference room. They all nodded in understanding.
Tai followed him into his office. Once they were inside, Izzy closed the door behind them. The two were now completely alone.
"Tai, what's up? I don't have a good feeling about what you're going to tell me if you can't say it in front of everyone else."
Tai chuckled and waved his hand in assurance. "Don't worry. It's nothing bad," he said to his best friend. A smile shot up his face. "In fact, it's actually pretty good. I just don't want anyone to hear about this yet."
"Well, what is it?"
The Jedi of Courage fingered the outside of his pocket. The smile never left his face. He was so excited about what he was going to tell Izzy.
"Tai, you're freaking me out. This is almost like the time you told me Sora first kissed you."
"I'm going to ask Sora to marry me soon," Tai blurted out. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach and his body tingled with excitement as he said it.
It took a moment to register on Izzy's face. Once it did, his face brightened with happiness and excitement.
"Wow!" he exclaimed with a chuckle in his voice. "That's awesome, Tai!"
Tai blushed. "Thanks. Don't tell anybody about it yet. I trust you more than anyone else to keep it secret until I'm ready to ask her."
Izzy's smile widened and he flashed a thumbs up. "I'm an unbreakable code, Tai. Go get the girl."
"I will. That's why I love you, Izzy. You're such a dependable friend."
"Thanks."
Tai's hand dove into his pocket and stayed there. "You promise you won't tell anyone yet?" He smirked. "Not even Mimi?"
"I'm not that soft!" Izzy exclaimed indignantly, a mad blush spreading across his face. "You should be telling Joe that."
"Only I'm not asking Joe to keep my secret. I'm asking you."
The computer genius took a breath to gather himself. "I promise I won't tell anyone else. Not even Mimi," he said. "You're my best friend. I couldn't do that to you. You have my word."
Tai nodded. "Thanks, pal." His hand pulled out of his pocket to reveal the black ring box. "Wanna see the ring?"
"Yeah!"
He opened the box and presented it to Izzy. The Jedi of Knowledge's black eyes widened in awe. It was a medium-sized ring with a large clear diamond on the top. What made it extra special to Tai was he had his and Sora's tattoos interlocked together on the diamond. It cost him an arm and two legs to buy it, but Sora was worth every single yen that he spent on it.
"Wow!" Izzy breathed. "It must have cost a fortune."
"It did," Tai nodded. "I scrimped and saved for months to get it, but it was worth all that. Think she'll like it?"
"Tai, she'll love it because it came from you. There is no way she's going to say 'no' to a ring like this."
The brown haired man's happiness was up in the stratosphere. Once this whole thing was over, and they took care of this mysterious Digimon, he was going to sweep Sora off her feet and ask her to marry him. He would convince her to say 'yes' just to get it out of the way. They didn't have to run off to the chapel and get married right now. It would work. It had to.
Izzy patted his shoulder. "Come on. Let's go get Eosmon. Then you can pop the question to Sora."
Tai's wide smile returned and he nodded. "Let's do it."
Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen, boys and girls. It's time to saddle up next time. Will the group succeed in capturing this mysterious Digimon? Find out next time.
Was I the only one that found it odd Kari wasn't at Izzy's office in the movie? They never said why she couldn't show up, so I decided to have her there. I also cut out the moment with Yolei sending a video message because Menoa could have just messaged Izzy directly since he's so well known by this time. Why would she go to someone like Yolei first? It never made sense to me.
My opinion of Menoa in the movie was she had a lot of potential, but was executed horribly and was just another flat, one-dimensional villain. I think Maki was executed better, but that's just me. Imura, he was just there with really nothing to do. In the novelization, it revealed that Menoa was from Colorado but thanks to a friend, I decided to rework her origins a bit and have her come from New Orleans instead. Also, because I am not fond of NYC and how often it's featured, I went with a different city and Georgia Tech happens to be the best tech school in the United States so I went with that. I hope you like the start I have for her so far.
As I'm sure you guys have noticed, I'm trying to keep relatively shorter chapters to make sure no moment gets lost under a mountain of stuff, though this one is about average for what I do. That's to make sure you guys are able to follow along.
Anyway, be sure to review and subscribe if you have not yet. This is just the start of the greater adventure, my loyal rabid readers. I'll see you all next weekend.
Tootles.