Me: Finally I decide to continue!

Chloe: I'll say. You've been working on your KND fic so much; I thought you forgot about us.

Me: Nonsense. I was working on tests too. I'm just glad it's break season.

Alexis: Aren't we all?

TK: Now maybe you'll finish.

Me: Maybe. I don't own Digimon or anything except Chloe, Jacob, Jacqueline, and their new crests. That'll cover it. Oh yeah, Jacob and Jackie play a huge role in the chapter. Let's go!

Chapter 7-The Last Digidestined

"A team united will always win…"—Pokémon Dance Mix, 2BA Master

"I was used…just like a puppet,"—Fawna, Kazan

Real World

            "Your mother?" Jacqueline whispered in shock.

            Jacob nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on his mother's face. He took a step, then another towards the image. Now that he had found her again, he was afraid she would go away.

            "Mom," he whispered. "It's you isn't it? It's really you."

            The woman said nothing, but continued to gaze at Jacob with that same sad expression. He moved closer. "Don't you remember me Mom? It's me Jacob."

            She smiled sadly. Her deep brown eyes flickered to Jacqueline. Jacqueline flinched.

            "It's all right Mom. This is Jackie. She's a friend of mine."

             Mrs. Sasaki nodded once and turned back to her son. "I know…my son…"

            Her voice was sad and musical, yet it had an echoing tone to it. It was like she was not truly speaking, but her voice was bouncing off walls for them to hear it.

            "Mom…" Jacob walked up to her and looked up. "You came..."

            "Jacob…it is time you were recognized for who you are…"

            He shook his head. "You keep saying that Mom. What do you mean?"

            "You will find out soon. Now go help your friends."

            "But I can't do anything."

            "Yes you can. And so can Jacqueline." She smiled sadly. "I must go dearest. But if you truly must know…I never wanted to leave you. I've missed you and your father very much."

            Jacob smiled shakily. "I've missed you too Mom." He tried to touch her but his hand passed through her body. "Uh!"

            "Jacob!" Jacqueline cried.

            Mrs. Sasaki shook her head and a glittering tear rolled her cheek. It fell but it never hit the pavement. "I'm sorry." Her body slowly faded away from sight as if she was never there.

            "Mom? MOM!"

            Jacob closed his eyes and bowed his head. Jacqueline walked up to him sympathetically and placed a hand on his shoulders. "It's okay Jacob."

            He nodded and raised his face. "Let's hurry. We don't have that much time before Cody gets to wherever he's going."

Dark Ocean

            "Chloe! You don't want to do this!" Tai called to her. "You really don't wanna do this!"

            Chloe closed her eyes and lifted her hands. "I must…obey…my master." Her blue eyes opened and began to glow a steady electric blue. TK and Tai were lifted up into the air and slammed into the ground. She raised them again and slammed them again. And again. And again.

            "STOP IT!" Kari screeched.

            As if she was taking pity on the younger girl, Chloe slowly lowered her hands. However, her face was still as lifeless as ever.

            TK rose up on his hands, breathing hard. "Tai are you okay?"

            Tai nodded, wincing. A painful bruise was rising on the side of his face, but that wasn't any different from anything else he had felt before.

            "SHADOW BALL!!"

            TK and Tai ducked just in time to avoid the giant darkly purple sphere of energy. "Chloe!" TK yelled. "Stop!"

            She shook her head, eyes blazing. "I must…obey…my master."

            Kari began to cry as she tried to struggle out of the tentacles. "Please Chloe! Stop!" 

            Chloe lifted her hand and Tai and TK were lifted into the air once more. Patamon and Agumon chose this moment to intervene. "PEPPER BREATH!" cried Agumon, shooting an orange ball of flame.

            "BOOM BUBBLE!" Patamon puffed his chest up before letting loose a clear bubble of air.

            Chloe's eyes flashed and a shield covered her body to ward off the attacks while at the same time; she kept a firm hold on TK and Tai in the air. Agumon and Patamon stepped back in shock.

            Gatomon leaped at the shield. "LIGHTNING CLAW!" She punched at the shield over and over but nothing happened. Chloe smirked.

            "Can't get through kitty?" She used her telekinetic powers to toss Gatomon, Tai, and TK away from her. "HA!"

            Tai was about to tell her to snap out of it when he heard TK yell, "Tai look!"

            He glanced in the direction where TK was pointing and saw Sora, Davis, Cody, Ken, Catherine, and their Digimon running towards them.

            "Don't come any closer guys!" he yelled. "Chloe's gone berserk!"

            The others halted their steps and stared at the trainer. Her eyes held the most blank and yet most evil look they had ever seen. "Chloe!" Sora cried in horror. "What happened to you?!" The girl did not say anything. "Why won't you answer me?"

            Agumon and Patamon moved forward again but Dragomon laughed to himself. "You can't hurt her. She's supposed to be your friend."

            Catherine stared at the older girl. She held so much fury and yet so much emptiness. The French girl's eyes misted with tears. I somehow feel that I am to blame for zis mishap. If only zis was a dream.

            "I demand that you let her go!" Tai yelled at Dragomon. "Let Chloe go and get your filthy tentacles off of my sister!"

            "No."

            "You heard him!" Sora shouted angrily. "Let them go!"

            Ken had curled up in the fetal position and was trying to keep from shivering. Davis looked over at him. "Ken?"

            Ken closed his eyes and clenched his hands. "No," he whispered. "I never wanted to be here again. Not again."

            "It's okay Ken," reassured Davis. "I think."

            TK shook his head. "No it's not. You, Catherine, Cody, and Sora have never been here before. This place affects Ken and Kari more than the rest of us combined."

            Chloe's eyes glowed. "You…shouldn't…have come. SHADOW…"

            "STOOOOOOOOOOP!!"

            Chloe blinked dazedly as Jacob and Jacqueline dashed up to the group of kids. Dragomon narrowed his eyes but Cody gasped. "Jacob, Jacqueline, what are you doing here?"

            The two shrugged. "I don't know," Jacob said calmly. "We followed you Cody and we ended up in here. Is there anything wrong with that?"

            "Uh, I'm actually surprised that you could get here," Ken said sheepishly. "You're not Digidestined."

            "Neither is she," said Jacqueline, pointing at the crazed shell that was Chloe.

            Good point.

            "ENOUGH!" Dragomon roared. He turned his livid red eyes on Chloe. "Take them away Child of Life. I have something to deal with."

            Chloe bowed briefly. "Of…course…" She raised her blue eyes and they flashed. Automatically, all of the kids and their partners began to glow with a steady blue light. Only Gatomon remained normal, but frightened.

            Catherine grabbed onto Davis's vest. Sora, not being near anyone else in particular, grabbed onto Tai. Jacob and Jacqueline held onto each other, and Ken. Cody gripped TK and Upamon.

            "TELE…"

            "Chloe!"

            "POR…"

            "Please Chloe no!"

            "…TATION!!"

            They vanished in a flash of blurry white light. Dragomon's triumphant laughter rang out across the waves while Gatomon backed away in fear.

            Kari closed her eyes. "Tai…T…K…"

*          *          *

            Tai opened his eyes blearily. "Agumon…are you okay?"

            The little dinosaur sat up. "I think so Tai. Where are we?"

            Tai hauled himself up onto his elbows. "Dunno. I think she teleported us far away from the Dark Ocean though." He glanced at his side and gasped. "Oh my God! Sora!" He shook her still shoulders. "Sora! Wake up!"

            The orange-haired girl slowly stirred. "Uuuuhh…" She opened her reddish-brown eyes and saw the dull gray sky overhead. "Dull day isn't it?"

            "Are you all right Sora?" Tai asked her. Supporting her back with his hand, he helped her to a sitting position.

            She nodded and winced. "I guess so." She looked up at the sky. "Rats, why didn't I bring Biyomon with me?"

            Tai shrugged and stood up. He immediately regretted it because he felt the dizziness a person usually feels when he or she stands up too fast. "Oooh."

            Agumon blinked his large green eyes at the steadily darkening sky. "I wonder where we are."

            "I think we'd better find the others Agumon. Then we'll figure it all out."

*          *          *

            "Wow, that was weird." Jacob stared at the endless gray ocean in front of him. There seemed nothing else except the same shapeless mass stretching for miles.

            The sound of cracking wood caused him to jump.

            "Sorry. It's only us."

            Jacqueline and Cody appeared out of the trees, shaking their heads. Upamon hopped alongside them. "I thought you were with TK."

            "I was," said Cody. "But we got separated."

            Jacob's face broke into a relieved smile. "I'm glad you guys are all right. Where do you suppose we are?"

            Upamon hopped up to Jacob. "No idea. But I still find it strange that you can come here and not be a Digidestined."

            "You don't need to be a Digidestined to come to this world Upamon. And these children hold some little surprises in store for you," a voice rumbled.

            Cody blinked in shock. "Mr.…Oikawa?"

            Jacob shook his head. "Is that really him? My relative?" He looked up at the gray sky. "Where are you Uncle? I've been searching for answers for so long."

            A small flickering butterfly emerged out of the gray mass, shining and glittering. Its color seemed to appear even more fascinating due to the dead look surrounding them. The butterfly flew over until it was leveled with Jacob's face. 

            "Jacob…I know you somehow. You are…Jiro's son."

            Jacob nodded. "That's right. Are you…Oikawa?"

            The butterfly flashed. Jacob took that as a "yes" and he smiled. "Well…you're a lot…different…from what I expected but I'm glad to finally meet you."

            "As am I," said the butterfly. "Jacob, I need you for a purpose."

            "What sort of purpose?"

            "I know you have often been viewed as different from everyone around you. You know you are not an ordinary boy. Your capacity to see spirits and Digimon in spiritual form has set you apart from normal human beings."

            Jacob nodded once. He knew this. Cody gaped at him in amazement. Jacob had the power to see spirits? This was just like The Sixth Sense!

            "At first you wanted to find me to please your father. Yet you too wanted to find your own true intention in life. You found your mother…she told you that you were to be recognized for who you truly are." The butterfly flashed and shimmered. You heard from Cody that I used to have a Digimon partner and that now I am unable to keep him and cherish him as the friend he is. So I had to find another person to take my place as his partner. It would have been better if I was somehow connected with the person…and if he or she was a child."  

            Cody and Upamon's eyes widened as they realized just what Oikawa was saying. "You mean…"

            "It is clear to me now that I have chosen the right person." Oikawa glittered slightly. "Jacob…you are…the Digidestined of Patience."

            Jacqueline and Cody gasped. "Patience? Digidestined?"

            "I know this seems very sudden for you my young friend. I however, also noticed that you have been seeing Digimon in real life although others cannot see them. This certainly qualifies you as being a Digidestined…as well as your girlfriend."

            Jacob didn't even bother trying to correct Oikawa, as he was too shocked to believe it possible. "Jackie and I…are Digidestined? But…that's impossible!"

            "Impossible as it seems, it was meant to be."

            "But why did it take so long for this to happen? Was I abandoned?"

            Oikawa fluttered his wings. "You weren't abandoned at all Jacob. It's just that I was supposed to become a Digidestined but all that changed when he died. I need someone to care for my Digimon and that someone is you."

            Jacob's shocked gaze gave way to sorrow. "So I'm not really a Digidestined. I'm just your replacement."

            "No. You are more unique than I ever was or ever could be. Patience…you have a crest while I do not. You are the true Digidestined and are meant to have the job same as your friends."

            "But that still doesn't explain me," Jacqueline pointed out. "How can I be a Digidestined? I mean, sure I've seen Digimon when others haven't but I have no connection with the Digimon or you at all. How could this be true?"

            "True, but Jacqueline you are close to the Digidestined and it's obvious you are close to Jacob as well. It is only natural you should receive a Digimon as you do not turn away from new information but rather absorb it and use it. You also possess a quality rarely seen in most girls such as yourself."

            "And that is…?"

            "Innocence. A child may display that quality but he or she does not keep it when on the threshold of growing up. You, on the other hand, are pure of heart, honest, and blameless of any violence or wrongdoing. The Crest of Innocence could belong to no better person."

            Jacqueline fell silent, taking this all in. "Innocence? The Crest of Innocence?"

            "It is time you met your Digimon partners. Take them and assume your roles with goodness and care. I will be watching over you Jacob."

            Two balls of light appeared before their eyes and landed into their hands. When the light faded, they held up what was left. Jacob held a D-3 similar to that of Cody's except that it was orange. Jacqueline's was a rich purple.

            "With these, you are now truly part of the team." The butterfly floated up into the sky. "And now my task is complete…and I must leave you."

            Jacob looked up at him. "Wait…will I ever see you again Uncle?" His eyes were glassy with slight tears. "I've finally found you…and now I'm going to lose you again."

            Oikawa's wings trembled. "You will see me again Jacob. Just look to the Digital World…I am always there…always watching over you…forever…"

            He floated away into the sky until all that could be seen was spark of light. Then he was gone. At the same time, two streaks of light hurtled out of the sky and landed into the dirt in front of Jacob and Jacqueline. The pair stepped back, nervous.

            The light faded away, revealing a small green tomato with black beady eyes and little rosy cheeks. It had no arms and a pair of flat feet. The thing next to it was a small blue tadpole with large black eyes and two webbed hands. It had a flipper and a gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth.

            The two kids leaped back in amazement. Cody shook his head. "Go on. Introduce yourselves to your partners."

            Nervous as they were, Jacob and Jacqueline moved closer to the Digimon.

            "Hi!" the little tomato chirped. "I'm Datirimon! And you must be Jacob."

            Jacob nodded, stunned. He scooped up the green tomato. "So…you're my…"

            "Partner!" Datirimon squealed happily. He leaped up and settled on top of Jacob's head. "You and I are gonna stick together from now on. I hope you're not too picky."

            At this, Jacob had to laugh. "Not really."

            Jacqueline knelt down in front of the tadpole. "Um, so you're supposed to be my partner?"

            The tadpole smiled. "Yup. I'm Otamamon. I've been waiting forever to have a human partner just like Upamon over there."

            The redhead gave him a crooked smile. "Well I hope you're not too disappointed that the Digidestined of Innocence is a girl."

            "I'm not disappointed at all!" Otamamon hopped into her arms. "I'm just happy for a partner. Can I call you Jackie?"

            Jacqueline grinned and cuddled the Digimon to her. "Whatever you want…partner."

Me: Okay, that was kinda short. But oh well. I had to give Jacob and Jacqueline their partners and the true role they play in this fic.

Tai: You still haven't shown how we're gonna rescue Chloe and Kari.

Me: I know. But don't worry. I have it all planned out in here (points at head)

Tai: I'm worried.

Chloe: So am I.

TK: Me too.

Jacob/Jacqueline: Ditto.

Me: (sigh) Oh well.

Alexis: As for my story, are you discontinuing it?

Me: Nooo way. I'm far from being done with yours. It's just that typing duels takes a long time.

Alexis: (crosses arms) I see.

Numbuh 10: And as for ours?

Me: Now yours is updating the fastest so far. But you're far from done too. You and Numbuh 9.

Numbuh 9: I do NOT have a crush on Numbuh 10!

Me: Sure you don't. That's why I put Numbuh 1 in there.

Numbuh 9: What? Oh come here you!

Me: Eeek! (runs away)

Numbuh 5: 10 dollars he beats her up.

Numbuh 4: 15 dollars 'e beats 'er up and drags 'er back 'ere.

Numbuh 2: (shrugs) Done and done.