AN: IT'S MONDAY! (wow, can't believe I'm keeping this schedule...) I actually wasn't sure if I would make it today, but my game got canceled, so I got to come home early. Yay!
This is the other longest chapter, and after this it's back to about 1k word chaps again... n.n;;

Chapter 9

Meeting

Carrie Ann woke up to the smell of bacon on Thursday morning. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, glancing over at the electronic clock on the nightstand in between her bed and Cody's. It was almost ten in the morning.

She saw Cody feeding some eggs to his Lulu, and smiled at the affection he showed. He probably wouldn't have acted so sweetly if he had known Carrie Ann was awake and watching.

Then, she heard a voice in her head.

•Protect with your life the Keepers, Guardian.• It was no doubt Latias. She was so much kinder than her big brother, and she genuinely cared. •Trial is up ahead. But with the strength of your Keepers, you shall pursue unscathed.•

Carrie Ann absorbed this, •My Keepers?•

•Of course.• Latias seemed to always say that. •The Guardian gains power from her Keepers. She is vulnerable otherwise. As you humans say, the more, the merrier.•

•I draw power from them? So what about them?•

Latias giggled, •They gain strength from the Guardian. It's all about balance. Just stay together, do not separate yourself from the Keepers. Carrie Ann, I have faith in you.•

That was the first time either of the Eon siblings had called her by her name. And since Latias hadn't used Sight Share, she either didn't want her big brother to know about the conversation, or she didn't want to have to knock out Cody.

Finally, Carrie Ann alerted Cody with her presence. "I smell bacon." She got up out of her bed, letting Amphoria out of her Poke Ball, and headed over to the room service buffet. At the sight of her up and at it, he stopped his cooing towards Lulu and sent that seductive smirk Carrie Ann's way.

Amphy went to eat alongside Lulu, as they conversed in their unique language. "So, when did you start Seeing?" Carrie Ann asked out of curiosity.

"A couple weeks after Manaphy visited me. It started out slow, though, only a couple crawdads here and there showing through their cover, and then I could See any water type. I didn't start Seeing anything else until I got my Riolu." Cody's story was intriguing. Obviously the Keepers Saw differently than the Guardian. "What about you?"

Carrie Ann laughed, "Nothing like you. I didn't start Seeing until I was given my instructions. And I never really saw any animals, since I was on the road. I saw a lady walk into a store, Mom said it was a Chihuahua, but I Saw it as a Growlithe. And then I saw live footage of all those Wingull in Chicago. Other than that, and all the Goldeen and Remoraid and stuff in the creek I followed when I ran away, I haven't really Seen anything. No opportunities, just a Houndoom or Growlithe here and there. My sister's dog is a Poocheyena."

The two ate the rest of their breakfast in silence. Tonight they would meet with the rest of the Others under the Arch in St. Louis. Carrie Ann couldn't wait; she hadn't been to the city since she was five. And she would ride alongside Cody in a convertible Mercedes the whole way there.

"Do you know what a Riolu's cover is?" Carrie Ann wondered.

Cody smirked, he was proud to say he knew. "Its cover is a dog, but because the other dog-like Pokémon walk on four legs, it adapted when it was covered."

"You know," Carrie Ann started, "you don't have to keep your cover on around me."

Cody's cheeks tinted a pale pink. He had been found out, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. "What's wrong, don't like bad boys?"

"No, I do. But I don't like fakers. Just be yourself, you've got nothing to be ashamed of." Carrie Ann's words were sweet, truthful, and Cody smiled. He started to coo his Riolu again, like he had when he thought Carrie Ann was still asleep. A warm smile was on her face as she watched Lulu enjoy the affection.

"Do you even have a license?" Carrie Ann asked, hopping into the Mercedes. The top was open, the sun beating down on the leather interior of the car.

"Nope," Cody said, storing a backpack next to Carrie Ann's laptop in the backseat. Like always, Carrie Ann kept her satchel on her lap, the Soul Dew securely inside.

He was a surprisingly good driver, though, even without lessons or schooling or whatever people called it nowadays. They cruised the interstate to St. Louis, the sun just setting by the time they got there. Carrie Ann insisted she get a photo, so they took the Martin Luther King Jr. bridge, and she snapped a shot with the camera she forgot she had with her until that moment. It was tourist season, and traffic was backed up, leaving the Mercedes in the middle of the back-up. None of the cars had moved in over five minutes, but Cody and Carrie Ann took the inconvenience as a chance to watch the sun set beautifully behind the arch.

And in that last fleeting moment of sunlight, Cody grabbed Carrie Ann's arm, turning her towards him, and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss broke when the light disappeared, both of them breathless at the sparks that surged through their veins. They stared at each other for a minute, and then Carrie Ann leaned forward, her lips meeting his. His tongue grazed along her bottom lip, asking for entry, and she parted her lips to let him in. Their tongues danced, and before they knew it, horns were honking.

The two parted at the sound, but saw the traffic still in place, and Carrie Ann looked around. College-aged people had their heads out of their windows, hooting and hollering, and she couldn't help but blush. Cody just gave the other drivers some thumbs up, and Carrie Ann smacked him across the face, a playful grin on her face. And then they were lip-locked again, tongues dancing, her hand in his hair, his hands on her waist, creeping subtly upward. With her free hand, she smacked his before it got to high, so he decided to cup her cheek and neck with his hands, instead. At the change, Cody felt Carrie Ann smile into the kiss.

Soon, the car horns were going off again, and the guy in the car next to theirs said, "Traffic's movin', lovebirds." The kiss was broken as Cody stepped on the gas, Carrie Ann thanking the guy for the update.

It was ten minutes later when they found a parking space and got out, the top on the Mercedes up, and the two walked hand-in-hand to the base of the Arch. The only bad thing about the meeting was they had no idea what the other Keepers looked like. All they knew was that they were probably in their teens, and would have come alone.

Carrie Ann saw a girl about her age with a messenger bag near the base, texting. Carrie Ann tugged Cody along, and soon they were in front of this girl. "Are you lost or something?" Carrie Ann asked, noting the desperate look on the adolescent's face.

"No." Her voice was soft but sharp. "Waiting for a friend. You know, online dating."

Cody couldn't help but laugh. "Aren't you a little young to be using eHarmony?"

The stranger glared. "Shut up. At least I'm not some pedophile." Cody's strong build and maturity made him look like he was in his mid-twenties, while Carrie Ann still had a youngness about her, matched with her short height, that made her look about ten. "Not everyone you meet online is some forty year old virgin trying to rape you."

Cody let go of Carrie Ann's hand. No one was around; everyone was at the top of the arch. The girl already had her back pressed against the wall, so all he had to do was put his arm across her neck, cutting her air off short. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, but Carrie Ann still heard every word. "I robbed five restaurants last week, so don't do anything rash. You and I both know there isn't any reason to bring a bag like that to a date, so why don't you tell the truth, or I'll empty your bag and figure it out."

Carrie Ann was scared; she hadn't known he was the robber. And here he was, threatening this girl. Carrie Ann tried to hide it, but she was afraid to be near him all of a sudden, even if he was a Keeper. The stranger saw the fear in Carrie Ann's eyes as well, pleading for help. But Cody got irritated by the stranger's silence. He grabbed her hands in his free hand, and took his arm from her neck, picking up the bag from the ground where it had fallen. He flipped it over, the contents spilling out. Berries, a crappy homemade fishing pole, a couple lotion bottles. But the bag still felt heavy.

"Babe, there's some kind of pocket or something," he said, reaching the bag towards Carrie Ann, still focused on the stranger. When no one took the bag from him, he turned his head to see fear paralyzing Carrie Ann.

The restrained girl took his distraction as a chance to get away, kneeing Cody in the nuts. He released his grip on her hands to reach for his crotch, dropping the bag. The girl snatched it up, packing her things as quickly as she could. "I'm calling the police!" she let them know, whipping out her phone.

A bolt of electricity blew it out of her hand. She looked at her unscathed palm in disbelief, and then looked toward the sky, searching for the source.

Carrie Ann came to her senses at the surprise of the bolt as well, and noticed the girl had dropped her bag in her surprise. She grabbed it, digging through all the berries and lotions, trying to find a zipper or pouch or something. She did, and inside it was a wallet, with a trainer ID. Looking back at the girl, Carrie Ann noticed a slight bulge in the girl's jacket pocket.

Looking at the trainer ID, Carrie Ann called out the girl's name. "Stephanie Janson. Nice to meet you too."

Stephanie was alarmed at the sudden sound of her name, and saw Carrie Ann holding her trainer card in between two fingers. "Um, I can explain," she started.

"Don't bother," Carrie Ann cut Stephanie off, "I know you're gonna lie to me anyways." Looking up to the top of the arch, Carrie Ann saw a small silver sphere, slowly descending along the arch as not to draw attention to the boy it was bringing along. She saw a pair of binoculars in Stephanie's bag and looked through them, seeing that the sphere was a Magnemite. It must have been using Magnet Rise to help the brunette boy down. When he reached the ground, the pain in Cody's groin had finally subsided.

The boy's hair was long, down to his shoulders, making him appear as a flat-chested girl due to his small eyes and soft face. Unlike the rest of the group, he wasn't afraid of his Pokémon being seen. Who knew what it appeared as to everyone else. His accent was slightly Latino. "I take it you people are my contacts? A pity you should try to call someone this late in the night, my girl. And you love-birds, it's disgusting how you Americans allow complete strangers to make such rude actions such as jeer at you. Besides, it's disgusting that you do something like that in such a public place anyway."

Carrie Ann just glared at the Spanish boy. He was foreign, so he obviously thought being here was important. A cab came to a stop in the street below, which Cody took notice of as two teenage blondes stepped out of either side, the one wearing heels paying the driver, obviously to sit there as he didn't drive off as the two girls walked up to the arch. One was wearing a blue halter top with silver sequins on it, a long mini-skirt of the same color, and blue wedge shoes with an oak wood heel. The other was wearing a fashionable cabbie hat, a blue-collar shirt with a loosened red plaid tie under a suede blazer, with a cute plaid skirt and silver flats. Bothe had a diamond ring on their right hand's ring finger, and they had their pinkies hooked as they walked up the hill. Although from afar they looked like young adults, they were probably only as old as the rest of the adolescents on the lawn.

The girl in heels spoke first. "I'm missing my yoga class to be here, what is so important?" Her accent was British, not too thick, but not too subtle, either. It was perfect to add to her sexy glory.

The classier of the two spoke next, in that same accent and voice. "Daddy will be wondering why the sudden trip to America. Hurry with it, we plan to stay and can't be keeping our Louis Vuittons in the trunk of that hideous car."

"This is why we never come here, no limousines," the blonde in heels complained.

They were obviously sisters, and by their matching looks, they were twins. Carrie Ann took their plans to stay as an opportunity to find a private location. "Since we're all here, why don't we just go to your hotel?" she asked the blondes. "The rest of us can fit in the Mercedes."

"Fine," the skimpy dressed blonde answered, "but don't stay too long, I don't trust you American strangers."

Carrie Ann and Cody guided the other two to the car, while the twins started toward the hotel. They were staying in one of the most expensive hotels in the city, the Millennium Hotel, and of course the twins were in the penthouse suite. They looked like they came from a rich family.

The six teenagers gathered in the lounge of the twins' suite, which was larger than Carrie Ann's house. Relaxed and in a comfortable room, they all sat in silence.

Carrie Ann decided to lead the 'meeting'.

"We are all here because I contacted you, and I contacted you all because you had been visited to fulfill a prophecy. I take it you all have been met by, own, and see Pokémon. Am I right?" The other kids just nodded, allowing her to continue. "Well, we are the Others. I am the Guardian, in possession of the Soul Dew." Carrie Ann pulled it out of her satchel to prove her point. "So if you all would kindly introduce yourselves. I'm Carrie Ann Harper, and I have a Mareep." She looked over at Cody as if to cue him.

"Oh, I'm Cody Stenzin, I'm the Sea Keeper, and I got a Riolu." Cody spoke as if from a script, his voice flawless, and Carrie Ann couldn't help but smile.

The girl Cody had attacked spoke next, her voice a little shaky. "I'm Stephanie. Janson. And I'm the Sky Keeper. And I have a Surskit." she could hardly spit her words out.

"I," sounded the brunette boy's charming accent, "am Lucas Grayfeild. I have been chosen as the Earth Keeper, with a Magnemite at me side." Now /his/ words sounded Shakespearean, with their elegance.

The twin in the school outfit spoke next. "I am Alice Frasier, of the Frasier family, and this is my sister Caroline. We are the Time and Space Keepers, I with a timely Electrike, and sister with a Zubat."

"Of course," the skimpier dressed twin said, "I get the ugly little bat thing, while Alice gets a dog."

"That's what you get," Alice replied, "for being such a whore." She walked off towards the glass window that surrounded the entire suite, opening the door to the patio that was exclusively for the penthouse suite.

Now that they were all introduced, the teens let out their Pokémon, that mingled and played and relaxed. Caroline served sodas, pouring a glass of champagne for her and her sister, and everyone asked Carrie Ann to see the Soul Dew, which she obliged to.

The twins offered for the group to spend the night, which they all agreed to, and by the time they went to bed, they had learned Lucas was from Mexico, Stephanie was from Vegas, and the twins lived a lavish life in Whales.

The suite was really two stories, with two large bedrooms on the first floor of the room, and a drop-down ladder that led to a second floor with a small lounge and kitchenette, and three other rooms. Each of the rooms had a queen bed and a personal bathroom, as well as a mini fridge.

Stephanie and Lucas went into separate rooms, leaving Carrie Ann and Cody alone in the lounge.

"Looks like I've got you for myself tonight," he said, smirking.

Carrie Ann just glared. "We need to talk. Now." Her voice was not at all playful, and she went into the remaining empty room, Cody following close behind. Their Pokémon had already taken it upon themselves to curl up at the foot of the bed.

"What up, babe?" he asked obliviously.

"What's up is that you lied to me again. You acted like you were some uncaring rebel, but you're really so caring that it's almost disgusting. You told me you worked at some fancy restaurant, but you really got all your money by robbing a couple of restaurants. What else did you lie about, huh? Tell me." Carrie Ann was sweating with rage, straining to keep her voice down.

"I didn't lie," Cody spoke, "about my feelings for you." He walked forward to attempt to wrap his arms around her waist. She moved away from him, her eyes cast downwards.

"No," she said. "You never said anything about feelings-"

"I showed you!" Cody cut her off.

"Shut up! You never said anything about feelings." She was crying now. Crying like a baby that dropped his ice cream. Crying like her mother had in that coffee shop. "How do I know you weren't lying if you never said anything in the first place?"

"Babe," Cody started.

"Don't 'babe' me, Stenzin. We're done. Amphoria," her Pokémon perked up at the sound of her name, and hopped off the bed, the Riolu stirring. "I'm sleeping in the lounge." She walked out of the room, wiping tears from her eyes.

The next morning, Cody was missing. And Carrie Ann's satchel.

CLIFFHANGER!
Looking back, I kinda feel like this chapter went a little too fast, like they just met and then suddenly something bad happens, but at least it's got some length to it!
-I'm jealous of the people that can do, like, 9k words in one chapter, or a one-shot, so yeah...-