Author's Note: There are 2 American Cards remaining and one of them is in Los Angeles, California. Which one is it? And…is the other one nearby?


Cards captured so far: Vision, Heat, Vine, Bell, Sleep, Wind, Angel, Sludge, Multiple, Silence, Smoke, Memory, Chain, Fire, Tornado, Earth, Split, and Water


CCS: The American Cards: Part 24


The sun was beginning to set in on Los Angeles, California. Of all the places Sakura Avalon had seen so far, she had never seen anything like Los Angeles. There were so many people around literally every corner. It took her hours just to get into her hotel room. And it was the only place in America where Madison managed to secure a hotel room for four. That was a good thing. It would give them all a chance to make up a game plan.

Sakura sat by the window and looked outside. It was great that Madison found a Holiday Inn right next to the Staples Center, where she knew the next American Card was dwelling. But she also discovered something disturbing. The traffic was tremendous.

"There's a lot of people out there," Sakura pointed out. "There isn't something at the Staples Center tonight, is there?"

"I'm afraid there is," Li sighed. He was looking at today's Los Angeles Times. "The Los Angeles Lakers are in town."

Sakura should have known. There just had to be some kind of complication. And the noise from the traffic was almost deafening. Then…without warning…it stopped. Then a few seconds later, it started up again. That sounded strange…but it looked like no one else noticed.

"They aren't sold out, are they?" Meilin asked, getting back on track.

"I hope not," Madison thought. "Then we'd have to do this the hard way."

"Aren't we always doing things the hard way?" Kero pointed out. "I don't have a problem with disrupting a basketball game if it means capturing one of the last American Cards. The problem is, I want to know what we're up against. There hasn't been anything strange happening since we've arrived."

Unfortunately, Kero was right. There was nothing strange to help indicate to Sakura what American Card was hiding out in Los Angeles, and Sakura wanted to hurry up. As much as she enjoyed traveling across the United States and expanding her horizons, Sakura was quickly becoming very homesick. She missed Japan…and her family.

"We'd better try the box office," Li suggested. They all headed for the door, but noticed Sakura still sitting by the window. "You coming, Sakura?"

Sakura shook off the cobwebs. She was almost out of it. She got to her feet and walked out of the hotel room with her friends.

Carter was driving as fast as he could go. He was driving a cool 100mph on the Interstate 10 in Texas. It was a few days since he had his solid lead. Andre's contact told him that the four kids were headed for Arizona. Since then, things had changed. Johnny had called again, letting Carter know that they were now heading for Los Angeles.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Cole demanded.

Carter peeked at his speedometer. "We're going 100mph. What else do you want? Trust me, we'll get there. It's not like it matters. If they leave, then we'll be the first to know. I got contacts down there."

"They won't leave," Cole said confidently. "I don't think they'll leave Los Angeles."

"How do you know?" Carter asked curiously.

"Call it a gut instinct. But I think they're planning something there. They've just about gone as far as they can go."

Carter just let the conversation end there. He just maintained his speed. If he was lucky, he'd be in California by the next day…or night. This manhunt was coming to a close. He would finally find this threat to national security and help neutralize it. This would END.

The line to get into the Staples Center was incredibly long. A lot of people were waiting to see the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Luckily, they did find tickets earlier in the day and it was a good thing that the Staples Center was within walking distance of the Holiday Inn. The traffic on Figueroa Street hadn't died down at all. It was still jammed…but with the occasional moments of deafening silence, which got Sakura's attention.

Nonetheless, everyone got into the arena and took their seats. As much money as Madison had, there was no way they could get courtside tickets. Those seats were held for the season ticket holders and, of course, the Hollywood celebrities that attended each game. But Sakura could see the court well from her seat about thirty rows above the half-court line.

"These are the world champions?" Meilin asked curiously.

"I never thought I'd get a chance to see another NBA game," Sakura said excitedly. She remembered seeing her first NBA game. It was the season opener between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Sacramento Kings, which was held in Tokyo. Li had gotten her two tickets as a gift.

The teams were introduced and they took the court. Then there was the tip-off, where the already electric Los Angeles crowd erupted. The first two quarters were all the action that was expected from an NBA game. But it wasn't until Kobe Bryant was about to take a three-point shot that things began to get weird.

Kobe jumped for the final shot of the half…and an unusual whistle sounded. He stayed in mid- air…frozen. The crowd became deafeningly quiet. Sakura looked around to see that they were frozen, too. In fact, everyone was static. No one was moving. Not the crowd, the players on the court, not even Meilin or Madison. The only ones moving were Sakura, Li, and Kero. Everything had…

"I knew it!" Sakura shouted, which echoed throughout the arena. "You know what this is, don't you, Li?"

Li nodded. "It's the Stop Card!"

Kero flew up. "It's THAT Stop Card, right there!"

Sakura could see the Stop Card standing by the entrance to the locker room. It was a short ghostly-looking elf with a coach's whistle, which explained the sound Sakura heard. Sakura and Li got out of their seats and made their way down to the court. They passed each frozen security guard and fan and ran towards the Stop Card, who started running at the sight of the Cardcaptors. It ran until it reached a door and went inside. Sakura and Li followed the Stop Card inside that door and heard that same unusual whistle. Then a buzzer sounded.

And Sakura knew what that meant. "You don't think that's…"

"…The end of the half?" Li finished for her. "I'm afraid so."

Kero added to that. "And that means…"

Sakura looked around her and she could tell exactly where she was. This was the Los Angeles Lakers' locker room. So knowing they'd be spotted if they didn't move, Sakura and Li ducked inside the shower room and behind one of the showers. Hopefully, they wouldn't be seen. Then, sure enough, the Lakers stormed into the locker room. There would be no way for Sakura and Li to escape until this brief team meeting was over. And that might be enough time for the Stop Card to escape.

"You see what happens when you two stop fighting?" Coach Phil Jackson demanded of his team. "We're a TEAM! We're not in this for individuals! When we play as a team, that's when we start winning!"

Kobe Bryant looked sourly at his center. "Just know when to give me the ball."

"Don't give me that!" Shaquille O'Neal shot back. "You need to know when to stop being greedy…and remember who wins us games."

"It's not you and your free throw shooting."

"I don't see you doing much. Only 30% from the field."

"That's enough!" the coach snapped. He reached over and gripped the jerseys of his two stars. "I've had it! When are you two…?"

Then the whistle blew again.

Everyone stood frozen…including Phil Jackson, who had Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant by the jerseys. This was the big chance for them to escape. Li took this opportunity to rush out of the locker room, but he looked back through the open door to see Sakura wasn't done. Sakura had something in mind.

"What are you doing?" Li asked. "We have to go!"

"Just a second," Sakura called back. She decided to try something. Sure enough, the limbs of the frozen people could be moved, which was perfect. Sakura released Phil Jackson's grip on his players and put his hands behind his back. Then she moved Shaq and Kobe's right arms and hands until they joined together in a friendly handshake. Sakura giggled at this sight. She wondered if this could really make peace between the two disgruntled stars. When she was finished with that, she ran out to join Li.

"What was that for?" Li asked.

"I'm just trying to help," Sakura grinned.

"Can we help ourselves first?" Kero groaned. "The Stop Card might be long gone by now."

Sakura realized that and signaled to Li. He took out the Lasin Board.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light!"

The Lasin Board's light shot out and pointed…

"It's…behind us!"

Sakura and Li turned around to see the Stop Card standing by a wooden table. They ran after it, but the little elf spilled a container of Gatorade that was sitting on the table right into their path and they slipped. Before she could get up, Sakura could see the Stop Card running back onto the court. When she got up, she took out her key.

"Key of Clow. Power of Magic. Power of Light. Surrender the wand. The force ignite. Release!"

Sakura took her key and, without waiting for Li, followed the Stop Card back onto the court. It wasn't on the offensive, though. Rather, the Stop Card was dribbling a basketball towards a rack full of basketballs. That's when it went on the offensive. It lifted the rack and tossed it towards Sakura.

Sakura quickly defended herself. "Windy! Release!"

The Wind Card blew the approaching rack and all the basketballs that fell out into the air and dropped them behind Sakura.

"Sakura! Watch it!"

Sakura looked back and realized that she almost nailed Li. She was getting frustrated and was beginning to make mistakes. Then she saw the Stop Card jump on top of one of the rims and sit there. Sakura couldn't jump that high.

"You two know what to do, don't you?" Kero pointed out affirmatively.

They did. Li took his position in front of the rim. Sakura took a deep breath and started running towards him. Sakura jumped right into Li, who boosted her up into the air. She was about to collide into the Stop Card…until it blew its whistle. Sakura stopped moving forward. She looked down and saw she was hanging above the ground and when the whistle blew again…she fell.

Li ran up to the fallen Sakura. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Sakura lied. She got up and fiercely looked at the Stop Card, before looking Li in the eye. "It thinks it's so smart. But there's more than one way to stop it."

"What do you have in mind?" Li asked.

"Same plan," Sakura answered. "But with a little twist."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Just get ready to give me a boost again. I'll handle the rest."

Li seemed reluctant, but he took his position again. Sakura took her position at the other side of the court. Only before she ran, she took out a card that would ensure a different result.

"Silence Card! Release!"

The whole arena became silent. Sakura ran towards Li again and as she jumped, he gave her another boost. Sakura was heading straight for the Stop Card again, but when it tried to blow its whistle, there was only silence. Sakura couldn't be stopped this time. She knocked the Stop Card off its perch on top of the rim and they both fell to the ground.

That fall didn't keep the Stop Card down for long, though. It quickly got up and ran off the court and back towards the locker room area, but it forgot about its trap. The Stop Card slipped on the Gatorade it spilled. Sakura knew that she could strike while it was down. She took out the Chain Card.

"Chain Card! Hold it in place! Chain! Release and dispel!"

The Chain Card released a long chain that tied the Stop Card up. It wasn't going anywhere. So Sakura and Li ran up to it and Sakura prepared to finish the job.

"Stop Card! Return to your power confined! Stop Card!"

The Stop Card was finally sealed and everything started to move again. Sakura looked around her and noticed she was standing near the Los Angeles Lakers' locker room again. And they were just starting to come out. They seemingly ignored Sakura and Li, giving them occasional glances as they passed by. Maybe they assumed they were supposed to be there. But Sakura couldn't help but notice that Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, who were also passing by, weren't at each other's throats anymore.

"I know we can put aside our differences for now," Shaq said to Kobe. "We have a game to win."

"Isn't it weird, though?" Kobe asked. "One minute, we were getting yanked over by the coach, and the next…we shook hands. I don't even remember reaching out for a handshake, either."

"That was weird," Shaq admitted. "Frankly, thinking about how it happened makes my head hurt. Let's just go out and win."

Kobe shook his head did his best after-school special impression. "Let's never fight again."

The two stars and the rest of the team passed by. Li and Kero shot Sakura a glance, knowing how that handshake happened. Sakura only shed a bead of sweat and grinned.

"We should find an exit."

"And leave Meilin and Madison?"

Sakura sighed. "I'll call Madison. But it'd be a little awkward to find our seats from here. Let's just find an exit."

The next night, as she sat in the hotel room, Sakura could feel that it was almost over. There was only one American Card remaining. But shortly after leaving the Staples Center, the biggest of all setbacks occurred.

Li asked her again. "You mean the Vision Card didn't show you anything?"

"Nothing," Sakura answered again. "The Vision Card only showed me darkness. It wasn't showing me anything."

Kero tried to put his thoughts in. "Maybe it's just another meaning. It might not be that Vision refused to show you, but it might be that the next card is in a place of darkness. Try it again, Sakura."

Sakura looked at the Vision Card she held in her hand. "Vision! Show me the next American Card! Release!"

The vision came again. Sakura was surrounded by darkness, just as she had seen before. Only this time, she saw light. The vision was starting to become clear now. Sakura looked out to see that she was in a cave. She saw that the light outside led out to a forest. Where was she?

Then Sakura saw another vision. She now found herself just outside the forest. She was on a highway that went through the forest. She then saw the conveniently placed sign.

San Bernardino Forest

Then the vision faded. Sakura saw the eager looks on the faces of her friends. They were awaiting word on what she had seen.

"It's a forest," she finally said. "San Bernardino Forest."

Li peeked at the road map next to him. "That's nearby. About a half-hour drive."

"We'll need to rent a car," Madison added. "We can get one first thing in the morning."

Sakura concurred, but she couldn't help but wonder why Vision wouldn't show her anything in the first place. Shaking that off, she turned on the hotel's TV. The channel was turned to ESPN.

"Earlier today, cameras caught up to Kobe and Shaq and they assured everyone that there was no longer turmoil between the two. They both stated that they had settled any differences and are ready to play as a team. And they attributed it all to a handshake, which they only described as 'transcendental and unworldly'."

Sakura felt proud. Though no one would ever know it, it looked she made an impact in Los Angeles. It would be another in a long list of memories of being in the United States.

But tomorrow, it would all end…hopefully.

Night had fallen. Carter was still driving on the Interstate 10, but he could see the one sign he had been waiting to see.

Los Angeles City Limits

"We're here," Cole growled. "It's about time."

"How do we know they're still here, though?" Carter pointed out. "They might be gone by now."

"That's a risk we'll have to take," Cole muttered. "Find us a hotel. We'll think of our next move tomorrow."

Weeks had passed since this nationwide manhunt began. Carter was itching for this to end. He was getting sick of being around the sour CIA agent. But he also wanted to find out what these four kids had in store that would threaten national security. Carter still wanted answers. And he would get them.

Another twenty minutes passed before Carter remembered an old hotel he stayed in a long time ago. So he got off the freeway, right near the Staples Center, and drove up to a Holiday Inn.

Hopefully, they would have a room, because Carter was tired of driving for so long. He wanted to get to sleep…then think of his next move.


Author's Note: A Holiday Inn? The plot thickens. There's only one card left, but has luck run out? Come back tomorrow and find out.


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