A/N: And here we are, Chapter 2. The first fic ya boy's ever done more than one chapter for- don't worry, there's plenty more to come.
Last time, we saw Looker and Croagunk learn of their new mission- I think it's about time we got them into a new region, don't you? Unova, and the start of Looker's mission to capture the Sages, beckons...
I hope you enjoy!
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Looker's last day in Sinnoh had been quiet, to all intents and purposes; there really was no other way of describing it. No big celebration with all the people he'd met in Sinnoh during his time chasing Galactic, no madcap send-off party with Croagunk. Sure, he'd gone to the pub with Croagunk, just for one last drink, and he'd played his last game in the Game Corner, but Looker had woken up early in the morning looking forward to a new start, in a new region, on a new mission without a Team Galactic Grunt in sight. He'd miss some people in Sinnoh, but it was about time to move on.
Now, after an uneventful flight out of Jubilife, he was here. Unova. He'd arrived at Mistaltron City Airport, the largest airport in Unova and indeed the world, with all the hustle and bustle of a small city backed between the depressing concrete walls, and collected his baggage quietly. Now, he was looking for his ride. LaDieux had said the Unova Police would send someone to collect him especially...
Ah, there. Looker spotted the policeman in the distance across the hall, waiting in the arrivals lobby for him. The man was very young (Looker guessed nineteen, probably a new recruit), and about average height. He wore the standard International Police uniform, immaculately clean, but no hat, which would have obscured his spiked up brown hair. Looker gave him a once over and noticed that despite his medium build, there were the outlines of some serious muscles underneath the uniform; this guy was strong.
"Come on," Looker said to Croagunk, who nodded, and they wheeled their luggage over to the policeman. As Looker got closer, he realised Croagunk was laughing; their lift had made a sign to let Looker know he was there for him, but in his haste the ink had run, and instead of 'Looker', the sign read 'Hooker'.
As yet another passenger shot a disgusted look at the Policeman to his bewilderment, Looker cleared his throat, and the Policeman spun around, looking at Looker with startling orange eyes unlike anything the Detective had ever seen before dashing forward.
"Ah! You're Detective Looker!" he said warmly, offering his hand. "Welcome to Unova!"
Looker shook his hand, noting the strength of the grip. "Thank you. Yes, I am Detective Looker." He produced his ID, just to prove it. "And this here's Croagunk." Croagunk nodded at the policeman. "And you are..."
The policeman saluted with one hand and gave Looker his ID with the other. "Officer Reece Davis sir! The Commissioner sent me to come get you and bring you to Castelia HQ for briefing."
"Officer Davis," Looker said, scrutinising the ID, "this says you're eighteen."
Another salute. "I'd prefer Reece sir, if that's all the same to you. And it's okay to be confused sir; in Unova, you can join the Police at sixteen."
"Ah," Looker nodded, understanding. "Of course, I forgot that the entry requirements differ between regions. Thank you, Reece. Now, shall we head to Castelia?"
"Right away sir!" Salute.
Looker sighed. "Reece, please stop with the sir. I'd prefer Looker. And you don't have to salute every time."
"No problem!" As they walked towards the exit, Reece continued, "Say, do you know why people are looking at me in a funny way? Do people in Sinnoh not like the Police or something?"
Croagunk smiled, before flipping Reece's sign around so he could see how his ink had run.
Reece grinned sheepishly. "Oh whoops! Not the best sign to carry around!" He threw it in a bin, and looked embarrassed, much to Croagunk's enjoyment.
By now they had reached Reece's car, a Police liveried Lincoln Towncar. Croagunk bundled the luggage into the boot, before he slid into the back seat and fell asleep to recover from the flight, while the humans got in the front and Reece drove the Towncar away from the airport.
The drive took an hour, thanks to Reece flicking the siren on and cutting through the traffic at speed (not strictly within regulation, Looker noted, but he wouldn't complain), and it was very interesting to Looker. For starters, he got to see a huge amount of Unova, and realised how varied the region was. Reece's route took him past the Chargestone Cave, which Reece said had 'huge fluctuating magnetic fields that mess the place up', and into Driftveil City, the bustling industrial port city and one of the few places he knew something about. The Driftveil Drawbridge was swung open for the Police car, and after passing through windswept meadows they passed through the vibrant Nimbasa City, and south through the hot deserts of Route 4 into Castelia. Such variety in Unova blew Looker away, quietly impressed in the passenger seat.
Looker got out and ate his packed lunch as the world flew by- he always brought one with him everywhere- and he chatted with Reece to pass the time, mostly about Looker's mission to stop Team Galactic in Sinnoh, which Reece was hugely impressed by. He in turn gave Looker quite a lot of valuable information; little titbits about landmarks they passed, and concise histories of each city they went through. Plus, he helped Looker recognise several of the Unovan species of Pokemon they passed on their journey- by the end of it Looker could identify Sandile, Swanna, Deerling, and a few more from his car window, and was starting to expand his knowledge with a Pokedex Reece owned.
"Here we are," Reece called out suddenly, waking Croagunk. "Castelia City."
As Looker and Croagunk stared in silent awe out of the car window, the towers loomed everywhere, piercing shards of metal and glass that rose into the clouds, high above the rest of the metropolis. The streets were packed with cars and commuters, yet somehow through the busy throng of people the Police Towncar made it to a nondescript tower in the midst of a cluster of skyscrapers in the inner city. It was, at only ten storeys high, dwarfed by the others, and looked like a normal office block, but this was the HQ of the Unova Police; this was home sweet home for Looker's investigation.
Getting out of the Towncar, Looker and Croagunk followed Reece inside the glass automatic doors, where they were greeted by a wizened old desk sergeant whose name badge read 'Forsyth'.
Reece saluted. "Sergeant Forsyth sir! Brought Detective Looker here to meet the Commissioner, sir!"
"Eh, what?" croaked the old man Forsyth, standing up to squint at Looker and Croagunk through misty grey eyes, before he remembered. "Ah yes, Looker! Right this way if you please."
Croagunk mock-saluted, and Looker kicked out at him for his sarcasm as Forsyth showed them to an elevator.
"All the way up," said Reece as the lift doors slid shut. "The Commissioner's office is floor 10."
"What's it like here?"
"Not bad. We're close to a few of the good local restaurants, and we are very successful here when we get a case..."
"I sense a 'but' here, Reece."
"Yeah. There really aren't that many cases, despite us being the centre of Police in Unova. Plus, the Police gets about half the funding of the Fire Brigade and the Rangers, when you add it up, so we're very short staffed."
"You're about five foot nine, I wouldn't call that short."
"Ha!"
The lift doors slid open as the bell pinged, and Looker let Reece lead the way. Three Police officers in a line saluted him as he came in, following Reece to a desk in the middle of the room with the sign 'Commissioner of Unova' on it, and the swivel chair behind it turned...
Thomas Aurelius, Police Commissioner for Unova, sprawled in his reclining office chair, a very large man with a very large gut. He was completely bald, with blue eyes that peered at Looker over wire-rimmed glasses, and idly played with a broken bit of the armrest as he stared.
Looker saluted, after a moment's awkward pause, and handed over his ID. "Detective Looker, sir. Sent by the International Police to take over the Seven Sages case."
"Hm," Aurelius grunted, looking at the ID. "Do you have a first name, Looker?"
Looker shook his head- this happened every time he had to introduce himself. "No sir. My real parents called me Looker before I was orphaned. The adoption agency didn't tell me their surname, and I didn't want my foster surname. So I stuck with just Looker."
"How peculiar. Well, I suppose that explains it. Anyway, welcome to Unova, Detective. This is now your assignment, your jurisdiction, your job to get this done. I'll introduce you to your team and brief you, then you can begin."
He pointed at Reece, not getting out of his chair. "You already know Officer Davis. Our youngest recruit, he's a jack of all trades, master of none. He's pretty new to this, so teach him well. And of course, you've met our desk sergeant Forsyth, the man in charge of admin."
Aurelius moved on to a raven-haired Chinese girl, whose big black eyes were framed by big black-rimmed specs and a shy smile. She didn't look the loudest, or most confident, but she oozed intelligence. "This is Corporal Maeda. She's our strongest Pokemon battler, not through brawn, but through brains." She smiled at Looker.
Next came a very muscly, towering man, who looked older than Looker. He had a rugged face, oddly coloured messy hair that almost appeared light blue in the light, and small eyes set deep into his skull; with the strain of the muscles under his uniform and the fierce determined look he appeared to wear, Looker made a mental note to keep in his good books. "This is Corporal Schulz, our interrogation officer, aid to prosecuting lawyers, and is a strong physical presence to boot." Schulz nodded, somewhat curtly.
Finally, Aurelius introduced a blonde haired woman, the same age as Looker, whose blue eyes were deep and intense, and who looked athletic; she wasn't quite a coiled spring, but she looked smart, and incredibly capable. "And finally, Sergeant Farrell, our expert in pursuit tactics. Farrell can drive anything, fly anything, repair anything and is a well-rounded Officer to lead your team. Use her well."
"And this is it?" asked Looker.
"You'll have about eight to ten standard foot officers you can direct in absolute emergencies, like clean-up operations, but I can spare no more. I'm sorry, but after the recent events with Team Plasma, Unova is in uproar. It's a tough job to keep the peace everywhere, but to make up for it here you have my finest, elite officers." Looker nodded, understanding. "Now, onto business. I take it you know all about the Sages?"
"Inspector LaDieux gave me a report to read on the way here about what their role is, but I'm unclear as to who exactly they are."
Aurelius huffed. "Very well, a quick presentation is needed. Sergeant Farrell, the projector please."
The room lights flickered and the wall behind the Commissioner was suddenly covered with the picture of a Japanese old man, wearing a brown business suit, a green tie and a scowl. "As you know, there are seven Sages in Team Plasma, six of whom are on the run. This is one of them, Sage Ryoku. Sergeant Farrell will take you through now."
Sergeant Farrell stepped forward, looking a little shocked to be called up to talk without prior warning. "Thanks, sir. So yes, Ichiri Ryoku, Kantonese, born in Celadon City. A very well spoken man, and a rich one, and his surname, which means emerald green, corresponds with the two types he is a master of..."
Looker realised he was being tested. "Bug and Grass?"
"Very good! Ryoku made a lot of money by being one of the founding fathers of Game Freak, who have now spread throughout the Pokemon world, before turning to Plasma."
A new picture showed another brown suited old man, this one with very pale skin, a blue tie, and traces of ginger left in his hair/moustache. "This is Sage Alastair Gorm, of Snowpoint City in Sinnoh. He has what I can only describe as a strong Scottish accent, and specialises in Water, Ice and Flying types. Investigations lead us to believe that Gorm is CEO of Clan McCullen Inc, the largest weapons manufacturers in the world."
"Really?" asked Looker.
"Mmm. And he's not the only prominent businessman in the Sages." The next slide showed another pale skinned old man, with deep black eyes and a huge Kaiser moustache, to go with a brown tie. "Sage Heinrich Bronius, a Unova native from Driftveil City and a Rock, Ground and Steel type specialist. He owns a huge business empire, starting with mines in Driftveil, Oreburgh Mine in Sinnoh, Iron Island in Sinnoh, and Fuego Ironworks in Sinnoh. Plus, Bronius owns Subterra Inc, producer of three quarters of the worlds' digging equipment, is a huge benefactor to archaeological expeditions worldwide, and funded the Pewter City and Oreburgh City Museums."
"These Sages are big business," interrupted Aurelius. "Now you see why we have to keep the identities of the men we're hunting a secret from the general public until we capture all of them. As much as I would love to put out 'have you seen this man' posters, if we name these gentlemen, the public outcry will be huge and beyond Unova."
"He owns all of that?" Looker said, still reeling a little and unable to believe it.
"I'm afraid so. Sergeant Farrell, continue please."
"Yes sir." A new slide showed a red-tied old man with a normal face; in fact, you'd have easily passed him by without a second glance. "This is Sage Willem Rood, of Mauville City in Hoenn. He is a tricky customer, specialising in Fire and Dragon types, and oddly is the only Sage who hasn't earned their money- Rood comes from a Hoennese family of noble heritage."
The slide switched to a new old man, thin moustached, purple-tied. What made him stand out was his eyes; close together, narrowed, looking suspiciously at the camera. He looked EVIL. "Sage Francois Zinzolin, French accented, from Hearthome City, Sinnoh. I believe you're familiar with Fantina, who is a distant relative, and part of the same family originally from the far-off Kalos region. Zinzolin is a specialist of Poison, Psychic, Ghost AND Dark type Pokemon, plus has a reputation as a ferocious banker and property broker. He is not to be messed with."
The final slide showed a younger (yet still old), more tanned man. "And finally, Sage Alessandro Giallo, from Goldenrod City Johto. He specialises in Electric and Fighting type Pokemon, and if you ask me is perhaps strongest of all the Sages. When Johto tried and failed to get its own independent Pokemon League, so they wouldn't have to use Kanto's, Giallo was on the cards to be their Champion. That's how strong he is. And that's your lot. The Sages, of Team Plasma."
The screen faded to black, leaving Looker to take it all in. There was a mammoth task ahead of him if he was to capture all of the Sages, all six of the strong, powerful businessmen. This didn't look like the easy mission that LaDieux promised him.
Aurelius interrupted his train of thought. "I know what you're thinking, there's only six of these Seven Sages on the screen. We have the seventh Sage, the ringleader in custody."
"Ghetsis Harmonia," Looker said, remembering the details from the chilling report he had been reading on the flight. "LaDieux told me all about him. The true architect of the Team Plasma coup."
"Indeed. We're waiting to capture the other Sages before we bring Ghetsis to a full trial; maybe one of them will cave under pressure and drop him in it. I think at some point soon, though, you should all go and see him, see if you can get anything out of him that we haven't been able to. Plus, it'll give you a chance to meet your team, and your team a chance to meet you."
"You sure, sir? Don't want us to get stuck in with the intel?" Corporal Maeda asked, frowning, her voice soft.
"Go and see Ghetsis." Aurelius insisted, ushering Looker and his new team hastily towards the lift. "I have important business. I'll see you later, Detective."
As the lift doors pinged shut slowly, Croagunk frowned.
"Well, that was rude," said Reece, the others sniggering.
Looker turned, smiling. "I take it I'm not surrounded by fans of the Commissioner?" More laughs.
"He's an idiot," said Reece. "Doesn't know how to treat people, and he's very selfish."
It was Looker's turn to frown. "Well, I'll bear it in mind, but I've only just met the man; I'd prefer not to jump to conclusions. Anyway, nice to meet you, team. Please call me Looker, not sir. The rank-calling gets wearing after a while, so I'd prefer to call you by first names."
The blonde woman, Sergeant Farrell, smiled. "So would I. Tash, please."
Corporal Schulz shook his hand, smiling. "Bastian," he said thickly, nearly crushing Looker's hand in a bear paw. "I've heard all 'bout you an' Team Galactic! It's an honour!"
Looker smiled modestly. "My pleasure."
Corporal Maeda came last. "I'm Anna," she said, and Looker realised her soft and quiet voice carried a hint of a lisp. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," said Looker. "I already know you, Reece," at this Reece smiled, "and everyone, this is Croagunk, my partner in crime investigation."
Croagunk threw a wave. "Gunk!"
Looker sighed. "This lift does take forever..."
"Tell me about it," said Tash. "We keep telling the Commissioner we need a new one, but he always ignores us."
"If you ask me, I hate him," spat Bastian. "If it wasn't for the fact I can't get 'nother job in Unova, I'd leave. He's selfish, arrogant, and treats us like dirt!"
The others nodded. "You know," Anna piped up timidly, "I wonder why he wants us to spend all day doing something we've done three times this week already. Surely we'd be better off getting stuck in straight away?"
"Yeah," said Reece. "And why he wanted us out of his office so urgently is odd too. What's his urgent business?"
"Ah well," Looker chimed in, not wanting the team to get too carried away, although he also made a mental note to ask that question himself. "It's slightly odd, but never mind. Let's go see Ghetsis, to keep him happy. And I tell you what, if we make it quick with Ghetsis, then I'll take you all out for coffee and donuts, on me- I'm feeling generous. Sound good?"
Croagunk nodded fervently and the others chorused 'Yeah!'. It sounded like a good plan; Looker and the team could get to know each other, and Looker could be further enlightened on Team Plasma. He had realised very quickly as he was briefed that he would need to discuss a lot more with them to be brought up to speed with exactly everything that had been happening in Unova, everything that had happened since Team Plasma had reared their head. But first, an interview with Ghetsis Harmonia beckoned...
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A/N: So that's the dream team! Reece is not my OC, like the others, but belongs to author smash619. Since Smash won a competition to have an OC in this story on my last account, I intend to honour that here. It wouldn't feel right to do otherwise.
Next chapter- the big bad boss (no, not me), Ghetsis…
Any reviews (constructive criticism to glowing praise) are always appreciated, as are favourites and follows, but above all else, thanks for reading!
Until next time, ya boy, out.
