A/N: Hello folks, ya boy has returned. Fresh from hitting double figures, we're back with another chapter (although I apologise for the delay in uploading due to revision).
Last chapter featured the climax of the epic battle with Sage Gorm, and marked the occasion of the capture of Looker's third Sage. However, now they have to get Gorm to talk- I don't know about you, but I'm sure that won't be so easy, will it?
Morning of a cool day brought a still sky to Castelia City for the first time in a week, a beautiful, tranquil sea of light blue above the metropolis. The last remnants of the stunning storm that had ravaged Unova, the storm that had emptied the heavens onto the region, had gone. It had been an almighty deluge that flooded ground and turned the grassy routes into swamps- the Moor of Icirrus had become an inland sea, and the Desert Resort had received its first rain in over a hundred years, the oases finally wet again as plants finally started to flourish on their banks.
Looker, freshly rested after the events of the previous day, sat with a mug of his special coffee in one hand, watching out into the drenched city from the downstairs section of Police HQ. At eye level with the roads, he could see how much the storm had done. Castelia Sewers, normally unnoticed, were flooding into the streets. Looker spotted a volunteer street cleaner, a Janitor from the Game Freak building in the city who was busy trying to use a broom to sweep away the puddles, pushing a wall of water akin to a tsunami back down the drains.
"Well, the sports fans aren't going to be very happy," Reece remarked, watching out of the window.
Croagunk turned on Looker's shoulder, looking a little confused. "Croa?"
Reece waved a hand. "All that water out there will have flooded the pitch in Big Stadium, up in Nimbasa. It's the big game today, Nimbasa versus Castelia, and they were expecting big crowds- they won't be able to play in a swamp." He paused. "I had a big bet on Castelia too..."
"Football?" Looker asked. "If it's football, I've become attached to the Sunyshore Lights after my time in Sinnoh."
Reece tutted. "It's not football! Come on, you're in Unova, it's definitely soccer! And you don't even support a decent team…" He was grinning at that bit though. "And it's neither- in Unova, it's Baccer. You know, teams of Pokemon battling against each other to hit a spinning-top ball into a pyramid goal?"
"I know what Baccer is," Looker said patiently. "It's basically 'soccer' anyway. And anyway, shouldn't you be working?
"Shouldn't you?" Reece joked back.
"I am," Looker said, smiling briefly. "I'm waiting."
The Police were finally relaxing, ever just a little bit. After defeating Sage Gorm the day before, they had managed to tie up a few loose ends with the investigation into Team Plasma. While Bastian interviewed Gorm that night, Looker had checked through records, sorted evidence, got Reece's Porygon-Z working on computers looking for more leads to more Sages, and got most Police Pokemon healed at the Pokemon Centre.
He HAD intended to get a search warrant for a warehouse belonging to Gorm's weapons company to see if he was stockpiling weapons for Plasma, but he wasn't able to find this warehouse. In any case, Aurelius had told him it was not worth the hassle, that Gorm's company's lawyers would be hard to break, and that he should focus on the main investigation. Which he was doing...
The door to the interview room slid open a crack, and Bastian popped his head around it. "He's in here now. And ready for you."
Looker nodded, rising, beckoning to Reece as he walked in, nodding to Tash, who was sat in the corner of the room, and then turning to face the other occupant. "Good morning, Sage Gorm. No, please, don't stand."
The Scotsman, who'd made no attempt to rise at all while sat at the table in handcuffs, glowered at Looker. "That bastard Bastian didnae let me sleep! Ai've never been treated like that before- just endless questions!"
"That bastard is my custody officer," Looker said coolly. "His job is to ASK questions, and get answers. And I have a few of my own. Starting with this."
On Looker's nod, Croagunk hopped off his shoulder and placed down a single Pokeball on the table, in front of Gorm's handcuffed hands. "Gunk!"
"Ai was wondering where ye'd put that," Gorm muttered.
"Yes, the locked Pokeball," Looker mused, as if ignoring Gorm. "Submitted into evidence along with the rest of your Pokemon, well, those in one piece still. Plus, may I add, a rather large stun grenade, a pistol with a barrel so big I'm not sure it doesn't actually count as light artillery, and your other personal effects." He prodded the locked Pokeball. "This interests me though. Zinzolin and Ryoku had one like this. What is the meaning of it? What's in it?"
"None of yer business," Gorm said smugly. "And ai've heard of yer wee Croagunk's intimidation tactic. Ai'm not telling ye, even if he bangs the table."
Croagunk, fist raised, lowered it slowly, glaring at Gorm.
Tash tutted, flicking her hair, and tossed the locked Pokeball to Reece, who dropped it with a clang. "Reece, once you've picked that up, return that with the others in evidence, will you? Gorm, anything else you want to say? You've been more cooperative than the other Sages with describing your past..."
"Aye. Ye know then that ai was considering whether to abandon Ghetsis? Ai was still on the fence as to whether to trust Ghetsis or N, ye know?"
"And now?"
"Ai've been hiding out from ye for a while," Gorm chuckled. "Ai think ye know who's side ai'm on."
"On the subject of hiding…" came a voice from the door. The Police all turned to see Hilda framed in the doorway, casually juggling a Pokeball. "Where are your other Sages hiding?"
Gorm shrugged. "Ai wouldnae tell ye if I knew. Ai think ai can roughly guess, but yer still not getting that."
"You Sages really are very unhelpful," Tash sighed. "We caught you, you could at least admit defeat and cooperate."
"Ah, but they aren't defeated, are they?" Looker smiled. "Because they have the Plan, and are apparently ready to commence 'Stage 2'."
Gorm looked very surprised. "Ye know about the Plan?"
Bingo, thought Looker. Now was his chance... "Yes, we know. We caught Zinzolin out talking about it."
"He never was good at keeping secrets," Gorm said, shaking his head.
"Come clean Gorm," Tash urged. "We know everything about it, what you plan to do. You can't hide anything from us." There was silence in the room...
Then Gorm grinned an almighty grin, and started laughing. "Ah, ye lot make me laugh."
"What?" Tash asked, but her carefully painted mask of innocence was failing- her eyes reflected her worry as Looker looked across at her. "What's so funny Gorm?"
Gorm wiped away a tear, still grinning. "Oh ai love it! Zinzolin isnae a fool- he may give away that we have a Plan, but he wouldnae discuss any details of it with anyone, considering all of us Sages know the Plan, and that's what's important."
"He was talking with Ryoku about it," Hilda said desperately.
"Hoots mon, do ye think two of us would idly chat about a masterplan when enemies could be in earshot, when we know what it is? Ai didnae think so too!"
Looker sighed as Reece returned. "Put him back in the cells. Nice try Tash." He turned to Gorm. "Oh, and when you're there, could you ask Ghetsis whether he thinks three Sages in three days is a decent statistic."
Gorm allowed himself to be pulled up, his smirk still wide as Reece led him towards the exit. "Ai'm sure he'll like it. Ye funny man... Ai never even thought for one second that ye knew anything about our wee little Plan. Ye didnae fool me."
"Oh really?" Looker asked, curious.
"Yes! For two reasons. One, if ye knew what we were planning, ye wouldnae have wasted yer time and Bastian's night with that incessant questioning, even when my answers didnae change." Gorm's grin suddenly grew wider. "And two, if ye knew what we were planning, ye wouldnae be hanging around us anymore, or keeping us close. Good day, Looker."
As Gorm was hauled out of the room laughing, Hilda shivered. "What is it with Team Plasma leaders? All of them are creepy old men with creepy old plans..."
Looker sighed, exasperated, but he was also hiding a worry of what Gorm's ominous warning meant. "We never get anything of interest out of these interviews. We try all night long questioning, and it still doesn't work."
"I ain't one to give up, Looker," Bastian said, interrupting. "I reckon they're close to cracking."
"I reckoned that too," Tash said, as Bastian wordlessly sloped off towards the stairs. "And then Gorm happened. I guess I should probably leave the interviews to Looker for a while."
"Croa," Croagunk nodded, not helping her mood. He hopped off Looker's shoulder suddenly and out of Looker's jacket he pulled out two tickets, one of them clearly marked out with the name 'Reece Davis'. "Gunk gunk!"
Looker worked it out quickly, and shook his head "Ha! Nice try, but you and Reece aren't going to the Baccer, even if he has made a bet."
"Croa..."
"Look, it'll probably be cancelled anyway, because of the pitch. And you have work to do anyway." Croagunk fumed, and stomped off to stand by Reece. "Right, all of you, get to work! I'm sure you've got something to do!"
Hilda raised a hand. "Looker, I might have a meeting to attend with someone who may be interested in briefly helping our cause. May I go?"
"Of course." Looker grinned. "Take Croagunk. He needs the fresh air. And what about you Tash?"
"I've got some paperwork to do, stuff to tidy up," she replied. "Bastian's busy negotiating with some lawyers for Gorm's company..."
"Does that man never sleep?" Looker asked, stunned. Even he felt tired on this investigation, even with his energising Victreebel-sap-laced coffee, even with a good night's sleep the night before; how Bastian was coping was beyond him. "He was up all night questioning!"
Tash simply nodded. "It's how he copes with it. So, he's doing that, and Reece will be helping Z with data capture..." She paused. "Want to come with me? Sort some paperwork out? Grab a coffee or something in Cafe Sonata?"
Looker smiled. "You're on." He nodded to Sergeant Forsyth on the front desk, who pulled out Looker's suitcase of disguises from under the desk and handed it to Looker. "I have some of the interview transcripts from before I arrived in here. Aurelius left them for me to look at, so if you're willing to help we can have a look through and see what we can find. We'll be back later, Forsyth."
With that Looker and Tash strode out of the door, heading against the flow of Castelia citizens caught in rush hour towards Cafe Sonata. Paperwork was the least exciting prospect of Police work, far less glamorous than high-speed pursuits and scuffles with Sages, but it needed to be done, and if Looker was going to do it, he was going to get some sense from chaos. And he was going to at least have some food while he did it...
(***)
Unfortunately though for Looker the pile of papers yielded nothing. Through all those interviews, written down in Bastian's scrawl (which proved the most difficult puzzle of the day), Looker had found absolutely nothing in the written transcripts, and it absolutely infuriated him. He felt that he'd been on the top of his game during the Galactic case, and that if he was on that level now he would no doubt have found something in Ghetsis' words that alluded to the Sages' Plan, some little tiny clue that would otherwise pass as an insignificant bit of conversation. It would have been helpful to have audio or video recordings of each interview, to listen for catches in voices, little hints of emotions, but Aurelius had already told him that there was no recorder in that room. Looker had to go on what Bastian had written down, and that alone, and it wasn't working.
"Never mind Looker," Tash said, patting him on the back as they returned to Police HQ, coffee cups in hand, a box of donuts safely tucked under her arm for the team (Looker discovered very early on that his team, much like any other Police team, couldn't resist them). Tash had distracted him a little while he searched, as he learned a little more about her past growing up in Mistaltron City and her reasons behind joining the police, but she'd also helped try to search, and she could see why Looker was frustrated. "We'll find something soon."
Looker sighed. "I hope so. Bastian could at least have written down any suspicious tones of voice he heard, so I had something to go on."
"He probably did. We just can't read his writing."
Looker smiled. "Anyone who can read that deserves to replace Aurelius as Commissioner."
Their laughter was cut short as a figure appeared, running through the automatic doors and coming to a panting stop in front of them. "Looker," it wheezed. "Looker..."
"Sergeant Forsyth?" Tash asked, recognising the croaky, rasping voice. "Are you okay?"
"What's happened Forsyth?" Looker asked, with a little more intuition and tact.
Forsyth gulped, swallowing heavily. "The Commissioner... Come quick... Follow me!"
Looker nodded to Tash, a fleeting look of concern passing over her face, as they followed the hurrying desk sergeant inside. Forsyth normally walked with the aid of a cane, but today appeared to be running unaided with a swaying gait that looked only a touch brittle, and despite his appearance he was deceptively quick. Rather than climb the long flights of stairs, Forsyth made them wait for the notoriously slow elevator (to save his hip, he said) and when in a hurry, the light jingle of elevator music was not helpful. Looker was worrying...
The doors pinged open, sliding back smoothly, but Looker barged in through them as they were semi-open, making them rattle as he took in the scene. "Alright, what's going on here?"
Everybody on the team was up in the Commissioner's office, grouped around the desk where Aurelius worked; even Hilda had returned, although she looked confused. They'd came back along with Croagunk, whose fist was slammed into the desk in typical intimidating fashion. Aurelius, remaining sat down, had backed his chair against the window which he normally watched the city from, and the slightest look of fear flitted across the fat man's otherwise seething face. Bastian looked furious, and Reece was angry; something wasn't right."
"Hi Looker," Bastian said, turning to look at the arrived Detective. "Tash too... Good! You can look at this then!"
"This?" Tash asked, confused. "What's going on?"
Forsyth hobbled to the desk, his pained walk returning. He picked up something from the desk and threw it suddenly through the air to Looker, who caught it, surprised at the weight behind Forsyth's throw. "Somebody's been hiding a secret from all of us."
Looker turned over the object in his hand. It was quite clear it was a glass paperweight, a flat dome shape, and through the clear glass on the base of the dome a picture was visible; a black and white shield with a blue 'P' on it. Turning it over, Looker read a thin image, engraved very lightly on the bottom: 'For your services to the cause of harmony, Thomas Aurelius'.
Finally he looked up. "Explain."
"This is preposterous!" Aurelius exploded suddenly, rising up out of his chair like a Wailord beaching itself. Looker actively took a step back in shock at the sudden anger; he'd not seen this from the Commissioner yet. "Completely insane, an outrage! That is not mine, and I have never seen it before, and I have never been treated like this by an Officer!"
Reece held up a hand. "Looker, when Bastian finished in his meeting with the lawyers of Gorm's company, he went to the evidence locker to meet me, to sort things out from earlier. However, we were missing the locked Pokeball Zinzolin came in with. Then I remembered the Commissioner showing it to us in his office."
"So I went up to get it," Bastian said. "And, well, look what I found in the desk drawer with it."
"And where were you, sir?" Tash asked the Commissioner politely.
"Castelia's Pokemon Centre. Room 12A, to be precise. My mother is in for an operation on her liver, so I was out visiting all morning. And you can check that with the hospital too, if you don't believe me."
"So the office was empty," Looker said, ignoring Aurelius. "And you came in here to Looker, Bastian."
"Hell yeah. That desk has a lotta drawers, so I checked a lot of 'em, and eventually found it amongst all the other paperwork and shit. And then I found this."
"Evidence of his allegiance with Team Plasma," Reece finished, almost snarling at the Commissioner, who glared back.
"Ridiculous," Aurelius replied aggressively. "If I did indeed possess such incriminating evidence, it would not rest in a desk drawer in plain sight of anyone who opened the drawer, while we investigated Team Plasma!"
"I think we need to check the other drawers then, see what else he has in the way of incriminating evidence," Forsyth wheezed, edging forward, Croagunk puffing up his cheek sacs to intimidate Aurelius further.
Hilda pulled him back gently. "No, not yet. I think we should let Looker decide what to do. Looker?"
Looker nodded, silent for a few seconds. Then he spoke quietly. "Let him go."
The room erupted. "Croa GUNK CROA?!" Croagunk yelled angrily, a mixture of anger and confusion on his face, and Bastian looked furious too. The Commissioner looked relieved.
Tash nudged Looker in the ribs. "Looker? What is it? What have you spotted?" Wordlessly, Looker held up the Plasma paperweight to her eye level. "Yeah? And?" Then it hit her. "Oh..."
"Yes," Looker nodded. "Hilda, look at it. Now do you see?"
Craning her necks, the teen got it in a flash. "Ah-ha! Okay!"
"Wait, Looker, tell us, what is it?" Reece asked.
Looker smiled humourlessly. "When looked at, the Team Plasma crest goes from left to right, white to black on the shield. This crest goes from left to right, black to white." He paused. "Don't you see? It's very well made, but it's a fake."
"Ohh..." came the echo around the room, and Forsyth and Bastian looked very small all of a sudden.
Looker nodded. "Sorry, sir, about my team's reaction. They had every right to get wound up, and I actually don't blame them, but this is a fraud. Somebody who has access to your office placed this paperweight, planted it on your desk to make us suspicious of you, to make you appear a villain, perhaps to make you leave. But they failed, with a shoddy job." He turned to face everyone. "Bad news then. There is a traitor in the Police."
This had the typical Police reaction, the reaction Looker expected- the surprised and shocked gasp filled the room, and was followed by the typical round of pointing, where everyone's hands whipped up and pointed accusingly at someone else in the room, so that nobody was left unaccused. The fact that even Looker and Hilda had been pointed at made Looker shake his head in disbelief.
"A traitor... My God, that's horrible," Hilda said, trying to meet Looker's gaze and failing as he stared out of the window. "Who could it be?"
"Well, I trust all of you. I don't think it's any of us, more likely another staff member," Looker announced to the room. This, however, was a lie. Since announcing it was a fake, Looker had narrowed it down to three suspects, reading for tell-tale signs and using what he already knew. He was adamant that somebody in the room had betrayed them for Team Plasma.
Aurelius stood up, shaking his head. "This calls for more action. I'll recall some of the staff from Sinnoh, get them off their search for N and get them back home. It'll be difficult- the detective in charge of that investigation doesn't want to lose any men- but we need the men. They can investigate into this."
Looker nodded. "Right, Croagunk?"
"Croa?"
"Until the Sinnoh team arrive, I want my best partner on this. I want you to go and get fingerprint checks run on that paperweight, and I want that desk swabbed for any DNA evidence, hairs, skin cells, et cetera." Despite the fact this might confuse some of the team as to why a Pokemon was doing their work for them, Looker knew they understood he'd put his partner on the case to not risk any sabotage. He turned to them all." Keep an eye out for any suspicious behaviour in the ranks; anything that draws your attention, anything the least bit weird, report it to me. But DO NOT let this become your main focus. There are still three Sages out there on the loose, including the most powerful battler, the most powerful businessman and the most powerful in the hierarchy. They are very worthy opponents. And we need to catch them as soon as possible."
He clapped his hands, but there was no humour behind the smile on his face. "Well, what are we all standing around for? Let's get back to work!"
With some murmurings between people, the Police trickled out of the Commissioner's office slowly, the slow-as-hell lift making them wait uncomfortably and awkwardly in the office before they could get back to work. Looker smiled though when he saw Bastian and Reece go up to Aurelius and shake hands with him sheepishly by way of apology; he was glad that Aurelius had forgiven them for being reckless.
When the lift doors finally closed and Looker was left alone in the office with Aurelius, he strode up behind the Commissioner's chair, standing behind Aurelius' back as he looked out over the city. "I'm sorry about them, sir."
Aurelius waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine Looker. I'd be angry like that if it was your desk we found the paperweight in. I'm glad your level head didn't fail you, though."
Looker nodded. "Even so, it was unacceptable. Their actions were reckless." He sighed. "And now, not only do we have to catch the three most powerful Sages, we have to find the traitor in our ranks too, and prevent them from causing undue harm."
"Do not worry about it Looker. When the officers return from Sinnoh, I'll get them investigating into it, and personally lead the hunt myself. You stick to what you do best: bringing in the Sages." Aurelius paused. "I take it you have an inkling as to who the traitor might be?"
"I have three suspects in mind," Looker confirmed, not directly naming them. "You're right though sir. I'll leave it up to Croagunk for now, and then whoever comes from Sinnoh."
Aurelius smiled. "Okay then. I think your team are waiting for you downstairs in your team meeting room- I think they'll need some advice. I won't take any more of your time up now, not when you can be chasing down Sages and securing justice in Unova. You're free to go..." He looked up. "Unless there's anything else I can assist you with, of course..."
Looker thought for a moment, then nodded. "There is one thing I want to ask, sir."
"Certainly!"
Looker strode over to his case of wonders, opened it up and placed the box of donuts down on Aurelius' desk, noticing the Commissioner's face light up with glee; Looker knew there was nothing like food to act as an olive branch. "Care for a donut, sir? I recommend the ones with the chocolate glazing, they are divine..."
(***)
A/N: And right about now I have a donut craving. God, I really shouldn't write about food.
Next chapter- some familiar faces make an appearance…
Thanks for reading this, I hope you enjoyed, and I can only apologise for the current delay in uploads; exam season is not ideal. If you're kind enough to review I'll be grateful (for anything that isn't a flame), and if you really want to push the boat out and favourite/follow me or The Chase, your boy will always appreciate it!
For now, ya boy, out.
