Chapter One: Losing Streak

"Not Guilty!"

The judge's gavel was thunderous in Lookers ears as he saw another attempt to convict a crime lord slip through his fingers. This year was slowly becoming one of the worst in Lookers career. Case after case, rotten criminal after rotten criminal were facing Looker from across the courtroom, and they were getting away with it.

Looker cases were in ruins, he couldn't pin anything on them. Last minute evidence was turning up, witnesses were coming from out of nowhere. Looker knew they couldn't be legitimate, and yet, the highest powers in the land were not seeing things Lookers way. He thought for sure this latest case would be the one to break him out of his slump. It was a mere tax evasion charge against a noted crime lord, a man named Giovanni. But then, just as everything looked to be going Lookers way, Giovanni's lawyer produced a document proving Giovanni's innocence. Looker was baffled, he had oversaw the case from day one, sure, it wasn't Giovanni's biggest crime, but at least it would get him off the streets for a while and give Looker a chance to build an even bigger case against him for the murders, the illegal gambling, the organised crime.

But now, that wasn't going to happen. The International Police had been on his back about this case for a while, he promised them a guilty verdict. Now that he had bungled it, he was starting to think his career was on shaky ground. Especially since this wasn't the first case that Looker had failed to put the criminal away. He was on a losing streak, and in the International Police, losing streaks are unheard of. Some cops had been demoted for far less than Lookers current situation. Looker was seeing his career slowly slipping away. And he knew the protocols, he knew they would force an early retirement onto him.

See Giovanni snicker at him from across the courtroom, Looker had to get out of there. Finding a fire door, Looker slipped away from court before anybody could see him, before anybody could confront him about his latest failure. Striding out onto the streets of Viridian City, Looker went straight to the nearest bar from the courthouse. And he drank. Drank like a fish, all day long, wallowing at the bottom of a pint glass. It was unprofessional. It was against every instinct in his bones, against his very moral character. He needed to send his report to his higher ups and he knew it, but after all these defeats, Looker was starting to think maybe early retirement might not be such a bad idea after all.

Back in the day, Looker never would have considered anything other than serving the people for as long as he physically able. Back in the day he was a hero, a minor celebrity, the newspapers would gush over his latest arrests, treat him like he was an action hero, sticking up for the little man, putting the bad guys behind bars, fighting for truth, justice and all that other stuff. Those days seemed a long way away from the career he was looking at now.

After watching the sky was turn dark outside of the barroom window, Looker decided it was finally time to face the music as he stumbled back to the apartment he was saying at in Viridian City. The room gave away his bachelorhood. He had been staying here for the last few months (with the International Police footing the bill, of course) and he had done little to make the place his own. If the walls were painted black the room couldn't be any darker. The once frilly net curtains at the window are thick with over months of grime. The light from the streetlamps struggled to light the room through the curtains. The walls could be any shade at all, Looker couldn't tell, or even remember. A pack of beer was atop the coffee table in front of the bland grey sofa. The fridge freezer was stuffed full of meals for one, there was probably more clothes in the laundry basket than in his wardrobe.

Before he could barely get through the door, his phone rang and he knew exactly who it would be. Anabel, his direct superior at the International Police. Almost thirty years younger than him, a fraction of the time solving crimes, Looker had forgotten more than she would ever know about this job. But still, Looker never held any ill will against the former Frontier Brain, he respected her a lot as a Pokémon Trainer, he just thought the fact she was promoted over him as a higher up in the International Police was little more than a publicity stunt. Nevertheless, he always treated her as he would any other of his bosses, he respected the chain of command. And right now, he was going to get his ass handed to him by his superior. It was fine, he deserved it.

Taking a slow walk, trying not to stumble to the phone hanging on the wall on the opposite side of the room, Looker got his excuses ready. He picked up the phone, cleared his throat and tried to sound sober. "Ah, hello, Anabel, I was just about to call you. My report shall be on its way to you by-"

"Yes, yes, yes, never mind about that. Looker, quickly, turn on the TV, Kanto News One!"

TO BE CONTINUED…