Author's Note: Since I've finally finished with my early round of applications, I figured I had enough time to whip up a few chapters for my stories. Not much of an exciting chapter this time around, but there are a few developments in this chapter. So, enjoy the chapter!
As he stepped into the unassuming building that housed the new headquarters of the International Police, Looker wondered to himself how he had managed to get into his current position. He had certainly undertaken many cases, but his most recent investigation of Team Galactic was definitely the most important one had ever done. It certainly wasn't everyday a guy had to deal with a group that could have actually destroyed and reshaped the entire universe. He chuckled at how absurd that thought sounded, but his superiors knew the gravity of the situation and of how he had handled it, providing guidance to that young Trainer who, along with Cynthia, managed to defeat their leader. He himself saw to it that Team Galactic would not live on to continue its terror, learning from the organization's mistake in not actively pursuing the members of Team Rocket after they had disbanded for the first time.
The sound of the elevator broke his train of thought, and a familiar face greeted him. "Good morning, Looker," she said.
"The same to you, Officer Jenny." He always wondered why so many of the people in the force happened to be from the same family. Of course, few of them were actually named Jenny, but it was much easier for citizens to think that they were all the same person so that they would have a solid figure to look up to.
He walked towards his office, silently hoping that something would happen that would allow him to get out of it and get back into the field where he was truly in his element. He didn't expect it to happen so quickly though. A strange noise enveloped the entire building, and he looked up to try and find the source. What he found was a blue police box appearing out of thin air. For a moment, no one in the building moved, except for those who were so dedicated that they had blocked out the noise entirely. All he knew was that this would not be an ordinary day. His suspicion was confirmed as a strange man exited the box, clad with a tweed jacket and a bowtie.
"And we're here!" the Doctor announced as the landing noises of the TARDIS sounded. Not used to the way the box travelled, Piplup, Manaphy, and Bidoof lurched forward as they landed. The Doctor ran to the front door before turning back to caution his passengers. "Just remember, and I mean it, don't wander off. It's going to be hard to get these people to cooperate with us if we're all over the place. Stay close to me, and, whatever you do, don't wander off."
As he turned to open the doors, Amy nudged Piplup. "Oh, don't worry. We are definitely going to wander off. It's the only way things get done around here."
He nodded, happy that she had the right spirit about this sort of thing. Every instinct inside him told him that he just had to explore this whole new region of the world where humans and Pokémon actively interacted. He was wary of any like that mysterious group, but he decided to hope that enough people were like Amy and Rory.
The Doctor stepped through, soon followed by Amy and Rory before Piplup, Manaphy, and Bidoof finally went through. They found themselves in a structure that was very well lit, making them assume at first that the destination was in an abnormally bright location. However, Amy and Rory quickly noticed that there were no windows in the place, indicating that they might be underground. Looking around, they saw that there were many people dressed in blue uniforms. Strangely enough, most of them seemed to be women who looked completely identical, each having the same face, the same hairstyle, and the same eye color. They realized that most of them were staring dumbfounded at the TARDIS, but there were a few who were continuing to work.
Amy and Rory soon found the Doctor, who seemed to be interrogated by a man in a brown overcoat. He seemed to also be wearing a dark brown suit and a white dress shirt within the overcoat. The man was wearing a purple tie and had black leather shoes. He seemed to be fuming at the Doctor, perhaps because he wasn't giving any straight answers to whatever questions the man had. As they got closer, their voices became more audible.
"And I'm not buying your alibi!" the man practically screamed. "You don't even have proper identification!"
"Of course I do!" the Doctor retorted. He pulled out something from his pocket. "See? I'm the head of an experimental means of transportation, known by my alias: the Doctor."
"That's some old guy's library card!"
The Doctor frowned as he looked at the card. "Ah…yes, I forgot to get rid of this old thing…." He promptly tossed it into a waste basket nearby and took out his psychic paper. "There you are: me, the Doctor. UNIT's scientific advisor, ready to help whenever I can."
The man took a look at what he thought were legitimate credentials and sighed. "Alright, alright. It's just a bit suspicious for that box to just appear out of thin air right inside our headquarters."
"Well, I wasn't aiming for anywhere in particular, but at least it's a place with air in it. Speaking of which, where is this place?"
"You are in the Sinnoh headquarters of the International Police. My name…no, my code name is Looker. I have seen many cases, some of which threatened to destroy the balance of the world."
"Balance of the world, eh? Sounds like a tough job to keep the eccentric ones in check." He knew very well of the task, but he wanted to see how the man felt about his role.
"Yeah, it is a tough job, but I get to travel to so many different places and meet many people along the way." He didn't notice the Doctor smile at that response. "I remember these kids I met while I was investigating the activities of Team Galactic…"
The Doctor grimaced as Looker went on about some children who probably had no stake whatsoever in the homeland of Piplup, Manaphy, and Bidoof. Amy and Rory turned their attention to the Pokémon. They seemed to be gathered around some sort of facility with various other Pokémon. As they approached them, it seemed to them like there were many different rooms with different environments. Bidoof appeared to be relaxing in a meadow-like environment along with many Grass type Pokémon and several other miscellaneous ones. Manaphy seemed to be at peace in an ocean, swimming by schools of Remoraid and several other Water type Pokémon. Evidently, both of them had decided to explore the facility and found places suited to them.
Piplup did not seem to follow that idea. They saw that he was busy talking to a Growlithe in a mountainous terrain. They approached them to overhear their conversation. "What are the people like here?" they heard Piplup ask.
"Oh, they're very nice," the Growlithe said. "They make sure we're all treated well so we can do our job."
"Which would be?"
"Capturing criminals all over. We mostly deal with the more dangerous forces in the world, including Team Rocket, Team Aqua, Team Magma, and, most recently, Team Galactic. Each had their own aims, from criminal mischief to benevolent intentions to flat out trying to take over the world. Sometimes, it feels like there are so many villainous people in the world, you know?"
Piplup didn't respond immediately, prompting Growlithe to continue. "Of course, there are also so many other times when we feel the impact of the good in humanity. I remember meeting this one boy who helped me out when I accidentally got caught in a trap. He nursed me back to health and made sure I was safe. And then there was this girl…"
As Growlithe reminisced, Piplup's tension slowly dissipated. By the way the Pokémon in front of him was talking about humans, they obviously were not all like that woman or her cohorts. The men and women here performed the same duties that Magnezone, the Magnemite, and, on occasion, exploration teams like his own did. It seemed to him that maybe, just maybe, humans and Pokémon were very much alike. Feeling very much at peace, he slowly nodded off as Growlithe continued to talk.
Dialga woke up, wondering who the new arrival in Temporal Tower was. It had been so long since Piplup and Chimchar had come to stop him from destroying it and preserved the flow of time. He wondered what they might want with him, assuming it was them. He had no reason to believe otherwise; the Hidden Land was safeguarded against all outsiders, save the Chosen Ones.
Indeed, he was correct as he saw the familiar figure of Chimchar appear. "Ah, Chimchar," he greeted. "To what do I owe this pleasure of seeing you again?" When he didn't get a response, he wondered what was going on. "…Chimchar? What's wrong?"
He studied his eyes more closely and saw the purple that had overtaken them entirely. This was certainly not a good sign. Without further warning, Chimchar unleashed an attack that caught him completely off-guard: Blast Burn. As he took the impact of the powerful attack, he wondered how it was possible that he had learned the move that he couldn't have possibly learned naturally.
He opened his eyes to find that Chimchar had disappeared. He hurriedly scanned the area before belatedly realizing the rumbling from beneath him. Chimchar emerged and dealt a damaging Dig attack. Dialga grimaced and attacked with the Roar of Time, sending Chimchar flying into a column but draining him of much of his power at the same time. With one eye open, he saw Chimchar unleash another powerful Blast Burn, sapping him of the last of his strength.
Chimchar took out something that was hidden in his scarf. It was a small machine that quickly activated, triggering a hologram of a woman. "Hello, Dialga. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. A pity we couldn't meet face-to-face, though."
Although he was in great pain, he still managed to growl at the human. "You…how did you do this…?"
The woman simply laughed. "Oh, if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?"
Dialga was stunned. He didn't expect her to be able to understand him, but she had given him a direct response. How in the world had this human learned how to understand the language of Pokémon?
Again, the woman chuckled ominously. "Oh, so many things to wonder. How I would be able to learn about these lands in the first place, how I would be able to find and control one of your so-called Chosen Ones, what I plan to do now…and yet you were stuck on the fact that I could comprehend what you said." A maniacal laughter this time, one that caused even Dialga to instinctively shudder. "So much power that isn't used at all…imagine what could be done with all the power you possess magnified tenfold."
A purple gas came out of the machine and spread in Dialga's direction. Unable to resist it, Dialga heard one last thing before blacking out. "This is only the beginning. Know that your power shall be put to a worthy cause. Mine."
"Gah!" Piplup awoke suddenly, not realizing that sweat had appeared on his forehead. Whatever their plot was, it had to be happening fast. Hadn't it only been a little while ago when Chimchar had been captured? They had managed to defeat Dialga, but how did they even know where to look for him? The Dimensional Scream was acting up more than it had in months without any touch-based stimulus, but, with each vision that passed, he had more questions than answers.
"Oi! Are you okay?" He turned to see Amy, Rory, and Growlithe looking over him.
"You fell asleep while I was talking!" Growlithe said. "At first, I was rather offended, but you started turning and murmuring about something really bad. You were breaking out into a sweat, and you really got us worried!"
"I'm fine," he sheepishly answered. "It was just another vision from the Dimensional Scream. Whatever is happening is happening fast."
He briefly summarized what he had seen to the three. "That definitely isn't good," Rory said. "Come on, Amy. We should go find the Doctor."
She nodded. "Hey, can you make sure our friend here is all right? He still looks a bit shaken."
"Of course," came the prompt reply. "He'll be all better by the time you get back."
Assured that Piplup would be all right, Amy and Rory tried to find the Doctor again. When they found him, they knew that he was very bored at whatever Looker had been describing. He was practically asleep while the other man kept rambling, something the two weren't used to seeing since it was the Doctor who usually rambled on and on. "Anyways, they were some very nice people, unlike some of the other thugs I had to deal with in Sinnoh."
"Others?" the Doctor asked, his eyes lighting up at the potential for changing the subject to something more interesting than a group of children, regardless of the circumstances. "What do you mean?"
"Team Galactic wasn't the only group causing trouble in Sinnoh. There was this group of bounty hunters that committed various atrocities in the region. Perhaps their most sinister plot was when they sought to steal people's Pokémon, turn them into statues, and sell them to wealthy clientele."
The Doctor sighed. "Always greed with people like these, isn't there?"
The man nodded and continued. "Of course, they would take whatever jobs were profitable. They even had a hand in helping Team Galactic in its plot to reshape the universe. They had managed to capture the legendary beings of willpower, emotions, and intelligence: Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie. Team Galactic was able to harness that power and create an item called the Red Chain. They used it to attempt to summon and control the legendary Pokémon of time and space: Dialga and Palkia. They would have succeeded if it weren't for the efforts of two Pokémon trainers, each the Champion of this region's Pokémon League."
Sensing that the man was getting seriously off-topic, the Doctor attempted to direct the conversation back to what he wanted to know about. "Just curious, what about that group of bounty hunters? They couldn't have just disappeared while the universe was in danger."
"Actually, they sort of did. After the Lake Guardians were captured, the helicopter carrying their leader was shot down into Lake Valor by the Future Sight attack Mesprit and Uxie managed to pull off. With their leader presumed dead, the group's activities immediately ceased, and no one has heard of any actions by either the original members or any copycats."
"I'm just wondering, since part of my job involves investigating criminal actions, what the leader of this group looked like."
Looker suddenly frowned. "You know…you've been asking a lot of questions, but I know next to nothing about you."
"Ah, of course. Let me just say I'm a friend. I try not to meddle in the affairs of other people, but, when there are children crying, I have to get involved. I seek peace where there is war, and I shoulder the burdens of many so that they don't have to. I've done many things I've ended up regretting, but I don't think I'll ever stop doing so until I'm dead because everything I do I do to help others."
Looker processed his words for a moment before nodding. "Hm…you know, I respect you for that. It's weird…you sort of remind me of me."
The Doctor chuckled, realizing how similar the man in front of him was to his previous incarnation. "Likewise," he simply stated.
Looker led the way to his office, the Doctor, Amy, and Rory following. As he looked back, he became aware of the two Pokémon behind him. "Hm? Where did these two come from?"
"Oh, I brought them along with me. Just wanted to show them around and have a good time, although that usually leads us straight into trouble."
He decided to let the matter slide and went to his computer. He soon pulled up a picture of the leader of the bounty hunters. "Here we are," he said. "Previously Sinnoh's #1 most wanted criminal: Hunter J." The Doctor analyzed the woman, clad in a purple uniform similar to one of the men that had been on that aircraft. She matched the description he had been given of the woman who had been terrorizing the Pokémon in that isolated part of the world. He turned to Amy and Rory, and their solemn stares at the picture confirmed his conjecture.
"That woman is not dead," he said.
"What?"
"She's been hiding away, biding her time for something big."
"How could she possibly be alive? Her helicopter crashed into a lake and exploded."
"I don't know yet, but I do know that these two have seen what she's done. She's somehow gained control of a very powerful Pokémon called Darkrai. I think she's after more. For what reason, I don't know yet, but it can't be anything good." Amy tugged at his legs, motioning him to follow her. "Oh, um…excuse me for a moment." He and Rory followed her out to a place where no one else was watching. "Is there something wrong, Amy?"
"Doctor," she told him, "Piplup had another one of those visions. He said that the woman now had Dialga under her control."
"Hm…that would put the power of time in her hands. It sounds like she's taking her own approach to finish what this Team Galactic started. It's very likely that she's going to go after the guardian of space in this realm, Palkia…" A sudden realization crossed the Doctor's face, and he grinned. "Oh! But that's it!"
"Sorry…what?" Rory asked.
"Don't you see? Still not sure about the big picture, but it's very clear that there's something about the idea of reshaping the world using the incarnate powers of time and space that she likes. Therefore, we know her next target. If we can get there before she does, we have the chance to stop her before things get any worse."
"Well, where would we find this Palkia?" Amy asked.
"We ask around." He promptly rushed backed into Looker's office. "Sorry about the wait. I was just thinking about something that might help capture her. Do you have any idea where Palkia could be right now?"
"That question seems to be a bit random. How come you suddenly need to know that information?"
"Our friend seems to have been busy. She's managed to capture Dialga herself, part of the goal that you told me about. Now, assuming she wants to attain the same thing this Team Galactic had wanted, I would assume her next move would be to capture Palkia. If we know where Palkia is, we'll be able to cut her off and stop her."
He considered the Doctor's point before sighing. "A very logical deduction. Unfortunately, no one seems to know where Palkia is. It hasn't been seen ever since it had appeared in Spear Pillar, lured there by the Red Chain Team Galactic had manufactured. I would assume that Palkia would not try to return there."
"Well, that's okay. Sometimes it's helpful to know where your target isn't in order to narrow your options down. I'm going to go looking around, if you don't mind, to find out whatever else I can."
Looker looked like he was going to protest, but the phone at his desk started ringing before he could get a word out. "Hello?" he asked as he picked up the phone. "Hm…yes…I see…excuse me for a moment, sir." He looked up at the Doctor. "It seems that a new case has arisen in the Unova region. While I'd like to investigate your matter further, I think I can trust you to take care of it." He turned to his computer and hastily typed in a lot of information. He then clicked on a button, which resulted in a card popping out of a slot and a bunch of paperwork. He picked up the card and handed it to the Doctor. "This is your security clearance, Doctor. You are now officially a member of the International Police, and you have been assigned to close this case. I'll have my secretary fill out the paperwork, so all you have to do is your job. Understood?"
The Doctor accepted the card and gave a salute. "Clearly. Allons-y!"
"Um…what?"
"Allons-y! It's French for 'Let's go!'"
"Huh…I kind of like the sound of it. I think I'll start using that." He returned the salute. "Right, then. Allons-y!"
He promptly dashed off, leaving a chuckling Doctor amused at how familiar that sight was. "All right, then! Amy, Rory. Allons-y!"
He promptly ran off, leaving the two behind him slightly confused. "Since when did he get all French?" Amy wondered.
Rory only shrugged. "And we never did ask him about the whole Merlin thing, did we?"
"Oh, the things that just keep adding up every second about him. Oh, well. No use just waiting around. Come on. Let's go check up on Piplup, see if he's alright."
Rory obeyed and followed his wife to the spot where Piplup and Growlithe had been earlier. They saw that Growlithe had left, and in his place was a Chansey.
"And that should do it," the Chansey said. "How are you feeling now?"
"Much better," he responded. He then turned his attention to Amy and Rory. "Oh, hey! What took you guys so long?"
"You're not going to like this," Rory said. He and Amy relayed what they had learned to him. "So," Rory concluded, "she is basically trying to harness the powers of time and space to basically take over everything."
"Then we have to see Palkia right away," Piplup said.
"The problem is, we have no idea where Palkia is," Amy said.
"No problem. Chimchar and I fought Palkia before in his domain: the Spacial Rift. He'll definitely be there."
"Oh!" she said. "That's good to know. We'll tell the Doctor we know where to go then."
"Can you get Bidoof and Manaphy?" Rory asked. "I have a feeling we'll be leaving immediately."
Piplup nodded and immediately left, Amy turning in the other direction to find the Doctor. Rory was left with the Chansey. "Oh, dear," she said. "So much stress on your shoulders, isn't there?"
"It's nothing we haven't handled before," he flatly stated. "By the way, where did that Growlithe go?"
"Oh, after he came to bring me over here, he had to go leave with his Trainer."
There was just the slightest hesitation in there that made Rory momentarily doubt the explanation. However, he quickly shrugged away that suspicion, knowing that it was much more logical than any other possible alternative. "All right, then. I should probably be off, so maybe I'll see you around."
He took off for his wife, not stopping to hear the Chansey say one last thing quietly. "Oh, don't worry. You can be assured that we will meet again…Dad."
You didn't think I had forgotten about River, did you? In other news, I've made yet another Doctor Who crossover called Rekindling the Flame. Check it out if you've got the time for it. And as always, thanks for showing this story your love, and I hope you all continue to do so.
