55.
chapter fifty-five:
finding Mr Looker!

Deciding to stop by the Pokémon toy store to pick up an apology gift for Serena, I never expected to encounter her father figure there.

"Detective Looker?" I asked, dumbfounded, when I saw him considering two plushies: a Fennekin and a Pancham. The man looked visibly surprised at being spotted.

"Good evening, young man who accompanied Serena one day," he said warmly. I felt a smile tug at my lips and didn’t hold it back. This man gave off comforting vibes in gallons. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"The pleasure is all mine," I replied with a nod of my head. He laughed heartily and patted my shoulder.

"Still formal, eh? Any friend of my partner is a friend of mine as well! You don’t look too well, though. Is something bothering you?"

He was a detective for a reason. "Um, I'm trying to pick out an apology gift," I said, unsure. It would be great if I had help, but opening up would take a great toll on my mind and soul.

"Apology gift? That's a new term. Who did you wound?"

I grimaced at his blunt question but nevertheless found myself answering. "Serena. We, er, sorta fell apart because of me..."

Looker's face twisted to something between sympathy and worry. "Is my partner okay?"

"I guess?"

"That's alright. Falling apart is bound to happen when you care too much," he said, imparting wisdom with a scratch of his chin. I could easily see why he knew how to read body language. "I did witness you back in the Anistar case."

How did he see that?

"Huh?"

The man looked at me with a familiar twinkle in his eye, and things started to fall into place. "Who do you think was the third officer?"

An involuntary smile spread across my face as my stomach churned with gratitude for the man. "It was you, then! The only one who believed us!" He laughed but said nothing.

"Now, let's see what my girl might appreciate. A plush?"

I blinked, my mouth involuntarily voicing the question I didn’t want to ask. "Is that why you're here, sir?"

However, Mr. Looker didn't look the least bit bothered. "Oh, yeah. She hasn’t stopped by in weeks, and I was beginning to get worried that she still hasn't recovered from that Anistar incident." He looked wistful as he began leading me across the aisles. "I hadn’t seen her flinch and shiver like she did that day during the interrogation.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to her first interrogation alone. You could say I’m ashamed to admit I was unable to look out for her."

"You look out... for Serena?"

A fond look replaced his melancholic face. "Yeah, I don’t know if the feeling is mutual, but she's like my eldest daughter. Of course, she's my partner first, but I've never seen a more responsible and sunshine-filled girl like her." He winked, and my sixth sense wondered with horror if he knew how I felt about her.

"That's—" I struggled to form a sentence for some unknown reason. "Wholesome. F-found family!"

Mr. Looker threw an arm around me. "Yeah, and there's no restriction on how many people should be part of the family."

I felt warmth flow from his firm hand and couldn’t help the smile that lit my face. The man didn’t seem to notice as he began his search. "Tell me, Ash, who do you like?"

My heart skipped a beat. My sixth sense was right!

"Huh?"

The greying man looked at me with amusement. "Pokémon. Who do you like in Pokémon?" I almost choked on the air but managed to keep it down as he turned back to the aisles. "I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to Pokémon and anime.

"All I do know is my partner loves that fox, that panda, and that... something over there, but she already has that cat-something, so I was considering the fox and the panda." He nodded at the Fennekin and Pancham.

"I suppose it should be the panda, sir. I'm afraid I've already got Fennekin, the fox," I supplied sheepishly. A grave look took over the man's face, and I froze. What if he felt bad? Was he going to scold me? Hit me?

His voice was barely audible, but with the rapt attention I was giving to his movements, I managed to make out what he whispered. "Sir?"

"Er—"

"I don't need the 'sir' business, boy. It's Looker." Then he smiled as if he hadn’t just looked intimidating, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

"Yes, si—I mean, Looker." He seemed pleased and grabbed a Pancham plush before turning to me.

"You still haven’t told me who you like."

I held my hands up in reluctance. I was here to get Serena a gift. Not to mention, this man seemed like a know-it-all. "I've already got my favorite back in the hostel!"

"Nonsense! My youngest, Emma, said, and I quote, 'one can never have too many plushies!'"

"I'm a guy!"

"And I'm a grown man!"

~~~

Mr. Looker insisted I accompany him to the Looker Bureau and meet his adopted daughter, Emma. Despite telling him I had to get back before sundown, he didn’t listen. I couldn’t turn him down easily, either. His presence seemed to poke and prod an empty part of my heart; I don’t know why.

We were about to turn onto the street leading to Looker Bureau when I heard a commotion. My eyes widened as I realized a girl was being cornered.

"What's the hurry?" The voice seemed a tad bit familiar, but I couldn’t place it. "We could set you up for a coffee date with someone. We ain’t here to harm you." Gary?

"I-I have a boyfriend!" I heard Serena scream. From the sound of it, she was very much frightened. What the hell is Gary doing to her?

I handed my bag to Mr. Looker and charged forward. Although everything around was dimly lit, I could see the figure towering over golden hair.

"It's not recommended to lie, Yvon—argh!" I cut him short with a punch to his face and felt a hand near my boots: Serena's.

"Ah!"

"Are you okay?" I asked her, doubling over to where I heard the noise. I laid my arms around her shoulders and pulled her to my chest.

"W-who?" she stammered, sounding weakened. Before I could completely kneel to her, I felt her rest her weight on me; she had fainted.

A growl escaped my lips, and I turned to where the guy I hit lay. "Who in the name of crap are you?"

"Ash?" It was Gary. I knew it.

"Gary!" I scowled, feeling Mr. Looker take my side.

"Let's take her in. She's cold," the man said, and I realized with a pang that she was indeed shivering. Concern overtook anger, and I shifted her so that I was cradling her to my chest.

"Let me."

There was a shift, and the narrow beams of a flashlight illuminated her car. Mr. Looker then worked on opening the door, and I followed him in after giving the boys a solid glare. Once inside, he switched on the heaters and made a place on the couch for me to lay her down.

Serena seemed to be sweating and shivering at the same time. Fury bubbled inside me at her misery, and I nodded at Mr. Looker. "She wouldn’t want to see me when she wakes. Mr. Looker, will you please let me know if she's okay? I need to take care of those three before they flee."

Looker had an expression of apprehension but didn’t voice his thoughts. "Yes, I will."

I apologized once more before grabbing my bags and heading out. There was no sign of Gary or the two other guys, but I knew where to look: the hostel.