[attr="class","ihead"]

[attr="class","ipad"]AN EXPERT'S OPINION[break][break]
"indeed."[break][break]

the doctor wheels around in his seat, glancing at their guest, kyle lopez, before returning his stare straight to ALEXANDER STONE. [break][break]

"the resurgence of legendary pokemon prove that any legend or myth may hold some merit. our issue is now being able to discern which ones have some basis of truth and which ones are nothing more then fables."[break][break]

he pauses, sighing.[break][break]

"as for our progress — our analysis of the map matches no land mass known to man. there are some similarities to various obscure pieces of information we managed to dig up but we'd be going out on a limb. without a concrete clue, such as what this map was derived from, there's little we can be certain of without consulting slateport's marine institute of oceanic exploration. unfortunately, that's no longer an option considering slateport's condition."[break][break]

he turns in place and returns to his computer. a picture of johto's bell tower shows up on his left window. his right window shows a bell that looks similar to the silver bell they have in their possession. [break][break]

"the bells are even more confusing. our first thought was that they were related to the bell tower. we contacted a historian in ecruteak and they verified that the burnt bell may have originated from the bell tower. however, the silver bell seems to be purchased from a musical instrument shop in castelia city unova. it's a custom instrument so we thought perhaps they were related. however, they don't share the same frequency. honestly we're stumped. maybe they're not related."[break][break]

the esteemed doctor readjust his glasses, causing the the room's light fixtures to gleam off his spectacles. [break][break]

"the best contact we have in hoenn would be lilycove museum's curator. i tried to arrange for her to meet us here in rustboro but she's been stubbornly refusing to leave the museum. says she's too busy."[break][break]

[break][break]

---

[break][break]

knowledge is power. they've done all that they can from rustboro but it's not enough. they haven't gained enough to warrant anything from these items. when the doctor is done speaking, the decision is left up to alexander.

"please inform the historian in ecruteak that we will be paying a visit within the next couple of days. i would like to see the bell tower and also talk to the locals. perhaps they know more of these legendary tales than we do." 

tapping his chin, he thinks for a second before speaking again. 

"we will be flying out to meet the curator in lilycove later today. no need to inform her. kyle, gather up the items and meet me downstairs in an hour. bring a change of clothes, we might be staying the night." 

or they might be flying straight to johto after. standing from his chair, alexander gives the doctor a nod of appreciation, pats kyle on his back, and makes his departure.

--

the two of them fly straight to lilycove. their movements are kept under the radar, off the books, to ensure their safety. the private jet touches down and they soon make their way to lilycove museum.

"have you ever been here?" he asks kyle as they walk up the marble steps that lead up to the museum. soon, they push through the doors and step inside. the sun still shines outside.

there's the main section of the museum for the guests and then there is another section off to the side that leads to the back where the staff work. he knows this because there's something similiar in rustboro. he leads them there.

"good evening. we are here to see the curator."

kyle lopez

[attr="class","ihead"]

[attr="class","ipad"]OFF THE CLOCK[break][break]
an attendant turns to address them. curious, she inspects both of them, only able to recognize one. "ah—alexander stone?" his reputation as devon's acting ceo and rustboro's gym leader proceeds him. it's the only reason she doesn't immediately turn them away under the guise of this area being for employees only.[break][break]


"uh—you just missed her. she's been working on something non-stop but gave up since she wasn't feeling well. i think she went home for the evening."[break][break]


the attendant pauses, looking for a notepad or something she can scribble on.[break][break]


"did you have an appointment with her? it's not like her to stand people up, even if she's sick."[break][break]


she fumbles through an array of pens on the desk before deliberately picking a red one.[break][break]


"i can leave a note for her when she comes in tomorrow if you'd like."[break][break]


[break][break]

---

[break][break]

of course the curator isn't there with them. why would she be? it's not like the plot of this thread hinges on her being there. alexander lets out a soft sigh as he looks at the attendant.

"that is a shame but she is not to fault. we were in the area and decided to pay a visit. no appointments were made." 

turning to kyle, he places a hand on the back of the boy's shoulder and nudges him forward.

"yes! a note would be good. my colleague here will help with that. i have to excuse myself but you are in very capable hands." 

lowering his head, he bows and turns, making his departure out of the museum. he has his phone in his hands the moment he turns and by the time he's out the door he's already texted kyle a message.

find out what you can from her. she might know something that will help us. and find out more about what has been keeping the curator so busy. 

alexander turns the corner away from the museum and releases a few pokemon. he pulls up a picture on his phone of the curator and shows it to them.

"please find her. but be friendly." 

which should not be a problem for them. each one of them slink off in different directions; lampent disappears into the shadows of the streets, slipping in and out of every corner with ease; wynaut's shadow tag helps as she too does the same, running as fast as her small feet can muster; and honchkrow takes to the skies.

but gallade stays by alexander's side. something's not right about the situation; call him paranoid but someone has to be. it all seems a bit too coincidental for his liking.  

gallade does what he can to sense the different presences around them, hoping to isolate the one he needs. so they start looking, too.

kyle lopez

[attr="class","ihead"]

[attr="class","ipad"]HUNT FOR CLUES[break][break]
"o-oh, okay! take care, mister stone!"[break][break]



stone leaves and the attendant is left to stare at kyle. now that devon's ceo is no longer in the room she feels slightly at ease. the amount of pressure he exudes due to his rank puts her on edge. kyle is different, at least until she watches his expression when he reads stone's message. even she picks up that something's fishy.[break][break]



"urgent business?"[break][break]



she scribbles the note down regardless but only to the point where alexander stone has visited. for someone as important as the curator, every visitor's business is considered urgent. "could you clarify? it helps with how she prioritizes her daily tasks. everyone wants a piece of her time these days, you know?" she laughs nervously to try and lighten up what she has no doubts is an uncomfortable request.[break][break]

the casualness behind kyle's follow up question allows him to ease some more information from the lower ranked employee. "oh, she's working on a new private exhibit, i think. something to do with music." the attendant claps her hands with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. "she's been taking singing lessons as well. i'm really excited to see what she has in store."[break][break]

---

[break][break]

having never met the curator, the gallade cannot seem to hone in on her signature. the people of lilycove are many and scattered. it can probe but without a distinct clue, it's hard for the empath to discern between isolated individuals.[break][break]

from above, the honchkrow tails the streets but the bird cannot seem to find her. it must be because she's inside a building.[break][break]

it is the lampent that finds her. sulking in the shadows has its perks and eventually the ghost type pokemon finds her within her house. when the ghost type comes across her, it finds her neck deep in a warm bath filled with bubbles. nothing seems out of place aside from how comforting her singing is. a soothing melody spills out of her bathroom window and invades the pokemon's core. it doesn't notice anything at first but prolonged exposure will reveal something that neither are aware of.[break][break]

in between the curator's humming, the sound of coughing spill between her chorus. [break][break]


[break][break]

---

[break][break]

gallade might not have been able to pinpoint her aura out in a city full of people but he still has a solid read on his fellow teammates. the moment the lampent finds the curator is when gallade tenses up. the fighting-type turns to alexander and nods.

the shared connection between the two is more than enough for the champion to understand the situation. he looks to the skies and whistles. honchkrow darts back down and wynaut rushes back over. he recalls the two then turns to gallade, nodding.

the two TELEPORT right outside the curator's house.

lampent remains in the shadows, observing with caution as the curator starts coughing. something feels off but the ghost-type cannot quite comprehend what is happening just yet. she MINIMIZES her presence even further just in case.

"what do you see?" 

metaphorically. gallade should be able to lock-on to the curator with ease now. the psychic-type tries to analyze and gauge the curator's aura, but he also remains wary of any lingering auras in the near vicinity.

alexander waits for an answer before ringing the doorbell. 

kyle lopez // SPIRAL

[attr="class","ihead"]

[attr="class","ipad"]ACT I: CONCLUSION[break][break]
kyle hits the question right on the head and the attendant doesn't have an answer for him. her personality falls flat and she can only stare back with an absentminded smile. "i have no idea! that's why i'm so excited for it." her chirping gets the best of her and she lets a detail slip. "it's a private exhibit though so i don't know how many people will be able to see it but i hope we get to see why the curator's been practicing her singing!"[break][break][break]

---

[break][break]

the curator's aura seems normal. at least as normal as anyone else in lilycove. there's nothing distinct about her but there are also some things that even aura can't sense. [break][break]

the doorbell rings and the curator ignores it. she's cozy in her tub, soaking after going way too long without a proper bath. she's not expecting anyone and passes the interruption as a door-to-door marketer. [break][break]

MINIMIZE makes the lampent smaller but doesn't reverse the effect to come. everything's fine for now. [break][break]

unless... [break][break]

---

[break][break]

the ringing of the doorbell goes unanswered but he knows the curator is home. the lights in her house accompanied by confirmation given by lampent and affirmation given by gallade assures him as much. but if she is not willing to see him tonight then he will not pry any further. he will grant her her privacy.

some privacy. lampent sneaks back outside through the shadows and materializes in front of his trainer, his small blue-flame glowing in the dim evening.

"i have to ask you to spend the night here, lampent. watch over her, please. but stay in the shadows! if anything happens you can find me at the grand kingdra hotel. it is just down the road." 

nodding, or doing the equivalent by angling her whole body forward, lampent disappears back into the shadows and lingers in her house, hidden.

he takes out his phone and texts kyle the address to the hotel before making his way over. the hotel only has one room available and so the both of them will have to share one; twin beds though, so kyle won't have to share this time.

the two spend the night together like two songbirds.

the next day, provided there aren't any interruptions from his lampent, they make it back down to the museum to try and meet the curator, hopefully with better luck this time.

kyle lopez // SPIRAL