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Though weekdays tended to be slow, Gideon knew that it was just the calm before the storm. Soon, summer would be in full swing, meaning schools were out for their long break and families would be milling into the museum in the hundreds, if not thousands.[break][break]

He was fine with this brief period of peace. It afforded him time to do rounds across the various halls of the museum, where he inspected exhibits for quality and the need for potential updates. [break][break]

It was undertaking this task that he spotted a young man mumbling to himself near the entrance to one of their labs, noticeably away from any of the nearby exhibits. This was odd behavior, so Dr. Graves took it upon himself to check in and see what the problem was (if any).[break][break]

"Good afternoon," He greeted, using his slightly lilted customer service voice. "I'm the museum director here. May I help you with anything?"

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He's startled, but managed to suppress the yelp that threatened to echo about the hallowed halls of the museum. "Oh- Hiiii~!" he said, greeting Gideon with ease. He turns away form the lab sings, cutting the distance between them. [break][break]

Droopy eyes a little bit wider as he gravitated to the only other human he'd come across in over an hour. "Yes, ah- um- I need help looking up anything from the Unova region concerning the pokemon Volcarona. The older the depiction the better." he explained. [break][break]

"I've already been looking up some of the murals from that region in the past that I Thought may have some of the bug type- but I haven't been able to find much else. I was wondering...if you had a sort of?? maybe?? statue? Tapestry? Written texts? that may resemble her?" with that he lets out his partner out. [break][break]

Carbonara chirps, standing relaxed on all fours and gluttering her golden wings.

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"Volcarona, you say?" [break][break]

Hearing this, Gideon's umber gaze slid to the Bug-type at mint frost's feet. It certainly looked much like a VOLCARONA, but the professor recognized it as one of the recently-emerged Paradox Pokémon.[break][break]

"Parts of our collection are open to the public, yes." Usually by appointment-only, but seeing as the museum was fairly empty... [break][break]

"Are you researching that Pokemon there?" Gideon asked, referring to the man's SLITHER WING. At the same time, he gestured for Mint to follow him through a set of double doors nearby.[break][break]

This led them into the belly of the museum, which appeared less grand and much more sterile than areas normally accessed by the public.

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He nodded, Carbonara inching closer to her trainer and leaning her large fluffy body against his for comfort. He nodded as the director seemed to acquiesce and followed. "Don't touch anything." he warned Carbonara with a quick hiss. [break][break]

"Yes! Mainly interested in any traces of her from the past." He doubted history would have anything to say about the robot Delibird also in his custody. [break][break]

Carbonara dutifully stays at his side, and Mint is happy to run a hand through her fuzz, scratching at the warm beast and looking around. "Just you today?" he asked, smiling over at Gideon.

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The few passersby that they encountered in the halls within the interior of the museum answered mint frost's question without Gideon having to verbalize, but he does regardless, replying, "No, sir. We still have staff on hand. Even if we don't have many visitors, there are many researchers and the like working behind the scenes."[break][break]

Such was the case for a museum of this scale and scope. There was always something that needed to be done outside of educating the public.[break][break]

In the time it took Gideon to explain this, the two men and one Paradox Pokémon arrived at the entrance to the archives.[break][break]

"Please return your Pokémon before we step inside." And to head off any complaints, the director added, "For the safety and integrity of the documents, artifacts, etc."[break][break]

Once Mint complied, he'd scan his ID badge and enter into a huge, warehouse-like space, filled with endless rows of specialized storage racks.[break][break]

"Volcarona, you said?" Gideon asked, already walking toward the section dedicated to that specific Pokémon and its lore.[break][break]

"Right..." His eyes scanned to numbered plates on the outside of the metal storage shelves. "...here. This should be it."[break][break]

Handing Mint a pair of nitrile gloves, Gideon donned his own before instructing the other man on the procedure for handling anything within the archives.[break][break]

"The shelves slide out toward you. Everything, save prepared specimens, are protected within a glass case. If you'd like to inspect something more closely you're free to use the table over there." He gestured to a broad work space a short ways away from the rows of storage racks.

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He smiles and nods when he catches the eye of a research or stray scientist before looking back at his guide. "Course you do." he said with a quick laugh. "What was your name again? I forget to introduce myself. That's Carbonara and I'm M- Oh-!" he quickly reaches for his Slither Wing to pull her closer as she takes interest in this new area before returning her to her pokeball. "Mint." he finishes, as he attaches the pokeball back to his hip. [break][break]

He watches with quiet interest as the director gets him past locked doors before perking up once more. "Yes. She looks like some sort of Volcarona." he said as he carefully pulled on the gloves, tugging the ends as far down his forearm as he could. [break][break]

"Thanks, I appreciate it." he said a little nervous to be handling something so precious. Even in his school, he barely had the chance to deal so closely with old things. Mint had been more of a read and research sort of guy. Libraries mainly. Museums were a step above he didn't think he'd ever touch. [break][break]

"Right, let's start with Hoenn's regional pokemon records, if any...cave paintings...field journals...religious images..." he said beginning to mutter to himself as he tied back his hair and began to carefully pull out the shelves. He swallowed as he scanned through the shelves with single-minded focus. [break][break]

Mint, typically chatty, becomes more quiet in his focus. The flow state he enters is noted only by the occasional murmuring and movement of lips, accompanied by a faraway gaze and darting eyes as he pulled form his own expertise to remember any possible leads. Volcarona were not native to Hoenn, but regional variants were a possibility. Perhaps his was just an extremely rare kind of them. He makes his trips, taking one piece at a time for examination before putting it back carefully and going through the next. [break][break]

And it goes like this for a good while. He loses track of time until something stops him mid scribbling on a small notebook he'd pulled out of his jacket. He looks for the museum director once more. "Sorry- where's the- uh- hello-" he began stuttering out as blinked out of his stupor. "Where's the bathroom?"



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"Dr. Gideon Graves." The director replied, keeping introductions brief as to not derail mint frost's investigation.[break][break]

He let the man work, only watching to make sure he handled the documents and artifacts appropriately. [break][break]

Being a Bug-type expert, he knew that the VOLCARONA-esque Pokémon was nothing like any species currently known to science. A regional form? Possibly, though unlikely. And for it to appear at the same time as so many other odd, yet vaguely familiar Pokémon... [break][break]

Correlation was not causation, but the coincidence prompted further, future investigation, to be sure. He'd need to get Mint's contact information to follow-up.[break][break]

"Hm? Ah," Gideon looked up from the tome he'd taken from a nearby shelf, pausing briefly to remember where the restroom actually was in this maze of a room.[break][break]

"Down this corridor to your left. Hug the wall and you should see it."

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"Thanks! And uh- I put the books I borrowed back director." he said with a grin as he gestured over to the desk he'd been at. Everything tidied up, and carefully put in it's proper place. Though he'd kept the gloves on, intent to throw them out in the bathroom after his little break. [break][break]

"Got it. Oh and after, I wanted to ask if you could look at my Slither Wing with me? Just in case. She's friendly just...very curious after she stopped trying to face hug me when I found her." he said, tapping his pokeball but keeping the dual type locked inside for now. [break][break]

With that, he turned away to find the restroom, stretching his arms over his head It was nice to get in a good stretch after such a long sit.

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To mint frost's thanks Gideon's expression took on a curated look of both appreciation and measured professionalism.[break][break]

"Of course. If you ever need assistance in the future, please don't hesitate to ask either myself or one of my staff." [break][break]

Before he left, GIDEON GRAVES would be sure to collect the other man's contact information to follow up on his request. Perhaps further examination of another SLITHER WING besides his own would yield illuminating data. There was no knowing unless one tried.

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